What's the Startup?!

Jason Lemle on Regional Resilience and Reimagining What’s Possible in Graves County

• Sprocket • Season 2 • Episode 14

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When disaster strikes, some communities rebuild. Others reimagine. In this episode, we sit down with Jason Lemle—President of Graves County Economic Development and Director of the Mayfield Industrial Development Authority—for a powerful conversation about what it really takes to fuel resilience across a region.

Jason shares how Graves County is bouncing back from devastation with bold plans for industrial growth, downtown revitalization, and a new makerspace designed to spark entrepreneurship and workforce development. We dive into the mindset behind his work, the opportunities emerging for small businesses in rural Kentucky, and how collaborative leadership is helping Mayfield build something better than before.

If you care about rural innovation, economic resilience, or creating real opportunity in your hometown—this one’s for you.

Thank you for tuning in to this episode of the Sprocket Podcast! If you’re ready to dive into the world of startups and innovation, visit us online at Sprocket WKY to learn more about our mission and how we support entrepreneurs like you.

Ready to check out the space? Book a tour with Tiffany, our Community Coordinator!

Got a business idea? Apply for a mentorship session with one of our experienced mentors!

Stay connected and join our growing community on Instagram for the latest updates, inspiration, and behind-the-scenes looks at what’s happening at Sprocket.

Let’s turn your ideas into reality—together!

Sprocket is proud to be supported by Team Kentucky, the Commonwealth's Cabinet for Economic Development. Learn more about their initiatives and resources at ced.ky.gov.

Kaylan:

Jason we're wanting to showcase And shine a light on all the development happening throughout our 22 Western Kentucky counties It's hard to, for people to realize, you know, what's all going on in our own little space. So cool. Well, you've been involved in some exciting projects here lately. Tell us a little bit more about your role and what you do on a daily basis.

jason:

Yeah. So I'm the president of Graves County Economic Development. I'm also the director of the Mayfield Industrial Development Authority. Um, and day to day involves working on our grant programs to expand our industrial development park, extending utilities, building sites. Um, we've been fortunate enough to partner with the Kentucky Cabinet for Economic Development, the Kentucky Association for Economic Development, as well as our partners at TVA and the Housing and Urban Development Authority of the federal government to be awarded several grants for these opportunities. Um, and that's all pertaining to North Graves and where we focus on industrial development. Um, but in downtown Mayfield, we've had the opportunity to buy and acquire 10 acres of land for redevelopment for the business district that was formed in February of 23, that adds a new standard of building and construction codes, right? So we want a more seamless look in that area to attract a good quality jobs and good quality businesses and make sure that the downtown really recovers, and so those are the things that I've been doing.

Kaylan:

Tell me more about what the community can expect to see in the coming. Months or even years. Yeah. So

jason:

the coming months, you'll, you'll see, a project that we've worked on that we received awards from the economic development administration known as a maker space. Monica is on the board, and we are going to be constructing a multi use facility for woodworking, metalworking, 3d printing, t shirt embroidery and printing as well. It'll be a membership based business and it's for community trades and skilled people to come in and grow their business. Hopefully in time. to a company, and stay in Mayfield and Graves County., in addition to that, the industrial park expansion will be done probably in the fall of 2025. We'll have a 500, 000 square foot pre graded pad with new road access in and out of the park, we'll be completing 150, 000 square foot spec building, and there should be some unique and pretty cool announcements coming up about some new business opportunities that, have never been a part of Mayfield or Graves County before.

Kaylan:

There's a lot going on. Yeah.

jason:

That'd be fun.

Kaylan:

So for people who are not familiar with the work that you do, can you share a little bit about your mission, your heart for the community?

jason:

Yeah. So my mission is, I guess pretty, pretty simple. It's I want to support the, the existing businesses, help grow the tax base for the city and the county, support the workforce and develop our, our youth into the talent of the future, and make sure that we're giving opportunities to every person that comes into the area and try and provide that level of comfort and confidence and how we do business.

