You may know Owensboro as the home of world famous Bar-B-Q and bluegrass music, an agriculture and manufacturing economy with top-ranked schools and a comfortable laid back lifestyle. But have you followed the currents of the Ohio River to northwest Kentucky lately?

You can still enjoy the Bar-B-Q… now check out the Broadway and

performing arts at the RiverPark Center. Long considered a center in agriculture and

manufacturing,…now Owensboro is becoming the center of

the next biotech revolution- plant-based pharmaceutical manufacturing.

The schools enjoy a national reputation… now Owensboro has embraced life-

long learning as a community and is a town with four vibrant growing colleges and universities.

For 30 years the Executive Inn dominated the downtown…

now it is being replaced with an aggressive plan to make Owensboro Kentucky’s most “walkable” urban city!

Owensboro is in the midst of a transformation. There is more happening in this lively river city than you realize. Discover today’s Owensboro. It’s time you caught on.

www.owensboro.com

Center for Arts and Culture

Unusual among cities of its size, Owensboro boasts a thriving arts life. The River Park Center is also known as “Broadway West” in the national theater community. Each year the River Park hosts theater companies while they build touring shows like 42nd Street. Some local talent is used in set building, costumes and technical areas before the production launches a world tour beginning with an Owensboro premiere in Cannon Hall. The contemporary entertainment complex, perched on the banks of the Ohio River in downtown Owensboro, is a cornerstone of entertainment activity and the venue for Friday After Five, a free- 16-week outdoor concert series offered May through August.

Before opening in New York, many major theatre productions first head to Owensboro’s RiverPark Center to build their show and perform first in front of the Owensboro audience. It’s a spectacular opportunity to catch what’s next on Broadway.

has offered performance opportunities to regional talent for twenty-five years. The Owensboro Museum of Fine Art houses a respected collection of Kentucky art and mounts a variety of special exhibitions. The Owensboro Museum of Science and History also offers traveling exhibits along with its hands-on children’s museum, and the Wendell Ford Government Education Center.

RiverPark is also the performance home for the Owensboro Symphony Orchestra and is adjacent to the International Bluegrass Music Museum. The Theatre Workshop of Owensboro has, for forty years, been the home of community theater productions and the Owensboro Dance Theatre

Kentucky’s Number One Sports Town

Owensboro has the distinction of being named as one of the Top 50 Sports Towns in the United States by Sports Illustrated. Owensboro boast outstanding sports complexes not matched by cities much larger than. The region is home to two large championship baseball/softball complexes and a state-of-the-art, four-field football complex, as well as two ten-field soccer complexes, a 5000 seat indoor arena and numerous other indoor gymnasiums. In seven years Owensboro has hosted 25 national championships in baseball and softball. Owensboro also hosts numerous local and state tournaments as well as the aforementioned national events. Very few cities have the proven sports pedigree of Owensboro, Kentucky. We invite you to come to Owensboro and see what SPORTS is all about in our town. We think you will find out the same thing Sports Illustrated did - that Owensboro is one of the best places in the USA to play or watch Sports!

www.owensboro.com

Riverfront Development

Work has already begun on the $45 million Mitch McConnell Plaza and Riverfront Development overlooking the Ohio River in downtown Owensboro. The improvements to the Waterfront Park as envisioned in the Riverfront Master Plan will be completed and this park will be a destination park for residents and visitors alike. Together with the metamorphosis of Veterans Blvd., this park will be the cornerstone of a revitalized downtown Owensboro.

Kentucky’s “Most Walkable” City

In May the most identifiable landmark in Owensboro, the Executive Inn Rivermont hotel, closed its doors to bankruptcy. For decades the hotel was the centerpiece of the downtown. Now, less than 9 months after its closing, downtown Owensboro is springing to life again with an $80 million Master Plan focusing on “walkable urbanism.” The plan calls for a 200 room hotel to replace the Executive Inn, an Events Center suitable for hosting conventions and sporting events, a fine arts academy, an electric tram, and 300 residential units in downtown. The proposed location of the new downtown hotel, is closer to the action with the $40 million waterfront park, the River Park Center, and the historic core of downtown. The location will activate the riverfront district and create a new public plaza connecting the Courthouse to the waterfront. This new center of community life, adjacent to the proposed new hotel site, would also house a farmers market. This plaza will become the city's "Grand Gesture" to the river, truly connecting Owensboro to its river roots.

www.owensboro.com

The Owensboro economy has long been known as a center for agriculture and manufacturing, with a diverse collection of industries. Red Man chewing tobacco, Ragu spaghetti sauce, automobile parts, police radar guns, and breathalyzers are among the well know products manufactured in Owensboro. The exodus of manufacturing jobs that devastated many communities the past decade has impacted Owensboro, but less seriously than other regions of the U.S.

