Chamber Executive Kentucky Digest 

 December 2015

Merry Christmas, Chamber World! It's going to be a great day!

Paducah Chamber December Power In Partnership to feature Kentucky Chamber’s Dave Adkisson

November 23, 2015 --- Kentucky Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Dave Adkisson will be the featured speaker for the Paducah Area Chamber of Commerce December Power in Partnership breakfast.  Adkisson will present “Creating a Vision for Kentucky.”  The breakfast will be held on Thursday, December 3 at 7:30 a.m. at the Julian Carroll Convention Center.  US Bank is the sponsor.

Adkisson has been with the Kentucky Chamber for the past 10 years.  He is past chairman of the national Association of Chamber of Commerce Executives and the Council of State Chambers. In addition, he serves on the board of directors of the U.S. Chamber and chairs the U.S. Chamber’s education policy committee. Adkisson was honored by the Kentucky School Boards Association as its 2014 “Friend of Education”. 

Adkisson is originally from Owensboro, where he started his career at the chamber of commerce and later served eight years as the mayor of Owensboro.  In 1999, he was named president of the Birmingham (AL) Chamber, where he served six years. Adkisson has held several statewide leadership posts in Kentucky, including chairman of the Kentucky Advocates for Higher Education.  He is a graduate of Georgetown College and holds a master’s from Harvard University.   Paducah Chamber

#BeatChamber Practices: Jessamine Chamber of Commerce Ambassador Program Handbook --- Part 1 of 14 sections --- The Welcome Letter

Welcome to the Ambassadors!

The Jessamine Chamber of Commerce takes pride in the Ambassador Program and the people who are “The Ambassadors” of the Chamber. We hope your participation in the program will provide new business contacts for you and establish new friendships.

Becoming an Ambassador requires a commitment to the program. The time spent at events or contacting and visiting members is time spent away from your business; however, the benefits will far out-weigh the efforts. The more you put into it, the more you will get out of it.

Our past Ambassador of the Year Awards have gone to:

Larry Prinssen—2015                     Karen Lowry-Thomas - 2011

Suzanne Short—2014                      Ronda May – 2010

Cathy Lowe—2013                           Cheryl Eadens - 2009

Donna Seaborn - 2012                     Joe Wilder – 2008

If you speak to any of the current Ambassadors, they would tell you that they have truly enjoyed being a part of this very important Chamber program. They have come to know many new people and businesses in the community. Also, friendships and bonds have developed with each member of the Ambassador Program while working together.

We, at the Chamber, welcome you and hope this program means as much to you as you mean to us.

Please let me know if I can be of assistance to you in any way.

Sincerely,

Amy Cloud, CEO

Hannah Thornton, Office Manager

For more information about an elite ambassador program, contact Amy Cloud, CEO at 859-887-4351

Bowling Green Area Chamber of Commerce working to fill jobs in South Central Kentucky

 In 2013, the Bowling Green Area Chamber released the Urgent Call to Action Study which noted that in manufacturing alone, South Central Kentucky will have 4,500 open positions by 2016, representing $3 billion in gross domestic product in the 10 county South Central Kentucky region. The job openings will double to 9,000 by 2020. At the same time, Bowling Green's economy continues to grow with 14 announcements in 2015 alone, bringing a total capital investment of $824,257,235 and the creation of 813 new jobs. In order to support that growth, South Central Kentucky must have a strong talent pipeline.

In response, the Bowling Green Area Chamber of Commerce is implementing several initiatives to ensure that pipeline is in place for our businesses. From a $1.4 million private sector investment for The Leader in Me in our schools to the development of career academies in our high schools to the development of a Preferred Employer Network that ensures companies receive candidates that possess desired credentials, the Chamber offers a full slate of solutions to ensure that our companies have thetalent they need.

The Chamber is also increasing outreach outside our region to attract the highest quality candidates for our businesses. Thanks to the efforts of Speaker Pro Tem Jody Richards, the Chamber partnered with the Eastern Kentucky Concentrated Employment Program (EKCEP) earlier this fall to bring South Central Kentucky businesses to their 2nd Annual Mega Job Fair for workers affected by the recent downturn in the coal economy - a partnership that has already proven to be successful. Read more: WBKO

21st Annual Kentucky Chamber Day

 

Join us at the premier kick off of the legislative session

Where should you start off the new year? At the state’s largest gathering of business and political leaders! Don’t miss your opportunity to network with the who’s who of Kentucky. You’ll get to hear the governor and the state’s top four legislative leaders (all invited) share their visions for Kentucky’s economy, government and politics in the year ahead.

