BEAM
Frankfort, KY – At the start of its quarterly meeting Monday in Frankfort, the Bluegrass Economic Advancement Movement (BEAM) formed by the mayors of Lexington and Louisville announced one of the first of what they hope will be many tangible outcomes of the group’s efforts to establish Kentucky’s two major cities as anchors of an economic development region .
After giving $1.15 million to non-profit organizations in the Louisville area in 2012, Ford has announced it will open its Operation Goodwill - Louisville to the entire BEAM region in 2013.
The United Way of Louisville was awarded the bulk of the Ford funds in Operation Goodwill’s first year while Lexington non-profits including the Hope Center and Habitat for Humanity collected a combined total of $50,000. In 2013, however, Operation Goodwill - Louisville, Lexington plans to spread more funding over a larger swath of territory, according to Jay Morgan, Ford’s governmental relations manager.
Morgan said the company’s decision grew out of its involvement with BEAM and its push to develop I-64 between Louisville and Lexington as an advanced manufacturing corridor. The automaker is preparing to celebrate its 100th year of manufacturing in Louisville early in 2013 and has seen relationships with other entities grow out of the BEAM process.
“For the first time ever, Ford and Toyota have announced a new research initiative on the next generation light-duty truck hybrid electric system,” he said. “This region is the only in the world where you have a Ford plant and Toyota plant in such close proximity. So we are trying to align with the Bluegrass Region and as we focus on needs for manufacturing, lets also look at needs for the community.”
Ford is challenging other major employers with ties to manufacturing in the region – such as Toyota, UPS and GE – to join in the giving commitment.
Later this year Morgan said he’ll know how much funding is available to the region, but he expects it to grow from the $1.2 million distributed this year.
Organizations interested in receiving funds can go to http://corporate.ford.com/our-company/community and click the link under the “Resources” tab to fill out requests.
BEAM Board Meeting
After the Ford announcement, the BEAM board made up of executives from around the region heard reports on the work of subcommittees looking to help make the region a hub for advanced manufacturing with the assistance of the Brookings Institute. The group heard from the Young Professionals, Human Capital and Innovation Committees.
As the process moves forward in coming months, the board will begin to make recommendations to move the BEAM region toward its goal.
“What you heard today was members saying ‘we’re coming together now as a team, as a group, we’ve got enough meat on the bones to understand the problems, the opportunities,’” said Lexington Mayor Jim Gray. “With that comes an increased and heightened anxiety that we’re going to get it right, that we’re going to be chasing the right problems and the right opportunities. That’s classic problem solving and that’s classic economic development.”
One thing Gray said won’t be a problem will be preserving the rural Lexington landscape he pushed to protect from development as Vice Mayor.
“Our brand is all about the rural landscape… there are wonderful models for preserving the land and encouraging responsible growth and those models are in Europe, they’re some of what we’ve examined here, especially (those) in Germany,” he said.
The BEAM board is scheduled to meet again in December.