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SubscribeKentucky State Treasurer Allison Ball announced earlier this week that she has promoted her current Communications Director, OJ Oleka, to serve as Chief of Staff and Assistant State Treasurer.
“For the past year, OJ has shaped the message coming out of my office,” Treasurer Ball said in a statement. “He has been a leader in developing policy goals and has developed a strong understanding of all functions within Treasury. I’m confident in his ability to do the job.”
As Chief of Staff, Oleka will advise Treasurer Ball on policy and legislative issues, while also managing the day-to-day operations in Treasury.
“Treasurer Ball is one of best leaders in Kentucky,” Oleka said. “It is an honor to serve in this capacity.” Oleka is a Frankfort native; he has an MBA from Bellarmine University and a bachelor’s degree in Marketing from the University of Louisville, where he served as Student Body President and Chairman of the Board of Student Body Presidents. Oleka led the Unclaimed Property Division as Director during Treasurer Ball’s first year. Prior to joining Treasurer Ball’s staff, Oleka served in numerous private sector and non-profit management roles. Oleka will continue to maintain the communication duties within the office.
Treasurer Ball has also hired Samara Heavrin to serve as the Unclaimed Property Division Director. In addition to that role, Heavrin will assist in promoting Treasurer Ball’s new STABLE Kentucky initiative and other legislative priorities.
“Samara is a tremendous asset to our team,” Treasurer Ball said. “She is a hard worker and will bring an additional level of organization and a fresh perspective to our team.”
Heavrin is also a Kentucky native, with roots in Grayson County. Prior to joining Treasurer Ball, Heavrin worked for Senator Rand Paul in his Washington, D.C. office for two years, serving as Executive Assistant and leading the scheduling and logistics efforts. Prior to Senator Paul’s office, Heavrin worked for Congressman Brett Guthrie.
“It is great to be home working for such an accomplished public servant in Treasurer Ball,” Heavrin said. “I’m excited for this new opportunity.” Heavrin is a Western Kentucky University graduate with a degree in Advertising.
The appointments were made at the beginning of this year.
According to a recent report from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), Kentucky employers reported the lowest incident rate for nonfatal occupational injuries and illnesses in the state’s history.
Based on a mathematical calculation that describes the number of recordable incidents per 100 full-time employees, Kentucky’s rate improved from 3.8 in 2014 to 3.7 in 2015 – reflecting the most recent data available. This rate has steadily declined since it was first calculated in 1996, when a rate of 8.4 was reported.
“Improving workplace safety for all 1.9 million workers in the Commonwealth is the Labor Cabinet’s top priority,” Labor Secretary Derrick Ramsey stated. “While setting an all-time low for the number of workplace injuries and illnesses is an important feat, it is also important that we stay steadfast in our mission to make the Commonwealth the safest place to work and do business in the country. We want every Kentuckian to go home safe and sound at the end of a day’s work, and maintaining a culture of workplace safety is an important foundation to accomplish Gov. Bevin’s goal of making Kentucky the engineering and manufacturing hub of excellence in the nation.”
According to the BLS report, approximately 2.9 million nonfatal workplace injuries and illnesses were reported nationally by private industry employers in 2015 – resulting in 48,000 fewer injuries from the prior year. This produced a national injury and illness rate of 3.0.
Five sectors in the Commonwealth saw significant improvements in industry-specific incident rates. Comparing data from 2014 and 2015, Cement and Concrete Product Manufacturing improved by 9.8 points; Sawmill and Wood Preservation improved by 9.2 points; Nonmetallic Mineral Product Manufacturing improved by 5.6 points; Wood Product Manufacturing improved by 2.0 points; and, Machine Shops improved by 4.0 points.
The Labor Cabinet’s Division of Occupational Safety & Health Education & Training leads the Cabinet’s proactive efforts to create safe and healthful workplace conditions. This includes providing free consultative services to employers across Kentucky on ways to increase workplace safety – including how to improve injury and illness rates. Services include free on-site consultations to small employers, as well as other compliance assistance, educational materials, and class-style and online training for all employers.
Last year, the Division conducted 334 consultative surveys identifying and ensuring the abatement of 3,154 serious hazards. Also, 129 training courses were conducted, reaching approximately 4,400 attendees in response to training requests from employers.
Employers and employees all across Kentucky and the nation have access to cost-free safety and health eLearning programs on the Labor Cabinet’s eTrain website. Since the launch of this program, 100,000 participants have utilized this service. This free initiative saves employers money and reduces workplace injuries. Consultants from state agencies or universities work with small and medium-sized businesses to identify workplace hazards, provide advice on compliance with OSHA standards, and help employers establish injury and illness prevention programs.
