Leadership Message

The first of half of 2020 has been one for the history books. COVID-19 has certainly had a major impact on our daily lives and our regional economy, but what hasn’t changed is this community’s spirit and resilience. At KRDA, we’ve seen it first-hand.

With support from the Lincoln Trail Workforce Development Board, the dedicated team at Elizabethtown Community and Technical College (ECTC) piloted a first-of-its-kind coding academy with great success. Despite the added challenges of a pandemic, the students, faculty and staff persevered – providing defense contractors with a local talent pipeline of certified IT professionals and graduates with great career opportunities.

Inundated with record unemployment insurance claims, the team at the Kentucky Career Center-Lincoln Trail (KCC-LT) never lost sight of their mission to help job seekers find opportunities. That includes military spouses. In partnership with Fort Knox and KRDA, KCC-LT is overseeing a new proactive model of support that could become an Army and community best practice.

Part of that model includes a cadre of volunteer community connectors who are stepping up to support, mentor and advise military spouses. These business professionals, while already dealing with the multitude of challenges that COVID-19 has brought, still offered to support Army families.

No doubt, our economic resilience is buoyed by Fort Knox as plans for V Corps’ activation this October continue. The surrounding real estate market in particular is experiencing positive impacts. KRDA also is seeing growth in defense-related business in the region, and we are actively working to attract more companies that value operating near this great military installation.

At KRDA, our commitment to this community remains constant, as do our values, which include fostering an environment of dignity and respect for all people in all places, conducting ourselves with integrity and honor and encouraging our partners to do the same.

Thank you to everyone for your continued support as we work to protect and grow Fort Knox and realize its greatest economic impact.

Warm Regards,

Ray and Jim