Developing high quality jobs in our region, particularly in high-growth sectors like manufacturing, is important if we’re going to remain competitive. And when a local government takes positive steps to help a local business expand both its facility and its workforce, that’s good news for our region!

The Clark County Council recently approved a proposal expanding the county’s existing Economic Revitalization Area (ERA) to include S & M Precast’s property, making the company’s expansion project eligible to receive a phase-in of its newly generated property taxes over time. This action will lead to the addition of 22 new Hoosier jobs and over $2.5 million in new capital investment in Clark County.

“We are very pleased S & M Precast is expanding its business in Henryville,” said Jody Wassmer, One Southern Indiana’s president and CEO. “This expansion is not only a win for Henryville but proof of Southern Indiana’s desire to support and grow the businesses we already have. We applaud Clark County for providing support for this project and we celebrate with S & M Precast on their latest growth.”

“S & M Precast, Inc. was established in 1995. In 2000, we built the facility at our present location on Sima Gray Road in Henryville,” stated Becky Graf, president of S & M Precast, Inc. “In the beginning, S & M Precast produced septic tanks and distribution boxes. As the company grew, we began manufacturing sanitary manholes, catch basins, storm manholes, headwalls, electrical manholes, transformer pads, grease interceptors, cisterns, and specialty products. We have over 135 years of combined experience in the precast industry.”

S & M Precast currently employs 24 full-time employees in its 9,600 square foot manufacturing facility in Henryville. With the approved incentives, the project will add approximately 24,000 square feet of additional manufacturing space to the existing facility, giving the company the capability to manufacture larger and heavier products.

“We are proud to be a part of Clark County for the past 17 years and to have benefited from the high quality of workforce and invaluable support from Clark County and One Southern Indiana,” said Ray Graf, Vice President of S & M Precast, Inc. “Their assistance in working with us through our expansion evaluation process coupled with their willingness to accommodate our growth in this geographic area has been refreshing. By expanding the Economic Revitalization Area and allowing us to apply for a local tax abatement, Clark County is helping us make our expansion plans a reality for Henryville and to nearly double our current workforce.”

“S & M Precast’s expansion is a welcome addition to Clark County’s economic base,” said Clark County Councilman Brian Lenfert. “We’re pleased when we as government can play a role in not only retaining an existing business but expanding that business as well. S & M Precast is an important part of our commerce base and we’re confident we can help them make the decision to stay and grow here.”

Manufacturing is, and continues to be, one of the major economic drivers for our future – providing high-wage and high value-added jobs.  Taking the steps necessary to create a positive business environment can only lead to higher competitiveness for our region, and that’s good news for all of us.

Keep your eyes open for more stories like this one on kix.com. And if you know of another one you’d like us to talk about please let us know.

Motorists, tourists, and daily commuters all have one thing on their minds: safe travels. And while driving through our region may provide beautiful scenery and an abundance of local attractions to stop and visit along the way, parts of our road system, particularly some sections of Interstate 65—leave much to be desired.

The area of Kentucky just south of Elizabethtown, where I-65 merges into a four-lane expressway, can cause traffic nightmares – and more importantly, major safety concerns.

Hopefully, that’s about to change if Kentucky’s state highway plan is approved. This section of the highway’s only remaining four-lane stretch in Kentucky could receive a $136.6 million boost in funding, one that will pay to build 12 miles of new northbound and southbound lanes over the next two years.

According to an article in the Courier Journal, from 2003 to 2009, about 41 percent of all traffic deaths on I-65 in Kentucky occurred between Elizabethtown and the Cumberland Parkway. We’re definitely taking steps in the right direction by making one of our region’s major arteries safer and less congested.

In related news, if you’re not current with what’s happening with The Ohio River Bridges Project, The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet is seeking teams of contractors to design and build a new downtown Louisville bridge, a modernized downtown interchange, and improved I-65 connections to Southern Indiana. A pre-bid meeting is set for Thursday, March 1, with plans to award a contractor by October 2012. More to come on this topic later.

The leaders of our region are realizing that change is needed in order to increase mobility and enhance travel safety in our area.

If that’s not enough good news, repairs on the Sherman Minton Bridge, closed since early September, are nearly complete. In fact, the reopening of this extremely busy span could occur as much as one week earlier than scheduled.

For a place that takes pride in its transportation and logistics infrastructure, all of these positive stories mean that getting around our region will be easier, safer and more efficient than ever!

Stay tuned as KIX continues to follow and update you on these important events.

If you’ve been around our region for any length of time, you know about the creative, artistic people and wonderful cultural opportunities that help make the region well known. And when it comes to culinary arts, our region is becoming just as well known for its great places to eat.

