Welcome to the Bowling Green Area Chamber of Commerce Blog
The Bowling Green Area Chamber of Commerce Blog will discuss the news and issues impacting South Central Kentucky's business community. To join the conversation, click the comment link under any post.
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Posted by Bowling Green Area Chamber of Commerce - 7/28/2009 10:58:00 AM
As expected, the card check compromise has arrived. The so-called card-check provision would have required employers to recognize a union as soon as a majority of workers signed cards saying they wanted a union. A half-dozen senators friendly to labor, faced with immovable opposition to the repugnant card check component of the Employee Free Choice Act, dropped that element of the proposed legislation earlier this month.
Marc Elliot, vice president for property development & public policy, stated, "The removal of the 'Card Check' provision from the proposed federal Employee Free Choice Act is a positive move. The Bowling Green Area Chamber of Commerce believes in a worker’s fundamental right of privacy and that a worker’s decision to join a union should be made by private secret ballot rather than a card check process in order to protect the worker from coercion from a union, business, or any other interest."
It appears the Senators will, once again as expected, attempt to replace it with an expedited election feature. Though some details remain to be worked out, under the expected revisions, union elections would have to be held within five or 10 days after 30 percent of workers signed cards favoring having a union. Currently, the campaigns often run two months. This is good news and bad news. The good news is that the card check provision would protect employers from the “weekend ambush” where a majority of employees could be signed up at a union sponsored Jimmy Buffet concert. The bad news is that an election conducted within 5-10 business days of the filing of a petition will not afford an unprepared employer the opportunity to construct and conduct an effective campaign.
This legislation is expected to be on the Senate agenda in September. Now is the time for employers to contact their representatives. Once the Senate has acted, it will be too late! Log onto VoiceforSouthCentralKY.com to voice your opinion or use the following information to contact your Senators:
Posted by Bowling Green Area Chamber of Commerce - 7/22/2009 10:53:00 AM
Here are a handful of quick facts from 2008 and 2009:
-Forbes ranked Bowling Green as No. 12 among the best small places for business and careers in the country for 2008.
-US News and World Report ranked Bowling Green High School in top 505 high schools nationwide – Bowling Green Daily News
-The Carol Martin Gatton Academy of Mathematics and Science in Kentucky at Western Kentucky University has been named to Newsweek’s 2009 list of “The Public Elites.”
-In the U.S. News & World Report’s rankings in “America’s Best Colleges 2009,”WKU is No. 10 among public master’s universities in the South.
-The Bowling Green Area Chamber of Commerce was among 2008's Top 3 Chambers in the Nation (of its size) by the American Chamber of Commerce Executives.
-The Excellence Award for Best Website and the Excellence Award for Outstanding Membership Retention from the Kentucky Chamber of Commerce Executives. Check it out at www.bgchamber.com!
Posted by Bowling Green Area Chamber of Commerce - 7/20/2009 10:02:00 AM
Last Thursday, the Bowling Green Area Chamber of Commerce hosted a 1950’s-style ‘Day of Celebration’ commending our volunteers and dedicated partners for their continual support. Activities included 50's-themed games and contests, classic cars, ice cream floats at the Chamburger Diner, music, rock & roll trivia, a sock hop, prizes and more. In addition to the activities, there were surprise appearances by "The Big Bopper" and "Dick Clark."
“Thursday's festivities provided fun and excitement for the Chamber’s volunteers and committee members,” said Partnership Development Director Beth Oliphant. “Aside from the entertainment, our purpose was to show appreciation for those generous individuals that continually help to make Chamber programs and events possible.”
