• A Letter From The Chair
• Awards
• Chamber Staff
• Ambassadors Club
• Employment Opportunities
• Board of Directors
• Annual Publications
• Chamber Headquarters
• The Leader in Me

I am honored to serve as the 2013 chairman of the Bowling Green Area Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors. We have received local, state and national awards for our excellence in operations, programs and communications. Our proud history includes the 2009 Chamber of the Year by the American Chamber of Commerce Executives and a 5-Star Chamber by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.

South Central Kentucky is a very unique region, one that is focused on the future and that approaches any project with a “can do” attitude. Bowling Green has been ranked as a finalist for the All-American Cities Awards by the National Civic League, and we’ve also been recognized as one of the best places to live and play by National Geographic Adventure. Our region has experienced the largest private sector job growth in Kentucky from 2001 to 2010, and we’re consistently named one of the top communities for industry location and expansion projects for communities of our size

National recognition isn’t the only reason our communities continue to prosper. We have a strong sense of family and a progressive mindset that lead to interesting collaborative efforts throughout our partnership. An example would be our ‘i love bg’ campaign. It is a grassroots effort to capture and grow residents’ pride in Bowling Green. Additionally, our city is thriving with the downtown redevelopment projects. These include a state-of-the-art minor league baseball park, a parking garage with residential and professional office space and the new South Central Kentucky Performing Arts Center.

Another testament to our community’s strength is our commitment to education. Our school systems—from preschool to postgraduate—are pledged to quality education and regularly surpass state and national averages in ACT scores, graduation rates and more. In fact, the Gatton Academy of Mathematics and Science—the high school located within Western Kentucky University—was named the No. 1 public high school in the United States by Newsweek in 2012! And, because of the collaboration between the Chamber and the City and County schools, Bowling Green-Warren County is poised to become the first community in the nation to implement The Leader in Me in all schools and all grades, K-12. The Leader in Me emphasizes the 21^st Century skills our schools are already teaching, and we’re eager to help our schools continue their level of success.

As you enjoy this magazine, you’ll find even more reasons why people live, work and play in Bowling Green and South Central Kentucky. You’ll see why we are a region that is thriving, one that has a friendly and welcoming atmosphere, one we call “Home."

Brad Howard
2013 Chairman of the Board of Directors
Bowling Green Area Chamber of Commerce