Just an Observation and possibly a Question, maybe Bob Terrell Sr is the guy to answer this one.
As a person who has lived here many years I have noticed what seems to be a very large surge of population in the last few years. Just watching the traffic in general our area seems twice as congested as only a few years ago?
As I bounce this off of several other folks they tend to agree, this however I believe is a good thing (I think) for the Local Economy in General and would certainly help in creating more jobs for the Local population.
With this surge of people where are they all working at? I know of several good companies and plants that are here but I still can not quite match the surge of folks to that many new jobs? maybe so.
Maybe Folks are coming here from many other areas now for several good reasons, not sure but would like to know some of stats that are driving some of the interesting metrics that define our area.
Just Curious as things seem to really be picking up, not sure for the better or worse but none the less seem to be picking up??
That is a good question. This my opinion based on having developed a good relationship with many of our business leaders these past six years. This is part 1 to my response.
We have been blessed by having some very good area entrepreneurs. In the 1990's and early 2000's our area lost some good jobs. American Greetings closed, NCR closed, National Standard closed, and CTA had a bad accident.
First, when CTA decided to stay in our area after their accident and build a modern and safer plant this saved us from losing another 400 plus jobs. They could have moved out of here but they didn't. They are picking up more work and adding different products with a good potential of increasing the number of jobs they have.
Second, Aisin in Lily sometime ago expanded their plant. Close to 300 of their employees are from Laurel County, 200 from Whitley and about 100 from Knox County. This is a very important plant for our area.
Third, Northern Contours which is located on the bypass has expanded four times and has been a very productive company. They have gone from about 40 employees to about 200.
Fourth, Pearson came to our area in 2002 and has grown to nearly 400 employees. This is a British Company and has been an important new member of our business community.
Fifth, NucSafe came to our area in 2003 with only a few jobs and they have added another building to their operation and are doing very well.
Sixth, Whayne Supply has been a solid rock for our area. They have been here since the 1950's and we are blessed by having this good company.
Seventh, CSX continures to be another solid. They have some excellent skills in their workforce including a good number of General Electric employees.
Eighth, Resuable Plastic Containers was established by Chuck Archer in late 2004 and they have doubled their size and gained some great contracts in a business that is very good for the environment.
Ninth, Pepsi's Vending business went into our Business Park and expanded in 2005. This is another one of those strong parts of our foundation.
Tenth, Kentucky Cabinet purchased the American Greetings Building and they now have approximately 200 employees, and have lease space available for other businesses.
Eleventh, Classic Vaults now occupies the NCR building and is an excellent company.
Twelvth, EKU has a good number of teachers and they have made a good impact in our area.
Fourteenth, we have growth in our Corbin and Whitley County school systems which adds teachers and staff.
Fifteenth, the Baptist Regional Medical Center has grown and provides a large number of good paying jobs. This is one of the top job providers in the Tri'County area.
Sixteenth, Datatrac has extablished a large operation in the former Wal-Mart building in Williamsburg.
Seventeenth, Information Capture Solutions established businesses in Williamsburg and London and this young and enthusiastic company has high expectations for the future and are on course to reach them.
Eighteenth, we have more restaurants and more tourists are travelling to this area for meals, to stay over night, and to attend area events which are growing each year. The new Exposition Center will accelerate this tourism growth which creates more jobs.
Nineteenth, Stidham Cabinet in Keavy has been a very valuable company with several expansions in recent years.
Twentieth, we have many small businesses that provide services or products. They are sometimes overlooked but they have been willing to risk everything to serve all of us. My hat goes off to our small business owners and employees.
In 2006 Whitley County joined Laurel County in reducing unemployment below the Kentucky standard. In past years Whitley was eligible for an Economic Development Incentive called KREDA. After June of this year we will not be eligible because our job situation and average income has improved. In 2005 Corbin finished in a tie for 8th in Kentucky in the best performance in Economic Development growth. London also tied for 8th. Knox County still has a higher unemployment rate and lower average income level and the KREDA program is still available to them.
