business focus - commerce lexington

BUSINESS FOCUSOFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF COMMERCE LEXINGTON INC. JANUARY 2017 VOLUME XXV, ISSUE I

www.CommerceLexington.com

INSIDE THIS ISSUE:

Register for 2017 Leadership Visitto Minneapolis, Minnesota

International Trip Takes Us toSouth Africa in 2017

Legislative Session Preview & 2017 Public Policy Statements

Association of Chamber of Commerce Executives

2016 Chamber of the Year

Presents

Commerce Lexington Inc. Annual Dinner | January 26, 2017

4-6

7

8-10

27-28

11-26

29-35

INSIDE THIS ISSUE

WHAT 2 WATCH 4

Business Focus is published once a month for atotal of 12 issues per year by CommerceLexington Inc., 330 East Main Street, Suite 100,Lexington, KY 40507. Phone: (859) 226-1600

2017 Chair of the Board:Carla Blanton, OwnerCarla Blanton Consulting

Publisher:Robert L. Quick, CCE, President & CEOCommerce Lexington Inc.

Editor: Mark E. TurnerCommunications Specialist: Elizabeth BennettPrinting: Post PrintingMail Service: SouthEast Printing & MailingService, LLC (2610 Palumbo Drive)

Subscriptions are available for $12 and areincluded as a direct benefit of CommerceLexington Inc. membership. Business Focus(USPS 012-337) periodical postage paid atLexington, Kentucky.

POSTMASTER: Send address corrections toBusiness Focus, Commerce Lexington Inc.,P.O. Box 1968, Lexington, KY 40588-1968.

Display RatesFor DISPLAY RATES in Business Focus, con-tact Dana Zinger at (859) 226-1607 [email protected], and anaccount executive will contact you.

Personnel UpdatesSubmit your company’s awards and milestones orpersonnel changes and additions [email protected]. Personnelnews might include promotions, additions, awardsand milestones, recognitions and certificationsand/or appointments. Information is publishedonly as space permits.

January 2017: Volume XXV, Issue I

2 BUSINESS FOCUS JANUARY 2017

BUSINESS FOCUS

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT:STAT: Lexington Again Among Most Educated CommunitiesCLX’s Greathouse Recognized at KAED Conference Region Showcased During Trips to Atlanta, Cincy & New YorkRecap of Lexington’s Global Entrepreneurship Week

PUBLIC POLICY:2017 Kentucky Legislative Session Kicks Off in January

2017 CLX POLICY STATEMENTS:Guiding Document of 2017 CLX Policy Statements

EVENTS:@330 Series: Extraordinary Customer RelationsBlue Grass Airport Hosts Business Link Feb. 16thInternational Trip: South Africa | Aug. 31 - Sept. 8KEMI Presents CLX Annual Dinner on January 26thRegister Now for Leadership Visit to Minneapolis

GET CONNECTED:Winner’s Circle Volunteers Surpass Production GoalLeadership Development Program RecapsFinalists for Ambassador of the Year AwardWelcome New Commerce Lexington Inc. MembersMember Personnel Announcements & Awards

SAVE THE DATE:Forcht Bank Presents 2017

Emerge Conference March 28th

Blue Grass Airport Hosts Business Link February 16th

INTERNATIONAL TRIP:South Africa

August 31 - September 8, 2017

Jan. 10th @330 Series:Extraordinary Customer Relations

for Business Success

Association of Chamber of Commerce Executives

2016 Chamber of the Year

JANUARY 2017 BUSINESS FOCUS 3

2017 Board Chair:Education, WorkforceDevelopment Keys toCommunity Success

“I look forward tothe opportunity to leadthe CommerceLexington Inc. Board ofDirectors in 2017. As asmall business owner, Irecognize the dual rolethe chamber has in nur-turing businesses of alltypes and sizes, aswell as working toenhance our commu-nity’s quality of life.

I believe that edu-cation and workforcedevelopment form thefoundation for a suc-cessful community and a thriving economy,and I pledge to continue the focus of 2016Board Chair Alan Stein on key programs andinitiatives in those areas. We must ensurethat all students are prepared to enter theworkforce and compete in an economy thatis constantly evolving.

The Business & Education Network(BEN), a subsidiary of Commerce LexingtonInc., and Fayette County Public Schools areworking together with Ford MotorCompany’s Next Generation Learning initia-tive to develop a more relevant college andcareer-ready experience for secondaryschool students through the creation of highschool career academies. The initiative notonly seeks to build stronger relationshipsamong educators, employers and communi-ty leaders, but also to prepare students withskills specific to our industries and market-place. In the fall of 2017, these learningacademies will begin at Bryan Station andFrederick Douglass high schools in all gradelevels, and at Tates Creek High School forthe freshman class.

Quality learning and training opportuni-ties for all students and citizens are para-mount to the success of our community.They must have access to the right tools andresources like modern classrooms andequipment, but even more importantly, theymust have our full support throughout thecommunity. It’s not just a business impera-tive. It’s a moral imperative.

CARLA BLANTONCOMMERCE LEX.

2017 BOARD CHAIR

OWNERCARLA BLANTONCONSULTING

SEE “BOARD CHAIR’S MESSAGE”ON PAGE 15

A Collaborative Effort of the Bluegrass Business Development Partnership (BBDP):

SUBMITTED BY: Gina Greathouse, Hannah Crumrine, Kimberly Rossetti & Allison Boyd | CLX Economic Development Division

www.LocateinLexington.com | www.twitter.com/locateinlex | www.facebook.com/locateinlex


ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

On November 30, LGC cut the ribbon on its newly expanded labora-tory in Lexington. LGC is an international life sciences measurement andtesting company and one of the world’s premier independent drug sur-veillance laboratories. The laboratory, which provides internationalexpertise in doping control for sports, has expanded as a result of thecontinued growth of their U.S. supplements business combined with theanticipated expansion of its U.S. animal sports business.

David Griffiths, Managing Director of LGC’s Laboratory and ManagedServices division, said, “Since 2010, LGC has positively contributed tointegrity and welfare in horse-racing in Kentucky and other US jurisdic-tions. LGC has more than 50 years of anti-doping experience and 175years of high-quality analytical chemistry experience and we are delightedto open this expanded site and to showcase our continued growth andongoing commitment to the Commonwealth of Kentucky.”

LGC is both ISO and Racing Medication Testing Consortium accred-ited and has provided equine drug testing services at its Lexington labo-ratory since opening in 2010. LGC successfully performed the drug test-ing for the equine competitors in the 2012 and 2016 Olympic andParalympic Games, and the Lexington facility has tested for such high-profile events as the Kentucky Derby and the 2011 and 2015 Breeders’Cup - and continues to provide services to several racing jurisdictions inthe U.S., the United Kingdom, and other global territories.

As well as equine and animal anti-doping, LGC also delivers theworld-renowned Informed-Sport and Informed-Choice programs – theonly globally-recognized assurance programs for sports supplements.

Lexington hit the trifecta with this company in terms of its economicdevelopment targets: life sciences, equine industry, and foreign directinvestment! We are proud they call Lexington home. For more informa-tion about LGC, visit www.lgcgroup.com.

Lexington, Louisville MayorsAnnounce BEAM Region’sGlobal Trade & Investment PlanIn late November, Lexington Mayor JimGray and Louisville Mayor Greg Fischerunveiled the Bluegrass EconomicAdvancement Movement (BEAM)Global Trade & Investment Plan in col-laboration with The BrookingsInstitution. Our team at CommerceLexington is proud to be a part of the ini-tiative and implement improved effortsto increase foreign direct investmentwithin the BEAM region. Read the fullreport at www.locateinlexington.com/DATA-FACTS-FIGURES/Bluegrass-Economic-Advancement-Movement.aspx.

STAT: Census Shows Lexington’sPopulation Surpassing 314,000The most recent Census Bureau data puts Lexington’s populationat 314,488 people, ranking Lexington the 61st largest city in thecountry. Lexington’s population has steadily grown over the pastfew years. On average, 3,500 people moved to Lexington every yearover the past five years, representing a population growth of 1.18percent every year. In total, over 17,700 people have moved toLexington since 2010, a population increase of 6 percent. Over thepast ten years, Lexington’s population has grown by nearly 60,000people, or 23 percent. Lexington consistently receives praise as agreat place to work, live, and play, and the city’s increasing num-ber of residents support these accolades. Just this year, Lexingtonhas been ranked: #1 Best Large City for First Time Home Buyers,#6 Best Run City by WalletHub, #22 City with the Best JobOpportunities in America by Niche, #30 Best City for Women inthe Workforce by NerdWallet, and many others accolades!

LGC Expands Lexington Lab Facility



A&W Restaurants, Inc. is celebrating the five-year anniversary oflocating its global headquarters to Lexington. Commerce Lexington’seconomic development division, in partnership with the KentuckyCabinet for Economic Development and the City of Lexington, recruitedthe classic worldwide brand in late 2011. Recruiting headquarters is astrategic target for our economic development efforts within the busi-ness and professional services sector.

Business recruitment is one element of economic development inLexington. Business retention and expansion is an equally, if notgreater, element. Once we recruit a business to Lexington, we want tomaintain and cultivate our relationship with the company to assistthem with the tools they need to be successful in Lexington. Sincelocating in 2011, our team has consistently worked with A&W on a vari-ety of issues including public policy, grand opening, ribbon cuttings,and incentive support. In turn, A&W’s management team has beenactive in working with us on recruitment projects and other communityinitiatives.

Kevin Bazner, CEO of A&W Restaurants, said, “We’ve appreciatedthe support provided to us by the City of Lexington, Mayor Jim Gray,and Commerce Lexington throughout our first five years as an inde-pendent brand. Lexington has provided us a great talent pool to hirefrom, a vibrant community with diverse activities and entertainment, aswell as a low cost of living to allow our company and people to thrive.We love calling Lexington ‘home,’ and we thank the community for itssupport. Here’s to many more years!”

As Commerce Lexington Inc.President and CEO, Bob Quick, hassaid before, “The relationship betweenCommerce Lexington and a businessthat relocates here doesn’t end withthe company’s opening. We remain incontact with the company to ensurethat they have all the resources avail-able to help them evolve and expandwhen they’re ready.”

The economic impact of A&WRestaurants’ presence in Lexington isfelt throughout the city. The headquar-ters operation employs over 30 people,

investing over $1.9 million in the global operations. On the retail side,A&W has developed a new restaurant concept in Lexington – Burgers,Chicken and Floats – and has invested over $2 million in restaurantsand equipment and hired over 80 restaurant-level employees.

A&W Restaurants also adds to our large international presence inLexington. The headquarters and local training center attracts busi-ness partners from all over the world, generating great visibility forLexington, as well as a positive tourism impact. Recently, A&W offi-cials held a signing ceremony here in Lexington with their partnersfrom Thailand who are investing in 100 new restaurants. The successof A&W is a great example of a company that ‘thinks global, but growslocal,’ which in turn strengthens Lexington and Central Kentucky.

Commerce Lexington’s Executive Vice President of EconomicDevelopment, Gina Greathouse, said, “In the same way that the A&Wbrand has been built on exceptional customer service and productdevelopment, Lexington’s economic development success is also driv-en by how our team provides a quality experience for those companieslooking to relocate or expand here.”

Congratulations to A&W Restaurants on its five-year anniversary inLexington. Our team has enjoyed a long relationship, and we are proudthat A&W calls Lexington home.

Economic Development Efforts Don’t End with a Company’s RelocationA&W Restaurants’ Growth Continues to Benefit Lexington and Central Kentucky

Make Connections With Area Purchasing Professionals at Opportunity Exchange

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 22, 2017 | 4:00 - 6:00 P.M. | LOCATION TO BE DETERMINED

Commerce Lexington Inc.’s next OpportunityExchange on Wednesday, February 22, from 4:00 -6:00 p.m. (location to be determined) will featuregreat networking and interaction for minority-owned and small businesses in the Lexington com-munity.

Several large companies andorganizations will have purchasingprofessionals on hand. The fea-tured speaker will be P.G. Peeples,Sr., President of the Urban Leagueof Lexington-Fayette County. Mr.Peeples will discuss the role of edu-cation in economic development.

The cost to attend is $5 for CommerceLexington Inc. members, and $10 for potentialmembers. Please RSVP to Lauren Gross [email protected].

MBD PROGRAM SPONSORS:PRESENTED BY: Lexmark International, Inc.GOLD LEVEL: Community Trust Bank; CumberlandValley National Bank; Toyota Motor Manufacturing,Kentucky, Inc.; University of KentuckySILVER LEVEL: LG&E & KUBRONZE LEVEL: Blue Grass Airport; CommunityVentures; Fayette County Public Schools; Fifth ThirdBank.

SILVER SPONSORS:Bluegrass Community &

Technical CollegeWUKY 91.3 FM

Signing ceremony with Thailand partners. (Photos provided)


PUBLIC POLICYLegislative Preview: Kentucky Lawmakers Return for 30-Day Session

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Advocacy is an important function ofCommerce Lexington Inc. From taxes and reg-ulation to health care and education to energyand environmental issues, government impactsall aspects of business and economic develop-ment. Whether at City Hall, the State Capitol, orin Washington, D.C., Commerce Lexington isproud to serve as an effective public policy voicefor our members and the Lexington businesscommunity.

Throughout the year, Commerce Lexington’sPublic Policy Council researches, analyzes anddiscusses important policy issues from the per-spective of how legislation may impact the busi-ness community, and then develops positionstatements. The group is comprised of morethan 45 volunteer leaders who represent across-section of Commerce Lexington’s mem-bership. The LEGISLATIVE FOCUS starting onpage 11 of this issue details CommerceLexington’s issue positions, and serves to guidethe organization’s advocacy efforts at the local,state and federal levels of government. Pleasetake a few minutes to review the 2017Legislative Focus to learn about the issues wewill be tracking on behalf of the business com-munity.

In January, state lawmakers return toFrankfort for a 30-day legislative session. This “short session” isunlimited in terms of the legislative matters that may be addressed,with one exception. Any bill that raises revenue or impacts the budgetmust have a super-majority for passage in the off-year.

The November election resulted in historic change for Kentucky. Forthe first time in nearly 100 years, Republicans will hold a majority in theState House of Representatives. In fact, one party now leads theGovernor’s office, the State House and State Senate with super-majori-

ties. In public comments, GOP legislative lead-ers have said their agendas will be focused onpolicies that make Kentucky more competitivefor jobs. Priority issues are anticipated toinclude: right-to-work, repeal of prevailingwage, tort reform, and charter schools. Morecomplex and controversial issues like tax andpension reforms are expected to be addressedin a special session later in 2017.

At the local level, Commerce Lexington willcontinue to monitor regulatory, environmentaland other economic development issues, andengage in efforts to improve the education andworkforce development systems. CommerceLexington is partnering with the Business andEducation Network (BEN) to identify currentand future workforce needs, and develop a planto meet those needs through collaborativecommunity partnerships, such as the FordNext Generation Learning (NGL) initiative tobring career academies to the public highschools in Fayette County.

