LASSITER: 2015 was a very good year

With highs and lows along the way, Frank Sinatra could sing that “it was a very good year” for Boyle County’s economic development in 2015. I am pleased to share the EDP’s 2015 Project Activity List, which can be viewed as part of our online Performance Dashboard at http://www.betterindanville.com/performance-dashboard.

A few disclaimers: EDP’s collection of job creation and capital investment data is entirely dependent upon voluntary disclosure by the business. We assure our clients that specific project data will not be publicly disclosed, but we compile all projects into an overall sector total. We are also able to capture project data through the Kentucky Cabinet for Economic Development’s regular monitoring of new or expanding industries, even though we did not directly assist a client.

We are sticklers for accurate data to present to our community. Please know that we don’t “double dip” project data if referenced in two different sectors. For example, if a new downtown Danville business received JumpStart assistance, its jobs/investment data will be included only in the Heart of Danville’s statistics.

Finally, I note that the Kentucky Department of Travel will not release direct and indirect travel expenditures for 2015 until later this year. At that time, we will be able to gauge the positive impact that tourism continues to have on our local economy. In previous years, Boyle’s travel expenditures have gained steadily, outpacing other counties in the Bluegrass region. When our county travel expenditures are official, we will add those to our annual total investment for 2015.

Now, on to the good stuff!

In our industrial sector, five companies expanded and four new companies located here with a total of $25,185,145.00 in capital invested and 284 jobs created. Expanding were Meggitt Aircraft Braking Systems, Wilderness Trail Distillery, National Office Furniture, TransNav Technologies, and Dana. New companies locating or starting up in Danville were Pitman Creek Wholesale, Wilderness Trace Solar, Bolts & Nuts Corporation, and DecoArt’s distribution center operation.

Our JumpStart program provides a business prospect, primarily small or entrepreneurial commercial businesses, a forum to review their business and site location plans with a roundtable of regulatory, licensing, and permitting agencies facilitated by the EDP team as the prospect’s advocates. In 2015, JumpStart clients posted their strongest year for job creation and investment. These include Jimmy John’s, Warrenwood Manor, Newcomb Oil (FiveStar Food Mart), Independent Healthcare Properties (Morning Pointe), Gentle Dental Center, and Wildcat Wings. These businesses created 135 jobs and invested $30,575,000.00 in our community. Other JumpStart clients were Art of
Danville, Stay Over Danville, and Bev’s Boer Goats & Rooms to Rent (a new Perryville bed and breakfast), but their economic impact is in included in Heart of Danville’s and Main Street Perryville’s reinvestment statistics.

Other commercial projects which the EDP assisted or were reported to the EDP as Chamber of Commerce members notched $25,261,986.84 in capital investment backed by 91 new jobs. These projects included both new and expanding businesses at Goodall Apartments, Ltd., the housing development in the historic Palm Beach industrial building; Murphy USA; MKP Management, Inc., (Holiday Inn Express); Viking Partners Ridgefield (Ridgefield Shopping Center); Danville Pediatric Dentistry’s attractive new facility just off the Danville bypass; and Farmers National Bank’s Perryville Road branch expansion.

Our Main Street Districts had a banner year in 2015, with Main Street Perryville experiencing its best year of its tenure. Our Main Street Partners have specifically-defined reinvestment statistics required as part of each organization’s annual recertification by the Kentucky Main Street Program. Both private and public investments are included, especially since public investment demonstrates an ongoing commitment to making our historic downtowns attractive to businesses, shoppers, event-goers, and visitors.

Heart of Danville assisted and monitored projects in the downtown business district that created 183 jobs and invested $25,800,165.39. Included in the Heart’s data are the new projects for Art of Danville and Stay Over Danville noted above as well as Bowman Bungalow, Crown Studios Salon, Domino’s, Ephraim McDowell Health, Grace Café, Plank On Main, and Rustic & Ruffles.

Main Street Perryville saw 15 new jobs created in our smallest city along with $1,273,698.70 in new capital investment. Helping to make this economic impact a reality were Bluegrass Community Bank, Farmers National Bank, Helm & Reynolds Realty & Auction, Marketplacegray, Mister Miser’s, Mozybeau Farms, Poor Knob Produce, The Retreat, S&A Furniture, United Country Bluegrass Realty, Wilder’s Flower Basket, and Wilder Funeral Home.

Across these sectors in which all EDP economic development organizations actively engage, Boyle County saw 708 jobs with a related capital investment of $108,095,995.93 created or committed in 2015!


Jody Lassiter is president and CEO of the Danville-Boyle County Economic Development Partnership.