William P. Butler, a longstanding resident of Covington, Kentucky, is a distinguished figure renowned for his dedication and contributions to education, business and civic prosperity in northern Kentucky. Mr. Butler’s journey is intertwined with the creation and remarkable growth of the Corporex Family of Companies, LLC, which he founded in 1965 and has led as chairman and CEO ever since. Under his stewardship, Corporex has burgeoned into a powerhouse in the real estate industry, having built over $8 billion in facility constructions across 27 states. Additionally, Mr. Butler sponsored the formation of Eagle Hospitality Properties Trust, a New York Stock Exchange traded entity, where he was chairman of the board from inception in 2004 through its sale in 2007.
Beyond his achievements in the corporate realm, Mr. Butler epitomizes a steadfast commitment to community welfare and service. Mr. Butler serves the community through his roles as founder of the Butler Foundation, founder and board member of the Life Learning Center, founding member and trustee of the Horizon Community Fund and founder and executive board member of the Metropolitan Club. Additionally, he currently serves or has served on the boards of United Way of Greater Cincinnati, the Dan Beard Council of the Boy Scouts of America, Thomas More University, the Lindner Center of Hope, the Catalytic Fund, Bexion Pharmaceuticals, the OneNKY Alliance, and the Kentucky, Greater Cincinnati, and Northern Kentucky Chambers of Commerce at various times. He is a multi-level member of United Way’s Million Dollar Roundtable, the Alexis de Tocqueville Society, and the Commercial Club of Cincinnati, and has an impressive history serving on many other boards and councils in the region.
Mr. Butler has dedicated his career to the prosperity of northern Kentucky and advocated for higher education through his philanthropy, displaying a vision that begins with the talented minds that will grow to shape the future of this region.
Throughout the years, Mr. Butler has made exceptional contributions to NKU through his time, talent and treasure. He has served NKU with his expertise in numerous ways, including his service as an interviewee for the Campaign Feasibility Study in 2016, serving as a member of the President’s Advisory Council from 2003 to 2012 and his service on the Shaping Dreams Campaign Cabinet from 2001 to 2005. Most notably, Mr. Butler has greatly impacted NKU student excellence through his contributions, which have established both the Butler Scholars program and the matching funds for the LIFT Scholars program. The Butler Foundation has been supporting the Butler Scholars Program at NKU for more than ten years — a commitment that has provided consistent financial assistance and motivation to young learners who will be the next leaders, innovators and change makers of our communities. In the 2023-24 academic year, there are 22 Butler Scholars at NKU, which is the most supported by this program in any given year.
The LIFT Scholars Program was designed to support student populations who are at the highest risk of not completing their degrees. By focusing on lowincome and first-generation scholarship students, the program helps these students access higher education and navigate challenges on their path to degree completion. This dedication to NKU and to the Northern Kentucky region overall has resulted in Mr. Butler’s being honored with many prestigious awards, including being National Entrepreneur of the Year, USA in 1996 and NKU’s Lincoln Award in 2002. A few more recent awards include the 2020 Wm. T. (Bill) Robinson III Northern Kentucky Economic Development Award, the 2017 Spirit of Progress Award, the 2017 Northern Kentucky Business Hall of Fame Award and the Great Living Cincinnatian Award.
Mr. Butler has dedicated his career to the prosperity of northern Kentucky and advocated for higher education through his philanthropy, displaying a vision that begins with the talented minds that will grow to shape the future of this region. His pivotal role in NKU’s growth makes Northern Kentucky University proud to confer upon William P. Butler an honorary Doctor of Education degree.