Again this year, Commerce Lexington plansto take a delegation of regional business andcommunity leaders to Washington, D.C., for atwo-day Fly-In on July 12-13, 2017. The visit willinclude meetings with members of theKentucky Congressional Delegation and their

staffs to discuss the impact of federal policies on local businesses.

FOR MORE INFORMATION:If you have questions, need assistance with a policy issue, or would liketo get involved with advocacy efforts, contact Andi Johnson, ChiefPolicy Officer, at [email protected] or (859) 226-1614.

EVENTS


@330 Series: Extraordinary Customer Relations For Business Success

TUESDAY, JANUARY 10, 2017 | 3:30 - 5:00 P.M. | COMMERCE LEXINGTON INC. (330 E. MAIN ST. - FIRST FLOOR CONFERENCE ROOM)

PRESENTED BY:

GOLD SPONSORS

Melia RealtySteinGroup, LLCTravelHost of the Bluegrass

Customers’ expectations of servicehave increased dramatically over theyears. It’s no longer acceptable to justdeliver the core service or product asa means of gaining customer loyalty.Organizations must deliver their serv-ices in an extraordinary way in orderto receive and retain new, repeat andreferred customers. Additionally, thedevelopment and evolution of newcommunication and social mediaplatforms as customer service portalspresent unique challenges thatrequire dynamic customer interactions.

During the next @330 Series event pre-sented by Manpower of Central Kentucky onTuesday, January 10, from 3:30 - 5:00 p.m. atCommerce Lexington’s first floor conferenceroom, Brian Simmons, SHRM-CP, PHR, ofCMI Human Resources Consulting, will identi-fy 4 things that all customers want and teachspecific behaviors that create PositiveMemorable Customer Experiences. This highenergy session, packed with simple but effec-tive ideas, will offer a variety of new skills,models and techniques that will enable allemployees to achieve the best possible cus-tomer service results for your customers andyour organization.

ABOUT THE SPEAKER:Brian Simmons, SHRM-CP, PHR, is aMaster Facilitator and HumanResources Advisor with CMIConsulting LLC, in Lexington. Mr.Simmons is a Certified Professional ofHuman Resources through the Societyfor Human Resources Management(SHRM) and the Human ResourcesCertification Institute (HRCI) withmore than 25 years of practical experi-ence in generalist and specialty areas ofHuman Resources at all organizational

levels. His subject matter expertise areas includeemployment law application, workplace violenceawareness and prevention, change managementstrategies, training facilitation, associate and cus-tomer relations, and communications coaching.

ABOUT @330 SERIES:The @330 events provide a topical presentationthat is relevant to the success of entrepreneurs,business owners and business professionals.They also allow members the opportunity to dis-cuss ideas, share best practices, and workthrough challenges.

TO REGISTER:The @330 events are open to CommerceLexington Inc. members at no charge.However, please register for the events bycontacting Liz Bennett at (859) 226-1615 [email protected].

BRIAN SIMMONSCMI

CONSULTING

Don’t miss the next Commerce Lexington Inc.Business Link networking event, as BlueGrass Airport helps you land new businessleads and connect with colleagues and otherbusiness professionals on Thursday, February16th, from 4:30-6:30 p.m. in the main terminalof the airport. As one of the nation's fastestgrowing airports, Blue Grass Airport continu-ally updates amenities and facilities to providepassengers with the most modern and con-venient services possible.

TO REGISTER:The cost to attend the Business Link event is $5for Commerce Lexington members, $10 fornon-members (payable at the door). Membersof Lexington Forum can also attend for CLXmember rate of $5 per person. You can alsopre-register for Business Link events on-line atwww.CommerceLexington.com. If registeringonline, pick up your beverage ticket at the regis-tration table. PLEASE NOTE: NO REFUNDSWILL BE GIVEN FOR ONLINE REGISTRA-TIONS.

EXHIBIT SPACE:Limited exhibit space is available at thisBusiness Link for Commerce Lexington Inc.members only. The cost to exhibit is $175.Contact Liz Bennett [email protected] toreserve your exhibit space.


EVENTS

Land New Business Leads at Blue Grass Airport During Business Link

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 16, 2017 | 4:30 - 6:30 P.M. | BLUE GRASS AIRPORT (4000 TERMINAL DRIVE)

SPONSORED BY:

Junior Achievement is Nonprofit Spotlightat Next Business LinkThe next Commerce Lexington Inc. BusinessLink networking event on Feb. 16th at BlueGrass Airport from 4:30 - 6:30 p.m. will fea-ture Junior Achievement of the Bluegrass asthe Nonprofit Spotlight organization. JuniorAchievement (JA) partners with volunteersfrom the community to teach elementarystudents about their roles as individuals,workers and consumers, and to preparemiddle and high school students for keyeconomic and workforce issues they willface. JA is currently transforming LinleeElementary School into the new JA BizTownand JA Finance Park, which will enable stu-dents to experience a living lesson in eco-nomics, community and financial literacy.Find out more at www.juniorachievement.org/web/ja-bluegrass.

EVENTS


MARK YOUR CALENDARS! | INTERNATIONAL TRIP: AUGUST 31 - SEPTEMBER 8, 2017

Safari in South Africa During 2017 Commerce Lexington International TripCommerce Lexington Inc. is pleased to continue its annual offering of

a unique international travel opportunity for its members and the generalpublic. Commerce Lexington’s International Trip Series has taken groupsto China, Cuba, Vietnam/Cambodia, Dubai, Croatia, and Sicily. In 2017,CLX will be offering yet another attractive destination, which will enabletravelers to take part in this popular group travel experience.

Commerce Lexington Inc. is partnering with Central Holidays for a 10-day, 7-night trip to South Africa from August 31 to September 8, 2017.Excite your inner adventurer in South Africa! Set out from Johannesburgfor safari in Pilanesberg National Park, one of Africa's leading game sanc-tuaries, which boasts some of the greatest species diversity in Africa -including the iconic Big Five (lion, elephant, leopard, buffalo and rhino).A 4x4 vehicle gives you nearly unlimited photo opportunities to snap pic-tures of zebra, wildebeest, giraffe, wild dog and vast antelope herds.

Then, you’ll explore scenic Cape Town. This once colonial settlementis one of the world's most picturesque tourist destinations and mostbeautiful cities. Snug between hilly mountains and pristine white beaches,Cape Town is often called the cosmopolitan hub of Africa.

REGISTRATION OPENS MID-JANUARY:Departing from Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky Airport, the cost for thisonce-in-a-lifetime trip is $4,899 per person (double occupancy) for CLXmembers, $4,999 per person (double occupancy) for non-members andincludes hotels, some meals, and airfare from Cincinnati, with an optionaladd-on visit to Victoria Falls for an additional $1,149 per person. Watchfor more information on the itinerary and registration details atwww.CommerceLexington.com and in future issues of Business Focus.

LEGISLATIVEFOCUS 2017PUBLIC POLICY STATEMENTS

LEGISLATIVE FOCUS: 2017 PUBLIC POLICY STATEMENTS 11

12 LEGISLATIVE FOCUS: 2017 PUBLIC POLICY STATEMENTS

COMMERCE LEXINGTON INC.REPRESENTING YOUR BUSINESS IN GOVERNMENT

Business leaders are often too busy attracting investments andcreating jobs to focus large amounts of time on monitoring leg-islation and regulations, analyzing their effect and advocating fortheir passage, defeat or modification.

That’s why Commerce Lexington Inc. and its Public Policy Councilgather the top experts in a variety of industries, harness thatknowledge, and advocate for the interests of business in the hallsof our State Capitol or the Lexington-Fayette Urban County Gov-ernment to create a more business-friendly environment.

Each year, we work with you – our members – to identify issuesaffecting the business community and spotlight the best publicpolicy solutions. Our strong working relationships with local, stateand federal officials mean that you will be well-represented andyour voice will be magnified by the nearly 1,700 members onwhose behalf we speak.

Please take a few moments to review this legislative agenda forCommerce Lexington Inc., as we work to help shape legislationand regulations that will enhance the success of our children, ourworkforce and our job creators.

Public Policy ProcessCommerce Lexington Inc.'s Public Policy Council is the bricks, mortarand labor that make the structure that is Commerce Lexington's PublicPolicy effort. The council members and chair are all volunteers and rep-resent a variety of non-profit, local government, large and small busi-nesses, education groups and utilities representing a broad spectrumof Commerce Lexington's members. The Council's Chair is appointedannually by the Chair of the Board of Commerce Lexington.

The Public Policy Council meets monthly May through December andestablishes the agenda for Commerce Lexington for the upcoming ses-sion. During these meetings, the Council hears from a variety of groups,non-profits and businesses that want to join Commerce Lexington inadvocating for their positions in Frankfort and Washington.

After the Public Policy Council approves the policy statements, the po-sitions are then approved by Commerce Lexington's Executive Board.Once approved, the statements are published annually in CommerceLexington Inc.'s “Legislative Focus.” Copies of the agenda are distrib-uted to all of Commerce Lexington Inc.'s members, all 138 members ofthe General Assembly and the Governor's Office.

In the heat of a Legislative Session, there are always important andtimely legislative issues and bills that arise. When the Public PolicyCouncil is asked to weigh-in on legislation, emergency meetings takeplace for the Council to take up the legislation and create CommerceLexington's position. The position is then presented to the ExecutiveBoard for approval if time allows.

What CLX Does For You:Actively monitors all legislative activity from Urban County•Government, the Kentucky General Assembly and the U.S.House and Senate.Extensive lobbying efforts for small and large businesses,•non-profits and education groups at a local, state and federallevel.Extensive lobbying and monitoring of legislative and ordi-•nance activity with the LFUCG Council and the Mayor's Of-fice - a product only a local chamber can provide. Monitors all Kentucky Administrative Regulations and ac-•tively participates in opposing regulations that negatively af-fects business. Monitors and participates in critical environmental activity•including the EPA/LFUCG Consent Decree and air and waterquality regulations at a local, state and federal level.Participates in legislative and legal coalitions, submitting let-•ters, filing legal briefs, and testifying on behalf of businesswith pending court cases or at committee meetings.Provides weekly e-mail updates during Legislative Sessions•to all Commerce Lexington Inc. members communicatingimportant bills and action that impacts the bottom line forarea businesses.Creates numerous networking opportunities throughout the•year for members to interact with our local, state and federaldelegation and their staff to communicate the needs of Cen-tral Kentucky Businesses.Organizes an annual regional Washington Fly-In to present•the needs and concerns of Central Kentucky's businesses toWashington.

For more information aboutCLX’s policy process, specificissues, or pieces of legisla-tion, contact Andi Johnson,Chief Policy Officer & Directorof Regional Engagement, at(859) 226-1614 or [email protected].


Dennis AndersonAnderson Communities

Rusty AshcraftAlliance Coal

Kevin AtkinsCity of Lexington

Bob BabbageBabbage CoFounder

Kristin BaldwinKentucky Distillers Association

Carla BlantonCarla Blanton Consulting

Tony BonnerDinsmore

Patrick BrewerLexmark International

Stuart BrownKentucky Thoroughbred Association

Brian BruggemanKLH Engineers

Steve ByarsMoney Watch Advisors

JD ChaneyKentucky League of Cities

Rick ChristmanEmployment Solutions

Ben CrittendenMorgan & Pottinger

Ray DanielsLexiDan Foods

Greg DixonSMART Recycling Management

Rob EdwardsUK HealthCare

David Freibert, POLICY COUNCIL CHAIRKentucky Utilities Co.

Gina GreathouseCommerce Lexington Inc.

Bart HardinUniversity of Kentucky

Chad HarpoleCentury Aluminum

Andy HaymakerHaymaker Development Company

Dr. Andrew HendersonLexington Clinic

Stephen HillenmeyerStephen Hillenmeyer Landscape Services

Jay IngleJackson Kelly PLLC

Todd JohnsonHomebuilders Association of Lexington

Jimmy KeetonKentucky American Water

Jason KellerCharter Communications

Eric LycanDinsmore

Mark ManualBluegrass Community & Technical College

Doug MartinR. Douglas Martin, Attorney-At-Law

Barry MayfieldEast Kentucky Power Cooperative

Herb MillerColumbia Gas of Kentucky

Chauncey MorrisKentucky Thoroughbred Association

David MossKentucky Coal Association

Rob MuddAzur Restaurant & Catering

David OwenDickinson Wright PLLC

Stewart PerryPerry and Perry/State Farm Insurance

Bob QuickCommerce Lexington Inc.

Bill QuiggMore Than A Bakery

Mary Quinn RamerVisitLEX

Robert RiggsRiggs Sales Service, Inc.

David RoyseRansdell, Roach & Royse

Ed SaunierNorth American Van Lines

Julie SchmidtKentucky Educational Television

Scott SmithSmith Management Group

David SwitzerKentucky Thoroughbred Association

Judy TaylorKeeneland Association

Darryl ThompsonFayette County Public Schools

Billy Van PeltBilly Van Pelt Consulting

George WallaceBB&T

Ashli WattsKentucky Chamber of Commerce

Ellen WilliamsMMLK Government Solutions

COMMERCE LEXINGTON INC. PUBLIC POLICY COUNCIL

Commerce Lexington believes that education is one of the most important functions of state government andtherefore urges policymakers to make education funding a top priority. Having a highly educated and capableworkforce is essential to attracting new business and retaining existing business and industry. Increasing ed-ucational attainment at all levels enhances the social fabric, quality of life, and promotes economic opportunityfor the community, as well as those looking to locate a business in the region.


EDUCATION

WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT

A skilled workforce is the number oneconcern for businesses in Central Kentucky.

Lack of a qualified workforce prevents business expansion, eco-nomic investments and job creation. It is important to developa talent pipeline with the necessary technical and professionalskills to meet the needs of employers, both today and into thefuture, for the region. Therefore, a top priority of Commerce Lex-ington through its partnership with the Business and EducationNetwork (BEN) is to identify current and future workforce needsof the region, and to develop a strategic plan to address thoseneeds through collaborative partnerships between stakeholdersin the community

The federal and state workforce investment programs are impor-tant components to providing a highly skilled and educatedworkforce in Central Kentucky. Commerce Lexington supportsaligning and improving existing training programs through localpartnerships with employers, educators, administrators, com-munity organizations and training providers to better meet skillsgap needs of the business community. Commerce Lexingtonsupports continued reforms to the workforce training systemthat ensure funding is properly allocated to initiatives thatdemonstrate the best possible return on investment. CommerceLexington also supports reforms that track the success of theworkforce training system and its participants for a period-of-time even after they complete their workforce training programto help in determining the successful return on investment ofthe tax dollars.

Federal legislation, such as The Workforce Innovation and Op-portunity Act (WIOA) passed the United States Congress in July2014, has taken positive steps toward strengthening workforcetraining efforts by streamlining programs, reducing burdensomemandates, providing greater state flexibility, promoting skillstraining for in-demand jobs, and pushing for increased account-ability and transparency over the use of taxpayer dollars. How-ever, additional steps need to be taken at the state and local levelto ensure federal and state training dollars are being used effi-ciently and effectively to meet the needs of local employers.

