The ® LaneKENTUCKY’S BUSINESS NEWS SOURCE Report FOR 34 YEARS DEC. ’19-JAN. ’20 $4.50 Continuing Growth KentuckyAnd leaders Opportunity see mostly bright prospects in the coming year, making it a good time to better position commonwealth for the future lanereport.com KY 40150 KY Lebanon Junction Lebanon LANE ONE-ON-ONE: Permit #327 #327 Permit PAID KENT OYLER ELECTRONIC SERVICE REQUESTED SERVICE ELECTRONIC U.S. POSTAGE U.S. President & CEO, Greater Louisville Inc. PRST STD PRST 601 W. Short St., Lexington KY 40508 KY Lexington St., Short W. 601 helping Kentucky’s light shine, brighter than ever. At LG&E and KU, we use a mix of sources to provide safe, reliable energy 24/7 to our nearly 1.3 million customers. With rates 20% lower than similar U.S. utilities, we’re driving economic development across the Commonwealth, while empowering a better energy future for us all. lge-ku.com/innovation 10633LGEkuRenewables8125x10875c.in 1 5221 1214 P Aron, Manager, Technology Research and Analysis, at Kentucky’s largest universal solar facility. Visit our website to learn about all of our innovative clean energy projects, including: Ohio Falls Hydro Plant | Dix Dam Hydro Plant | E.W. Brown Solar Field | Business Solar Program Solar Share Program | Green Energy Program | Electric Vehicle Charging Stations 10633LGEkuRenewables8125x10875c.in 2 5221 1214 P DECEMBER 2019/ JANUARY LThe ane Report 2020 Kentucky’s Business News Source For 34 Years Volume 34 Number 11 24 GIVING IS HIGH TECH AND HIGH TOUCH Colleges and universities are pairing new data tools with traditional fundraising to turn school spirit into much-needed revenue 29 COVER STORY CONTINUING GROWTH AND OPPORTUNITY Kentucky leaders see mostly bright prospects in the coming year, making it a good time to better position the commonwealth for the future 35 PUBLIC INCENTIVES NET THOUSANDS OF PRIVATE JOBS Kentucky counts 60,000 jobs, $23.5B in investment from 1,200 incented projects in four years 40 NEW POLITICS FOR BUDGET SESSION Leaders cast as equals tasked with governing Kentucky in 2020 40 THE POWER OF INFLUENCERS How to work successfully with those who can persuade your customers Departments 6 Perspective 44 Emerging Lane 8 Fast Lane 46 The Lane List 14 Interstate Lane 48 Exploring Kentucky 16 Corporate Moves 50 Passing Lane 18 On the Boards 52 Kentucky People 20 Lane One-on-One: Kent Oyler Chief Executive Officer, Greater Louisville Inc. lanereport.com On the Cover Kentucky Business News Online A range of Kentucky business and Read up-to-the-minute Kentucky business news stories, public sector leaders are offering current and archived copies of The Lane Report, decidedly optimistic Economic Market Reviews, Health Kentucky, Research Kentucky Forecasts that 2020 will be another special reports and community profiles. year of growth for the commonwealth’s economy. 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Windstream will provision customer’s location for the fastest speed available within the available range at the time of order but cannot guarantee speed or uninterrupted, error-free service. © 2019 Windstream Services, LLC. All rights reserved. Kinetic and Windstream are registered service marks or trademarks of Windstream Services, LLC and/or its affiliates. All other marks are the property of their respective owners. LThe ane Report PERSPECTIVE Kentucky’s Business News Source for 34 Years EXECUTIVE EDITOR previous director, who asked if he could Mark Green YOU ACTUALLY CAN help The Nest with budget projections ASSOCIATE EDITOR and financials. He met the board, helped Karen Baird HELP THE HOMELESS them with the financials and at his own DIGITAL EDITOR 501(c)(3) groups serve truly Jonathan Miller suggestion created an HR manual. needy, address root causes When the executive director CREATIVE DIRECTOR Jessica Merriman suddenly left, the board asked White to take the position. He didn’t want it – SPECIAL PUBLICATIONS EDITOR BY MARK GREEN Lorie Hailey “… then I met the kids.” White couldn’t say no to the opportunity to have DIGITAL REPORTER Matt Wickstrom TRONGLY consider charitable positive, life-changing impact. action benefiting the surprisingly “The children are so fresh,” he said. CREATIVE SERVICES Stone Advisory