The shifting economy in Owensboro toward an emphasis on health care and the life sciences is thanks to the aggressive growth and leadership of the Owensboro Medical Health System. As the state’s third largest medical center, OMHS is positioning Owensboro as a medical hub. OMHS operates a full-service hospital, providing the services of 200 physicians and employing a workforce of more than 3,000.  The hospital provides premiere heart services through its partnership with Louisville’s Jewish Hospital Heart and Lung Institute and is home to the Owensboro Cancer Research Program, a joint venture with James Graham Brown Cancer Center at the University of Louisville, which include full-time U of L researchers linked to the plant biotech industry and Kentucky BioProcessing. OMHS recently announced the construction of a new 500-bed facility that will add 800 health care jobs over the next five years.

Health Care Hub

Planting the Seeds for the Next Biotech Revolution

The development of the Greater Owensboro Life Science Partnership, which is committed

to establishing the region as a world center of the plant natural product and plant made pharmaceutical industry, is an example of the shifting economy in Owensboro away from manufacturing dependence toward high tech and entrepreneurial endeavors. Kentucky BioProcessing, a wholly owned subsidiary of Owensboro Medical Health System, is the world’s only full scale facility designed and built for the commercial production of plant made pharmaceuticals. KBP uses tobacco as platform for curing diseases such as cancer.. This competitive advantage is driving the development of the emerging plant made pharmaceutical industry in Owensboro. Two plant biotech companies located in Owensboro during the past year.. Owensboro farmers are also getting involved in producing crops for use in biotechnology products. To further accelerate the growth of plant biotech companies around KBP, the city and county will be converting an 85-year-old former tobacco warehouse near downtown Owensboro into high-tech lab and incubator space called the Centre for Business and Research.www.owensboro.com

High Tech Growth

Emerging Ventures Center for Innovation, located in the Commerce Center, is a one-stop center that provides support and access to funding that entrepreneurs need to make their ventures successful. Emerging Ventures in a Kentucky ICC satellite office through Western Kentucky University and houses the Murray State University Small Business Development Center as well as SCORE.

Emerging Ventures has nurtured several new technology-based businesses in Owensboro. Including the following:

Agent 511- premier provider of interactive mobile messaging solutions for advertising, customer care, and community building. Its technology was designed by experts in the communications field.

Lazar Anode Technology uses a Continuous Carbon Baking Furnace technology that will revolutionize the aluminum industry.

DeWater Right is using a patented technology to significantly decrease the time it takes for solid-liquid separation processes. 

Where Entrepreneurs Grow Entrepreneurship is the lifeblood of the 21st century economy. In today’s increasingly competitive global economy innovation is the critical component to the economic growth of regions. Owensboro has created a long-term strategy for sustained economic growth by building on the talent in the community through new business startup and the commercialization of ideas to be a place where entrepreneurs grow. The region has created a unique infrastructure to support the growth of high tech and high growth companies. The Emerging Ventures Seed Fund is a pool of funds established by the City of Owensboro to support the startup of high technology and high growth companies.

an 85-year-old warehouse near downtown Owensboro into high-tech lab and incubator space. The entire development, called Carnegie Village, will include three- to four-story apartment complex, restaurants, cafes and possibly a gallery/restaurant. The apartments and restaurants will create a unique live-work environment for entrepreneurs. The warehouse, called the Centre for Business and Research, will include wet labs for biotech and other science-based companies to use. It will house WKU Applied Research Program in biotechnology, and the a WKU Automated Food Lab. The lab includes a food processing incubator as part of a unique agriculture and manufacturing degree offered by Western Kentucky University only in Owensboro.

To further accelerate the growth of high tech companies the city and county will be converting

www.owensboro.com

Community-Wide Life Long Learning

In today’s world, lifelong learning is more important than ever. The Learning Community is a grassroots campaign to engage the Greater Owensboro community in learning for life. A central tenant is that learning is the key to the economic future and the quality of life of the residents of the Greater Owensboro region. In the past three years over 60 local businesses and organizations have signed a covenant pledging to value learning like no other community in the world. The program recognizes employers who place a high value on learning and individuals who serve as learning mentors. The Go Higher! partnership between the Learning Community and the Economic Development Corp. is focusing on improved literacy, ensuring more students graduate from high school and the increased enrollment of undergraduates in the Owensboro region to reach the goal of 10,000 by 2020.

A Growing College Town

Owensboro has a long tradition of top ranked and nationally recognized K-12 public schools. However, it has remained the largest region in the Commonwealth without a large public higher education institution. The Daviess County Fiscal Court recently invested in land that will allow for the growth of public higher education in Owensboro with the construction of a new campus for Western Kentucky University in Owensboro. The growth of WKU-O will complement the three other higher education institutions already in Owensboro. Kentucky Wesleyan College is a Methodist affiliated liberal arts college with 800 students. Brescia University is a Catholic liberal arts university with 600 students on its campus in downtown. The Owensboro Community and Technical College is a comprehensive community college with an enrollment of 5,000 offering two-year degree programs in general education and technicalstudies as well as customized business and industry training. The new $15 million Advanced Technology Center specializes in advanced manufacturing and engineering technology.