Commerce Lexington encourages lawmakers to review, andif needed, amend the existing policies to:

Strengthen collaborative partnerships among key local•stakeholders, especially across area lines within the des-ignated workforce planning regions. Establish procurement guidelines for local workforce in-•vestment boards, Local Elected Official (LEO) board andall contract parties to eliminate conflicts of interests.Promote greater transparency and accountability over•spending practices and program outcomes for localworkforce investment boards, Local Elected Official(LEO) board and all contract partiesRequire additional mandatory training on roles and re-•sponsibilities of workforce investment boards and LocalElected Officials.

EDUCATIONAdult EducationCommerce Lexington fully supports the development of effectivepublic/private partnerships focused on addressing adult education andretraining needs. We support priority investments that address theunique needs of adults who need to gain literacy and math skills, a GEDand workforce skills simultaneously by:

Identifying adult education needs.•Actively encouraging individuals to participate in adult education•and literacy programs.Taking deliberate steps to provide easier access to available pro-•grams.Supporting the full funding of the Kentucky Skills Network and•adding more flexibility for eligible adults.

Fayette County Public SchoolsCommerce Lexington is encouraged by and supports the developmentof a Novice Reduction Plan to guide the improvement efforts of FayetteCounty Public Schools (FCPS) over the next five years to enhance studentachievement. The business community is committed to working withFCPS in efforts aimed at closing the achievement gap by reducing thenumber of students scoring at the novice level, and making FCPS a top10 school district in Kentucky.

Driven by the action plans of over 100 strategies and activities identifiedwithin the Blueprint for Student Success: Achieving Educational Excellenceand Equity for All, the Novice Reduction Plan will continue to focus thedistrict on key strategic priority areas: Standards, Curriculum, and In-struction; Learning, Culture, and Environment; and, Continuous Im-provement, and Assessment that will be regularly monitored andreflected in district budget planning in order to achieve the ultimate mis-sion of creating a collaborative community that ensures all studentsachieve at high levels and graduate prepared to excel in a global society.

Creating & Maintaining School LeadersCommerce Lexington fully supports all efforts that help increase studentachievement through training for well-prepared school superintendents,principals, teachers and other instructional staff. Superintendents musthave the authority to make or participate in critical personnel decisionsin schools; particularly, in persistently low performing schools. Basic lead-ership skills and ongoing professional development are critical leadershipattributes for principals to become effective leaders within our schoolsstatewide. Teachers must be held accountable for instructional strategiesand practices that yield student achievement results in the classroom Wemust look at competitive pay for our teachers, including innovative formsof differentiated compensation which would reward teachers based onperformance and the achievement levels of students.

Support Common Core State StandardsCommerce Lexington supports the implementation of Common CoreState Standards (CCSS) to promote college and career readiness. Thestandards are designed to be robust and relevant to the real world, re-flecting the knowledge and skills that our young people need for successin college and careers. With Kentucky students fully prepared for the fu-ture, our communities will be best positioned to compete successfully inthe global economy.

Quality Education InvestmentsCommerce Lexington urges policymakers to make education funding atop priority in the budget process. We support quality investments inour children’s education and oppose using local school district’s reservefunds to balance the State Level General Fund. Commerce Lexingtonfully supports all investments in early childhood education including qual-ity preschool and an equitable, full-day kindergarten program statewideto achieve school readiness. Commerce Lexington supports the GeneralAssembly increasing the number of school days closer to the national av-erage of 180 days, and the international average of 193 days. CommerceLexington opposes the state mandating a local school districts calendar.

Commerce Lexington fully supports the lifelong educational program-ming and work KET delivers to schools and the public. Through technol-ogy, KET provides access, equity, and quality educational resourcesfocused on student achievement and teacher preparedness. In addition,KET plays a key role in assisting Kentuckians with less than a high schooleducation with receiving their GED.

Support Implementation of Collegeand Career Readiness ProgramsCommerce Lexington continues to support the education initiatives es-tablished by SB 1 (2009) including a mandate for the Kentucky Councilon Postsecondary Education (CPE), the Kentucky Board of Education(KBE), and the Kentucky Department of Education (KDE) to develop aunified strategy to reduce college remediation rates of recent high schoolgraduates and to increase the college completion rates of students en-rolled in one or more remedial classes by three percent annually.

Commerce Lexington supports four key strategies to promote college andcareer readiness and degree completion:

Accelerated Learning Opportunities focused on the expansion of•AP/IB access and dual credit opportunities.Secondary Intervention Programs focused on the development of•transitional coursework.College and Career Readiness Advising focused on the full imple-•mentation of the Individual Learning Plan and comprehensive ad-vising programs.Postsecondary College Persistence and Degree Completion focused•on bridge programming, accelerated learning opportunities, and stu-dent support and intervention systems.

Family & Community EngagementFamily and community engagement is a critical component to academicachievement. Recognizing that not all children have an effective adult ad-vocate, Commerce Lexington backs innovative approaches to facilitatecollaboration toward common goals such as the efforts of the One Com-munity, One Voice Achievement and Closing the Gap Community Com-mittee. Their inclusive efforts to identify measurable goals andaccountability strategies will help move the Fayette County Public Schooldistrict towards closing the achievement gap by reducing the number ofstudents scoring at the novice level among all students, while raisingoverall student achievement.


EDUCATIONSTEM Critical to CompeteCommerce Lexington supports legislative and local district efforts to in-crease graduates in the Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics(STEM) disciplines to meet the ever-growing needs of employers. Com-merce Lexington believes Kentucky students should be challenged at all ed-ucational levels and provided the instruction they need to succeed in thenew global economy. Improving academic achievement of all students canbe done by encouraging rigorous and relevant courses and experiences.Critical to Kentucky’s ability to compete in the global economy is a commit-ment to increasing the focus on STEM in our schools through learning op-portunities that provide enrichments and exposures in aviation andaeronautics; agriculture, and related agri-science; computer and informa-tional sciences; health care, biotechnology and biomedical sciences to namea few. Commerce Lexington also supports utilization of secondary careerand technical education programs comprised of project-based learning tofurther this goal. An increased focus on STEM disciplines, however, doesnot mean the exclusion of arts and social sciences curricula.

Financial LiteracyCommerce Lexington supports the inclusion of “Financial Literacy” ed-ucation in Central Kentucky’s school classrooms. This training can beachieved through traditional curriculum development or through private-public initiatives such as Junior Achievement of the Bluegrass partner-ship with the Fayette County Public Schools. Financial literacy programsintroduce students to important life skills and concepts such as budget-ing, banking, understanding the difference between debit and creditcards, using credit responsibly and financial planning, as well as invest-ments such as stocks, bonds and other securities. In addition to provid-ing students with a skill set essential for a successful future, CommerceLexington believes that financial literacy education in our schools is im-perative to training a future workforce that is an attractive local resourcefor new business and economic development.

University of KentuckyThe Commonwealth of Kentucky recognized in 1997 that states with Top20 public research universities have healthier, more prosperous citizens.Commerce Lexington recognizes the role that UK plays in education,health care and economic development for Lexington and all of Kentucky.Commerce Lexington encourages the Governor and General Assemblyto support the Performance Funding model agreement reached by theworking group consisting of members of the executive branch, the leg-islative branch, and the universities.

In the last five years, UK initiated or approved some $2.1 billion in•capital investments to improve student success, instruction, re-search and discovery, and health care. Approximately 91 percent ofthat investment is the result of public-private partnerships, philan-thropy, strategic use of university resources, and support from UKAthletics.UK welcomed successive record-setting, freshmen classes that have•joined the UK family and moved total enrollment past 30,700. Thesestudents are succeeding at higher levels, translating to record de-gree attainment, including more than 6,600 degrees conferred overthe last academic year. Faculty and staff researchers added to a growing portfolio of trans-•formative research, discovery, and creative scholarship. In fiscal year2015-16, UK received $316.5 million in external research grants andcontracts – signifying that UK is a major player among research in-stitutions in the country and directly impacting the economy of cen-tral Kentucky. UK HealthCare continues to meet the needs of patients and families•who require complex, quality health care through its network ofproviders and state-of-the-art academic medical center. Annual pa-tient discharges have grown by more than 95 percent since 2003and over 6,000 jobs have been created - all with no state appropria-tions to UK Healthcare. In total, UK’s work yields a 12-fold return on the Commonwealth’s•investment in its flagship university. UK’s research enterprise has amore than $580 million impact on Kentucky’s economy. More thantwo-thirds of graduates are employed in Kentucky after graduation.

KCTCS/BCTC: Enhance TechnicalSkills TrainingThe Kentucky Community and Technical College System (KCTCS) is thelargest provider of higher education, online education and workforcetraining in the Commonwealth. KCTCS/Bluegrass Community and Tech-nical College (BCTC) has the lowest tuition of any postsecondary insti-tution in Kentucky and is dedicated to a vision of a well-trained workforcein central Kentucky and the entire Commonwealth. To achieve this goal,KCTCS has aligned its strategic plan with several state agencies and or-ganizations and is working with local employers to ensure the curriculumat BCTC and the other 15 colleges meets local needs.

Many Central Kentuckians need access to skills training including incum-bent workers, those seeking jobs or updated skills, and high school stu-dents planning for careers. Commerce Lexington supports KCTCS andBCTC which serves the Central Kentucky region in their efforts to workwith local businesses to enhance technical skills training and “workready” employees. Additionally, Commerce Lexington believes it is criticalthat high school students who choose the technical training career pathhave access to grants and other financial assistance.

POSTSECONDARY EDUCATION


Monitor Implementation ofFederal Health Care ReformCommerce Lexington believes that both business owners and employersshould have the opportunity to provide for themselves and their employ-ees quality affordable health insurance available from the private market,not government. However, the Patient Protection and Affordable CareAct (PPACA) passed by Congress created a great deal of uncertainty foremployers. Commerce Lexington remains concerned that employers thathave previously provided voluntary health insurance coverage for theiremployees will now face mandated levels of health insurance coverageas well as increased taxes, premiums penalties. Therefore, CommerceLexington is committed to monitoring the implementation of the PPACA,and upcoming repeal and replace debates. Commerce Lexington will con-tinue to provide input to our federal and state policymakers to ensurethat employers can provide quality affordable health insurance coverageto their employees without being continually overburdened with federalregulations and penalties.

Monitor Medicaid ExpansionKentucky expanded Medicaid eligibility by executive order to persons withannual incomes up to 138 percent of the federal poverty level ($27,310for a family of three) beginning in January 2014. The federal governmentwill pay 100 percent of the state’s additional cost for the expansionthrough 2016. However, the state is required to begin paying 5 percentof the costs beginning in 2017, rising in steps each year to 10 percent in2020. Original projections of the number of Kentuckians who would beeligible for Medicaid under the expansion have proven to be substantiallylow. Originally, the Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services es-timated 164,000 additional Kentuckians would be eligible under the Med-icaid expansion in FY 2014, and that number would grow to more than209,000 by 2017 and beyond. Currently, there are more than 443,000 Ken-tuckians enrolled in Medicaid under the expansion.

The cost of the Medicaid expansion in the recently enacted 2016-2018state budget is $74 million in FY 17 and $173 million in FY 18 for a totalof $247 million over the biennium. These costs are estimated to rise tomore than $500 million in the next biennium. To address these growingcosts, the Governor has submitted a waiver request to the federal De-partment of Health and Human Services to allow Kentucky to make sev-eral changes to the Medicaid program, including the imposition ofmonthly premiums and a community service requirement for selectedpopulations. Commerce Lexington will monitor the progress of the pro-posed waiver by the Governor and commends the administration fortackling the challenges of Kentucky’s Medicaid program.

Commerce Lexington supports efforts to improve access to healthcare,create a sustainable Medicaid program, while protecting critical state in-vestments in education and other vital programs. The Governor’s pro-posal has initiated an important public dialogue on this issue, andCommerce Lexington encourages members of the business communityto share their views about the best way forward.

Medical MalpracticeCommerce Lexington will support effective measures to address the es-calating costs of health care and medical malpractice insurance for healthproviders, which has contributed to higher health care costs, higherhealth insurance premiums, and continues to create the potential for re-duced access to care.

Increase the Number of HealthCare Professionals in Kentucky Many areas of Kentucky are underserved by health care professionals,which contribute to poor access and higher medical costs for our citizens.Commerce Lexington encourages lawmakers to initiate programs andfunding or support policies that encourage medical professionals to serveboth the rural and inter-city areas which may appear less desirable.

Reduce SmokingKentucky continuously leads the nation in adult smoking rates as well asrates among pregnant women, and is second among high school andmiddle school students. The smoking related loss of economic produc-tivity is over $2 billion dollars annually in Kentucky alone. CommerceLexington fully supports raising Kentucky’s cigarette tax to be more in-line with the national average. Additionally, initiatives should be imple-mented to reduce smoking among Kentucky Medicaid patients.

Health & Wellness ProgramsCommerce Lexington supports legislation that provides tax credits andincentives to employers for creating health and wellness programs fortheir employees. Kentucky’s population consistently ranks near the topof the list among the states for overall poor health indicators. Poor healthamong Kentuckians is a drain on the state’s resources, leading to in-creased health care costs for employers and employees, as well as leadingto increased utilization of health care services among the state’s Medi-caid recipients. Health and wellness programs offer employers the op-portunity to address the culture of poor health in the Commonwealth bypromoting preventive health care as well as educating and encouraginghealthy lifestyles among their employees. Health and wellness programsoften serve as an effective health care cost containment measure andserve to promote personal responsibility among employees for their ownhealth outcomes. Commerce Lexington will continue to support pro-grams and policies that incentivize companies to educate and promotehealth and wellness for their employees.


HEALTH CARE

Effectively Combat Drug andSubstance Abuse Commerce Lexington acknowledges the need to address Kentucky’s drugabuse problem, and will continue to support legislative efforts to curbthis epidemic through a comprehensive approach aimed at prevention,treatment and penalty reforms. Both private and public sector leadersrealize the negative effect of drug and substance abuse on their employ-ees and citizens particularly in terms of increased health care costs, lossof workforce productivity and fiscal impact of incarceration. Accordingto the Kentucky Office of Drug Control Policy, lost productivity, healthcare costs and drug-related crimes associated with illegal drug abusecost the commonwealth $2.5 to $3.6 billion annually.

The severity of prescription drug abuse, as well as heroin and other illegalstreet drugs continues to be a high priority issue for Commerce Lexing-ton. We applaud efforts of the Kentucky General Assembly for past leg-islative efforts to curb drug abuse and increase treatment options. Weencourage legislators to continue to address the illness of addiction byexpanding prevention and treatment capacities in the Commonwealth.


COMPETITIVENESS

Right-to-WorkCommerce Lexington believes every worker is both capable of, and enti-tled to, making his or her own determination regarding union member-ship. The decision not to affiliate with a labor union should be no lessdeserving of protection than the freedom to affiliate with a union. Com-merce Lexington urges the Kentucky General Assembly to support Rightto Work legislation to prohibit requiring any worker to join a union as acondition of employment.

Public/Private PartnershipsCommerce Lexington supports the use of public/private partnerships(P3) by local and state government agencies for the delivery of servicesand/or the construction and/or management of a variety of infrastructurerelated projects. To ensure accountability in contracting with private en-tities, it is essential that proper safeguards be in place to ensure trans-parency and that quality services are delivered at a lower cost totaxpayers.

