Posts in category: Member News

For Immediate Release

SPEAKER LINE-UP FINALIZED FOR MAY 13th BEST OF LEADERSHIP SUMMIT 

Registration now open for the virtual event 

Louisville, Kentucky (March 25, 2021) – National and global thought leaders will be featured at the Leadership Louisville Center’s annual Best of Leadership Summit on May 13, 2021, its signature event focused on inspiring and equipping leaders at all levels to be better and do better. Presented by sponsor PNC Bank, the annual day of learning will be delivered as a virtual event experience, with live speakers and interactive sessions throughout the day. Each year, this day for learning and growth brings the most relevant and leading-edge content from global leadership experts. Speakers include:

• Kevin Hochman: President of KFC U.S. and Interim President of the Pizza Hut U.S. divisions, with more than 10,000 restaurants across the United States and more than $10 billion in retail sales combined. His focus on customers, innovation, and brand experience played a critical role in KFC’s brand turnaround. Kevin will share the importance of authentic leadership in building consumer brands and your personal brand.
• Marsha Ellis Jones: Executive VP & Chief Diversity Officer for PNC Financial Services Group, will share the business case for diversity and the positive impact that inclusive cultures have on corporate innovation. She will be joined by the co-chairs of IncLOUsion, an employee resource group (ERG) advisory council with representatives from a diverse set of employers in Louisville.
• Minda Harts: Award-winning author, CEO of The Memo LLC, and professor at NYU Wagner. Called “One of the top 12 speakers who will inspire you” by Thrive Global. Minda’s topic “How to Humanize the Workforce,” will cover why intentional relationship-building is critical to advancing equity, inclusion, and belonging in teams and across organizations.
• Dr. Marshall Goldsmith: A best-selling author ranked as the World’s #1 Executive Coach. Chosen as the inaugural winner of Harvard’s Lifetime Award for Leadership. Dr. Goldsmith’s session titled, “The Earned Life,” will offer practical tools you can use to earn the life you want to live.
• Lucy Helm: Newly retired EVP and Chief Partner Officer of Starbucks Coffee Company who led the human resources and leadership development functions for hundreds of thousands of Starbucks employees around the globe. Lucy’s topic, “The Power of Human Connection: Strengthening Organizational Culture in Uncertain Times,” will include how the company adapted quickly during the pandemic and embraced the best of the new normal.
• Ruchika Tulshyan: Author of The Diversity Advantage: Fixing Gender Inequality in the Workplace, and a regular contributor to the Harvard Business Review. Ruchika will share the strategic actions of top leaders in the world’s most innovation organizations, offering a deeper understanding of your role in shaping a workplace where everyone belongs.
• Chef Edward Lee & Lindsey Ofcacek: Chef Edward Lee is a celebrated American chef and Executive Director of the LEE (Let’s Empower Employment) Initiative who will be joined by the Co-founder and Director of the LEE Initiative, Lindsey Ofcacek, for a live cooking demo and the story behind their innovative women’s chef program.
• Raven Solomon: Author and Founder, Charlotte-based Center for Next Generation Leadership and Professional Development, Raven aims to create cross-generational synergy that drives results. Her session will take leaders on an in-depth journey to fully understand not just the generational differences that exist amidst their team, but why these differences exist and how they can be leveraged to create cross-generational synergy that drives results.
• A Broadway Evening – with stars of Come From Away, a new Broadway musical: This feel-good closing session will feature a sneak preview of the Tony Award-winning Broadway production Come From Away. Captain Beverley Bass, the first female captain of an American Airlines commercial plane, who piloted and landed in Gander, Newfoundland, when the September 11, 2001 terror attacks occurred, and Broadway actress, Jenn Colella, who stars as Beverley in Come From Away.

Registration is now open for individuals and groups at www.bestsummit.org. Individual tickets are $350, with discounts available for groups. Sponsorships and special group rates are available by contacting Jennifer Stevens, jstevens@leadershiplouisville.org.

SPECIAL THANKS TO OUR CURRENT EVENT SPONSORS: 

Presenting Sponsor PNC Bank;  Speaker Sponsor Humana;
Gold Sponsors EY and Farm Credit Mid-America;
Silver Sponsors Business First of Louisville; The Lane Report; and Louisville Public Media
Bronze Sponsors Archdiocese of Louisville; DDW The Color House; GE Appliances, a Haier company; Hardscuffle, Inc.; MCM CPAs & Advisors; MPI Printing; Northwestern Mutual; OvareGroup; Samtec; University of Louisville College of Business; and WAVE 3 News.

