August 2020 | Volume Xxviii, Issue Viii
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BUSINESS FOCUS \\\ OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF COMMERCE LEXINGTON INC. | AUGUST 2020 | VOLUME XXVIII, ISSUE VIII Faced With Pandemic, Loss of Classmate, Leadership Lexington Concludes Difficult Year 2020 Leadership Lexington Class During Public Safety Day Session in November 2019 (Photo by Mark Mahan) INSIDE THIS ISSUE: Bluegrass Region’s Federal Policy Forum is Set for September 8th @330 Presents Hiring Extraordinary Employees in Extraordinary Times 4 O’Clock Focus Webinar Series Continues in August Emerging Leaders of the Bluegrass Transitions to Virtual Events www.CommerceLexington.com BUSINESS FOCUS August 2020: Volume XXVIII, Issue VIII INSIDE THIS ISSUE: Association of Chamber of Commerce Executives ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT: 2016 Chamber 4 Lexington Launches Small Business Stimulus Program of the Year NEW RANKINGS: Lexington Among Best for College Graduates, Best Run Cities in America Business Focus is published once a month for a total of 12 issues per year by Commerce Lex- ington Inc., 330 East Main Street, Suite 100, Lex- PUBLIC POLICY: ington, KY 40507. Phone: (859) 226-1600. 5 Bluegrass Region’s Federal Policy Forum is Sept. 8th 2020 Chair of the Board: Ray Daniels, President Equity Solutions Group EVENTS: September’s Salute to Small Business Will Feature Publisher: 7-11 Robert L. Quick, CCE, President & CEO Virtual Celebration & Recognition of Award Winners Commerce Lexington Inc. @330 Series: Hiring During Extraordinary Times 4 O’Clock Focus Webinar Series Continues in August Editor: Mark E. Turner Communications Specialist: Liz Bennett Emerging Leaders of the BG Transitions to Virtual Events Printing: Post Printing Mail Service: SouthEast Printing & Mailing Service, LLC (2610 Palumbo Drive) CONNECT: Subscriptions are available for $12 and are in- 12-15 2019-20 Leadership Lexington Program Concludes cluded as a direct benefit of Commerce Lexing- Anita Franklin Recognized as Distinguished Leader ton Inc. membership. Business Focus (USPS Welcome New Commerce Lexington Inc. Members 012-337) periodical postage paid at Lexington, Member Personnel Announcements Kentucky. POSTMASTER: Send address corrections to Business Focus, Commerce Lexington Inc., P.O. Box 1968, Lexington, KY 40588-1968. Display Rates Austin Leadership Visit Moved to May 10-12, 2021 For DISPLAY RATES in Business Focus, con- tact Kelly Bates at (859) 226-1612 or Due to the uncertainty surrounding the PRESENTED BY [email protected], and an ac- COVID-19 pandemic, Commerce Lexington Inc. count executive will contact you. has re-scheduled its Austin Leadership Visit pre- sented by Central Bank to May 10-12, 2021. After much consideration, there are just too many con- Personnel Updates cerns about the progression of the virus by this Submit your company’s awards and mile- fall, current travel restrictions that member com- stones or personnel changes and additions to panies have in place, as well as several venues in [email protected]. Person- Austin unable to commit to hosting our group. nel news might include promotions, additions, Austin, Texas has been a much anticipated awards and milestones, recognitions and cer- destination, and this trip will include a dynamic NEW DATES: tifications and/or appointments. Information agenda full of learning opportunities and social is published only as space permits. functions, and we look forward to experiencing Austin, Texas Austin to the fullest. If you had already registered for the Austin Leadership Visit, it will be auto- Leadership Visit matically transferred to the new date. If you need to make an adjustment to your current registra- May 10-12, 2021 tion, please contact Angela Carlos at [email protected]. 2 BUSINESS FOCUS AUGUST 2020 ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT /// A COLLABORATIVE EFFORT OF THE BLUEGRASS BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT PARTNERSHIP (BBDP) SUBMITTED BY CLX ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT DIVISION: GINA GREATHOUSE, CHERYL KLEVER & KATIE VANDEGRIFT Commerce Lexington Inc.’s Access Loan Program Contracted by City to Help Manage Small Business Economic Stimulus Grant Program According to the U.S. Small Business the coronavirus pandemic. Association, 5,241 businesses in Lexing- To qualify, small business and/or non- ton received funding from the federal profits with less than 50 employees or Paycheck Protection Program (PPP). restaurants with less than 100 employees With many of Lexington’s small busi- must be located within Fayette County. nesses not receiving PPP funding, the Organizations must have obtained a Small Business Stimulus Program was business license with the city on or before created to help area small businesses January 1, 2020 and be in good standing. that