A P U B L I C A T I O N O F THE GREATER OWENSBORO CHAMBER OF COMMERCE AND THE MESSENGER-INQUIRER

GREATEROwensboro2014

KENTUCKY COMMUNITY & TECHNICAL COLLEGE SYSTEMOCTC is an equal opportunity employer and educational institution.

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65,479individual lives touched since 1987

Your Community. Your College.

owensboro.kctcs.edu

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The Greater Owensboro Annual Magazine is a publication of the Greater Owensboro Chamber of Commerce with advertising and editorial produced by the Messenger-Inquirer

AdvertisingFAye MurryAdvertising director

editoriAlJACquelIne JOrdAneditor

Jenny SevCIkPhotogrAPhy editor

JOhn dunhAMGAry eMOrd-neTzleystAff PhotogrAPhers

JOhn ShelTOngrAPhic designer

JOy CAMpbellkeITh lAwrenCe rICh SuwAnSkIAnGelA OlIverbeTh nOFFSInGerSTeve vIedJIM MAySerePorters

Greater Owensboro u.S.A. is published annually by theGreater Owensboro Chamber of Commercep.O. box 825Owensboro, ky 42302This edition was produced by the Messenger-Inquirer, Owensboros daily newspaper.no part of this publication may be reproduced in any form without permission from the Messenger-Inquirer.

Printed by greenwell-chisholm Printing co.

ChAmber of CommerCe

stAff

AMy JACkSOn, presidentSuSAn hIGh, Accounting ManagerJAMIe rOby, executive AssistantJIM deMAIO, vice president - Membership development

270-926-1860 owensboro.com

OwensbOrOOn the move!

All AbOut OwensbOrOo

Welcome to Owensboro! The best small city youll find... a 2013 All-American City!Greater Owensboro is on the move in 2014! Just a few of the great things happening in our All-American City:

A brand new Convention Center with a new hotel standing by its side, and another one emerging from the ground. Downtown businesses thriving and growing, and more citizens taking up residence in our downtown. A new hospital focused on patient care and top 2% in the nation quality. Employers hiring and expanding their businesses throughout the Greater Owensboro region. New roads being constructed to get more people and products in and out of our community. Education at the forefront of all our minds, with exemplary secondary schools and colleges with diverse programs to advance our skills and development.

Its an amazing time to be a part of this community. We hope youll find the stories in this annual publication inspiring and a way for you to experience a small bit of all the activity in our community that we are so proud to call our own.

Welcome to Owensboro enjoy the time, talent and treasures of our community!

Sincerely,

Amy JacksonPresident and CEOGreater Owensboro Chamber of Commerce

Darrell Higginbotham, Independence Bank Community President2014 Board ChairmanGreater Owensboro Chamber of Commerce

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4All about Owensboroby the numbersAt a glance

8On the moveOwensboro changes handsties that bindleading legend

21Growing strongInterstate developmentMarina maniaPowering growth

30business & IndustryCommitment to growtheducating designHillview Farmssomething old, something new

50living herereal estate optionswellness

41learning hereleader in MeCommunity Campus

64Playing hereretail revitalizedArts & entertainmentthe HighlightsHome-grown Hospitality

All AbOut OwensbOrOo

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HOwensboro

Owensboroat a glance

Owensboro is the industrial and cultural hub of western Kentucky. Located along the southern banks of the Ohio river, Owensboro is the fourth-largest city in terms of population in the Common-wealth of Kentucky. It is also centrally located to many of the largest metropolitan areas in the mid-west and the southern united States. Owensboro is located 32 miles southeast of Evansville, Ind.; 134 miles north of Nashville, Tenn.; 109 miles southwest of Louisville; 209 miles southeast of St. Louis and 209 miles southwest of Cincinnati.

Between moderately cold winters and warm, humid summers, the greater Owens-boro area experiences a wide temperature fluctuation. In the winter, the average temperature is 39.6 degrees, and in the summer 76.9 degrees is the estimated aver-age. Temperatures are generally highest in July and August and lowest in January. The average annual rainfall for Daviess County is 44.27 inches.

Daviess County ranks first among Ken-tucky counties in total soybean production and third in total corn production. more than 84 percent of the land in Daviess County is devoted to agriculture.

The Owensboro area serves as the industrial hub of Western Kentucky, with major industries including aluminum, steel, distilling, mining, automotive manufacturing and natural gas transmission. Locally pro-duced commodities include automotive components, meat products, smokeless tobacco, office furniture, spaghetti sauce, bourbon whiskey, chemicals, large steel vessels, grain processing, refined oil, paper, plastic extension and casement windows.

