< Previous218 MAY 2021 S I T E S EL E C T I O N S I T E S E L E C T I O N MAY 2021 219220 MAY 2021 S I T E S EL E C T I O N You founded Lead Kentucky, which empowers women to become leaders on campus and in their professional careers. Are there any aspects to that program that can be replicated statewide? COLEMAN: I founded Lead Kentucky because I recognized that girls were typically the leaders in high school. ey are often the valedictorians, class presidents, etc. I saw the disparity across the board in elected o ce and CEO o ces and corporate boardrooms. I did the research and concluded that women who lead in high school typically fall o the leadership track when they go to college. at was really concerning to me. College is the time when you plan the rest of your life. If you do not see yourself as a leader then, you never will. With Lead Kentucky, we recruit the best and the brightest and empower them to become leaders. We allow them the opportunity to learn from leaders across Kentucky — CEOs, educators, business owners, etc. e lesson every year that the college women learn the most is that success is never a straight line. You learn more from your losses than you do from your wins. You are currently working on your doctorate in education at UK. What are you learning that you can apply in your role as Lieutenant Governor? COLEMAN: My doctorate is in educational leadership at UK. It was a great segue into this position. I nished all my coursework in the primary. Looking at educational leadership, it is as much about organizational leadership as anything. at has really helped in this role as I build relationships, organize task forces and committees, etc. All the skills and experience I had in that program really helped to shape the understanding and application of the concept of leadership in this role. Workforce development is a complex system. How does higher education in Kentucky equip and prepare the state’s workforce of the present and future? COLEMAN: It is obvious to me, but I am not sure it is obvious to the public. I am a rm believer that our workforce and the quality of it and our ability to build a world-class educational system go hand in hand. Advancing and developing a workforce — that is a large ship to right. You do not build an economy overnight. It really does take an intentional focus that you can bring the most change and hope to. We have developed the Commonwealth Education Continuum. It is about building a cradle-to-career educational system for career development. From early childhood education to the jobs of the Kentucky Lt. Gov. Jacqueline Coleman on the job with her newborn, leading the state’s workforce and education e ort. Courtesy of Kentucky Education and Workforce Development Cabinet We were one of the fi rst states in the nation to get our students back in the classrooms because we were the fi rst to vaccinate all our teachers.” — Kentucky Lt. Gov. Jacqueline Coleman We were one of the fi rst 222 MAY 2021 S I T E S EL E C T I O N future — every step along the way, the foundation is education. We are focused on getting our students in higher education to focus on expertise. We help young people to become experts in their eld. e Promise Scholarship program enables disadvantaged students to go to college and earn a degree without incurring debt. One of the biggest barriers to higher education is the cost. We can help our workforce advance their education to the next step. at can also give them the exposure they need. ey can turn their associate degree into a bachelor’s degree. ey are continually advancing their ability. e more streamlined and e cient we can make that, the more adaptable we can be. What is Kentucky’s secret weapon when it comes to workforce development? COLEMAN: Our secret weapon is our people. We have an entire commonwealth full of people who are known for their hard work and determined spirit. Kentuckians have banded together and pushed through the hard times. It speaks volumes that we are still able to create jobs in Kentucky. We were one of the rst states in the nation to get our students back in the classrooms because we were the rst to vaccinate all our teachers. We still lead the nation in vaccinations. We waived the testing fee for the GED. Anyone in Kentucky can take the GED for free. at is an example of how we can upskill our workforce. e cost of getting a GED was the main barrier to why people were not taking it. We have also invested $ million into a program to recruit diverse teachers. Representation is vital to our success. Our teachers are the rst leaders our kids see outside of the home. We are continuing to push the Kentucky workforce forward. JUST 2% OF KENTUCKY’S K12 STUDENT HOUSEHOLDS NOW LACK INTERNET ACCESS. PRIOR TO THE PANDEMIC, THAT FIGURE STOOD AT 15%. Source: Kentucky Education and Workforce Development Cabinet (continued on page )224 MAY 2021 S I T E S EL E C T I O N Nucor Tubular Products, a division of steel products manufacturer Nucor Corp., announced plans on March 25 to build a $164 million tube mill and create 72 full-time jobs in Gallatin County. “Nucor continues making a tremendous impact in our state, serving as both a great corporate citizen and a committed partner in providing meaningful opportunities for Kentuckians,” Gov. Andy Beshear said. “The announcement that the company will create 70- plus Kentucky-resident jobs boasting average salaries over $70,000 is very encouraging news for the families in Gallatin County and the surrounding region. I appreciate Nucor’s commitment to Kentucky during such an important year for the commonwealth.” The 396,000-sq.