USINESS OCUS BOFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF COMMERCE LEXINGTON INC. F SEPTEMBER 2013 VOLUME XXI, ISSUE IX Salute to Small Business Awards Luncheon is Friday, September 20 Presented by Salute to Small Business Category Award Winners: Bates Security, LLC Central Kentucky Riding for Hope Comfort & Process Solutions, Inc. Comfort Keepers Hurst Office Suppliers, Inc. Lexington Ballet Company, Inc. Thai Orchid Cafe www.CommerceLexington.com READ MORE ON PAGES 10-11 BUSINESS FOCUS September 2013: Volume XXI, Issue IX INSIDE THIS ISSUE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT: 4-5 Lexington Venture Club: Panel on Crowdfund Investing Livability.com: Lexington Among Top 10 College Towns Business Focus is published once a month for a E.D. Team Meets with Consul General of Republic of Indonesia total of 12 issues per year by Commerce Lexington Inc., 330 East Main Street, Suite 100, Lexington, KY 40507. Phone: (859) 226-1600 EVENTS: 2013 Chair of the Board: 6-13 Danny Murphy, Assistant Dean of Opportunity Exchange Features New Format October 24 Administration and Community Engagement Public Policy Luncheon: Panel of 5 State Gov’t Leaders University of Kentucky College of Law @330 Event: Planning for a Financially Successful Retirement Paul Miller Ford Mazda Hosts Business Link Oct. 22 Publisher: Robert L. Quick, CCE, President & CEO Salute to Small Business Awards Luncheon is Sept. 20 Commerce Lexington Inc. BOAB Enrollment Event is Thursday, October 17 2013 Business on the Green Recap & Photos Editor: Mark E. Turner Communications Specialist: Elizabeth Bennett Printing: Post Printing 14-19 GET CONNECTED: Mail Service: Lexington Herald-Leader Ambassador Spotlight: Sue Miller, Al Torstrick Subscriptions are available for $12 and are Winner’s Circle 2013 Campaign Officially Kicks Off included as a direct benefit of Commerce Lexington Inc. membership. Business Focus Leadership Development Session Recaps (USPS 012-337) periodical postage paid at Welcome New Commerce Lexington Inc. Members Lexington, Kentucky. 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. Columbia Gas of Kentucky Salute to Small Business Category Presents New Opportunity Award Winners Listed on Pages PERSONNEL UPDATES Exchange Format on October 24 10 & 11 Inside This Issue. Submit your company’s awards and mile- stones or personnel changes and additions to [email protected]. Personnel news might include promotions, additions, awards and milestones, recogni- tions and certifications and/or appoint- ments. Information is published only as 2013 Edition of The Paul Miller Ford Mazda Hosts space permits. Winner’s Circle Campaign Business Link on October 22 Officially Kicks Off 2 BUSINESS FOCUS SEPTEMBER 2013 Keep Connected to CLX; Commerce Lexington Inc. Social Media Guide Commerce Lexington Inc. recognizes that business owners and busi- www.twitter.com/CommerceLex ness professionals live busy lives. That’s why we have so many different www.twitter.com/LocateInLex ways to keep connected to the events, programs, and services that help Join the 4,500-plus people who follow Commerce Lexington you succeed. From the monthly Business Focus magazine to our week- Inc. on Twitter for the latest news as it happens. Typically, we’ll ly E-Newsletter and web site to our many social media channels, there tweet live from events, conferences, and trips, like our annual are plenty of choices for you to get connected to Commerce Lexington Leadership Visit and D.C. Fly-In, so you can get a sense of and interact with other businesspeople. what’s happening in real-time. Social media is an effective way to promote your company or organ- ization, keep tabs on what people are saying about your business, and www.youtube.com/commlexingtonky engage your customers. Here are some of the places you can keep up There are more than 165 video clips and in some cases full with Commerce Lexington Inc. on social media. events posted on our YouTube channel. There are also plenty of video clips promoting Lexington and our region, which you www.facebook.com/groups/CommerceLexington can post on your own web site. www.facebook.com/LocateInLex www.facebook.com/clmbd www.linkedin.com Commerce Lexington Inc. has over 1,500 members on its Facebook Search groups: Commerce Lexington group page. We like the setup of the group page rather than a fan page, If you’re on LinkedIn, you can join the 560-plus people in our since our organization is geared so much toward members and people LinkedIn group and post your own business-related items & who have a connection with the Bluegrass Region. You can also follow interact with others. www.facebook.com/LocateInLex for news on expansions and reloca- tions to the Bluegrass, as well as news from our Minority Business http://commercelexington.tumblr.com Development division at www.facebook.com/clmbd. If you’d like more details on a variety of Commerce Lexington Inc. events and programs, you can check out the