Bowling Green Area Chamber celebrates another year of growth at annual dinner
BOWLING GREEN, Ky. – Tuesday night the Bowling Green Area Chamber of Commerce celebrated the success of 2019 at its 85th Annual Dinner at the Sloan Convention Center. Some 645 local business leaders, regional partners and special guests gathered and were treated to a reception, dinner and program.
South Warren High School Senior and Student Ambassador Braedon Price served as the event’s emcee, leading the audience through recognitions, entertainment, ceremonies and speakers that recognized the many accomplishments of the past year.
Chamber representatives had much to boast coming out of 2019 including $376.6 million in capital investment and the creation of 971 jobs. The Bowling Green Area secured the #1 spot in Site Selections Magazine’s national ranking for economic development performance, making 2019 the 6th consecutive year being nationally ranked. Additionally, the Chamber received reaccreditation as a 5-Star organization by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce as one of the top 3% of chambers in the United States.
“Bowling Green, Warren County and South Central Kentucky experienced another year of tremendous blessings filled with economic, legislative and business progress as our economy continued to flourish,” said Chamber President and CEO Ron Bunch. “Tonight, we thank Chamber partners, our elected officials, community leaders and our many volunteers for their hard work, dedication and commitment to growing this community. 2019 was a memorable year for South Central Kentucky, and we look forward to continuing that success well into the future.”
Ron Bunch and 2019 Chairman of the Board Steve Davis presented the Herb Smith Lifetime Achievement Award. The Chamber established the award in 2011 to recognize individuals who have made significant contributions to South Central Kentucky’s economy and who exemplify the Chamber’s core values of inclusiveness, integrity, leadership and service. Tonight, co-owner and CEO of the Murphy Construction Group Mike Murphy was awarded the distinct honor.
The Chamber’s long-standing tradition of passing the chairman’s gavel involved several past chairmen and ended in the hands of the 2020 Chairman of the Board Eric Walker of U.S. Bank.
“I am humbled to serve as the Chamber’s 2020 chairman,” Walker said. “It’s an incredible honor to work alongside my fellow Board members, our volunteers, Chamber Ambassadors, Chamber staff, and most importantly – all of you – our over 1,300 Chamber partners.”
In his address to the audience, Walker thanked the Chamber partnership for making Bowling Green the progressive community that it is and outlined his vision for the upcoming year, including ensuring the continued success of SCK LAUNCH.
