One can never be too prepared for an arriving enterprise.
And that was the message from Executive Director Carter Hendricks during Monday afternoon’s April session of the South Western Kentucky Economic Development, in which he highlighted all of the major “Getting Ready 2 Work” grants that have been received for tri-county business developments since 2020.
Among them:
+ A $100K grant for industrial maintenance and mechatronics studies through Hopkinsville Community College, and in conjunction with the Christian County Fiscal Court and Fort Campbell
+ More than $547K in grants for Elkton’s John E. Walton Business Park, which doesn’t include the most recent TVA award funding
+ More than $75K in grants for the 250-acre Warren Property, which still needs some due diligence
+ More than $1.89 million in grants for the Trigg County I-24 Business Park speculation building, which also has more than 200 acres surrounding it under option and due diligence
+ More than $900K in grants for the Commerce Park 100,000-square-foot spec building, which will soon be occupied by Australia’s Kitchen Foods
+ More than $216K in grants for improved and designated signage at Commerce Park
+ And more than $80 million in grants for a myriad of concerns in Commerce Park II for “Apex 1” Ascend Elements and its infrastructure
Hendricks also noted two of the newer campaign slogans for SWK EDC advertising are “Make Our Location Your Command Center” — because the tri-county region is perfectly positioned shipping and logistics — and “Tap Into The Power Of A ‘Future-Forward’ TVA Location” — because west Kentucky is closely aligned with one of the nation’s strongest power grids.
And grant leverage is critical in the final message.
In other economic news:
— Hendricks noted that, as of first quarter 2025, five communities in south western Kentucky were among the 25 fastest growing in the Commonwealth. Guthrie is sixth; Sharon Grove is 10th, Elkton is 13th, Allensville is 22nd and Oak Grove is 24th.
— Unemployment for the region, Hendricks said, seems stable. As of February, Christian County is at 6.1%, Todd County is at 4.6%, Trigg County is at 5.7%, Montgomery County is at 3.5%, Stewart County is at 3.7% and Robertson County is at 2.7%. The regional average is 5.5%, the state average is 5.3%, and the national average is 4.1%.
— Referencing three Rotary Auctions and the annual United Way of the Pennyrile campaign, Hendricks also made mention of the fact that recruiting business and industry does bring with it a chance to brag on local communities, and their supportive nature. For instance, in 2025, the combined efforts of Trigg, Christian and Todd, through Rotary and United Way alone, brought nearly $2 million in philanthropic efforts.
