SUN DAYS AND BASKETBALL

Hello from the desk of the Ashland Alliance. I start my recap of this week with a reminder that this Tuesday is one of the largest Business After Hours of the year at Citizens Bank Ashland Main Branch. This After Hours is themed March Madness and is a great time to come out, wear your team colors,  and have a shot at some great door prizes with food and drink as a bonus. It is always a great kick off to March Madness and spring in the region.

This week was interesting. We are one step closer to hiring our Membership Director with a candidate presentation to Executive Board this past Wednesday.  I also had the opportunity to sit with one of our larger members and discuss their operations and plans for the future. We have said that people in this region look for careers and not just jobs. The average length of service in this company is 14 years for each employee. There is a reason we have a story to tell on the availability of workforce and quality. Fourteen years of loyalty is not the norm in most places in the United States. When you have good people committed to their career and companies, it makes my job easier.

I also heard a great piece of Ashland and Greenup County history this week. Dr. George Borst made a presentation to the Ashland Business Booster Club on Thursday. He highlighted Willie Park Junior. This gentleman was the architect and designer of our very own Bellefonte Country Club golf course in 1921.  Mr. Park was called “the man who took golf to the world.” He designed over 200 courses, mostly country clubs, in Europe, Canada, and the United States. He designed golf clubs and had numerous patents and books that laid out the game of golf that we have today. He even won the British Open twice! Bellefonte’s golf course is unique and has historical roots. For any of you that haven’t been out to the club for a while, it has been remodeled with a new bar area and dining room. I highly recommend you check it out!

This community has always had strong roots. In this time of spring when everything is beginning to come back to life, I think it is only fitting that our community is seeing growth and opportunity as well.

Enjoy the weather, the basketball, and your families. We at Ashland Alliance is proud to be a part of your community.  Hopefully, I will see you Tuesday at Citizens Bank for the kick off of March Madness.

—Tim Gibbs, Ashland Alliance