Wealth and Opportunity in Northwest KY

FRANKFORT, Ky.– Gov. Steve Beshear today announced a milestone accomplishment for Kentucky transportation – federal approval of an agreement by which a 38-mile section of the Wendell H. Ford Western Kentucky Parkway will be designated Interstate 69 this fall.

It is the first segment of what eventually will become an I-69 corridor from Henderson to Fulton, incorporating the Julian Carroll/Purchase Parkway, Edward T. Breathitt Pennyrile Parkway and a portion of I-24 in addition to the Ford/Western Kentucky Parkway.

“This is a breakthrough for the people of Kentucky – and especially for folks in the Pennyrile region,” Gov. Beshear said. “The addition of a second designated interstate highway in the region will open doors for economic development.  This is truly a landmark achievement.”

“But we are not finished,” Gov. Beshear said. “Now we turn to the work still ahead of us to complete an entire I-69 corridor from the Ohio River at Henderson to the Tennessee border at Fulton.”

read more here: http://governor.ky.gov/pressrelease.htm?PostingGUID={AC96E6DB-B9F4-4698-8017-A05FF61347BA}

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Having already accomplished most of the strategic goals set two years ago, the Four Star Industrial Park board on Tuesday developed a new list of projects to help attract industries to the 800-acre site near Robards.

Its top goal: To secure $1.5 million to $2 million to build a bridge over the CSX mainline railroad tracks that divide Four Star in two.

Officials say that some of the best and biggest industrial tracts lie on the west side of the railroad — 415 acres in all. But they add that companies don’t want employees, customers, suppliers and shipments crossing the busy tracks on an at-grade crossing every day.

“You’ve got a huge chunk of your park that isn’t marketable,” Glen Ross of MSE of Kentucky Inc., Four Star’s engineering firm, told the board.

Read More Here:

http://www.courierpress.com/news/2011/jun/08/four-star-board/

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NWKF is in New York City this week promoting the Commonwealth and Northwest Kentucky to prospective companies and consultants.  This is one of the series of calls we make as a part of KentuckyUnited, our statewide marketing cooperative of which NWKF is a lead partner.

Traditionally, we have kicked these events off with an evening bourbon tasting; however, this time we did it as a lunch at the famous 21 Club.  Our featured guest was master distiller and Jim Beam descendant, Fred Noe IV.  Freddy is a great storyteller and wonderful ambassador for one of Kentucky’s signature industries.

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NWKF is gearing up for a capital campaign in which it will ask cities, counties, banks, utility companies, professionals, store owners, existing industries and others to pledge $2.8 million or more over the next five years.

To win investors over, the organization will be using a report prepared by its fundraising consultant, Convergent Nonprofits Solution.

That return on investment report declares that NWKF over the past five years assisted industries in adding 2,067 jobs with an average of $34,585 in annual earnings.

Read more here: http://www.courierpress.com/news/2011/may/14/nwkf-report-charts-job-gains/

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Regional economic development organization Northwest Kentucky Forward is pledging to bring 2,000 new industrial jobs to the Henderson area over the next five years.

NWKF’s board of directors adopted that goal Tuesday as it ramps up to seek $3.3 million from cities, counties, utility companies, banks, existing industries, Realtors and other investors to finance economic development efforts for the next half-decade.

Read more here: http://www.courierpress.com/news/2011/mar/02/2000-jobs-economic-developers-tout-five-year-plan/

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NWKF is on the road again, this time in San Diego at the TMS Show.  This is part of our exciting new partnership with Rio Tinto Alcan. RTA operates an aluminum smelter in NW KY, one of three smelters within an hour radius.  This region now produces approximately 30% of America’s aluminum.

RTA’s Sebree smelter is currently undergoing a $37 million upgrade that will allow them to start selling hot metal later this year.  If your company needs hot metal or could significantly reduce your costs by buying hot aluminum instead of heating it yourself, then you need to talk with us.

Read more…

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Northwest Kentucky is on its annual marketing trip to the Pacific Northwest this week.  For the last several years, NWKF has spent at least one week in the Portland/Seattle areas telling the Northwest Kentucky story.  Columbia Sportswear and Homecare Products, both companies based in the Pacific Northwest with relatively new facilities in NW KY, are great examples of companies who have found a winning formula in the two Northwests.

For companies who are based on the West Coast and started in this region, they often find they need a location in the Eastern US to serve customers.  Northwest Kentucky’s outstanding logistics advantage and location where the Midwest meets the Southeast combined with our hands-on assistance makes a facility in our region a great opportunity for success.

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Today was a busy day in Northwest Kentucky! This morning the NWKF HR Council breakfast featuring a 3–hour training session was SRO with HR pros from throughout the region taking part in one of NWKF free training programs, this one sponsored by KMAC and the University of Phoenix. 

This afternoon, NWKF assisted Kentucky Utilities with their Morganfield Career Fair at Henderson Community College’s Herron Tech Center.  Even with the inclement weather, their first two sessions were full with more on the way!

Tomorrow morning Governor Beshear will be in Northwest Kentucky to join officials at Rio Tinto Alcan for an exciting announcement while Kentucky Utilities will be hosting their Henderson Career Fair at HCC’s Henderson Fine Arts Center.

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As part of our existing business and workforce initiatives, we are assisting KU with the coordination and planning of the three career fairs they have planned for later this month.

LG&E-KU provides gas, electricity — and exceptional customer service — to nearly 1.2 million customers each day. KU’s customer service employees recieve a challenging and rewarding career with competitive compensation and benefits packages.

KU is currently hiring a variety of customer service positions within the new customer contact center in Morganfield, Ky. The center, which will be located along US 60 on the east side of Morganfield, will house a regional call center that will provide up to 50+ jobs over time.

KU is holding multiple career fairs in the western Kentucky area. KU encourages you to attend one of these fairs to speak with company representatives about these exciting career opportunities in Morganfield.

Morganfield Customer Contact Career Fairs

Feb. 9, 1-7 p.m. CST
Herron Technology Center
4500 U.S. Hwy 60 West
Morganfield, KY 42437

Feb. 10, 1-7 p.m. CST
Henderson Community College Fine Arts Center
2660 South Green St.
Henderson, KY 42420

Feb. 11, 1-6 p.m. CST
JobNet Career Center
755 Industrial Road
Madisonville, KY 42431

If you’re interested in a career with an innovative company, you’re encouraged to attend one of these fairs to find out more about a career in customer service at LG&E-KU.  Interested candidates can apply at www.lge-ku.com/careers/morganfield.

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