Accomplishments

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The Bowling Green Area Chamber of Commerce prides itself on its accomplishments, which represent the initiatives that have been identified as integral to the successful growth of the community, its businesses and its people.

Mary Cohron, 2007 Chairperson of the Chamber's Board of Directors, sums up the year's accomplishments by saying, "When I stepped into this leadership role in January 2007, I knew our board of directors, Chamber partners and Chamber staff had set us up for a banner years. But what I didn't realize was just how successful the year would really be!"

2007 truly was a banner year for the Bowling Green Area Chamber of Commerce. Working under the theme of "Strong Partners. Powerful Solutions." the Chamber celebrated the following

The dedication of our new 17,460-square-foot, state-of-the-art headquarters at 710 College Street. Nearly 200 Chamber partners committed to contributing more than $3 million to build the Chamber's 21st Century home, almost twice the campaign goal.
Fourteen new and expanded industries, creating 1,602 new jobs and an investment of nearly $77 million.
With 320 new partners recruited during the year, the Chamber doubled the annual recruitment rate it traditionally sees. As of December 31, 2007, 1,316 businesses and individuals were partners with the Chamber.

These aren't the only accomplishments for the year. In addition to these outstanding victories is a long list of successful programs, initiatives and partner benefits that impact business and our economy. Read on to learn more about our accomplishments in the following areas:

Regional Economic Development
New Business Recruitment & Existing Business Support
Existing Business Development
Partnership and Organizational Development
Infrastructure
Workforce Development

Regional Economic Development

We remain focused on enhancing economic development in South Central Kentucky through our regional coalition and marketing plan. In 2007, we

Boosted our regional partnership efforts, coordinating regular Regional Development Committee meetings and quarterly Regional Leadership Luncheons to foster these relationships, and collaborating on economic development and legislative efforts.
Enhanced our South Central Kentucky marketing efforts, contracting with Chabin Concepts, a premier economic development, site location and marketing firm, to revise and further our marketing plan. The newly revised plan will allow us to
- Continue management and marketing arrangements with the Inter-Modal Transportation Authority to provide increased efficiencies for both organizations while supporting regional economic development.
- Build upon the regional presences and recent economic development successes for the South Central Kentucky Region, taking regional economic development to a new level.
- Boost competitive preparation by enhancing tools and staffing to more effectively carry out regional marketing and sales tactics, including a research focus.
- Increase the number of prospects visiting South Central Kentucky by making direct, face-to-face contact with site selection professionals and company representatives looking to locate their facility, as well as incorporating other successful methods for business recruitment.
- Promote the Kentucky Transpark, the region's state-of-the-art crown jewel, by distributing the award-winning economic development marketing materials, including the Kentucky Transpark brochure and DVD—English and Japanese versions.
- Deepen the South Central Kentucky brand to site selection professionals and other interested parties, particularly through the promotion of www.southcentralky.com, the international-award-winning website for South Central Kentucky, and the South Central Kentucky marketing brochure.
Continue to promote our brand—"Central for Business. Southern for Living."—and utilize collaterals that we've designed to effectively attract new business, including a South Central Kentucky DVD and brochure. To reach our international prospects, we've translated these collateral items into several languages.

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New Business Recruitment & Existing Business Support

The Bowling Green Area Chamber of Commerce and our South Central Kentucky partners announced 14 new and expanded industries in 2007, creating 1,602 new jobs and an investment of nearly $77 million; many of these projects were announced at the 2007 Industry Appreciation Banquet.

The new industry announcements celebrated the following:

Bendix Spicer Foundation Brake to establish a state-of-the-art drum and disc manufacturing facility in Bowling Green, creating 130 jobs and a $6.5 million investment.
Two companies to locate at the Kentucky Transpark.
- HOWA USA, Inc. to bring a manufacturing facility for American HOWA Kentucky, Inc. to 24 acres of the Transpark, creating 61 new jobs and investing $10.55 million. The facility will manufacture dash insulators, headlines and other interior products for the automotive industry.
- Cannon Automotive Solutions, Inc., an affiliate of The Electromac Group, to locate their newest manufacturing operation on 14 acres of the Transpark, creating 100 jobs and investing $13.1 million. The facility will build individual component stampings for frames to be installed on the 2009 New Generation Ford F-150 pickup trucks.
Dynastrosi Laboratories, Inc. to locate their research and development laboratory and prototyping operation in Morgantown. Dynastrosi also expanded their operations at the Innovation and Commercialization Center within the Western Kentucky University Center for Research and Development. In total, Dynastrosi will add 20 new jobs and invest $9.67 million.
Kenmold Company, Ltd. to create a U.S. Sales and Engineering Office at the Innovation and Commercialization Center. This announcement adds seven new jobs and a $100,000 investment.
Wind Energy Corporation to locate their manufacturing facility in Morgantown, creating 122 new jobs and investing $6.11 million in Butler County.
- Wind Energy Corporation and Dynastrosi Laboratories, Inc. are partnering on the development and manufacturing of next-generation wind turbines to the middle wind market segment.
Sitel Operating Corporation to open a call center facility in Glasgow, creating 581 new jobs and investing $3.41 million in Barren County.
TeleServices Direct to open a call center in Bowling Green, creating 300 new jobs in Warren County.

