Along with the collaboration of local and state industry, workforce, and educational partners – Owensboro Community & Technical College (OCTC) designed and launched the GO Females initiative to “skill up” female incumbent workers for advancement in the manufacturing industry. By engaging non­traditional populations, GO Females addresses the increasing need for skilled technicians and ensures that “no worker is left behind” in career and wage advancement.

GO Females provides working adults unique access to education by eliminating financial and accessibility barriers. As a true “work and learn” model, GO Females brings college to the workplace. Classes are held onsite, and lab training equipment is set up at the worksite near the organizations actual production equipment. This allows instructors to connect teaching to “real world” application. It also allows the students to learn, practice, and apply skills relevant to what occurs on the job.

For questions about the GO Females program or how to apply, contact Antoine Smith-Rouse at antoine.smithrouse@kctcs.edu.

Manufacturer Swedish Match is expanding their Owensboro-based plant to produce their new tobacco-free nicotine pouch.

The company expects total investment into the expansion will exceed $100 million and that 120 permanent jobs will be added to the facility.

Swedish Match will build a 16,000-square-foot production area for their new product, ZYN.

ZYN is a flavored nicotine powder pouch designed to be stuck inside a person’s lip. The product is likened to chewing tobacco without tobacco.

Until now, the company was known for its “snus,” the Swedish name for snuff – or moist tobacco placed in the mouth.

Swedish Match’s general brand is the first and so far only snus product to be approved under the Food and Drug Administration’s Premarket Tobacco Application process, which allows companies to sell products that are less harmful than smoking.

A record-breaking 21,684 counted votes were cast in Daviess County for this year’s Primary Election, in large part due to the number of absentee ballots that were submitted as a result of COVID-19. Election officials said primaries normally bring about 20% of registered voters to the polls, but this year near 30% casted their vote. Daviess County Chief Deputy Clerk Richard House said at more than 76% this year, voter registration was the highest he had ever seen.

This is great news for our community, as every vote matters! Everyone has an opinion, and as Americans we should value our ability to have a vote of who is in office and a say in what goes on in the political world.

A sleek new airplane known as the Tecnam P2012 Traveller has recently rolled into the Owensboro-Daviess County Regional Airport and will be used for all Cape Air flights going forward.

This upgraded aircraft is much quieter, provides more leg room and baggage space and has a higher weight limit. While many new amenities benefit the consumer, there are also plenty of bonuses for the airline. This aircraft is more economical to operate, as it is faster and extremely reliable.

The Tecnam is designed to serve regional airports the size of OWB, and it will complete three routes daily – two routes to Nashville and one to St. Louis. The wheels are up and this new aircraft is now in full service!

Owensboro Community & Technical College (OCTC) has announced a partnership with Kenergy and Big Rivers Electric corporations to support the college initiative to provide solar charging in outside locations on the main campus.

Students utilize laptops and mobile devices to attend class and complete assignments daily, but keeping technology charged while maintaining a busy schedule is a challenge.

“We see students looking for plug-ins and borrowing chargers,” said OCTC President Scott Williams. “We have some internal charging stations, but we really want to allow students to access the network while enjoying our beautiful campus. These solar charging stations will fill that need, look great, and be kind to the environment.”

The project investment was $20,000 and will provide two solar charging stations, placed in the outdoor mall area on the main campus at 4800 New Hartford Rd. Each station is ADA compliant, self-sufficient and will provide charging connectivity for multiple devices that students will have free access to.

The Greater Owensboro Economic Development Corporation has initiated a Request for Proposal (RFP) process to identify a qualified consultant to guide and execute a strategic visioning and comprehensive planning process.

 

Click here to view the full RFP. 

Western Kentucky University is offering free, non-credit enrichment courses. Typically, these Career & Personal Development Courses are $115 each, but WKU is offering them for free in lieu of COVID-19. Another advantage of this incredible opportunity is that the courses are self-paced, meaning you complete them at your leisure.

These are the types of courses individuals need to build their skills right now, as so many businesses are having to adapt to current changes. As WKU’s website says, these interactive classes are “designed to provide real-world information that help participants stand out in the workforce or develop personally.”

Below is the list of WKU’s personal development courses being offered at no charge. The registration deadline for these free courses is July 30, 2020.

• 12 Steps to a Successful Job Search
• Fundamentals of Supervision & Management
•  Personal Finance
• Managing Customer Service
• Creating Web Pages
• Creating WordPress Websites
• Individual Excellence
• Small Business Marketing on a Shoestring
• Keys to Effective Communication
•  Marketing Your Business on the Internet

Overview of Position:

The Kentucky Small Business Development Center (KSBDC) provides essential consulting and training services that help existing business owners and potential entrepreneurs succeed. Services that the candidate will be responsible for include one-on-one management consultations, training workshops, market research, loan packaging help, assistance with financial projections and information needed to make informed business decisions.