Public Employee Pension SystemsThe recent downgrading of Kentucky's bond rating indicates the financialmarket has concerns about Kentucky's financial viability, specifically theunderfunded public pension systems. Commerce Lexington applaudsthe General Assembly for taking significant steps in 2013 with the hybridplan reforms for new employees to address funding issues, including theauthorization of a compromise proposal reached by Lexington city offi-cials, police and fire representatives.

Commerce Lexington strongly urges the General Assembly to continueprogress toward the goal of establishing equitable retirement and healthinsurance benefits for new hires that more closely resemble those avail-able in the private sector. Commerce Lexington supports a comprehen-sive review of all public employee pension systems, including theKentucky Teachers Retirement System, and related benefits and encour-ages state legislators to consider other serious structural changes to allsystems to assure funding pensions does not cripple state government’sability to provide essential services.

Commerce Lexington will continue to monitor reform implementationwith emphasis on assuring no benefit increases without full funding andthe inclusion of actuarial required contributions in the state budget. Com-merce Lexington discourages lawmakers from using bonding to addressshortfalls in state pension funds, which could jeopardize the state’s fi-nancial stability for future generations.

Government EfficiencyCommerce Lexington supports the need for government modernizationand increased efficiency. Commerce Lexington will continue to urge theGeneral Assembly to focus on spending reforms across government in-cluding the areas of public employee health benefits, the public employeepension system, corrections and Medicaid.

Employer | Labor UnionMaintaining the time-tested balance between labor unions and employ-ers is critical to economic growth and continued job creation. The Na-tional Labor Relations Board (NLRB) has undertaken an aggressivepro-union agenda that threatens jobs and economic growth. Issues ofconcern include blacklisting, card check, secure electronic voting, releaseof personal employee information, persuader rule, employee poster rule,ambush election rule, micro union decision, joint-employer standard andothers.

Commerce Lexington is committed to defending the rights of businessesand their employees and strongly encourages federal and state officialsto fight changes to our labor law system that undermine employer-em-ployee relations.

We urge the support for labor laws that:Maintain a balance of representation on the NLRB properly vetted•and ratified through Congress to hear the facts from all parties inrendering fact based decisions.Do not upend years of carefully balanced labor laws, whether•through Congress or regulation promulgated by the NLRB.Protect secret ballot elections to form unions.•Maintain functional grouping of business units that do not pit “sub”•or “micro” units against each other in organizing efforts (microunions).Maintain a company’s ability to educate employees on the conse-•quences of unionization.Do not include binding arbitration provisions.•Do not impose one-sided penalties.•

Prevailing WageCommerce Lexington supports legislation to repeal mandatory prevail-ing wage in the Commonwealth. The result would be reduced costs andincreased capacity for public works, benefiting employers, employeesand taxpayers alike. At a minimum, prevailing wage requirementsshould be eliminated for the construction of schools and other educa-tional facilities.

Public Employee Collective BargainingCommerce Lexington strongly opposes public employee collective bar-gaining. Public employees are afforded significant benefits, job protec-tions, and established rank and pay scales – and the adjustment oralteration of them are decisions that can currently be made as a matterof public policy.

Commerce Lexington believes that people are the driving force of business. Productivity and creativity dictatethe success of individual businesses and therefore our economy as a whole. Public policy options should beabout creating and sustaining an environment that encourages maximum flexibility to reward excellence andencourage innovation in human resource management. Policies that tend to foster one-size-fits-all approaches,or that intentionally or unintentionally create “us vs. them” environments in the workplace are not conduciveto businesses’ goal of excellent employee relations and communications.

Safer WorkplacesCommerce Lexington supports allowing employers to share factual anddocumented information about past employees, without subjectingthemselves to undue liability, when providing references to inquiring em-ployers during the hiring process. We also support legislation to allowemployers to help fight illegal drug use in the workplace. Commerce Lex-ington opposes any expansion in the current concealed/carry laws thatwould allow employees to bring deadly weapons into the workplace.

Wage MandatesCommerce Lexington supports government efforts to find balanced, long-term solutions to the problems confronted by our community. We donot support private sector wage mandates that exceed state or federalguidelines.

Unemployment Insurance Trust FundCommerce Lexington believes that the integrity of the unemployment in-surance trust fund should be maintained and opposes efforts to utilizethe fund in ways that are contrary to its original purpose of providing un-employment insurance to temporarily displaced workers.

Commerce Lexington was among several employer groups that sup-ported the reforms to the state’s unemployment insurance system duringthe 2010 special session, and the effort to address repaying the intereston the loans to the federal government during the 2012 session of theKentucky General Assembly. Commerce Lexington will continue to mon-itor the implementation of the reforms to the state’s UI System.

Workers’ CompensationCommerce Lexington supports a workers’ compensation statute that of-fers clear and objective definitions of injury and disability, uses objectivemedical findings of impairment for awards, continues the reduction oflitigation, and encourages retraining and education, to return to work ata different position at a comparable rate, while abating growing costs forcentral Kentucky employers. Commerce Lexington supports any legisla-tive or regulatory measure that will help control Kentucky’s rising medicaland prescription drug costs in workers’ compensation cases without dis-rupting needed services to injured workers.

ImmigrationCommerce Lexington supports a comprehensive immigration reformpackage which includes modernizations to the guest worker programwhich addresses the needs of all Kentucky's work places.

Criminal Justice System ReformsKentucky made important progress with the enactment of corrections re-form legislation in 2011 and juvenile justice code reforms in 2014 to pro-tect public safety while establishing a system to control spiralingcorrections. Commerce Lexington also applauds the Governor and Gen-eral Assembly for the passage of limited felony expungement legislationin 2016 to help workers limited by a past mistake advance in the work-force.

Commerce Lexington will continue to monitor, and support when appro-priate, this important work moving forward through the leadership of theKentucky Smart on Crime coalition, which is focused on reducing recidi-vism, making communities safer, increasing our workforce and savingtaxpayer dollars.

Revision of Statute of Limitations LawCommerce Lexington recognizes Kentucky's five-year time-period on em-ployee wrongful termination or discrimination lawsuits places an unduerequirement on employers. Commerce Lexington supports changes toKentucky’s statute that would make all employment discharge and dis-crimination type actions more uniform with federal guidelines while stillprotecting employees and employers.

Malt Beverage Industry RegulationCommerce Lexington supports the maintenance of a strong and inde-pendent system for the sale, distribution and regulation of malt beveragesthat has been in place since prohibition. Such a system promotes the lo-cally owned and operated businesses, the preservation of jobs, strongcommunity reinvestment, and the ability of all large and small brewersto deliver their products to the market and ultimately the consumer.


COMPETITIVENESS



Service and Technology RetentionTax Credits Other states are aggressively pursuing Kentucky companies to relocateusing various tax incentive and cash-based programs. Kentucky cannot af-ford to lose additional jobs to other states; therefore, Commerce Lexingtonsupports a modification of the Kentucky Reinvestment Act (KRA) to includeservice and technology firms in addition to manufacturing firms within theKRA program in order to retain service and technology jobs in the Com-monwealth. Commerce Lexington supports linking the tax credits directlyto job retention, and would support implementing minimum requirementsfor companies to meet before the tax incentives become available.

R&D Investment IncentivesAmerican corporations focus their research and development activities onthe development of new products, processes, and services while relyingon research universities to do basic scientific research. In order to supple-ment basic research investment by federal agencies, Commerce Lexingtonsupports the establishment of federal and state tax incentives to encouragecorporations to make cash investments or endowment gifts to researchdepartments or proof of concept centers of public research universities.Incentives should also be in place to encourage corporations to make in-vestments in high tech, high risk start up technology companies.

Bluegrass Business DevelopmentPartnershipEstablished in 2007, Commerce Lexington continues to support its part-nership between the Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government, theUniversity of Kentucky and the Kentucky Small Business DevelopmentCenter to encourage economic development, investment and job growthin Central Kentucky. Since its inception the Bluegrass Business Devel-opment Partnership has been a one-stop shop for the economic devel-opment needs of its clients. This program has served over 15,482 clientsand announced the creation of 12,864 new jobs and over $1,708,510,785in capital investment.

Entrepreneurial IncentivesCommerce Lexington supports initiatives that encourage the continueddevelopment of the knowledge-based economy in Central Kentucky. Wesupport policies that facilitate the development and retention of hightech manufacturing and biotechnology investments in our region andspecifically encourage additional research and development and technol-ogy transfer activity in Central Kentucky. Commerce Lexington will be anadvocate for public/private partnerships that move ideas to theory, theoryto applied research, and applied research to developed commercial ap-plication. To help provide additional financial support enabling such busi-ness activity to occur, Commerce Lexington supports the developmentof seed capital funds that focus on Central Kentucky investments and thepromotion of innovative central Kentucky companies to existing venturecapital firms. Commerce Lexington encourages the federal governmentto continue the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR)/ Small Busi-ness Technology Transfer (STTR) and for Kentucky to continue fundingthe state’s match program for these start-up companies. Commerce Lex-ington also supports the Commonwealth's continued funding of the Ken-tucky Innovation and the Kentucky Angel Investors Networks.

Telecommunications InfrastructureMaking investments in critical infrastructure such as roads, bridges,water and rail will continue to be important to our state’s economicgrowth. However, future economic development and job creation willalso depend on developing a robust telecommunications infrastructure.Our competitor states have shown that modernizing telecommunicationinfrastructure better enables providers to efficiently allocate available re-sources. Commerce Lexington’s economic development team frequentlyhears from high tech companies operating in Central Kentucky about theneed for increased access to affordable, high speed broadband technolo-gies. Modernizing Kentucky’s telecommunication infrastructure will helpmeet the growing market demands for advanced broadband technologiesfor businesses both large and small.

Commerce Lexington supports modernizing telecommunication infra-structure to spur critical investments in new broadband technologies,enhance economic development, attract jobs, and improve communica-tion services for residents and business – while keeping in the place pro-tections for reliable voice services to all residents.

Commerce Lexington fully supports the development of new incentives to help Kentucky’s businesses growand prosper in today’s global economy. We support new strategies to increase jobs by attracting companiesto Kentucky. We advocate a regional approach to economic development planning and problem solving. Wework closely with local governments and community organizations across Central Kentucky to develop a com-mon vision for the prosperity of our region.

Although not a substitute for comprehensive tax reform, Commerce Lexington supports strategic investmentsin incentive programs designed to encourage the growth of high wage jobs, long-term investment in strategicallydefined industry sectors, small business promotion, or other significant economic development projects thatdemonstrate a clear return on investment and would not otherwise occur without the incentive.

Commerce Lexington urges lawmakers to continue to support, and in some cases, consider enhancements to thestate incentive programs promoting business growth and job creation, such as the Kentucky Business Investmentprogram (KBI), Kentucky Enterprise Initiative Act (KEIA), Kentucky Reinvestment Act (KRA), Kentucky InvestmentFund Act (KIFA), SBIR/STTR matching program, and the Kentucky Skills Network workforce training programs.


ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENTEnhancing Regional TransportationInfrastructureCommerce Lexington supports substantial and sustained investment inKentucky’s transportation infrastructure – including highways, bridges,waterways, public transit, railways, and aviation. Having a dependabletransportation network is critical to Central Kentucky’s economic vitality.Thriving communities must be able to move workers, provide servicesand transport products to market quickly and safely. Commerce Lexing-ton fully supports a regional transportation approach, including supportingthe Ohio River Bridge projects in Northern Kentucky, Louisville and WesternKentucky (I-69), the U.S. 27 to I-75 Connector in Jessamine County and theNewtown Pike Extension in Lexington.

Transportation FundingMaintaining adequate funding for transportation infrastructure remainsan issue of concern at both the state and federal levels of government.Commerce Lexington urges lawmakers to find long-term solutions to en-sure sufficient, sustainable and reliable funding for all modes of transporta-tion for projects critical to economic development. Commerce Lexingtonalso supports state and federal transportation funding for rural and urbantransit agencies to allow for improvements in direct operations; new servicedelivery methods for all areas including target population group such asseniors, low-income workers and people with disabilities.

Central Kentucky’s Equine IndustryThousands of acres of horse farms, world class venues such asKeeneland and the Kentucky Horse Park, and many horse related organ-izations’ national headquarters including the United States EquestrianFederation, earn Kentucky the title of Horse Capital of the World. Becauseof the substantial economic impact the equine industry has on our regionas well as the state, Commerce Lexington fully supports programs andinitiatives to protect and enhance the future growth of the equine indus-try. These programs include wagering on historical horse racing, inno-vative tax approaches, purse increases, increased funding for breederincentive programs, appropriate funding to maintain the quality of theKentucky Horse Park, and other assistance to allow the equine industryto remain competitive.

Since its inception, wagering on historical horse racing has provided apositive economic impact to communities in which these venues are lo-cated, the Commonwealth and the equine industry. We encourage allbranches of state government to support this new product that is creatingjobs, attracting tourists and supporting existing programs to help theequine industry. The current taxing model provides revenue to the statebut any increase in those taxes has the potential to not only deter growthin the product but to cause the product to become unsustainable froman economic perspective.

Kentucky’s sales tax on equine products putsour region & state at a disadvantage.

Kentucky’s sales tax on equine products puts our region and the Com-monwealth at a disadvantage with competitor states. Commerce Lex-ington supports efforts to eliminate this competitive disadvantage.Commerce Lexington also supports the equine industry’s efforts to ad-dress the health, welfare and safety of the thoroughbred racing industryas well as other equestrian sports.

Kentucky’s Distilling IndustryKentucky’s legendary distillingindustry has a significant impacton the state’s economy, produc-ing 95% of the world’s bourbonand contributing $3 billion ingross state product while gener-ating $166 million a year in taxrevenue. The Chamber stronglysupports initiatives to protectand grow the iconic industry. ForKentucky to maintain its domi-nance in the distilling industry and attract new distilleries, the General As-sembly must update the tourism and hospitality statues written before theKentucky Bourbon Trail® was created to take advantage of the boomingBourbon tourism industry.

CondemnationCommerce Lexington is opposed to government acquisition of privately ownedbusinesses through condemnation for the purpose of operating the business.

Tourism DevelopmentThe tourism industry is an important component of an overall economicdevelopment strategy. Commerce Lexington supports initiatives and in-centives designed to enhance the state’s tourism and agri-tourism in-dustry’s positive impact through the promotion of events and thepromotion of Lexington as a tourism and agri-tourism destination. Com-merce Lexington also supports efforts to attract the media and film in-dustry to the Bluegrass, while working to ensure that efforts that mightundermine tourism’s economic impact are minimized.

Lexington Downtown DevelopmentCommerce Lexington supports the mission of the Lexington DowntownDevelopment Authority to enhance the relationship between the down-town area and surrounding neighborhoods and to attract more residentsand business downtown, resulting in more citizens living and working indowntown.

Commerce Lexington supports downtown development projects such asthe Lexington Convention Center, Town Branch Commons and restoringand preserving the old Fayette County Courthouse and encourages re-sponsible business planning for downtown development projects to min-imize future taxpayer subsidized annual operational expenses.Commerce Lexington fully supports programs designed to increase theaccess and amount of public art throughout the entire community.

