Commonwealth of Kentucky
Cabinet for Economic Development

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR PARTICIPATES IN PANEL ON "REGULATORY FLEXIBILTIY BEST PRACTICES"

Ken Robinson, Executive Director of the Kentucky Commission on Small Business Advocacy (KCSBA) was recently selected by the National SBA Office of Advocacy to be a panelist for a conference called "Building a Better Small Business Climate: State Regulatory Flexibility Best Practices" held in Kansas City, Missouri on March 28, 2007. The Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, a prestigious research organization dedicated to understanding and promoting entrepreneurship, co-sponsored the event.

The Kentucky Commission on Small Business Advocacy was created in 2000 and attached to the Office of the Governor. The Legislature formally transferred the Commission to the Cabinet for Economic Development in 2005. Duties of the 13 member Commission include advocating for the interest of Kentucky small businesses and helping this critical component of the state’s economy navigate through the regulatory process.

To date, the Commission on Small Business Advocacy has reviewed over 230 newly promulgated regulations proposed by various Kentucky Cabinets and has weighed in on a number of legislative items impacting small businesses in the Commonwealth. The KCSBA supports the Governor’s efforts to maintain Kentucky as one of the most competitive states in the region for small business growth and development.

Robinson said that "being selected to represent the southeastern states at the conference is a real feather in our cap for a young organization and tells us that the hard work we have put into developing the program is being recognized at the national level." Kentucky’s presentation will focus on program organization, the regulatory review process and ways of communicating with and involving the over 66,000 small businesses in Kentucky with fewer than 50 employees.

For more information about the Kentucky Commission on Small Business Advocacy please visit their website at http://www.Kysba.com or call Ken Robinson at 502-564-2722.

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 2005 totaled more than $1.6 billion with the creation of over 16,700 new jobs. Information on available development sites, workforce training, incentive programs, community profiles, small business development and other resources is available at http://www.thinkkentucky.com/.