numerous homeless in our “They are just starting out in life.” Scommunities today. Dozens of deserving White said the services The Nest and CORRESPONDENTS organizations across our commonwealth similar entities provide at moments of Michael Agin; Katherine Tandy Brown; work day and night to help Kentuckians peak difficulty – removing the stress of Russ Brown; Chris Clair; Clary Estes; whose lives aren’t working out as they – where a child is going to be able to Kevin Gibson; Susan Gosselin; Robert Hadley; and we – had hoped. sleep, eat, bathe and have simple needs Debra Gibson Isaacs; Abby Laub; Greg Paeth; More than 4,000 or about one-tenth met – “are so critical to their character, Robin Roenker; Josh Shepherd; Sean Slone; of 1% of all Kentuckians were their ability to imagine or laugh or Dianne Timmerling; Katheran Wasson; Gary Wollenhaupt; Dawn Yankeelov; experiencing homelessness when data whatever.” Esther Zunker for the 2018 federal Continuum of Care Parent-child units are common, but The Nest occasionally cares for infants PUBLISHERS report was compiled, in part by going Brett Lane onto the street and counting. in need, White said. Meredith Lane Ferguson Establishing an ongoing charitable “We are helping the homeless, but CHIEF OPERATIONS OFFICER relationship with one of these aid and mostly we are helping the working Nicole Conyers White service operations can have a far- poor,” White said. “It’s not that they ASSOCIATE PUBLISHERS reaching impact. If the organization is a aren’t working, but they make $8, $9, Hal Moss 501(c)(3) nonprofit, and most are, all $10 an hour, and they have children.” Kristina Dahl the support is tax deductible. In the absence of other familial MARKETING CONSULTANT Importantly, you can be confident support, a car repair or illness means Curtiss Smith it’s one of the most efficient ways to deciding what they will do without. The CIRCULATION/IT help your community. Dollars and Nest helps 400 families a month meet Josiah White donations are stretched to benefit the basic human needs such as food, FOUNDER truly homeless and in need, and almost diapers, clothing and more, he said. Ed Lane all these operations have programs that There are dozens of similar 1985-2015 directly address root causes – which organizations in Kentucky. Examples in generate a spectrum of problems Lexington include Step By Step (sbslex. PRINTING & CIRCULATION SERVICES eventually laid at taxpayer feet. org) and Arbor Youth (arborky.org). LSC Communications It is not enjoyable to think about the In Louisville, Wayside Christian WEB MARKETING & PUBLISHING homeless and generally we don’t. Mission (waysidechristianmission.org) eLink Design Meanwhile, the most visible among provides an expansive range of IT SERVICES them, aggressive panhandlers on urban programs and services. Home of the Advantage Technologies street corners, generate at least as much Innocents (homeoftheinnocents.org) INTERNET SERVICES suspicion as sympathy – is that person has provided residential care for QX.net even really homeless, and will any abused, neglected and abandoned dollars they guilt out of me go to children since 1880. Re:Center substance abuse? Ministries (recenterministries.org) There may be some truth in opened as Louisville Rescue Mission for presumptions about those different women and children in 1881, from us, but our stereotypes are always rebranding last year and expanding its The Lane Report is published monthly by: a superficial perspective. The deeper, Southern Baptist-based spiritual care Lane Communications Group 601 West Short St full truth is complex and conflicted. We programs into nearby Indiana. Lexington, KY 40508 know life is complicated when it goes There are many more in our [email protected] For more information and well and we act responsibly. Our fellow commonwealth that are worth helping. advertising rates contact: Kentuckians did not become homeless They will invest any goods, personal PHONE: 859-244-3500 by design (nor sometimes did those time and cash they get well. Go to their The annual subscription rate is $29. focused on helping them plan to take websites and find the “donate” link. (Kentucky residents add $1.74 sales tax.) Newsstand price is $4.50.