Thursday, January 7, 2016

Heritage Hall

The Lexington Convention Center

Lexington, Kentucky

Agenda

5 p.m. Registration and Reception

6:30 p.m. Dinner

Featured Guests

Governor of the Commonwealth

House and Senate leadership

(all invited)

Pricing

Individual Ticket

$175 Kentucky Chamber Member

$225 Retail

Table of 10

$1,350 Kentucky Chamber Member

$1,850 Retail

2016 Chamber Day Sponsorship Opportunities Now Available

Sponsorship opportunities include value added benefits such as recognition before, during and after the event, tables of ten at the dinner and logo featured in printed materials. Sponsorship levels are as follows:

·         Presenting  – $25,000

·         Platinum – $15,000

·         Gold – $10,000

·         Silver – $7,500

·         Bronze – $3,000

To view current sponorship opportunities, please click here.

Contact Andrea Flanders at 502-848-8723 for more information about sponsoring this event.

Leadership Kentucky brings November session to Ashland

Leadership Kentucky will hold its November session on energy, natural resources and environment in Ashland from Wednesday until Friday. The non-profit educational organization’s 2015 class includes 51 participants from across the state from various areas of the public and private sectors.

Since it was founded in 1984, 15 Ashland residents have participated in Leadership Kentucky, according to a release from the organization. First Vice President and Kentucky Region Manager of City National Bank Lori Arthur is the Ashland session chair. She is a 2014 Leadership Kentucky alumna. Read more: Daily Independent

Chamber Executive Ongoing Education Weekly New Idea: The Power of Full Engagement: Managing Energy, Not Time, Is the Key to High Performance and Personal Renewal

By Tony Schwartz and Jim Loehr

The number of hours in a day is fixed, but the quantity and quality of energy available to us is not. This fundamental insight has the power to revolutionize the way you live. 

As Jim Loehr and Tony Schwartz demonstrate in their groundbreaking New York Times bestseller, managing energy, not time, is the key to enduring high performance as well as to health, happiness, and life balance. Their Full Engagement Training System is grounded in twenty-five years of working with great athletes -- tennis champ Monica Seles and speed-skating gold medalist Dan Jansen, to name just two -- to help them perform more effectively under brutal competitive pressures. Now this powerful, step-by-step program will help you to: 

· Mobilize four key sources of energy 

· Balance energy expenditure with intermittent energy renewal 

· Expand capacity in the same systematic way that elite athletes do 

· Create highly specific, positive energy management rituals 

The Power of Full Engagement is a highly practical, scientifically based approach to managing your energy more skillfully. It provides a clear road map to becoming more physically energized, emotionally connected, mentally focused, and spiritually aligned -- both on and off the job. Read more: Amazon

Kentucky Chamber honors Rep. Brent Yonts with Chamber MVP award 

On Thursday, the Kentucky Chamber presented Rep. Brent Yonts of Greenville with the Chamber MVP Award. Rep. Yonts was among a select group of legislators recognized for conspicuous actions supporting Kentucky’s business community during the 2015 Kentucky General Assembly. “With so many important business issues in play during a legislative session, we feel it is important to highlight the efforts of those legislators who went out of their way to help ensure a positive business climate,” said Kentucky 11/16/2015 Kentucky Chamber honors Rep. Brent Yonts with Chamber MVP award | Bottom Line http://kychamberbottomline.com/2015/11/13/kentucky­chamber­honors­rep­brent­yonts­with­chamber­mvp­award/ 2/3 Chamber President and CEO Dave Adkisson. “Representative Brent Yonts is one of a select group of leaders who fought for a better business climate. As a small token of our appreciation, we are presenting him with an engraved Louisville Slugger to thank him for going to bat for business.” In addition to monitoring the progress of bills that directly relate to the strength of the Commonwealth’s business community, the Chamber tracks how each legislator votes on these bills. The Chamber’s MVP award recipients displayed more than just a business­friendly voting record, but also went out of their way, and at times across party lines, to support or oppose an issue critical to the business climate in Kentucky. Read more: Kentucky Chamber

Paducah Chamber Small Business Council

Small businesses are important to the Paducah Chamber with about two/thirds of our members employing 25 employees or less. The Chamber has as an initiative in our Strategic Plan to strengthen our partnership with small businesses by providing statistical data, celebrations, recognition, seminars, and establishing an advisory group. 

