USINESS OCUS BOFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF COMMERCE LEXINGTON INC. F JANUARY 2016 VOLUME XXIV, ISSUE I INSIDE THIS ISSUE: LEGISLATIVE FOCUS: 2016 CLX Policy Statements Winner’s Circle Volunteers Reach Highest Production Total Ever 2016 International Trip: Sicily, Italy nanoRANCH to Relocate HQ From www.CommerceLexington.com Texas to Lexington BUSINESS FOCUS January 2016: Volume XXIV, Issue I INSIDE THIS ISSUE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT: 4-5 Lexington Venture Club Entrepreneurial Celebration nanoRANCH to Relocate Headquarters to Lexington, KY STAT: Lexington is Thriving Area for Research & Development Global Entrepreneurship Week Recap Business Focus is published once a month for a total of 12 issues per year by Commerce EVENTS: Lexington Inc., 330 East Main Street, Suite 100, 7-10 KEMI Presents CLX Annual Dinner January 28, 2016 Lexington, KY 40507. Phone: (859) 226-1600 @330 Series: Growing Your Business the Chamber Way Blue Grass Airport Hosts Business Link February 11th 2016 Chairman of the Board: Alan Stein, President & CEO 2016 International Trip: Sicily, Italy - September 17-23 SteinGroup, LLC Publisher: PUBLIC POLICY: Robert L. Quick, CCE, President & CEO 11-26 Legislative Focus | 2016 Public Policy Statements Commerce Lexington Inc. Editor: Mark E. Turner Communications Specialist: Elizabeth Bennett WINNER’S CIRCLE 2015 RECAP: Printing: Post Printing 27-30 Volunteers Reach Record High in Production Mail Service: Lexington Herald-Leader Subscriptions are available for $12 and are GET CONNECTED: included as a direct benefit of Commerce 32-35 Leadership Development Program Recaps Lexington Inc. membership. Business Focus (USPS 012-337) periodical postage paid at Finalists for Ambassador of the Year Award Lexington, 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. WHAT 2 WATCH 4 Display Rates For DISPLAY RATES in Business Focus, con - tact Dana Zinger at (859) 226-1607 or [email protected], and an account executive will contact you . January 12th @330 Series Blue Grass Airport Hosts Next to Help You Grow Your Business Business Link on Thursday, Personnel Updates The Chamber Way February 11th Submit your company’s awards and milestones or personnel changes and additions to mturn - [email protected]. Personnel news might include promotions, additions, awards and milestones, recognitions and certifications and/or appointments. Information is pub - lished only as space permits. Kentucky Employers’ Mutual Leadership Visit is June 8 - 10, Cover Image Insurance Presents CLX Annual 2016, to Charleston, South Annual Dinner graphic on the cover of this Dinner on January 28, 2016 Carolina | Register Now! issue of Business Focus by Stablemate Creative. 2 BUSINESS FOCUS JANUARY 2016 SteinGroup’s Alan Stein to Lead Commerce Lexington Inc. Board in 2016 “Those who know me are aware of my passion for Yes, our workforce is highly-educated, but we still have improving education in our community. Over the years, hundreds of quality, good-paying jobs going unfilled each I’ve served alongside many of our community’s best com - year, keeping many businesses from expanding further. We munity and education leaders in a number of efforts to must continue to improve and make reforms to our work - strengthen our students’ opportunity for success. Most force training system that will provide the best return-on- recently, I had the privilege of chairing the FCPS Re-district - investment both for employers and workers. Recent feder - ing Committee, as we worked through the difficult task of al legislation has put more power in the hands of state and setting new boundaries for our school system. local governments to make enhancements and develop During my tenure as Chairman of the Commerce solutions to address the skills gap within individual Lexington Inc. Board of Directors in 2016, you’ll hear me ALAN STEIN regions. talk about education a lot. I believe it is one of the corner - PRESIDENT & CEO Having a strong workforce enables us to attract, retain stones of our community and our economy, and STEINGROUP, LLC and grow business and industry here in the Bluegrass. Commerce Lexington Inc. considers it to be not only one 2016 BOARD CHAIR When education, workforce development, and economic of the most important functions of state government, but COMMERCE development are working well together, the Bluegrass also paramount in our efforts to attract and retain busi - LEXINGTON INC. Region is as strong as any place in the world. ness and industry. I invite you to join me and about a thousand of your Whether you have children in the school system or not, closest friends, as we highlight some of these ‘common we are all connected by a ‘common