Commerce Lexington Inc. revived a long-ago tradition in 2009 of visiting other regions of Kentucky with the idea of listening and learning from business leaders and elected officials in other communities.
This year’s Kentucky Regional Tour, presented by UK HealthCare, will find their members touring and learning about Northern Kentucky.
During the two-day visit, more than 50 business, community, education and government leaders will act as ambassadors on behalf of the Central Kentucky region.
One of the stops: the new Kenton County Administration Building.
The goal of the trip is for Lexington leaders to engage with their peers in other parts of the Commonwealth, and hear about another region’s success stories in key policy areas, learn about common issues and challenges, discover collaborative opportunities and build relationships with attendees and others in the region.
On day one of the tour, the group will make stops at the new Kenton County Government Center, Kenton County Detention Center, Northern Kentucky University’s Health Innovation Center, the University of Kentucky College of Medicine on NKU’s campus, Braxton Brewing Co., and a reception and dinner in Covington’s MainStrasse area.
Topics will cover public policy and economic development issues, efforts to address the area’s opioid and substance abuse problems, partnerships between the business community and NKU, the region’s logistics economy, and tourism.
Braxton Brewery
Day two will begin with a presentation on community partnerships, including the NKY Regional Alliance, a group of the region’s top CEOs, and Covington Partners, a unique education collaborative helping the area’s youth achieve success.
Then, the group will visit the University of Cincinnati’s 1819 Innovation Hub, followed by lunch in the Over the Rhine area and a tour of Findlay Market.
To hear about the economic impact of Over-the-Rhine’s revitalization, they’ll visit Rhinegeist Brewery for a presentation from the Model Group.
For the final stop of the tour, the delegation will make a quick stop at the Ark Encounter in Williamstown to hear how the attraction is boosting tourism in Kentucky.
The group is scheduled to depart from the Lexington Marriott Griffin Gate at 7:30 a.m. today, returning to Lexington by about 5 p.m. on Friday.
