The South West Kentucky Economic Development Council is looking to the future, as they presented their five year aspirational goals during Monday’s Board of Directors meeting.
The region is still recovering from the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, and has further to go as it continues, but Executive Director Carter Hendricks says that doesn’t mean they can’t plan for a time after the dust settles. He says they’ll be one of several community partners working toward workforce development and education through the school system, implementing strategies to attract a regional headquarters to the area and updating industry analysis and recruit companies that fill supply chain gaps.
He says they set the ambitious goal of creating 5,000 new jobs in five years, and while that number may seem daunting, he believes it is worth aiming for.
Unemployment in Christian County is at 5.5 percent—which is right on par with the state unemployment rate—and Hendricks says those numbers continue to trend downwards.
Todd County’s unemployment rate is at 3.4 percent and Trigg County is at 5.2 percent. A tentative date of March 3 was set for a ground breaking for the new spec building, with the hope that project would be completed by the end of the year.