greater owensboro chamber of commerce
Vol 18/Issue 5
CHAMBER MATTERS 2020 MAY
Chamber to host Remote Rooster Booster on May 7
T
he Greater Owensboro Chamber of Commerce will host the first Remote Rooster Booster in the event’s 60-year history this Thursday, May 7 at 7:30 a.m. CST. Sponsored by EM Ford, the event will feature guest speaker Governor Andy Beshear. Rooster Booster is our community’s monthly gathering place. We come together to connect and recharge to go back to our respective workplaces and keep on moving forward. Our Chamber
knows that now more than ever we need to continue to connect to one another. And even though it may look differently for a while, we will make the best of it. We felt like having Rooster Booster was our way to continue forward together. E.M. Ford has been a force in our business community for nearly a century. We are so delighted that they have stepped up to make this Rooster Booster possible. And we are so proud to partner with a firm that has always provided such depth
of leadership in Greater Owensboro. The Chamber is excited about the reopening of our economy and getting back to the economic growth we saw just a couple of months ago. The best way to start this is to put this forward and continue the next part of this journey together. — Candance Castlen Brake, President and CEO, Greater Owensboro Chamber of Commerce
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There is no cost to attend the remote May 7 Rooster Booster, which will be streamed on Facebook Live and Zoom at the event’s regularly scheduled time of 7:30 a.m. CST.
Join us via Facebook Live @gochamber To join via Zoom, visit chamber. owensboro.com to complete a registration form. Registrants will be emailed an access link and instructions.
Governor Andy Beshear to virtually EM Ford to sponsor address May Rooster Booster viewers May 7 Rooster Booster Andy Beshear grew up in Fayette, Franklin, and Clark counties and graduated from Henry Clay High School. He is the son of Steve and Jane Beshear, the 61st Governor and first lady. Along the way, they instilled in Andy the teachings of Andy’s grandfather, a Baptist minister from Dawson Springs, Kentucky, including the values of family, faith, and public service. Andy graduated magna cum laude from Vanderbilt University and earned his Juris Doctor degree from the University of Virginia School of Law, where he was a Dean’s Scholar. After law school, Andy worked at an international law firm based in Washington, D.C., and it was during that time that he met his wife, Britainy. After marrying, Andy and Britainy moved back to Kentucky and Andy continued his legal career at Stites & Harbison, where he was recognized as the nation’s top consumer lawyer by Lawyer Monthly and received many accolades for his litigation work. Andy also tailored his practice to represent nonprofit youth organizations, helping implement background checks and other protective measures to keep kids safe. The values Andy learned growing up, his experience as a private practice attorney and his commitment to his community led him to run for and become Attorney General in 2016. In his role as Kentucky’s 50th Attorney General, Andy fought tirelessly for our families. He fought against the opioid epidemic, suing opioid manufacturers and distributors that flooded our state with pills; creating the Kentucky Opioid Disposal Program to remove unused opioids from Kentuckians’ medicine cabinets; and investigating and prosecuting rogue doc-
tors and drug traffickers. To protect the Commonwealth’s children, the Office of the Attorney General, under Andy Beshear, arrested record numbers of child predators and trained thousands of Kentuckians on how to recognize, report and prevent child abuse and human trafficking. Andy worked diligently to protect seniors from scams, fraud and physical and financial abuse. He was a leader in the fight to protect access to health care and to manage the rising costs of prescription drugs. As Attorney General, Andy made it a top priority of his office to end the state’s rape kit backlog, seeking justice for victims of sexual assault. Through settlements, he secured millions of dollars in funding to get kits tested and to make much-needed upgrades at the Kentucky State Police crime lab, and he launched one of the nation’s preeminent cold case units to investigate and prosecute cases. As a result, Kentucky is one of only a few states to have now tested every backlogged kit. Andy Beshear was an independent voice as Attorney General and fought to uphold Kentucky’s constitution and laws. He stood up for higher education and hard-earned pensions. He knows when state government operates in secret, it is not working for the people and that is why Andy is committed to an open, transparent and inclusive administration. Andy and Britainy have two young children, Will and Lila. The family attends Beargrass Christian Church, where both Andy and Britainy serve as deacons, and they volunteer with several local organizations.
What an interesting last two months this has been. Even though I don’t think anyone ever imagined we would currently be going through this, we have to play the cards we have been dealt and do the best we can. Our EM Ford family has been fortunate to be able to work from home, but we realize not everyone has had the same opportunity. I think that is where you have seen the spirit and resilience of Owensboro shine. Each and every day there are examples of community members, both individuals and businesses, stepping up to help each other through these difficult times. That’s what we have to do as a community to make sure we not only survive, but that we come out stronger on the other end. During this time, we have tried to keep a positive attitude and be grateful and appreciative of the smaller things that we tend to take for granted. EM Ford is celebrating our 95th anniversary this November and we have so many reasons to be thankful. We have a great team, we are humbled to serve so many great clients across the communities we serve, and we are proud to call Owensboro home! We will continue to do our part in helping where we can and we ask you to do the same. I sent this well-known quote to our team last week, “If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together”. Let’s all continue to move forward, TOGETHER! Thank you for allowing us to be a part of this wonderful community and serve your insurance and financial planning needs. — Neel Ford, CIC Partner/Advisor, EM Ford
Cost-saving opportunities available through the Chamber Your friends at the Greater Owensboro Chamber of Commerce know how challenging it is to run a successful business in a normal economic climate, much less in the middle of a pandemic. For those of us fortunate enough to be open, we’re attempting to continue earning revenue, keep our customers and clients engaged and do our best to take care of our employees and their well-being. While you are aware of the advocacy work our Chamber does for this community and the ways we promote and encourage the growth of our Greater Owensboro businesses, I want to make sure you know of the cost-saving opportunities we are able to offer our members as well. We know the majority of our local businesses are trying to stay open while adhering to closure regulations and guidelines, and insurance costs can be a difference maker for those businesses. We are proud to have the ability to provide our Chamber members with several great options when it comes to health care plans and
workers compensation insurance. • Lifestyle Health Plans: This program is designed to give members a comprehensive and affordable health care solution that meets all the compliance requirements of the Affordable Care Act (ACA). By offering affordable coverage along with proactive cost containment and
employee wellness features, member companies can strategically manage health care costs while still maximizing benefits for their employees. • Chamber Advantage: A new health care solution offered in partnership with Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield to serve groups with 2-50 employees. • ClearPath Mutual: A cost-saving program to help companies save 10% on workers’ compensation insurance. Every little bit helps. If you are interested in learning more about these cost-saving options, please reach out. At a time like this, it’s important to evaluate where we are as organizations, and this is a great time to consider all of your available options to save. As always, the Chamber is proud to work for you, the growth of this community and for your business. We will get through this together. To learn more, contact Jaclyn Graves, Chamber Membership Development and Marketing Manager, at jaclyn@owensboro.com.
