ONE-ON-ONE
- September 2000
by Ed G. Lane 'Lexington Has to
Recognize What Its Opportunities Are and What They
Aren't'
Wayne Martin says there has to be a balance between
quality of life and growth issues
 Wayne Martin
Wayne Martin is the regional vice president-television
for Gray Communications Systems, Inc., president of Gray
Kentucky Television, Inc. (operator of WKYT-TV in
Lexington and WYMT-TV in Hazard) and president of WVLT-TV
in Knoxville, Tennessee.
His civic
involvement includes service as chairman of the Greater
Lexington Chamber of Commerce and the Lexington Area
Sports Authority, vice-chairman of the Morehead State
University foundation, and board member for such
organizations as the Kentucky Horse Park, United Way of
the Bluegrass, and the North Lexington YMCA.
Prior to
beginning his television career in 1987, Martin compiled
a record of 303 wins and 182 losses as a basketball coach
for such prominent college programs as Morehead State,
Pikeville College and Oral Roberts, as well as for
Pikeville High School, where he also taught business.
Ed Lane: What is the primary mission of the Greater
Lexington Chamber of Commerce?
Wayne
Martin: The Chamber’s main objective is to be an
advocate for the business interests of the Lexington
area. That statement encompasses the overall
objectives of the Chamber to provide services to
local businesses, to market our community, and to
support economic development. Lexington now has a
number of development entities located in our area
that are working together to promote a prosperous
local economy. There is a spirit of communication
among many of these organizations. Each may have a
niche that it tends to focus on, but all need to have
a common vision. One thing that I find of particular
importance and even get annoyed about to some extent
is that too much time is spent on “what the
structure should be” and “what the process
has got to be.” Specifically, with regard to the
Chamber, its efforts are focused on business
retention (helping existing businesses grow and
expand) and providing support for business attraction
(recruiting new companies to Central Kentucky).
EL:
Louisville merged most of its development related
entities into one unified organization – Greater
Louisville, Inc. Has Lexington considered merging its
development agencies into one?
WM: The
Lexington Chamber had considerable discussion about
merging and decided not to do so. The ultimate
decision was based in large part on funding issues.
The primary consideration was that funding for
Lexington United could be jeopardized. Lexington
doesn’t have to have one all-powerful
organization, but our region’s development
efforts may be splintered too much.
EL: Central
Kentucky has experienced two extreme droughts during the
last 15 years. When will a plan to insure water supply
for the region be approved and implemented?
WM:
Solving the water shortage is of extreme importance
to all of us. The Chamber took a position that the
pipeline proposal of the Kentucky-American Water
Company was the most cost-effective way to resolve
the water supply. I still feel that way, but the
Chamber also took a position that the primary source
of our water is from the Kentucky River and that
infrastructure has to have funding from some source
to maintain the dams. The region’s primary
source of water cannot be jeopardized. Nothing is
more important than Central Kentucky’s water
supply.
EL: Will
raising the water level of the Kentucky River have an
environmental impact?
WM: That
is a concern of several communities east of Lexington
and why they were taking a similar position with the
Chamber that the pipeline was the best option.
EL: As
chairman of the Greater Lexington Chamber of Commerce,
how do you assess the strength of the local economy?
WM:
Kentucky in general and Lexington specifically are
good places to do business. Lexington is very
fortunate to be somewhat insulated from ups and downs
because the University of Kentucky is here and it
helps stabilize Central Kentucky’s economy.
EL:
Unemployment in Central Kentucky is less than two percent
– one of the lowest levels in the U.S. How has a
tight labor market affected the local economy?
WM: Low
unemployment levels make it very difficult to both
hire and retain entry-level employees. After being
trained, employees are often offered higher
compensation at a competitive business. In
today’s market it’s not just money but
other benefits that are important; it’s time
off, flexible work schedules and incentive programs.
It’s time off not to just have time off, but
time off to contribute to the community, to do civic
work.
EL: Estimates
by University of Louisville’s State Data Center
indicate that population growth in Lexington/Fayette
County is slowing because inhabitants of the county are
moving to surrounding cities. If these estimates are
accurate, what impact will static growth have on Fayette
County?
WM: There
can’t be static growth. Lexington has to have
smart growth. Of course, there has to be a balance
between quality of life and growth issues. Green
space is critical. Preserving agricultural uses and
the equine industry is vital. But Lexington
can’t “not grow.” Carefully planned
and conscientious expansion of the urban service area
with consideration of the infrastructure requirements
and their costs is another key factor. Lexington
can’t stand still. Lexington can’t be
static. If it does, Lexingtonians that admire the way
things are now will find their children or their
grandchildren in a community where there is very
little opportunity.
EL:
Lexington’s Urban County Council has approved a plan
to spend perhaps up to $200 million over several decades
to purchase development rights (PDRs) to farmland.
Essentially, this effort would prevent the development of
farms for residential, industrial or commercial uses. The
Council also prohibited the construction of single family
housing outside the urban service area on lots that are
less than 40 acres. What is the Chamber of
Commerce’s reaction to this legislation?
WM: The
Chamber supports the PDR program and has taken this
position based on the fact that we believe everybody
had an opportunity to express their opinions before
the PDR program was adopted by the Urban County
Council. Additionally, important variables regarding
the PDR program are that it is totally volunteer and
uses existing funding.
EL: The
expenditures to fund PDRs are being made without a
referendum of the taxpayers. What is the Chamber’s
position on a referendum?
WM: The
Chamber has not addressed that specifically. I
personally do not think that a referendum is
necessary.
