Northern Kentucky Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Brent Cooper will leave the region's largest business organization after nine years to refocus on his Covington-based IT company, C-Forward.

Cooper announced Aug. 14 that the upcoming program year will be his last. He will stay on through the transition while the Chamber's executive committee hires a search firm to find his successor. CVG CEO Larry Krauter, whose airport in Hebron is one of Boone County's largest employers, will lead that search.

No timeline has been set for naming a replacement.

The Chamber said details on the search committee and application process will come in the weeks ahead.

Cooper became the Chamber's sixth president in 2017 after more than a decade of board involvement, including a stint as board chair in 2011-12. Under his watch, membership grew 22% to 1,750 members, and the organization now counts more than 1,100 volunteers.

"It's an extremely strong organization, and this is the right time to step away because it is so strong," Cooper told WVXU on Aug. 13. "This is an announcement that this will be my last year, but it's not an announcement that I'm leaving tomorrow."

His tenure reshaped how the Chamber connected businesses across Northern Kentucky's three counties and more than 35 municipalities. Cooper co-created GROW NKY, now known as NKY Works, to address workforce shortages. He established four business councils, helped found the Launch NKY Center for Civic Leadership and relocated the Chamber's headquarters to the new OneNKY Center in Covington.

The Chamber also played a central role in lobbying for federal infrastructure funding that helped advance the $4.05 billion Brent Spence Bridge Corridor Project between Covington and Cincinnati, according to LINK nky. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Cooper's team organized restaurant relief funds and connected businesses with Paycheck Protection Program loans.

Boone County Judge/Executive Gary Moore credited Cooper with strengthening Northern Kentucky's collective voice in Frankfort, telling LINK nky on Aug. 13 that Cooper's leadership elevated the region's ability to secure funding for road and capital infrastructure projects.

Cooper founded C-Forward in 1999. The firm ranks among the top 25 largest IT companies in Greater Cincinnati, with annual revenues exceeding $8 million and more than 35 employees, according to the company's website. He said the company is entering a new growth phase that demands his full attention.

Board Chair Jason Payne, president, CEO and chairman of First National Bank of Williamson, said the Chamber is well-positioned for the change. The organization's annual dinner on Sept. 17 at the Northern Kentucky Convention Center in Covington will mark the board chair transition from Payne to Geralyn Isler.