-ft. tube mill will be able to produce 250,000 tons of steel tubing each year, including hollow structural section tubing, mechanical steel tubing and galvanized solar torque tubing. The location near Ghent positions Nucor to be able to supply the rapidly growing solar energy industry throughout the U.S. The new facility is scheduled for completion by mid-year 2023. NUCOR TO BUILD $164 MILLION TUBE MILL IN GALLATIN COUNTY Photo courtesy of Nucor Corporation (continued on page )226 MAY 2021 S I T E S EL E C T I O N “We are excited to continue to expand our business in the state of Kentucky. With our recent investments to expand capacity at Nucor Steel Gallatin and add a galvanizing line, our Gallatin campus is an ideal location to build our new tube mill,” said Nucor Corp. President and CEO Leon Topalian. “We would like to thank Gov. Beshear, offi cials with the Kentucky Cabinet for Economic Development, and local offi cials in Gallatin County for their support of this project and our other investments in the state.” Nucor already has a signifi cant presence in Gallatin County. The fi rm recently fi nished Phase 1 of an $826 million expansion project at its Nucor Steel Gallatin mill near Ghent. That mill, which produces fl at-rolled steel coils, is now in Phase 2. The Gallatin steel mill expansions are creating 145 full-time positions. The company is growing in other parts of Kentucky too. In October 2020, Nucor broke ground on a 400-job, $1.7 billion steel plate manufacturing mill in Meade County, a 1.5-million- sq.-ft. operation that is expected to open in 2022. Based in Charlotte, Nucor is North America’s largest recycler and the nation’s largest steel and steel products manufacturing company. Nucor employs more than 26,000 people at more than 300 facilities, primarily located in North America. To encourage the investment and job growth, the Kentucky Economic Development Finance Authority preliminarily approved a 10-year incentive agreement with the company under the Kentucky Business Investment program. The performance-based deal can provide up to $2.25 million in tax incentives based on the company’s investment of $164 million. Photo courtesy of Nucor Corporation (continued from page ) S I T E S E L E C T I O N MAY 2021 227 Do you plan to run for governor someday? COLEMAN: In the last year, I have been sworn in as lieutenant governor, I have had a baby, and I have helped lead this state through a worldwide pandemic. I love my job. I am going to keep doing my job until someone tells me not to. What did Kentucky get right about its response to COVID-19 and the corresponding economic slowdown? COLEMAN: e pandemic has taken such a toll on every aspect of our lives. Kentucky did it right because we have a governor who treated every Kentucky family as if they were his own. at is the highest compliment I can give Gov. Beshear. He had to make tough decisions that he did not want to make, but he did it because it was the right thing to do. We put our families fi rst. We were able to get through this and come out of it even stronger. Kentucky is leading the South-Central region in capital investment projects per capita, according to Site Selection. Even when you must make tough decisions, when you put people fi rst and invest in your human capital, good things happen. We are on track to generate new jobs. All of that is because we have worked to give Kentucky families opportunities to be healthier and better educated. Did you learn anything new about workforce development and training during the pandemic that can be applied moving forward? COLEMAN: We learned that we are much more fl exible and adaptable than we thought we were. at helps the workforce in the long run. We have companies and organizations that are fi guring out how to maintain that fl exibility. e greatest thing that came out of this was this: COVID- created its own set of problems, but it also exacerbated issues we had been dealing with for years. One example was the transition to digital learning. Many kids do not have computers at home. e Digital Divide was something we had talked about for years. We deployed hot spots to every K- household in the state. We lowered lack of internet access from % to %. What is your message to corporate leaders who may be considering Kentucky for an expansion location now? COLEMAN: One is that for businesses looking to expand or relocate, you want to do that in a place that has strong leadership and has proven that it has weathered the storm. We have proven that because of Team Kentucky. We have shown our resilience. e governor has expanded voting rights in a deep red state at a time when we are seeing states cause a divide in voting rights and cause corporations to leave states. Secondly, we ran on a foundation of building a strong workforce to build a strong economy. He will help you build yours. After your career is over, what would you like your legacy to be? COLEMAN: I would hope that I am remembered as someone who made a diff erence by investing in the next generation of Kentuckians. As someone who fought for everyone in Kentucky, regardless of their zip code, and gave them access to a quality education that changed the trajectory of their lives. College is the time when you plan the rest of your life. If you do not see yourself as a leader then, you never will.” — Kentucky Lt. Gov. Jacqueline Coleman and has proven that it has weathered College is the time when you who treated every Kentucky family as if compliment I can give Gov. Beshear. 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