In an editorial for the Lexington Herald-Leader, attorney W. Terry McBrayer insists that including Northern Kentucky in any proposal to encourage regional economic development and increased cooperation between Lexington and Louisville. 

The Kenton County Airport Board will buy the former Comair headquarters from Delta Air Lines for $4 million.

While cities throughout the region have struggled with budget issues, the city of Florence has managed to maintain service levels, complete several capital improvement projects and maintain reserves of more than $20 million. 

Entrepreneurship and invention is a family affair for the Schneider family. Father Dr. Charles Schneider and son Dr. David Schneider have a combined 75 years of experience in specialty chemicals, and hold nearly 40 patents between them in chemical technologies. Both have extensive corporate and entrepreneurial experience, and in 2005 they founded a company that put those skills to use, so far with great success.Rem-Brands, with its tagline "Bonding Science with Business," is a Northern Kentucky-based chemical company that specializes in technologies related to odor and stain removal and disinfection applications.David and his father started the company while he was president and CEO of Iofina, a London Stock Exchange Company, which he helped take public before leaving to focus on Rem-Brands. Their technologies are used in household, commercial, industrial and agricultural applications. Among them are products that have been sold at Bed, Bath & Beyond, PetSmart and home shopping channel QVC. In the agricultural field, among their products is one that is sprayed on cows to keep germs from contaminating the milk before the milking process. Creating these types of technologies has long been a passion for both father and son, David said."This is something we've both done our whole lives, with protect (our technologies) with patents or keep trade secrets and take them and see where it can be used," he said.The company is based in Florence; the company has manufacturing, lab and office space. Most of the technological work is done by David or Charles. David's brother Michael Schneider is company EVP and COO, and also has an extensive chemical background."We design all of our own equipment and our own processes," David said. "Most of the work can be overseen by one or two people."Research and development is conducted in Florence, along with some product manufacturing. Larger manufacturing orders and packaging are outsourced to other companies, David said.The company has recently hired a sales and marketing director, financial advisor and business advisor. Rem-Brands is growing, and within the next year plans to expand into a larger facility. The company plans to stay local, but if growth demands it, could open a facility on the West Coast for logistical reasons sometime in the future, David said."I think this is a great location. Traditionally Cincinnati was one of the major areas for the chemical industry in the U.S. It's to a lesser extent now, but it's still a hub of chemical manufacturing, formulating and distribution. There are a lot of good minds still around," he said. Writer: Feoshia HendersonSource: Dr. David Schneider, co-founder Rem-BrandsYou can follow Feoshia on Twitter @feoshiawrites

As part of its regional stewardship mission, The Center for Economic Analysis and Development (CEAD) housed in the Haile|US Bank College of Business at Northern Kentucky University recently launched the Kentucky Regional Economic Analysis Project (KY-REAP). This free tool draws from a national network of economic data that CEAD has broken down for each county in Kentucky as well as the Ohio and Indiana counties comprising the Cincinnati MSA.