The Chamber and Paducah Economic Development, in cooperation with the Murray State University Small Business Development Center, are in the process of hiring a part-time small business consultant. For more information about the position, contact cwooldridge@murraystate.edu.  

The Paducah Chamber has also chosen SizeUp for a Local Business Intelligence (SizeUp LBI) as a new service to give area businesses powerful new tools they need to grow and be successful.   More information will be coming soon!  

The Chamber’s Power in Partnership Breakfast in May featured a “Spotlight on Small Businesses.” The program included a panel of speakers discussing local resources available for small businesses and entrepreneurs. The panel of speakers include: Scott Darnell, President/CEO, Paducah Economic Development; Jim Pape, Vice President of Workforce and Economic Development, West Kentucky Community and Technical College; Melinda Winchester, Downtown Development Specialist and Main Street Director, City of Paducah; and Chris Wooldridge, District Director, Kentucky Small Business Development.  

Additionally the names of three local businesses were drawn from those submitting their summaries during a segment to feature the businesses and their products and services. They included Supply Solutions, Rob’s Cleaning Company and Cook’s Computer Solutions. Businesses are asked to submit a 75 word summary about their business.  The submitted summaries were compiled into a document for distribution to attendees at the breakfast and posted on the Chamber’s website and Facebook.  

Chamber interest: Both youth and employers would win if Kentucky expands proven program

The Kentucky Chamber of Commerce released a report this summer entitled, "Kentucky's Workforce Challenges." Employers surveyed for the report identified the lack of "soft" skills as the primary difficulty encountered in addressing their employment needs.

As defined by the chamber, soft skills, or employability skills, include understanding the importance of showing up for work, communicating well with others, being able to work as part of a team, taking responsibility for one's actions and managing time effectively.

To address this concern, the chamber recommended the development and implementation of K-12 soft skills training programs into classroom curriculum along with incorporating a soft-skills/work-readiness certification into college and career readiness requirements.

There is no need to reinvent the wheel, as such a curriculum has been taught in schools throughout Kentucky since 1993.

Jobs for Kentucky's Graduates is the state affiliate of Jobs for America's Graduates. For over 35 years, JAG has been dedicated to helping students overcome barriers to graduation and transition into postsecondary education, the workforce or the military. JAG programs work with at-risk middle-school and high-school students, teaching them employability skills along with leadership- and team-building aptitudes through competency-based curriculum modules. Read more: Kentucky.com

Frankfort Area Chamber Collaboration: City,County Launch a new Online Calendar 

Franklin County residents now have a new local resource online to stay connected to what’s happening at local government, businesses, civic groups and entertainment venues.

The Frankfort/Franklin County Community Calendar (www.fkycalendar.com) offers one-stop access to view events hosted by several participating agencies.

“Information for the calendar is supplied by the City, County, Downtown Frankfort, Inc., the Frankfort Area Chamber of Commerce, the Kentucky Capital Development Corporation and the Frankfort/Franklin County Tourism Commission,” Frankfort Community Relations and Grants Manager Rebecca Hall said.

According to Hall, the calendar was created after members of the organizations attended a presentation by Kim Huston of the Nelson County Economic Development Agency in Bardstown.

“City of Frankfort IT Manager Bobby Ripy and Franklin County Internet and Technology Coordinator Andrew Tippett were given the task to move the project forward in September,” she said. “After much input from contributing organizations the calendar is currently live and being populated with Frankfort and Franklin County events.”

The calendar is sponsored by the City of Frankfort and Franklin County Fiscal Court. Read more: State Journal

Chamber Chuckle -  Wacky Wednesday Weirdest Chamber Requests

"Can you come fix my outside light?"

