BUSINESS FOCUS \\\ OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF COMMERCE LEXINGTON INC. | SEPTEMBER 2019 | VOLUME XXVII, ISSUE IX Named 2019 Small Business of the Year Salute to Small Business Coverage on Pages 10-13 Photo by Mark Mahan, Mahan Multimedia INSIDE THIS ISSUE: Kentucky Regional Tour Heads to Northern KY/Cincinnati Nov. 7-8 Enjoy Great Day of Golf at TEE IT UP! Golf Scramble on Sept. 16th Make New Connections Sept. 26th at Opportunity Exchange www.CommerceLexington.com BUSINESS FOCUS September 2019: Volume XXVII, Issue IX INSIDE THIS ISSUE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT: Association of Chamber of Commerce Executives 4-5 Anixter Announces 100-Plus New Jobs in Lexington 2016 Chamber CLX Hosts FAM Tour for Economic Development Cabinet of the Year BUSINESS FEATURE : Equine Diagnostic Solutions STAT OF THE MONTH : Kentucky Hemp Update 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 - ington, KY 40507. Phone: (859) 226-1600. EVENTS: 6-15 Regional Leaders Advocate for Central KY in D.C. 2019 Chair of the Board: TEE IT UP! Golf Scramble is Sept. 16 at University Club Jeff Koonce, Market President WesBanco Bank @330 Series: How to Network Like a Rockstar UK Gatton College Hosts Business Link on Oct. 22 Publisher: Next Opportunity Exchange Event is September 26 Robert L. Quick, CCE, President & CEO Commerce Lexington Inc. SALUTE TO SMALL BUSINESS: Editor: Mark E. Turner Hallway Feeds Named Small Business of the Year Communications Specialist: Liz Bennett Breakdown of 2019 Category Award Winners Printing: Post Printing Mail Service: SouthEast Printing & Mailing Service, LLC (2610 Palumbo Drive) CONNECT: Subscriptions are available for $12 and are in - 16-19 2019 Winner’s Circle Campaign Officially Kicks Off cluded as a direct benefit of Commerce Lexing - ton Inc. membership. Business Focus (USPS New Leadership Lex. Program Begins With Orientation 012-337) periodical postage paid at Lexington, AMBASSADOR SPOTLIGHT: Brooke Wheatley, WLEX Kentucky. Welcome New Commerce Lexington Inc. Members Member Personnel Announcements & Awards POSTMASTER : Send address corrections to Business Focus, Commerce Lexington Inc., P.O. Box 1968, Lexington, KY 40588-1968. Display Rates WHAT 2 WATCH 4 For DISPLAY RATES in Business Focus, con - tact Dana Zinger at (859) 226-1607 or [email protected], and an account executive will contact you . Personnel Updates Sept. 10th @330 Series Presents Republic Bank Hosts Opportunity Submit your company’s awards and mile - How to Network Like a Rockstar Exchange on Sept. 26th stones or personnel changes and additions to [email protected]. Person - nel news might include promotions, additions, awards and milestones, recognitions and cer - tifications and/or appointments. Information is published only as space permits. On The Cover 2019 Winner’s Circle Kicks Off; UK Gatton College Hosts Next Pictured left to right: Commerce Lexington Inc. Great Sponsorships Available Business Link on Oct. 22nd Board Chair Jeff Koonce (WesBanco Bank), Tucker Ballinger, President & CEO of Forcht Bank, Julia Hall with her father, Bob Hall, Jr. of Hallway Feeds, and Houston Hall, Lexington Market President of Forcht Bank. (Photo by Mark Mahan, Mahan Multimedia) 2 BUSINESS FOCUS SEPTEMBER 2019 \\\ EVENTS: KENTUCKY REGIONAL TOUR THURSDAY & F RIDAY , N OVEMBER 7-8, 2019 2019 Kentucky Regional Tour to Explore Northern KY & Cincinnati Area You are invited to join Commerce Lexington Inc. • Local and State Elected Officials for the 11th annual Kentucky Regional Tour on No - • Unique Substance Abuse Recovery and Re-entry PRESENTED BY vember 7-8, 2019 to the Northern Kentucky/Cincin - Programs nati region. The delegation will be staying at the • Innovative Education Approaches to Improve Hotel Covington in the heart of Covington’s down - Student Performance in Low Performing Schools town core and a short walk from Braxton Brewery, • Northern Kentucky University’s Health Innova - Main Strasse and the riverfront. tion Focus and Partnership with the University During the two-day visit, more than 50 Lexington of Kentucky Medical School area business, community, education and govern - • Tourism Hot Spots along the “B-Line” Bourbon ment leaders will act as ambassadors on behalf of the Trail Central Kentucky region. Since 2009, the goal of this • University of Cincinnati’s Innovation Hub trip has been for Lexington leaders to engage with • Reds President and Regional Businessman Phil PLATINUM SPONSORS : their peers in other parts of the Commonwealth, and Castellini Kentucky Utilities Co. hear about the region’s success stories in key policy • Great American Ball Park for Batting Practice WesBanco Bank areas, learn about common issues and challenges, discover collaboration opportunities, and build rela - RECEPTION & DINNER