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Commercial Automation
News
Chamber Building Gets
Name
Houchens Donates
$400,000 For Site
September 26, 2006
By AMEERAH CETAWAYO, The
Daily News
Bowling Green-based
Houchens Industries will
have naming rights to
the Bowling Green Area
Chamber of
Commerce's new building,
after the company said
today it would donate
$400,000 toward the
building's
construction.
The 15,000-square-foot
building at the corner
of Seventh Avenue and
College Street will be
called the Houchens
Industries Center for
Business and will be
completed in the first
quarter of next year,
according to Michael
Murphy, chairman of the
capital campaign.
“You can just see it ...
you can feel it ... you
can imagine how it's
going to look and how
it's going to be
utilized,” Murphy said.
“It's going to be a
stateof- the-art
facility, and it's going
to initialize all the
new development for
downtown.”
Donations from Houchens
and about 200 other
chamber partners total
more than $2.8 million
for
construction of the
building.
Houchens Industries
Chairman Jimmie Gipson
downplayed the gift as a
continuation of Houchens'
commitment to the
community.
“I'm just glad we're
able to do it,” Gipson
said, calling the
chamber of commerce
“crucial to the
community.”
He also said the
participation from the
other 200 companies
donating is what
determines the success
of organizations like
the chamber of commerce.
Doug Gorman, the
chamber's Building
Committee chairman, said
the basic footprint of
the first floor is
already in place. Gorman
gave building tours
after Houchens'
announcement this
morning.
“It will give everyone a
sense of what the
building has and what it
will be,” he said.
In October, the exterior
framing and electrical
work will start, Gorman
said.
Gorman said it was “the
greatest feeling in the
world” to know the
chamber exceeded its
initial fundraising goal
of $1.5 million.
“It says a lot about the
business community and
how blessed we feel to
be here,” Gorman said.
“Every good thing that
happens in Bowling Green
and Warren County is a
team effort and this is
just one more example of
that.”
Jim Hizer, president and
chief executive officer
of the chamber, said
he's looking forward to
the chamber being able
to do more for the
community.
“This chamber is not
going to be saddled with
onerous ongoing debt
obligations and as a
result will be able to
dedicate resources
toward chamber
programming, including
economic development,”
Hizer said.
Along with the naming
rights to the building,
Houchens will have a
lobby display featuring
a waterfall designed by
Hitcents.com, according
to Hitcents.com
President Chris Mills.
Mills' company is
writing special software
for the waterscreen,
since it will also act
as an interactive
presentation for
visitors.
“This is kind of a new
technology piece that's
not really on the
marketplace today,”
Mills said.
Mills said the
waterscreen will
showcase the technology
available in Bowling
Green which in turn will
hopefully appeal to
outsiders looking to
relocate to the city.
Hitcents is also the
company that won the bid
to install the chamber's
technological
infrastructure,
featuring high-tech
security, surveillance,
access card, lighting
and climate-control
systems based on the
company's EyeOn
software.
Because of that, the
chamber's building will
have automated
conference rooms that
includes projector
screens.
“We're excited to be a
part of this enhancement
to the Bowling Green
area,” Mills said.
The chamber's capital
campaign continues to
gain momentum, and
companies can still
donate, said Tonya
Matthews, vice president
of chamber operations.
“It's been such an
exciting past few months
to see the chamber's
building really taking
shape,” Matthews said.
“It has moved quickly.
This project has been on
a fast-track timeline
since it took off.”
For a commitment of
$1,000 over a five-year
period, a business' name
is listed in the lobby
of the new chamber
headquarters for the
life of the building,
according to Matthews.
There are six levels of
contributions, with the
highest being those
donating $100,000 or
more, she said.
“It may be the best
marketing dollars a
company or organization
spends in the next five
years, essentially added
up to 50 years or more
of prominent exposure.
And above that, there is
the return on the
investment as our
chamber will be a step
ahead of the competition
and all will benefit,”
Matthews said.
Houchens Industries is
the largest
employee-owned company
in the United States.
Houchens, with
approximately $3 billion
in annual sales and
10,000 employees, has
interests in the
grocery, tobacco,
construction, insurance,
recycling and
manufacturing
industries. |
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