To reserve your spot, please return your completed 2009 MADISON REGISTRATION FORM, along with your NON-REFUNDABLE DEPOSIT AS SOON AS POSSIBLE.

REGISTRATION PACKAGES: Leadership Visit packages include air travel, accommodations for two nights and meals, except for the optional networking dinners one evening, and lunches on Tuesday and Wednesday.

ACCOMMODATIONS: Accommodations are at the Hilton Madison Monona Terrace (9 East Wilson Street, Madison, Wisconsin 53703), Phone: (608) 260-2366, Fax: (608) 260-2369, www.hiltonmadison.com. On the Shimmering Shores of Lake Monona in the heart of downtown and just one block from the State Capitol, this Madison hotel boasts spectacular views of the city and surrounding lakes. Located within walking distance of State Street, including many dining options, art galleries, theatre and other entertainment options; just minutes from the University of Wisconsin Madison Campus.

TRAVEL INFORMATION: Participants will depart Blue Grass Airport via private charter early on Monday morning (May 18). The group will return to Lexington on Wednesday, May 20, in the early evening (travel times to be confirmed).

HOW TO REGISTER: Registration will be taken on a first-come, first-serve basis. To register, simply complete and return your registration form with a non-refundable deposit* to the attention of Katie Hardwick by fax at (859) 233-3304 or by mail to Commerce Lexington Inc., 330 East Main Street, Suite 100, Lexington, KY 40507.

ACCESS THE 2009 MADISON REGISTRATION FORM HERE

PAYMENT INFORMATION:
*Note: Because of increased demand and to assist our organization in making prior travel arrangements with airlines, hotels, etc., we are requiring a non-refundable deposit of $250 per person at the time of registration. This non-refundable deposit will by applied toward your total payment, which will be due by FEBRUARY 1, 2009.

QUESTIONS?
Contact Katie Hardwick at (859) 226-1608, or Lynda Bebrowsky at (859) 226-1611.

We recognize that some of the best candidates are just establishing themselves economically and may not have a corporate structure to support their travel cost. Therefore, a scholarship program is available for a limited number of attendees. If you are between the ages of 21 and 39, you are eligible to apply for a 30/30 Scholarship for the May 18 - 20, 2009 Leadership Visit to Madison, Wisconsin.

DEADLINE: The deadline to apply for a scholarship is Dec. 15, 2008. DOWNLOAD THE 30/30 SCHOLARSHIP APPLICATION HERE FOR THE 2009 MADISON TRIP

SCHOLARSHIP FUND NOTE: For information on contributing to the 30/30 scholarship fund, contact Vitale Buford.

Doug Kinsinger, who heads up the Topeka (KS) Chamber and is the 2008 Chair of ACCE, attended Commerce Lexington's Austin trip and said, "Attracting a group of 275 people is impressive, but even more impressive is that they had the right 275 people." Also quoted in the publication was our very own Eli Mertens, publisher of TravelHost of the Bluegrass, who participated in his first Leadership Visit.

Austin is regarded as the best place to live in Texas. Highlights include the University of Texas, an important music scene, a lively walk-able downtown, and a large high-tech industry. The city is the cultural and economic center of the Austin–Round Rock metropolitan area, and its nickname is the "Live Music Capital of the World."

When and how did Austin get its start as a high-tech mecca? Many people place the beginning in the late 1940s, with the establishment of the University of Texas' Balcones Research Center northwest of Austin. Many of the UT faculty and graduate students who worked on research projects at various scientific laboratories in the Center went on to start or work in private electronics and research companies. These companies and the large pool of highly trained researchers at UT attracted national electronics corporations and their suppliers to Austin.

AUSTIN, TEXAS, RANKINGS OF NOTE:
--> #1 - Overall Metro To Location A Business by Expansion Management, 2006
--> #2 - 10 Best Places To Live by Money magazine, 2006
--> #2 - America's Heart Healthy Cities by Men's Journal, 2006
--> #3 - America's Most Innovative Cities (3rd Highest Number of Patents) by The Wall Street Journal , 2005
--> #4 - Top 20 Boom Towns by Business 2.0, 2004
--> #3 - Best Place for Business by Forbes, 2004

Leadership Visit packages include air travel, accommodations for two nights and all meals, except for the optional networking dinners on Wednesday evening and lunches on Thursday and Friday. Accommodations are at the St. Julien Hotel & Spa (900 Walnut Street, Boulder, CO 80302, Phone: 720-406-9696, www.stjulien.com) in the heart of Boulder. St. Julien offers great views of the Flatirons and has doorstep access to the famous Pearl Street Mall.

