Duke Energy Ohio & Kentucky has announced the recipients of its 2025 Economic Development Awards, which honor organizations and individuals contributing to economic growth in the region. The awards, established in 2023, are presented annually within the company’s service territories in Ohio and Kentucky.
This year, the City of Fairfield (Ohio) received the Duke Energy Partner Achievement Award for its collaboration with Duke Energy on multiple projects during 2025 and ongoing development efforts over the past five years. These initiatives include expansion projects with Koch Foods and Pacific Manufacturing.
The Port of Greater Cincinnati Development Authority was recognized with the Duke Energy Visionary Achievement Award. According to Duke Energy, “The Port has been an instrumental partner in projects like Givaudan in Reading (Ohio) and continues to work with Duke Energy on opportunities for how the company can support infrastructure needs to serve future customers, review existing sites and opportunities, and collaborate on strategic plans for future development.”
Internally, Martin Rios, Dina Riemann, Andre Rose from transactional legal support, and Roger Zimmerman, an electric distribution planner at Duke Energy Ohio & Kentucky, were honored with the Energizing Economic Development Award for their role in supporting key projects and assisting with economic development requests.
Last year, collaborative efforts between Duke Energy’s Economic Development team and state and regional partners led to more than $548 million in new capital investment and created over 1,000 jobs across Ohio and Kentucky. The company’s site readiness program has evaluated 42 sites since inception in southwest Ohio and Northern Kentucky.
Partnerships with organizations such as REDI Cincinnati—the region’s main economic development group—and BE NKY Growth Partnership have played a significant role in recent regional economic expansion.
Amy Spiller, President of Duke Energy Ohio & Kentucky stated: “Through the efforts of our economic development team and local partners, we’ve been able to bring national and global organizations to our region. It gives us great pride to have supported these efforts, which ultimately landed opportunities for our communities to grow and prosper.”
Kimm Lauterbach, President & CEO of REDI Cincinnati said: “Duke Energy’s recognition of these award recipients reflects a deep commitment to advancing economic development across the Cincinnati region. Their support elevates the communities and partners whose work is driving impactful growth, expanding opportunity and shaping a stronger future for our region.”
Duke Energy Ohio & Kentucky serves nearly one million electric customers over a 3,000-square-mile area as well as more than half a million natural gas customers across 2,650 square miles. Its parent company Duke Energy is headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina; it supplies electricity to about 8.6 million customers across several states including Florida—where it also operates through Duke Energy Florida—and owns substantial energy capacity nationwide.
More details about Duke Energy can be found at its website or via social media channels listed by the company.
