krda

Source: WLKY
Congressmen, mayors, senators, retired military generals and public business leaders gathered at a forum to kick off the grassroots effort, called the Knox Regional Development Alliance, which has a goal of $2.5 million.

The money raised through the alliance will go toward creating new Department of Defense initiatives to attract and retain current missions at Fort Knox and to develop more public and private partnerships that will boost its economy.

The goal is to raise the $2.5 million over a five year span.

“Today, the game has changed. We need to become more aggressive. We need to broaden the scope of what we do, protecting and growing the installation and the economy for the region, which goes all the way to Jefferson County and to Louisville,” said Maj. Gen. Bill Barron.

While the goal is $2.5 million, leaders don’t want to stop there. They want that growth to continue for the Fort Knox economy, but also for the benefit of the state and the community.

Source: The News-Enterprise

In a community meeting to share its vision and launch the final push toward its $2.5 million funding goal, the Knox Regional Development Alliance welcomed leaders of government, business and military retirees for breakfast at Grace Heartland Church.

After interviewing roughly 100 community stakeholders, a private firm helped organizers begin the fundraising effort in April. As of today, the effort is at 62 percent of its goal with $1,556,600 committed. All 43 campaign investors were announced at the meeting.

The push is on to raise the full $2.5 million target by year’s end.

The heads of two of the largest givers, Ray Springsteen of Fort Knox Federal Credit Union and Dennis Johnson of Hardin Memorial Health, also are contributing to the effort as co-chairman of the fundraising campaign.

The money will equip what retired Maj. Gen. Bill Barron, chairman of the Core Committee, called a proactive economic development initiative to serve the Fort Knox region for the next five years. The plan is to hire an executive director and two other staff members to promote the virtues and resources of Fort Knox as a hedge against budget cuts and a possible base realignment while simultaneously lobbying for new opportunities on post and in the neighboring civilian community.

The alliance described its three initiatives as advocating to retain existing missions and attract or recruit new Department of Defense missions; implement defense-related new business attraction and retention programs; and develop more partnerships between public entities plus public-private partnerships to fuel growth.

Source: Lisa Autry, WKU Public Radio

Communities around Fort Knox have launched a capital campaign to help grow the Hardin County army post and the regional economy.

A new partnership called the Knox Regional Development Alliance was announced Thursday in Elizabethtown.  Co-chairman Ray Springsteen said part of the goal is to bring new missions to the post and retain existing ones.

“A few years ago, we certainly had some contraction in the military, and in some cases, this is driven by that,” Springsteen told WKU Public Radio.  “Instead of us reacting when there’s a problem, someone is getting up every day, going out, and finding ways to protect this incredible asset.”

Another goal of the alliance is to attract and retain military-related businesses to Hardin, Meade, Larue, Bullitt, and Jefferson counties.

The alliance is halfway toward its goal of raising $2.5 million by the end of the year.  The campaign is looking for public and private sector donations.

KRDA is the result of a merger between the CORE Committee, Inc. and the Hardin County Chamber of Commerce’s One Knox Council.

Source: WAVE3 News
Millions of dollars and brand new jobs are brewing near Fort Knox and surrounding communities.A capital campaign, spearheaded by Knox Regional Development Alliance, is raising money to fund an economic development initiative. Today, private and public sector leaders from throughout Hardin, Meade, LaRue, Bullitt and Jefferson Counties publicly launched the $2.5 million capital campaign. The money will fund KRDA’s advocacy, marketing and targeted business attraction activities.

The KRDA is the result of a merger of the CORE Committee, Inc. and the Hardin County Chamber of Commerce’s One Knox Council. CORE Committee’s executive director retired Maj. Gen. Bill Barron shared why an effort of this scale and a new organization is needed.

“While we’ve long advocated for missions at Fort Knox, it was never on the scale that other successful military communities had,” Barron said. “It’s time we go from a ‘C’ game to an ‘A’ game to set the conditions for growth at Fort Knox and new business growth in the surrounding communities.”

At the launch event, Barron introduced the campaign’s co-chairs: Dennis Johnson, President and CEO of Hardin Memorial Health and Ray Springsteen, President and CEO of Fort Knox Federal Credit Union.

“It is about quality of place here and it is also really about taking a proactive approach at helping Fort Knox and the surrounding community,” Springsteen said.

“This means jobs, it means good quality of life for individuals and for families and for organizations,” Johnson said. “We want to not only preserve what has happened here as a result of Fort Knox, but also grow that into the future.”

Both organizations have pledged $240,000 over five years. Their investment, along with 42 other public and private sector investors, have raised more than $1.5 million. The City of Radcliff has pledged $125,000 over five years and Meade County has pledged $75,000 over five years.

KRDA has raised more than half of its goal. The group continues to look for public and private investors, to help raise the remaining $1 million.

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