Southeast Kentucky Chamber of Commerce’s
BUSINESS CALL Newsletter brought to you by
JANUARY 2015
Local Chambers Co-Host Legislative Town Hall Forum Local Legislators Discuss this Year’s Legislative Session
January 2015 - Volume VIII, Issue VII
INSIDE THIS ISSUE Inside the Chamber Chambers Co-Host Legislative Town Hall Forum....................................... 4 PLI Hosts Session on Healthcare................................................................. 5
Chamber Connections Kid’s World Open House............................................................................... 6 SOAR Summit - February 16......................................................................... 7 Ambassador Club Surprise Patrol - January............................................... 8 On Site Drug Screening Joins the Chamber................................................ 8
Your Government Gov. Beshear, Congressman Hal Rogers Launch Statewide Broadband Initiative...................................................... 9 Your Government: 2015.............................................................................. 10 Legislation of Interest................................................................................. 11 Events Calendar............................................................................................. 12
2014-2015 Officers & Executive Board Members Chairman: John Blackburn First Commonwealth Bank Chairman Elect: Shadd Walters US Bank Vice Chairman: Rick Newsom Community Trust Bank Treasurer: Lynette Schindler Lynette Schindler, CPA Secretary: Sam Carter TECO Immediate Past Chairman: Tracy Syck Shred All Documents Brad Hall AEP-Kentucky Power Jennifer Brown Redd, Brown, & Williams James D. England Peoples Insurance Agency Joel Thornbury Care More Pharmacy
Board of Directors Brad Hall AEP - Kentucky Power Bruce Walters Bruce Walters Ford David Baird Baird & Baird David Stratton Stratton Law Firm J.R. Blackburn Merrill Lynch James D. England Peoples Insurance Agency Jeff Vanderbeck Appalachian News-Express Jennifer Brown Redd, Brown, & Williams Jim Hobbs Citizens National Bank Jim Workman Community Trust Bank Joe Adams Pikeville Coca-Cola Joel Thornbury Care More Pharmacy Howard Roberts University of Pikeville Laura Damron Pikeville Medical Center Mike Harris Pepsi Mike McCoy MCNB Neil Middleton WYMT-TV Paul David Slater SNF-Flomin Coal Philip Elswick Summit Engineering Rick Newsom Community Trust Bank Russ Barker Appalachian Regional Healthcare Shannon Wright Wright Concrete Skip Holmes Fairway Outdoor Advertising W. Allen Gillum Appalachian Wireless
Chamber Staff Jacob Colley: Interim President/CEO Pam Mullins: Accounting Manager Kelly Rowe: Events & Programs Manager Kate Hensley: Communications Manager
Charter Members, thank you for your continuous support! Chairman’s Circle
Founder’s Circle AAA Real Estate Busy Bee Septic Systems Economy Drug Pamela C. Howard, PT Lynette Schindler CPA, PSC ShredAll Documents Vantage Point, Inc. Peoples Insurance
INSIDE THE CHAMBER
Chambers Co-Host Legislative Town Hall Forum On January 27, the Floyd County, Paintsville-Johnson County, Letcher County, and Southeast Kentucky Chambers of Commerce hosted a Regional Legislative Town Hall Forum sponsored by AT&T Kentucky. State legislators representing Floyd, Knott, Johnson, Letcher, Magoffin, Martin, Lawrence and Pike County were invited to meet at Big Sandy Community and Technical College’s Gearheart Auditorium in Prestonsburg. Speaker of the House Greg Stumbo, Senators Brandon Smith and Johnny Ray Turner, and Representative Hubert Collins gave updates on this year’s legislative session and answered questions from the public. The forum was moderated by WYMT’s General Manager, Neil Middleton. Some of the topics that were addressed were SOAR, local option sales tax (LIFT), Right to Work legislation, higher education, and a potential Smoking ban in the state of Kentucky. With the governor’s race coming up, the legislators also discussed what the future governor’s priorities should include. The legislators all spoke about making sure that elected officials worked together efficiently to do what’s best not only for the region but for the state. Overall, the legislators were optimistic about this year’s session and how it will impact the region. “This event not only showed a willingness from the legislators to work across party lines, but the Chambers to come together to promote what is best for the region,” Jacob Colley, Interim President/CEO of the Southeast Kentucky Chamber said. “This event couldn’t have been possible without the participation and support of the Floyd, Paintsville-Johnson, and Letcher County Chambers. I am excited to see what else we can accomplish together.” This year’s legislative session will continue through March. For updates on the session or information on Legislators, go to www.lrc.ky.gov.