In addition to these training and education programs, the Division of Compliance is responsible for the enforcement of safety and health standards. Compliance officers inspect workplaces for hazardous conditions and issue citations where violations of standards are found. Inspections may be the result of regular scheduling, imminent danger reports, fatalities, and worker complaints or referrals. Overall, both the education and enforcement responsibilities of the Cabinet comprise a comprehensive goal to “Plan, Prevent and Protect” Kentucky’s workforce.
Mayor Greg Fischer and Gov. Matt Bevin today announced Diversified Consultants Inc. (DCI), a collection services company servicing major-name telecom clients, will locate a new operation in Louisville with a $6.65 million investment expected to create 433 jobs.
“Louisville’s economy continues to thrive with the addition of a new business services company in south central Louisville. As we usher in a new year, we are proud to welcome DCI to our community,” Fischer said. “We are especially excited to welcome home DCI’s chief operating officer, Gordon Beck, a Louisville native and a graduate of Fern Creek High School.”
DCI will lease the bulk of a 60,000 square-foot building in the Commerce Crossings business park. The new DCI office will not only employ customer service agents but office-support staff, including HR, quality administration, compliance and other functions.
“DCI’s commitment to exceptional service makes it a great fit for Kentucky,” said Gov. Bevin. “Their high standard of customer care will make them a terrific partner for the commonwealth’s dedicated workforce. We welcome DCI to Kentucky and look forward to seeing both their client base and workforce grow in the years ahead.”
Beck said he plans to quickly fill all available positions. Buildout of the space could begin in late February, and Beck said he and aims to open the new office by April 1. His Kentucky roots and confidence in the local workforce played into the decision to open the new office.
“Ours is an industry that too often gets a negative reputation. DCI is changing that in how we treat our customers and through our own company culture. We got to the top of our industry by being nice. We focus on the customer experience and are legal, moral and ethical,” Beck said. “The reason we’re opening this office in Louisville is our company is looking to expand its customer base, and we know we can recruit the kind of employees who want to be a part of our company.”
Founded in 1992 in Jacksonville, Fla., DCI is a family owned telecom collection services company. Charlotte Zehnder has acted as the company’s CEO since 2010, and the company is a certified member of the Women’s Business Enterprise National Council as a woman-owned business. DCI has quadrupled in size since 2009, currently employing 930 people across three locations in Jacksonville, as well as operations in Portland, Ore., and in the Philippines. Of those, 835 employees are located in the U.S.
To encourage the investment and job growth in the community, the Kentucky Economic Development Finance Authority (KEDFA) in January preliminarily approved the company for tax incentives up to $1 million through the Kentucky Business Investment program. The performance-based incentive allows a company to keep a portion of its investment over the agreement term through corporate income tax credits and wage assessments by meeting job and investment targets.
For more information on DCI, visit www.DCIcollect.com
To read more about Louisville’s business services sector, visit https://louisvilleky.gov/government/louisville-forward/business-services
Secretary of State Alison Lundergan Grimes is beginning a tour of the state to hold conversations with Kentuckians about the state of the commonwealth’s civic health. The series of stops, which will be in every part of Kentucky, started Thursday at the University of Louisville.
“At the beginning of the year, my office released the second installment of Kentucky’s Civic Health Index, which revealed some alarming figures about the trust Kentuckians place in public institutions,” said Grimes. “We know that the more engaged people are, the more faith they are likely to have in important institutions such as media and government – and even in the people around them, like neighbors.”
The Index showed the commonwealth improved in national rankings in social connectedness, community engagement and voter registration since Grimes released the first report in 2012. But, it also showed that fewer than half of Kentuckians have confidence in media, a decline of more than 10 percent in three years, and fewer Kentuckians are trusting of their neighbors. Overall, Kentucky ranks 48th in the nation, ahead of only New Mexico (49th), Montana (50th) and Utah (51st), for public confidence in media.
Grimes has called on Kentucky’s elected officials – including legislators and constitutional officers – to help start down the road of restoring trust by signing a pledge to not share fake information and to call out inaccurate news and information to constituents. The Restore Trust in Kentucky pledge has already been signed by many officials, and Grimes is encouraging other Kentuckians to sign on at sos.ky.gov.
“Kentucky is at its best when everyone is engaged,” said Grimes. “This latest Index confirmed our work is not complete when it comes to improving the commonwealth’s civic health, and we are rededicating ourselves – with many partners – to formulating fresh strategies to help bridge participation and engagement gaps.”
