chamber connection BOWLING GREEN AREA CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
June 2022
Proud Sponsor of
Friday, June 3 | 7 - 8:30 AM La Gala Featuring Guest Speaker
Johnny Webb
Letter from the Chairman It is hard to believe it’s already June. I know everyone is so thankful for the warmer weather and the opportunity to get out to more Chamber events. May was an exciting month as we held the Excellence Awards Luncheon and honored ATHENA Michele Humphrey, Small Business Person of the Year Mike Hughes, and ATHENA Young Professional India Unseld. You can view photos and an event recap on page 14. On the economic development front, in May we celebrated Harbor Steel and Supply’s groundbreaking. Congratulations to the Harbor Steel team. We are excited about their new future home in the Kentucky Transpark! In June we will hold the annual Chamber Golf Classic at Indian Hills Country Club. Spots are all filled, but we are still looking for raffle prizes! If you’d like to donate, contact lauren@bgchamber.com. Here’s to a prosperous second half of 2022!
John Dix 2022 Chairman
Sponsored by:
Friday, June 3, 2022 7 AM Breakfast | 7:30 AM Program
Click Here to Register
Tahir and Amira Zukic, owners of TAZ Trucking, support the BeautifI-65 project and share the organization’s goal of bringing more people to their beloved home of Bowling Green. TAZ Trucking is proudly headquartered in Bowling Green, KY right off I-65 and has hundreds of semi-trucks driving throughout the country with signs promoting “Bowling Green, Kentucky – ‘Voted Best Place to Live’ by Time Magazine” Over 22,000,000 vehicles pass through Bowling Green, KY each year on I-65. BeautifI-65, an offset of Operation PRIDE, is designed to increase interest in the Bowling Green area by drawing motorists off of I-65 and into our beautiful town. With the mantra, “Because every exit is our entrance,” the BeautifI-65 project aims to create attractive entrances and exits to beckon visitors to not only stop in but also explore and extend their visit within our community. BeautifI-65 is funded solely by private donations and has raised over $3.5 million from individuals thus far. All of these donations will go directly towards the highway beautification project. A study by the Knight Foundation found that community aesthetics, social offerings, and openness are the top three reasons why people love their communities. We believe that it is time to make the entrances into our home reflect the beauty within our community. Gateways into the area will be constructed at both the northern and southern entrances to Bowling Green. The southern gateway is currently entering the completion stage, and the Northern gateway’s construction will begin this summer. The project will install four plank horse fences and landscaping between exits 20 and 30, decorative trees and plantings along the I-65 interchanges, gateway signs to welcome visitors at the northern and southern entrances to the city, and all maintenance done by Warren County Fiscal Court and Warren County Parks and Recreation Department. For more information about Operation PRIDE and BeautifI-65, go to https:// vimeo.com/350848190/84aaeff32f
May Coffee Hour A B O UT T H E S PE A K E R
J O H N N Y WE B B Former mayor, Johnny Webb, founded the private nonprofit corporation, Operation PRIDE in 1993. Since then, Operation PRIDE has been the leading beautification organization in South Central Kentucky, dedicating itself to making Bowling Green-Warren County an attractive community in which to live, work, and own a business. Webb founded Southern School Supply Company in 1972, and his success in business earned him numerous awards. He was the first recipient of the Bowling Green-Warren County Chamber of Commerce Small Business Person of the Year Award, Kentucky Small Business Person of the Year, Bowling GreenWarren County Jaycees Outstanding Young Businessman, and the Operation PRIDE Cherry Award for Outstanding Community Service. Webb has served on several boards in the community. Currently, he serves on the Inter-modal Transportation Authority Board and is the founder and current Board Chairman of Operation PRIDE. He is still very involved in overseeing that the organization’s mission is carried out.