EL: Passenger
counts at Blue Grass Airport declined about 10 percent in
1999. How important is air service to the local economy
of central and Eastern Kentucky?
WM:
Lexington has a modern and safe airport facility, but
convenient and cost-effective air travel is
absolutely a prerequisite for business growth.
Entering into a dialogue with varying interests and
more collaboration to find a solution to safeguarding
aviation services in Central Kentucky would be a
positive step. There’s not much outstanding that
gets accomplished until that common vision exists
among various leaders. During the days of Garvice
Kincaid and other strong leaders it was possible for
them to carry an idea from start to finish. Today,
Lexington seems to be into a “collaborative
consensus building” kind of leadership
environment. That in itself takes more time. You
would like to think the end result would be better. I
haven’t always seen that to be the case;
sometimes the decision gets lost in the whole
process.
EL: Do you
feel it’s better to make a wrong decision than no
decision at all?
WM: I
think there’s truth in that. Sometimes you can
study things to death and still haven’t reached
a total consensus. Sometimes a decision has to be
made.
EL: Because
of restricted zoning, there is a limited amount of land
zoned for industrial, wholesale trade, and retail
business available in Fayette County, and the prices for
available land are high. Is the Chamber advocating that
additional land be allocated for business uses?
WM: The
Chamber has worked hard on getting more land zoned
for business uses. This, of course, is a slow-moving
process. One of the real challenges to development
and growth in Lexington is the availability of land.
Sending development to neighboring counties has
helped overcome the non-availability of land and is
another way to grow the economy. There is dialogue
now with Clark, Madison, Scott, and other surrounding
counties to coordinate the regional growth that is
occurring around us. Lexington is a medical,
business, and retail center for not only Central
Kentucky but also Eastern Kentucky, and so growth in
the region benefits Lexington, too. There is no
question that Lexington does not have enough land for
business uses, and the land we do have is too
expensive. The cost is almost non-competitive.
Lexington also recognizes that it can grow its
economy with e-businesses. Lexington is very actively
working with the Kentucky Science and Technology
Council and there is broad-based support of
technology-based business growth.
EL: IBM
Global Services is building a new facility at Coldstream
Research Park. Will this new facility help attract other
high tech companies to Central Kentucky?
WM: The
IBM commitment to Coldstream has to be an asset, yes.
EL: Has the
Lexington Chamber made an effort to let the community
know its position on important issues?
WM: The
mission of the Chamber is to be an advocate for
business. You can’t be an advocate silently, and
there have been some positions recently that the
Chamber has taken directly to the public. Our
preference would be to work with the decision makers
directly to affect the outcome that the Chamber would
like to see occur. I’m proud of the
Chamber’s advocacy for positions it supports to
benefit the community.
EL: Tourism
and convention counts in Central Kentucky have been down
so far this year. Hospitality services are reporting
lower levels of business in 2000. To what do you
attribute lower tourism traffic?
WM: Gas
prices may have had a major effect. Automobile
transportation is a big part of our tourist business.
The Horse Park and tourist attractions rely on
traffic from the Interstates.
EL: How would
you rate the effectiveness of Mayor Pam Miller and the
Urban County Council?
WM: Pam
Miller is smart, conscientious and truly her
motivation is public service. She may not be the best
politician sometimes. I’d rather have her
integrity, good intentions and intelligence than I
would a politician that was good at politics but
didn’t possess those qualities. Her challenge is
to build a consensus with the many diverse folks that
comprise the Urban County Council. The mayor and the
entire council conduct business in an open fashion,
and even to a fault will listen ad nauseum to anybody
that wants to talk. I believe the mayor is generally
on target regarding issues facing the community.
Sometimes the actions of the Council give the
perception that maybe it is missing the point.
EL: Over the
past few years, a number of Lexington’s home grown
businesses – banks, savings and loans, utilities,
retailers, media, insurance companies, food service,
hospitality, manufacturers, etc., have been acquired by
larger corporations. In many cases, there has been a
reduction in management and operating personnel,
relocation of the corporate headquarters, and a general
downsizing of the companies’ operations. What should
the community do to offset this phenomenon?
WM:
Without a major airport hub in this community, very
few large corporations are going to be able to
headquarter here. That’s just a fact. Secondly,
Lexington’s got to harness and develop the
university and college brain power that’s here
and available in Central Kentucky. A highly educated
work force is one of the region’s strong points,
and we’ve got to make investments in ideas and
innovative businesses, as well as traditional brick
and mortar manufacturing companies. To be successful
in new business development, Lexington has to
recognize what its opportunities are and what they
aren’t.
EL: How great
a place is Central Kentucky?
WM: There
are many, many talented folks who could live and work
anywhere in the United States who choose to work and
live in Central Kentucky. We have a tremendous sense
of place and a wonderful quality of life. And to
those who stick their heads in the sand and say we
can’t continue to grow, I say, just that –
you’ve stuck your head in the sand. But to those
who say, “Whoa, how bad is this?” – I
would point out to them that in Forbes magazine,
Lexington ranked as the 73rd best place to live and
work in the United States of America. In a quality of
life rating from Business Development Outlook,
Lexington is ranked 22nd. In Employment Review
magazine, “America’s Best Places to Live
and Work,” Lexington is ranked 15th in the
country. While we’ve got to continually strive
to improve and be flexible enough to make changes
when opportunity presents itself, Lexington and
Central Kentucky is a doggone nice place to live.
Ed G. Lane is
chief executive of Lane Consultants Inc. and publisher of
The Lane Report.
edlane@lanereport.com
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