Kaylan:

What are some of those opportunities?

jason:

Well, some of the opportunities are, um, we've got, some workforce programs going on. We've recently created a program called Community Connections where we're partnering with the school districts to give students a better view of what's out there, right? So when you look at a financial institution, students might see that, hey, it's a bank, right? You're going to be a banker. But what they don't understand is, And we're really trying to expand, students knowledge about the opportunities in our area and the region, as well as provide them with workforce and talent development training tools to help them build their skill set to be applicable for the jobs in the area. And so that's going to be a heavy focus at the maker spaces to kind of add those additional certifications and train those underemployed or underdeveloped or. Skill sets in certain individuals to really give them an opportunity at a better job in the area.

Kaylan:

So there's been a lot of buzz about innovation, entrepreneurship in rural areas recently, what unique opportunities do you see for small businesses, especially in Graves County?

jason:

So with the availability of land and the availability of new development in the downtown area? I would say that any small business that's looking for an area where they can be successful, come check us out. I mean, right. There's a lot of different tools and financial opportunities that I'm aware of, as well as other people in the area that can help get them kick started, and then there's going to be plenty of space for them to build an operation, and then with the, the tools and some of the programs I mentioned in the maker space, there's an opportunity for them to develop their skill set or build upon their business even more. So we have like a welcome packet that we created at Graves County Economic Development that kind of walks through where you're at in your business, right? From the planning stages to the growing stage. And by looking at this document, you can read the, the, the subject lines and understand, you know, is this where I'm at or am I not here yet? And how do I go about obtaining these support services?

Kaylan:

So tell us more about what inspired the Makerspace and, what we can expect to experience once it's fully realized?

jason:

Yeah. The, the experience started in March of 22. Um, actually it came from the community and you might've heard about the sticky notes meetings in Mayfield, maybe, maybe not. So after the tornado, the city called together a meeting at the high school, inviting all community personnel to come. In and put their ideas on what they wanted to see Mayfield look like if it was reimagined. Mm-hmm. And so there was categories, right? Business, healthcare, infrastructure, things like that. And I was fortunate enough to be the business chair, and we had a group of city individuals as well as business leaders who came together and said, we want to support the entrepreneurial community. And so from that, the idea came as well, how can we do that? And how can we impact this super critical, you know, professional skillset in our area? And it was. Create a makerspace. You know, in Mayfield and Graves County in the region, there is dozens of machine and tooling shops and entrepreneurial businesses like MCP, the candle company, um, there's Goodman Lumber and dozens of other businesses that were started and born here in the region. And to give them an opportunity that if you're small or uncertain of how to grow your business, let's put together a space that can offer training, equipment that you might not be able to afford and the opportunity to expand your ideas and collaborate with other professionals into what you want to see your business become.

Kaylan:

Tell me more about that, reimagining concept I love that because out of something that was so difficult for the whole, for the region, it comes an opportunity for hope and, uh, starting again, and that just is really inspiring to me. Tell me more about how the small business, ecosystem was impacted in this. What are some ways that we are going to be seeing it reimagined or it already is being reimagined?

jason:

The small business community was significantly impacted from the tornado. And in fact, the downtown area of Mayfield, specifically in the devastated area, lost about 500 jobs instantly that night. And though many of those jobs were saved and repurposed or relocated in the area, those were their homes. Those were the places where they had started that. That's where the business community developed, right? So there's Paris Road, which I consider. Like retail center, right? National chains and big business. But the area that was lost was really the homegrown companies of Mayfield and Graves County. And so, one of the things the city did is they went out and hired an urban planner to re visualize what they wanted to see the downtown look like. And so from that, the downtown has had many different ideas, drawings, and renderings. Some of which might be too extreme for what Mayfield might really be. But the general idea was to allow people the opportunity to think of things. that they've never thought about before, right? Because in most areas, you go to a town or a community and people see what they have and they think that's it. But with something like this, you can imagine anything you want it to be as long as you can find a way to accomplish it. And so by doing some of the things they did with the urban planner, it set the tone and the stage for the city to go after a federal streetscape grant that they're partnering with the transportation cabinet on. Where we're going to redo streets, sidewalks, and roads all around the devastated area. Make a better world. Walkability to downtown and then the design standards that were implemented set a new standard of way construction will take place. And so the business community will have the opportunity to locate in similar areas, um, but different facilities or new, new or more modern areas, the ways that they look.

