We held this year’s annual Kentucky Industry Conference (KYIC) October 27-29, in partnership with the Metals Innovation Initiative (MI2) and the Kentucky Manufacturing Extension Partnership (KY-MEP) On the evening of the 27th, we opened the conference with a fireside chat about the rising challenge of Chinese competition with the U.S., specifically as it affects American manufacturing and industry.
On day two, the Conference kicked off in earnest, with main stage events including an impactful keynote address by Joe Craft of Allied Resource Partners, and an outstanding presentation on employee retention by Cara Silletto of Magnet Culture.
Breakout sessions throughout the day followed topic tracks, including Talent & Workforce, Energy & Sustainability, Innovation, Industry Perspectives, and Contemporary Industry Issues. The KY-MEP also hosted workshops on growth management. Following an opening night reception, University of Kentucky Men’s Basketball Head Coach Mark Pope spoke at the KYIC Dinner & Awards Ceremony on how to build a winning culture, and then joined KAM and MI2 leaders in presenting the evening’s awards.
Those included the MI2 innovation awards, the KAM Manufacturers of the Year Awards Presented by Brown-Forman Corporation, the KAM Manufacturing Employee of the Year Award Presented by the Kentucky Community and Technical College System, and the KAM Manufacturing Executive Leadership Award. (Learn more about the awards here.)
Day three included more breakout sessions, panel discussions with Kentucky lawmakers, and a candidate forum over lunch which featured the four leading candidates for next election to the U.S. Senate, Congressman Andy Barr, former Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron, retired U.S. Marine Corps fighter pilot Amy McGrath, and businessman Nate Morris.
The conference included speakers from across the U.S. and Kentucky, some 500 attendees, a record number of exhibitors, and non-stop networking.
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