Southeast Kentucky Chamber Holds Lunch & Learn with Big Sandy ADD's Blake Moss

PIKEVILLE, KY (March 17, 2025) – The Southeast Kentucky Chamber of Commerce held a Lunch & Learn event on Tuesday, March 11, 2025, which featured guest speaker, Blake Moss, Public Administration Specialist for the Big Sandy Area Development District (Big Sandy ADD).

Moss spoke about the launch of the FIRE program at the ADD and the goal for it to fuel entrepreneurship in the region. He informed viewers that within the ADD’s five county region of Johnson, Floyd, Martin, Magoffin, and Pike, there is a 4.4% small business population compared to the national average of 10%. He explained that out of every 100 people in these five counties, only four people own a small business. At the same time, the unemployment rate for the same area is double that of the national average.

Moss discussed how “there isn't a lack of creative people in the area, but a lack of belief.” He stated, “success can breed belief, but a lack of belief is also contagious.” This led him to think there was a strong need for small business development in the area. Using this data, Moss and the Big Sandy ADD applied and received grant funding through the Appalachian Regional Commission to help promote small business development. He has invested the grant funding in two software subscriptions and hired a business development specialist. Resimplifi and Placer AI use data collected from online databases, including cell phone data, and creates condensed lists of location intelligence data and available real estate in the area. Moss explained that using Placer AI can give him and potential small businesses details on demographics, customer preferences, user engagement, gap analyses, and more. Resimplifi maps commercial properties from the surrounding five counties and creates a user-friendly list that small business owners can refer to when seeking to relocate or expand to a brick-and-mortar establishment.

To conclude the presentation, Moss spoke of the program’s latest move of businesses with disaster recovery after the recent flooding that devastated the area. Moss and Jeremy Goodson, the program’s business development specialist, have been knocking on doors and assisting businesses with completing grant and loan applications, as well as navigating other resources options.
The program has secured funding for three years and Moss and Goodson are already working to secure private funding to expand the program, and keep the FIRE program as a long-term resource to help fuel small business growth and development in the region.

The Southeast Kentucky Chamber of Commerce is located at 178 College Street in Pikeville and serves more than 500 businesses in eight Eastern Kentucky Counties: Floyd, Johnson, Knott, Lawrence, Letcher, Magoffin, Martin, and Pike. The Chamber’s mission is to serve the businesses of Southeastern Kentucky through a commitment to networking, advocacy, education, and collaboration as we partner together to enhance the business climate in our region.