have been impacted by the COVID- The program has a goal of allocating at 19 pandemic. least half of the $2.5 million to minority- Commerce Lexington Inc.’s Access and women-owned businesses. Loan Program has been contracted to NOTE: At press time (July 28), the manage a $2.5 million small business city was not accepting any more stimulus stimulus program on behalf of the Lex- grant applications because of the large ington-Fayette Urban County Govern- volume already received. For more infor- ment to encourage economic mation or to check to see if applications development in Lexington. The program are again being accepted, visit www.lex- is available to companies affected by rev- ingtonky.gov/economicdevelopment. enue losses and incurred expenses from NEW RANKINGS: Lexington Among Best for College Grads, Best Run Cities For the fifth consecutive year, Lexing- cluded financial stability, education, ton has been listed among WalletHub’s health, safety, economy, and infrastruc- Top 10 Best Run Cities, coming in at #6. ture & pollution. Lexington scored well in WalletHub compared the operating effi- the Education Category (#16) and Total ciency of 150 of the largest U.S. cities to City Budget Per Capita (#4). reveal which among them are managed With a focus on affordability, jobs and best. They developed a “Quality of Serv- fun, SmartAsset’s sixth annual study of ices” score made up of 38 metrics the best cities for new college graduates grouped into six service categories, which compared the 115 most-populous cities were then measured against the city’s per- nationwide. Lexington ranked second capita budget. The key categories in- among the Best Cities for College Gradu- ates, marking three of the last four years inside the top ten in this study. By The Numbers: SmartAsset said, “Lexington, Kentucky For 2020 year-to-date, Commerce Lexing- has the seventh-best fun score and the ton’s Economic Development Division 17th-best affordability score in the study. has responded to calls from: Within the category of fun, Lexington placed seventh overall for average Yelp New Business: 32 new prospects restaurant rating, at 4.08 out of a total of interested in finding a new location five stars. Within the affordability index, or expanding. Lexington placed 10th out of 115 for low Client Visits to the Lexington Area: 13 cost of living. The cost of living in Lexing- Existing Business Visits: 77 ton is $19,526, potentially allowing for Total Active Projects: 46 more opportunities to save or invest.” 4 BUSINESS FOCUS AUGUST 2020 \\\ Coming September 8th No D.C. Fly-In this year? No problem! Just because we can’t travel to Washington doesn’t mean we can’t connect with our Congressional delegation from right here in Central KY. Watch your e-mail inbox for more details about the PRESENTED BY Bluegrass Region’s 2020 Federal Policy Forum A NiSource Company Engage with issue experts and legislative staffs on regional priorities in a virtual format. PLATINUM SPONSORS GOLD SPONSORS: Blue Grass Airport | Equity Solutions Group | WesBanco Bank EDUCATION PARTNER: Kentucky Community & Technical College System (KCTCS) AUGUST 2020 BUSINESS FOCUS 5 RETURN TO WORK RESOURCES /// Variety of On-line Resources Available to Help Your Business Reopen Safely Workplace Posters and Purchase Personal Protective Equipment Guideline Sheets On-Line Items From CLX & Other Member Businesses We have had several requests from local busi- Commerce Lexington Inc. has compiled a list on- nesses for printable pages to post at their line of member companies who can help supply workplace or building entrances to alert both you with personal protective equipment (PPE), customers and employees of the require- safety signage and cleaning services for your facil- ments prior to coming into the business. The ity. You can also purchase PPE items such as face Lexington-Fayette County Health Department masks, gloves, and hand sanitizer directly from has provided a variety of documents, as well Commerce Lexington Inc. Scan the QR code to as guidance sheets to help employers man- purchase items on-line from CLX. age workplace COVID-19 exposure. Visit www.CommerceLexington.com. Review Sample Client Communications and Business Reopening Plans Among its on-line Return to Work resources, Commerce Lex- ington has posted a variety of sample communications to cus- tomers and clients, as well as sample business reopening plans for employees, to help you prepare for the day you welcome your team back to your facility and/or the public back to your store or facility. To review these best practices documents, visit www.commercelexington.com/return-to-work-resources.html. Commerce Lexington Provides Starter Guide to Reopening Your Business As businesses and organizations of all types and sizes work through the process of reopening, Com- merce Lexington Inc. has compiled an Introductory Guide to Reopening