We're also pleased to have been a part of expansion announcements in 2007.

Berry Plastics to invest $10.42 million and create 26 new jobs in Bowling Green (Warren County).
LORD Corporation to invest $3.04 million and create 80 new jobs in Bowling Green (Warren County).
Whayne Supply Company to invest $7.35 million and create 15 new jobs in Bowling Green (Warren County).
Halton Company to invest $2.2 million and create 60 new jobs in Scottsville (Allen County).
Transtek Recycling to invest $3.7 million and create 50 new jobs in Morgantown (Butler County)
Morgantown Manufacturing Company to invest more than $750,000 and create 50 new jobs in Morgantown (Butler County).

Overall, the South Central Kentucky region experienced economic growth of 1,822 jobs and $129.5 million in investment in 2007, as reported by the Kentucky Cabinet for Economic Development.

Our Economic Development Team devoted themselves to supporting local industries, attracting new clients and enhancing the business climate in South Central Kentucky. As part of their many efforts, they

Visited more than 75 existing industries in the Bowling Green area, emphasizing our commitment to retaining local business.
Traveled to locations throughout the United States, Canada and Asia with local government officials and private sector leaders. These economic development recruiting trips resulted in 85 inquiries and 21 currently active projects.
Invited attraction clients to the region, who made more than 25 trips to South Central Kentucky to observe our business climate.
Revised our Management Agreement with the Inter-Modal Transportation Authority (ITA). We continue to increase economic development opportunities for the region and maximize efficiencies for both organizations.
Implemented SalesLogix®, a new database system that will heighten our tracking systems for companies, trends and issues.

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Existing Business Development

We remain committed to enhancing our business community through legislative efforts, special events, and programs and educational services, and additional Chamber programs.

Legislative Efforts

As part of our legislative efforts, we

Attended the Kentucky Chamber of Commerce Chamber Day in Lexington with members of the executive committee for the Board of Directors in January, kicking off the 2007 General Assembly.
Held a Washington Update by Congressman Ron Lewis at the Chamber, an event organized by the Governmental Relations Committee and sponsored by Jim Johnson Pontiac, Nissan, Hyundai. We replayed the program on Insight Communications.
Coordinated a Legislative Update from Speaker Jody Richards, Senator Brett Guthrie, and Representatives Jim DeCesare and Rob Wilkey at the Chamber, an event organized by the Governmental Relations Committee. We replayed the program on Insight Communications.
Traveled to Washington D.C. for the South Central Kentucky Washington D.C. Fly-in with regional representatives and met with Senators Mitch McConnell and Jim Bunning; Congressmen Ron Lewis and Hal Rogers; and Congressman Ed Whitfield's chief of staff.
Researched and proposed legislative priorities for the Chamber, a project of the Legislative Action Task Force. Resulting in a 67% success rate on Chamber-supported issues during 2006 and 2007.
Participated in New Agenda for Kentucky, a program launched by the Kentucky Chamber of Commerce in which a task force of business executives and entrepreneurs from Kentucky led the process of developing an idea-based action agenda to be presented to Kentucky's next governor.

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Special Events

We held events throughout the year to recognize members of our business community and show our appreciation for the benefits they bring to our economy.

Small Business Appreciation

In support of small businesses throughout South Central Kentucky, we

Formed a Small Business Support Committee, working in collaboration with Western Kentucky University to proactively enhance small business retention and expansion, and to evaluate the needs of small businesses to help grow their operations
Held Small Business Appreciation Week on May 7 through 11.
Named Jim Smith, CEO of Wendy's of Bowling Green, Inc., as the Small Business Person of the Year at the Small Business Appreciation Luncheon.
Organized the Women in Business Breakfast to honor women's contributions to the economy.
Led the partnership-wide Chamber Golf Challenge with more than 160 players and volunteers. The event was organized by the Small Business Appreciation Committee.

