A panel of three Northern Kentucky arts, entertainment, and bourbon leaders will discuss how cultural offerings help the region attract workers and investment at the NKY Chamber's next Eggs 'N Issues breakfast on August 18, in Erlanger.

The event, titled "Play, Stay, Grow – Building a Region People Choose," runs from 7:30 to 9 a.m. at Receptions Banquet and Conference Center – South, 1379 Donaldson Road. Registration costs $35 for NKY Chamber members, $45 for non-members and walk-ins, and $30 for NKYP members (free with NKYP Event Pass). Pre-registration is available at NKYChamber.com/Events.

MeetNKY President and CEO Julie Kirkpatrick will moderate.

The panelists

Britton Dove is a talent buyer for Promowest Live and MegaCorp Pavilion, the Newport riverfront venue that hosts more than 110 events per year and accommodates up to 7,000 concertgoers outdoors. Dove, a Columbus native, relocated to the Greater Cincinnati region to book acts at the venue, according to the NKY Chamber.

Matt Distel serves as executive director of The Carnegie in Covington, Northern Kentucky's only multidisciplinary arts organization. Distel has organized exhibitions since 1994 and held curatorial roles at the Cincinnati Art Museum and the Contemporary Arts Center before joining The Carnegie's staff in 2013. He was named executive director in April 2023.

Mollie Lewis is president of New Riff Distilling in Newport, a family-owned bourbon distillery that launched in 2011. Lewis took over as president in 2024 when her father, founder Ken Lewis, retired. Before returning to Northern Kentucky to help launch New Riff, she managed international wine exports in Italy and worked with California's Culinary Institute of America.

Why it matters locally

NKY Chamber President and CEO Brent Cooper said in the chamber's July 24 announcement that the breakfast goes "beyond jobs and infrastructure" to examine "the gathering spaces and the assets that make people want to spend time in a region." The chamber represents more than 1,750 member companies across Northern Kentucky, including Florence and Boone County businesses.

Doors open at 7:30 a.m. for check-in, breakfast, and networking. The panel and audience Q&A begin at approximately 7:55 a.m. and wrap up by 9 a.m.