| Check out what SOAR has been up to lately! |
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February
SOAR Receives $200,000 Grant from ARC
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March
Executive Board Meeting
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April
SOAR funding bill signed in Morehead
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| SOAR Executive Director keynote for leadership conference |
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May
2015 SOAR Strategy Summit
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| The University of Louisville and KentuckyOne become presenting partners with SOAR, to make Kentucky a healthier place. |
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June
"LOCAL FOODS LOCAL PLACES" Workshop in Barbourville
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July
EKU public relations students help advance SOAR initiative
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| SOAR Executive Board Meeting. |
| SOAR kicks off STEM-based education |
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August
IEDC Tech-Led Economy Workshops
SOAR Advisory Council Meeting
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| Would you like Jared to speak at your upcoming event? Click here to submit a request. |
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Dear Sandi,
The SOAR Advisory Council convened for the first time to discuss pressing issues and emerging opportunities across their respective disciplines. Composed of the chairs from the 10 original working groups, it will use a multi-disciplinary approach to tackle the challenges that SOAR and the people of Eastern Kentucky have identified.
With the addition of a Director of Strategic Partnerships to our staff at SOAR, we are seeing great progress in our efforts to be a catalyst for partnerships that will support the implementation of recommendations generated through our original working groups. The SOAR Advisory Council members will be hosting several Roundtables over the next six months around their respective Areas of Focus.
Everything we do will support the goal of creating jobs and economic opportunity in the SOAR region. Better health and education will help build a work force that attracts jobs; and those jobs will, in turn, help create a healthier, better educated region. It's a cycle of success that will generate short-term and long-term results. While, there have been many short-term successes, the transition of the region is a long-term commitment.
SOAR also partnered with the International Economic Development Council (IEDC) to host two broadband workshops earlier this month to provide businesses and communities with information on how they can maximize the power of broadband to increase economic growth and improve workforce readiness.
High-speed Internet access is essential for businesses, schools and communities. Broadband will bring the world to the mountains and the mountains to the world -- and the journey truly begins now as we celebrated the kickoff of the KentuckyWired project on August 31st in Hazard.
Sincerely,
Jared Arnett, MBA | Executive Director
Shaping Our Appalachian Region
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Gov. Beshear, Rep. Rogers Launch Statewide Broadband Network
Reliable, high-speed Internet is coming to every county of the state, and supporters say the broadband project will be the key catalyst for profound and sweeping growth in job creation, health access and education.
Gov. Steve Beshear, Congressman Hal Rogers, state and local officials and hundreds of citizens gathered at Hazard Community and Technical College to learn more about KentuckyWired and how Kentucky's future will benefit from broadband.
The push for reliable, accessible and affordable high-speed broadband is one recommendation that emerged from the SOAR (Shaping Our Appalachian Region) initiative. That recommendation, along with the continuing loss of coal jobs, has been the reason for starting the project in the SOAR region. As a long-time technology leader in the region, The Center for Rural Development partnered with the Commonwealth to guide the eastern Kentucky phase of the project.
KentuckyWired will build the state's middle-mile fiber network and will provide wholesale access to local Internet service providers who can extend fiber to homes and businesses. Read More
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Lexington Hosts Fiber for the New Economy conference
Lexington, KY in conjunction with First Solutions, Macquarie, and KentuckyWired will be hosting an economic development conference series at the Downtown Lexington Hilton, September 15-18. The conference will draw leaders from 12 states and will address the future of broadband in Kentucky, how broadband can provide new opportunities, and the new 3,000 mile open-access fiber ring.
The agenda for the conference includes numerous seminars and training sessions detailing the skills, tools and resources needed in order for a community to utilize their broadband to its greatest potential. Read More
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IEDC Hosts Broadband Workshops in Prestonsburg and Manchester
Manchester and Prestonsburg, Ky. - Shaping Our Appalachian Region (SOAR) in conjunction with the International Economic Development Council (IEDC) offered two
Broadband Technology workshops this week. The workshops were hosted in Prestonsburg at the Big Sandy Technical College and in Manchester at the Eastern Kentucky University Regional Campus.
Dana Crater, Senior Economic Development Associate for IEDC, said the overall goal of the workshop was to "teach participants how to leverage broadband technology as a tool to diversify communities and their economies."
This workshop was the third project that IEDC has completed in the Eastern Kentucky region. In the past IEDC has also attended SOAR summits and worked with the South East Kentucky Chamber of Commerce.
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SOAR Kicks off STEM Education Initiative
Gov. Steve Beshear and U.S. Rep. Hal Rogers joined educators from 22 eastern Kentucky school districts at Clay County High School to help kick-off an education initiative aimed at building a STEM-based (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) workforce by creating new opportunities for teachers through National Board Certification.
Morehead State University has partnered with the Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC), Council on Postsecondary Education, University of Pikeville, Department for Local Government and Touchstone Energy Cooperatives to provide 64 teachers in 22 of the highest unemployment, highest poverty SOAR counties with National Board Teaching Certification. The selected teachers started the three-year program earlier this month.
Read More
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Home Mortgage Assistance
Qualified home buyers can purchase a home using up to $6,000 in down payment assistance and lock into a fixed rate at 1 percent for 30 years; making owning a home more affordable. Read More
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EOS USA to Bring 150 Jobs to Eastern Kentucky
FRANKFORT, Ky. (May 28, 2015) - More jobs are coming to eastern Kentucky.