In fact, Louisville has been listed as one of the “Best Foodie Getaways Around the World” by Zagat Survey LLC, which ranks leisure activities such as dining, travel, nightlife, shopping, golf, theater, movies, and music. The list specifically cites Proof on Main and The Brown Hotel’s English Grill as great places to dine, and the 21c Museum Hotel—which houses Proof on Main—as the hotel to stay at while visiting the region.

21c Museum Hotel was founded in 2006 by Laura Lee Brown and Steve Wilson, local philanthropists and art patrons who had a dream to improve the Louisville art scene—not to mention the hotel and restaurant scene! Today, 21c Museum Hotel, along with Proof on Main, is raved as a must-see, must-eat cultural and gastronomical experience. In fact, Conde Nast Traveler named 21c the top-scoring property in the country on their 2009 “Gold List.”

And if that’s not enough, Louisville is one of 10 cities in the running for Southern Living Magazine’s “The South’s Tastiest Town” contest. The winner will be announced on Southern Living’s website on March 20. Stand by!

Intrigued by the unique cultural opportunities and rich history that are unique to the region? Look for more posts on kix.com, or contribute one of your own. We’d love to hear from you.

No Cost Green Energy training is available right here in our region, at the Mid-America Science Park (MASP) located in Scottsburg, Indiana — just 30 miles north on I-65 from Louisville. This state-of-the-art training and research center opened in fall 2011. In addition to offering a variety of courses in a wide range of green energy methods and innovations, this facility also serves as a business development and conference center for businesses in both Indiana and North Central Kentucky.

Companies and self-employed individuals in the construction industry—builders, general contractors, engineering firms, architects, HVAC contractors, plumbers, electricians—are encouraged to check out the course offerings. This high quality Green Energy training could be the key ingredient that gives you a competitive edge that separates you from your competition.

This training is being made available at no cost to the participants through funding provided by a Federal Grant (SESP) and administered by the Region 10 Workforce Investment Board. The center has partnered with Ivy Tech Corporate College as the training provider to offer courses that will allow the participants to upgrade their Green Energy job skills and acquire valuable credentials related to the course subjects. These subjects include Solar Photovoltaics, Geothermal System Installer, and more.

The courses will be conducted from February – April 2012. All of these courses are available at no cost to employees and business owners alike, but they fill quickly, so register now. Registration is available online, by phone at 812-752-9521 ext. 1224, or by email at jwestmoreland@maspark.org.

The results are in, and many companies in our region have what it takes to make the Best Places to Work in Kentucky list. The Kentucky Society for Human Resource Management along with the Kentucky Chamber of Commerce have announced the winners in the Eighth Annual Best Places to Work in Kentucky competition.

This annual competition is divided into two categories—small/medium-sized employer (companies of 25 to 249 employees) and large-sized employer (companies of 250 or more employees). The companies are selected based on a judgement of employee policies and procedures and an employee survey. Competition is stiff and the winners are commended for providing a superior work environment.

Many of the employers that made the list go above and beyond when it comes to hiring practices, ensuring a strong and happy employee moral, and rewarding employees for a job well done.

One of the companies spotlighted in the Courier Journal offer flexible schedules for family purposes, but also reward perfect attendance. Another has recently created a new position called the “employee advocate,” who is responsible for promoting a happy and stress-free environment.

There will be an awards dinner on Thursday, April 19, 2012, at the Galt House Hotel in Louisville to formally announce the winner’s rankings in the competition. Be sure to check out the impressive list of winners—bet you’ll see some familiar company names.

Does great talent attract great employers, or do great employers attract great talent? OR, do great regions attract both? Maybe it’s a little of all three!

Congratulations to the winners!

A great example is Leitchfield’s newest retail establishment, Whoop-De-Doo Design. Located on the county seat’s historic square, it’s filled with home décor items, knick-knacks, and other treasures. But in our opinion, the greatest of these treasures is the owner, Jennifer Newton. This entrepreneurial mother of a 3-year-old was born and raised locally. And since the age of 14, she knew she wanted to own her own store and to help people decorate their homes. So when the 6,800 square foot, 100+ year-old building came on the market, she called her husband, told him about the opportunity, purchased and gutted the building, and turned a lifelong dream into a reality.

“I’m not a risk taker,” she said. “This is the riskiest thing I’ve ever done.”

On April Fools Day in 2011, Jennifer opened the doors, fully expecting to have to work a second job to pay the bills. Instead, business has been booming from day one. Jennifer says people were starved for something different and that’s what she provides, regularly offering new and unique merchandise for her customers.

So why Leitchfield?

For Jennifer, it was an easy choice. Leitchfield is where she was raised. It’s a town that feels comfortable, welcoming, and just plain home—a location that offers a quality of life that’s getting harder and harder to find in today’s fast-paced world. And after spending some time there, we couldn’t agree more. This is the kind of place where imaginations and individuals can thrive. Jennifer and her business are living proof of that!