Industry Appreciation

In support of our local industries, we

Named October Industry Appreciation Month.
Honored NASCO (NHK Associated Spring Suspension Components, Inc.) as the 2007 Industry of the Year at the regional Industry Appreciation Banquet. NASCO was the first industry to have received this honor twice, having been first named Industry of the Year in 1996.
Organized the Women in Industry Breakfast, honoring women's contributions to the economy.
Coordinated the Industry of the Year Employee Appreciation Event, assisting NASCO in recognizing their employees.
Held the annual Industry Appreciation Golf Classic, sponsored by Scott, Murphy and Daniel, LLC, in June at The Club at Olde Stone.

Agri-business Awareness

To show our appreciation for agri-business and heighten awareness about this industry, we

Held Agri-business Awareness Week on August 20 through 24.
Named Donald Dunn, County Executive Director for Edmonson and Warren Counties, USDA Farm Service Agency, as the first recipient of the Warren County Agriculture Hall of Fame Award.
Named Loretta Baxter Lyons, owner of Triple K Farms, as the first recipient of the South Central Kentucky Agriculture Hall of Fame Award.
Hosted the Family Fun Farm Picnic at Joe Neal Balance Farm, as well as the Agri-business Awareness Luncheon at the Chamber.
Increased agri-business awareness in celebration of National Farm-City Week. The Agri-business Awareness Committee sponsored the November Coffee Hour at WKU's L.D. Brown Ag Expo Center.
Awarded the John Swack 4-H Scholarship to Michael Dodson, a Western Kentucky University student majoring in agriculture.

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Programs & Educational Services

In support of local programs and in an effort to boost educational services, we

Named 31 Business-Education Partners at the Business-Education Partnership Kick-Off in August, at which the participating schools and businesses established plans to assist one another during the 2007-2008 school year.
Awarded the 2006-2007 Most Valuable Partnership Award to U.S. Bank and Warren Elementary School.
Held an International Student Reception at the Chamber on October 17.

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Additional Chamber Programs

To continue to support our Chamber partners and recognize their dedication to furthering the business community in South Central Kentucky, we also

Named Regina Webb, owner of Regina Webb Salon & Spa, as the ATHENA recipient at the ATHENA Luncheon. Webb is the 22nd person to receive this award, which honors the local business person who contributes most greatly to the community and to the advancement of women in business.
Awarded diplomas to 26 business leaders who graduated from the 2007 Leadership Bowling Green program on November 12. The graduating class named Debby Peeples of Neal Turner Realty Commercial and Industrial Brokerage as the 2007 Bart Hagerman Leadership Award winner.
Worked with the Leadership Bowling Green Alumni Association (LBGAA) to hold quarterly meetings on community topics of interest. LBGAA conducted the STEP program, a high school leadership program similar to Leadership Bowling Green, and awarded STEP scholarships to high school students.
Partnered with Western Kentucky University to host "Welcome Back Western" in August, offering an opportunity for Chamber businesses to market their products and services to students during Western's first week of classes for the semester.
Held monthly Business After Hours and Coffee Hours, providing networking and business sponsorship and promotion opportunities for our partners.

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Partnership and Organizational Development

We are committed to developing our partners and enhancing the benefits we provide to them. As part of our efforts, we

