Chamber Executive
Kentucky Digest
April 2016
Bowling Green Area Chamber of
Commerce President Ron Bunch: State must seek transparency, accountability in
ADDs
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| Ron Bunch, chamber photo |
The Daily News
invited Ron Bunch, president and CEO of the Bowling Green Area Chamber of
Commerce, and Rodney Kirtley, executive director of the Barren River Area
Development District, to share their thoughts on House Bill 438 – a proposal
that would establish specific requirements and guidelines for the state’s area
development districts.
It is disappointing that
once again a much-needed piece of legislation that would enhance the
transparency and accountability of our statewide system of area development
districts (ADDs) will not become law. The measure, sponsored by state Rep.
Susan Westrom, requires the 15 Kentucky ADDs – who together control about 175
million state and federal dollars – to report on their activities and be
responsible stewards of public money. The bill simply requires ADDs to follow
some basic procedures in hiring, such as advertising executive director
positions; prohibits bonuses (which are against the state constitution); and
requires employees and the boards that oversee the ADDs to comply with state
and federal conflict of interest and procurement laws. The bill also requires
state agencies that administer the federal dollars to make detailed annual
reports on how much they award to each ADD, how much was allocated to services
versus overhead, and how many people were served – key efficiency metrics for
the business community.
The ADDs were established
in the 1970s to help regions plan for issues that crossed county lines and to
create a mechanism for small rural communities to benefit from grants. Over the
years, that mission has grown to include the administration of millions of
dollars for workforce development and services for seniors – following those
laws and regulations, efficiently, should be a core skill for the Barren River
Area Development District.
This March, the BRADD
received a letter from the state’s Department for Aging and Independent Living
noting $82,876 in disallowed expenditures. According to the letter, the BRADD
inappropriately made several one-time “salary adjustments” (bonuses) with money
intended to provide food and services to the elderly and disabled, while
maintaining waiting lists of hundreds of people in need of those services. In
fact, the letter goes on to note that the self-serving bonuses were paid during
a time when crisis plans were in effect to ensure those elderly and disabled
services could be continued. The BRADD is now being asked to repay the money.
Unfortunately, we expect a similar “disallowed cost” letter will be issued from
the state workforce agency for the same infractions.
Furthermore, the BRADD
receives roughly $1.8 million annually to ensure un- and underemployed citizens
of southcentral Kentucky are properly trained and referred to open jobs. An
audit report just released by State Auditor Mike Harmon noted a difference in
reported expenditures of $1.39 million – nearly the entire amount of dollars
allotted annually to the BRADD. Such a discrepancy is deeply troubling and
inexcusable – especially considering the regional focus on this essential
service over the past several years. Read more: Bowling Green Daily News
Northern
Kentucky Chamber Event: Annual Excellence in Education event to recognize ‘collective
impact’ of contributions to education
The Northern Kentucky Education Council and the Northern
Kentucky Chamber of Commerce invite the community to attend the 2016 Excellence
in Education Celebration: A Brighter Future for NKY {Powered by STEAM}.
The April 28 event will be held at the Northern Kentucky
Convention Center. It will recognize students, educators, and community and
business leaders for their significant contributions to education.
“Our education, business and community leaders are working
together every day in creative and innovative ways to ensure all students are
prepared for college, work and life,” said Polly Lusk Page, executive director
of the Northern Kentucky Education Council.
“We are especially proud to be able to recognize the collective
impact efforts being made on behalf of education across the region.”
This year’s theme of A
Brighter Future for NKY {Powered by STEAM} was chosen to
highlight the focus schools are putting on science, technology, engineering,
arts, and mathematics. Northern Kentucky students are encouraged to think
critically and take integrative approaches to real-world problems, skills that
will prepare them well for when they enter the workforce.
“The creativity and drive our business community is seeing from
the students coming out of our local schools is inspiring,” said David
Heidrich, Chair of the Board for the Northern Kentucky Chamber of Commerce.
Read more: Northern Kentucky
Tribune
Town Square Publications will be a supporter at the KCCE Spring
Conference in Frankfort April 27-29th! Please stop by and say hello, so we can
get exchange chamber “best practices” from the last year, or I can thank you
for sending in items to the Midwest Chamber of Commerce Daily or the Kentucky
Intelligence Report. It is very appreciated!
Kentucky Chamber
news: Kentucky budget: 'Strong, positive signal to Wall Street'
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| David Adkisson |
It came down to the wire, but the Kentucky General Assembly passed a two-year budget plan Friday night after House and Senate Leadership spent hours working through sticking points to ward off a special session.