THE BEST OF LEADERSHIP SUMMIT is for leaders at all levels. While not in-person this year, the Best of Leadership Summit will continue to offer inspiring, actionable learning from incredible thought leaders. The platform will allow attendees to actively engage with other attendees and speakers in the live virtual sessions, as well as access content after the event. The content for day of learning is designed to:

• Build organizations that are more innovative, more profitable, and more adept at building high-performance teams.
• Gain deeper knowledge around inclusive leadership, creating psychological safety, and leading successful change.
• Grow your ability to create a sense of belonging and achieve great results in our new normal.

WHO ATTENDS: The hundreds of attendees from past events represent the top leadership from Louisville and surrounding region, ranging from high-potential emerging leaders to C-suite executives, with over 70% working at a director level or above. The virtual event will expand attendance, welcoming participants from across the country.  Over 180 different companies and organizations attended last year, and industries represented include businesses from large to small, professional services, education, government, healthcare, manufacturing, and nonprofit organizations.

ATTENDEE COMMENTS:

• GREAT speakers! Very impressive. This was one of the best conferences I’ve attended in a long time.  I appreciated each presenter’s seminar and wished more of my colleagues had attended!
• I spoke with my team and they all stated it was the best Leadership event that they have ever attended.  Considering my team consists of members from KY, WI, MI & TN that is saying a lot.
• The best bang was having my executive team together hearing the same messages and discussing them. They were energized.

ABOUT THE LEADERSHIP LOUISVILLE CENTER

The Leadership Louisville Center is the region’s most valuable resource for leadership development and civic engagement. With a purpose to inspire and equip leaders to be better and do better, it has graduated over 10,000 through its civic programs since 1979. The Center is recognized as a national best practice and is known for its dynamic programming and strong community connections. Programming includes five social impact leadership programs (Leadership Louisville, Focus Louisville, Ignite Louisville, Bingham Fellows and Encore Louisville), leadership skills training courses presented through the Leadership Green Room, and events designed to connect leaders and motivate positive change. Learn more at www.leadershiplouisville.org.

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The food bank’s Indiana service area includes Clark, Crawford, Floyd, Harrison and Washington counties

PLAINFIELD, Ind. — The COVID-19 pandemic has put a strain on charities and service organizations as they help meet the needs of people who have suddenly found themselves sick or out of work and unable to put enough food on the table.

According to Feeding America, one out of eight Hoosiers struggles with hunger. That’s why Duke Energy Indiana has pledged $10,000 to the Dare to Care food bank in Louisville, to support food pantries they serve in Clark, Crawford, Floyd, Harrison and Washington counties in southern Indiana.

“This donation will help furnish 30,000 meals for needy residents in southern Indiana,” said Lisa Huber, Duke Energy community relations manager for southern Indiana. “Food security is critical to help people return to economic and social stability.”

“We are thankful for Duke Energy’s donation to help alleviate hunger in this area, “ said Brian Riendeau, Dare to Care executive director. “Their leadership has prompted other companies to step up their contributions, as well.”

Duke Energy Indiana

Duke Energy Indiana, a subsidiary of Duke Energy, provides about 6,600 megawatts of owned electric capacity to approximately 850,000 customers in a 23,000-square-mile service area, making it Indiana’s largest electric supplier.

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by Tony Waterson, Executive Director, Southern Indiana Works & WorkOne Southern Indiana

Candidates seeking employment in today’s workforce want more than just a paycheck. Their experiences during the application and interview process can impact their decisions to accept or reject an offer with a company.

A recent Job Seeker Survey by Engage-to-Excel found that candidates are seeking an easy, straightforward application process, timely responses from recruiters and a career site that answers questions, with a high preference for a mobile process. Within the next five years, a high majority of internet users will access the web exclusively by smartphone. Therefore, a mobile application process and mobile career sites should be a top priority. Mobile career sites and applications will be key to connecting with the next generation of workers. “More than 90% of candidates indicate that a positive interview experience has the power to influence their decision regarding a job.” Developing an engaging candidate experience can provide a competitive edge when recruiting top talent.[1]

Jobseekers consider the reputation of a company as an employer prior to applying for a job and are interested in company culture, environment and values. Your ability to recruit for skilled talent will depend highly on the ability to communicate and promote your company culture.

