From P&G to Blue North: How Dave Knox Built a Career Connecting People, Startups, and Big Ideas

Every great career has chapters — and for Dave Knox, Executive Director of Blue North, those chapters read like a masterclass in connection, innovation, and purpose-driven leadership.

When Dave joined Jennifer Sheffel on the Journey Success Stories podcast, he described his professional life as a “four-chapter journey.” Each one built on the last, shaping him into a leader focused not just on building companies — but on building community.

Chapter One: The Foundation at Procter & Gamble

Dave’s journey began at Procter & Gamble, where he helped build the company’s first corporate digital strategy team in the late 2000s. That experience taught him how structure and vision work together to create meaningful growth — lessons he would carry into every stage of his career.

Chapter Two: The Entrepreneurial Leap

Dave then stepped into the startup world as Chief Marketing Officer at Rockfish, a fast-growing digital agency, and co-founded The Brandery, a startup accelerator that helped shape Cincinnati’s innovation scene. It was during this time that he discovered his passion for connecting great ideas with the people who can bring them to life.

Chapter Three: The Independent Chapter

After Rockfish was acquired by WPP, Dave began advising startups, writing his book Predicting the Turn, and even running a natural product company, Nature’s Willow. Each venture gave him new insight into what drives sustainable growth — creativity, adaptability, and genuine relationships.

Chapter Four: Leading with Purpose at Blue North

In 2022, Dave entered his fourth chapter as Executive Director of Blue North, the innovation hub for Northern Kentucky.

“We’re intentionally a small but mighty team,” Dave explains. “Because our real team is the community itself — the founders, mentors, and leaders who believe in building something bigger together.”

Blue North serves as the front door for entrepreneurship in Northern Kentucky, supporting startups through mentorship, funding, and connection. Programs like the Resilience Accelerator (focused on founder mental health), the Northern Kentucky Entrepreneur Fund, and BRINK (Built and Raised in Northern Kentucky) are transforming how entrepreneurs access support in the region.

And with Sparkhouse, a $17 million innovation hub in Covington, Blue North is set to become the heartbeat of Northern Kentucky’s entrepreneurial ecosystem.

Why This Story Matters

Dave’s journey isn’t just about business growth — it’s about people. It’s about seeing every connection, every conversation, and every challenge as a building block toward something greater.

“Everything is a branch on the same tree,” he said. “You may not realize how each connection will shape your future, but every chapter plays its part.”

Whether you’re building a startup, leading a team, or entering a new chapter yourself, Dave’s story is proof that the best ideas grow when people grow together.