And while the final details were still being hashed out, leaders with the Kentucky Chamber of Commerce and Greater Louisvile Inc. said the major points of the budget send the right message.
"We think the budget will send a strong,
positive signal to Wall Street, and it will demonstrate more monetary
discipline than in the past," said Dave
Adkisson, president and CEO of the Kentucky Chamber of Commerce.
The highlight of the $22 billion budget plan is the allocation of more than $1 billion to the state's ailing pension system, which has billions in unfunded liabilities.
Sarah Davasher -Wisdom, chief operating officer for GLI, said the funding level is a positive for the state's credit rating and economic growth.
Adkisson said the amount shows lawmakers are tackling the pension problem head-on. " It’s based on conservative economic projections more so than usual." Read more: Louisville Business First
The highlight of the $22 billion budget plan is the allocation of more than $1 billion to the state's ailing pension system, which has billions in unfunded liabilities.
Sarah Davasher -Wisdom, chief operating officer for GLI, said the funding level is a positive for the state's credit rating and economic growth.
Adkisson said the amount shows lawmakers are tackling the pension problem head-on. " It’s based on conservative economic projections more so than usual." Read more: Louisville Business First
Ryan Craig leaves Logan County Chamber
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| Ryan Craig |
Ryan Craig announced
his resignation Tuesday, March 29 as Executive Director of the Logan County
Chamber of Commerce, located in Russellville. Craig began his duties directing
the Chamber in January of 2015.
“It is with much
sadness that I tender my resignation as Executive Director of the Logan County
Chamber of Commerce. This is not a decision I take lightly,” said Craig who
owns Craig Media, LLC, which is also the owner of the Todd County Standard
newspaper in Elkton, Ky.
When Craig stepped up
as Chamber director, his wife Jenni began running the Standard as the General
Manager which freed him up to take over the Chamber. Jenni is an award winning
journalist who once worked for the News-Democrat & Leader
while attending Western Kentucky University where she earned her journalism
degree.
Unfortunately, due to
an injury last August, Jenni has been unable to work more than a few hours a
day and just a few days a week.
“My wife is very good
at her job, but without her or me at such a small operation the advertising
sales have suffered now for almost six months. While I think the work we do
here at the Chamber is very important, my business pays for my family’s health
insurance and supplements the difference in pay between what I made before
coming to the Chamber. I must return to right the ship, so to speak,” Craig
stated in his letter to the Chamber Board of Directors.
Chamber president Joe
Hendricks released a statement on behalf of the
Board of Directors and the members of the Logan County Chamber of Commerce on
Craig’s departure.
“I want to express our
appreciation for the work Ryan has done for the people of Logan County and for
the Chamber of Commerce. There is no doubt that Ryan and his unique talents and
abilities will be missed. I wish circumstances would have permitted him to
continue to serve as executive director into the future. We wish Craig and
Jenni good health and hope that the Todd Standard continues to prosper. The
Executive Committee for the Chamber has met and is beginning the process
for hiring a new Executive
Director,” said Hendricks.
Craig said
it has been a real honor to serve with the Chamber Board of
Directors. Read more: News Democrat Leader
Kentucky Chamber-backed Workers’
Compensation Task Force bill gets final passage
The Kentucky state Senate gave
final passage to House Concurrent Resolution 185 Friday on consent. The
resolution, cosponsored by Chairman Rick Nelson (D) Middlesboro, and Rep. Adam
Koenig (R) Erlanger, would establish a task force made up of equal parts labor
and business to look at the workers’ compensation system.
The Kentucky Chamber has worked
alongside the Kentucky League of Cities, the AFL-CIO and others to craft the
legislation to examine the workers’ compensation system and make
recommendations to the General Assembly. For many years various business and
labor groups have been trying to reach agreements on aspects of the workers’
compensation system but little progress has been made. This task force would
bring the groups together in a formal setting to take a serious look at the
system and make suggestions to the legislature. Read more: Kentucky Chamber
Kyndle initiative seeks to pair up veterans, jobs
Careers for retiring military personnel and employees for local companies is the dream behind Kyndle Warriors — an initiative rolled out March 23.
"Over the past few months, we've been meeting with local industries which have expressed concerns that they have positions they can't fill," said Donna Crooks, Kyndle's vice president of economic development and interim CEO for the agency which represents Henderson, Union, Webster and McLean counties.
