Hardin County Chamber of Commerce issued the following announcement on Jan. 6
The Leadership Hardin County, Class of ’22 was at it again and on the move for Economic Development Day. We started our journey at the Gathering Bakery in Radcliff with Brian Smith,
the Director of Economic Development for U.S. Congressman Brett Guthrie, and Janna Clark, the Director of Elizabethtown Tourism. Mr. Smith discussed how economic development works
at the state level and how that impacts our region in particular. Ms. Clark discussed how tourism and the Elizabethtown Sports Park (ESP) impact the local economy and economic
development in the region.
After finishing up an informative breakfast, the LHC group traveled to the Wingfield Inn and Suites in Elizabethtown where we were hosted by the general Manager, Todd Pollard. There we were provided with snacks (we’re a group who loves to eat) and a panel that was packed with some of the major players in Hardin County’s economic development sector, including Elizabethtown Mayor Jeff Gregory, Small Business Development Center Director Patricia Krausman, Beth Avey with the Knox Regional Development Alliance, Hardin County Chamber President Margy Poorman, and Hardin County Extension Agent for Agriculture and Natural Resources Matt Adams. A number of thoughtful questions were posed to the panel and resulted in some of the following discussion topics:
Ford – The new opportunity with Ford/BlueOvalSK was discussed at length throughout the day. Collaboration seemed to be a topic that came up a great deal. With around 20 years of planning and vision that have brought this project to where it is now, collaboration is key. There was also a good deal of discussion about the education and work force development that will need to be a major focus moving forward.
What can we as citizens and future leaders do to be advocates for economic growth in our area? – A good deal of economic development is working for opportunities that you don’t even know are available yet. This mindset harkens back to the idea of “Build it and they will come”. The best thing that citizens can do is to make your area as attractive to newcomers and visitors as possible. The
community and quality of life amenities are often what really sell areas for competitive opportunities.
How much of an impact does Fort Knox really have on the area? – Roughly 24K people work on Fort Knox daily and have almost a billion dollars in spending power/payroll. The base allows for diversification in our region and brings in many talented service members, family members, and civilians.
What constitutes a small business and what resources are available to them in our area? – A small business is considered any business with 500 employees or less and they make up roughly 99% of businesses in Kentucky. There are a number of challenges that small businesses face, including labor shortages, supply chain issues, and long-range planning. Strategic planning and flexibility are especially important for small business. They can no longer afford to remain static in their planning. The small business development center is a wonderful resource for small businesses that
provides confidential coaching and can assist with planning.
What’s up with the whole solar panel uproar?! *…Crickets*, but really, what is the importance of agriculture in our area and what kind of impact does it have? – With over 1,300 registered farms in Hardin county, agriculture is a major player in our area. Concerns about the longevity of our farmlands and what kind of impact new developments and businesses will have are something that also need to be considered. Land is one of the few resources that we unfortunately can’t produce any more of, so we have to be sure that we use the land in our area wisely.
The LHC group met up at Water’s Edge Winery for lunch and libations where owner Charlie Watkins spoke about why his family chose to open their business in downtown Elizabethtown
and all of the many services that they have to offer. It wouldn’t be a Leadership Hardin County day without a little competition. The LHC group was broken into groups and tasked with taking selfies in as many downtown businesses as possible throughout the afternoon. The groups spread out and explored all that downtown had to offer. Some took the competition more seriously; the official group of winners visited over 30 downtown businesses. Some groups decided to enjoy the beautiful day and all of the charm downtown has to offer. The real winners, however, were the group who got a behind-the- scenes tour at a new eatery that had not yet opened and even got to sample a secret menu item.
The final stop of the day was supposed to be meeting up at the Chamber of Commerce office to discuss what we had learned. Instead, the entire group ended up at Impellizerri’s, doing what
we do best – eating, drinking, and networking. After a long day of learning about economic development, we had to support our local economy and enjoy a beer, right? Cheers to the holiday season and new year from the LHC Class of ’22!
Original source can be found here.
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