Commerce Lexington is proud to recognize Gina Greathouse for her 30 years of leading economic development efforts in Lexington and 35 years altogether in the industry. A native of Franklin County, she began her career in business recruitment and retention in 1990 working at the Kentucky Cabinet for Economic Development.  In 1995, Gina joined Lexington United – the area’s economic development agency – before it merged with the Lexington Chamber of Commerce and the Partnership for Workforce Development to create Commerce Lexington in 2004.
 
Serving as Commerce Lexington’s executive vice president of economic development, Gina has travelled across Kentucky, the country, and internationally to recruit companies to the Greater Lexington region.  During her leadership, the organization has been recognized often as one of the top economic development groups in the country, including a three-time winner of Site Selection’s Mac Conway Award for Excellence in Economic Development, and multiple awards for marketing and initiatives from the International Economic Development Council (IEDC), Business Facilities, and the Association of Chamber of Commerce Executives (ACCE). In 2016, Gina was honored individually with the Kentucky Association for Economic Development’s James J. Coleman Community Professional of the Year Award recognizing practitioners who have made significant and/or innovative contributions to the field and their service area.
 
Commerce Lexington President & CEO, Bob Quick, said, “Gina Greathouse has been instrumental in leading the organization’s economic development efforts, and is well known across the industry as an effective leader. The stability she has provided and partnerships she has built over these many years have been key in helping Greater Lexington put its best foot forward when recruiting new businesses to the area and managing expansion, retention and startup projects right here at home.”
 
Gina is a member of Greater Lexington’s Regional Leadership Council, which includes representatives from nine counties who work together in areas such as economic development, talent attraction, and public policy to improve the region’s competitiveness. She also serves as chair of Bluegrass Alliance, a partnership of economic development professionals working together to ease the process for companies relocating or expanding here and sits on the boards of LexArts and the Kentucky World Trade Center.

For the second consecutive year, Greater Lexington has secured a place in the annual Site Selection Magazine Top Metros report, ranking fifth per capita and tying for ninth overall among metropolitan areas with populations between 200,000 and one million in 2024. This achievement marks an improvement from the 2023 rankings, which saw the region at seventh per capita and tenth overall, with Greater Lexington successfully attracting 25 qualified projects. Notably, the rankings also underscore the accomplishments of micropolitans in the Greater Lexington Region, with Richmond-Berea and Frankfort leading the way in project numbers.

A key factor behind the success of the Top 10 Tier 2 metros is a strong commitment to regionalism, a principle that Greater Lexington continues to embrace through its Regional Competitiveness Plan. Since 2022, leaders from both the private and public sectors across the nine-county area have collaborated to implement action items outlined in the plan, aimed at enhancing the region's ability to attract jobs and talent while fostering a vibrant economic environment.

​Last week, 40 regional business and community leaders traveled to the nation’s capital for the annual Washington, D.C. Fly-In presented by Columbia Gas of Kentucky to act as policy ambassadors for the nine-county Bluegrass Region. During the July 9-11 visit, leaders from Greater LEX met with members of Kentucky’s Congressional Delegation and staff about priority issues to enhance regional competitiveness and policies that support the ongoing Regional Competitiveness Plan. 
 
Greater Lex leaders engaged with U.S. Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell, U.S. Senator Rand Paul, U.S. Representative Andy Barr (KY-6), U.S. Representative James Comer (KY-1), U.S. Representative Brett Guthrie (KY-2), and U.S. Representative Morgan McGarvey (KY-3).  Karen Kelly, chief of staff for U.S. Congressman Hal Rogers, briefed the group on behalf of the Congressman who was finalizing House appropriation bills.  Given the leadership roles and key committee assignments (appropriations, energy and commerce, financial services, government oversight and transportation), Kentucky’s Congressional delegation is positioned to be highly influential and effective for Central Kentucky interests.  

​Commerce Lexington is proud to announce its recognition in the Business Facilities 2024 Economic Development Organization (EDO) Awards for its dedication to fostering public and private collaboration in support of Greater Lexington's first-ever Regional Competitiveness Plan. The Business Facilities EDO Awards celebrate economic developers' efforts in fostering community growth, securing record-breaking projects, and creating new economic opportunities. This year, Business Facilities editors evaluated entries from across the nation and selected 24 winners in various categories, acknowledging the tenacity and innovative spirit of these organizations.