Murray State University and the University of Louisville also offer bachelor degree and graduate programs in Owensboro. U of L offers bachelor of nursing in partnership with OMHS. Murray operates a small business development center in Owensboro.

www.owensboro.com

New Highways and Interstates

Greater Owensboro is linked to the national transportation network through two limited access highways, the Natcher and Audubon Parkways, which provide easy access to nearby I-64 to the north and in the south to I-65 and I-24. New newly planned I-66 and I-69 corridors are 30 minutes to the west and south. Additionally, US 231, US 431, and US 60 provide excellent highway access to the region. Interstate 69 will intersect the Audubon Parkway between Owensboro and Henderson at approximately the three-mile marker. This provides an excellent opportunity to upgrade the Audubon to an I-69 spur and bring an Interstate directly to Owensboro! The east-side Natcher Bridge was the first step to link western Kentucky to I-64. The second link is a new 22-mile, four-lane U.S. 231 from the bridge north in Indiana to I-64.

Perfectly Centered Owensboro is a one-day drive to major cities such as Atlanta, Chicago, Cincinnati, Detroit, Indianapolis, Kansas City, Louisville, Memphis, Nashville and St. Louis. Greater Owensboro is located 75 miles from the median center of the U.S. population. The region is located within 600 miles of 41% of personal income, 53% of manufacturing employment, and 41% of retail sales in the country.

Intermodal Transit: River, Rail, Air, Highway

Our excellent highway, rail, river, and air access allows commerce to flow quickly to all parts of the world. A one-day drive to major markets makes Owensboro an excellent location for just-in-time deliveries. The Owensboro Riverport Authority is a full-port, intermodal facility serving local, national, and international industry. Located at mile 759 on the Ohio River and 10 miles from the confluence of the Green River, the Owensboro Riverport is the

largest riverport between Louisville and St. Louis and is a pivotal point for all river shipping in the Midwest. The Riverport serves as a licensed delivery warehouse, the only warehouse in the world serving contracts from the New York Mercantile Exchange and the London Metal Exchange. In addition to its geographical benefit, the port is a customs port-of-entry for receiving and shipping of foreign goods and maintains Foreign Trade Zone status. The Owensboro-Daviess County Regional Airport recently completed the construction of a runway expansion project extending the main runway to 8,000 feet, the second longest in Kentucky.

www.owensboro.com

Catch the Current Lifestyle in Owensboro

Year-Long Calendar of Festivals and Events

MayInternational Bar-B-Q Festival- "two days of barbecue heaven", the festival fills the downtown riverfront with the aroma of hickory-smoked chicken, pork, beef and mutton. Live bands perform on three stages. www.bbqfest.com Friday After 5 - Every Friday night from Memorial Day through Labor Day, the BB&T Plaza at RiverPark Center offers free live concerts. Bands play from 6-10 pm on the Plaza. www.fridayafter5.com

JuneRiver of Music Party (ROMP)-- the International Bluegrass Music Museum presents a mega-celebration of all things bluegrass. "ROMP" includes 3 days and 3 nights of great bands in concert, the "Bluegrass Masters Film Festival", the "Bluegrass Legends Concert.” Venues include IBMM, Yellow Creek Park, and the RiverPark Center. www.riverofmusic.org

AugustInternational Mystery Writers Festival– at RiverPark Center featuring works most people have never seen produced. This year features Live Radio Theatre productions of four Agatha Christie radio plays that have never been presented in the United States. www.riverparkcenter.org

OctoberReid's Orchard Apple Festival- This unique festival celebrates the fall season and everything apple! Sample all kinds of tasty treats, go shopping for arts & crafts, and let the kids enjoy the petting zoo, or get a thrill on the many carnival rides or a hay ride. www.reidorchard.com

November- December"Holiday Forest“- The Owensboro Museum of Fine Art brings this annual celebration of the holiday season, featuring trees and holiday decorations. www.omfa.usWinter Wonderland brings snowy activities to the banks of the Ohio River at RiverPark Center. This festival includes an enormous Christmas tree at the entrance of an outdoor skating rink, a massive 20 x 40 foot cinema air screen playing favorite holiday movies, refreshments, caroling, children's rides, sleigh rides and visits from Santa. www.riverparkcenter.org Holiday Excursion- The Owensboro Symphony Orchestra and the Owensboro Civic Chorus continue the tradition of putting the community in the holiday spirit with this family concert.www.owensborosymphony.org

Owensboro is an optimally sized urban oasis—a beautiful, friendly, safe, and progressive place with sophisticated amenities and a short commute. Owensboro has a unique quality of life.

Housing costs that are 87% cheaper than the national average, including an emerging downtown residential environment. Excellently managed city infrastructure with low taxes and high caliber services with a clean and well tended environmentA “walkable” city with beautiful parks, including a 15 mile encircling Greenbelt Park

Catch the Current and discover why today’s Owensboro provides the lifestyle of the future-- the conveniences of a major metropolitan center along with the comfort, safety, and charm of a small community.

www.owensboro.com