Leadership Central Kentucky Explores Scott County

Written by: Katherine Leigh, Centerpoint Health - Georgetown 
Photos captured by: Brett Bibb, Commerce Lexington 

LCK inside the law classroom at Elkhorn Crossing School

​The Leadership Central Kentucky (LCK) class was honored to spend a day in Scott County, exploring how manufacturing, education and innovation come together in one of the fastest growing counties in Kentucky. We were hosted by Jack Conner, Executive Director of Scott County United, Inc., whose focus is economic development and strategic planning for Scott County.
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Our day began at Toyota Motor Manufacturing Kentucky (TMMK) as we were greeted by Kim Sweazy, Senior Analyst/Community Relations at TMMK. Our visit started with Kim presenting the history of TMMK in Scott County. Built in 1986, TMMK Georgetown is the largest Toyota plant in the world. The plant is 9 million square feet (roofed) which is the equivalent of 159 football fields. Former Kentucky Governor Martha Layne Collins was instrumental in bringing this giant manufacturing plant to Scott County. Governor Collins’ made several trade missions to Japan which led to Georgetown becoming the home of the first Toyota plant wholly owned by the United States. Since its opening, TMMK has grown to over 9,000 employees and has contributed $11 billion dollars back to the community. Toyota has been instrumental in regional economic growth. TMMK also encourages their employees to volunteer in the community as another way of giving back. 

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During our visit to TMMK, the group was able to tour the plant operations. During our tour, we were able to see TMMKs approach to “Just in Time” production. This concept supports production of only what is needed – in other words, a vehicle is only started into production when an order is placed. This promotes waste elimination and provides opportunity to focus on continuous process improvement (another lean principle called Kaizen). In addition to waste elimination, TMMK focuses on energy efficiency and robotic innovation.
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TMMK encourages their employees to identify opportunities for improvement – specifically related to employee workflow. Employee safety and wellbeing are a priority at TMMK. Under roof, TMMK houses health and emergency services, childcare and a pharmacy. Team leaders conduct mandatory safety meetings and an on-site “Safety Dojo” providing employee safety training. TMMK has an integrated education partnering with Bluegrass Community & Technical College for the “Workforce Solutions” program. 

​Our next stop was Elkhorn Crossing School (ECS), where we met John Noll, Principal, and Amanda Burrow, Vice Principal. ECS is structured in “modality villages” where students with like interests can learn focused skill sets. Students learn a standard set of “soft skills” in all villages preparing them for post-secondary education. We briefly visited each village represented by a student(s). The students from each village provided an overview of each of their focus areas. Villages: Bio-Med (research, forensics); Broadcasting (short films, new broadcasting); Engineering (CAD design, laser and 3-D printing); Law (criminal justice, attorney); Health Science (Nursing, CNA). ECS has expanded into middle school to start the “Driving Possibilities” program allowing students to gain exposure to skill sets earlier to assist in career path choices. TMMK has contributed program dollars to help enhance these programs.  

Exploring career pathways at Elkhorn Crossing School

​Commonwealth Tool and Machine (CTM) was our next stop. CTM is a 3rd generation, family-owned business that started in a 1 car garage in Stamping Ground, KY in 1984. All their work is done in house – from design to paint. The company does not outsource their work to control production. The work is done with a combination of full robotic innovation to person dependent fabrication with a focus on manufacturing efficiency. They bring a special touch to their customers by bringing them on site to see the product prior to shipping. This allows the customer to do a trial run and customize the product prior to receiving it at their site. CTM has a full book of work ranging from national to international accounts. They have partnered with TMMK for 20 years. In 2021, they moved into a 126 thousand square foot space located in Lanes Run Business Park. 

LCK at Commonwealth Tool & Machine, hearing directly from the owners and staff

​We continued our tour to Bluegrass Community & Technical College (BCTC) – Scott County campus. BCTC is part of Kentucky Community & Technical College System (KCTCS) comprised of 16 schools across Kentucky. We met with Dr. Rebecca Simms, Interim Director, and Marly Earlywine, Assistant Dean, Advanced Manufacturing. Dr. Simms introduced us to the broad concepts and statistics of BCTC/KCTCS. All 16 schools have multiple campuses. BCTC extends into Anderson, Fayette, Scott and Clark counties with 6 campuses in total. There are over 100 thousand students enrolled across the state with 82% of those students being enrolled into a skilled trade program. BCTC offers over fifty (50) technical programs – some traditional and some are certificate/diploma programs. Marly provided a tour of the advanced manufacturing lab on campus. From electronics and wiring to mechanical fluid and motor control, each lab is set up as if it were within the plant along with a school room setting. This allows students space to learn concepts and then space to apply the concepts to real machinery. Partnering with TMMK and approximately 15 other manufacturing companies, BCTC helps companies train new employees or “up skill” current employees. The program gives employees 3 days in the work environment and 2 days in the classroom. BCTC also provides GED and ESL (English as a Second Language) classes – open for anyone to enroll. 

An inside look at workforce development at BCTC’s Scott County Campus

​The leadership group ended our day at Country Boy Brewing. We were hosted by Daniel Harrison, Co/Owner & Co-founder. Daniel, better known as D.H., found his love for brewing in Japan. After college, D.H. moved to Japan to teach English. It was in Japan where he learned about the German purity law. Originally enacted in 1516, this law mandated that beer could only be brewed from set ingredients to ensure quality, safety and consistency. When he returned to the states, his love for brewing became a reality when he and his co-founders opened their first Country Boy Brewing in Lexington, KY in 2012. The team spent their first years refining their process and building partnerships to resource their products within the United States. In 2017, Country Boy Brewing opened their second site in Scott County. D.H. and Mason Forsythe walked us through the brewing plant. They took great time, with a little added comedy, to talk us through the inception of and through the current state of brewing and production at Country Boy. D.H. feels strongly that his leadership team should be “seen” in the brewery working. To him, it is about the employees and relationships. D.H. offered his leadership advice in our Q & A.  One, you know you will face things you may not want to face – but don’t be an ostrich. Second, it is important to connect your passion through your business. For D.H. and his team, it seems to speak for itself. While D.H. admits he never expected Country Boy Brewing to be this successful, they have proudly expanded to a 3rd site in the Omni Hotel in Louisville, Ky and have now expanded sales to Indiana, Ohio and Georgia. 

Ending the day connecting with local leaders and LCK alumni at Country Boy Brewing

​With over 18 thousand workers commuting to Scott County from 10 different counties, it shows that Scott County continues to serve this region as an economic and manufacturing workforce. We were joined at Country Boy Brewing by alumni from LCY. We extend our thanks to all our hosts. Thank you for your dedication to innovation, development and education.