In today’s rapidly evolving economic landscape, it has become clear that a more unified, strategic approach is essential to keeping our region competitive on a national and global scale. That’s why, alongside regional leaders, Commerce Lexington has led the charge to develop a  bold and forward-thinking roadmap designed to increase more jobs and attract more workers to the nine-county region.

Public and private sector leaders are working together on key initiatives to grow the economy and elevate all communities across the region.

To move the region forward, leaders established clear, measurable goals and action items focused on three pillars: economic development, workforce, and policy.

Early successes include the creation of a regional brand — Greater Lex — and the launch of a new talent attraction website featuring more than 30 pages of “live, work, play” messaging. The site increases awareness among key audiences and offers tools such as an interactive community quiz, regional map, cost of living calculator and detailed county pages to help users discover what makes each area unique.

The 2025 Greater LEX Regional Summit presented by Community Trust Bank brought together 320-plus influential business, community and government leaders from across the Greater LEX region.  This year’s Summit was the largest gathering to date, signaling the continued momentum and commitment to regional collaboration.  The annual event provided a valuable opportunity for economic benchmarking and a progress report on the implementation of the Regional Competitiveness Plan action items.  Attendees were also able to connect, share ideas, and explore strategies to make the nine-county region more competitive for jobs and talent.  

​Commerce Lexington is proud to recognize Tyrone Tyra for his 20 years of leading the organization’s award-winning Community & Minority Business Development (CMBD) Program and 30 years altogether with economic development entities. As senior vice president, Tyrone is responsible for helping companies build connections through public and private sector purchasing assistance, minority business recruitment, business referral assistance, community outreach, advocacy, business certification, technical assistance, and client business plan development.
 
In addition, he also manages the Access Loan small business financing program, which has facilitated more than $25 million in approved loans for small business startups and expansions since 2001, with partnerships extending to 19 counties and including 25-plus participating lenders. In 2013, the CMBD Program launched a Minority Business Accelerator, which aims to accelerate the growth of minority-owned enterprises with revenues between $250,000 and $6 million, as identified in the 2009 Joint Economic Inclusion Study. Accelerator participants have collectively achieved over $60 million in contracts and procurement since the program’s inception.

​On October 15, Greater LEX business and community stakeholders testified before the Kentucky General Assembly’s Budget Review Subcommittee on Economic Development, Tourism, and Environmental Protection in Frankfort. With the upcoming 2026 Legislative Session’s primary focus on the state’s next biennial budget, mixed economic indicators and state revenues are building towards cautious budget discussions amongst state policymakers. However, with a FY 2025 end balance of $3.76 billion in the state’s Budget Reserve Trust Fund and with revenues expected to continue with modest growth, there remains a possibility for one-time appropriations legislation similar to House Bill 1 (H.B. 1) from the last budget cycle in 2024. In the last budget, H.B. 1 appropriated approximately $1 billion into one-time investments across the Commonwealth, including $10 million to Lexington’s Transformational Housing Partnership. 

Critchfield Meats Wholesale celebrated the grand opening of its newly renovated, 53,000-square-foot foodservice distribution center in Lexington.
 
Joining Critchfield for the ribbon-cutting were Lt. Gov. Jaqueline Coleman, Mayor Linda Gorton, Agriculture Commissioner Jonathan Shell, and Commerce Lexington Board Chair Carla Blanton.
 
“Critchfield Meats has always been more than a business—it’s a family tradition,” said Mark Critchfield, President of Critchfield Meats. “This expansion allows us to continue that legacy, while better serving our customers and community for years to come.” The expanded facility is located at 1685 Jaggie Fox Way in Lexington.

Lt. Gov. Coleman congratulated the company on its success. “This is not just opening a new facility and doubling production capacity — you are answering a call to help this community and our region by feeding our people,” she said. “That’s what Critchfield has done now for over 56 years. On behalf of the members of Team Kentucky who have a good job because of your work and your investment, thank you.”