The job vacancies, which vary from industrial maintenance and chemists, to laborers for the tool and dye industry and automotive industry, "have been open for a quite a long time, and they just can't find individuals to hire," she said.
Crooks said a low unemployment rate and retiring baby boomers have worked to shrink the number of people in need of jobs. "So it's very challenging to find people to fill the positions."
"Brad Schneider, former Kyndle CEO, and I started talking about what we could do to help these companies. There are things we are already doing: We have our jobs listing on our Kyndle Web page; we work closely with career centers, we do job fairs ... but we wanted to do more to help." Read more: The Gleaner
Chamber Executive
Ongoing Education Weekly New Idea: "The Power of Broke: How Empty Pockets,
a Tight Budget, and a Hunger for Success Can Become Your Greatest Competitive
Advantage" by Daymond John
Daymond
John has been practicing the power of broke ever since he started selling his
home-sewn t-shirts on the streets of Queens. With no funding and a $40 budget,
Daymond had to come up with out-of-the box ways to promote his products.
Luckily, desperation breeds innovation, and so he hatched an idea for a
creative campaign that eventually launched the FUBU brand into a $6 billion
dollar global phenomenon. But it might not have happened if he hadn't started
out broke - with nothing but a heart full of hope and a ferocious drive to
succeed by any means possible.
Here,
the FUBU founder and star of ABC's Shark Tank shows that, far from being a
liability, broke can actually be "your greatest competitive
advantage" as an entrepreneur. Why? Because starting a business from broke
forces you to think more creatively. It forces you to use your resources more
efficiently. It forces you to connect with your customers more authentically,
and market your ideas more imaginatively. It forces you to be true to yourself,
stay laser focused on your goals, and come up with those innovative solutions
required to make a meaningful mark.
Drawing
his own experiences as an entrepreneur and branding consultant, peeks
behind-the scenes from the set of Shark Tank, and stories of dozens of other
entrepreneurs who have hustled their way to wealth, John shows how we can all
leverage the power of broke to phenomenal success. You'll meet:
.
Steve Aoki, the electronic dance music (EDM) deejay who managed to parlay a
series of $100 gigs into becoming a global superstar who has redefined the
music industry
.
Gigi Butler, a cleaning lady from Nashville who built cupcake empire on the
back of a family recipe, her maxed out credit cards, and a heaping dose of
faith
.
11-year old Shark Tank guest Mo Bridges who stitched together a winning
clothing line with just his grandma's sewing machine, a stash of loose fabric,
and his unique sartorial flair
When
your back is up against the wall, your bank account is empty, and creativity
and passion are the only resources you can afford, "success is your only
option. "Here you'll learn how to tap into that Power of Broke to scrape,
hustle, and dream your way to the top." --- Publisher Notes
Chamber good news:
Campbellsville University - Harrodsburg Education Center receives major
property gift for permanent location
President Michael V. Carter has announced receiving the largest regional development gift ever at Campbellsville University.
Harrodsburg
attorney Michael Conover donated a prominent office building located at
1150 Danville Road, Harrodsburg, Ky., for the new CU Harrodsburg Education
Center location.
“The
rapid movement from our alumni meeting to having a location within two weeks
shows the seriousness of the people of Harrodsburg in making Christian higher
education available immediately,” Carter said. “The Board of Trustees is
equally serious, and the university process for creating the new center is
underway.”
Mercer
County community-minded churches, in partnership with Campbellsville University’s
Church Outreach, first addressed the need for a permanent higher education
center.
Community
leaders in Harrodsburg suggested an alumni and friends meeting to present the
idea to Harrodsburg supporters for the new center. The Mercer County
Chamber of Commerce hosted the event that brought together more than 120
interested people.
Dr.
G. Ted Taylor, associate vice president for development and church outreach,
and Wes Carter, assistant director of church outreach, are working directly
with the community in formulating plans to raise scholarship funds for local
students. The Harrodsburg City Commission voiced its support for the center and
the effort to raise a $3 million endowment for students at its February
meeting. A fundraising campaign is underway to support the building
renovations necessary for classes slated to begin in fall 2016.
“It was people in the local churches who first brought this vision to us,” said Taylor. “They knew of our Christian higher education mission and suggested that Harrodsburg could be a place for that mission.”
“It was people in the local churches who first brought this vision to us,” said Taylor. “They knew of our Christian higher education mission and suggested that Harrodsburg could be a place for that mission.”
