Amidst all of the big picture items happening lately, the announcements, the community priorities accomplished, the events and transportation goals achieved by Greater Owensboro, our team at the Chamber is here proudly serving our members.

The greater Owensboro region is blessed to have an abundance of manufacturing businesses large and small. During the recent wave of offshoring that this country experienced, our region remained a robust manufacturing hub. Recently, the United States has seen a great deal of new manufacturing interest, and it is our current governor’s long-term goal that the Commonwealth of Kentucky be viewed by the rest of the world as the center of “manufacturing excellence.”

We have much to celebrate when it comes to our manufacturers. They employ and continue to train our highly skilled workforce, they improve our infrastructure and quality of life, and they give back to our community in tremendous ways. It is for these reasons and many others that we set aside October as “Manufacturing Month” to recognize our local manufacturers and to show them how much we appreciate their contributions to our region.

Manufacturing Month will begin with an official “kickoff” celebration recognizing the Owensboro Riverport Authority’s 40 years of operation complete with tours of this tremendous asset offered to our local plant managers and CEOs.

Hendricks Screen, itself an innovative local manufacturer, will be celebrating its 140th anniversary providing area residents an opportunity to see how stainless steel screens are manufactured as well as their various uses. Registration for this event can be found at mfgday.com.

While all of these events help us celebrate the modern conveniences and opportunities manufacturing provides us, it is also an opportunity to recognize the need to train and maintain a globally competitive workforce. Partnering with school systems and economic development professionals, a number of local facilities are offering tours to high school students. Toyotetsu, Metalsa, Unifirst, Domtar, OMICO, R&B Foods, Southward and Daltile have all arranged for area students to have intimate tours of their operations. The goal is to demonstrate the opportunities, challenges and career options available for our very capable young adults.

We owe these employers so very much for investing in our region. Their persistence, vision and tenacity, in good times and in bad, our worthy of our respect and admiration. So, this Manufacturing Month, take some time to learn about the wonderful opportunities available today with a career in manufacturing, or, better yet, thank a neighbor in the industry whose hard work and dedication has helped make the greater Owensboro region a manufacturing success story.

By Candance Brake President and CEO Greater Owensboro Chamber of Commerce

This Thursday our Chamber, in conjunction with the Owensboro Convention Center, is hosting an opportunity for people in Greater Owensboro to attend a free event showcasing our Chamber Membership.

Chamber Works is Sept. 22 in the lobby of the Owensboro Convention Center. The Convention Center is pulling out the stops to showcase what they offer for events such as this. They are providing at no cost a highlight of their great food.

From 4 – 7 p.m., in a casual, fun setting, members will have booths displaying what they do and products that they sell. Many door prizes from our membership will be announced by WBKR’s Chad Benningfield, our emcee.

Events like this are opportunities for our general public to see the depth of what makes a Chamber membership. We are small business, non-profits, utilities, colleges and entrepreneurs. We sell goods and services. We build homes and keep the community healthy. We teach and feed all.

We truly are a tapestry of the community. Following are the members who will be on hand:

By Candance Brake President and CEO Greater Owensboro Chamber of Commerce

The Leadership Owensboro Class of 2017 started on Thursday with a daylong orientation session for the members of the latest class.

The Chamber Works 2016 Expo will offer 60 local businesses, nonprofits and industries a chance to showcase — and sell — their products and services from 4 to 7 p.m. on Sept. 22 at the Owensboro Convention Center.

According to the Department of Labor, Labor Day, “is a creation of the labor movement and is dedicated to the social and economic achievements of American workers. It constitutes a yearly national tribute to the contributions workers have made to the strength, prosperity, and well-being of our country.”

Two months ago I made a major life change. I left a job and a work family that has meant so much to me over the last eight years. And, if we’re being honest with each other, I was terrified. But, oddly enough, it wasn’t the fear of failure that caused my apprehension; it was the fear of success.

Kentucky Wesleyan College made an announcement last week that amounts to great news for our community. President Bart Darrell has agreed to extend his contract with Wesleyan for 5 more years.