There are three major changes occurring within the defense community impacting the economy of our region.  The 2005 Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) decision, the transformation of the Army’s force structure to deployable brigade combat teams (BCT), and the decision to move 70,000 troops from Europe and Korea to the United States will provide an increase of over 5,000 military and government employees, 1,000 contractors, and 6,250 family members to our Fort Knox region over the next five years.

This realignment of Fort Knox will result in an end-state of over 25,000 employees working daily on the installation, a level not seen since the early 1980’s.  As a result, the Fort Knox area will benefit from over a $250 Million increase in annual payroll as well as the economic impact from hundreds of millions of dollars in new construction on Fort Knox. This increase in employees at Fort Knox will exceed employment numbers of any industry currently in Kentucky with the exception of UPS. 

To aide in this transformation to our area we have successfully lobbied the Governor and State Legislature to provide necessary funding to reconstruct Wilson Road in Radcliff to ensure the increased traffic flow in and out of Fort Knox is accommodated.  Working with Elizabethtown Community and Technical College we were successful in securing required funding to complete Phase II of the Post Secondary construction project.  This will insure ECTC will have the ability to work with Western Kentucky University and others in providing for the educational needs of Fort Knox employees and others as part of our rapidly growing economy.

To guarantee we do everything possible to capitalize on the possibilities presented us with the realignment of Fort Knox, I have joined with the Judge/Executive of Meade County and the Mayors of Radcliff, Elizabethtown, and Vine Grove to create the “One Knox Policy Council”.  The purpose of “One Knox” is to coordinate all efforts to prepare for and entice those associated with the Army’s transformation to move to our region and make it their home.  To that end, we have made organized marketing trips (affectionately referred to as “Road Shows”) to all five geographical locations involved in transferring their functions to Fort Knox.  We will continue to make similar visits until the moves are complete.

With the bright possibilities presented by the Army’s transformation and realignment, I believe my twenty years of military experience with the Army Corps of Engineers, coupled with my experience as the county’s chief executive officer, affords me the unique background and professional work experience necessary to maximize every opportunity we are provided.

BRAC ‘road show’ looks for transplants
More than two dozen officials touring to sell Fort Knox area to civilian, Army personnel
- March 17, 2006
The benefits of central Kentucky living are being touted across the country to potential BRAC transplants.

About 30 local officials and business leaders have been traveling across the Midwest and East Coast for two weeks as part of the BRAC road show.
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