OCTC partnering with local businesses for electrical apprenticeship
- By Karah Wilson Messenger-Inquirer Mar 4, 2023 Updated Apr 13, 2023
Workforce Solutions at Owensboro Community and Technical College is partnering with three local business to offer the Greater Owensboro Electrical Apprenticeship program.
Students who apply for the apprenticeship will work for prospective partners — Norman King Electric, Westerfield Electric and Lark Electric, LLC.
Katie Vincent, director of workforce partnership at OCTC, said this program is new.
Vincent said Norman King Electric and Westerfield Electric reached out to the college about offering this program.
“(Kentucky Community and Technical College System) was pushing for more apprenticeships,” she said. “Our goal is to expand to other electrical companies. Norman King Electric, Westerfield Electric, and Lark Electric, LLC are participating currently.”
The apprenticeship is a four-year program and students will receive an associate degree in applied science in electrical technology — construction track upon completion. They will also be able to sit for the electrical journeyman’s license exam.
Vincent said she has received interest in the program already.
Applicants must be high school graduates or hold an equivalent degree and work full-time with one of the three companies while attending class twice a week in the evening.
An open house for the program will be held March 23 at 5:30 p.m. in OCTC’s Advanced Technology Center at the main campus at 4800 New Hartford Road.
The event is for prospective students, community members and electrical companies. Companies participating in the program will be present to discuss electrical career opportunities and benefits of the program.
OCTC representatives will be available at the event for students to answer questions related to program applications, college enrollment requirements and federal financial aid opportunities.
For more information on the program, contact Vincent at katie.vincent@kctcs.edu or at 270-686-4423.
Karah Wilson, 270-691-7315, kwilson@messenger-inquirer.com, Twitter: @karahwilson19
Lark Electric installing EV charging stations at residential and business locations
DECEMBER 23, 2022 | 12:09 AM
Ross Hyland is growing Lark Electric, LLC again. This time, he is helping Owensboro become greener by installing electric vehicle (EV) charging stations at residential and business locations.
“We have seen more requests for them,” he said. “And more are starting to pop up.”
Home chargers are usually 120 volts because it charges at a much slower rate — 3-5 miles per hour.
“We have been working with businesses on installing level two and three chargers,” Hyland said of the ones that charge more quickly.
Don Moore Hyundai recently installed two 480-volt ChargePoint chargers to support Hyundai’s new IONIQ electric cars.
“Those offer significantly faster charging,” Hyland said.
As the cost of electric vehicles drops, putting in the electrical charging needs becomes more affordable – especially with the fluctuation of recent gas prices.
Lark Electric helps with the design and implementation of the larger setups and also prides itself on offering the same service to resident installations.
Hyland said that businesses are becoming interested in putting EV charging stations in shopping centers, which would allow people who are traveling through Owensboro to use it as a charging destination while also shopping locally.
“It’s a good thing for Owensboro, I think,” he said, adding that many GPS systems show electric vehicles where charging locations are as they drive.
As a design-build electrical firm Hyland purchased in 2020, Lark Electric has expanded into Lexington and Bowling Green. It also offers security camera installations as well as audio-visual electrical needs.
“We provide a competitive service to homes and buildings to see if it can handle the necessary charging system,” Hyland said. “We do a complete analysis and provide a list of options.”
Services range from “a couple hundred” dollars to $1,000 on average.
“We don’t want to talk someone into what they don’t need,” he said. “Switching to an electric vehicle, you need to have something on the return for your investment.”
Hyland said interested parties can contact Lark Electric at 270-683-4242 and clients can live anywhere in the state.
“We run techs across the state and can talk you through the process,” Hyland said.
Exclusive: Chick-fil-A breaking ground on new location next month
JANUARY 26, 2023 | 3:44 PM
It’s official. Chick-fil-A is adding a location on KY 54, at the old Bob Evans site in front of Walmart. Ross Hyland, whose company Lark Electric is contracted to do work on the new building, confirmed Thursday that construction is expected to start next month and wrap up by the middle of this year.