Commerce Lexington Blog on Tumblr. Let us know if you have topics that you’d like to see included. SEPTEMBER 2013 BUSINESS FOCUS 3 ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT A Collaborative Effort of the Bluegrass Business Development Partnership (BBDP): SUBMITTED BY: Gina Greathouse, Margaret Ridley, Kimberly Rossetti & Alaina Stephens, Commerce Lexington Inc. Economic Development Division Economic Development News: Venture Club Covers Crowdfund Investing Sept. 18th Lexington Venture Club Features Panel on Crowdfund Investing Interest in Crowdfund Investing (CFI) is quickly spreading throughout the region. The Lexington Venture Club is hosting a non- equity and equity crowdfunding panel on Wednesday, September 18, from 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m., at the Hyatt Regency Lexington downtown. The cost to attend is $35 per person. Please RSVP to Ann Linton Smith at (859) 225-5005 or [email protected]. The panel lineup includes Brian Luftman, president and founder, American Consulate General of Farm Investors and member of CommonWealth Republic of Indonesia By The Numbers: Crowdfunding; Joe Ruschell of the law firm Stites and The Commerce Lexington Inc. In 2013, Commerce Lexington’s Harbison; Bill Strench of the law firm Frost, Brown, Todd; Economic Development team had the Economic Development Division Michael Hartman, president of Frogdice; Suzanne opportunity to meet with the new has responded to calls from the Bergmeister of Sunflower Business Ventures; and Jennifer Consul General of the Republic of following: Graham, Chief Cloning Officer, Cuddle Clones. Indonesia (pictured above) in July. Our team meets regularly with various con- New Business: 59 new prospects Geeks Night Out sulates to learn about potential industry interested in finding a new loca- In2Lex had one of its largest crowds (pictured below) at the collaborations with international com- tion or expanding operations. quarterly Geeks Night Out event on August 14 at the Blue panies. Lexington is home to many Heron on Jefferson Street. Over 100 people attended the international companies and individu- Existing Clients & Local technology networking event, which brings together indi- als, and our team strives to increase the Entrepreneurial Companies: viduals and companies with a technology focus to net- foreign direct investment in our region. 32 companies with potential work, share best practices, and learn about the industry in By meeting with the Consulate General expansions in Lexington. Lexington. Over 20% of the attendees were new compa- of the Republic Indonesia, our team Client Visits: 24 nies that the Bluegrass Business Development Partnership learned about their main industries and has recently recruited to Lexington. We’re proud of our exports. We were also able to share all Existing Business Visits: 85 dynamic and growing technology industry in Lexington. the great attributes about doing busi- Thank you to Awesome Inc. for sponsoring the event. ness in Lexington. PHOTO COURTESY OF AWESOME INC. www.LocateinLexington.com | www.twitter.com/locateinlex | www.facebook.com/locateinlex 4 BUSINESS FOCUS SEPTEMBER 2013 ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT Livability.com Ranks Lexington CLX Part of Reception to Promote Among Top 10 College Towns Upcoming Alltech National Horse Show Those who live here in the Bluegrass already know what More than 70 guests enjoyed a cock- a great college environment there is, but that belief was tail reception held at the Lexington solidified recently when Livability.com, a national website Visitors Center on July 23 in honor of the that ranks quality of life and travel amenities of America’s 2013 Alltech National Horse Show. The small and mid-sized cities, named Lexington #5 on its list show, held at the Alltech Arena in the of Top 10 College Towns for 2013. Kentucky Horse Park, will run from October 29 – November 3, 2013. “It was a great cast of characters who drive markets, not just in the horse busi- ness either,” said Gina Greathouse (pic- This year, Livability.com editors narrowed their search to tured at right with Jim Browder), Senior PHOTO BY BOO HARDY cities with a high quality of life based on a range of factors Vice President of Economic from cost of living and walkability to cultural amenities and Development of Commerce Lexington worked, made new connections and pollution levels. They then focused on those cities where a Inc. “The economic activity that the refreshed old friendships. Stories were university is the top employer and key economic driver. The Alltech National Horse Show generates shared and new opportunities were University of Kentucky is in fact our area’s top employer. at the Kentucky Horse Park for our com- explored. Civic, business and academic Lexington was chosen because of the harmonious rela- munity is a great reflection of what we leaders, along with horse people from tionship between students, faculty and residents.