PRESENTED BY
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INSIDE THE CHAMBER
PATTON LEADERSHIP INSTITUTE DISCUSSES HEALTHCARE IN EASTERN KENTUCKY
On January 8, the Patton Leadership Institute met with healthcare professionals and providers from around the region to gain a better understanding on the state of healthcare in eastern Kentucky. The session was hosted by Pikeville Medical Center in their new, 11-story clinic building. The day began with a welcome by PMC’s Chief Operating Officer, Juanita Deskins. The class toured PMC’s physicians office floor in the new clinic building with Vickie Kidd, Clinic Floor Manager and Joe Meade, RIS/PACS Administrator. The class was shown the new physician office floors and state-ofthe-art call system as well as a demonstration of PMC’s new Anatomage table, an anatomy visualization system. The table is an all-in-one, touch-interactive display system that resembles an operating table or hospital bed. The Anatomage table will be used to interactively educate patients and medical students alike. Dr. Andrew Buzzelli, Founding Dean and Vice President for Optometric Education at UPIKE and retired Colonel from the United States Air Force, spoke about his personal journey to becoming a leader and how that led him to Pikeville. Dr. Buzzelli has not only taught optometry but also leadership courses in universities
across the country. He also gave an update on the progress of the University Of Pikeville School Of Optometry building. The PLI class heard from a panel of local pharmacists including Joel Thornbury, Owner of NOVA Pharmacy, Roy Reasor and Robin Walters of Pikeville Medical Center, and Taryn Howell of NOVA Pharmacy and Wal-Mart Pharmacy. The class learned about the difference between hospital and community pharmacies. Reasor and Walters are both hospital pharmacists that distribute medicine throughout the hospital and oncology center. Howell and Thornbury are both community pharmacists that not only receive and fill prescriptions to customers, but also counsel patients on other health issues. The panel also discussed the future of pharmacy and the trends of e-prescriptions and telemedicine. The class was presented a video by Dr. Fadi Al Akhrass explaining the Ebola epidemic. Also, PMC’s Nina Reynolds, Director of Infection Control and Mary Bee Combs, Director of Safety Management spoke about the measures Pikeville Medical Center has put in place to keeps its patients and staff safe from infectious diseases, such as Ebola. Other discussions included an over-
view of the healthcare environment in eastern Kentucky and how the healthcare industry has a tremendous impact in economic development efforts by Jacob Colley, Interim President/CEO of the Chamber, and January’s leadership component “Monday Morning Leadership” with Rick Newsom, President of East Kentucky Region Community Trust Bank.
PRESENTED BY
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CHAMBER CONNECTIONS
Kid’s World Open House On Tuesday, January 20, the Southeast Kentucky Chamber of Commerce hosted an open house with Kid’s World Childcare and Learning Center in Coal Run. Kid’s World provides child care services for children ages 6 weeks to 12 years. They also have a preschool for 3 and 4 year old children. A lot has changed since Heather Jackson purchased Kid’s World in October of 2013. Since then, she has renovated the center upgrading the classrooms and equipment. With a Masters in Counseling, Jackson understands the importance of providing quality guidance and support for children at a young age. Kids World provides a variety of educational curriculums to meet all age groups of kids at the center. She also works to provide a flexible schedule for busy parents. “I try to
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make it as easy as possible,” Owner Heather Jackson said. “If you need us, we’re here.” Jackson plans to continue to improve the center. They recently finished a successful fundraiser with Goodwill, in which the raised funds will be used to purchase new computers and educational software. This technology will be used to further the Center’s curriculum. For more information on Kid’s World Childcare and Learning Center, call 606-437-1523.