After discussion, Commerce Lexington Inc. Chairman Joe Kelly (Columbia Gas of Kentucky) presented Boulder, Colorado, and Oklahoma City to the board for consideration. Both compared well to Lexington with many key initiatives and programs worth studying.

As the state capital of Oklahoma, Oklahoma City has about 1.2 million people, with 519,000 in Oklahoma City. Public and private partnerships over the last 10 years have dramatically transformed the face of the city, staking a claim for the future as a pre-eminent American city. Oklahoma City offers everything you look for in a modern metropolitan community - an abundance of the arts, quality health care, excellence in education and more. And, it does so without high costs, energy shortages, smog or traffic congestion.

SOME THINGS TO CONSIDER ABOUT OKLAHOMA CITY:

> Oklahoma City boasts one of the nation's top two arts festivals. The city ranks 11th in individual giving to the arts.
> Oklahoma City has an abundance of higher education institutions, including the University of Oklahoma in nearby Norman.
> Oklahoma City is one of the nation's major centers for health care delivery, employing almost 64,000 people in the field.
> In late 2004 Dell Inc., announced its decision to construct a business services center in Oklahoma City on 62 acres in downtown.
> Oklahoma City's Empowerment Zone (EZ) is a federally designated area created to promote public-private collaboration and stimulate job growth.

SESSIONS SUMMARIZED FROM THE 2005 PROVIDENCE LEADERSHIP VISIT (PDF DOCS)

Welcome from Jim Hagan, President of Greater Providence Chamber of Commerce
Welcome from Providence Mayor David N. Cicilline
Why Providence session featuring Michael McMahon (RI Economic Development Corp.) and Sally Strachan

Breakout Session A: Creative Economy: The Young & The Restless
Breakout Session B: The Making of Downtown Providence

Community Visioning moderated by Robert Leaver of New Commons
Community Visioning Cluster Photo Boards

Over the years, Lexington leaders have visited such cities as Baltimore (M.D.), Greenville (So. Car.), Jacksonville (Fla.), Madison (Wis.), Minneapolis (Minn.), Mobile (Ala.), Portland (Ore.), Raleigh (No. Car.), and San Antonio (Texas).

Those participating in the annual Leadership Visits have brought back a plethora of ideas for implementation here in Lexington. A sampling of recent Visits appears below:

• Baltimore, 2003: Purchasing and procurement initiatives and programs through a Minority Business EXPO in collaboration with UK, FCPS, LFUCG and Ky. State University; Development of the EBO (Emerging Business Opportunities) collaboration leading to two half-day workshops at Blue Grass Airport to assist minority business owners in participating in projects related to airport expansion/initiatives.
• Nashville, 2000: Commerce Lexington's Access Loan Program and New Century Lexington's Community Livability Report.
• Portland, 1999: Bluegrass Partnership Initiative
• Mobile, 1998: Formation of AALE (African-American Lexingtonians Emerge)
• Madison, 1997: Coldstream Research Park.
• Richmond, 1996: Commerce Lexington's Business Information Center.
• Greeneville, 1995: Commerce Lexington's Minority Business Development program and Thursday Nite Live Downtown event.
• Austin, 1992: Lexington Community College's Street MBA Program.
• New Orleans, 1988: World Trade Center downtown.
• Tulsa, 1985: Hope Center (also Charlotte, 1993).
• San Antonio, 1983: Formation of Lexington United.
• Scottsdale, 1981: LFUCG's Herbie and Rosie programs.

2009 Madison, Wisconsin (May 18-20, 2009)
2008 Austin, Texas
2007 Boulder, Colorado
2006 Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
2005 Providence, Rhode Island
2004 Charleston, South Carolina
2003 Baltimore, Maryland/Washington, D.C.
2002 Raleigh, North Carolina
2001 Ann Arbor, Michigan
2000 Nashville, Tennessee
1999 Portland, Oregon
1998 Mobile, Alabama
1997 Madison, Wisconsin
1996 Richmond, Virginia
1995 Greenville, South Carolina
1994 Tampa, Florida
1993 Charlotte, North Carolina
1992 Austin, Texas
1991 Annapolis, Maryland/Washington, D.C.
1990 Boca Raton, Florida
1989 Tucson, Arizona
1988 New Orleans, Louisiana
1987 Charleston, South Carolina
1986 Nashville, Tennessee
1985 Tulsa, Oklahoma
1984 Chapel Hill, North Carolina
1983 San Antonio, Texas
1982 Minneapolis, Minnesota
1981 Scottsdale, Arizona
1980 Orlando, Florida
1979 Savannah, Georgia
1978 Jacksonville, Florida
1977 Tampa, Florida
1976 Houston, Texas
1975 Washington, D.C.
1974 Charleston, South Carolina
1973 Toronto, Canada
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