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Commerce Lexington presents progress on 9-county regional competitiveness plan
Summary
Commerce Lexington staff updated the City of Nicholasville commissioners on the regional competitiveness plan, noting marketing and talent-attraction milestones, early digital campaign results and continued emphasis on site readiness and state funding.
Commerce Lexington representatives updated the City of Nicholasville Board of Commissioners on progress implementing a nine-county regional competitiveness plan and asked local officials to continue financial support for the program.
The presentation by Andy Johnson, joined by Jenna Greathouse and Betsy Dexter from Commerce Lexington, emphasized marketing and talent-attraction as near-term priorities to boost job and labor-force growth across the region. "This really is about just how can we attract more jobs and people to the region and work on things that can be mutually beneficial to all 9 counties," Johnson said.
The update described the plan’s origins in 2021–2022, its nine-county footprint (about 700,000 residents) and measurable goals to raise jobs, wages and GDP toward the national average. Johnson said the region is creating roughly 37,000 jobs every five years but that labor-force growth is lagging that job growth, which limits employers’ ability to fill new positions.
Commerce Lexington reported several deliverables from the past year: a new talent-attraction website (LookAtLex.com), a paid digital and social marketing campaign aimed at alumni and visitor audiences, and a resource hub for employers and education providers. Johnson gave campaign metrics: from an October–March digital effort, roughly 3,500,000 unique individuals were reached, the campaign delivered about 6,400,000 impressions and more than 40,000 people visited the Greater Lehi website; over 500 users clicked from the jobs page to external listings such as Indeed.
On economic-development work, Jenna Greathouse described a refreshed site-selection website (LocateInLex.com), engagement with over 120 national site selectors and targeted outreach to six industry sectors including advanced manufacturing, business services, biotech and logistics. Johnson said the effort will intensify outreach to foreign direct investment prospects because those companies tend to bring larger capital investments and higher wages.
The presenters also outlined policy and funding priorities, including continued pursuit of state and federal funds for site development, water and sewer, and transportation projects. Johnson cited the Kentucky Product Development Initiative (KPDI), noting the Kentucky General Assembly allocated $100,000,000 in 2022 to accelerate shovel-ready industrial sites and that more than 15 projects had been approved under the initiative in 2024.
Johnson said the regional effort is supported by a mix of private and public funding, describing a roughly two-to-one private-to-government funding ratio and more than $600,000 in local-government contributions to date. He asked Nicholasville to consider committing to a second round of local investment to sustain the program’s marketing and site-readiness work.
Mayor Alex Carter and commissioners thanked the Commerce Lexington team and noted local uses of KPDI funding to assemble and ready industrial land. Commerce Lexington offered to follow up with materials and an event invitation for local leaders.
The board took no formal vote on funding during the meeting; Commerce Lexington asked for ongoing engagement and support.
Ending: Commerce Lexington left materials and offered additional briefings; commissioners indicated general support and asked staff to share follow-up information about local commitments and upcoming regional events.