WARREN COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS
CHRISTIAN FAMILY RADIO
SKYCTC
FÊTE BY ARNELA
May 2nd NEW LOGO
May 9th NEW COURTYARD
May 3rd ANNIVERSARY
May 20th GRAND OPENING
QC KINETIX
May 6th GRAND OPENING
LOID STABLES May 25th GRAND OPENING
KENZIE PARKER BOUTIQUE May 27th GRAND OPENING
PRESS RELEASES HARBOR STEEL & SUPPLY CORPORATION BREAKS GROUND ON NEW DISTRIBUTION AND MANUFACTURING OPERATION Bowling Green, Ky., May 12, 2022 – Harbor Steel & Supply Corporation, a metals distributor and manufacturer, broke ground today on its new facility in Bowling Green, Kentucky. Founded in Michigan in 1952, the company has become a complete metal service center for its customers in six locations across the central US—and today broke ground in the Kentucky Transpark on its seventh location. From this new location, the company will strategically service large, multinational supply chain partners that have also announced Bowling Green as their home in recent years.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE
CATCH UP ON ALL BG CHAMBER AND SOUTH CENTRAL KENTUCKY NEWS HERE
PRESS RELEASE FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: BOARD INTRODUCES STAFF FOR NEW AMERICAN AND FORT CAMPBELL OUTREACH POSITIONS BOWLING GREEN, KY, May 13, 2022-The South Central Workforce Development Board hosted a Meet and Greet Thursday afternoon for two new staff members in newly established outreach positions: Ana Sancristoful, New American Navigator and Michael Dailey, Kentucky Career Navigator at Fort Campbell. In her new role, Sancristoful’s charge is to connect immigrant & refugee individuals to meaningful employment and career opportunities while working closely with community partners, employers, education providers & community leaders. Fluent in both Spanish and French, Ana Sancristoful has already proven to be a tremendous resource for the Board. Brian Becker, Vice President of Operations and Special Projects, describes Sancristoful’s role as “a cultural broker from the inside,” explaining “People trust people. They don’t trust buildings and they don’t trust logos unless they trust the people behind those logos. Now, as our New American population is getting to know Ana, they’re becoming introduced to the whole world of career services and opportunities we have here as well.” A 17-year Army Veteran, Michael Dailey will be stationed at Fort Campbell in order to best connect transitioning service members and military spouses with the tremendous employment and career opportunities in south central Kentucky. Dailey’s office is strategically located within the “Soldier For Life Center” at Fort Campbell, a site that sees about 250 soldiers per day who are in the process of transitioning out of the military. It should be noted that 85% of these soldiers are also seeking immediate employment. The position at Fort Campbell has been a long time in the works. Board President/CEO Jon Sowards explains, “Three and a half years ago, the Board wrote into our local workforce plan the desire and need to better recruit transitioning Service Members and Spouses from Fort Campbell to live and work in this region. The City of Bowling Green and Warren County Fiscal Court believed so much in this vision that they partnered to co-fund this position. We are extremely appreciative of this funding and excited for the opportunity to connect Fort Campbell Service and family members to careers in our community. Having Michael in place full-time will really activate the number and quality of candidates we can present to employers for consideration.” Judge Mike Buchanon sees the immense potential to address workforce shortages in both of these new positions. He states, “We need to get jobs filled. That’s important for our community and it’s important for our entire region. Right now, we have many of our New American population travelling outside of the region for jobs, simply because they are uninformed of the opportunities they have here. We need to change that.” Regarding the new recruiting position at Fort Campbell, Judge Buchanon explains, “The soldiers and their families can not only find jobs in south central Kentucky, they can find a life in what is probably the best place in the country to live and to raise a family.”
### The South Central Workforce Development Board leads the development and implementation of a highly effective workforce development system in the ten counties of South Central Kentucky in collaboration with business, economic development, education and community organizations in the labor market area.
For more information on the South Central Workforce Development Board, please visit www.southcentralworkforce.com
Welcome
NEW PARTNERS! Atlantic Bay Mortgage Group Mortgage Loans Black Equipment Company Material Handling Electronic Payments Express Business Services Endorse Staffing Business Services G&A Partners Business Services
Kenzie Parker Boutique Clothing-Apparel
Industrial Controls Automation Automation Design
Rosie® Healthcare Services
Ivy & Sage Gifts & Specialty Retail
RSF Your Bluegrass Kitchen Catering Specialized Alternatives for Families and Youth (SAFY) Nonprofit Organizations
Tune in to hear your business's name on these TV and radio stations:
President’s Club partners invest in and support South Central Kentucky’s economic development strategy. These financial resources are used to directly impact the growth of the economy.
Thank you for Renewing Bowling Green Metalforming Bowling Green Municipal Utilities Boyd CAT Cannon Automotive Solutions Carr, Riggs & Ingram, LLC Fruit of The Loom Corporate Headquarters Graves Gilbert Clinic REALTOR Association of Southern KY Tennessee Valley Authority INTERESTED IN JOINING
PRESIDENT’S CLUB? CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE!
