WKU News

The Federal CARES Act provided $630,000 to Western Kentucky University through Advantage Kentucky Alliance (AKA) to help Kentucky manufacturers emerge successfully from the COVID-19 pandemic.

"We want to be sure Kentucky manufacturers are getting the support and resources they need to help manage and recover from some of the challenges they are currently facing," said Lee Lingo, Executive Director, of Kentucky Association of Manufacturers (KAM).

"One of the greatest needs we are hearing from manufacturers across the state is a lack of supply chain resources," said Scott Broughton, Center Director at Advantage Kentucky Alliance. "If a company has a supply need or if they can supply commodity and/or proprietary engineered products, we will conduct a no-cost search and provide them with a list of potential suppliers and /or customers located in Kentucky."

WKU, AKA and KAM are committed to helping rebuild Kentucky’s economy by helping manufacturers throughout Kentucky. Having reliable supply chain resources is essential to get businesses up and running again. To help ease supply chain disruptions for manufacturers, AKA gathers information from potential suppliers and then shares this information with the Kentucky Association of Manufacturers to distribute across the state.

In addition to performing no-cost sourcing/customer searches, AKA provides other no-cost activities funded by the CARES Act including:

• Operational assessments to align immediate workforce needs with area resources. 
• Financial analysis to align financial needs with resources.
• Safety assessments to ensure businesses are prepared to open or reopen within COVID-19 guidelines.
• Development of remote/virtual workshops and seminars/webinars.
• Video marketing for Kentucky manufacturers to showcase their capabilities to prospective customers.

Advantage Kentucky Alliance performs these supplier searches, assessments, manufacturing showcases, and webinars/seminars using the WKU CARES money. These actions are intended to expedite Kentucky’s emergence from the pandemic as soon as possible.

Advantage Kentucky Alliance (AKA) is a statewide, not-for-profit partnership of the Manufacturing Extension Partnership, (MEP National Network™) in Kentucky funded by Western Kentucky University and the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). AKA provides assistance and training to manufacturers across Kentucky and is a close partner of the Kentucky Association of Manufacturers (KAM).

About AKA: AKA is a statewide, not-for-profit partnership of NIST, funded by Western Kentucky University that assists manufacturers of all sizes for growth and improvement. To learn more about AKA, visit advantageky.org.  

About KAM: Since 1911, the Kentucky Association of Manufacturers (KAM) has served as the leading advocate for the manufacturing industry in the Commonwealth. For information, visit kam.us.com.   

Contact: Mark Doggett, mark.doggett@wku.edu, (270) 745-6951; Elizabeth Keenan, elizabeth.keenan@wku.edu, (502) 974-4208; Jena Scott, j.scott@kam.us.com, (859) 967-3717