Description

Judge Executive Kris Knochelmann will provide updates on two key developments:

SparkHaus is more than a workspace—it’s a community designed to empower Northern Kentucky’s entrepreneurs and innovators. From thoughtfully designed offices to versatile meeting spaces and vibrant gathering areas, SparkHaus provides everything you need to grow, connect, and succeed. The lower level is filled with meeting space – Zoom rooms, phone booths, conference rooms, and two Multi-Media Event Classrooms. It is the place where people come together – both in-person and remotely – to get work done.

Northern Kentucky University's Chase College of Law and the University of Kentucky's College of Medicine are coming to Covington as part of the new Commonwealth Center for Biomedical Excellence. The project will be located on a riverfront site that is currently a parking lot at 11 East Rivercenter Blvd.. Construction is expected to begin in late 2025, with an estimated completion in the second quarter of 2028.

Kris Knochelmann is a lifelong resident of Kenton County, growing up in Taylor Mill and Covington as the youngest of nine children. He graduated from Covington Latin School, then Xavier University with a degree in Accounting, before taking the lead in the family business.

Kris and his wife, Lisa, now own Schneller & Knochelmann Plumbing Heating Air, a business founded in 1928 and employing over 100 team members with offices in Covington and Cincinnati.  Kris has worked in the plumbing and HVAC industry since he was 15 years old.  

In addition to his responsibilities as the Kenton County Judge/Executive, Kris serves on numerous boards, which include: the Northern Kentucky Area Development District Board of Directors, the BE NKY Board, the Northern Kentucky Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors, past president of the OKI Regional Council of Governments, the St. Elizabeth Board of Trustees, the Horizon Council of Trustees, Blue North, as well as many others.

Among his accomplishments as the Kenton County Judge/Executive, Kris has received numerous awards including:  Boy Scouts of America Trailblazer Award, Transitions Heroes Against Heroin, Building Industry Association of NKY 2020 Community Leadership Award,  the NKY Community Action Commission Doris Wiedemann Memorial Outstanding Board Member Award and the Walter R. Dunlevy Frontiersman Award.

Kris and Lisa raised their children in Crescent Springs, and now reside in Covington.  They are parishioners at St. Joseph’s in Crescent Springs. All three of their children, Liz, Ben, and Drew along with their Son-in-Law, Daughter-in-Law, grandson and granddaughter, also live in Kenton County.