The Sister Schubert plant, in Horse Cave, KY is now hiring. They have 55 openings that they want to fill immediately. Quality Temp in Glasgow is taking the applications for these positions.
Also, Dart is hiring. Check out www.dart.com to check out these positions.
If you or anyone you know is looking for employment now is a great time to apply for these local positions. Also, please help them spread the word by telling your family and friends!
Last Thursday, May 10th, over 100 chamber and community members came together to celebrate the accomplishments of the Chamber of Commerce and the community during the 2011-2012 year. We had 10 table sponsors participate in our table decoration contest and this made the night even more festive. The night started with a silent auction. Silent auction items were donated by: Dr. Tom Davenport, Magnolia Bank, Paula’s Hot Biscuit, My Gal Boutique, Melanie Wells Photography, MAM Candy, LaRue County Schools, Lynn Claycomb, Lee’s Garden Center, Hosparus, Hometown Pizza, South Central Rural Telephone Cooperation, Brooks Fence, Allen’s Heating & Cooling, LaRue County Herald News, Nina Cundiff, US Bancorp Investments and The Sweet Shoppe. A new addition to our silent auction this year was being able to bid on some of the centerpieces. The local florists, gift shops and table sponsors that donated centerpieces to our silent auction were: Almost Home, Nancy’s Gifts & Flowers, Heavenly Harvest, Upton’s Florist and Garden Center, Geneva’s Florist, Lawson’s Florist, Hinton’s Orchard & Farm, LaRue County Schools, Lincoln National Bank and LaRue County Herald News.
Dinner was catered by Paula’s Hot Biscuit and it was just as good as ever! During dinner, everyone had the opportunity to have their picture taken by Melanie Wells Photography. To view these pictures, visit www.melaniewellsphotography.com.
During our annual meeting, we had the privilege to hear from State Representative Michael Meredith, Judge Executive Tommy Turner and Mayor Terry Cruse. Hearing these elected officials speak about LaRue County was a very important time as we learned a great amount of information on what is going on in Hodgenville and LaRue County. Kim Huston, author of Small Town Sexy was our guest speaker for the evening. She spoke on why being from a small community is so wonderful and the things that we need in place to continue to be a great place to live. We really enjoyed hearing her speak. If you would like to buy a copy of her book, we have a few copies in the Chamber office at a discount price of $15.00.
A part of our annual meeting is Leadership LaRue County graduation. The 2011-2012 class was the largest class we have had to graduate since the program started. This year’s graduates were Deidre Brooks, Lincoln National Bank; Patti Donahue, Elizabethtown Community & Technical College; Marsha Duncan, LaRue County Schools; Adam Gordon, Magnolia Bank; Jeremy Hinton, Kentucky Farm Bureau; Nedra Jurcak, Community Member; Diana Leathers, LaRue County Health Department; Faith Miller, LaRue County Community Action; Allison Shepherd, LaRue County Herald News; Beth Turner, Dow Corning and Clint Williams, LG &E. This class chose to make a promotional video about LaRue County. If you would like to view a copy of the video, please stop by the Chamber office.
The night concluded with our 2012 Annual Awards. We were happy to award the Outstanding Citizen Award to Joanna Hinton, the Outstanding Business/Professional Person Award to Dr. Glenn Catlett, the Spirit Award to LaRue County Emergency Services and the President’s Award was given in honor of the late Roger Truitt. These award recipients have made and continue to make a true difference in our community and it was great to recognize them.
We would like to thank everyone that had a part in making the 2012 Annual Meeting such a success. Claude and Deb Ramey and everyone that helped from First Baptist Church, Melanie Wells Photography for donating her time and work on the pictures, Paula Varney and her staff for doing such an excellent job with the catering, all of the annual meeting committee members and chamber board members that helped, Joey Gearon for helping clean up after the dinner, everyone that donated and bid on items for the silent auction and everyone that attended and made the evening so wonderful!