Pardon me for being so wordy and long winded. This is a subject dear to my heart. We can't do things like we used to do them and succeed in the future. The easiest thing in the world to do is to say no and not do anything. Any thing that is of value to us requires us to pay the cost in innovation, creativity, and finding our way around obstacles.
I have not mentioned all the companies who are key members or our area's economic development team. During the next week I will provide part II to this response. These are just my thoughts.
Bob Terrell, Sr.
London and Laurel County have done a remarkable job in Economic Growth. When Corbin or London succeeds it helps all of us.
Just an Observation and possibly a Question, maybe Bob Terrell Sr is the guy to answer this one.
As a person who has lived here many years I have noticed what seems to be a very large surge of population in the last few years. Just watching the traffic in general our area seems twice as congested as only a few years ago?
As I bounce this off of several other folks they tend to agree, this however I believe is a good thing (I think) for the Local Economy in General and would certainly help in creating more jobs for the Local population.
With this surge of people where are they all working at? I know of several good companies and plants that are here but I still can not quite match the surge of folks to that many new jobs? maybe so.
Maybe Folks are coming here from many other areas now for several good reasons, not sure but would like to know some of stats that are driving some of the interesting metrics that define our area.
Part II Economic Development
I have not been putting these companies in any ranking order about the importance they play in our community. They are all important to our present and future. All of us need to appreciate their value in our community.
Twenty one, Terry Forcht's multifarious businesses are a big plus to our area. Banking, newspapers, radio stations, nursing homes, insurance, systems operations, pharmacutical center, philanthrophy, and Corbin's Headquarters add up to many jobs not just in our area but in this region of the US. Terry has quietly contributed to many worthy groups, colleges, and churches. This type of entreprenural leadership helps develop other leaders .
Twenty two, SEKRI has gone through a period of some problems but I am confident they have addressed these issues and will continue to be an effective company. They provide a good number of jobs in Corbin, Barbourville, Williamsburg, Harlan, and Paris. They are a non profit company whose mission is to provide a good share of their jobs to special workers who might not otherwise have an opportunity to work. And another part of that mission is to provide high quality and services. Long Term, this company can be a valuable asset in our Region.
Twenty three, Wynn's Firetruck Co., is a facinating operation. This is a valuable company for the environment in extending the life of important vehicles, and making it economical possible for volunteer and other fire departments to have equipment they can afford. I have visited their operation often and have a great respect for Charles Wynn and his organization.
Twenty four, TCO (Services Sylvania with plant on bypass) expanded a couple years ago when they added a 62,000 square foot Distribution Center. This is a company that provides the Auto Industry headlights and other electronic products.
Twenty five, Teco Energy has an excellent operation in our Tri-County Industrial Park. This is a highly respected Global Company and they have a very attractive facility.
Twenty Six, Williamsburg Plastics has been a long time key operation and has shown some good growth in past years. Their equipment is state of the art and they service some excellent national companies.
Twenty Seven, CDR (located next to Williamsburg Plastics) has expanded recently. This company replaced TCA and Texas Instuments is one of their key cultomers. They have impressive technology in their manufacturing processes.
I have to go to a meeting, and this will conclude Part II. As soon as possible I will provide Part III. When we get to part IV I would like for you to provide me any I have overlooked. Part V will commence a section on the actions we all believe are important to help us become an Exceptional Community. You can be a great help in coming up with this plan.
I have to say it amazes me, but doesn't surprise me, that you (Mr. Terrell) are not still in charge of Economic Development. You are by leaps and bounds the most qualified to sell our community to organizations large and small - it is not even arguable - but there are those in charge that don't want growth and progress - it threatens their power and control. Corbin will be stagnant until the people of this area get rid of the individuals, whether they be board members, commissioners, or other elected officials, whose interests are not that of Corbin and it's citizens. I hear most of the city talk about this problem, and it appears so obvious to everyone, but no one has the guts to do anything about it, and we will continue to pay the price for our gutlessness, and the greed, ignorance, and out-dated thinking of some of those in charge.