CHAMBER CONNECTIONS
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CHAMBER CONNECTIONS
January Ambassador Surprise Patrol This month, Hartsock Orthodontics and Allstate - Deel & Johnson Agency, Inc. received a visit from the Chamber’s Ambassador Club. The chosen Chamber businesses received cupcakes and balloons, donated by Food City, from the Chamber Ambassadors and staff to thank them for their membership. Ambassadors and staff that participated in January’s Surprise Patrol included: Ellen Blackburn, Kevin Roberts, Waylon Nelson, Kelly Rowe and Kate Hensley. For more information about the Ambassador Club, please
AMBASSADOR OF THE MONTH
KEVIN ROBERTS East Kentucky Expo Center 8 | BUSINESS CALL
contact the Chamber at
[email protected] or check out the Ambassador page on the Chamber’s website at www.sekchamber.com/pages/AmbassadorClub SPONSORED BY
Chamber Welcomes On Site Drug Screening The Southeast Kentucky Chamber of Commerce would like to welcome one of its newest members, On Site Drug Screening. With the growing requirement to perform drug testing on potential and regular employees, Manager, Angie Ratliff, saw an opportunity to be a part of a growing industry. On Site Drug Screening specializes in pre-employment, random drug test, DOT drug testing, hair follicle testing, and breath alcohol testing. The On Site Drug Screening staff is certified in Breath Alcohol testing from CMI Inc and
Department of Transportation (DOT) Urine Specimen Collection from P.A.C.E. On Site opened in May of 2013 and has been providing drug testing to many major employers in the region. For more information about On Site Drug Screening, contact them at (606) 432-7477 or visit them at 180 Town Mountain Rd, Suite 109 in Pikeville.
If you’re a new Chamber Member and would like to be featured in an upcoming issue of the Business Call, please contact the Chamber at
[email protected]
YOUR GOVERNMENT
Gov. Beshear, Congressman Hal Rogers Launch Statewide Broadband Initiative, Beginning in Eastern KY Posted by SOAR A new public-private partnership will develop a robust, reliable, fiber “backbone” infrastructure to bring high-speed Internet connectivity to every corner of the Commonwealth – with the critical first components scheduled to be operational in less than two years. “We are on an aggressive timeline and believe that the Macquarie team’s technical capabilities and history of innovative solutions are the best fit for this important project,” said Gov. Beshear. “Kentucky’s Internet speed and accessibility have lagged behind the rest of the nation far too long. This partnership puts us on the path to propel the Commonwealth forward in education, economic development, health care, public safety and much more.” This infrastructure project is unlike any other seen in Kentucky in the last 50 years. Broadband, now considered an essential utility service, will improve Kentucky’s dismal connectivity and slow speeds to some of the fastest and highest capacity service in the U.S. – all with the potential to lower consumer costs and improve coverage as well. Just as important, this project will be paid for up front by leveraging private capital at no additional cost to Kentucky taxpayers. “If we were to rely solely on state government funding to get this project off the ground, it would take years, if not decades. Those kinds of tax dollars just aren’t available,” said Gov. Beshear. “In this technology-dependent economy, we can’t afford to wait another minute. That’s why this partnership is so valuable – it ramps up this project to the speed of the private sector without any additional burden on our taxpayers.”
“middle-mile” fiber network to add capacity and broaden coverage areas throughout the Commonwealth that have traditionally had poor cell phone reception.