SPONSOR : tionships with attendees and others in the region TO REGISTER: Community Trust Bank The cost to participate in this two-day bus tour to we’re visiting. Northern Kentucky is $699 per person, which in - This year’s agenda includes a variety of stops to cludes accommodations, and meals as outlined on highlight and learn more about the following : the agenda. For more information or to register, visit • Downtown Covington’s Revitalization www.commercelexington.com/kentucky-regional- • The Region’s Economic Development Strategy tour.html . and Logistics Economy SEPTEMBER 2019 BUSINESS FOCUS 3 ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT /// A C OLLABORATIVE EFFORT OF THE BLUEGRASS BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT PARTNERSHIP (BBDP) SUBMITTED BY CLX E CONOMIC DEVELOPMENT DIVISION : G INA GREATHOUSE , H ANNAH CRUMRINE & R YAN KAFFENBERGER Anixter Announces Addition of 100- Plus Jobs at Lexington Sales Office In mid-August, Kentucky Governor Matt Bevin and Lexington Mayor Linda Gorton announced that Anixter Inc., a global distributor of technol - ogy, electronic, network, and security products, plans to invest $4.23 mil - lion and grow by 103 full-time jobs as it relocates within Lexington. Anixter’s current 12-employee sales office on Majestic Drive in Lex - ington will relocate to the newly-constructed 38,500-square-foot Turner Development Business Center on Lexington’s Fortune Drive. Anixter will occupy 21,000 square feet. “Anixter’s decision to expand in Lexington is a testament to our edu - cated workforce and cost of doing business,” said Commerce Lexington Inc. President and CEO, Bob Quick. “We appreciate the continued com - mitment and investment that Anixter has made in Lexington. Congratu - lations on your expansion.” Attendees visited the James E. Pepper Distillery for a reception with Lexington Mayor Linda Gorton. CLX hosts Ky. Cabinet for Economic Development for FAM Tour BUSINESS FEATURE: In mid-August, Commerce Lexington Inc. hosted its partners from the Kentucky Cabinet for Economic Development (CED) for a Familiarization Equine Diagnostic Solutions (EDS) (FAM) Tour of Lexington. Commerce Lexington’s economic development team showcased our partners at the University of Kentucky College of En - Celebrates Tenth Anniversary gineering and then toured a few operations of economic development clients, such as Tiffany and Co. and Tempur Sealy. We ended the day at Equine Diagnostic Solutions (EDS) is an equine-focused clinical laboratory James E. Pepper in the Distillery District for a reception with Cabinet lead - that performs unique and specialized testing for equine infectious diseases. ership and Mayor Linda Gorton. They founded the company in 2009, and this August co-Founders Dr. Jen - nifer Morrow and Amy Graves joined their staff in celebrating 10 years in business. In those 10 years, EDS has grown from a three-person operation to eight employees. This correlates with the almost tripled number of test By The Numbers: offerings, including three assays licensed from the University of Kentucky, In 2019, Commerce Lexington’s Economic Development Division has Department of Veterinary Science. With a nationwide veterinary clientele responded to calls from: and numerous research collaborations, EDS is a highly trusted member of the equine industry. Commerce Lexington Inc. congratulates Equine Diag - New Business: 57 new prospects interested in finding a new nostic Solutions on a successful decade in business! location or expanding. Existing Clients & Local Entrepreneurial Companies: NOTE: As a part of our economic development efforts, we visit 175 companies 27 companies with potential expansions. each year to gauge our local business environment, to be a helpful resource and Client Visits: 18 to guide them through incentive programs as they grow in Lexington. As we meet with companies, our team wants to make you aware of some of these great busi - Existing Business Visits: 107 nesses in Lexington that you may not know. 4 BUSINESS FOCUS SEPTEMBER 2019 \\\ ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT STAT OF THE MONTH | Kentucky Hemp Update In recent years, the emergence of Ken - industrial hemp production.” tucky’s hemp industry has been a focal 2018 ended with the passage of another point of policymakers and businesses alike. Farm Bill, also known as the Agriculture Im - This revival began with the passage of the provement Act of 2018, making hemp an 2014 Farm Bill, creating the state’s Indus - ordinary agricultural commodity. Since trial Hemp Research Pilot Program through 2014, the hemp industry has grown drasti - the Kentucky Department of Agriculture cally in Kentucky as noted in the chart (KDA). At that time, Agriculture Commis - below. For more information on hemp sioner Ryan Quarles