Many lives were changed by the tornados that came through Kentucky last week. Many families were displaced and lost all of their belongings. Our community now has the opportunity to come together to help our neighbors around the state, by donating items that the adults and children need to make it through the coming weeks. Marsha Duncan, Youth Service Coordinator at LaRue County High School is working with Family Resource Centers around Kentucky to take donations of immediate items that are needed by the affected families. Some of the items needed are toiletry items such as baby wipes, toilet paper, toothpaste, deodorant, shampoo and any other toiletry item. Socks and underwear of all sizes, ranging from children to adults, are two other important items that are needed immediately. Marsha stated that larger items such as tarps and building supplies will probably needed at a later date, but for now, the immediate items listed above are the most important. Marsha will be taking these items until next Wednesday, March 14th. If you or your business or organization would like to donate items, please email Marsha at [email protected]. Email is the best way to reach Marsha. However, if you prefer to call, you can call her office between 8:00am-12:00pm, Monday-Friday. Her office number is 270-358-9745.
Leadership LaRue County was formed in 2005 to provide educational experiences for present and future leaders to develop knowledge of their community, to foster appreciation for their community, and to encourage civic involvement.
The program is designed to:
* Provide emerging leaders with the information and skills necessary to take on leadership roles in their workplace and community;
* Foster interest in and promote educational, civic, and social service activities in their community, &
* Promote the education and training of individuals with a variety of occupations and interests in the community for leadership and involvement in public affairs by establishing effective communication and peer relationships among them.
The Program
Leadership LaRue was organized by a committee of the LaRue County Chamber of Commerce, in an effort to develop the knowledge and expertise of LaRue County’s present and future leaders.
The program begins with a one-day retreat for team-building. The next eight months include intensive one-day sessions relating to critical issues facing the community, culminating in a final graduation ceremony for the Leadership Class.
Each session includes lectures, group discussions, tours, and other activities. Experienced leaders and authorities from their respective fields of endeavor will present a wealth of information.
Each class will be asked to plan a project which they feel will meet a significant community need.
Attendance
Attendance at all sessions and graduation is mandatory. No one missing more than two day sessions will graduate. Retreat is mandatory.
Tuition
Tuition for Leadership LaRue is $350. This fee covers program costs, administrative expenses, refreshments, meals and overnight stays when scheduled.
Schedule
September: Leadership Retreat
October: Local History & Heritage Tourism
November: Health & Human Services
December:Economic Development & Industry
January: Education
February: State Government & the Legislative Process
March: Local Government & the Law
April: Agriculture: Past, Present & Future
May: Fort Knox Trip/Graduation at Annual Dinner
Who Should Apply
Persons who have demonstrated strong leadership abilities in their workplace, or through civic or volunteer activities are encouraged to apply.
A Leadership LaRue County Committee, composed of members of the Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors and other individuals, will select candidates for each year’s class, and information on the application is kept confidential.
To apply for Leadership LaRue County, please contact the LaRue County Chamber of Commerce at (270) 358-3411.
Check out our article that was in the LaRue County Herald this week:
As the economy continues to show signs of recovery, the LaRue County Chamber and its members are looking ahead to the 2012 tourist season with great enthusiasm.
“We think it’s going to be the best year since the Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial,” said Jessica Davis, Chamber executive director.
“The importance of tourism to our local economy cannot be understated. It creates jobs, generates revenue and exposes our community to people from around the country and around the globe,” Davis added.
According to Kentucky Tourism Industry, direct expenditures related to Tourism in LaRue County in 2010 exceed $5.1 million and there were 263 jobs in the county related to tourism.
The public’s fascination with Lincoln’s legacy drives tourism here. The National Park Service reports that in 2010 the Abraham Lincoln Birthplace National Historic Park saw more than 177,000 visitors.