It's time to clean house, get rid of the board members and commissioners who refuse to make the right decisions for the community, and get rid of those who are not qualified to fill these types of jobs. We have to stop talking about the problem and take action if we ever plan to compete with the rest of the U.S.
Thank you very much. In these next weeks we will work together to develop through this website a summary of our strengths, our weaknesses, and the actions that need to be taken to help us become an exceptional community. I hope everyone will be thinking about some of the things that need to be done to make us better, and how can we get there. We have people in our community with outstanding ideas. Many of you know far more than I do about many of these things and lets make this a community program. There are great opportunities ahead of us. I believe with teamwork, faith, hardwork, vision, and resolve many things can be done.
My son Bob has been a great deal of help to me and he will help organize these advantages, weaknesses and plan.
I am very pleased that our new Mayor is working hard with the commission to get new sidewalks in our community. And the Downtown Corbin Revitalization Program is important. Our downtown merchants and those in East, Souith, Southwest, and North Corbin are part of our foundation for the present and the future.
Tomorrow I will do my best to complete Part III and then I want the people to help with Parts IV and V.
I have enjoyed reading Bob's points regarding this issue of industry, I have some tougher questions but will wait till Bob finishes his last few parts as the answers I am looking for may be on the way, so I'll wait.
Never the less, no question Bob is a resource the area desperatley needs, my own opinion is he should be very much involved in this Expo Center, no question they need a Manager with Corporate Experience to Lead this as there are many problems with the entire project.
My second point, most of these folks making decisions have been Elected, it's not a few folks making the calls on who does what, it's the folks that have been elected by the people who are really making the calls, not pretty but that's our system.
Bob would have made an excellent County Judge but come up a little short, my own opinion is Bob should have ran for Corbin Commissioner, Mayor, State Rep before running for Judge, I think that would have given him the little edge he needed to win.
My advice to the City: The Landscape will most likley change in Frankfort & Washington soon, you better take advantage of the good folks who can navigate different waters and be an asset to the city, don't be caught unprepared for Change that probably will happen, Be Pro-Active in many ways!!!
Number 9 in Part I referred to Pepsi's Vending Business that moved to the Regional Business Park. Pepsi Cola's entire company is a blessing to this area, and they do many things for our community and area. While in High School one summer I worked for Pepsi. I helped load the trucks and then helped a driver unload cases at businesses and put empty bottles back on the truck. This job got me ready for football camp and was a good experience. They will always be a special company to me.
Twenty-eight, Social Security Office, that is built on the property of R.L. and Hettie Owens. This new facility and the services they provide are good for our area and community.
Twenty-nine, Owens Auto Parts and Wrecker Services perform several valuable roles for our community. Their businesses have grown, and they have helped develop land for other businesses. The Lexington Clinic Branch is in one of their buildings and it provides very good health services that enable people to be treated for cancer here at home instead of having to go to out of town sites. Their daughter, Betty Sue Surmont and her husband are following very well in their footsteps.
Thirty, Dennis, D.L. and the late Dale Lynch are another family that has been involved in many aspects of our business life. Their Bowling Alleys are good businesses and along with the Rotary Club and the Times Tribune they do a magnificant job with the empty stocking fund that enables many families and their children to enjoy a Merry Christmas with hope for the future.
Thirty-one, John Bill Keck and his sons play a good role in business in our area. They are another family that takes risks to succeed and they work hard to make an impact with their businesses. You have to have risk takers with entreprenural spirit to keep an area alive and growing.
Side note.....As a youngster, Walter Stewart was a man I looked up to because he always seemed to be at the right place at the right time. It wasn't luck, it was having good instincts and finding out which way the world was moving.
Thirty-three, the Pennington family has a remarkable history in our area. EKU would not have its nice campus in Corbin if it had not been for their generosity and kindness. The EKU campus will be a blessing to our area for years to come, and the Penningtons have also been important in the construction business and other related businesses.
