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The Summit provides an opportunity for businesses, community, and local government leaders within the 9-county Bluegrass Region to network with each other, receive updates on the Regional Competitiveness Plan, and learn from industry experts about how we can make Greater LEX more competitive for jobs and talent. See below for the 2024 agenda.
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Regional Summit is presented by:
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Regional Competitiveness Update
Ted Abernathy
Economic Leadership LLC |
Session Description: Ted Abernathy delivers the annual regional competitiveness update, highlighting how the 9-county region is doing with key competitiveness indicators compared to other cites/regions and national data, global and national trends in economic development, workforce, and policy, and insights into strategic priorities for the region to increase jobs and workforce attraction.
Session sponsored by:
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Greater LEX Talent Attraction Marketing Campaign
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Session Description: Leaders in workforce marketing will provide updates on the Greater Lex talent attraction marketing campaign launched this fall, discuss national best practices with talent attraction and retention marketing campaigns, and share ideas for the next steps for regional efforts to meet goals of increasing the regional workforce.
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Emily Whitley
Kismet Marketing |
Lindsey Cheatham
Kismet Marketing |
Kat Saunders
Economic Leadership |
Moderator: Betsy Dexter
Commerce Lexington |
Session sponsored by:
Breakout Sessions:
The Economic Impact of Innovation
Session Description: Leaders from the University of Kentucky’s innovate team and business partners discuss the region’s innovation strengths, the economic impact of innovation assets on target sectors like bio-economy and manufacturing, and how strategic initiatives at The University of Kentucky bolster the region’s innovation ranking through investments in research and development, commercialization, start-ups and workforce development pipelines to meet industry needs.
Ian McClure
UK HealthCare and UK Research |
Carlos Lopez
Bullard |
Simon Scholte
Kindeva Drug Delivery |
Moderator: George Ward
University of Kentucky Coldstream Research Campus |
Session sponsored by:
Business & Education Collaborations
Session Description: Education leaders explore how local higher education institutions are partnering with industry to address workforce gaps and share best practices for innovative collaborations and leveraging resources to create workforce pipelines and meet community needs.
Dr. Mark Birdwhistell
University of Kentucky |
Dr. Gregory Feeney
Bluegrass Community and Technical College |
Dr. Brien Lewis
Transylvania University |
Moderator: Dr. Kevin Brown
Asbury University |
Session sponsored by:
Housing Affordability Solutions & Collaborative Partnerships
Session Description: Housing leaders provide an update on the national, state and local housing affordability landscape and policy solutions to address challenges.
Moderator: Richard Gibbens, Chief Executive Officer, Bluegrass Realtors
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Brandi Snowden, Director, Member and Consumer Research, National Association of Realtors
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Anetha Sanford, Chief Executive Officer, Homebuilders Association of Kentucky
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Todd Johnson, Executive Vice President, Building Industry Association of Central KY
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Darryl Neher, Chief Executive Officer, Lexington Habitat of Humanity
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Session sponsored by:
Conversation Over Lunch: Profile on Regionalism with Greater Raleigh Leaders
Session Description: During the lunch session, leaders from the Raleigh, NC region share how regionalism efforts have evolved over the last decade, how leaders continue to work together and address challenges and create solutions that are mutually beneficial and continue to both the Research Triangle and communities outside of the urban core. Through partnerships, each community is leveraging its own unique assets to address workforce needs and bring diversification, growth and sustainability to the economy.
Moderator: Steve Byars
Moneywatch Advisors and Commerce Lexington’s 2024 Board Chair |
Chris Johnson
Johnston County Economic Development |
Ted Abernathy
Economic Leadership |
Session sponsored by:
Andy Beshear
Kentucky Governor |
Kentucky’s Advantages for
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DevelopLex LIVE with Didi Caldwell and Jeff Bischoff
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Session Description: Develop Lex interviews nationally renowned site selectors, Didi Caldwell and Jeff Bischoff, about key trends in economic development, the site selection process, and what makes a region competitive for jobs in today’s landscape.
DevelopLex is a podcast that explores the ins and outs of real estate development and investing in Lexington, Kentucky. This series will feature interviews with some of Lexington's most prominent real estate developers, who have played a major role in shaping the city.
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Didi Caldwell
Global Location Strategies |
Jeff Bischoff
Gray Construction |
Weston Lockhart
DevelopLex Podcast Host |
Ross Boggess
DevelopLex Podcast Host |
Session sponsored by:
Kentucky's Investments in Economic Competitiveness
Session Description: Legislative leader shares Kentucky General Assembly’s recent investments in economic competitiveness and policy changes to improve Kentucky’s ability to attract jobs and workforce.
Senator Chris McDaniel, Chair of the Senate Appropriations and Revenue Committee
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Representative Josh Bray, Vice Chair of the House Appropriations and Revenue Committee
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Moderator: Carla Blanton, Carla Blanton Consulting and Commerce Lexington 2025 Board Chair
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Session sponsored by:
Invest Blue Networking Reception, powered by Launch Blue
Regional leaders are invited to learn about the new Invest Blue angel investor syndicate, where investors with an affinity for Kentucky engage with Kentucky-affiliated startups and meet startup companies from the Lexington-based Launch Blue Accelerator program at this post-event networking reception.
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