LEXINGTON, Ky. – Gina Greathouse, Commerce Lexington Inc.’s Executive Vice President of Economic Development, was recently honored with the Kentucky Association for Economic Development’s (KAED) James J. Coleman Community Professional of the Year Award at its fall conference.
The award recognizes practitioners who have made significant and/or innovative contributions to the field and their service area during the past year.
A 21-year veteran of Commerce Lexington Inc. and long-time economic development professional, Ms. Greathouse has been instrumental in leading the organization’s economic development efforts. Her team not only helps Lexington/Central Kentucky put its “best foot forward” when recruiting new businesses to the area, but she also manages many expansion, retention and start-up projects right here at home.
Under her leadership, Commerce Lexington’s Economic Development Division has surpassed its internal goals, increased annual economic return targets and continually sought new advancements in operational tools, such as adding an economic impact report and project database, as well as upgrading our website’s searchable data software. Commerce Lexington Inc. has also strengthened its partnerships within the Bluegrass Business Development Partnership – including Commerce Lexington, the City of Lexington and University of Kentucky, the Bluegrass Economic Advancement Movement (BEAM) – a 22-county economic initiative between Lexington and Louisville, the Bluegrass Alliance and others.
In 2016, the Economic Development Division earned one of the top communications and marketing awards from the Association of Chamber of Commerce Executives (ACCE) for a project developed specifically for the 2015 Breeders’ Cup, as well as several marketing honors from the International Economic Development Council and the Kentucky Association for Economic Development. Meanwhile, Commerce Lexington Inc. was named ACCE’s Chamber of the Year as the nation’s top chamber of commerce. It was the third consecutive year that CLX was a finalist for the award, competing this time against some of the largest chambers in the country – Jacksonville (FL), Brooklyn (NY) and Tacoma (WA).
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