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192 193 those lights to LED in advance of the influx of visitors for the solar eclipse event.” From a broader perspective, Pagan wants peo- ple to know, “We are open to development. I don’t know of any city in the region that is as aggres- sive regarding incentivizing development as we are.We have downtown incentives, a robust retail incentive package, a housing incentive package, and, of course, incentives for more industrial job growth in manufacturing. That’s the overarching element that’s first and foremost as far as our posture toward growth.” Mayor Hendricks extols the unique benefits of housing a military community, “Being the home of Fort Campbell and the 101st Airborne Division, provides us a steady influx of work force. About 450 soldiers every single month out-process at Fort Campbell due to retirement or just leaving the army, and many of them are looking to stay in this region. So, we have an aggressive pos- ture with our incentive package that allows us to recruit and attract more businesses. And we have the workforce population that’s consistently growing in our region because of Fort Campbell. On top of that, we’ve invested in several initia- tives like WINS to provide the quality of life for those workers, so they’ll decide to live, work, play, and make this their home for years to come.” land in the city is still greenfield devel- opment; it’s a combination of the two.” One of Hopkinsville’s largest employ- ers is the Walmart Distribution Center, a highly-successful presence in the city that has won awards throughout its corporate system. Several other indus- tries are also represented in the com- munity, ranging from 200 to 800 em- ployees.While there is no automobile manufacturer, per se, there are a dozen tier-two and tier-three automotive-re- lated suppliers, having an average workforce of 500 to 600 people per factory.With 15 international-based suppliers, the city is well diversified in types of industries, and in the interna- tional community. Hopkinsville City Administrator, Nate Pagan, reports that the city has adopt- ed a Complete Streets approach for lo- cal infrastructure. “We work with devel- opers to encourage a Complete Streets concept, and we work with our local/ state transportation cabinet (DOT) to promote the Complete Streets concept on state routes.We are in discussion with the DOT about several city streets projects that are being redeveloped or rebuilt, with pedestrian-friendly envi- ronments and connectivity to green- ways. It’s a coordinated effort between state and local resources.We are also in phase one of converting to LED street lights in our primary commercial artery (Fort Campbell Blvd/US41A). Our city-owned electric utility changed out Offering a Wide Variety of Event Services: Business Meetings • Trade Shows • Conferences • Concerts • Holiday Parties Banquets • Formal Dinners • Luncheons • Conventions • Seminars • Graduations Proms • Rehearsal Dinners • Weddings • Receptions • Décor • In-House Catering www.BruceConventionCenter.com PH: 270.707.7000 The Center For It All! PREFERRED VENDORS n Hopkinsville Convention and Visitor Bureau www.visithopkinsville.com Visit Hopkinsville is your resource for tourism information across Hopkinsville and Christian County, Kentucky. The Visit Hopkinsville Team is excited to share with visitors all that our community has to offer! We have recently moved into a brand new Visitors Center, located at 1730 E. 9th St., Hopkinsville, and nestled in the peaceful surroundings of the Trail of Tears Commemorative Park. Come see us! n James E. Bruce Convention Center www.bruceconventioncenter.com HOPKINSVILLE, KENTUCKY