Free TradeInternational trade in goods and services accounts for nearly a third ofthe country’s GDP. Kentucky has established itself as a major exporterin a broad range of industries - from manufacturing to agriculture, aswell as an attractive location for foreign investments. More than 3,200Kentucky companies now sell products overseas. Over 76 percent ofthese businesses are small- and medium-sized enterprises accountingfor nearly $15 billion in annual export sales. These exports directly sup-port 90,000 jobs in Kentucky, with tens of thousands more indirectly sup-ported by exports. Commerce Lexington urges elected officials tosupport free trade agreements that open new markets and create newopportunities for businesses and workers in our region.


ENERGY AND ENVIRONMENTPROTECT KENTUCKY’S ENERGY ECONOMY

Commerce Lexington urges local, state and federal officials to supportefforts to maintain the production of affordable, reliable energy for busi-ness and residents. Kentucky’s abundant supply of coal has provided thestate with some of the lowest electricity rates in the nation – a definitecompetitive advantage in the creation and retention of jobs in all sectors.

However, federal regulations imposed by the U.S. EPA or other agencieshave and could continue to disproportionately affect Kentucky’s econ-omy. Commerce Lexington urges all public officials – both appointed andelected – to collectively oppose any legislation, and consider modifica-tions to, or the repeal of regulations, that would serve to increase thestate’s electricity and natural gas rates at an accelerated pace and placeKentucky’s businesses at an economic disadvantage in the global mar-ketplace.

Commerce Lexington will continue to monitor the implementation of theproposed rule changes to section 111 (b) and 111 (d) of the Clean AirAct, and advocate for efforts at the state and federal levels to mitigatethe impact on Kentucky employers and families. Commerce Lexington

urges Congress and the Trump Administration to take appropriate actionthat would either substantially modify or repeal the provisions of theClean Power Plan. If fully implemented, these regulations on emissionsfrom electricity generating facilities that use coal, and new regulationson Kentucky’s mining industry could increase Kentucky's electricity ratessignificantly within the next five years and serve to destabilize Kentucky’seconomic base.

Commerce Lexington urges local, state and federal officials to call for animplementation delay of rules where legal challenges are ongoing untilthe courts complete their review of the cases and during any subsequentappeals. Recent U.S. Supreme Court actions on the Mercury and Air Tox-ics rule, which included remanding the case to a lower court for furtherreview, exemplify the challenges a regulated industry faces when forcedto comply with a rule before the legal scrutiny is complete. Costly and ex-cessive regulations, such as those impacting electric utilities, require sig-nificant investment that cannot be refunded to the ratepayers when a ruleis vacated.

Support the Coal IndustryCommerce Lexington supports protect-ing the viability of Kentucky’s coal in-dustry – including preserving the directand indirect jobs that the industry pro-vides statewide. Since 2011, EasternKentucky has lost more than 9,000 di-rect coal mining jobs which equates to38 percent of the workforce. The esti-mated number of coal jobs in Kentuckyis now the lowest number since 1898.For every one direct coal mining joblost, three other indirect jobs are alsolost, which brings the total of job lossesto more than 27,000 since 2011. Withcoal mining selected for enhanced review or increased scrutiny, coal minershave found themselves working in an unfair playing field compared to therest of the country. Commerce Lexington will continue to support effortsto push back against the U.S. EPA to ensure coal remains an integral partof our country’s energy portfolio, and there is a level playing field for all low-cost fuel sources to secure low electricity rates in Kentucky.

Commerce Lexington advocates for the stoppage of the Office of SurfaceMining’s (OSM) Stream Protection Rule, which creates conflicts with exist-ing state and federal regulatory laws. This rule (developed without any Con-gressional oversight) could ban certain types of mining in the coal fieldsfurther exacerbating job losses, negative impacts on local economies andthe potential for increased electricity rates.

Natural Gas as Reliable Energy SourceTo stay competitive and to ensure that natural gas is readily available tosupport economic development growth, Kentucky must also continue todevelop all reliable and affordable energy resources including natural gas.Kentucky’s oil and natural gas industry total value of production is over $1billion and employs over 9,000 Kentuckians. This industry will continue toplay an increasingly important role in meeting the states’ energy needs ofthe future. Therefore, Commerce Lexington supports encouraging the in-

vestment in the infrastructure, production and use of oil and natural gasthrough the maintenance of a balanced state regulatory framework. Com-merce Kentucky believes that through cooperation and coordination be-tween the industry, state government and associated stakeholders, broadconsensus can be reached on the issues and challenges facing the oil andgas industry, and once that consensus is reached, deserves broad support.In addition, pending and future governmental and industry regulationscould significantly impact the cost of natural gas service to Kentucky con-sumers. While Commerce Lexington supports the need to repair and re-place aging pipeline infrastructure, consideration should be given to howand when costs are made and the impact to customers served by naturalgas utilities.

Commerce Lexington supports financial and infrastructure incentives tohelp stimulate adoption of natural gas transportation fuels to ensure thatnatural gas is readily available for economic development. Central Kentuckycould benefit from increased use of compressed natural gas (CNG) or liq-uefied natural gas (LNG) motor transportation fuels such as those used forin-state and inter-state trucking fleets, waste haulers, delivery and repair ve-hicles, and personal cars and trucks. With the growing availability and lowcost of natural gas, traditional diesel engines cost approximately 30-40 per-cent more per gallon to operate than do natural gas engines. Similar sav-ings can be realized when switching from gasoline to natural gas. Theadvantages Kentucky would gain are a lower carbon footprint from naturalgas compared to gasoline and diesel fuels, as well as millions of dollarssaved in fuel cost in the years ahead. Additionally, increased demand fornatural gas vehicles and readily available natural gas service infrastructurewill lead to more reliance on natural gas produced within the U.S., one ofour nation's cleanest, most reliable, and most available sources of energy.


ENERGY AND ENVIRONMENT

Promote a Sensible Regulatory ApproachCommerce Lexington supports the efforts of the state’s Energy and En-vironment Cabinet to protect the citizens of the Commonwealth througha fair and consistent non-discriminatory regulatory process that ensuresboth the health and welfare of the public as well as the economic viabilityof the state’s private sector workforce. Commerce Lexington opposesefforts at a local and state level to be more stringent than federal regula-tions or policies.

Commerce Lexington continues to oppose U.S. EPA’s attempts to over-step its regulatory oversight role and impose an extraordinary number offederal mandates that will undoubtedly have a significant negative impacton the business community. U.S. EPA should not be permitted to cir-cumvent its own federal rulemaking process to establish new overly strin-gent regulatory policies or standards that will adversely impact everycitizen, business, agency and economy in the state. Commerce Lexingtonurges Congress to review environmental regulations and to take steps tostreamline processes or enact regulations to clarify or make consistentwith current statutes. We also advocate for the minimization of the useof guidance documents in management of U.S. EPA programs. Com-merce Lexington supports the use of a waiver of fines for Notice of Vio-lation (NOV) first time offenders and placing reasonable time limits onpunitive action following the issuance of NOVs by state agencies.

Storm Water/Sanitary Sewer &Consent Decree ImplementationCommerce Lexington will continue to monitor implementation processesto ensure the LFUCG’s plan to meet EPA requirements is completed ina timely and cost effective manner. We support periodic, independentperformance reviews/audits to ensure taxpayer dollars are being used ef-ficiently by local government throughout project implementation.

Track New Sanitary Sewer andStorm Water Permits and FeesCommerce Lexington will continue to engage local and state officials to en-sure that requirements of new sewer and water permits are not too restric-tive and do not exceed state or federal regulations and that the plan and theimplementation schedule is feasible and cost effective. We also will con-tinue to educate members about the impact of the new permits.

Air Quality Rules & RegulationsCommerce Lexington will engage local and state officials regarding the de-velopment of the state’s carbon plan and other air quality standards to en-sure these regulations are not too restrictive, have the least cost impact onbusiness, and protect Kentucky’s low cost energy rates. Commerce Lexing-ton will continue to engage with local workgroups to review air quality rulesand regulations, educate our members, explore strategies and make rec-ommendations as federal, state and local policies are developed.

Support Energy Efficiency MeasuresAcross the nation, companies – including those in Central Kentucky – aretaking positive measures to make their operations more energy efficient,which has led to a reduction in carbon emissions. Commerce Lexingtonsupports voluntary energy management programs, pollution controls andpollution prevention programs because they are good for the environmentand financially good for business. Commerce Lexington supports incen-tives for companies that go above and beyond their regulatory require-ments, and recognizing companies who have already implementedpositive best management practices to reduce their energy consumption.

Commerce Lexington Inc. also supports legislative efforts to:Provide incentives for the research and implementation of•clean-coal investments and other alternative energyprocesses. Provide tax credits or equivalents for carbon capture and dis-•posal by companies.Support increased funding for research, development and use•of new technologies to reduce emissions, particularly carbondioxide (CO2).Support research grants and other incentives for our state’s•postsecondary institutions and private sector companies todevelop technology and infrastructure needed for alternativefuels and energy such as landfill gas, biomass, wind, hydroand solar, anaerobic digestion or compressed natural gas.

Support the consideration of nuclear power plants to encour-•age market-based energy production. State law prevents con-struction of nuclear power plants until there is a means ofdisposal of high-level nuclear waste approved by the U.S. gov-ernment. An approved facility has not been identified by theU.S. government, so nuclear power plants in the U.S. storespent fuel on-site. Kentucky's current prohibition on storagein effect prohibits nuclear power as an option. CommerceLexington strongly encourages the federal government toidentify an approved repository for high-level nuclear wastedisposal but also accepts on-site storage of spent fuel as atemporary solution to inaction by the federal government.Protect our energy rates from overbearing federal regulations,•fuel mandates and tax policy changes that will raise rates andneutralize Kentucky's competitive energy prices.


ENERGY AND ENVIRONMENTWater Quality Rules & Regulations Commerce Lexington supports a process where the General Assemblymust review and approve any changes to new General Permits being pro-posed by state agencies. We also support legislative review for TotalMaximum Daily Loads (TMDLs) and other water quality related require-ments on our streams developed by the state or U.S. EPA.

Commerce Lexington urges Congress to take appropriate action thatwould either substantially modify or repeal the Waters of the U.S.(WOTUS) Rule. Furthermore, Commerce Lexington urges Congress andthe Trump Administration to take action that would modify the CleanWater Act (CWA) to clarify Congressional Intent and define Waters ofThe United States.

We believe the proposed WOTUS Rule exceeds the scope of federalpower under the Cl CWA and goes well beyond what is reasonable regu-lation. The rule redefines the process for how a water is determined tobe subject to regulation in such broad terms that almost any area couldbe included. This rule will cause confusion and uncertainty in the busi-ness community and could adversely impact economic development dueto unreasonable regulations and permitting.

Central Kentucky Water Supply andInfrastructure Commerce Lexington supports an efficient, equitable and sufficient watersupply for the entire region. Commerce Lexington supports investmentsin maintenance and upgrades on the lock and dam systems of the Ken-tucky River to enhance and conserve our region’s primary water supply,as well as appropriate, ongoing investments in other water system infra-structure to maintain quality, reliable water service for communities.Commerce Lexington also supports interconnectivity agreements amongmunicipalities throughout Central Kentucky.

Land Use Planning Commerce Lexington opposes statewide, prescriptive attempts to shapelocal land use and development contrary to community established needsand priorities. Commerce Lexington believes it is imperative for regionalcommunities to voluntarily collaborate and coordinate regional planningefforts related to natural resources, housing, utilities, economic develop-ment and transportation.

Commerce Lexington encourages communities to develop comprehensiveplans that balance the need for housing and economic development whileprotecting agriculture industries and natural resources. Affordability ofhousing is not just an issue for low income central Kentuckians; availabilityand affordability of housing is an issue of concern for expanding and relo-cating companies. As we plan for continued growth and development, wemust evaluate the impact each decision has on our ability to develop andmaintain housing options within the reach of all our citizens. Commerce Lexington strongly supports the use of Brownfield Redevelop-ment in communities through the use of the Voluntary Environmental Re-mediation Program (VERP) and Kentucky’s Bonafide Purchaser Programwhich reduces liability for future property owners. These programs shouldbe expanded to allow tax incentives, low interest loans or grants or otherfederal and state matching funds for those committed to redeveloping thestate’s Brownfield sites.

Solid WasteThe management of solid waste is a local responsibility and existing law al-lows local governments the necessary flexibility to develop a solid waste dis-posal strategy unique to the needs and expectations of their individualcommunities. Commerce Lexington urges enhanced enforcement and ed-ucation to address illegal dumping and littering. We support programssuch as Eastern Kentucky PRIDE and Bluegrass PRIDE (Bluegrass Green-source) that encourage and assist citizens, local governments and schoolsto clean up illegal trash dumps and other solid waste problems as well aspromoting environmental awareness and education. Education remains acritical component in changing the habits and attitudes of individuals acrossKentucky. We also support programs that educate Kentuckians on the ben-efits of recycling, programs that make recycling more convenient, and strate-gies that develop and enhance market demand for recycled materials.Commerce Lexington believes that this type of multi-faceted strategy willhave a more significant, long-term impact in addressing the need for Ken-tucky to embrace recycling.

Kentucky’s solid waste statutes are contradictory and some are currentlyout of step with some of EPA’s recent regulations. Commerce Lexingtonsupports a review of Kentucky’s solid waste statutes and a reasonable,thoughtful update to provide clear direction to the regulated community.

Environmental StreamliningImplementation of infrastructure projects is critical for community devel-opment. Often these public projects are subject to requirements for reviewof environmental impacts in accordance with the federal National Environ-mental Policy Act. Although such impacts can and should be considered,the process for evaluation of, and challenges to, infrastructure projects onthat basis must be streamlined to assure that important public infrastruc-ture projects are not victims of procedural maneuvering and unnecessarydelay.

Commerce Lexington supports legislative efforts that:Require concurrent review of documents.•Require full disclosure of funding from those either for or against a•particular issue.Recognize the need to restore balance to the process of public need•and environmental stewardship.

Commerce Lexington Inc. urges Congress to either substantially modify or repeal the Waters of the U.S. Rule.


TAX AND REGULATORY POLICYCommerce Lexington recognizes that in an increasingly competitive global marketplace, promoting long-termeconomic development and job growth must be a top priority when revenue options are being considered. Taxand regulatory policy at all levels of government must be guided by a well-researched, balanced approach thatprovides for necessary public investments and expenditures, while avoiding policies that could serve as disin-centives to economic growth and private sector employment and investment. State and local tax code changesshould recognize and encourage long-term future growth, and provide sufficient revenue options so that localgovernments are able to tailor their tax policy to local conditions. Commerce Lexington encourages lawmakersto monitor the impact of Kentucky’s tax code on the private sector and to take action when necessary to ensureKentucky remains competitive with its surrounding states.