So keep helping us shine a spotlight on our region. Send us stories of other people, organizations, or businesses we should feature. We’d love to pay you a visit. Oh, and if your travels take you to Leitchfield, we’d recommend you pay Jennifer a visit.

The KIX team recently caught up with our good friends in Grayson County, where lots of exciting things are happening. Most notably, some great news about increased access and opportunities for pursuing a college education close to home. While options existed in Elizabethtown, the up-to-35-mile drive made going there problematic for some Grayson County residents. Now, they can look forward to taking classes where they live and work.

While it may be a vacant field today, but the 13 acres just down the road from the county government will soon be a new satellite campus for Elizabethtown Community and Technical College (ECTC). ECTC’s president, Dr. Thelma White, expects construction on the new facility to begin as early as April.

Caryn Lewis, Grayson County Chamber Executive Director, credits forward-thinking ECTC and community leaders for working together to bring this regional dream to fruition. This group includes city and county government, Twin Lakes Regional Medical Center, the Leitchfield/Grayson County Industrial Development Corporation, the chamber, and many others committed to developing local talent, strengthening the workforce for local businesses, and helping to attract new business.

And Lewis reminded us that it’s not just Grayson County that will benefit, but prospective students from surrounding counties such as Meade, Breckenridge, Hart, and more.

We look forward to celebrating the grand opening of the new campus and the increased educational opportunities it will bring to local residents.

While beer and bourbon have been around for hundreds of years, companies in our region who make these adult beverages are innovating, generating new ideas for tourism, and preserving a proud history.

Two companies have been making news lately. The Jim Beam distillery in Clermont, Ky hopes to attract more than twice as many visitors in upcoming years. Plans are in the works to create an $18 million interactive visitors center.

Currently, the distillery hosts visitors with tours highlighting the history of the Jim Beam family, generations of quality whisking-making skills, and how it produces bourbon. They even include an opportunity to taste a couple types of bourbon at the end of the tour.

The Jim Beam distillery is known as the Western Gateway of the Kentucky Bourbon Trail. State and local officials are trying to raise funds to widen and beautify the roads and surrounding areas to entice more visitors to tour the Jim Beam distillery and others along the Kentucky Bourbon Trail. That would provide a tremendous boost to Kentucky tourism dollars.

And there’s more good news. Falls City Beer is back… and better than ever! You may or may not remember its popularity—and fall from favor—in years past, but you’ll want to take notice of its triumphant return.

It’s been over 30 years since the beer was originally brewed in Louisville, KY. The company was operated in various locations for the last three decades, and its quality was in decline. New owner, David Easterling, is bringing it back “home” to a facility located on Barret Avenue and restoring its reputation as a high quality brew. They are using a new recipe to re-invent its traditional Vienna-style ale.

The food and beverage industry is a key sector in our region, so seeing growth, innovation, and companies making investments is good news for our area.

“We consider this a great opportunity to enhance our reach and to leverage the strength of these three great organizations,” saidRLC Board Chairman and President of Norton Hospital, Kevin Wardell.

Established in the late 90’s, the RLC works to cultivate regional thinking and action around shared opportunities and mutual challenges to realize and sustain one dream for the region. That dream is to become an idea capital of the world, where imaginations and individuals thrive.

“We are pleased to join the RLC in its efforts to advance and grow the region, something that benefits all of us,” said Brad Richardson, President/CEO Hardin County Chamber of Commerce.

Richardson and two of his chamber board members join a board of directors comprised of a “who’s who” of regional business and industry leaders.

Richardson, who also led the One Knox effort, understands the value of regional thinking. And when making the managing partner announcement at the chamber’s general membership luncheon, he extolled the benefits the partnership would offer chamber members and the entire community.

“This merger means our members will have a voice at the table on some of the most important matters facing our region. This will increase our clout, ability to advocate and most of all enhance our ability to grow individually and as a region,” added Richardson.

GLI’s President and CEO, Joe Reagan and One Southern Indiana’s CEO, Jody Wassmer joined Richardson at today’s announcement. The three signed A Commitment to Advance the Region.

“Working across borders, and in this case a river between two states, is critical if our region is going to compete on a global scale,” said Wassmer. “Together, we can accomplish great things.”

Joe Reagan, outgoing President and CEO of GLI, added, “I’m excited by the possibilities. People here are already connecting and working together on an unprecedented scale. And even though I’ll be in St. Louis, I’ll be keeping an eye on this region. ”

The RLC also plans to provide membership opportunities for other chambers and economic development agencies throughout the region. “We’re working with individuals and communities throughout the region, and by increasing membership we’ll be bringing more people to the table,” said Beth Avey, RLC’s new Executive Director. So if you know of any other individual, entity or organization that could help the RLC and benefit from participating in this growing regional effort, don’t hesitate to let us know. Because together, we can accomplish some truly amazing things!