Completed our new $4-million, state-of-the-art Chamber headquarters located at 710 College Street.
Recruited 320 new partners who invested in the Chamber, twice the number of partners joining the Chamber during any other year to-date.
Completed our first partnership drive in more than five years in July. The results from the drive were excellent, with more than 150 businesses joining the Chamber during one week. Seven teams of volunteers—more than 50 volunteers overall—worked with Chamber staff to recruit new partners. The teams were highly competitive, with many trying to take the lead in number of recruits.
- Regina Webb, owner of Regina Webb Salon & Spa, and her team, The Mama's and The Papa's, had the most recruit points for new partners at the end of the week.
- Webb was also the top-recruiting individual volunteer. In second place for individual recruit points was Elwood Janes of Porter Paint, and in third place was Sue Parrigin of Western Kentucky University.
Held quarterly Partner Orientations, which more than 100 new partners attended.
Held the first Non-Profit Orientation with more than 60 organizations in attendance.
Distributed a Get Connected Newsletter to all new partners.
Introduced 5 Minute Networking, a speed-networking event designed to give individuals the opportunity to meet others, one-on-one, in 5-minute increments. Outback Steakhouse sponsored these events.
Added "A Twist" to Business After Hours, offering icebreakers to attendees and to encourage extended networking.
Implemented Weblink Connect, a new database system that will help us better serve our partnership. As part of our new system, we communicated 339,622 partner referrals from our online directory. The website business directory provided an average of 930 referrals each day.
Celebrated continued growth and expansion in the community, coordinating 61 ribbon cuttings and groundbreakings during the year.
Held a Mid-Year Partnership Recruitment celebration for all new partners who joined during the first half of the year.
Held a Partnership Blitz in October to reach more of our partners. Volunteers and staff visited more than 160 randomly selected Chamber partners over three days.
Implemented a nine-month retention plan with high-risk partners. More than 20 retention volunteers participated, contacting more than 650 partners and completing more than 160 randomly selected Chamber partners over three days.
Celebrated Volunteer Appreciation Day in October, treating our 300+ volunteers to an ice cream social sponsored by Bruster's Real Ice Cream.
Celebrated Partnership Appreciation Day in November. More than 40 volunteers delivered the 2008 Buyer's Guide for South Central Kentucky to all partners. Volunteers distributed more than 2,000 copies in 24 hours.
Supported our Chamber partners through the Chamber Ambassador program. Ambassadors contributed nearly 4,000 volunteer hours over the course of one year.
Added nine new members to the President's Club, and four existing members increased their level of investment. Fifty-seven partners participated in the 2007 President's Club.
Expanded our 2007 Annual Dinner to include regional representation from our partner counties. Attendance was record-breaking, with more than 800 at the event.
Conducted two focus groups, gathering information about programming and retention for current and previous partners.

To better serve our partnership, we encouraged Chamber staff to develop themselves and to continue to improve upon their roles as they serve the partnership. As we moved forward with these efforts, we

Sent Chamber staff members to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Institute, along with conferences for the American Chamber of Commerce Executives, the Kentucky Association of Economic Development, the International Economic Development Council and the Kentucky Chamber of Commerce Executives, to learn about new benefits and programs to offer to our Chamber partners.
Recognized Tonya Matthews, IOM, Vice President Chamber Operations, who earned her Institute for Organization Management designation after completing four years of U.S. Chamber of Commerce Institute training.
Heightened our marketing efforts for the Chamber, producing and distributing collateral materials such as the Bowling Green & South Central Kentucky Magazine, the 2008 Buyer's Guide for South Central Kentucky, the Bowling Green/Warren County Map, an Industry Guide, and our monthly newsletter, Chamber Connection. We also produced and distributed Making the Most of Your Partnership, a manual that summarizes Chamber involvement and sponsorship opportunities.
Produced a monthly television show, Chamber Monthly Magazine, with Insight Communications. Each show featured interviews with local guests on Chamber and community topics.
Won three Professional Marketing Association Markie Awards, receiving awards for Best Newsletter, Best Marketing Campaign and Best Direct Mail Piece – Non-Profit, 3 & 4 Color.
Won an Operation P.R.I.D.E. Award for our new Chamber headquarters.
Won a Kentucky Chamber of Commerce Executives Award for Best Special Event in honor of our grand opening of our new Chamber headquarters.
Received a $1,500 check for website enhancements from the Tennessee Valley Authority.

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Infrastructure

The Infrastructure Committee worked with local utility companies and the Barren River Area Development District to compile a list of infrastructure legislative priorities.

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Workforce Development

To continue to enhance the business climate within South Central Kentucky, we established programs and efforts to develop our local workforce. We

Awarded Work Ethic Seals to 48 graduating high school seniors. The Work Ethic Seal program is designed to promote a good work ethic among local high school seniors. We awarded eight scholarships to high school seniors who had completed the program and who were planning to attend Western Kentucky University, Bowling Green Technical College or Draughons Junior College.
Assisted 165 employees in completing programs through the Warren County Industrial Training Consortium, which provides training opportunities for employees. The efforts of the consortium will result in a better-trained workforce for all companies in our region.
Established the Non-Profit Small Business Consortium, which will provide training to non-profit and small business Chamber partners.
Coordinated a South Central Kentucky Regional Job Fair and Business Exhibition on August 21 at Greenwood Mall, with more than 65 businesses and 475 jobseekers participating.

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