FORWARD FOCUS

LEFT: Jones is helping recruit employers to Jackson. Owsley, Lee, Clay and Leslie counties. BELOW: Several counties in the region, including Clay County, are promoting outdoor activities and historic attractions, like this historic swinging bridge.

Lasting Legacy

While it’s his job to look for businesses that can bring jobs to the area, Jones says FOCUS isn’t looking for industries that could change the landscape or make workers and the community dependent. “We want many smaller companies and affiliated industries that can equal the impact of one large company,” he says. “Then, if one fails or leaves overnight, the workers can rebound to another job.”

He also wants to promote the thing that makes this part of Kentucky unique — its beauty. “There’s a book that was written all the way back in 1962 called ‘Night Comes to the Cumberlands,’” he says. “The author predicted that, after all the exploitation of the land and the workers that happened in this area, the third wave of economic development would focus on its natural beauty. You can see that happening.”