Officials with influential Louisville Impetus group tour Corbin Tues.

Impetus group members out of Louisville met with Corbin officials and toured the town Tuesday afternoon.

A group of well-known Louisville area business and education leaders visited Corbin Tuesday afternoon.

“This is a group called Impetus. It was formed by a man named David Jones, the founder of Humana. It is a collection of business leaders, education leaders, individuals in the Louisville community, who are really kind of the movers and shakers,” noted Senate President Robert Stivers, who organized Tuesday’s visit.

Tuesday’s VIPs included the presidents of both the University of Louisville and Bellarmine University. In addition, there were the likes of Steve Gault and Steve Poe, who are substantial developers in multi-million dollar industrial, hotel, and motel projects. There were also people from consulting firms, and people with ties to the bourbon industry, Stivers said.

“It is a group that is here at an invitation of mine and Volunteers of America, which has started to develop a presence here doing various things. They are looking at the area and talking about making bigger, larger networks between the Louisville/Jefferson County area and southeastern Kentucky,” Stivers said.

The group toured around Corbin stopping at The Corbin Arena, driving down the bypass observing the location where the new race track will be built, and seeing the original home of Kentucky Fried Chicken among other locations before making a stop at The Wrigley Taproom for hors d’oeuvres and drinks.

“The president of the University of Louisville, this is the second time she has been here. It is a matter of networking. If this group sees some opportunities, they may decide they want to come this direction so there is great opportunity here both ways,” Stivers added about increased networking and possible economic development.

The group was greeted and escorted on their tour by Corbin Mayor Suzie Razmus, Corbin Economic Development Director Bruce Carpenter, Corbin Tourism Director Maggy Monhollen, Forcht Group of Kentucky Founder, Chairman and CEO Terry Forcht and his wife, Marion Forcht, among other local leaders.