Thirty-four, the Myers Brothers, Lanny, Dennis, and David. Automotive Dealerships, parts and services, real estate development, community service and many other things have been the mark of them and their parents. And their sister, Gayle Fredericks has built her own legacy in her school that has helped many young women to build their talent. confidence, and self esteem as they grow up to pursue their dreams.
Thirty-five, Tunny Hamlin was involved in developing Tattersall, built the Surburban Motel in the early 1960's, was involved in building the Howard Johnson Hotel and restaurant, and later with his family established Hamlin-Kearsy and the women's clothing business. His dad was one of the hard working business people of the 1940's, 50's, and 60's. He was innovative. One of the best things Tunny did was marry my first cousin, Pat Baker.
This concludes Part III, and a change in my plans is to provide Part IV and Part V, and to then have each viewer submit any other additions and we will start out with our foundation that we can build on. Before we develop our plan for the future, we will then identify the problems or improvements we believe we need to make to become an EXCEPTIONAL COMMUNITY.
We might even have a meeting at the conclusion to review our plan. As I start Part 1V I am going to tell you about a story I heard from former Coach Lou Holtz about an experience his Arkansas team had prior to playing Oklahoma in the Orange Bowl back in the 1980's.
I'm sorry I am a little behind in completing my work on our plan for Corbin to become an Exceptional community. Part I, Part II, and Part III provide a look at some of the strenghts we have in our area. I will list more of these strenghths in Part IV sson. But first I wanted to tell you about an experience I heard about from the football Coach Lou Holtz who won a national title while at Notre Dame. This experience occured when he was coaching Arkansas and was getting ready to play number 1 ranked Oklahoma in the Orange Bow. Oklahoma was a heavy favorite and just a few days before the game several Arkansas players broke training rules and Coach Holtz suspended them from playing in the Orange Bowl. Two of them were their top running backs. The fans at Arkansas were very upset that Coach Holtz had punished them in taking away their chance to play in this bowl game. Losing these two players assured that Oklahoma would wipe them out.
I introduced Coach Holtz to speak at our national sales meeting in Dallas, and this is when he told this story. He said after he suspended these plalyers the team went into deep depression. They had no fight, no spirit, and no confidence. He tried everything and nothing worked. At the dinner the night before the game he even did magic tricks to get them relaxed (he is a very good magician) and it didn't work. Finally he said," Lets go around the room and each of you tell me something good about our team." The first player to speak was the substitute running back who would start in place of the star of the team. He said, " I know we will miss our all-conference running back, however, I believe if I got a chance to play more this year I could have rushed for a `1000 yards. I believe I will be able to play well." The next player to speak was the captain of the special teams. " I believe our special teams are as good or better than any team in the nation. I don't believe Oklahoma will do any good on kickoffs and punts." Suddenly there was a buzz in the room and everyone was coming alive. The third player was a defensive corner back. He said, " if we can get a lead on Oklahoma and they have to pass the ball more we will shut them down. They depend on their running game and all year they have not had to come from behind and pass the ball. We need to get out fast and score." Now players were laughing and clapping their hands. The next player said, "We have the best field goal kicker in our conference. If we get in scoring position we will at least get 3 points everytime." A big defensive lineman was next and he barked out, " I know they have a great running game, but we have played good against the run all season. I believe we can stop the running game and make them pass. They don't have a good passing game." By now the room was rocking with enthusiasm and confidence. When it was over they all stood up and gave a good cheer and bounced out of room to their rooms.
The next day Arkansas scored early and were able to contain Oklahioma's great running game. Arkandsas scored again, and again, and built their lead to 21 points. Oklahoma had to try to catch up by throwing the ball and Arkansas put a great rush on the passer and shutout Oklahoma 21 to 0. Somctimes we don't know how many strong points we have. Sometime our expectations are low. Enthusiasm, team spirit, committment, and faith can take us a long way. When we get through with this exercise I hope all of us realize we have some very good characteristics in our community. And by planning together and taking actions we can make it even better.
They fired this man, this man with a plan, this man with the good of all in his heart, Mr. Terrell,,,,,,and hired,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,what we have now.
