Lexington, KY - After digesting the recent news that Lexmark was laying off 350 well-paid, highly-skilled Lexington employees plus disengaging from an additional 200 local contractors you may have concluded that Lexington could kiss these talents goodbye. Surely most, if not all, were soon scouring the country -and a very tight labor market- for new jobs.
But it was also dawning on Kris Kimel and his colleagues at the Kentucky Science and Technology Corporation (KSTC) that at least some of these engineers, designers and other professionals would prefer to keep their homes and their families in Lexington. And, to be certain, a city that relies heavily on payroll taxes would prefer to keep them here.
Quickly marshaling the support of state economic development officials, the University of Kentucky, U of L and mayors Jim Gray of Lexington and Greg Fischer of Louisville, Kimel and his colleagues have created “Another Path,” a workshop for these departing Lexmark employees to provide them with information to explore the options of starting their own innovation-driven businesses.
According to Lexington Herald-Leader columnist Tom Eblen, representatives of private insurance companies are being approached to discuss whether health insurance could be extended to these startup entrepreneurs and their employees, at least until they’re on solid footing. And state officials are looking into whether unemployment insurance can be stretched to help support these entrepreneurs while they’re getting started in their new ventures.
KSTC staff will be dedicating a portion of their work-weeks to help the former Lexmark employees pour through and decipher the complexities of launching a business - or going to work for a startup.
The workshop, free and open to the public, is scheduled for Monday, September 24th from 9 a.m. to noon at the Embassy Suites Hotel in Lexington. Registration and coffee begins at 8 a.m. To register, email rjohnson@kstc.com and be sure to include your name and phone number.