This Month at the
Milestone Partners
Chamber
5 YEARS Trees N Trends
10 YEARS HOTEL INC
MAY BUSINESS AFTER HOURS
15 YEARS Benefits Resource Group Simon Dentistry
20 YEARS Crye*Leike Executive Realty
LEADERSHIP BG GRADUATION
Home Instead Senior Care SITEX Corporation
30 YEARS Habitat for Humanity of BG/Warren County, Inc.
#BGKYMURALS
Thank you for Renewing! Aligned Life Chiropractic American Marketing Association of BG (AMABG) Arts for All Kentucky Better Business Bureau Bigge Crane and Rigging Co. Blackhawk Composites Bowling Green KOA Holiday Bowling Green Woman’s Club Brandeis Machinery Breakfield Roofing Company CenterPointe Church Century 21 Premier Realty Partners CGS Machine & Tool, Inc. Chaney’s Dairy Barn Christ Episcopal Church Clothesline Laundromat Cone Funeral Home, LLC Covington Electric Crossland Community Church Cumberland Foot and Ankle Centers of Kentucky Custom Office Interiors Dotson Electric Company, Inc. Dwight Embry’s Garage, Inc. Effectv Elder Advantage, LLC Ewing Ford Properties Fairview Community Health Center FocalPoint Business Coaching Fukuda USA, Inc. General Motors Bowling Green Assembly Plant Geoghegan Roofing & Supply, Inc. Glory Baby Ministry Goodall Homes
Grinstead’s Flooring & Furnishings Holy Spirit Catholic Church Home by Cardinal Jody Richards JRae Commercial Cleaning Kentucky Association of Manufacturers, Inc. Martin Autoplex McPeak Vision Partners Mellow Mushroom Meyer Mortgage Corporation Morgan Stanley Nat’s Outdoor Sports Northwestern Mutual Nutrition Center Oak Tree Rising, LLC dba MacKenzie’s Flowers Odd Fellows Lodge Pan-Oston Patti Minter Phoenix Rising KY Reynolds Johnston Hinton, LLP RF Group Riley’s Bakery Sanctuary Body Spa Schardein Mechanical Sewell and Sewell Architects, PLLC Shin Yuki Smith Interiors, Inc. Southern Kentucky ReEntry Council Southern Lanes Suite Zen Medical Massage & Spa The DeCesare Group WDNS-FM & WKCT-AM Radio Wild Eggs
REGISTER HERE
Have cause for celebration? Schedule a ribbon cutting or groundbreaking! If you are interested in scheduling this partner-only benefit, please contact: Brittney Smith Partnership Services Coordinator brittney@bgchamber.com 270.901.4745
INTERESTED IN LEARNING MORE ABOUT YOUR PARTNERSHIP BENEFITS? Contact your Chamber partnership team today at partnership@bgchamber.com.
Upcoming Monthly Networking Events JUNE 3RD | 7 AM La Gala 601 State Street Sponsored by: TAZ Trucking
JUNE 7TH | 12 - 1 PM Firehouse Subs 2300 Gary Farm Blvd Sponsored by: Graves Gilbert Clinic
JUNE 10TH | 11:30 AM - 1:30 PM Lunch + Learn TriStar Greenview Regional Hospital 1801 Ashley Circle
JUNE 16TH | 4:30 - 6:30 PM Foreman Watson Holtrey 604 Three Springs Road
JUNE 18TH | 5:30 - 8 PM BGYP Family Night at Chaney’s Dairy Barn 9191 Nashville Road Supporting Stuff the Bus
View all events here
MAY 10, 2022 | KNICELY CONFERENCE CENTER
WANT TO SEE MORE PICTURES OF THIS EVENT? CLICK HERE!
CONGRATULATIONS TO OUR 2022 ATHENA YP WINNER, INDIA UNSELD OF GUARANTEE PEST CONTROL
Congratulations to all nominees this year. Special thanks to everyone who attended the Excellence Awards Luncheon and helped support this year’s nominees and winners.
ATHENA AND ATHENA YP SPONSOR
GOLD LEVEL SPONSORS
SMALL BUSINESS OF THE YEAR SPONSOR
NETWORKING RECEPTION SPONSOR
SILVER LEVEL SPONSORS
CONGRATULATIONS TO THE 2022 AWARD NOMINEES ATHENA Young Professional Nominees Sarah Steen Bessinger Warren County Attorney’s Office Magen Estep Farmers Bank & Trust Maegan Hance Triple Crown Auto Glass SOKY Jessica Heffinger Glory Baby Ministry Brooke Canary Schakat BAIRD - The Perry Richey Group
ATHENA Nominees Tamara Glass Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. - Omicron Sigma Omega Chapter Aurelia Spaulding Western Kentucky University Mary Vitale SKY Property Management Melanie Watts LifeSkills, Inc.