State to oversee main broadband lines
Macquarie Capital has assembled a team of market-leading specialists to design, develop and operate the network over the next 30 years. While the private sector partners will bear developmental and operational risks of the project, the Commonwealth will retain ownership of the network. Macquarie will begin work immediately on phase one to design the overall statewide system and determine the project’s scale. The design and cost estimates are due by the end of February 2015 with construction of the first segments expected to begin in the summer and completed by April 2016. The total cost of the project will depend upon the ability to leverage existing infrastructure versus deploying new routes, which will be determined during the design phase. Overall, the project is estimated to cost between $250 million to $350 million, and will be supported by approximately $30 million in state bonds and $15 to $20 million in federal grants. BUSINESS CALL | 9
The first stage of the project is to build the main broadband fiber lines across the state. These major fiber lines are called the “middle mile.” The “open access” network will allow the private sector to use the fiber to deliver services into communities. Once complete, other Internet service provider companies, cities, partnerships, or other groups may then tap into those “middle mile” lines to complete the “last mile” – the lines that run to individual homes or businesses. Where already in place, the project will take advantage of existing infrastructure, thus partnering with local telecommunications companies, municipalities and major carriers to deliver the network more quickly and reduce construction costs. Improved cell phone coverage is anticipated as part of the initiative. Cell phone companies may choose to use the state’s
Eastern Kentucky to be first priority
When completed, the more than 3,000 miles of fiber will be in place across the state. This “middle-mile” fiber infrastructure is key to reaching much of Kentucky’s large rural population. Fiber will be available in all 120 counties, and the underserved eastern Kentucky region will be the first priority area for the project. The Center for Rural Development in Somerset will partner with the Commonwealth, focusing on communities east of Interstate 75. The Center will also host education workshops to help communities learn how to connect to the new network. The push for reliable, accessible high-speed broadband is one recommendation that emerged from SOAR, the “Shaping Our Appalachian Region” initiative. “We’re laying the first bricks for what could be ‘Silicon Holler.’ This new Super I-Way is the cornerstone of SOAR’s mission to diversify the economy in eastern Kentucky with improvements in business recruitment, fast-tracking telemedicine in the mountains, and adding high tech advancements in education,” said Congressman Rogers. “I commend all of our federal, state and local partners for working together on this project that will undoubtedly chart the course for a better future in the coalfields and across the Commonwealth.”
Work on design, scope of fiber system to start right away
YOUR GOVERNMENT
Your Government: 2015 FEDERAL GOVERNMENT U.S. Congressman Hal Roger (5th District)
U.S. Senator Mitch McConnell
U.S. Senator Rand Paul
2406 Rayburn House Office Building Washington, DC 20515 Office: (202) 225-4601 Web: halrogers.house.gov
771 Corporate Dr. Suite 108 Lexington, KY 40503 Phone: (202) 224-2541 Web: mcconnell.senate.gov
771 Corporate Dr. Suite 105 Lexington, KY 40503 Phone: (202) 224-4343 Web: paul.senate.gov
STATE GOVERNMENT Kentucky Governor Steve Beshear
700 Capitol Ave. Suite 100 Frankfort, KY 40601 (502) 564-2611 www.kentucky.gov
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Senate: Minority Floor Leader Sen. Ray S. Jones (D-31) P.O. Drawer 3850 Pikeville, KY 41502 (502) 564-8100 ext 681 Sen. Brandon Smith (D-30) 124 Craig St. Hazard, KY 41702 (502) 564-8100 ext. 646 Sen. Johnny Ray Turner (D-29) 849 Crestwood Dr. Prestonsburg, KY 41653 (502) 564-2470
House of Representatives: Speaker of the House Greg Stumbo (D-95) P.O. Box 1473 Prestonsburg, KY 41653 (502) 564-3366 Rep. Hubert Collins (D-97) 72 Collins Drive Wittensville, KY 41274 (502) 564-8100 ext 654 Rep. Leslie Combs (D-94) 245 E. Cedar Dr. Pikeville, KY 41501 (502) 564-8100 ext 669