Owensboro enjoys a diverse economic base. Of the 45,525 people who work in Daviess County, less than 25 percent work for the countys 10 largest employers.

residents of Greater Owensboro enjoy some of the lowest cost of living anywhere. In particular, the cost of utilities (electricity, water and sewer) are some of the lowest in the nation.

Owensboro is served by more than 150 Protestant churches of 22 different de-nominations, 18 Catholic churches and one Jewish Temple.

The greater Owensboro area has excel-lent public recreation facilities sponsored and maintained by the Owensboro Parks and recreation Department and the Daviess County Parks and recreation Department.

Owensboro boasts some of the best arts and cultural activities for a city its size in the country. Whether your interests lie in museums, music, art or theater, Owens-boro has it.

All AbOut OwensbOrOo

97,847Population Daviess County

Owensboro at a glance 77

58,083Population of Owensboro

$44,379Median household income

$110,000Median home price

6.8Percent below the national average for cost of living

6.8Percent unemployment rate, compared to 7.3% nationawide

44percent of the u.s. population is within 600 miles of Owensboro

sources: u.s. Dept. of Commerce, bureau of labor statistics,Kentucky econominc Development Cabinet, 2013 national Cost of living Index

All AbOut OwensbOrOo

On tHe MOve >>Commitment to Growth

Owensboro has demonstrated a commitment to steady growth through an aggressive downtown revitalization project. with a focus on recreation and tourism, the revitalization includes a $68 million-renovation to the river-side smothers Park, a sparking new convention center and hotels.

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Owensboro changing handsnew FACes In Key POsItIOns

b y J O y C A M P b e l l , J A C q u e l I n e J O r D A n ,

K e I t H l Aw r e n C e , r I C H s u wA n s K I A n D s t e v e v I e D

In 2013, there were several new faces in major positions in the community.Larry Vick retired as superinten-

dent of Owensboro Public Schools, and Nick Brake, president of the Greater Owensboro Economic Development Corp., was hired for the post.Brake left the EDC, and madison

Silvert, the EDCs executive vice president, was promoted to presi-dent.Jeff Barber retired as president of

Owensboro Health, and Philip Pat-terson was hired to succeed him.Ed riney retired as president of

the Owensboro riverport Author-ity, and Brian Wright was named as his successor.Karen miller Porter retired as ex-

ecutive director of the Owensboro-Daviess County Convention & Visi-

tors Bureau, and Shannon Wetzel was selected as the new executive director. Porter later became ex-ecutive director of the Owensboro Symphony Orchestra, replacing Bill Price, who retired.

On tHe MOve>>

2417 REGENCY ROAD,SUITE D

LEXINGTON, KY 40503(859)277-3639

(859)277-4665 FAX

2625 FREDERICA ST.P.O. BOX 1945

OWENSBORO, KY 42302OWENSBORO (270)926-1808

(270)683-9296 FAX

6450 SOUTH SIXTH ST. RD., SUITE B

SPRINGFIELD, IL 62707(217)529-4534

(217)529-8278 FAX

JOHNSON, DEPP& QUISENBERRY

CONSULTING ENGINEERS

TRANSPORTATION ENVIRONMENTAL STRUCTURES INDUSTRIAL & PRIVATE DEVELOPMENT WATER/SEWER

CONSTRUCTION COORDINATION SURVEYS

SINCE 1936

new FACes In leADersHIPOn tHe MOve>>

Dr. nICK brAKeowensboro Public schools superintendentDr. Nick Brake, former president and CEO of the Greater

Owensboro Economic Development Corp., took the posi-tion of Owensboro Public Schools superintendent on July 1, 2013, and has already demonstrated a commitment to molding career-ready students. While Brakes endeavor at the EDC was a detour from

education, his strong education background made him well-suited for the position. Among his credentials include a Ph.D. in education

administration, leadership and policy. And he holds a rank I certification from Western Kentucky university in education administration.Along with the qualifications, he has experience on both

the administrative and classroom sides of education.He was dean of technical programs at Owensboro Com-

munity & Technical College from 2002-2006, director of as-sessment, research and curriculum development at Daviess County Public Schools from 1998-2002 and taught social studies at Daviess County High School from 1991-1998.His time with the EDC no doubt served as an opportunity

to ge