Posted by Bowling Green Area Chamber of Commerce - 7/14/2009 02:28:00 PM
Warren County Schools has received recognition for their consistent efforts in energy efficiency. The award, Alliance to Save Energy’s "2009 Andromeda Award" for its programs, which include $4 million in energy savings over the last five years, a 28 percent energy use reduction, a daily curriculum that focuses on energy efficiency and Energy Star ratings on five buildings, will be presented to Warren County Schools in Washington DC in September. Currently, Warren County has:
•The most energy efficient school in Kentucky - Plano Elementary •5 Energy Star Schools - Drakes Creek Middle, Henry Moss Middle, Warren East Middle, Alvaton Elementary and Plano Elementary •The first 2 net zero energy designed schools in the United States - Richardsville Elementary & Bristow Elementary •The first Insulated Concrete Form (ICF) school in KY - Alvaton Elementary •Largest Insulated Concere Form (ICF) School in the U.S. - South Warren Middle & High School •2 LEED Platinum targeted designed schools - Richardsville Elementary & Bristow Elementary
We applaud Warren County Schools for their consistent efforts in energy efficiency!
Posted by Bowling Green Area Chamber of Commerce - 7/09/2009 02:52:00 PM
Hill’s Pet Nutrition Saves Energy with Variable Frequency Drives
Protecting the environment and saving energy are priorities at the Hill’s Pet Nutrition, Inc. Bowling Green plant.
Plant leaders identified an opportunity to significantly reduce energy expenditure by adapting a variable frequency drive, or VFD, to a stack fan in the building.
“Think of a fan in your house,” said Barry Howard, manager of technical services at the Hill’s Bowling Green plant. “The motor and fan are wired to run at certain speeds. Sometimes that speed is too high for the conditions, and you need to turn the fan down. You can save energy and money by adjusting the speed to meet the environmental needs.”
A VFD is designed to make those adjustments automatically. It reads static pressure at the fan inlet and modulates the flow of energy to meet demand. As a result, the fan runs only as fast as necessary, thereby saving money and minimizing excessive air draw from the plant.
However, purchasing a VFD for a plant is not as easy as “going to the tool department and buying it ready made,” Howard said. Engineers have to configure the drive for a specific piece of equipment and/or purpose.
Hill’s purchased the VFD from a local supplier, and the customization was done by a team of engineers from Hill’s and Control Systems Design, LLC.
Once the VFD was installed, motor current for the stack fan dropped to 90 amps from 300 amps. This led to energy savings of at least $50,000 per year.
Hill’s and its parent company, Colgate-Palmolive, began focusing on energy management about nine years ago. The Bowling Green VFD project falls in line with Colgate’s internal directive to drive sustainability in people, product and the planet.
Posted by Bowling Green Area Chamber of Commerce - 7/06/2009 08:44:00 AM
In an effort to provide even more value to our partners, the Chamber has invested in a state-of-the-art IP video conferencing system.Everyone knows video conferencing saves time and travel expenses—but did you know it’s better for the environment too? Video conferencing eliminates the CO2 emissions that would have been produced and saves the fuel that would have been used by traveling.We know that now more than ever, you are looking to spend each dollar wisely—and that is one more reason why your Chamber is continually looking for ways to make your partnership dollars provide value to your business.
Video Conferencing Rates: Chamber Partners - $150 an hour Bronze, Silver, and Gold President’s Club Partners - $100 an hour Diamond and Platinum President’s Club Partners - $75 an hour*ISDN to IP bridging service is an extra $65 an hour for all partners.All rentals include the use of either the Community Room, Board Room, or Presentation Room.
Contact Office Manager Amanda Johnson at amanda@bgchamber.com or by calling 781-3200 to check availability and to plan your next video conferencing session today!
Posted by Bowling Green Area Chamber of Commerce - 7/02/2009 11:11:00 AM
According to U.S. Census Bureau information released yesterday, Bowling Green grew 1.8 percent from 54,107 to 55,097 and Owensboro grew .28 percent from 55,360 to 55,516 this year. For Bowling Green and Owensboro, the difference in growth since the 2000 Census is even wider. Bowling Green grew nearly 12 percent, while Owensboro grew just 2.6 percent, only adding 1,449 people to its population since 2000.The lack of a major interstate highway near Owensboro and the presence of one adjacent to Bowling Green have continually been cited as the reasons for the difference.
While concentrated mainly in central Kentucky, the anticipated growth for the Elizabethtown and Hardin County area could spill southward along Interstate 65. The region will see a surge in population because of relocations for base realignment to Fort Knox, and if a battery manufacturing facility is located in Hardin County that will mean thousands of jobs and likely population growth.