Comprehensive Tax ReformAs the Kentucky General Assembly contemplates comprehensive tax reform,Commerce Lexington strongly urges lawmakers to evaluate existing tax poli-cies and proposed changes by using the following criteria:

Effective: Tax policies should be reviewed to determine their intended•or unintended consequences. Tax laws proving contrary to their intentionor more burdensome than intended should be repealed or scaled back.Competitive: Tax policy should promote a positive climate that encour-•ages business investment and job growth. Revenue Sensitive: Tax policy should provide sufficient revenues over-•all to fund critical priorities.Predictable: Sources of tax revenue should be relatively predictable and•stable over time.Equitable: Tax policy should be fair but must not discourage economic•activity, employment, or wage growth.Efficient: Any tax policy must be designed to facilitate cost efficient•compliance and administration.

Comprehensive Regulatory Reviewand ReformCommerce Lexington urges federal, state and local governments to considera comprehensive review of the regulations, taxes and fees impacting busi-nesses to determine areas where these policies could be modified, reduced,streamlined or eliminated to improve government efficiency and create amore business friendly environment for Lexington and Kentucky. CommerceLexington urges federal, state and local governments to look at any agencyfee increase or regulatory change carefully and examine the fee increasesbased on need, rate of inflation and economic impact on business. No feeor regulations with significant fiscal impact on business should be increasedwithout the clear approval from the appropriate federal, state or local legisla-tive body with oversight authority. We encourage sensitivity at the local andstate level to regulations that are more stringent than federal regulations thathurt Kentucky’s economic competitiveness, and urge local or state legislativeapproval of any regulation that deviates significantly or is more stringent thanfederal guidelines. Commerce Lexington supports the Governor’s Red TapeReduction Initiative and will continue to encourage businesses to providefeedback to the Bevin administration on regulations that need to be modifiedor eliminated to make Kentucky more business-friendly.

Commerce Lexington also strongly urges the Kentucky federal delegation tosupport commonsense regulatory reform that restores accountability, trans-parency and public participation in the federal rule making process. This in-cludes support The REINS Act, aimed at improving Congressional oversightof federal agencies and requires Congress to approve every new “major” rulethat has an annual economic impact of $100 million or more proposed bythe Executive Branch before it can be enforced on the American people.

Unfunded Mandates/Affordable SolutionsCommerce Lexington opposes unfunded mandates trickling down fromfederal and state agencies that impact local governments without regardto the affordability of the mandates, and the ability of a local community,its businesses and taxpayers to absorb the costs. Commerce Lexingtonwill advocate for regulatory reform efforts at all levels of government to ad-dress the problems associated with unfunded regulatory mandates.

These efforts should include, but not be limited to the following:

Agencies should be asked to demonstrate the economic impact to•businesses and local communities of implementing new regulations. Consent Decrees or other legal or administrative requirements should•take into account and publicly demonstrate the ability of local govern-ments, quasi-governmental agencies, schools and businesses abilityto afford the alternatives demanded by the state and/or EPA. These financial analyses should be conducted by people with experi-•ence in developing financial impacts before the solution is finalized. If it is determined that the entity cannot reasonably afford the solution•required by the state or federal agency, then the state should be re-quired to assist the entity in developing an alternate financial plan.

Local Option Sales TaxCommerce Lexington supports an amendment to the Kentucky Consti-tution, and enabling legislation, that would permit cities and counties,including urban county governments, to enact a local option sales tax,not to exceed one percent with a sunset provision. The tax would be forfunding dedicated to specific local projects, as proposed by the local gov-ernment and approved by voter referendum.

Alcohol TaxesAs part of comprehensive tax reform, Commerce Lexington believes Ken-tucky must examine the manner inwhich the state taxes distilled spirits,beer and wine. Kentucky has one of the Top 5 tax rates on alcohol sales inthe US, higher than all contiguous states except Tennessee. The KentuckyGeneral Assembly should consider rolling back the wholesale tax on alco-hol sales in order to make the Commonwealth’s distilled spirit and alco-holic beverage industry more competitive with surrounding states.

Revise the Limited Liability Entity TaxCommerce Lexington supported the 2006 Tax Modernization by the Gen-eral Assembly. However, the creation of the Limited Liability Entity Tax(LLET) and the lack of ability to offset pass-through credits against taxon income from other businesses and other years have become prob-lematic. Commerce Lexington supports efforts to adjust the tax code toencourage entrepreneurial investment in the Commonwealth.

YOUR GOVERNMENT

U.S. CONGRESSMAN ANDY BARR (6th District)2709 Old Rosebud Road, Lexington, KY 40509 Phone: (859) 219-1366 1432 Longworth HOB, Washington, D.C. 20515 Phone: (202) 225-4706 Web: http://barr.house.gov

KENTUCKY GOVERNOR MATT BEVIN700 Capitol Avenue, Suite 100, Frankfort, KY 40601Phone: (502) 564-2611Fax: (502) 564-2517 Web: http://governor.ky.gov

LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR JENEAN HAMPTON700 Capitol Avenue, Suite 142, Frankfort, KY 40601Phone: (502) 564-2611Fax: (502) 564-2849Web: http://ltgovernor.ky.gov

U.S. SENATOR RAND PAUL771 Corporate Dr., Suite 105, Lexington, KY 40503 Phone: (859) 219-2239167 Russell Senate Office Bldg., Wash., DC 20510Phone: (202) 224-4343 Web: http://www.paul.senate.gov

LEXINGTON MAYOR JIM GRAYLexington-Fayette Urban Co. Government Center 200 East Main Street, Lexington, KY 40507 Phone: (859) 258-3100E-Mail: [email protected]: www.lexingtonky.gov

U.S. SENATOR MITCH McCONNELLSENATE MAJORITY LEADER771 Corporate Dr., Suite 108, Lexington, KY 40503 Phone: (859) 224-8286 317 Russell Senate Office Bldg., Wash., DC 20510 Phone: (202) 224-2541Web: http://www.mcconnell.senate.gov

Rep. Robert Benvenuti III (R-88) 2384 Abbeywood RoadLexington, KY 40515 Phone:(502) 564-8100, Ext. 628

Rep. George Brown, Jr. (D-77) 424 E Fourth StLexington, KY 40508Phone: (502) 564-8100, Ext. 620

Rep. Kelly Flood (D-75)121 Arcadia ParkLexington, KY 40503Phone: (502) 564-8100 Ext. 675

Rep. James Kay (D-56) P.O. Box 1536Versailles, KY 40383Phone: (502) 564-8100, Ext. 736

Rep. Stan Lee (R-45)P.O. Box 2090Lexington, KY 40588Phone: (502) 564-4334

Rep. Russ Meyer (D-39) 106 Lone Oak DriveNicholasville, KY 40356Phone: (502) 564-8100, Ext. 623

Rep. Sannie Overly (D-72)340 Main StreetParis, KY 40361Phone: (502) 564-2217

Rep. Ruth Ann Palumbo (D-76) 10 Deepwood DriveLexington, KY 40505Phone: (502) 564-8100, Ext. 600

Rep. Phillip Pratt (R-62) Newly Elected in November 2016

Rep. Susan Westrom (D-79) P. O. Box 22778 Lexington, KY 40522Phone: (502) 564-8100, Ext. 740

To find out more about the Kentucky Legislature,including pending legislation, current laws, andmeeting schedules, visit www.lrc.state.ky.us.

Council Office, 5th Floor 200 E. Main St. Lexington, 40507

Phone: (859) 258-3200 [email protected]

AT-LARGE COUNCIL MEMBERS:Vice Mayor Steve Kay

Kevin StinnettRichard Moloney

1ST DISTRICTJames Brown

2ND DISTRICTSasha Love Higgins

3RD DISTRICTJake Gibbs

4TH DISTRICTSusan Lamb

5TH DISTRICTBill Farmer, Jr.

6TH DISTRICTAngela Evans

7TH DISTRICTJennifer Scutchfield

8TH DISTRICTFred Brown

9TH DISTRICTJennifer Mossotti

10TH DISTRICTAmanda Mays Bledsoe

11TH DISTRICTPeggy Henson

12TH DISTRICTKathy Plomin

FEDERAL GOVERNMENT

LOCAL GOVERNMENT

STATE GOVERNMENT

Kentucky Senate (Fayette)

KY House of Representatives (Fayette)

Lexington-Fayette Urban Co. Council

Sen. Ralph Alvarado (R-28)3250 McClure RoadWinchester, KY 40391Phone: (502) 564-8100, Ext. 681

Sen. Tom Buford (R-22) 409 W. Maple SreetNicholasville, KY 40356Phone: (502) 564-8100, Ext. 610

Sen. Jared Carpenter (R-34)P.O. Box 100, Berea, KY 40403Phone: (502) 564-8100, Ext. 730

Sen. Alice Forgy Kerr (R-12)3274 Gondola DriveLexington, KY 40513Phone: (502) 564-8100, Ext. 625

Sen. Reginald Thomas (D-13)702 Capitol Ave., Annex Room 255Frankfort KY 40601Phone: (502) 564-8100, Ext. 608


PRESENTED BY:

THURSDAY, JANUARY 26, 2017 | 5:00 - 8:30 P.M. | LEXINGTON CENTER’S BLUEGRASS BALLROOM

KEMI Presents Commerce Lexington Inc. Annual Dinner on January 26th

®

Commerce Lexington Inc.’s 2017 Annual Dinnerentitled “HERE’S OUR PROOF” presented byKentucky Employers’ Mutual Insurance will be heldon Thursday, January 26, at Lexington Center’sBluegrass Ballroom. The pre-dinner reception isscheduled from 5:00-6:30 p.m., while dinner andthe program will run from 6:30-8:30 p.m.

Join us for great networking, good food, anda little business, as we take a look back at 2016and highlight the organization’s focus for 2017.We’ll also present several awards, including theAmbassador of the Year, Volunteer of the Year,Public Policy Advocate of the Year, and our

Distinguished Leader Awards from ourLeadership Lexington youth and adult programs.

TO REGISTER:The cost to attend the 2017 Commerce LexingtonInc. Annual Dinner is $95 per person, or $950 pertable of ten. To register, visit on-line atwww.CommerceLexington.com.


EVENTS

PLATINUM SPONSORS

Community Trust BankKeeneland Association, Inc.Kentucky Utilities Co.PNC Bank

EVENT DESIGN SPONSOR: KentuckyOne Health - Saint Joseph Hospital,Saint Joseph East

RECEPTION SPONSOR: Bingham Greenebaum Doll LLP

VIDEO SPONSOR: Toyota Motor Manufacturing, Kentucky, Inc.

GOLD SPONSORS: Central Bank & Trust Co. |Dickinson Wright, PLLC | Ingersoll Rand |Integrity IT | Kentucky American Water | LexmarkInternational | Stites & Harbison, PLLC |University of Kentucky

SILVER SPONSORS: Congleton-Hacker Co. |Kentucky Community & Technical College System| Valvoline | WesBanco

BRONZE SPONSORS: Blue Grass Airport | Fifth ThirdBank | GRW, Inc. | Hilliard Lyons & Hilliard LyonsTrust Company | Hurst Business Supply &Furniture Solutions | Lexington Clinic | MCM CPA’s& Advisors | Powell Walton Milward - a division of J.Smith Lanier Co. | Republic Bank & Trust Co. | R.J.Corman Railroad Group | Rose Grasch CamenischMains PLLC

ENTERTAINMENT SPONSOR: Cumberland ValleyNational Bank & Trust

AWARD SPONSORS: Columbia Gas of Kentucky |Frost Brown Todd LLC | Hanna Resource Group |Manpower of Central Kentucky | Stoll KeenonOgden PLLC

INVITATION & PROGRAM DESIGN SPONSOR:Lynn Imaging/Monster Color

INVITATION & PROGRAM PRINT SPONSOR: PrintLEX

Photo Courtesy of Meet Minneapolis.

June 7 - 9, 2017


EVENTS

PRESENTED BY:

PLATINUM SPONSORS:Baptist Health LexingtonCentral Bank & Trust Co.Kentucky Community & Technical College System

Kentucky Utilities CompanyMCM CPA's & AdvisorsStites & Harbison, PLLCWesBancoWindstream Communications

OPENING NIGHT RECEPTION SPONSOR:Kentucky One Health, Saint JosephHospital & Saint Joseph East

GOLD SPONSOR:KLH Engineers, PSC

BRIEFING BOOK SPONSOR:J.J.B. Hilliard, W. L. Lyons, LLC

NAMETAG SPONSOR:Wyatt, Tarrant & Combs, LLP

Register Now for Leadership Visit to MinneapolisCommerce Lexington Inc. is pleased to

announce that the 2017 Leadership Visit presentedby the McBrayer Law Firm, will take us toMinneapolis, Minnesota, June 7-9, 2017. As the16th-largest metro area in the United States, theMinneapolis region includes 11 counties and isanchored by three thriving urban centers –Minneapolis, Saint Paul and Bloomington – knowncollectively as the Twin Cities. The region is one ofthe most economically diverse and culturally vitalin the country. It is home to more than 3 millionpeople, 19 Fortune 500 companies, and thousandsof pristine lakes. Its reputation for innovation islegendary, and its workforce is one of the best edu-cated in the country.

Like Lexington, Minneapolis ranks very highnationally in percentage of its population with abachelor’s degree or higher. Its labor force hasgrown by nearly 2.0% over the last five years(almost twice the national average) and is expectedto keep growing by 5.6% until 2030. The unem-ployment rate is historically among the lowest inthe nation.

Minneapolis has been recognized as a topknowledge-based, globalized, entrepreneurial,information technology-driven and innovation-based economy. The region has been rankedamong the top areas for business, young profes-sionals, working mothers, bicyclists, and healthand fitness, where the American Fitness Indexshowed Minneapolis is leading the way with a vari-ety of indicators like access to parks, walking pathsand farmers’ markets.

With one of the highest concentrations of cor-porate headquarters in a major metro area, alongwith its research institutions, the Twin Cities areahas a cosmopolitan spirit, vibrant internationalcommunity, and a broad range of cultural institu-tions. The region is home to 11,600 foreign stu-dents, and the University of Minnesota-Twin Citiesis the most popular destination. Recent U.S.Census data showed that more than 1.2 millionresidents in the Greater Minneapolis area are froma different state or country.

Commerce Lexington Inc. Board Chair-Elect,Carla Blanton, said, “This is an exciting opportunityto learn how Minneapolis/St. Paul has harnessedand leveraged the power of innovation and educa-tion to create economic opportunity and an out-standing quality of life.”

Commerce Lexington Inc.’s annual LeadershipVisit is thought to be the largest intercity visit of itskind nationally among chambers of commerce andeconomic development agencies. You won’t wantto miss this premier networking and community-building trip June 7-9, 2017. Specific study areasfor next year’s trip will be outlined soon.

TO REGISTER:Registration is now available for the 2017 LeadershipVisit to Minneapolis, Minnesota, on-line atwww.commercelexington.com/leadership-visit.html.For questions, contact Katie Hardwick at [email protected].

CONNECT


Commerce Lexington Inc. recognizes that business owners and businessprofessionals live busy lives. That’s why we have so many different waysto keep connected to the events, programs, and services that help yousucceed. Social media is an effective way to promote your company ororganization and engage your customers. Here are some of the placesyou can keep up with Commerce Lexington Inc. on social media.