The next stop on Grimes’ civic health tour is next week at Western Kentucky University, a partner in the release of the Civic Health Index. The roundtable discussion will be held Feb. 1, 3:30 p.m. CT, at the Faculty House.
The full Civic Health Index and related information is available at sos.ky.gov.
Louisville Metro Meals on Wheel’s recipients are set to receive handmade Valentine’s Day cards created by youth volunteers from across the country. DoSomething.org, a global non-profit organization with the goal of motivating young people to make positive change, has teamed up with Meals on Wheels America for the fourth annual Love Letters campaign.
The popular campaign, encouraging young people to create handmade Valentine’s Day cards to lift the spirits of older adults, runs through February 10, 2017 and cards will be included in meal deliveries to Meals on Wheels clients across the country. Young people who sign up at DoSomething.org/loveletters by Jan. 31 and upload a “selfie” photo holding the card(s) they made will be eligible to enter to win a variety of prizes including a $3,000 scholarship.
“The Love Letters campaign has been a tremendous success in our community the last several years. Last year alone we received more than 2,500 Valentine cards from schools, scout troops and other youth service providers,” said Eric Friedlander, director of the Louisville Metro Department of Community Services, the organization which administers the Meals on Wheels program locally. “I hope we can continue to count on the compassionate, committed community response again this year and in future years. These handmade cards bring great joy to the homebound seniors whom we serve.”
The J. Graham Brown School on South Fifth Street is a shining example of a local school which has increased their participation each year.
“ The Brown School students have “knocked it outta the park” the past two years that we have participated in this wonderful outreach with Metro Louisville and Meals on Wheels”, stated Stacey Powell, staff member with the Brown School who champions the Love Letters campaign. “Our students are wonderful, caring, and compassionate. Last year we submitted over 940 handmade cards! We are looking forward to participating again this year and our students are eager to have their cards delivered.”
Since 2014, nearly one million cards were distributed through Meals on Wheels America’s network nationwide, which serves nearly 2.5 million homebound seniors each year. The support of the volunteers and meals this network provides are critical to helping them maintain enough independence to stay in their own homes.
To donate cards to the local Meals on Wheels program, feel free to drop off any weekday before Feb. 10 between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. at 701 W. Ormsby Ave. Suite 201. Be sure to register your support at DoSomething.org/loveletters. Feel free to contact Tiffany Reed, Volunteer Coordinator for the Louisville Metro Senior Nutrition Program at 574-6420 or Tiffany.Reed@louisvilleky.gov with any questions.
They are a service organization of dedicated people who every year host a delicious event that helps various programs in the community.
That is why three members of the Louisville Metro Council are encouraging everyone to come out to the Valley Women’s Club Annual Soup Supper and Bake Sale on Friday, February 3rd.
“The Valley Women’s Club began a great tradition with this supper many years ago,” says Councilwoman Cindi Fowler (D-14). “Their work is far reaching in our community and this supper helps them raise the money they need to continue their charity work.”
“Come out for food and fellowship while supporting the Valley Woman’s Club. This group works hard to promote and fund scholarships and other worthy causes,” says Councilwoman Vicki Aubrey Welch (D-13).
“The Valley Women’s Club deserves our thanks for helping people throughout our community,” says President David Yates (D-25). “I encourage everyone to support this great organization. Those who come out to this supper know nothing is better than warm soup on a cold winter night.”
The Annual Soup Supper and Bake Sale will get underway from 5:00pm to 7:00pm at the Sun Valley Community Club on Bethany Lane. The menu will include all you can eat assorted soups, cornbread, crackers, dessert and beverages.
Ticket prices are $6.00 for Adults and $4.00 for children 10 and under. Tickets can be purchased at the door.
Jefferson County Public Schools (JCPS) Magnet Steering Committee will hold a Community Conversation on two dates, to give the public opportunities to discuss options for student admission to magnet schools. The discussion is prompted by the Jefferson County Board of Education’s charge to the Steering Committee to review recommendations from Magnet Schools of America that were given to the district. The full report is available here. In addition to the meetings, a survey on magnet student admission will open by Friday, January 27, 2017. A link will be available on the JCPS website when it opens.
The two meeting dates are:
- Tuesday, January 31, 2017 starting at 6:00 PM
- Thursday, February 9, 2017 starting at 6:00 PM
Each meeting will last approximately 90 minutes. Both meetings will be held at Gheens Academy, located at 4425 Preston Highway, in Flex Room A.