Gov. Steve Beshear and Congressman Hal Rogers today announced that EOS USA plans to open an operation in Somerset and hire 150 Kentuckians.
EOS, a leading provider of customer care and accounts receivables management services, also plans to invest nearly $4 million into the project.
"This is a significant boost to the economy here in eastern Kentucky," said Gov. Beshear. "While we still have plenty of work to do, the fact that an industry-leading company such as EOS USA would bring 150 jobs here shows we're gaining strong momentum. EOS USA will be a tremendous corporate partner to the Commonwealth, and I'm excited for its future in the region." Read More
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BSCTC Announces IT Early College Academy
PRESTONSBURG, Ky. - Big Sandy Community and Technical College (BSCTC) and Floyd County Schools have announced the formation of eastern Kentucky's first Information Technology Early College Academy.
Ten Floyd County high school students will take part in the inaugural class in August. Participants will graduate with an Associate of Applied Science degree in Information Technology and high school diploma simultaneously. Read More
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$500,000 for Loan Forgiveness Program for Kentucky Dental Students
Governor Steve Beshear and Congressman Hal Rogers joined public health and university officials today to announce a new dentist recruitment program aimed at promoting sustained oral health and well-being in eastern Kentucky.
The new loan forgiveness program is supported by $500,000 in state funds and is available for dental students who practice in the region. The dental schools at the University of Kentucky and University of Louisville will administer the program, providing two to five awardees $100,000 each for a two-year commitment.
"Reversing the oral health issues facing eastern Kentucky has been a major goal of mine throughout my administration," Gov. Beshear said. "The vast majority of both childhood and adult dental problems could be avoided through routine dental care and other preventive efforts. This unique program and partnership will truly expand dental hygiene and help counter oral disease as a major health risk for our people." Read More
 
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Loux Selected as SOAR Director of Strategic Partnerships
Kevin Loux, who has worked to engage communities and market for entities like SOAR, recently joined the team as SOAR's director of strategic partnerships.
"Part of our immediate program work has been to build a team that can sustain and implement the work that the region identified needs to be done," said Jared Arnett, SOAR executive director. "Kevin's background and education is a perfect fit in our effort to innovate and create a future economy for our region."
Loux graduated from the University of Central Florida in 2010, where he earned his bachelor's in economics. He later attended the University of Kentucky College of Law, where he graduated earlier this year.
Loux has experience working across the United States in various business and legal positions.
"I am grateful for the opportunity to earn the trust of this community and I look forward to learning from everyone's unique perspective," Loux said. "I understand the responsibility I have, but I welcome the challenge and look forward to seeing the future we can create together."
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C2 Strategic Communications Chosen as SOAR Communications Partner
The SOAR Executive Board approved the hiring of C2 Strategic Communications as SOAR's communications partner at its July 20 meeting. C2 is already a familiar name in Eastern Kentucky, as the firm handles communications for the ongoing Mountain Parkway expansion. C2 will plan and manage communications to the region's citizens, businesses, schools, corporate sponsors and other interested groups, and will share the SOAR story with media and partners in Kentucky and beyond. Key issues include health care, job creation, transportation, broadband access and more.
C2's SOAR team includes president Chad Carlton, vice-president Kerri Richardson and strategic partner Carla Blanton.
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| Dr. William Hacker |
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Alltech Breaks Ground On Dueling Barrels Brewing & Distilling Co. in Eastern Kentucky
Eastern Kentucky is one step closer to having its first distillery and brewery, after Alltech broke ground today on Dueling Barrels Brewing & Distilling Co. in downtown Pikeville.
The combined brewery and distillery, expected to open in spring 2017 at a cost of $13 million, will be uniquely Eastern Kentucky-inspired. It will feature its own range of beer and spirits that celebrate the area, including moonshine and bourbon. Read More
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Dr. William Hacker, Doug Jones Appointed to SOAR Advisory Council and Business Incubation Round Table
The appointment of Dr. William Hacker, of Manchester, to SOAR Advisory Council, and Doug Jones, of Hazard, to the business incubation round table, has been finalized.
William D. Hacker, MD, FAAP, CPE, brings years of public health expertise to the SOAR Advisory Council. Doug Jones brings years of small business experience to the business incubation round table.
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Teleworks USA Virtual Job Fairs in Hazard, Annville Draw More Than 250 People Seeking Telework Jobs with National Companies
At final count, more than 250 people attended today's job fairs for Sutherland CloudSource at the Teleworks USA Telework Hubs in Hazard and Annville. Sutherland CloudSource has committed to bring at least 200 seasonal teleworks jobs to Eastern Kentucky through a new partnership with Teleworks USA, and at least 100 of those positions will transition to full-time with benefits! Read More
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First Six SOAR Production Loans Awarded to Kentucky Farms
Kentucky Highlands Investment Corporation today announced the first six recipients to receive loans from the Shaping Our Appalachian Region (SOAR) Small Production Loan Fund, which helps small producers grow healthy, nutritional foods that they can move into commercial production. Read More
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| Pre-register For Your SOAR License Plate Today! |
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Take SOAR on the road with you and show your Appalachian Region pride.
Read more on how to pre-register for your SOAR license plate for $25!
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