Kaylan:

What has stood out to you the most about how the small business community, responded to the, the tornado and the challenges that came with it and after it.

jason:

The small business community stands out to me because that's really the, the heart of any area, right? Like the big industry is primarily the, the, the trained or technical workforce that allows the small business community to thrive. The small business community is what draws people. So if you live in an area and you know there's residential around it or there's apartments, you want to make sure there's a good quality of small businesses that provide services and things that they enjoy. And so the small business community, I would say from after the tornado, as much as they were impacted, from what I saw complained very little, did not seek to ask for too many things and really were just trying to take care of things in the way in which they knew how to do, which is something I really. respect about West Kentucky is I'd say West Kentucky has grit, right? You know, they don't get pushed down and stay down. They fight for what they believe in and they do what they need to do to take care of themselves and others. And one of the things that I saw most, you know, memorable to what happened in this experience is all the businesses that came forward and still were offering help, right? There were so many different food trucks or companies that were still up and running that were offering free food or free services or giving out free equipment or reallyanything they could do to help the community get back to where they needed to be. And you know, even today, you know, if you go into a certain store and you might have a question about something or need help with something, I've seen small acts of kindness as simple as pizza places that a young man walked in and asked about a pizza and he wanted to get a bigger size, but he didn't have the money and the owner was like, well here, I'm going to give it to you at this price. Okay. Like things like that, that act of kindness goes a long way.

Kaylan:

I think there's a lot that, startups Small businesses all around our region can learn from, even just the concept of the re imagining and the small acts of kindness. And it makes me think about the power of building an ecosystem, here in Western Kentucky with people who have grit. Yeah. Um, when we're faced with those challenges, we can reimagine and rewrite pretty quickly.

jason:

Absolutely. And then. Even people, if they realize the power they have when they come together and they don't do things, you know, by themselves, like with Monica and what you all have done here is a tremendous asset to the area and the region. And seeing the power of when you get hardworking, intelligent individuals who have a vision for something, you know, anything's possible.

Kaylan:

What is your vision? What is the collective vision for Mayfield?

jason:

The collective vision I would say can be looked at in many different ways, right? Everyone has their own perception of how they do things. They want to see things and what they want to see happen. And truly what I want to see is I want to see my daughter, your daughter, your son, my friends, families, and kids, an opportunity to walk up and down the devastated streets of Mayfield and Graves County one day and be proud to see what we did to rebuild it. You know, that's how I see it being successful is it's not so much for me, but it's for them. You know, if we can make our youth and our, our, our children see the efforts that were made and give them hope to be aspiring, individuals. I think we've done our jobs.

Kaylan:

The maker space is obviously going to be huge in that because you're showing them, oh, the power of what they can create. Correct. Yeah. And that invites them into the vision too. What advice would you give to other rural communities here in Western Kentucky who are looking to build that resilience and be able to adapt to challenges?

jason:

Don't accept no and know that, that there's always a solution. You just have to find it. You know, that's one of the things I have found in my career or something that I have seen set people apart is that when a challenge comes in front of somebody or money becomes an obstacle, it's easier not to do the hard things to get it done, so keep fighting for what you believe in and know that you have allies and resources around you that you may not know exist and that by working regionally and communicating with your partners. You can really get a lot done.

