Chamber earns Mac Conway Award, city named one of best places to invest

BOWLING GREEN, Ky. – Bowling Green has been recognized as one of the best places to invest in the United States, based on total projects and jobs created.

Site Selection Magazine has awarded the Bowling Green Area Chamber of Commerce the prestigious Mac Conway Award, naming them among the top 20 economic development organizations in the United States for its performance in 2020.

This award ranks Bowling Green above some of the largest metropolitan cities in the nation, further demonstrating the pro-business environment of the community. Bowling Green is the smallest community to receive the esteemed Mac Conway Award this year, further demonstrating the community’s dedication to a strong business climate and economic resilience throughout the pandemic.

“The Mac Conway Award is an exceptional honor, and we are delighted to be recognized by Site Selection Magazine. Our public and private leadership team consistently prioritizes economic development, which drives our continued national caliber success,” said Ron Bunch, Bowling Green Area Chamber of Commerce president and chief executive officer.

“Through the efforts of our broader community and the economic development team, we have invested in infrastructure and developed product to support business growth. These investments allow us to attract new business, help existing ones to expand, and create jobs in our community. The Mac Conway Award is a reflection on the success of our collaborative efforts,” said Chris Thorn, Bowling Green Area Chamber of Commerce chairman.
The Mac Conway Awards for Excellence in Economic Development are awarded to the top U.S. economic development groups based on an index of total projects, corporate job creation, and facility-related capital investment data calculated both cumulatively and per capita. Out of thousands of EDO’s in the United States, Bowling Green was one of only twenty organizations to receive the sought-after award.

“Congratulations to the Bowling Green Area Chamber of Commerce for receiving this award. Our community was one of three in Kentucky to be named in the top twenty and that says something about the business environment in our state. The state has been supportive of our economic development efforts in Warren County, and because of their support along with local backing we are able to receive a variety of project interest in the community,” said Warren County Judge-Executive Mike Buchanon.

“The Bowling Green Area Chamber of Commerce is actively competing for projects, investment, and job creation to better our city and region. They have a solutions-oriented approach, move quickly, and bring the right people together to make growth happen. This has paid off for our community and for the businesses growing here. We invite other site selectors and businesses to visit Bowling Green and experience firsthand why we were selected as a Mac Conway recipient,” said Mayor Todd Alcott.

In 2020, the Chamber announced 336 new jobs and over $331M in capital investments and is well on the way to exceeding that performance. This has led to $3.6 billion in capital investments and the creation of more than seven thousand jobs in Bowling Green and Warren County over the last decade, with investment levels steadily increasing over the past several years.
Year to date, the Bowling Green Area Chamber of Commerce has closed six economic development projects in South Central Kentucky, totaling $315.7M in capital investment and generating 654 new jobs for 2021. Bowling Green was recently recognized by Livability as a “Top 100 Best Places to Live” in addition to being ranked as the second-best city in the United States for manufacturing by Global Trade Magazine.