Companies are now referring to abilities such as critical thinking, leadership, problem solving, communication and teamwork as essential skills, which sometimes take precedence over hard skills that can be learned on-the-job. New technology trends are anticipated to permanently alter the workforce. Workers with teamwork and critical thinking skills that can swiftly adapt to change will advance in their industries, while individuals rooted deeply in traditional methods and technologies are anticipated to fall behind. These essential skillsets are assets that differentiate human workers from artificial intelligence.

Advancements in technology and artificial intelligence will be significant in recruiting processes, but companies must remain aware of the human factors involved for engagement and retention success.

Manufacturers are indicating coronavirus has impacted how they will seek to operate for the future. Businesses are reporting the pandemic has accelerated industry trends such as evaluation and increasing automation, assessments of supply chains, conversion of additional manual-to-digital processes and evaluation of the workforce skills. Covid-19 has also increased the focus on how important business emergency and disruption planning is to a business operation.

This acceleration will require strong talent and will make it imperative to have employees aligned with the right roles. It will be more important to encourage engagement between younger talent and seasoned professionals with industry knowledge. Younger individuals will have a deeper understanding of technology, which blended with industry knowledge, can help to drive new innovation and ideas.

Key areas to focus on are the importance of upskilling current workforce in technology skills and using work-based learning models to help new talent get more industry knowledge, enhancing their effectiveness. Many companies are finding it easier to grow top talent rather than to rely on outside recruitment. Focusing on developing your workforce and creating clear career pathways will ensure you have resources to diversify talent, build stronger leadership and be better positioned for the future.

For more information on work-based-learning, apprenticeships, and career pathway models, contact Southern Indiana Works Business Services Division at 812-941-6436.

[1] Engage2Excel 2020 Recruiting Trends
https://www.engage2excel.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/Engage2Excel_Job_Seeker_Survey_Part_2-WEB.pdf

The SBA is looking for businesses interested in applying for the federal government’s 8(a) Business Development Program.

Benefits:  To help provide a level playing field for small businesses owned by socially and economically disadvantaged people or entities, the government limits competition for certain contracts to businesses that participate in the 8(a) Business Development program.  Disadvantaged businesses in the 8(a) program can:

1. Compete for set-aside and sole-source contracts in the program.
2. Get a SBA Business Opportunity Specialist to help navigate federal contracting.
3. Form joint ventures with established businesses through the SBA’s mentor-protégé  program.
4. Receive management and technical assistance, including business training, counseling, marketing assistance, and high-level executive development.
5. You can compete for government contract awards under multiple socio-economic programs, as they apply.

Qualifications:

1. Be a small business
2. Not already have participated in the 8(a) program
3. Be at least 51 percent owned and controlled by U.S. citizens who are economically and socially disadvantaged
4. Be owned by someone whose personal net worth is $750,000 or less
5. Be owned by someone whose average adjusted gross income for three years is $350,000 or less
6. Be owned by someone with $6 million or less in assets
7. Have the owner manage day-to-day operations and also make long-term decisions
8. Have all its principals demonstrate good character
9. Show potential for success and be able to perform successfully on contracts

Certification:   Before you can participate in the 8(a) business development program, you must be certified.  To get certified as an 8(a) business, simply use the certify.SBA.gov website. You’ll need to have a profile at SAM.gov before you can use the certification website. The information you’ll need to provide will vary based on your business structure and whether you’re already participating in other SBA programs.  After you successfully complete your certification process through certify.SBA.gov, you should update your business profile at SAM.gov to show contracting officers that your business is in the 8(a) program.  You’ll receive a letter in the mail informing you if your application was approved or not. If you’re accepted into the program, your profile in the Dynamic Small Business Search will show your approval date and exit date for the program.  Your certification will last for a maximum of nine years. You’ll need to complete annual reviews to maintain your good standing in the program.