Permits were issued on January 19 to both Lark Electric and Thorndale Construction Services to do work on the new building. Project officials at Thorndale, a company based in Illinois, could not be reached by the time this article was published.
Hyland confirmed the work was for a new Chick-fil-A restaurant.
“We are honored and excited to be able to work with Chick-fil-A,” Hyland said. “This restaurant is much-needed.”
According to Lark and documents previously obtained by Owensboro Times, the Chick-fil-A site will span what were previously two adjacent properties — as 3123 and 3107 KY 54 have been combined into a single track. That’s the site of the former Bob Evans restaurant plus the lot directly west, respectively. The portion of the property that is currently a hill with no building will be leveled and turned into a parking lot.
Owensboro Times first broke the news that Chick-fil-A was looking into a new location in December 2021. That spokesperson has said multiple times in recent months that they had no further comment. OT reached out again Thursday but had not received a response by the time this article was published.
Rumors began swirling in mid-2022 that Chick-fil-A could choose the former Bob Evans spot, and OT was the first to report in August 2022 that documents had been filed that indicated the restaurant was indeed eyeing that location.
OT also gained access to a Final Development Plan that Chick-fil-A submitted to the Owensboro Metropolitan Planning Commission.
Per the Final Development Plan, Chick-fil-A’s building will sit on the far east side of the property, and the entrance would be perpendicular to KY 54 (meaning it would face west toward the parking lot). The entry/exit will be in the same location as it was for Bob Evans, at the southeast corner of the Walmart parking lot.
The double-lane drive-thru would function similarly to the Chick-fil-A on Frederica Street. It essentially circles the outside of the property, with drivers picking up their food under a covered area on the back side of the building (the side facing Murphy USA gas station). The site will also have roughly 50 parking spaces.
The property is owned by California businessman Jacob Fedder, who purchased the lots at 3107 and 3123 KY 54 for $2.1 million on July 14, 2021 under the Mali 54 LLC.
Fedder is also the man behind bringing Chipotle to south Frederica Street. He purchased that lot (4911 Frederica Street) for $1.15 million under the Mali Frederica LLC on May 28, 2021. Chipotle opened a location there at the end of June 2022.
Owensboro’s current Chick-fil-A, located at 4601 Frederica Street, opened in November 2009.
Lark Electric moving to 18th Street
Lark Electric is growing and moving.
In October 2020, Ross Hyland bought the company that was started in 1963 by Daniel Fulkerson.
Last year, he expanded into the Lexington market and beyond.
He said the building on Third Street has 4,000 square feet — 1,000 square feet of office space and 3,000 square feet of warehouse.
The new location, Hyland said, has 14,000 square feet — 3,000 square feet of office space and 11,000 square feet of warehouse.
“We’re renovating it and putting in offices,” he said. “We’ve doubled the size of our staff. I don’t like to say how many people we have because my competitors are always trying to hire them away.”
Hyland said the past 15 months “have been a blessing. My staff is highly motivated and they genuinely care about our customers.”
He said he needed more warehousing space because “with supply shortages, we’re having to stock material for jobs we’ll be doing six months in the future. We have to have it in stock.”
Chamber Celebration returns after two years off
Mar. 12—The late-season snow that came to Owensboro Friday evening could not dampen the spirit of the 2022 Chamber Celebration at the RiverPark Center in downtown Owensboro.
The event marked its return for the first time in two years, caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Candance Castlen Brake, Greater Owensboro Chamber of Commerce president, said it was great to see so many friends assembled together after so long. The annual awards ceremony had been postponed three times before Friday’s event.
“We gather together to celebrate tonight you, the people who are moving this community forward every day,” Brake said during the ceremony. “Everybody here makes up this beautiful tapestry of greater Owensboro.”
Clay Ford, 2021 chair of the Greater Owensboro Chamber of Commerce, took some time to recognize some of the 2021 Chamber Board’s accomplishments.
“Infrastructure has many different faces these days and broadband is a new portion of that and we are going to make sure that each piece of that puzzle is going to be advocated on your behalf in Frankfort and in (Washington) D.C.,” he said.
