Message from the Board Chair
RAY DANIELS
“Being a business owner or entrepreneur is a tough endeavor. It’s a 24/7 job, and at times, every business owner feels like they’re on an island all by themselves. I can tell you without a doubt that you are not alone. There are plenty of people and organizations like Commerce Lexington Inc. committed to providing businesses of all types and sizes with the resources and opportunities they need to grow.
I’ve been a business owner for some time now, and when I think about Commerce Lexington and what it has meant to me, there’s a word I like to use, and that is ‘ADVOCATE.’ Among everything else we do as an organization, Commerce Lexington is an advocate for your business. Whether it’s providing networking and marketing opportunities, cost-saving discounts, guidance for small businesses through the Business Owners Advisory Boards, financing and procurement options, leadership and professional development, and representation at all levels of government, Commerce Lexington is here to help.
This year, we’ve chosen to BE BOLD, and you’ll see that theme throughout the year as our team implements several operational changes and enhancements to events and programs that we believe will better position Commerce Lexington and our region for future success.
I’m also excited to be able to build off the momentum from last year’s Leadership Visit to Raleigh, where the delegation identified four issues most important to Lexington’s future, including housing affordability; regionalism; gentrification; and diversity, equity and inclusion. I hope you’ll consider joining us for this year’s Leadership Visit to Austin, Texas, where we’ll continue these conversations, while studying Austin’s successes and challenges.
We must continue to strengthen our regional efforts, because we know that the communities across our nation doing the best economically are also doing a great job of being unified regionally. Today, it’s a must to find ways to collaborate on issues that impact all of Central Kentucky, because that unified message helps us both in Frankfort and Washington, D.C.
We must figure out what our role should be in finding solutions to gentrification and housing affordability in our community. Those are two very difficult issues with many layers to them, and we intend to support the efforts of the city’s Neighborhoods-in-Transition Task Force led by Councilmember James Brown.
We must also actively seek out different perspectives on key issues in order to find the solutions that will benefit everyone. Diversity, equity and inclusion should always be a focus area for our community.
Finally, we must continue to develop our workforce of the future, and we’re doing that through the Academies of Lexington and other ways that the Business & Education Network partners with and supports the Fayette County Public Schools. We are not only preparing our kids for the jobs of today, but also for the jobs of the future that don’t even exist yet.
These are just a few issues that I will be focused on in 2020. I can’t stress enough what your involvement means to Commerce Lexington Inc. and how it helps our community’s greater good. I encourage you to plug-in where you can.
I want to personally thank Jeff Koonce for his steady leadership as Board Chair in 2019. I’m sure I will call on him from time to time as I begin my tenure as your Board Chair. I am excited to serve in this role and look forward to working with many of you to continue our community’s progress."
Ray Daniels
2020 Commerce Lexington Inc. Board Chair
President
Equity Solutions Group
I’ve been a business owner for some time now, and when I think about Commerce Lexington and what it has meant to me, there’s a word I like to use, and that is ‘ADVOCATE.’ Among everything else we do as an organization, Commerce Lexington is an advocate for your business. Whether it’s providing networking and marketing opportunities, cost-saving discounts, guidance for small businesses through the Business Owners Advisory Boards, financing and procurement options, leadership and professional development, and representation at all levels of government, Commerce Lexington is here to help.
This year, we’ve chosen to BE BOLD, and you’ll see that theme throughout the year as our team implements several operational changes and enhancements to events and programs that we believe will better position Commerce Lexington and our region for future success.
I’m also excited to be able to build off the momentum from last year’s Leadership Visit to Raleigh, where the delegation identified four issues most important to Lexington’s future, including housing affordability; regionalism; gentrification; and diversity, equity and inclusion. I hope you’ll consider joining us for this year’s Leadership Visit to Austin, Texas, where we’ll continue these conversations, while studying Austin’s successes and challenges.
We must continue to strengthen our regional efforts, because we know that the communities across our nation doing the best economically are also doing a great job of being unified regionally. Today, it’s a must to find ways to collaborate on issues that impact all of Central Kentucky, because that unified message helps us both in Frankfort and Washington, D.C.
We must figure out what our role should be in finding solutions to gentrification and housing affordability in our community. Those are two very difficult issues with many layers to them, and we intend to support the efforts of the city’s Neighborhoods-in-Transition Task Force led by Councilmember James Brown.
We must also actively seek out different perspectives on key issues in order to find the solutions that will benefit everyone. Diversity, equity and inclusion should always be a focus area for our community.
Finally, we must continue to develop our workforce of the future, and we’re doing that through the Academies of Lexington and other ways that the Business & Education Network partners with and supports the Fayette County Public Schools. We are not only preparing our kids for the jobs of today, but also for the jobs of the future that don’t even exist yet.
These are just a few issues that I will be focused on in 2020. I can’t stress enough what your involvement means to Commerce Lexington Inc. and how it helps our community’s greater good. I encourage you to plug-in where you can.
I want to personally thank Jeff Koonce for his steady leadership as Board Chair in 2019. I’m sure I will call on him from time to time as I begin my tenure as your Board Chair. I am excited to serve in this role and look forward to working with many of you to continue our community’s progress."
Ray Daniels
2020 Commerce Lexington Inc. Board Chair
President
Equity Solutions Group