thread’ that binds each of us to a threads’ at the Commerce Lexington Inc. Annual Dinner on Thursday, shared interest in education. How, you ask? Well, we all want to con - January 28th, at Lexington Center. If we are unified in our efforts, tinue building a thriving economy and prosperous region, but in there’s nothing that can keep us from creating a prosperous econo - order to do that, we must have an educational system which helps all my for many future generations. It all starts with the education of our students succeed and provides them with the skills that will ultimate - young people. ly translate to the workplace. Lexington already boasts one of the I am honored to serve as your Commerce Lexington Inc. Board most educated workforces in the country, but as the economy Chair in 2016, and I look forward to working with many of you in evolves, so too must our educational system. efforts to enhance our community and region.” JANUARY 2016 BUSINESS FOCUS 3 ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT A Collaborative Effort of the Bluegrass Business Development Partnership (BBDP): SUBMITTED BY : Gina Greathouse, Hannah Huggins, Kimberly Rossetti & Allison Boyd | CLX Economic Development Division Lexington Venture Club Entrepreneurial Celebration During Global Entrepreneurship Week, the Lexington Venture Club (LVC) hosted its annual celebration of the entrepreneurship community announcing the Central Kentucky entrepreneurial community created 280 new jobs and raised $50.6 million in capital funds in Fiscal Year 2015. During the event, the BBDP recognized 22 compa - nies as the recipients of the Lexington’s eAchievers award (pictured at right ) for excellence in entrepreneurship. To qualify for the award, the companies created at least five new full time jobs and/or raised over $1 million in capital. Catalyzing on this opportunity to recognize innovation in our community, LVC also unveiled its new brand and direction, “SPARK.” Building on the LVC’s long-time role 2015 eAchievers to help launch promising business ventures, SPARK’s mission is to provide a forum which fosters sharing between entrepreneurs, businesses, investors and profes - 2015 Global Entrepreneurship Week Recap sional services providers. SPARK will continue to have luncheons focused on the entrepreneurial community in The Bluegrass Business addition to networking events, open coffees and business Development Partnership host - showcases. ed and organized many great In addition to the eAchiever awards, the BBDP gave events in the month of the inaugural Harvey Award, which will be given annually November during the fifth to an individual or organization that has made a signifi - annual Lexington Global cant impact on the entrepreneurial community. The first Entrepreneurship Week (GEW). recipient of this award, for which it is named, was Dean The BBDP hosted 12 events Harvey, who is the Executive Director of the UK Von during the week, including Allmen Center for Entrepreneurship within the Gatton three workshops, local high College of Business and Economics. Mr. Harvey has been school visits with Junior Aimee Cousoulis of GxP Pinch Hitting presented at tireless supporter of UK’s commercialization efforts and Achievement and RunJumpDev, the Bluegrass Biotech Regulatory Summit. the startup community. a Kickstarter company open cof - For information about the event and Lexington fee, the annual entrepreneurial celebration, two pitch competitions and Startup Venture Club, visit on-line at lexingtonventureclub.com Weekend. Over 735 attendees participated in Global Entrepreneurship Week in or facebook.com/lexingtonventureclub . 2015, which has grown significantly from the 2011 GEW that had 278 participants. Stat of the Month: Lexington is Thriving By The Numbers: In 2015, Commerce Lexington’s Economic Development Area for Research and Development Division responded to calls from the following: Lexington is a thriving area for research and development, with a healthy mix of New Business: 99 new prospects interested in finding small entrepreneurial companies and industry giants such as Xerox, Lexmark, a new location or expanding operations Toyota and Alltech. Many of Lexington’s companies are not traditional laboratory Existing Clients & Local Entrepreneurial Companies: R&D operations; nevertheless, they use innovative processes to create value from 42 companies with potential expansions in Lexington ideas and become successful enterprises. According to the U.S. Patent and Client Visits: 28 Trademark Office, an average of 225.5 patents are issued to Lexington inventors Existing Business Visits: 150 every year with over 2,480 patents issued since 2005. In 2015, Lexmark led Lexington companies in patents with