Goodwood Brewing and Spirit’s newest brewpub will be opening in early 2022 near Smothers Park in Owensboro, Kentucky. Goodwood Owensboro will feature a full kitchen and brewery onsite, with our award winning core beers, craft spirits and seasonal brews. A diverse food menu featuring southern classics with a twist, such as Chicken and Waffles, Brisket Totchos, Buffalo Cauliflower, Bourbon Brined Pork Chop and a unique and delicious weekend brunch. Many of our made from scratch items are beer or bourbon infused, and our diverse menu is sure to offer something for everyone. Goodwood also features a complete line of beer infused sauces, ranging from mild to extreme heat for the daring soul.

“We are excited to be opening another location in our home state and bringing our unique mix of craft beer along with culinary inspired food to Owensboro. We were drawn to Owensboro with the continued growth of the community and we have always had a great response from the craft beer community in Western Kentucky. When we saw the location in Owensboro, we fell in love with the view of the river. We look forward to being part of the community and giving back when we have the opportunity.” Chris Sparks, Chief Operating Officer

The brewpub will be located at 101 Frederica Street and features a spacious patio for outdoor dining with an outdoor fireplace overlooking the river, a private rental space, an R&D brewery system and a fully stocked bar. Located near the Owensboro Convention Center and right in the middle of many local events and happenings, Goodwood looks forward to being a new hotspot on the riverfront.

“We are excited to partner with Visit Owensboro in a project being announced later this month that highlights the craft beer industry of Western Kentucky. We are also working on a collaboration with Ole’ South BBQ, to bring some local flare to our Owensboro menu.” Rebecca Redding, VP of Marketing

As with all Goodwood locations, the Owensboro location is an ideal pitstop during bourbon trail adventures. Stop in for lunch or dinner and add a unique craft beer experience on your way to visit Green River Distilling Company. You can find more information about their opening on social media channels by following @goodwoodowensboro. Opening week deals and details coming soon!

“We are continuing to explore opportunities for growth both within and outside the state of Kentucky. I was raised on bluegrass music, so having a location across the street from the Bluegrass Hall of Fame is extremely special. Owensboro is one of the fastest growing cities in KY, and we are excited to be part of this vibrant community.” Ted Mitzlaff, Owner and CEO of Goodwood Brewing and Spirits

About Goodwood Brewing & Spirits

Headquartered in Louisville, KY, Goodwood has been producing award winning craft beer since 2005. They expanded their portfolio to beer barrel finished bourbon and rye in 2019. Goodwood operates restaurants in Louisville, Lexington, Frankfort and Indianapolis.

Goodwood beers are available in Kentucky, Indiana, Alabama, Virginia, Tennessee, North Carolina, South Carolina, Illinois, Missouri, Oklahoma, Florida, and Texas. Goodwood spirits are available in Indiana, Kentucky, Tennessee and Texas.

For additional information, please visit https://goodwoodbrewing.com/.

In October 2021, the Owensboro Community and Technical College will launch a Commercial Driver’s License Academy to help address the driver shortage in the region.

Offered through OCTC’s Workforce Solutions division, this regional CDL driving academy is possible through a public partnership with the Owensboro Riverport Authority (ORA) and will offer both CDL Class A and Class B certification training. 

OCTC’s multi-truck and trailer program received funding support from KCTCS-TRAINS and a no-cost lease agreement for the program’s required driving range through the Riverport Authority.

The CDL Driving Academy will place a heavy emphasis on work-and-earn sponsorships, apprenticeships, and post-training employer placement along with a full range of free career navigator services. 

In late September, there will be an employer awareness event hosted by OCTC and ORA, along with the Green River Business Service Team and related workforce development partners. The event is designed to highlight the CDL Driving Academy, funding opportunities, and the training and placement options available. 

Companies interested in CDL certification for new hires or incumbent workers may be eligible for state training funds, which would significantly offset training costs.

For more information, visit owensborotimes.com/cdl-academy. 

Progress is being made in the commonwealth’s mission of maintaining, developing and retaining its world-class workforce.

Last Thursday, Aug. 19th, the Governor announced that nearly 18,300 Kentuckians are expected to receive skills training thanks to support provided through the Bluegrass State Skills Corp. (BSSC), a group connected to the Kentucky Cabinet for Economic Development that helps private-sector businesses establish industry-specific training programs. 

In the fiscal year 2021, which ended June 30th, the BSSC board of directors approved roughly 6.1 million in funds and credits for 111 Kentucky facilities to train the 18,000-plus workers. Building on that momentum, the BSSC board approved more than 1.8 million in training funds and credits for nearly 4,200 trainees across 19 facilities on Aug. 4 during the first of four fiscal year 2022 meetings.

Employers across the state benefit from programs such as BSSC’s Grant-in-Aid (GIA), which provides cash reimbursements for occupational and skills upgrade training at Kentucky businesses, and Skills Training Investment Credit (STIC), which offers state income tax credits for companies to offset the costs for approved training programs. Applications for both programs are accepted and considered for approval by the BSSC Board of Directors. 

