FRANKFORT, Ky. – Kentucky Power has awarded 10 economic development conference scholarships to representatives of Eastern Kentucky non-profits and governmental agencies. The scholarships allow recipients to attend this week’s Kentucky Association for Economic Development Conference in Richmond, Kentucky, for free. Registration is $275 per person for non-members.
“Kentucky Power takes great pride in working with local, regional and state organizations to promote economic growth in the communities we serve,” said Greg Pauley, Kentucky Power president and chief operating office. “This conference will provide attendees with the opportunity to expand their knowledge as we work together to promote stronger local economies and spark economic development throughout Eastern Kentucky.”
Scholarship recipients are Catrina Vargo, Lawrence County economic development coordinator; Joe DePriest, Letcher County economic development director; Christopher S. Pullem, economic development director City of Ashland; Glenn Jason Boggs, assistant director, Gateway Area Development District in Morehead; Mike T. Malone, Carter County judge executive; Fran Jarrell, executive director, Paintsville/Johnson County Chamber of Commerce; Lisa Daniels Estep, economic development director, Pike County Fiscal Court; Tim Gibbs, president and CEO, Ashland Alliance; Shawn Owens, economic development director, Knott County Fiscal Court; and Annette Napier, program director, KY River Area Development District in Hazard.
The conference, which begins Wednesday and continues through Friday, will include such topics as how to attract industry, maximizing tools and talent, creative ways to build a financial proposal, developing a work force, among others. Tim Feemster of Foremost Quality Logistics in Dallas, Texas, is scheduled to be the luncheon keynote speaker on Thursday at noon, while Kentucky Lt. Gov. Crit Luallen is scheduled to deliver the keynote dinner address Thursday, which begins with a reception at 6 p.m.
Kentucky Power, with headquarters in Frankfort, Ky., provides service to approximately 172,000 customers in all or part of 20 eastern Kentucky counties. It is a unit of the AEP system, one of the largest electric utilities in the United States, with more than 5 million customers in 11 states. AEP ranks among the nation’s largest generators of electricity, owning nearly 38,000 megawatts of generating capacity in the U.S. AEP also owns the nation’s largest electricity transmission system, a nearly 39,000-mile network that includes more 765 kilovolt extra-high voltage transmission lines than all other U.S. transmission systems combined.