Ford said an Owensboro delegation spoke with Gov. Andy Beshear about some of the things that Owensboro brings to the table that sets it apart from some of the other communities across the state.
“The leadership that we have in this community and the innovation that is being brought to the table, they need to make sure that they remember what we have to offer and what opportunities we can work on together to make not only Kentucky better but Owensboro a better place to live and work,” he said.
Ford then passed the official gavel to incoming Chamber Chair Brenda Clayton, who will serve in that role during 2022.
“The Chamber has several strategic goals for 2022, the first two are to grow membership and to create opportunities to advance the success of our members,” she said. “I would challenge you, as members of the Chamber, to participate in Chamber events, attend a Rooster Booster or a Ribbon Cutting, come to a legislative update…”
Clayton said the third goal for the year is to develop and connect leaders for the future of greater Owensboro.
“We aim to educate and build the skill sets of our leaders who improve the economic vitality of greater Owensboro.
This year, the Ambassador of the Year award, which recognizes an individual’s volunteerism, activity attending various events and ribbon cuttings, as well as someone with an invaluable commitment to Chamber, recognized two individuals in the community. The 2021 recipients are Kevin Dorth of WKU Owensboro and Justin Merritt of the Advanced Center for Sports and Orthopedic Medicine.
Clay Horton, public health director for the Green River District Health Department, was recognized as the 2021 Member of the Year.
Jaclyn Graves, the master of ceremonies for the evening, said throughout the last two years of the COVID-19 pandemic, Horton was always available to help individuals in need.
“Providing steady leadership, a calm in the storm with an air of of deep humility, the Chamber would like to honor the 2021 Member of the year Clay Horton and the amazing nurses and staff of the Green River District Health Department.
Horton was met with a standing ovation as he made his way to the stage to receive his award.
2022 Chamber Celebration award winners
* Emerging Business of the Year — Lark Electric
* Business of the Year — 1-10 Employees — Niko’s Bakery and Cafe
* Business of the Year — 11-50 Employees — Shoe Stop
* Business of the Year — 51-500 Employees — UniFirst Corporation
* Business of the Year — Over 500 Employees — Owensboro Health
* Non-Profit of the Year — Fine Arts — Owensboro Dance Theatre
* Non-Profit of the Year — Human Services — Girls Incorporated of Owensboro-Daviess County
* Education & Workforce Development Institution of the Year — Owensboro Innovation Academy
* Manufacturer of the Year — Swedish Match
* Rick Kamuf Agri-Business of the Year — Hill View Farms Meats
Chamber Awards
* 2021 Ambassador of the Year — Kevin Dorth
* 2021 Ambassador of the Year — Justin Merritt
* 2021 Director of the Year — Sarah Murphy Ford
* 2021 CYP Member of the Year — Sara Williams
* 2020 Class Member of the Year — Allyson Sanders
* 2021 Class Member of the Year — Emmy Woosley
* 2021 Member of the Year — Green River District Health Department
* 2021 Minority Business Leader of the Year — Armando Ortiz
* 2021 Bill Young Leadership Award — Daisy James
PLACE WINNERS IN BOX
———————————————
The late season snow that came to Owensboro Friday evening could not dampen the spirit of the the 2022 Chamber Celebration at the RiverPark Center in downtown Owensboro.
The event marked its return for the first time in two years, caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Candance Castlen Brake, Greater Owensboro Chamber of Commerce president, said it was great to see so many friends assembled together after so long. The annual awards ceremony had been postponed three times before Friday’s event.
“We gather together to celebrate tonight you, the people who are moving this community forward every day,” Brake said during the ceremony. “Everybody here makes up this beautiful tapestry of greater Owensboro.”
Clay Ford, 2021 chair of the Greater Owensboro Chamber of Commerce, took some time to recognize some of the 2021 Chamber Board’s accomplishments.
“Infrastructure has many different faces these days and broadband is a new portion of that and we are going to make sure that each piece of that puzzle is going to be advocated on your behalf in Frankfort and in (Washington) D.C.,” he said.
Ford said an Owensboro delegation spoke with Gov. Andy Beshear about some of the things that Owensboro brings to the table that sets it apart from some of the other communities across the state.