Commerce Lexington Inc. members are permitted to post items abouttheir business to our social media channels. Review the list on this pageto see where you would like to connect. If you missed an event, such asour Public Policy Luncheons, Good Morning Bluegrass series events, ora number of other events, you can review most on our YouTube channelat www.youtube.com/commlexingtonky.

For the 14th consecutive year, volunteers in Commerce LexingtonInc.’s annual total resource development program called The Winner’sCircle surpassed its fundraising production goal. Board members, volun-teers, past Winner’s Circle Chairs, and CLX staff celebrated their successwith a Victory Luncheon hosted by the Griffin Gate Marriott Resort &Spa.

The Winner’s Circle program enlists the help of around 90 volunteersfrom throughout the community, who seek to bring in new members,renewals and membership upgrades, while informing existing membersof services and marketing opportunities available through CommerceLexington Inc. This year’s goal of $900,000 was the highest in the historyof the program, and at press time, volunteers had raised $908,144.

During the Victory Luncheon, 2016 Winner’s Circle Chair LutherDeaton (Central Bank & Trust) praised the volunteers and thanked theCEO’s and senior officials of the corporate teams, who graciously allowtheir employees to participate in the program. Top individual producersas of the Victory event included Abby Vaughn, Teresa Haggard (KentuckyAmerican Water/Windstream Communications team), and CherylEadens (Ambassadors team).

Top producing teams at press time were Kentucky AmericanWater/Windstream Communications, Central Bank & Trust, and theUniversity of Kentucky. Watch for a more detailed recap in the Februaryissue of Business Focus magazine.

Stay Connected & Interact: Commerce Lexington Inc. Social Media Guide

www.instagram.com/CommerceLex

www.facebook.com/groups/CommerceLexingtonwww.facebook.com/LocateInLexwww.facebook.com/clmbd

Commerce Lexington Inc. has more than 2,500 members on itsFacebook group page. You can also follow www.facebook.com/

LocateInLex for news on expansions and relocations, as well as ourMinority Business Development division.

www.twitter.com/CommerceLexwww.twitter.com/LocateInLex

Join the more than 10,000 people who follow Commerce Lexington Inc. on Twitter for the latest news as it happens.

www.youtube.com/commlexingtonkyThere are over 250 video clips and full events posted

on our YouTube channel. There are also plenty of video clips promoting Lexington and our region, which you

can post or embed on your own web site.

www.linkedin.com/company/commerce-lexingtonwww.linkedin.com/groups/Commerce-Lexington-Inc-3937103If you’re on LinkedIn, you can join the 1,100-plus people in ourLinkedIn group and post your own business-related items.

www.commercelexington.com/clx-bloghttp://news.locateinlexington.com

Stay up-to-date on Commerce Lexington Inc. news, policy deci-sions, and legislative activity on our Blog, and learn more aboutLexington’s demographics and other key economic statistics from

our research director on the LocateInLexington.com Blog.

Winner’s Circle Volunteers Surpass Production Goal for 14th Straight Year

Winner’s Circle top producers for 2016.


CONNECT

GOLD SPONSOR:

Keeneland

DAY SPONSOR:

Kentucky EmployeesCredit Union

BREAKFAST SPONSOR:

Kentucky Chamberof Commerce

SILVER SPONSORS:

Ale-8-OneKentucky Bank

Leadership Central Kentucky Talks Politics in Frankfort, Franklin County

Excerpts of Article by Alexis Witherspoon,Keeneland Association, Inc.

The November session of Leadership CentralKentucky (LCK) was themed “Government andPublic Policy Day.” The class visited Franklin Countyand the Commonwealth’s state capital, Frankfort.Our morning began with a visit to the KentuckyChamber of Commerce, where we learned its mis-sion is to represent its 62,000 business membersand advocate for state policies that directly impactthem. In 2015, the Chamber developed four pillarsof prosperity: a healthy, skilled workforce, sustain-able state government, 21st century infrastructure,and aggressive job creation.

Next, LCK visited the Kentucky League of Cities(KLC), a 64-member board in an eight-area region.It represents 390 of the 419 cities in theCommonwealth of Kentucky. The purpose of KLC isto review policy and legislation that impact cities.While visiting KLC, the class also spoke to Mayor

Brian Traugott of Versailles (Woodford County).After lunch at the trendy Bourbon on Main, we

visited the Kentucky State Capitol. LCK class mem-bers toured the building, including both the Houseand Senate chambers as well as the KentuckySupreme Court. We were greeted by several mem-bers of the current Kentucky legislature includingHouse Reps. Michael Meredith and Derrick Grahamand Senate Majority Whip Jimmy Higdon. LCK alsoheard from Deputy Attorney General J. MichaelBrown from the Kentucky Attorney General’s office.

Lastly, we took a tour of Buffalo Trace, the oldestcontinuously operating distillery in the U.S. Ourtour guide, Freddie Johnson, was a third-generationemployee whose family has worked alongside theowners since the mid-20th Century.

Read This Full Recap atwww.LeadershipCentralKentucky.com

2016-17 CLASS PRESENTED BY:

PLATINUM SPONSOR:

Commerce Lexington’s Mobile App Keeps You Connected On The GoMobile technology is here to stay, and Commerce

Lexington Inc. (CLX) has embraced this method ofcommunication not only to add visibility for its mem-bers, but to also provide an easy way to keep up withcurrent CLX events, community events, local news,programs, and your favorite businesses while you'reon the go! Commerce Lexington Inc.’s CLX2Gomobile app is available FREE for download in theiTunes App Store and Google Play.

EVERY COMMERCE LEXINGTON MEMBER hastheir own basic listing as a benefit of membership,which includes a "click to call" and "click to map" link.Mobile users now have one-touch access to your busi-ness contact information and location. As a memberof Commerce Lexington, you can now attract morecustomers by offering mobile coupons, "near me"deals, and special offers to both CLX members andanyone in the Greater Lexington area who downloadsthis free mobile app.

DOWNLOAD THE FREE APP:- Go to the App Store or Google Play- Text lexington CLX2Go to 80802, OR - Scan this QR code with your mobile device.

PLATINUM SPONSOR:

Another large part of our community’s success depends on how weleverage the tremendous assets of the University of Kentucky, which isnot only a huge economic engine within our region, but also a key eco-nomic development tool as we recruit and retain business and industryhere. Commerce Lexington works very closely with UK and the City ofLexington during the economic development process, but we shouldcontinue to explore ways that we can collaborate with UK that will ben-efit our community. All of our higher education institutions are impor-tant to our economic development efforts, since they are major contrib-utors to Lexington consistently being among the most educated cities inthe nation.

Finally, we will continue to build on theCourageous Conversations concept begun

through Chairman Alan Stein’s leadership during our visit to Charleston,South Carolina, last June. These smaller group discussions, includingrepresentatives from various ethnic and faith-based organizations, aswell as the Lexington Police Department, will soon be expanded to thebroader community. The more people from different backgrounds cancome together and learn from one another, the stronger our communitywill become for future generations.

I am honored to serve as your Board Chair this year, and I look for-ward to working with you in efforts to make Lexington and CentralKentucky the best they can be.”


CONNECT

BOARD CHAIR’S MESSAGE Continued from Page 3

2017 Economic OutlookConference is Feb. 7thCo-presented by Commerce Lexington Inc., TheLane Report, the Center for Business andEconomic Research, and The Don & Cathy JacobsExecutive Education Center, along with PartnerSponsor Lexington-Bluegrass Association ofRealtors (LBAR), the 28th annual EconomicOutlook Conference will be held on Tuesday,February 7, from 8:00 a.m. to noon in LexingtonCenter’s Bluegrass Ballroom. During this event,leading experts will address key issues, includingthe outlook for the local, state and national econo-my, the financial markets and current topics ofinterest.

PRESENTATIONS BY:“National Economic Outlook and Monetary•Policy,” Dr. Mark E. Schweitzer, Senior VicePresident of External Outreach and RegionalAnalytics, Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland.“Economic Outlook for 2017: National and•Local Relationships,” Dr. Christopher R.Bollinger, Director of the Center for Businessand Economics Research, UK Gatton Collegeof Business and Economics.“Effects of Oil Price Shocks on Kentucky,” Dr.•Ana María Herrera, Professor, Department ofEconomics, UK Gatton College of Businessand Economics.“Kentucky Health: Moving the Needle,” Mr.•Ben Chandler, Foundation for a HealthyKentucky.

TO REGISTER:To register for the Economic Outlook Conference,visit http://gatton.uky.edu/economic-outlook, orfor more information, call (859) 257-8746.

2016-17 CLASS PRESENTED BY:

BRONZE SPONSORS:

PLATINUM SPONSOR:

Lexington ClinicMahan Multimedia

Toyota Motor Manufacturing,Kentucky, Inc.U.S. Bank


CONNECT

Read This Full Recap atwww.LeadershipLexington.com

Leadership Lexington Class Learns About Local Educational SystemExcerpts of Article by Laura McDonald,SteinGroup / Impressions Marketing & Events

From the time the first bell rang until our dis-missal at the end of the day, our recent LeadershipLexington Education Day proved to be, well, educa-tional. Having been through the education system aswe grew, many of us felt we had a good understand-ing of Fayette County Public Schools. But, thanks tothe men and women who shared their passion andvision for the future of early childhood, elementary,middle and high school education, each of us walkedaway with a deeper understanding of the care andconsideration used to provide meaningful learningexperiences for children in our community.

Our day began at Locust Trace, a school providinghands-on learning opportunities to FCPS high schoolstudents. Superintendent Manny Caulk (pictured atright) shared details about students in FCPS. Withover 80 languages spoken across the district and 3out of 100 students identifying as homeless, the chal-lenges managed in the classroom at each school gobeyond reading levels and math problems.

Next, our class participated in roundtable discus-sions with community leaders and educators whofocus on specific areas, such as special education,career and technical education, assessments andmore. One of the most interesting tables was led byBetsy Dexter, the Executive Director of the Business& Education Network (BEN). She discussed a newpartnership with the Ford Motor Company on an ini-tiative called Ford Next Generation Learning.

After lunch, the conversation shifted to higher

education, with a panel featuring the presidents ofTransylvania University (Dr. Seamus Carey) andBluegrass Community & Technical College (Dr.Augusta Julian), as well as a representative from theUniversity of Kentucky (Bill Swinford).

Our last speaker of the day, Dr. Rodney Andrews,shared his research experience at the UK Center forApplied Energy Research. While we live in a worldwhere we want to succeed in all we do, the admissionof how failure has led to exceptional results in thelong run was a poignant ending note for our class.

The biggest takeaway from this day of learning forour entire class, and one that also relates to everyonein our community, is that we can all make an impactin the classrooms around Lexington. The responsibil-ity isn’t relegated to those with children in theschools, colleges and universities, but is a sharedresponsibility for our business community.

Excerpts of Article by Eliana Shapere, TatesCreek High School

The Leadership Lexington Youth Program’s Artsand Media Day began at Commerce Lexington witha Junior Achievement activity to prepare us for jobinterviews. We then travelled to WKYT-TV to hearfrom news anchors Barbara Bailey and Bill Bryant.We also visited the newsroom for a real-time news-cast from the duo, and got to see them in action.

Then, we took the bus to Latitude, an artist com-munity for “those thought by some to have a disabil-ity.” We got to interact with the artists, which was aneye-opening and heartwarming experience.We had lunch at the Lexington Children’s Theatre,

followed by three sessions with different Lexingtonarts professionals. My group started out with a cold-reading activity led by Jeremy Kisling, the associateartistic director-in-charge of education at theChildren’s Theatre. Next, we enjoyed a wonderfulsession with the Bluegrass Youth Ballet, trying outsome ballet exercises led by Adalhi Aranda Corn. Wealso learned about fashion design from SoreydaBenedit-Begley. The head of the Lexington FashionCollective, she “is an advocate for fair trade,women’s rights, and sustainable development.”

We took a trip through downtown to the UKOpera Theater for an inspiring speech by EverettMcCorvey, an accomplished tenor, professor, anddirector. He stressed the importance of doing whatwe love no matter what.

We ended the day back at Commerce Lexingtonwith Kurt Gohde and Kremena Todorova, both pro-fessors and arts activists. They founded the graffitiproject, “Unlearn Fear + Hate,” which spreads amessage that all humans are intrinsically lovingbeings. With that, our day of Arts and Media ended,but I know we will all continue to enjoy the greatartistic opportunities of Lexington.

Leadership Lexington Youth Class Members Explore Local Arts & Media2016-17 CLASS PRESENTED BY:

BRONZE SPONSORS:

PLATINUM SPONSOR:

Central Bank & Trust Co.Sayre School

Toyota Motor Manufacturing,Kentucky, Inc.

CONNECT


Read More About Our Ambassadors at www.CommerceLexington.com > Connect > Volunteer Opportunities

Finalists Announced for Commerce Lexington Ambassador of the Year Award

2017 Commerce Lexington Inc. Ambassador Committee Members

EDITOR’S NOTE: The Ambassador of the Year Award winner is announced at the 2017 Commerce Lexington Inc. Annual Dinner pre-sented by Kentucky Employers’ Mutual Insurance on Thursday, January 26th. See page 27 of this issue for registration information.

These volunteers represent Commerce Lexington Inc. by helping to educate its members on membership benefits, and to serve as a liaison betweenthe organization and its members. Ambassadors also represent the organization at community and key Commerce Lexington events.

Marissa BradleyUnited AdWorksA native of Ashland,Marissa moved toLexington after collegefor her first job with alocal radio company asan account executive.She fell in love with thisbig, small town and hasbeen here for 11 years.Marissa is a marketingconsultant and partner ofUnited AdWorks, Lexington's only locally-owned out-of-home (OOH) advertising com-pany. United AdWorks' ads engage consumerswhen they are least distracted at frequently vis-ited locations such as restrooms, elevators, orfoyers of restaurants, night clubs, sports bars,civic arenas, and family outing destinations.Marissa said, “It has been an honor to serve asa CLX Ambassador in 2016." Connecting withcurrent member businesses increased her pro-fessional network and allowed her to cultivatemany new, meaningful friendships. She loveseducating prospective and existing membersalike on all the benefits and opportunities CLXoffers. Contact Marissa Bradley at (859) 457-6278 [email protected].

Bill MarshallBluegrass Sotheby’sInternational RealtyBluegrass Sotheby’sInternational Realty hasbeen helping Japanesecompanies and individu-als with their relocation,purchase and leaseneeds for many years.“We have completetranslation capabilities,and understand what Japanese employers andemployees are looking for when it comes tolodging.” Please contact Bill Marshall at (859)230-3086 or [email protected] for moreinformation.

JAPANESE TRANSLATION:ブルーグラス・サザビー　インターナショナル・リアルティーでは長年に渡り日系の企業・個人向けに引っ越し・住宅購入/リースのお手伝いをしております。弊社では言葉の問題も無く、お住まいをお探しの日本からの雇用者・従業員の皆様のご要望も認識しています。更に詳しい情報はビル・マーシャルまでご連絡下さい。電話： 859-230-3086 電子メール： [email protected]

Todd SalleeKentucky Employers’Mutual InsuranceA Lexington native, ToddSallee joined KentuckyEmployers’ MutualInsurance in 2010 afterspending nearly 17 yearsin the banking industry.As the BusinessDevelopment andCommunity RelationsManager, Todd’s main responsibility is com-munity development, networking and estab-lishing strong relationships with agents andpolicyholders. He also oversees KEMI's contin-uing education class offerings. “Serving as anAmbassador is truly an honor,” said Sallee. “Itis very satisfying to know that we are put infront of key businesses across CentralKentucky to make sure they are getting themost out of Commerce Lexington and utilizingall of the many resources that they have tooffer.” Contact Todd Sallee at (859) 389-1167or [email protected].

