“ We made leaps and bounds of growth and it looks like there will be more developing ,” he said . “ This is because of the cooperation between the city , county and economic development . We want to keep people in our community with good jobs . We all have a common goal - and that is the people .” That was echoed by Paula Thompson , executive director of the London-Laurel County Economic Development Authority . “ We had several eCommerce pop up last year - those who are looking for a storefront . Somerset Community College has stepped up to provide training programs to meet the needs of the businesses in the area and are currently expanding their programs to provide the training for businesses needing more employees as well as training programs for future businesses .” Thompson said there is a waiting list of businesses looking to locate in the area , while existing businesses are providing training and support systems for their employees .
“ Businesses are raising their
pay scales and fighting for the work force ,” she added . “ We have jobs starting out at $ 14 to $ 17 a hour , some with sign-on bonuses , scheduled pay raises , shift differentials and great benefit packages . The city is working on improving the infrastructure , roads and other services that will improve the services provided to citizens throughout the community .” The school systems also boasted of great success , with both the Laurel County and East Bernstadt Independent schools scoring well on state achievement tests . The 2021 graduates from North Laurel and South Laurel High earned over $ 2 million in scholarships , per school , as well as athletic achievements . Renovations to several schools are underway to provide more space for learning opportunities and individualized instruction as the need arises . While East Bernstadt Elementary and Middle School students are ranked high in academic achievement , the Laurel County district had five elementary schools recognized by the U . S . Department of Education for their academic achievement . McDaniel Learning
Center was named an Alternative Program of Distinction by the Kentucky Department of Education for the sixth consecutive year . Sixteen students were selected for the 2021 Governor ’ s Scholar Program while football , basketball , track and academic teams set school records with their athletic prowess . Thompson said the growth in the area is due to the hospitality and personality of the population in the area - warm and welcoming , professional but personable . “ We have businesses calling every day , wanting to locate here ,” she said . “ Those businesses range from retail to industrial and they all have the same wish - to be in London , Kentucky .” “ All this continued growth happened during a global pandemic ,” London-Laurel County Chamber of Commerce CEO said . “ The fact that London - Laurel County continued to grow during these difficult times is a testament to the local business community , the local Chamber , and our local leaders ... everyone working together as a team to make London / Laurel better !”
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Page 8 — The Sentinel-Echo • Community Guide 2022