[Congressional Record Volume 159, Number 175 (Wednesday, December 11, 2013)]
[Senate]
[Pages S8802-S8803]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         TRIBUTE TO GREG JONES

  Mr. McCONNELL. Madam President, I come to the floor today to 
recognize the retirement of an upstanding citizen from the Commonwealth 
of Kentucky, and to pay tribute to his career of service to my home 
State. This month, Greg Jones concludes over 21 years as executive 
director of the non-profit Southeast Kentucky Economic Development 
Corporation, SKED. His daily presence at the helm of the organization 
will be sorely missed, but his legacy will endure in the thousands of 
jobs he helped create and the increased economic vigor he helped bring 
to the region.
  When he first took the job at the behest of Congressman Hal Rogers in 
1992, Greg oversaw a two-person staff and commanded a $75,000 budget. 
Under his leadership the organization has grown to its current staff of 
10 professionals and a budget of nearly $2 million. Throughout his 
tenure as executive director, Greg marshaled SKED's resources to help 
start and expand businesses, provide training for entrepreneurs, and 
attract new industries to the corporation's 45-county service area. 
Under Greg's watch, SKED has unquestionably lived up to its stated 
mission--``to foster economic growth and vitality in the region.''
  I ask my Senate colleagues to join me in recognizing Greg's exemplary 
career as well as wishing him a happy retirement with his wife Belinda 
and son Christopher.
  An article about Greg Jones's retirement from SKED recently appeared 
in an area newspaper, the Commonwealth Journal. I ask unanimous consent 
that the full article be printed in the Record.
  There being no objections, the article was ordered to be printed as 
follows:

        SKED Executive Director Greg Jones Retiring in December

                    [From the Commonwealth Journal, 
                             Oct. 13, 2013]

       Somerset, Ky.--Greg Jones, executive director of Southeast 
     Kentucky Economic Development Corporation (SKED), will retire 
     in December after more than 21 years of service to the 
     nonprofit organization and to Southeast Kentucky.
       The longest serving executive director in the 
     organization's 27-year history, Jones is credited with 
     strengthening SKED's mission of job creation and making it 
     the premier economic development agency in the region. 
     Beginning with a $75,000 budget and two-person staff in 1992, 
     Jones and his current staff of 10 professionals now operate 
     with an annual budget of nearly $2 million.
       ``I've had the privilege to lead SKED and our amazing team 
     of professionals for over two decades, and I am extremely 
     proud of our successes,'' Jones said. ``I shall forever be 
     grateful to Congressman Hal Rogers and the incredibly 
     supportive and talented individuals on the SKED Board of 
     Directors for giving me the opportunity to be a part of this 
     remarkable organization. And, finally, I wish to thank the 
     dedicated staff of SKED for their loyalty and friendship over 
     these many years.''
       It was Congressman Rogers who asked Jones to head up the 
     grassroots effort he began, in 1986, back in 1992. At the 
     time, Jones was working as executive director of the 
     Somerset-Pulaski County Chamber of Commerce.
       ``Over the last two decades, Greg Jones has worked 
     tirelessly to recruit thousands of jobs and expand the 
     industrial portfolio of southern and eastern Kentucky,'' said 
     Rogers. ``Greg's foresight to address vital infrastructure 
     upgrades, recruit high-tech companies and support 
     entrepreneurial growth will continue to benefit economic 
     development in our region for years to come. While he is 
     moving on from daily operations at SKED, I have asked Greg to 
     remain in close contact to offer guidance for the 
     organization that he has helped mold for success. My wife 
     Cynthia and I wish Greg and his family many blessings in his 
     years of retirement.''
       As SKED executive director, Jones has been responsible for 
     the marketing and industrial recruitment activities for the 
     45-county SKED service area, managing a $10-million loan 
     portfolio and providing economic and community development 
     assistance to local communities in Southeast Kentucky.
       Under his leadership, SKED has successfully assisted more 
     than 100 businesses and industries in starting or expanding 
     their operations in the region. These companies now employ 
     more than 7,700 workers and have invested an estimated $500 
     million in Southeast Kentucky. He has successfully prepared 
     loan and grant applications totaling more than $26 million to 
     support the organization's job creation activities.
       Building partnerships has been Jones's mantra for the past 
     21 years. Whether it was with local community leaders or 
     state and national funding agencies, Jones worked tirelessly 
     to form strong alliances across the region, state and nation. 
     One of those key partnerships is with the Appalachian 
     Regional Commission (ARC).
       Earl Gohl, ARC federal co-chair, has worked with Jones on 
     several key projects in recent years.
       ``Greg's leadership has made SKED what it is today,'' Gohl 
     said. ``What he has accomplished with the SKED 
     entrepreneurship program and the Valley Oak Technology 
     Complex has laid the groundwork for what Eastern Kentucky can 
     be tomorrow.''
       Jones led SKED to receive designation as a Community 
     Development Financial Institution (CDFI) in 1999. As a 
     result, the organization received funding to implement 
     several innovative regional projects including the Valley Oak 
     Technology Complex, the Somerset Rail Park, the Southern 
     Kentucky Information Technology Center and the Enterprise 
     Center.
       SKED received the National Association of Development 
     Organization's (NADO) 2002 Innovation Award in recognition of 
     its technology initiatives.
       In 2009, SKED became a Certified Development Corporation 
     (CDC) by the U.S. Small Business Administration. This 
     designation authorized SKED to process SBA 504 loans 
     throughout the state of Kentucky. The 504 Loan Program is the 
     SBA's economic development tool to provide small-business 
     financing and create jobs all across America.
       To date, some 250 people have received entrepreneurial 
     training from SKED thanks to a grant from the ARC in 2011. 
     SKED established the Entrepreneurial SMARTs program designed 
     to offer nationally acclaimed entrepreneurship classes at a 
     reduced rate. A CDFI grant provided the funding to hire a 
     professional to teach the classes.
       SKED is governed by a 12-member, volunteer board of 
     directors. Over the past 21 years, Jones has worked with a 
     number of successful men and women on the board, each with 
     different areas of expertise and from a variety of career 
     fields, but all leaders in their own communities. As board 
     members, they share SKED's mission of job creation in 
     Southeast Kentucky.
       SKED President Tim Barnes is one of those community 
     leaders. President and CEO of Hometown Bank, he's led the 
     SKED Board of Directors for the past three years.
       ``Greg has been the face of SKED for so long, it's hard to 
     imagine ever being able to replace him,'' Barnes said. 
     ``Let's just say there will be no replacing Greg. He's one of 
     a kind. His legacy of caring professionalism will live on 
     through the lending programs and other initiatives he's 
     worked so tirelessly to develop over the past two decades. We 
     wish him all the best in his future endeavors, and speaking 
     on behalf of all board members past and present, I say a 
     hearty thank you.''
       The SKED Board of Directors plans a national search for 
     Jones's successor.
       A native of Laurel County, Jones has served on numerous 
     boards and commissions both locally and nationally. These 
     positions include being past president of the Appalachia 
     Development Alliance. He is currently on the board of 
     directors for both TOURSEKY and the National Institute for 
     Hometown Security. He was named East Kentucky Power 
     Community/Economic Development Professional of the Year in 
     2007.
       He earned his B.S. in industrial technology at Morehead 
     State University in Morehead, Ky. He also holds a master of 
     public administration degree from Southern Illinois 
     University--Edwardsville. He also attended the Institute for 
     Organization Management and Economic Development Institute.
       In 1995, he received the Certified Economic Developer 
     designation from the American Economic Development Council.

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       He is married to Belinda Taylor Jones and they have a son, 
     Christopher.

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