Written by Duncan Taylor, Owner/Managing Partner, Duncan A. Taylor, Attorney at Law

The 2025 Class of ELEVATE Kentucky held its first session in Owensboro from Wednesday, April 9 to Friday, April 11. This year’s class is comprised of 24 diverse members, representing 19 counties from the lowlands in the western part of our Commonwealth, to the hills in the eastern portion.

The programming got under way at Owensboro Health Regional Hospital, where all members were able to meet the other participants and a portion of the team that works hard to allow for ELEVATE to occur— Janice Way, Karen Butcher, and Jennifer Phelps. Class members were welcomed to Owensboro by Candance Brake, President and CEO of Owensboro Chamber of Commerce, who spoke of the improvements made to the community and future plans. Following, Dr. Nick Brake of Western Kentucky University discussed community leadership, civic health factors, and how communities can prosper. The classroom portion of Day 1 ended with Bart Darrell, discussing HealthForce Kentucky, a mobile education program that allows youth to be exposed to the medical field in life-like scenarios, and the opportunities/benefits it can provide to communities in Kentucky.

The day ended with a cooking class at Joys of Cooking, where members were able to get to know one another in a unique setting and collaborate on the preparation of a meal. Working together, groups of two created chicken risotto from scratch and flaming bananas foster for dessert!

Day 2 began with a presentation about accountability and leadership by ELEVATE alumni Jordan Baize. He emphasized that one needs multiple mentors for better guidance in various areas of their life. No single mentor is perfect for all situations. Following this presentation, class members were given the opportunity to tour the Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame and Museum, a hidden treasure located in Owensboro. After learning the history of Bluegrass music and its strong connection to the region, the class participated in a walking tour of downtown Owensboro and was able to view the community support, strategic planning, and placemaking efforts that are helping make Owensboro a great community to reside. Making this tour more unique than others was the abnormally high-level of the Ohio River and how it had breached the river wall in several portions of downtown due to recent flooding.

The afternoon began with a recap and discussion of what members felt to be the most meaningful discussions thus far. A majority of the class agreed that Dr. Brake’s discussion on placemaking was vital for all communities. Others emphasized the great impact that HealthForce Kentucky has the potential to have on the Commonwealth. Next, class members were given a tour of the Owensboro Riverport Authority and were able to see the significant influence that this riverport, as well as all riverports, have on Kentucky and the world. Again, this was quite interesting, as the class was able to observe operations at a time when the Ohio River was abnormally high. The day’s sessions ended with a discussion of the importance of agriculture in the region, as well as to the state, at Hayden Farms, located in Ohio County. This unique setting, a chicken farm, provided members insight into the industry and dispelled many unfounded beliefs about the largest agriculture industry in Kentucky. Sadly, severe weather prevented a tour of the facility. The day ended with a meal catered by another hidden gem of Owensboro, Moonlite BBQ.

The final morning began with class members arriving at Unifirst, an international manufacturer of uniforms, for the final session. Upon arrival, all in attendance learned about the manufacturer, how it began in Owensboro, and future plans for expansion. A thorough tour of the facility offered knowledge into product creation from the beginning of the manufacturing process to fulfillment of shipments. Advanced robotics and utilization of artificial intelligence in the facility was of interest to all. To conclude the third day, and first session of the ELEVATE Kentucky Class of 2025, members learned about the DiSC leadership assessment they completed prior to arriving. This presentation allowed participants to learn more about their distinct leadership type, and how to work with individuals of similar and different types.

The second session of ELEVATE Kentucky 2025 will be held in Pikeville from Tuesday, May 6 through Thursday, May 8. The class of 2025 is greatly looking forward to this next opportunity.