Team Work
At Team Taylor County, they combine cooperation and effort to enliven.

Back in October, 1998, Kevin Sheilley had the challenge of a lifetime dropped in his lap. He had just been hired to be the executive director of the Campbellsville-Taylor County development authority, known as Team Taylor County. His task was daunting. Earlier that year, the county’s largest employer, Fruit of the Loom, had shut down its local operations, costing more than 3,000 people their jobs.

Why would anyone want to take on a huge task like that to begin with?

“It was really kind of funny,” Sheilley remembered. “When the executive director’s job with Team Taylor County came open, my in-laws in Somerset and I were talking about how you’d have to be absolutely out of your mind to take that job. Things just don’t happen overnight and whoever would take that job had their job cut out for them.”

Considering the job in Campbellsville one in which he would have no interest, Sheilley found reason to reconsider. “I had pretty much decided I wouldn’t seek that job, but (Team Taylor County Chairman) John Chowning called and talked to me about the opportunity here. After talking with John and others here, it was obvious to me that they had a quality, united leadership. So, it was the leadership at the authority that attracted me to this job.

“What’s more,” Sheilley laughed, “It couldn’t have been any worse than it was, so I thought I’d give it a shot.”

Besides the solid, talented local leadership Sheilley saw in the local economic development authority, he was impressed by Campbellsville’s vibrant quality of life.

“The amenities I saw when I came here were ones that you usually don’t find in cities three or four times the population of Campbellsville. It’s just incredible. The University is key – it has so much; training opportunities, cultural opportunities; just the intangible feelings it gives the community. When you have a center of higher education nearby, it benefits the entire community on a lot of different levels.”

The business-friendly attitude of Taylor County and its leadership was something else that Sheilley noticed back in 1998.

“It was pretty obvious that Campbellsville was down, but not out,” he said. “They don’t know defeat here. If a problem arises, then it’s something to be dealt with, instead of endured. There’s a pervasive, positive outlook on life that you find throughout Taylor County. If you combine that with solid leadership, then good things are going to happen.

“So I saw the combination of these things; excellent leadership, quality of life and local attitude, then saw that they had business opportunities just waiting to be taken advantage of. Campbellsville had an industrial park with a spec building already constructed, plus the four Fruit of the Loom buildings. We have a great location, in the geographic center of Kentucky, close to Louisville, Bowling Green, Nashville and Lexington. Add the fact that we had a talented, available workforce and you see driving factor for a lot of potential.”

The amenities Taylor County offers businesses are very impressive. Campbellsville is serviced by U.S. 68 and half a dozen state highways. The city is 20 minutes from the Louie B. Nunn Parkway; 40 minutes from the Wendell Ford Parkway and I-65; and less than an hour from the Bluegrass Parkway. The immense UPS hub at Louisville International Airport is just an hour and a half way. There are eight automotive manufacturing facilities servicing companies ranging from Toyota and Ford to Chevrolet and Saturn located within a four hour drive from Campbellsville.

More than 20 trucking companies regularly service Taylor County, which is just 38 miles to the nearest railroad terminal (with CSX at Munfordville). The area offers affordable power from three electric companies, including Kentucky Utilities, East Kentucky Power and a local electric cooperative. Natural gas is available from Western Kentucky Gas. Municipally-owned utilities offer water and sewer services residential and commercial customers. The Campbellsville Municipal Water Company is currently using only 2.75 million gallons a day of its 9.2 million gallon plant capacity, so there’s plenty of room for growth. Likewise, the city’s sewer service uses less than half of its 4.2 million gallon per day capacity.

As far as technological communications, Verizon provides telephone, digital switching and fiber optic networks to Campbellsville-Taylor County. The new wireless broadband provides high speed internet access in all of the city and most of the county.

At the Campbellsville Industrial Park, 69 acres are available with another 20 acres under option. Sitting on a level terrain, the site is served by a 12 KV electric line from Kentucky Utilities; a four-inch gas line from Western Kentucky Gas; 16- and 10-inch water lines from Campbellsville Municipal and 10- and 8-inch sewer lines, also from the city.

The average temperature in Taylor County is 54.9 degrees Farenheit with 45 inches of annual rainfall and 16 inches of annual snowfall. Housing prices are extremely competitive, with a typical three bedroom, one-and-a-half bath, 1,500 square foot home averaging $84,400 in cost and a four bedroom, two-and-a-half bathroom executive home costing $150,000.

The Taylor County community is home to Campbellsville University, a private institution affiliated with the Southern Baptist Church. The University is home to the Technology Training Center, which can serve the training needs of demanding employers.

Also, the Taylor County Hospital is home to one of only two Level III Trauma Center in Kentucky. The only centers surpassing the hospital in trauma service are in Louisville and Lexington. Like the rest of the community, the hospital is business friendly. Its extensive EmployCare program serves the needs of area companies in areas of occupational health, wellness and other healthcare needs going beyond traditional workers compensation services.

“This is one great community,” Sheilley said. “If you visit us once, you want to come back.”




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