Fore took over the Tri-County Economic Development Corp. of Northern Kentucky in 1998, on the back edge of a wave that brought thousands of jobs and dozens of new companies to the region.

Fore was traveling Friday and could not be reached for comment. He will start Nov. 1 as president and chief executive officer of the Martinsville-Henry County Economic Development Corp. in Martinsville, Va.

Family reasons, and not dissatisfaction with the job here, were behind the move, Tri-Ed officials said. They noted Fore's strengths in budgeting, planning and organization.

"He was the right guy for the right time," said Bill Robinson, secretary-treasurer of Tri-Ed's board. "He's done a very good job for us, and not in the easiest of times. He brought a very high level of professionalism."

Since the beginning of 1999, Tri-Ed has helped attract 39 new companies to the region, with a total capital investment of more than $1 billion.

Those numbers aren't as high as the previous six years, when Northern Kentucky recruited 87 new companies. But development agencies have gone through a similar trend, and the numbers compare favorably to other regions of similar size, said Tri-Ed chairman Steve Pendery, judge-executive of Campbell County.

"While he's been with us, probably the low-hanging fruit had been plucked long ago," Pendery said. "But we have managed to buck the national trend and do better than anyone else."

Pendery said he would recommend the board appoint Dan Tobergte, executive vice president of Tri-Ed, as interim president.

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E-mail cpeale@enquirer.com