The types of operations that could qualify for BSSC incentives include manufacturing, agribusiness, non-retail service or technology, headquarters operations, state-licensed hospital operations, coal severing and processing, alternative fuel, gasification, renewable energy production, or carbon dioxide transmission pipelines. 

For more information or to apply for workforce training assistance, visit ced.ky.gov/BSSC.

The continuous growth of Owensboro and Daviess County, Kentucky is what we continue to strive for as a region. We were excited to see the recent results of the United States Census 2020. Owensboro reported 60,183 residents and Daviess County reported 103,312 residents. Over the last 10 years, Owensboro and Daviess County have experienced a population growth of 4.8% and 6.4% respectively. Owensboro is the 4th largest city in the state of Kentucky (behind Louisville, Lexington, and Bowling Green) and the 629th largest city in the United States. 

Spanning over 22 miles, Owensboro has a population density of about 2,971 people per square mile. When comparing Owensboro’s population density to the other large cities in Kentucky, Owensboro has a smaller land mass. Example – Bowling Green, Kentucky (Kentucky’s 3rd largest city) – Bowling Green has almost twice the land while Owensboro reports having nearly twice the population density. 

For more in-depth information, visit census.gov/…sscountykentucky. 

With the number of Kentucky distillers increasing 250% the past decade, the need to address the industry’s spent-grain byproduct known as stillage has grown as well.

Now, innovators and entrepreneurs can submit creative ideas, technologies and solutions for expanded uses of distilling byproduct. Proposals are due by Aug. 30, when five winners will be selected to present their ideas at the reverse pitch competition Oct. 25 during the 25th Distillers Grains Symposium in Louisville to an audience of distillers and industry stakeholders. Among other prizes, the pitch competition winner will get the opportunity to work alongside distilleries and stakeholders across the state to implement their ideas for surplus stillage usage.

“Our state’s bourbon industry continues to grow at an incredible rate. That means more revenue coming into the state, more quality job opportunities for Kentucky residents and more global recognition for our outstanding brands,” Gov. Andy Beshear said. “However, it also means a rise in byproduct within the industry, so we are asking people for their best ideas to use this stillage in ways that create jobs and moves Kentucky’s agritech industry forward. We’re building a sustainable economy that works for all Kentuckians, and that includes ensuring our industries operate as efficiently as possible.”

Ideally, pitches should meet the following criteria:

• Prioritize sustainability and environmental impact;
• Demonstrate an economic value to the distillery and the end-user of the stillage;
• Identify the size of the distillery the solution is targeting;
• Address the location and space requirements of the solution, if any equipment or process footprint is required;
• Estimate product development costs, if applicable;
• Estimate the initial investment, ongoing costs and profits, if applicable, of the solution to the parties involved;
• Highlight the financial, sustainable and environmental benefits of the solution;
• Explain if/what testing or pilot demonstration has taken place and whether it was successful;
• Highlight the scalability of the solution; and
• Project the solution’s implementation/start-up time.

The reverse pitch competition will be hosted through a partnership between the Distillers Grains Technology Council, the James B. Beam Institute for Kentucky Spirits, Incubation Innovated, the EEC and the KY Innovation, the Kentucky Cabinet for Economic Development, with support and guidance from the Kentucky Distillers’ Association.

To learn more about stillage, or to submit a proposal for the reverse pitch competition, visit BourbonReversePitch.com.

Owensboro Community & Technical College and regional high schools have partnered to allow students wanting a career in nursing the option to utilize a “fast path” so they can enter OCTC’s nursing program directly after graduation.

OCTC Fast Path Nursing is a set of classes that can be taken while still in high school to accelerate the path towards an Associate in Applied Science in Nursing degree. Taken as prescribed, a student can graduate high school and complete their nursing degree within two years.

In order to qualify for Fast Path Nursing, students must be approved by their high school and have a minimum 3.0 high school GPA. Interested students should contact their guidance counselor and apply to OCTC as a dual credit student. For more information, contact nancy.wilson@kctcs.edu. 

Fast Path Nurse is only one way in which students can be accepted into the OCTC nursing program. Those who do not meet the OCTC Fast Path requirements can still apply for admission to the OCTC nursing program after graduation. 

Just as in the traditional nursing program, graduates are prepared to apply and take the National Council Licensure Examination for Registered Nurses (NCLEX-RN). OCTC’s associate degree nursing program is approved by the Kentucky Board of Nursing and is accredited by the National League for Nursing Commission for Nursing Education Accreditation. 

There are currently 133 open nursing positions in Owensboro and Daviess County. For more information on these positions, visit edc.owensboro.com/job-search.

Good things are coming for the rural areas of Daviess County!

The Broadband Funding Bill, otherwise known as ‘House Bill 320’, unanimously passed the Kentucky State House and Senate late Tuesday afternoon. 

HB320 will clear the way for rural electric cooperatives to feasibly provide broadband service to areas of the commonwealth that are currently unserved or underserved. The bill defines “unserved” and “underserved” areas as places where download and upload speeds are below minimums. The bill allocated $250 million into rural broadband internet expansion across the state.

The bill also gives the Public Service Commission (PSC) authority to hear complaints about outages in broadband service and requires broadband providers to have a system strong enough to prevent seasonal outages.