The
new center is cited as a 10,000 square-foot-facility situated on a five-acre
track of land at the southern city limits of Harrodsburg along US 127 at the
junction of the US 127 Bypass. The collegiate-looking structure will be housing
administrative offices, degree-based academic programs and certificate
programs.
“We
have been listening closely to the residents of the region,” said Wes Carter,
the university liaison for the project. “Surveys for high school students,
community members as well as business and industry are being circulated.
Meetings are being held with focus groups. We cannot thank the Mercer County
Chamber of Commerce enough for their leadership in this project.”
The
Chamber of Commerce surveyed the community and sponsored the community meeting
which moved the project forward.
“We
have had several community leaders who have been seeking a greater presence of
higher education opportunities in Mercer County,” Jill Cutler, executive
director for the Mercer County Chamber of Commerce, said. Source: MCCC
#FamousChamber of
Commerce Quotation: Reinvent The Member Experience
Reinvent Your
Guest Experience - “Someone will always find a way to do what you
do for less expense. But people will pay more for an exceptional experience with
you.” - Clark Howard
Danville- Boyle County EDP asks community:
What should our top priorities be?
The Danville-Boyle County Economic
Development Partnership held its second community discussion on Tuesday night,
hoping to attract a different segment of the county’s population from its first
discussion in November.
“The more we can engage with the
public, the better,” said Ben Nelson, EDP vice chair. “The EDP has got to be
open to hearing the voice of the community.”
Turnout for the meeting was about
40 people. As noted by some during the meeting, the segment of the population
who attended was similar to the first meeting: upper- and middle-class, white
individuals.
“We are concerned about the lacking
of diversity of age, race and cultural background,” said Alane Mills, the
appointed recorder and reader for one of the smaller work groups of residents
formed during the meeting.
Nelson said the EDP is working on
how to increase minority involvement, perhaps by reaching out to churches or
community groups. He said the next meeting will likely occur in Perryville,
Junction City, or one of the other communities in Boyle County, which could
help.
“We have to be intentional to offer
the meetings at different times and places,” Nelson said, which is why
Tuesday’s meeting was at 5 p.m., while the first meeting was held in the
morning.
Following the same format as the
first meeting, attendees were grouped at tables and given a paper with three
questions:
1. In your group’s view, what are
our community’s top priorities to ensure successful economic and community
development?
2. What should we be doing to
achieve these priorities for successful community and economic development in
Boyle County?
3. How should we measure or gauge
our accomplishments as related to the priorities you identified in question
one? Read more: Central Kentucky News
Paducah Chamber of Commerce
Breakfast Power in Partnership Breakfast/Youth L.E.A.D. Program
An update on the progress of
Interstate 69 will be the program for the April Power in Partnership monthly
breakfast of the Paducah Area Chamber of Commerce on April 14 at 7:30 a.m. at
the Julian Carroll Convention Center. The breakfast will also include the
recognition of the 26 local high school students who recently completed the
Youth L.E.A.D. program.
Assistant State Highway Engineer
and State I-69 Coordinator Paul Looney, P.E. will be the featured speaker.
Caring People Services is the sponsor. Looney currently serves as the Assistant
State Highway Engineer for Project Development and is the Project Manager for
the I-69 corridor. He graduated from the University of Kentucky with a B.S. in
Civil Engineering.
Members of Youth L.E.A.D. Class #5
include:
Community Christian Academy – Maddy
Brown
McCracken County High School –
Zachary Althouse, Barton Christmas, Bailey Cissell, Brycen Flynn, Joshua
Grogan, Robert Hicks, Hallie Poat, Henny Ransdell, Dylan Richards, Sarah
Shaikh, Vincent Shiben, Olivia Sin, Will Sivills, Hannah White, Peighton Wix
St. Mary High School – Olivia
Griffin, Karina Romero
Paducah Tilghman High School – Will
Denton, Jose Roberto dos Remedios, Hunter Grubbs, John Holtgrewe, Claire Kelly,
Bryson Wells, Maddie Ybarzabal
PATCH Home School – Layton Estes
The Youth L.E.A.D. participants are
juniors from four local high schools and a home school. Youth L.E.A.D. is a
program designed to develop and prepare students for future community support
and leadership roles in Paducah-McCracken County. Class members take part in a
six-month educational course beginning with an orientation retreat and
concluding with their graduation. The students learn about human needs and
service learning, communication and career development, business and economy,
law and government, and healthcare in Paducah and McCracken County. Read more: West Kentucky Star
#FamousChamber
of Commerce Quotations --- (Chamber Executive Resourcefulness)
“Great emergencies and crises show us how much greater out vital
resources are than we had supposed.” William James
Chamber Executive Ongoing
Education: Importance of Motivation – Four Proven Principles to Motivate Your
Team
A teacher once said that what
counts most in life are the lessons learned by heart. The challenge lies on the
importance of motivation to encourage students to ‘learn’ from the trivial and
sometimes disconnected facts found in books.