And The Lincoln Museum sees nearly 30,000 paid museum tours annually. In 2011, the museum had visitors from 49 states and 37 countries. Museum Director, Iris LaRue attributes other nearby tourist attractions such as the Kentucky Bourbon Trail, the National Corvette Museum and Mammoth Cave with bringing even more visitors to LaRue County as one of several stops on their tour.
“These same visitors shopped in our stores, ate in our restaurants, filled gas tanks and saw everything that LaRue County has to offer,” said Stefanie Rock, President of the Chamber’s Board of Directors.
Pat Durham, chamber board member and owner of The Sweet Shoppe, credits 75% of his business to tourism and estimates seeing 15-20 visiting families each day.
The chamber is proud to be Hodgenville and LaRue County’s welcome center and is taking that job seriously with capital investments in an updated website (www.laruecountychamber.org ) and an active social media presence on Facebook, Twitter and Flickr.
“We encourage all businesses to join us by putting out the welcome mat as we get ready for another successful tourism season in Hodgenville and LaRue County,” said Davis.
The LaRue County Chamber of Commerce would like to welcome five new members! Make sure to check them out! Also, stay tuned for details about ribbon cutting ceremonies for each new member, one of which will be this Friday!
Please help us welcome:
Aflac Insurance – Independent Agent James Beery
Contact: James Beery
622 Hubbards Lane
Bardstown, Kentucky 40004
(502)275-9311
Allegro at Helmwood, LLC
Contact: Katrina Valliant/Steve Sanford
108 Diecks Drive
Elizabethtown, Kentucky 42701
www.allegroliving.com
(270)765-4414
Blazin Xpressions
Contact: Joshua Singer
1353 Dangerfield Road
Hodgenville, Kentucky 42748
(270) 361-8426
Melanie Wells Photography – Open House Friday, February 24, 2012, 10-2pm (Ribbon Cutting 10:30am)
Contact: Melanie Wells
212 North Lincoln Blvd.
Hodgenville, Kentucky 42748
http://www.melaniewellsphotography.com
(270)234-4810
Todd’s Lunch Box
Contact: Todd Akin
105 South Walters Avenue
Hodgenville, Kentucky 42748
(270)872-3161
There were about 50 people that attended the February Membership Luncheon! Was it the informative presentation, the chance to network or the great food that brought them out? We are not sure, but what we do know is that everyone that attended left feeling that the experience was valuable.
Lisa Williams, with the Kentucky Innovation Center, spoke about what she does at the Innovation Center and how it can benefit the citizens of LaRue County. She told us about various grants that are available to people with new ideas and the different services that the Innovation Center offers to this area. Ms. Williams told us that there are many innovators in LaRue County and there are some great ideas that come from this area. A great piece of information that she shared is that the Kentucky Innovation Center is doing very well! They are creating jobs and having a real impact on the local economy.
Todd’s Lunch Box catered our luncheon and the food was wonderful! Todd’s Lunch Box is located across from the Hodgenville Post Office and they are open for lunch. The address is 105 South Walters Avenue. To contact them for more information, call 270-872-3161.
Our March Membership Luncheon will be held on March 21, 2012, noon, at The Lincoln Museum Community Room. Stay tuned for more details.
Just a friendly reminder that our February Membership Luncheon is tomorrow, at noon, in The Lincoln Museum Community Room. You are invited! As always, we expect to have a great presentation, great food and plenty of time for networking. Here are the details for this month’s luncheon:
Guest Speaker: Lisa Williams, Kentucky Innovation Center – “Your Innovation Center–Serving Entrepreneurs, Inventors and Investors”
Co-Sponsored By: Fort Knox Federal Credit Union and Melanie Wells Photography
Click here to register to attend the February Membership Luncheon.
Don
‘t miss your chance to “Bundle Up This Winter” with the LaRue County Chamber! Our bundle plan allows you to bundle your membership and other sponsorship opportunities so that you can save some money and the Chamber will have your commitment for the year 2012.
Contact Jessica at the Chamber office (270) 358-3411 for more information or you can email her at jessica@laruecountychamber.org.