U.S. Rep. Hal Rogers talks future of SOAR under a new administration 

As Governor Steve Beshear prepares to leave office, Kentucky Congressman Hal Rogers says he hopes the next governor will work with him to improve eastern Kentucky. Rogers and Beshear, while of different political parties, have worked closely over the years on an effort they call Shaping Our Appalachian Region (SOAR) which looks at initiatives to move eastern Kentucky’s economy forward as the decline of the coal industry has taken its toll on the region. 

Ahead of the 2015 elections, the Kentucky Chamber’s Bottom Line sat down with Rogers to discuss the transition. Rogers told Bottom Line he had spoken with Bevin before of the election and Beshear has talked to Conway about the partnership and what it would look like moving forward. Read more: Kentucky Chamber

Famous Chamber of Commerce Quotations: (Positive Thoughts)

“The strangest and most fantastic fact about negative emotions is that people actually worship them.” – Peter Ouspensky

Frankfort Area Chamber Event: Investments to Infrastructure Could Move the Economy By Water

Frankfort/Franklin County could draw new organized river tours from as far away as Louisville and Cincinnati, Ohio, according to reports from the Kentucky River Authority. That influx could bring thousands in potential new revenue to the community. 

More than 1,800 boats and 6,100 passengers have traveled through Frankfort’s locks on the Kentucky River since the barriers reopened for traffic earlier this May, Jerry Graves, executive director of the Kentucky River Authority reported Friday at a Frankfort Area Chamber of Commerce meeting that gauged business and industry leaders’ views on how to best drive public policy.

Despite the high water and swollen banks that proved problematic for Kentucky River recreationists in July, Graves said the rejuvenated river has proven to be an economic booster for the area.

“It’s opened up an avenue for tourism,” Graves said. 

While the previously inoperable locks had choked local river traffic for nearly the past decade, Graves says there’s been renewed interest from a Cincinnati-based enterprise to bring a paddleboat tour to Frankfort. The Spirit of Jefferson, a Louisville-based sightseeing-riverboat cruise could also dock here next year, Graves said, bringing several hundred passengers. Read more: State Journal

Kentucky Chamber of Commerce Chief At Odds With Bevin Over Kynect

Kentucky Chamber of Commerce President Dave Adkisson says he’s at odds with Governor-elect Matt Bevin over dismantling Kentucky’s health care exchange.

The chamber backed a state-run exchange rather than a federal one when the Affordable Care Act was implemented, Adkisson told Kentucky Public Radio member WKMS following the Murray-Calloway Chamber of Commerce Breakfast.

“Our feeling was we’d rather have an exchange created in Kentucky and run by Kentuckians than we would a federal exchange, so that puts us at odds to some extent with the campaign position that Gov. Matt Bevin took,” said Adkisson. “So it’s going to be interesting to see how all that works out.”

Last week, Bevin became just the second Republican to win an election for Kentucky governor since the early 1970s in a campaign that focused largely on health care. Read more: WFPL 89.3

Northern Kentucky Chamber of Commerce Names Scott Sedmak VP of Public Affairs and Communications

The Northern Kentucky Chamber of Commerce on Wednesday named Scott Sedmak VP of Public Affairs and Communications. 

Sedmak will develop and manage public affairs and business advocacy for the Chamber, as well as the organization’s communications and marketing initiatives. He also will assist the Chamber’s 1,400-plus members in a variety of areas.

Prior to joining the Northern Kentucky Chamber of Commerce, Sedmak was corporate communications manager at Axcess Financial. He also managed the company’s charitable relationships and worked with chambers of commerce across the country on policy issues.

“Scott is a smart communicator who has a unique balance of both private sector and public policy experience,” said Northern Kentucky Chamber of Commerce President Trey Grayson, in a statement. “He is well-regarded in Frankfort and within Northern Kentucky. Scott will bring a lot to the Chamber with his ability to bridge the gap between the business community and policymakers.” Read more: O'Dwyers

Top Three Daily Postings in the last month at Midwest Chamber of Commerce blog – --- click to go there or Google search “Midwest Chamber of Commerce blog”

St. Joseph County Chamber News: South Bend, Indian... Dec 3, 2015	110
Chamber Executive Ongoing Education Weekly New Ide... Nov 24, 2015	106
Lansing Regional Chamber Calls for Public/Private ... Nov 12, 2015	106

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