LOUISVILLE, Ky. (June 5, 2014) — There was no need, or time, to slow down as members of Greater Louisville Inc. and Commerce Lexington made their way through a jam-packed agenda on the 2014 joint Leadership Expedition earlier this week in Charlotte, N.C.
A recognized high-performance city, Charlotte was the right choice at the right time in terms of exhibiting what keeps a region on the move and ahead of the curve. The second largest banking center in the nation, Charlotte leverages this positive position to also make it a nationally recognized community for starting a small business and attracting young professionals from across the globe. Charlotte’s high rankings in rapid job growth are bolstered by its support of the Central Piedmont Community College, which is a national leader in the concepts of workforce development.
While the group was able to tour and learn much about each of these talent attraction and business growth strategies, they were also able to get a sense of why Charlotte has been dubbed one of the country’ most livable cities because of its commitment to a high quality of place. Participants visited the internationally renowned Mint Museum Uptown, which is dedicated to collecting, conserving, and exhibiting important works of art and design, the vibrant and revitalized city center, the NASCAR Hall of Fame, and the U.S. National Whitewater Center.
As participants neared the finish line of the two-and-a-half day expedition, co-chairs Steve Gault, president, Stephen C. Gault Co., and Ken Sagan, chairman of Stites & Harbison, asked that they reflect on the commonalities that Charlotte and Louisville/Lexington share and what collaborations could make a difference in the challenges facing the region.
Overall, the key concepts that dominated the discussion were that innovative leadership drives transformational change, and embracing and investing in diversity and demographics builds a stronger workforce and community. They also agreed that Charlotte serves as a multi-layered example of how collaboration and public/private partnerships are key to addressing challenges and driving growth.
As Expedition Leadership participants return home, they will use their Charlotte experiences and adopt the trip’s theme of “Fuel. Synergize. Mobilize.” to help them continue to search for and discover innovative ways to collaborate and leverage collective assets back here in Kentucky.
For more information about the 2014 Leadership Expedition, click here.
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