The Small Business Development Center (SBDC) is housed on the 3rd floor of the Commerce Center in Owensboro, Kentucky and is now administered by the University of Kentucky in partnership with The Greater Owensboro Economic Development Corporation (GOEDC).

The position will report to the KSBDC State Office and partnership leadership (GOEDC) President/CEO, Brittaney Johnson. The full-time position will pay $34.00/hour. Benefits offered for the position include health, vision, and dental insurance coverage at the UK Employee staff rates, 403b retirement plan (without employer contribution as a STEPS Employee), and area UK employee discounts. Travel costs are reimbursable per University of Kentucky guidelines as well.

 

Duties and Responsibilities:

• Helping entrepreneurs with overall business plan development and strategy.

• Helping entrepreneurs develop business strategies and mitigate risks around new products, services, and/or processes.

• Perform training workshops on a consistent basis.

• Coaching entrepreneurs through launching new businesses and growing or diversifying mature businesses.

• Consulting on topics such as exporting, product development, raising capital, and federal contracting.

• Connecting clients to key resources for technical and financial support.

• Facilitating sessions to help entrepreneurs develop appropriate business models, business plans, financial projections, cash flow models, marketing plans, loan packaging, core processes, and customer relationships.

• Conducting market research and competitive analysis.

• Identifying and contacting small and medium-sized businesses, assessing their needs, and proposing and delivering solutions to enhance and expand their businesses.

• Keeping up to date with current entrepreneurial trends, market opportunities and skills training. Possess an understanding of the entrepreneurial mind-set and the role entrepreneurial skills play in economic development.

• Delivering various services as required associated with federal programs and awards.

• Collaborating with other units of the host organization, the Kentucky SBDC and other Kentucky SBDC locations, partners, chambers of commerce, local economic development agencies and lenders.

• Building and maintaining close professional relationships with small businesses throughout Kentucky. Must be able to work collaboratively and effectively with partner organizations, including hosts, state and federal resource partners.

• Preference will be given to candidates with experience as entrepreneurs, in small start-up settings, or with experience advising new businesses through the startup process.

• Contact small business to primarily promote the services of the Kentucky Small Business Development Center (SBDC).

• Identify market opportunities and assist in the development of business strategies.

• Develop new services based on demonstrated client need.

• Maintain current records of client firms, proposals, project status, and timesheets using a PC-based customer relationship

management system.

• Participate in meetings and events of small businesses in the areas served.

 

Education/Experience:

• Bachelor’s degree in business, marketing or other appropriate field of study is required.

• Experience: Five years of full-time or equivalent part-time paid experience in banking, business administration, industrial or labor relations, journalism or communications, demographic, economic, market or development research or planning; or in the ownership/ operation of a business enterprise.

• Substitution: A Master’s degree from an accredited four-year college or university in accounting, banking, business administration, economics, finance, fine arts, journalism, management, planning, labor or industrial relations, or human resource management may substitute for one year of the required experience.

• Preference will be given to candidates with experience as entrepreneurs, in small start-up settings, or with experience advising start-up entrepreneurs

 

Qualifications and Personal Attributes:

• Demonstrated understanding of how entrepreneurship and related activities serve to strengthen and grow Kentucky’s economy

• Must be a highly motivated self-starter who works well in an independent setting.

• Ability to communicate effectively and persuasively.

• Ability to analyze and solve problems.

• Ability to manage projects effectively.

• Proficiency in Microsoft Office suite of products with emphasis on Excel.

• Ability to travel with a valid driver’s license.

• This position is considered CARES Act: Not required on campus and has the ability to telework remotely for the duration of the University of Kentucky’s response to COVID-19. An employee hired into this role may be responsible for providing space, printing, networking and/or internet capabilities at the telecommute location.

 

How to Apply:

To be considered for the position, please submit a cover letter and resume via the application link on the job posting site by clicking here. Applications are due by June 3, 2020.

 

Owensboro-based Hollison, founded in 2005 is a high-tech food safety company focused on the detection of and protection from pathogens in pet and human food, food sources and their environments.

Most recently Hollison has been generating a food safety bioaerosol sampler — the DuraSampler — that detects pathogens during food production.

With the coronavirus pandemic making companies especially vigilant to try to stop infections, Hollison has adapted it to detect COVID-19 in high-risk areas.

Christopher Thorn, vice president of Brand Management for the company, said the equipment, which is about the size of a small suitcase – collects air samples in distilled water. The equipment doesn’t eliminate the viruses, but it tells those using it if the coronavirus is present.

The World Health Organization says that COVID-19 can stay in the air for up to three hours, therefore the air needs to be tested frequently. “Each device can check spaces the size of an emergency room,” Thorn said.

Christopher Thorn also stated that Hollison has demonstrated the equipment for officials at both Owensboro Health Regional Hospital and Deaconess Hospital and both organizations are considering using it.

Hollison has eight samplers ready to ship and can manufacture 15 more within two weeks. Companies interested can call Christopher Thorn at 812-568-2118.