Kaylan:

What are some ways that you are doing that in your own role that we can learn from?

jason:

Well, I tend to partner and communicate, things that I need really with just about everyone, right? So I've got a large board that's very supportive. A lot of business leaders in the area. Um, I attend conferences. I'm heavily involved with, the organizations that we work with and really just keeping an open line of communication and never turn something away. You know, if someone asks you a question or asks you for help, be sure to offer what you can because if you don't, you never know where that road might end, right? Um, but I would say that's, that's about it is I guess I just kind of keep things open.

Kaylan:

What kind of mindset do you think defines that?

jason:

Well, I, there's one thing in which I really believe in and I say this often and that's speeches or dinners and things that I have and that, an idea without action is only a dream, right? And so each and every day I tell myself. Of that and that each and every day, if I'm not taking action to move forward or making myself uncomfortable or doing the things that I don't want to do, then I'm not growing or doing my best and I don't accept not doing my best or allow myself to fail. And I would say that's kind of a mindset you have to get into to remind yourself that you know, if you want to be better or make things better, then failure and quitting is not an option you can accept.

Kaylan:

And in my mind, that goes back to that resilience piece. Because when you're going through tough challenges or you put yourself in hard, hard places intentionally, your ability to withstand the difficult increases and it becomes less, less difficult.

jason:

And for every obstacle or problem, is an opportunity. If you look at it from a different perspective or through a different lens, it's the same as how do you look at a glass half full or half empty, right? It's, it's your perspective and changing your perspective can be hard, but if you focus on. on the end goal, then more times than not, you can overcome what you're trying to do.

Kaylan:

And then, that piece about accepting and not, not accepting no. Yeah. But then also being willing to accept what people give you. Correct. I can tell from you that you're also, you're able to accept what people give you because you know that you'll give in turn. Correct. And I think that's what is so special, about Western Kentucky is that we kind of all kind of have that mindset. Mm-hmm And the the give and take and, even here at Sprocket, I see that all the time. We're not, we're not afraid to accept support because we know that we give in turn. That's

jason:

right. And no one's gotten anywhere in this world by themselves. And the more that you give, I have found the more that you get back and the more that you believe or the more faith that you have and basically the path that you lead in life ultimately returns good deeds along the way as long as you're doing what's right. So.

Kaylan:

So how can listeners and those who are watching,, support the work that y'all are doing?

jason:

come out to our events, come out to my luncheons, call me, look at my newsletter, ask questions. If you want to be a part of the things that we're doing, I, I believe in the fact that regionalism when it comes to project is not just based upon where you lay your head at night, right? I believe that if you have an impact or you're working in an area, you have a right to be a part of something and you have a right to ask questions. And so if anybody wants to, to connect with me, I'm happy to provide my phone number, email, and sit down with them, attend city council meetings, attend fiscal court meetings, attend the things that are public to get yourself engaged with what's going on and don't be afraid to ask questions, right? I mean, I found that a lot of people don't want to ask questions because A, they're not going to like the answer or B, they're not going to want to provide the response. But if you're not asking questions and then you want to comment on what's being done, then you really can't. You know, be a part of a discussion if you're not there to, to instigate the answer that you're looking for. Right. So,

Kaylan:

and we have a lot of power to make a difference individually here in Western Kentucky because our communities are so much smaller than larger metropolitan areas. Your voice carries more weight. It

jason:

does.

Kaylan:

That's a lot of power. It

jason:

is.

Kaylan:

So use it wisely. That's right.

jason:

Wisely is the word I would like to add to that is use it wisely. Don't use it destructively or not in a helpful way. It's a really helpful manner because a lot of people have opinions or thoughts, but it's how you present it, right? So.

Kaylan:

So get involved. Yeah.

jason:

I appreciate you guys having me and letting me sit in and answer some questions and love working with you guys and looking forward to the makerspace going up and Sprocket being a part.

Kaylan:

Thanks, Jason. Thanks, Kaylin.