MARISSABRADLEY

BILLMARSHALL

TODDSALLEE

Laura AdamsSchrader Commercial Properties

Melanie BarberUK Career Center

Shawn BladesBB&T

Keeana Sajadi BoarmanFrost Brown Todd LLC

Marissa BradleyUnited Adworks

John BrandonRaymond James

Christina BriggsUK HealthCare

Angie DennisLexington Rescue Mission

Cheryl EadensBluegrass Office Systems

Dwayne EdwardsIntegrity IT

Shelley FehrenbachU.S. Bank

Laura HenryEnergy Insurance Agency

Lara JusticeTownePlace Suites Lexington

Monica KingLynn Imaging/Monster Color

Nick LandersRevLocal

Bill MarshallBluegrass Sotheby's InternationalRealty

James McGaryMass Mutual Financial Group

Crystal NewtonBates Security

Todd SalleeKEMI

Jacob SizemoreSizemore Strategic Solutions

Adrianne StrongDinsmore & Shohl LLP

Peyton TierneyNorthwestern Mutual

Callie TincherJunior Achievement of theBluegrass

Mark TranbargerRepublic Bank

Melanie WhiteManpower of Central Kentucky

Mark WiemerWesBanco

T RUS TE E I N V ES TOR

TRU ST EE I NV E STOR

Comprehensive Pain SpecialistsPhysicians & Surgeons, Pain ControlAmy Coontz, Clinic Manager2443 Sir Barton Way, Suite 275Lexington, KY 40509Phone: (859) 523-1776www.cpspain.com

Counter Culture PlusCountertop FabricatorG.J. Gerard, Designer & Builder Sales944 National AvenueLexington, KY 40502Phone: (859) 246-0007www.countercultureplus.com

CycleYou LexingtonFitness CentersNoelle Dick, Owner165 Midland AvenueLexington, KY 40508Phone: (859) 455-3384www.cycleyoulexington.com

Family Savings MagazinePublishers-MagazinesBecky Wimsatt, Owner121 Prosperous Place, Suite 5ALexington, KY 40509Phone: (859) 263-5704www.familysavingsmagazine.com

Four Points by SheratonHotels/MotelsDawn Henson, General Manager1938 Stanton WayLexington, KY 40511Phone: (859) 259-1311www.fourpoints.com/lexington

Hair By KimberlyHair RestorationKimberly Sporing, Owner/Stylist2000 Family CircleLexington, KY 40505Phone: (859) 363-5467www.hairreplacementky.com

J & H Lanmark Inc.RetailersGeorge R. Lathram II, President189 Moore DriveLexington, KY 40503Phone: (859) 278-0730www.jhoutdoors.com

KLH Engineers, PSCEngineersRobert Lonnemann, PE, Principal333 East Main Street, Suite 175Lexington, KY 40507Phone: (859) 410-2575www.klhengrs.com

Le DeauvilleRestaurantsMark Puil199 N. LimestoneLexington, KY 40507Phone: (859) 246-0999www.ledeauvillebistro.com

Mirror Twin BrewingBreweryRyan Reed, Co-Owner725 National AvenueLexington, KY 40502Phone: (859) 447-8146www.mirrortwinbrewing.com

Park Community Credit UnionCredit UnionsLauren Tanner, Branch Manager2217 War Admiral WayLexington, KY 40509Phone: (800) 626-2870Web: www.parkcommunity.com

Red Wing ShoesShoesSpencer Poynter, Manager1869 Plaudit Place, Suite 130Lexington, KY 40509Phone: (859) 263-0352www.redwingshoes.com

Rock House BrewingBreweryBilly Hacker119 Luigart CourtLexington, KY 40508Phone: (859) 368-7064www.rockhousebrewing.com

Taylor’ed HRHuman Resource ServicesValenda Taylor, OwnerP.O. Box 1037Georgetown, KY 40324Phone: (859) 494-3210www.tayloredhr.com

The Gene Duffy FoundationRehabilitation ServicesMichael Duffy, Chairman of the Board3591 Paris PikeLexington, KY 40511Phone: (859) 566-6708www.duffyfoundation.org

Thoroughbred Insurance ServicesInsuranceRyan Shive698 Perimeter Drive #103Lexington, KY 40517Phone: (859) 214-6051www.thoroughbredinsured.com

Zaxby’sRestaurantsGinger Redwine, Field MarketingCoordinator1115 South BroadwayLexington, KY 40504Phone: (859) 523-8543www.zaxbys.com/locations/ky/lexington/1115-s-broadway

Welcome New Commerce Lexington Inc. members for the period of November 18 through December 16, 2016


NEW MEMBERS

LIVE MUSIC ON FRIDAY NIGHTS

Sayre Christian Village welcomed Dana Gravitt ashealthcare administrator. She has worked in thelong-term care industry for 30 years and has been alicensed administrator for 26 years.

Benchmark Litigation honored five Lexington Stites &Harbison attorneys as Litigation Stars, includingDaniel Danford, Anne Gorham, William Gorton III,Gregory Parsons, and Ashley Ward. Additionally, the2017 edition of Kentucky Super Lawyers recognizedarea attorneys Robert M. Beck, Jr., W. Blaine Early III,Anne Gorham, J. Clarke Keller, Gregory P. Parsons,Cassidy R. Rosenthal, Mark R. Overstreet and AshleyWard as Super Lawyers, and Kristen K. Orr, Walter S.Robertson, and Rebecca M. Wichard as Rising Stars.

At the Defense Research Institute’s Annual Meetingin Boston, Sturgill, Turner, Barker & Moloney, PLLCattorney Stephanie M. Wurdock was awarded the2016 Outstanding Committee Vice Chair in recogni-tion for her work on the Young Lawyers SteeringCommittee. Additionally, Sturgill, Turner, Barker &Moloney, PLLC has expanded its Utility & Energy LawPractice Group through the addition of formerKentucky Public Service Commission Chairman,James W. Gardner.

TrinSoft welcomed Daylynn Allison to its MicrosoftDynamics team. Daylynn is a Microsoft DynamicsDeveloper who implements and tests solutions forthe customization and improvement of the baseDynamics NAV system.

University of Kentucky Gatton College of Businessand Economics announced the appointment ofNathaniel R. Morris, founder, chairman and CEO ofRubicon Global, to the role of Gatton College ofBusiness and Economics Entrepreneur-in-Residence. In this new role, Morris will offer guestlectures at the college, serve as a mentor for the UKVenture Studio and for UK teams in business plancompetitions, and spend time engaging with stu-dents, faculty and community members.

Wyatt, Tarrant & Combs, LLP announced that the fol-lowing Lexington attorneys have been named to thelist of Kentucky Super Lawyers or Kentucky Rising Starsfor 2017. Super Lawyers included: Robert J. Brown, J.Mark Burton, Debra H. Dawahare, Mary L.Fullington, Sharon L. Gold, Karen J. Greenwell, KevinL. Johns, Douglas L. McSwain, George J. Miller,Walter R. Morris, Jr., Leila G. O’Carra, W. CraigRobertson, III, Daniel I. Waxman, and Jeff A. Woods.Rising Stars included: Allison Grogan Buckley,Michael D. Hornback, Justin W. Ross, CourtneySamford, Daniel C. Soldato, and G. Brian Wells.

SUBMIT PERSONNEL NEWS:Submit your company’s awards, personnel changes,additions, or promotions for Business Focus [email protected]. Information ispublished in the order received & as space permits.

Bank of the Bluegrass & Trust Co.: Paula Scott hasbeen promoted to vice president, while LauraMartin was promoted to assistant vice president.

Bates Security recently received an award for LifeSafety, Community Service and Circle of Excellenceat Honeywell Security Group’s national conference,while Lisa Young was named Residential SalesPerson of the Year by Honeywell.

Bingham Greenebaum Doll LLP has been named tothe 2017 “Best Law Firms” list by U.S. News – BestLawyers. The firm received Tier 1 recognition inthree metropolitan areas, including Indianapolis,Louisville and Lexington. Top tier rankings weredetermined through feedback from clients andpeers, as well as information provided in a survey.

Thirty-one Bingham Greenebaum Doll LLP attor-neys were named to the 2017 Kentucky SuperLawyers list, including Lexington attorneys WendyBryan Becker, Anne A. Chesnut, Bruce E. Cryder,and Phillip D. Scott. Additionally, 13 of the firm’sattorneys were named to the 2017 Kentucky RisingStars list, including four from the Lexington office –Jason T. Ams, Brian W. Chellgren, Timothy W.Dunn, and Lauren R. Nichols.

Data Strategy was named Partner of the Year byCisco for Data Center Architectural Excellence in theAmericas Central Region. This prestigious awardrecognizes Data Strategy’s continued businessgrowth and engineering coverage across a broadspectrum of Cisco datacenter technologies.

Stefan Hendrickson joined Dean Dorton Allen FordPLLC’s Tax Services group in Lexington as an asso-ciate director of tax services.

Dinsmore & Shohl announced that 58 of its attor-neys have been named to the Kentucky SuperLawyers list and the Rising Stars list for 2017.Lexington and Frankfort attorneys recognized asKentucky Super Lawyers included Glen S. Bagby,Mindy G. Barfield, Carolyn M. Brown, ChristopherR. Cashen, Lloyd R. Cress, Jr., Chauncey S.R. Curtz,Brady W. Dunnigan, Barbara B. Edelman, EllenArvin Kennedy, Grahmn N. Morgan, John R.Rhorer, Jr., John M. Spires, Kara M. Stewart,Catherine A. Stivers, Joseph H. Terry, David J.Treacy, Sadhna G. True, and Linsey W. West. Areaattorneys recognized as Rising Stars includedAnthony F. Bonner, Jr., Kristeena L. Johnson, R. ClayLarkin, Amanda McFarland Lockaby, Sarah S.Mattingly, Haley Trogdlen McCauley, Kyle M.Melloan, Drew B. Millar, Lee A. Rosenthal, andAdrianne C. Strong.

Guide Realty recently welcomed the followingagents: Dana Branham, Rebecca Mabson, LoriDraper and Nicole Seals.

Hilliard Lyons announced the recent hiring of twoprofessionals who will deepen and broaden thefinancial services that the firm already offers. Jack

Cunningham will launch the local office of HilliardLyons Trust Company, and Jenny Foley will providecomprehensive wealth planning services.

Keller Williams Bluegrass Realty welcomed the fol-lowing new agents: Karen Olive, Daniel Schellsmidt,David Snider, Matt Conlee, Dan Elkinson, TraciMitchell, Tyler Singleton, Jeana Taylor, BrandyWarner, Chelsea Moore, and Laura Smith.

Keller Williams Greater Lexingtonwelcomed severalnew agents, including Kyle Terry, Richard Lovaas,Mike Barnes, Brad Calvert, Charity Strunk, ShannonDenniston, Taylor Stamper, and Katherine Thomas.

The Kentucky Distiller’s Association enhanced itsleadership in alcohol responsibility and environ-mental sustainability by naming Ali Edelstein thegroup’s first-ever director of social responsibility.

The Lexington Legends added the following staffmembers as preparations continue for the 2017season: Sarah Bosso as vice president of businessdevelopment; Greg Liebbe as senior corporate salesexecutive; Leslie Taylor, CPA, as accounting andbusiness operations manager; and Jillian Waitkus,executive assistant to the president/CEO.

Lexington Clinic announced the arrival of Dr.Andrew Usery at Jessamine Medical andDiagnostics Center. Dr. Usery has unique trainingin both internal medicine and pediatrics whichallows him to care for patients of all ages.

Lockaby PLLC announced that its founder and man-aging partner, Matt Lockaby, has again been nameda Kentucky Super Lawyers Rising Star, an awardreserved for the top 2.5% of Kentucky attorneysunder the age of 40. Mr. Lockaby has been namedto the list each year since 2013.

The McBrayer law firm congratulated the firm’sattorneys who have received Best Lawyers in Americaand Kentucky Super Lawyers distinctions for 2017.Best Lawyers in America recognized 19 McBrayerattorneys, including Emily H. Cowles, David J.Guarnieri, Cecil F. Dunn, Cynthia L. Effinger, JarodP. Blandford, Lisa English Hinkle, Christopher J.Shaughnessy, James H. Frazier III, Jon A. Woodall,Robert E. Maclin III, Robert T. Watson, Douglas T.Logsdon, Stephen G. Amato, D. Luke Morgan,Mary Estes Haggin, Jack A. Wheat, W. Brent Rice,Terri R. Stallard, and W. Terry McBrayer. McBrayerattorneys on the Super Lawyers list for 2017 includ-ed Stephen G. Amato, Emily H. Cowles, James H.Frazier III, Robert E. Maclin III, and Jack A. Wheat.Additionally, McBrayer attorneys BrittanyMacGregor Roethemeier, Ross T. Ewing, andMasten Childers III received the 2017 Rising Starsdistinction.

Midway University announced the hiring of LindaMedley as vice president of advancement and BenShaffar as athletic development officer.


PERSONNEL ANNOUNCEMENTS

COMMERCE LEXINGTON INC. UPCOMING EVENTS

Commerce Lexington Inc.330 East Main Street, Suite 100P.O. Box 1968Lexington, KY 40588-1968

PeriodicalPostage PAIDat Lexington,Kentucky

JANUARY 2017:Leadership Lexington Youth program presented by UKHealthCare: Economic Development Day Session.

@330 Series presented by Manpower of Central Kentucky,3:30 - 5 p.m., CLX 1st floor conference room. - SEE PAGE 8

Leadership Lexington program presented by KentuckyUtilities Co.: Health & Human Services Day Session.

Leadership Central Kentucky presented by Kentucky UtilitiesCo. at Fayette County.

Commerce Lexington Inc. Annual Dinner presented byKentucky Employers’ Mutual Insurance, 5:00 - 8:30 p.m.,Lexington Center’s Bluegrass Ballroom. - SEE PAGE 27

FEBRUARY 2017:Leadership Lexington Youth program presented by UKHealthCare: Health & Human Services Day Session.

28th Annual Economic Outlook Conference, 8:00 a.m. - Noon,at Lexington Center’s Bluegrass Ballroom. - SEE PAGE 31

Leadership Lexington program presented by KentuckyUtilities Co.: Government Day Session.

@330 Series presented by Manpower of Central Kentucky,3:30 - 5 p.m., CLX 1st floor conference room.

Leadership Central Kentucky presented by Kentucky UtilitiesCo. at Madison County.

Business Link sponsored and hosted by Blue Grass Airport(4000 Terminal Drive), 4:30 - 6:30 p.m. - SEE PAGE 9

Opportunity Exchange, 4:00 - 6:00 p.m., location yet to bedetermined. - SEE PAGE 6

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