These principles and proven
strategies are very effective not just in motivating students, but your sales
force, as well.
1. Link Learning to Life.
The importance of motivation is
emphasized by relating a lesson to a real life situation. When such an approach
is used, you may find that the majority of participants will have more than the
average retention rate in conveying the important concepts of the meeting. By
aligning lessons with true-to-life events, you can achieve success in helping
your salespeople appreciate shared principles and strategies better than by
simply flooding them with antiquated facts.
2. Exercise Positive Reinforcement.
To motivate participation, rewards
and recognitions should be handed out to those who actively participate, or
those who volunteer to share their best practices. On the other hand, always
make sure that the less active get their share, as well, especially if there
are significant improvements on their own. You’ll find your sales force more
attentive and competitive, not to mention better performing. The importance of
motivation is accentuated by using positive reinforcement to get positive
results.
3. Engage Your Staff in
Discussions.
Make it a point to give everyone in
the meeting a chance to join major and minor discussions. Everyone will feel a
sense of purpose; therefore, motivating them to do better in both in the field
and in the conference room because they felt that they belong, that they were
part of something great. The importance of motivation is displayed by getting
your staff involved in every opportunity possible to boost confidence.
4. Practice Interactive Activities.
Holding an active discussion – a
debate, even – often proves essential to motivate participants. They exchange
intelligent ideas that are unusual in common day-to-day discussions. They
become active participants in charge of their own growth. They exert their best
efforts to express themselves, taking what they absorb to a much higher level.
The importance of motivation allows
deeper understanding and realization of the lessons acquired in school, in the
conference room, in the field, and in life, in general. Here, it is reflected
that motivation is the springboard of learning. Read more: ProfessionBiz
Top Five Daily Postings in the last month at Midwest Chamber of Commerce
blog – click to go there or Google search
“Midwest Chamber of Commerce blog”
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Apr 13,
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Last Month’s Stories
#BestChamber
Practices: Bowling Green Area Chamber of Commerce: The Leader in Me
Murray-Calloway County Chamber news: Aaron Dail Appointed
to Kentucky Prosecutors Advisory Council WKMS.org
Brad Schneider named Henderson judge-executive The Gleaner
Christian County Chamber recognizes
businesses in 14 Categories Kentucky New Era
Chamber Executive
Ongoing Education Weekly New Idea: Superbosses: How Exceptional Leaders Master
the Flow of Talent - By Sydney Finkelstein
Kentucky Chamber
interest: Local principals attend leadership training
Chief Justice John D. Minton, Jr. To Address Greater Owensboro
Rooster Booster Greater Owensboro Chamber of Commerce
#Chamber news: Tax Resources for #Small Businesses
* QuickBooks or Wave are both indispensable and can be
shared with your accountant or makes reporting easy for your own filing.
Kentucky Chamber 11th Annual Business Summit has BBC's Katy Kay
for Keynote Address Kentucky Chamber
Jeffersontown Chamber interest: Main Event Entertainment Brings Unique
'Eat.Bowl.Play' Experience To Louisville, Kentucky PR Newswire
KYNDLE
Financial Aid: Scholarships available for agricultural-related training for
Henderson County residents Margaret Ridley at (270) 826-7505.
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce, in partnership with the Detroit
Regional Chamber, on March 10 hosted a cybersecurity conference aimed at
helping small and mid-size business owners develop, evaluate, and strengthen
cybersecurity programs Finchannel.com
South Central Kentucky Workforce committee
prepares for Thursday full board session Bowling Green Daily
News
KYNDLE Brown Bag Series Lecture to Focus on Getting the Most Out
of High Deductible Health Care Plan SurfKY.com
If
you would like delivery of a no-cost gloss chamber directory or map in December
2016/January 2017, please contact me at your earliest convenience.
Best,
John Dussman
John Dussman | Chamber Managerjdussman@tspubs.com | 847-427-4633 | Town Square Publications
Daily Herald Media Group
155 E. Algonquin Road | Arlington Heights, IL 60005
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