Mentor-Protégé Program:  The 8(a) Mentor-Protégé program is designed to encourage mentor businesses to provide development assistance to protégé businesses. The purpose of the mentor-protégé relationship is to:

1. Enhance the capabilities of the protégé
2. Help the protégé meet the goals established in its SBA-approved business plan
3. Improve the protégé’s ability to compete for contracts

A protégé can get valuable assistance from a mentor in several areas, including:

1. Technical and/or management assistance
2. Financing in the form of equity investments and/or loans
3. Trade education
4. Government contracting

If you are a business interested in applying for this program, contact Andy Alexander, Procurement Specialist, Indiana Procurement Technical Assistance Center.

Southern Indiana redevelopment lauded for innovation and local impact

 JEFFERSONVILLE, Ind. (Oct. 16, 2020) – The International Economic Development Council (IEDC) has recognized the River Ridge Development Authority (RRDA) with the 2020 Excellence in Economic Development Award. River Ridge received a Gold Award, the top honor, in the Real Estate Redevelopment and Reuse (Population 25,000 to 200,000) category at IEDC’s annual conference. The award recognizes innovative projects that create jobs and serve as a catalyst for economic development in their region.

The RRDA, which manages the River Ridge Commerce Center, was established in 1998 to replace lost economic activity on 6,000 acres vacated by the former Indiana Army Ammunition Plant. The Authority has invested more than $120 million to date to redevelop about 30 percent of the property. The investments in roads, utilities and other infrastructure have spurred private development activity and created thousands of jobs in Southern Indiana.

“To compete against economic development agencies from across the U.S. as well as Canada, Europe and other nations and win speaks volumes about River Ridge,” said Jerry Acy, executive director of the River Ridge Commerce Center. “We continue to reinvest in our region and amplify the positive impacts on our community and its being recognized on an international level.”

The River Ridge Commerce Center has become one of the largest magnets for economic growth and job creation in Southern Indiana and Louisville Metro. It serves as home to more than 60 companies with over 10,500 on-site workers. The Commerce Center estimated that it produced a total of $2.5 billion in economic output in 2019 and supported more than 16,900 regional jobs.

River Ridge credits its success to the combined efforts of local leaders in Clark County, Charlestown, Jeffersonville and Utica; the state of Indiana; and economic development officials with the Indiana Economic Development Corp., One Southern Indiana and Greater Louisville Inc.

“We’ve had great economic success in Southern Indiana, but we know we are only as good as the product we represent,” said Wendy Dant Chesser, president and CEO of One Southern Indiana, the leading economic development organization for Clark and Floyd counties. “River Ridge is a tremendous redevelopment project so deserving of the IEDC’s highest award. It serves as an asset to draw a variety of companies into our region, and we are so fortunate to have the economic climate, transportation access and workforce availability within the Louisville metro area to maximize River Ridge’s value.”

River Ridge attracts local, national and international employers from major industries including automotive, aerospace, food and beverage, and logistics with a rapidly growing pharmaceutical and life-sciences cluster. PharmaCord, which connects pharmaceutical companies with manufacturers, doctors and payers, announced a $56 million expansion in June that will result in 850 new jobs at River Ridge. Medline, a medical equipment company, expanded at River Ridge with a new $70 million, 1.1 million-square-foot facility. This continued growth as a hot spot for vital industry sectors contributed to River Ridge’s IEDC award win.

“The River Ridge Commerce Center is a tremendous asset in our state’s efforts to fuel job creation and business growth in Indiana,” said Jim Staton, chief business development officer of the Indiana Economic Development Corporation. “We congratulate River Ridge on this well-deserved honor and look forward to continuing to work together to build on the region’s economic momentum and keep Indiana on a path to success for many years to come.”

The 2020 Excellence in Economic Development Award was presented virtually during the organization’s 2020 annual conference. IEDC is a non-profit, non-partisan membership organization comprised of more than 5000 economic development practitioners around the world. IEDC awards recognize the world’s best economic development programs and partnerships, marketing materials, and the year’s most influential leaders. This year, 35 awards were handed out honoring organizations and individuals for their efforts in creating positive change in urban, suburban, and rural communities. For more information, visit http://iedcconferences.org/dallas/.

About the River Ridge Development Authority

The River Ridge Development Authority was established to replace the lost economic revenue previously generated by the now-shuttered Indiana Army Ammunition Plant. Our goal has expanded to meet the tailored needs and create the top destination for advanced manufacturing, distribution and industrial companies from across the nation and around the world. Learn more at riverridgecc.com.