ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT LEADERSHIP AWARD NOMINATIONS BEING ACCEPTED

FRANKFORT, KY-The Kentucky Cabinet for Economic Development has begun accepting nominations for the Eighth Annual Governor's Economic Development Leadership Awards. These awards are intended to recognize those individuals in Kentucky who volunteer their time and resources for economic development and are designed to honor those whose vision and leadership have been instrumental in creating jobs and improving Kentucky's local, regional and statewide economy. The purpose is to create benchmarks to inspire others throughout Kentucky to become effective leaders.

"Successful economic development is dependent on people," said Governor Paul Patton. "The effectiveness of a marketable product and strong assistance programs will be diminished if good leadership skills are not available to capitalize on them. These awards will reflect positively on the extraordinary talents of the people of Kentucky."

This year's awards will be presented at a banquet on Thursday, November 20, during the Governor's Economic Development Conference, which is being held in conjunction with the annual meeting of the Kentucky Industrial Development Council (KIDC) at the Hurstbourne Holiday Inn in Louisville, Kentucky.

All nominations must be postmarked no later than September 19, 2003. Nomination forms and further information are available by calling Donna Moloney at the Kentucky Cabinet for Economic Development at (502) 564-7140 or on the Cabinet’s website at www.thinkkentucky.com.

The Kentucky Cabinet for Economic Development is the primary state agency in Kentucky responsible for creating new jobs and new investment in the state. New business investment in Kentucky in 2002 totaled more than $3.2 billion with the creation of nearly 13,000 new jobs. Information on available development sites, workforce training, incentive programs, community profiles, small business development and other resources is available at www.thinkkentucky.com.

(NOTE: KIDC is now the Kentucky Association for Economic Development (KAED), and can be reached at www.kaedonline.org --webmaster, 04/20/05)