Rep. Chris Harris (D-93) 719 Forest Hills Rd Forest Hills, KY 41527 (502) 564-8100 ext 635 Rep. John Short (D-92) 240 Briarwood Lane Mallie, KY 41836 (502) 564-8100 ext 668 Rep. Jill York (D-96) PO Box 591 Grayson, KY 41143 (502) 564-8100 ext 602
Legislation of Interest Allocation of Coal Severance Dollars Kentucky Appalachian Regional Development Fund (KARD), which would administer coal severance funds for loans, grants or investments that: support job creation and retention, entrepreneurship, tourism, broadband deployment, education and lifelong learning, workforce training, leadership development, public engagement, health and wellness, arts, heritage, infrastructure, economic diversity, and sustainable agricultural practices and food systems within and across counties in the SOAR region. No bill has been filed yet. Full Disclosure of Pension Funding Possible pension legislation would include a Consensus Actuarial Group to serve as an independent review of actuarial assumptions of Kentucky’s pension systems and changes to Kentucky’s budget process to ensure public disclosure of funding levels of the state’s pension systems. No bill has been filed yet. Chamber Supports Local Option Sales Tax (LIFT) HB 1 authorizes the General Assembly to confer upon the proper authority of any city or county the power to levy a local option sales and use tax, subject
to specifically enumerated conditions and limitations; submit to the voters for approval or disapproval; supply ballot language. Chamber Supports Medical Marijuana SB 40 establishes a comprehensive system for medical cannabis in Kentucky,. Public-Private Partnership (P3) Possible legislation would encourage the creation of public-private partnerships for a wide range infrastructure projects at all levels of state & local governments and allows the use of public-private partnerships for transportation infrastructure. No bill has been filed yet. Chamber Supports Raising Minimum Wage HB 2 raises the state minimum wage from $7.25 to $10.10 per hour by July 1, 2017, raising the cost of labor in Kentucky far above Kentucky’s competitor states. Right to Work SB 1 prohibits mandatory membership in or financial support of a labor organization as a condition of employment and to name this section the “Kentucky Right to Work Act.”
YOUR GOVERNMENT Smoke-Free Kentucky HB145 prohibits indoor smoking in businesses, places of employment, and other listed public places; exempt private residences, unless used for child care or adult day care; permit smoking in designated nonenclosed areas; require posting of “no smoking” signs at specified locations; permit local governments to adopt stricter regulations by ordinance. Surface Mining HB 131 requires coal mine permittees for all types of mining practices to dispose of remaining overburden in the mined area, areas under the abandoned mine land program, or areas approved by the Energy and Environment Cabinet. Tax Free Weekend HB 25 establishes a three day sales and use tax holiday the first weekend in August each year to exempt clothing, school supplies, school art supplies, computers, and school computer supplies. Chamber Supports Telecommunications Reform SB3 and HB 152 are companion bills that modify the telecommunications deregulation plan.
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PRST STD US Postage Paid Pikeville, KY Permit No. 20
Southeast Kentucky Chamber of Commerce Calendar of Events February 2015 12 Patton Leadership Institute - Frankfort 16 SOAR Summit - East Ky Expo Center, 8:30 am - 4:30pm
17 Economic Development Meeting - Chamber Office, 8:30 a.m.
19 BSCTC Business After Hours - Pikeville Campus, 6:00 p.m.
24 16th Annual Big Sandy Women’s Business
Symposium- Wilkinson-Stumbo Convention Center, 8:30 a.m. - 2:30 p.m. 24 Executive Board Meeting - Chamber Office, 11:30 a.m. 26 Board of Directors Meeting - 11:30 a.m.
March 2015 12 Patton Leadership Institute - 8:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.
178 College Street | Pikeville, KY 41501 www.sekchamber.com Phone: (606) 432-5504 FAX: (606) 432-7295
