The effort to create regional partnerships for economic development in central Kentucky includes talking to workers as well as new companies. Lexington City Council members last week got an update on the talent attraction campaign headed up by Commerce Lexington. Business and Education Network Director Betsy Dexter told budget committee members the low-hanging fruit is found in people who know the area.
“So we’re focusing on the university alumni of the ten colleges and universities in our region. So, again these are warm audiences, they’ve been here before. They may have left. We’d like for them to consider coming back,” said Dexter.
Dexter said the same approach can be made to prospective and prior tourists. In the first 30 days of the campaign, the Commerce Lexington official noted the ads reached 830,000 desktops. Responding to a question, Dexter said fashioning of the ads can pivot to focus on a particular industry.
Afterward, Council Member James Brown said he sees progress being made.
“I think now this regional effort is hopefully breaking down some of those barriers and some of that competition and creating a situation where folks know that the whole region can win if it lands in one of those partner counties,” said Brown.
Brown mentioned the announcement of around 15 hundred jobs at a yet-to-be-built battery facility in Shelby County. He said it’s outside the nine-county region, but still nearby. Also last week, around 300 government and business leaders participated in a regional business summit in downtown Lexington.
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