News

New non-profit private-public alliance to lead $2.5 million effort

What:

Private and public sector community leaders from Hardin, Meade, LaRue, Bullitt
and Jefferson Counties will officially launch a $2.5 million campaign to grow Fort Knox and the region’s economy. The newly established Knox Regional Development Alliance (KRDA) is undertaking the capital campaign to fund a three-pronged economic
development initiative centered on three priorities:

Priority 1: Advocating for new missions and retaining existing missions at Fort Knox
Priority 2: Attracting and retaining defense-related business
Priority 3: Developing more public-public and public-private partnerships

Money raised will be used to fund KRDA’s advocacy, marketing and targeted business attraction activities. The establishment of KRDA is the result of a merger of the CORE Committee, Inc and the Hardin County Chamber of Commerce’s One Knox Council.

Who:

Campaign Co-Chairs:

• Dennis Johnson, President and CEO of Hardin Memorial Health
• Ray Springsteen, President and CEO of Fort Knox Federal Credit Union
• U.S. Rep. Brett Guthrie
• Retired Maj. Gen. Bill Barron, Executive Director CORE Committee Inc.
• Representatives from five counties, 10 municipalities
• Dozens of private sector leaders

When:

8:00 a.m., Thursday, October 13, 2016

Where:

Grace Heartland Church
801 Pear Orchard Road, Elizabethtown, KY 42701

Why:

“Protecting and growing Fort Knox and related private sector business growth means more jobs and more opportunities in our region,” said Ray Springsteen, Campaign Co-Chair. “A comprehensive and coordinated effort to protect and promote Fort Knox is
essential.”

Springsteen sited other military communities with like-organizations that have increased their installation’s military value resulting in new military missions, private sector business attraction and overall economic growth.

Campaign Co-Chair Dennis Johnson emphasized the power of collaboration. “Together, public and private leaders can make a big difference for Ft. Knox. We can protect and grow this regional treasure and economic powerhouse,” said Johnson.

Source: Greg Thompson, The News-Enterprise
Speculation is circling around Congress about the possibility of another round of Base Realign­ment and Closure in 2019 or 2020 and a community effort to make sure Fort Knox is considered a vital resource is under development.

“The focus is to market Fort Knox and the region,” retired Maj. Gen. Bill Barron said Tuesday. “If there is another round of BRAC, we will have a positive outcome either way.”

He is part of a new initiative called Knox Regional Develop­ment Alliance, which gave members of the Radcliff Small Business Alliance a sneak peek of its plans during the organization’s luncheon Tuesday.

According to Barron, KRDA would replace the CORE Commit­tee, founded in 1991, with a membership of 30 elected officials, business leaders and senior U.S. Army veterans.

While the committee that fought to keep the military installation strong will be replaced, its mission is changing in the same way the Army continues to change, Barron said.

“We can’t do business the same today as in the past,” he said.

Barron told business owners the Army is taking a hard look at how installations are being used and what value each has to offer. Through the Knox alliance, the conditions will be set to assure success for Fort Knox and its surrounding region.

Barron described the three-point initiative of alliance’s mission:

* Advocate to retain existing and attract or recruit new Department of Defense missions. “What missions that are taking place elsewhere can be done better at Fort Knox,” Barron said.

* Implement defense-related new business attraction and existing business retention program.

* Develop more public-to-public and public-to-private partnerships. KRDA will explore more opportunities for governmental agencies and the private sector to partner with Fort Knox in a way to benefit all parties.

Barron gave an example how Nolin RECC worked with the installation to make it possible for Fort Knox to generate its own power and move off the grid.

“(We need to) create partnerships with people outside the gate,” he said.

Daniel Hall, the KRDA campaign director, said a leadership team is in place and that team — along with more information about its plans — will be unveiled at 8 a.m. Thursday morning at a campaign kickoff breakfast at Grace Heartland Church in Elizabethtown.

KRDA is in pursuit of a $2.5 million goal to operate over a five-year period. According to Hall, it already has raised more than $1 million, but he would not give a specific amount as he wanted to save that for the kickoff event.

“This represents amazing progress,” he said.

Hall also made note that, to date, Radcliff is offering the largest public sector support for the initiative.

Barry Saylor, program chairman for RSBA, told members he recently spoke with U.S. Rep. Brett Guthrie about the initiative. The congressman told him so many Kentuckians do not realize if the 4,100 jobs at Fort Knox were lost, it would be a worse economic tragedy than the combined closings of UPS and Toyota.

Hall agreed with that statement saying, “This community is a little behind the 8-ball right now.”