HOPKINSVILLE, KY (CHRISTIAN COUNTY NOW) – The current president of the Christian County Chamber of Commerce is Taylor Hayes, who has served in the role since 2021. With a previous career in publishing at The Kentucky New Era, Hayes had come across the chamber throughout the years and has always been a community advocate.

“I have been with the chamber most of my adult life,” said Hayes. “Sometimes in publishing I had to put my love for the community aside, whereas now I am a cheerleader 100 percent of the time.”

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Hayes was born in Christian County but spent the first eight years of his life in Nashville. His family has strong ties to the county, and Hayes considers this area his home for many reasons.

“I love how it is such a giving, caring, and supporting community,” said Hayes, who considers Christian County one of the most diverse counties in Kentucky. “The diversity excites me…there are so many different perspectives that go into what makes up our community, it makes life interesting.”

Currently, the chamber has about 650 members made up of individuals, small businesses, large companies, and more. The chamber hosts various programs to help members connect, grow, and succeed.

“All of this involves a lot of advocacy,” explained Hayes. “We look at laws or policies that need to change in order to best help a business grow. There are a lot of behind the scenes stuff.”

Chamber of Commerce goals

Dating back to 1888, the Christian County Chamber of Commerce is one of the longest standing organizations in the area. Over the years, the chamber has remained focused on the customer by delivering leadership, building teamwork, and recognizing excellence.

A lot of the times when people hear about the Chamber of Commerce, they think of ribbon cuttings and groundbreakings. These components are about celebrating the successes, explained Hayes. People also think about small businesses and the workforce.  The workforce participation rate in most states is at 62% whereas in Kentucky it’s at 57-58%, according to Hayes.

“We got to figure out how to get more people actively working in the job market and so forth,” Hayes said. A lot of small businesses face the challenge of staffing. “This component is always at play.” Other struggles that Hayes sees in small businesses are the ability to market oneself, and finding the people who have the passion and the skills.

Coming up, the chamber has several events including SecureBiz: Empowering Small Businesses through Cybersecurity Excellence in February, a Woman’s Summit in March and their annual Compass Awards in April which is a huge celebration for their small business owners.

For more events and details visit the Chamber of Commerce website or call (270) 885-9096.