Small Business Person of the Year Nominees Sam Kirby Vid Monster Sasa Mandrapa Burger & Bowl Spence Sheldon Donatos Pizza John Simms Paul Davis Restoration Bowling Green LoraLee Stephens The Spot
UPCOMING ANNUAL EVENTS
ADVERTISE WITH US CHAMBER CONNECTION Each month, the Chamber Connection E-Newsletter is distributed to the business community via email, social media, and at www.bgchamber.com. By advertising in the monthly newsletter, you expose your products/services to both professional and personal consumers.
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CIRCULATION
The e-newsletter is distributed to over 2,000 inboxes, shared on social media, and posted to the Chamber’s website.
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NEW FORMAT
8” x 11”, 10-15 pages, full color, magazine-style digital publication.
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Please submit materials and questions to Crystal Cummings, Marketing Director, crystal@bgchamber.com
CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THIS EXCELLENT MARKETING OPPORTUNITY THAT IS SHARED WITH 2,000+ INBOXES
DOUBLE AD
BANNER AD
CONGRATULATIONS CLASS OF 2021-2022 Gallup Leadership Sponsor US Bank Thank you to our Pay It Forward Sponsors: Debra L. Broz on behalf of Carrie Jolly Link Foreman Watson Land Title on behalf of Katie Tabor Gerald Printing Kirk Pierce on behalf of Danielle Brown Bart Haggerman Award, Drew Hubbard
Med Center Health on behalf of Michelle Lawless Reynolds Sealing and Striping on behalf of Rachel Brown Shelton CPAs on behalf of Stephan Lutterman Stewart Richey Construction on behalf of Bryan Carrico SKYPAC on behalf of Kelsey Crowe
Class Awards
SKY Property Management on behalf of Rob Hankins
2022
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What is Leadership Bowling Green? Since 1985, Leadership Bowling Green has built strong leaders that we see in our community every day. These passionate community leaders work to solve tough challenges, create positive change, are proud to call Bowling Green home and feel responsible for its prosperity. Every year a new group of leaders is selected to be a part of this experience-based program designed for participants to explore the community, connect with others, and inspire them to be a champion for Bowling Green.
Interested in applying or want to learn more? Click here
In partnership with the South Central Workforce Development Board and seven local high schools from Bowling Green Independent School District, Warren County Public Schools and Edmonson County High School-the SCK LAUNCH Job Fair provided 142 graduating high school seniors the opportunity to interview and network with employers from high-demand sectors in South Central Kentucky. A special thank you to presenting sponsor Logan Aluminum and lunch sponsor Nova Steel. Thank you to these participating businesses: Bendix Commercial Vehicle Systems, LLC BlueCotton Country Oven Bakery Fruit of the Loom Henkel Holley Performance Products Houchens Industries Inked Brands Logan Aluminum M&L Electrical, Inc. Med Center Health New Mather Metals Nova Steel Pan-Oston Performance Foodservice Reynolds Sealing and Striping Scott, Murphy & Daniel LLC Scotty's Contracting and Stone, LLC Sherwin Williams Stewart-Richey Construction Construction TriStar Greenview Regional Hospital Woodcraft Industries
WANT TO SEE MORE PICTURES OF THIS EVENT? CLICK HERE!
*DATES/TIMES ARE SUBJECT TO CHANGE
CONFLICT RESOLUTION Tuesday, June 7, 2022
This course addresses practical conflict resolution techniques and strategies that leaders can effectively utilize to guide workgroups through constantly changing and challenging environments to achieve organizational priorities.
MICROSOFT TEAMS Wednesday, June 15, 2022
Help your business thrive by utilizing Microsoft Teams, to stay connected with customers and colleagues in an effective way. Microsoft Teams is a popular tool available via the Microsoft 365 platform.
EXCEL CERTIFICATE PROGRAM Thursday, June 16, 2022
The Excel Certificate Program, provides a practical, hands-on approach to learning how to use a powerful productivity tool that is generally already available to employees.
FOLLOW THE LEADER Tuesday, June 21, 2022
In this session, you will focus on leadership style, directing employees, and the basic expectations and the differences between the past and the new fundamentals in leadership.
BASIC EXCEL Thursday, June 16, 2022
This course provides the straightforward foundation you need to utilize a spreadsheet for business applications. Design concepts, databases, charts, and macros will be examined thoroughly along with the major built-in functions.
INTERMEDIATE EXCEL Thursday, June 23, 2022
You will design worksheets that meet Excel criteria for database functions such as sorting and filtering..
Thursday, June 30, 2022
ADVANCED EXCEL 1
In this course, you will work on creating action queries and macros, integrating Excel into Word and PowerPoint and finally, working with goal seeking and more advanced formulas.
CLICK HERE FOR CLASS DETAILS & REGISTRATION