Lexington Grocery Legend leaves memorable legacy
Walt Barbour, 73, died in October after battling cancer. Barbour was an iconic figure in Lexington’s grocery industry, having run Randall’s on Romany. He was affectionately known by many as the mayor of Romany. When it was purchased, his fans held Randall’s Rallies, and carried “Save Walt” signs outside the store. He went on to run a popular pantry market and deli on Liberty, known for its famous fried chicken, which reportedly lives on across town.
An October graveside service was held at Camp Nelson, with full military honors, in recognition of his service in Army Intelligence during the Vietnam Era.
Million Dollar Investment Lands in Neighborhood
Vector Corrosion Technologies Inc., which provides corrosion mitigation products and services, cut the ribbon on a new operation in Lexington, creating 20 full-time jobs with a more than $1 million investment.
The Winchester Road location is the Canada-based company’s first U.S. manufacturing facility.
Vector located its first Kentucky operation in an existing 15,200-square-foot building at 800 Winchester Road in Lexington. In addition to acquiring the facility, the new-location project includes purchasing manufacturing equipment and other startup-related costs. Jobs created at the facility include supervisory, quality control, shipping and receiving and production line roles.
“The ceremonial ribbon cutting is an exciting event for Vector as we continue to gear up quickly to bring Kentucky-made corrosion solutions to extend the life of critical infrastructure throughout the country,” said Bob Spriggs, Vector CEO.
“The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet and its engineering consultants have expressed their support for the expanded use of cathodic protection technologies in the commonwealth and we are anxious to move forward quickly to support local jobs,” added Chris Ball, senior vice president at Vector. “In addition to supplying domestic projects, we have also manufactured some cathodic protection systems for export to Brazil.”
Vector has provided concrete repair and corrosion solutions to extend the life of infrastructure for the past 50 years.
Vector adds to Kentucky’s manufacturing sector, which employs 250,000 people across approximately 5,000 facilities.
Commerce Lexington Inc. President and CEO Bob Quick welcomed the opening of the new facility. “We are very pleased that Vector Corrosion Technologies calls Lexington home, and we appreciate their continued investment and confidence in Central Kentucky,” Quick said. “We are honored that this innovative company has opened its very first U.S. manufacturing facility right here in Central Kentucky. We look forward to many great things from Vector Corrosion Technologies in the future.”
Vector’s investment and planned job creation furthers recent economic momentum in the commonwealth, as the state builds back stronger from the effects of the pandemic.
BUSINESS CALENDAR
The Regional Summit will be held Nov 30 at the Campbell House. The Summit is designed to provide the opportunity for public and private sector leaders within our nine-county economic development region to come together and learn about how we can make Central Kentucky more economically competitive for jobs and talent. In a post pandemic world where businesses and people can live and work from almost anywhere, building a stronger region has never been more important. During the full day event, leaders will hear from national economic development experts about our region’s strengths, challenges in a post-pandemic world and our opportunities for growth. Leaders will be engaged in breakout sessions focused on the initial key “action items” to building a more competitive region. Pre-register via Commerce Lexington.