“The leadership that we have in this community and the innovation that is being brought to the table, they need to make sure that they remember what we have to offer and what opportunities we can work on together to make not only Kentucky better but Owensboro a better place to live and work,” he said.
Ford then passed the official gavel to incoming Chamber Chair Brenda Clayton, who will serve in that role during 2022.
“The Chamber has several strategic goals for 2022, the first two are to grow membership and to create opportunities to advance the success of our members,” she said. “I would challenge you, as members of the Chamber, to participate in Chamber events, attend a Rooster Booster or a Ribbon Cutting, come to a legislative update…”
Clayton said the third goal for the year is to develop and connect leaders for the future of greater Owensboro.
“We aim to educate and build the skill sets of our leaders who improve the economic vitality of greater Owensboro.
This year, the Ambassador of the Year award, which recognizes an individual’s volunteerism, activity attending various events and ribbon cuttings, as well as someone with an invaluable commitment to Chamber, recognized two individuals in the community. The 2021 recipients are Kevin Dorth of WKU Owensboro and Justin Merritt of the Advanced Center for Sports and Orthopedic Medicine.
Clay Horton, public health director for the Green River District Health Department, was recognized as the 2021 Member of the Year.
Jaclyn Graves, the master of ceremonies for the evening, said throughout the last two years of the COVID-19 pandemic, Horton was always available to help individuals in need.
“Providing steady leadership, a calm in the storm with an air of of deep humility, the Chamber would like to honor the 2021 Member of the year Clay Horton and the amazing nurses and staff of the Green River District Health Department.
Horton was met with a standing ovation as he made his way to the stage to receive his award.
Hyland Now Operating Companies in Three cities
By Keith Lawrence Messenger-Inquirer
September 5, 2021
Ross Hyland is a young man on the move.
He’s bought or created three companies in three cities in less than two years.
In October 2020, with the coronavirus pandemic still buffeting the economy, the 23-year-old bought Lark Electric, a company that was started in 1963 by Daniel Fulkerson.
Last year, he expanded it into the Lexington market and beyond.
Hyland said he plans to do long-term projects in Lexington, Louisville, Cincinnati, Frankfort and Elizabethtown from that office.
The company has also branched out into audio-visual systems, security cameras, fire alarms and door access security systems.
Earlier this year, he moved Lark Electric from its long-time home at 901 W. Third St to 215. E. 18th St. — the former Best-One Tire & Service location.
“We’re renovating it and putting in offices,” he said at the time. “We’ve doubled the size of our staff. I don’t like to say how many people we have because my competitors are always trying to hire them away.”
And now, Hyland has purchased Patterson Westbrook Electrical Contractors in Bowling Green.
“Its owners were starting to think about retirement and were deciding what to do about the business,” he said. “I approached them about buying it.”
The owners agreed to the sale and agreed to stay on for two years to help Hyland.
Lark Electric expanding into Lexington
By Keith Lawrence Messenger-Inquirer
Aug 10, 2021
Ross Hyland, the owner of Hyland Enterprises/Lark Electric, looks over an electrical panel being installed into a new office building at 4142 W. Vincent Station Drive.
Ross Hyland was 23 when he launched his first business in the early days of the coronavirus pandemic.
His Hyland Enterprises, an excavation company that also does electrical work, cable construction and drain systems, opened in March 2020.
In October, Hyland bought Lark Electric, 901 W. Third St., a company that was started in 1963 by Daniel Fulkerson.
Hyland is now expanding into the Lexington market and beyond.
It’s been a whirlwind,” Hyland said Monday about the past year. “The move into Lexington wasn’t intended, but we saw an opportunity.”
His Lexington staff is working out of a trailer today, but Hyland will be in Lexington on Wednesday scouting for a permanent location.
“I want to get a building up there as soon as I can,” he said.
The intent is to do long-term projects in Lexington, Louisville, Cincinnati, Frankfort and Elizabethtown from the Lexington office, Hyland said.
“We just landed one long-term project up there that should last until February,” he said. “And we’re bidding on other projects up there.”