2020 | June Newsletter
Companies Persevere During COVID-19 to Invest in Kentucky and Create Jobs
In May, Kentucky recorded eight new projects, totaling nearly $117.6 million in planned investment and promising to create nearly 760 new full-time jobs in the coming years. 

May’s figures compare well to the pre-pandemic months of January – with $50 million and 342 announced jobs – and February with $337 million in planned investment and 691 new jobs.

Teen’s Tech Startup Leverages Cabinet Programs  
If any doubt existed about innovation in Kentucky, look no further than Riya Shah, who while navigating high school developed a pregnancy-health-monitoring technology and stair-stepped it through multiple Team Kentucky programs to commercialize and market her company’s product .

Shah, a rising senior at North Oldham High School in Goshen, Ky., is the president of Fetal Life LLC, a tech company she founded as a 15-year-old freshman. In March, the budding entrepreneur received a patent for the portable smart uterine contraction monitoring device she designed and developed. Expecting mothers can use the device and the myFetalLife smart pregnancy tracking app to receive care remotely, make informed decisions and manage their pregnancy outcomes.

Governor’s Healthy at Work Provides Reopening Guidelines, Timetables
With Gov. Andy Beshear’s Healthy at Work initiative underway, businesses across Kentucky are gradually resuming operations following the widespread shutdowns COVID-19 prompted. This phased approach lets Kentuckians return to work while remaining safe. To that end, several industry-specific guidelines and restrictions are currently in place that will enable businesses to protect their employees and patrons alike and, ultimately, prevent a second spike in COVID-19 cases that could cause even more economic strife. 

Kentucky Manufacturers Make Crucial Contributions to Battle COVID-19
When conjuring up mental images of those on the frontlines of the global COVID-19 pandemic, health care workers donning masks and protective uniforms likely come to mind. In Kentucky, the people making these protective garments are also instrumental in containing the disease’s spread.

Upcoming Webinar Series will Explore Kentucky by Industry and Region
To further explore Kentucky by region, as well as dive into some sector-specific information, the Cabinet for Economic Development will begin a webinar series later this month. The series will be open to all community partners. Each webinar in the series will feature a different topic, in total providing in-depth insight into the state and some of its largest and fastest-growing industries. This series will be held the last Tuesday of each month, beginning on June 30. Inquiries about the series can be directed to Kristina Slattery, executive director of the Cabinet’s Office of Business and Community Services, at kristina.slattery@ky.gov .