MI2 Strategy Group Updates: Building Projects and Initiatives Matched Against MI2’s Year One Strategic Focus Areas

In our February 2nd newsletter, we highlighted the focus of our four strategy groups. Over MI2’s first six months, we have gotten strong cross-sector participation across those strategy groups and have seen a range of projects and initiatives begin to form for MI2. Here are a few updates about what is happening within our focus groups. If you would like to find ways to get involved, please get in touch with the MI2 team.

Sustainability Strategy Group

The MI2 Sustainability Strategy Group gathered in person in Louisville on Thursday, Feb. 23rd, for an intensive ideation session to surface near-term impact projects and initiatives that can be pursued which will inform the Kentucky metals innovation ecosystem and which can help set the stage for projects to come. These ideas are now being shared with the MI2 Metals Leadership Council for feedback and refinement to then be pursued in 2023.

The strategy group is led by Metals Leadership Council member Andy Ishmael from Tri-Arrows Aluminum and includes Todd Aston from Novelis, Fazleena Badurdeen from the University of Kentucky, Metals Leadership Council Chair Zak Chehab from Novelis, Namratha Gandhi from North American Stainless, Kyle Hines from Tri-Arrows Aluminum, Tina Kosmicki from Novelis, Van Mitchell from Logan Aluminum, Leslie North from Western Kentucky University, and Brianna Smith from Kobe Aluminum Automotive Products.

Talent and Workforce Strategy Group

The Talent and Workforce Strategy Group has a busy pipeline of projects in motion based on their group’s priorities, which include pursuing new partnerships and project opportunities with the Kentucky Chamber of Commerce and Greater Louisville Inc. Already, a Bus-to-Business program in partnership with the Kentucky Chamber and a partnership with the Fox Management Consulting group is being planned, with further details being shared in this month’s projects update. And the strategy group is actively advising MI2’s core team on several additional priority 2023 strategic communications and event initiatives.

The Talent and Workforce Strategy Group is led by Metals Leadership Council member Chris Boggs from Kobe Aluminum Automotive Products and includes Nelson Akafuah from the University of Kentucky, Brian Becker from South Central Workforce Development Board, Teresa Hayes from Logan Aluminum, Mary Jackson from the Council for Postsecondary Education, Kim Sayre from the University of Kentucky, Rick Smith from the Kentucky Council for Postsecondary Education, Jon Sowards from South Central Workforce Development Board, and Sara Tracy from the Kentucky Chamber of Commerce.

Branding Strategy Group

The Branding Strategy Group is actively working with MI2’s core team on a persona-building exercise to better identify and understand the perspectives of some of the key stakeholder audiences for the metals industry. The team is also currently gathering all existing data, information, from metals companies and ecosystem partners providing a strong overview of the strength and diversity of Ketnucky’s metals ecosystem–an effort being led by Nucor, the University of Kentucky, and the Kentucky Cabinet for Economic Development. In particular, the Branding Strategy Group is actively providing input for plans for MI2 to work with the Kentucky Cabinet for Economic Development on the creation of a Kentucky Metals Industry guide. The group is also providing feedback to MI2’s initial communications efforts.

The Branding Strategy Group is led by Metals Leadership Council member Bob Eviston from River Metals Recycling and includes JD Atkinson from Logan Aluminum, Faisal Aqlan from the University of Louisville’s Center for Organizational Readiness for Enterprise 4.0 (CORE 4.0), Kaihui Bai from UofL’s CORE 4.0, Landon Borders from the University of Kentucky, David Brock from the Kentucky Cabinet for Economic Development, Sam Ford from AccelerateKY, Christy Kleinhenz from Wieland, and Davey Sullivan from Nucor.

Grants and Funding Strategy Group

With Vision Granted’s Ruthie Caldwell coming aboard the Metals Innovation Initiative core team to help lead proactive grant-seeking activities, the Grants and Funding Strategy group held their first meeting on Tuesday, February 14th. Caldwell and the University of Kentucky’s Shana Herron will be leading an effort to articulate MI2’s grants and funding mission and objectives in more detail, and the team reviewed the significant grants and funding activity achieved already within MI2’s first six months, with participation in two projects already awarded and current support of multiple other significant grants being sought by the Kentucky innovation ecosystem.

The Grants and Funding Strategy Group is led by Joe Stutz from Wieland and includes Jacob Andrews from the Kentucky Chamber of Commerce, Ruthie Caldwell of Vision Granted on MI2’s core team, Shanna Herron from the University of Kentucky, Christian Howard from the Bowling Green Area Chamber of Commerce, Kim Sayre from the University of Kentucky, and Sara Tracy from the Kentucky Chamber of Commerce.