Meet the Chamber Board Chair

MEET THE CHAMBER BOARD CHAIR

W. CLAY H. FORD

GREATER OWENSBORO CHAMBER OF COMMERCE BOARD CHAIR PARTNER, EM FORD Tell us about yourself.

I was born and raised in Owensboro and graduated from Owensboro High School. I then moved to Lexington to attend and graduate from the University of Kentucky with finance and management degrees. I always knew that I wanted to work with my dad and participate in our family insurance and investments business, EM Ford. I was fortunate enough to convince my lovely wife, Diane, to come to Owensboro with me to start the journey together. I was given the opportunity to launch our Investments and Financial Planning division, and later lead the Benefits division, before becoming a fourth generation owner of the business with my brother, Neel. I am proud to be leading our company towards our 100 year anniversary and to be surrounded by over 30 great people not just working hard, but also working smart on behalf of our clients.

Diane loves Owensboro as much as I do and we have been blessed to raise our two children, Whitley and John Clay, in a fantastic community. My hobbies revolve around my family. We love to go to the farm and get as muddy as we can, play tennis, participate in any watersport at the lake, or take late night bike rides to Sonic once summer rolls around! Otherwise, any free time is devoted to Owensboro and trying to make our community a better place to live and work. I’ve really enjoyed working with the Chamber, the Prichard Committee, the Wendell Ford Government Education Center, Wendell Foster and others. The people you meet are so easy to be inspired by. Education is the great equalizer in our country, if it is appreciated by those who have access to it and by those who fund it. I want to spend time learning about ways our system can better serve our students, and ultimately benefit employers in our region, by creating a highly qualified and motivated workforce.

What are you looking forward to most in your role as Board Chair?

I most look forward to watching the exceptional staff at the Chamber help our Members succeed. They constantly work to find new ways to make a positive difference in our community. The board consists of great community leaders to learn from and gives me the chance to see contrasting ideas for solving problems or leveraging Owensboro’s unique strengths for future success. I know Owensboro is special, but I’m biased, so I look forward to using this time to think big and tackle important issues that may be serving as roadblocks to advancement