Southeast Kentucky Chamber Holds Lunch & Learn with UPIKE President Dr. Burton Webb

PIKEVILLE, KY (May 21, 2015)—The Southeast Kentucky Chamber of Commerce hosted a Lunch & Learn event on Tuesday, May 14, 2024 with guest speaker, Dr. Burton Webb, President of UPIKE. This was the last Lunch & Learn for the season; the next Lunch & Learn will likely be in August 2024.

The meeting was well attended by more than 40 business leaders and community members. Attendees included representatives from Appalachian Wireless, Jigsaw Enterprises, Eastern Telephone & Technologies, Amazon Hub, Big Sandy Area Development District, and the City of Pikeville.
Lunch featured plenty of time for networking opportunities before Dr. Webb’s presentation.

Dr. Webb gave a talk on updates regarding various projects and priorities for UPIKE.  He started by talking about the new dental school, which will likely be open in the fall of 2026 and be able to hold 60 students per class. He also said that UPIKE has begun the application process to expand the class sizes for Kentucky College of Osteopathic Medicine, which will allow the college to grow to up to 800 total students.

Dr. Webb then turned the focus of his talk to Bear Mountain which will be the new home of all UPIKE’s sports fields and turfs. It will afford the opportunity for the University to host tournaments and create a great new space for the whole community to enjoy.

Another update Dr. Webb spoke on was the new site of Research for Entrepreneurship & Innovation that will allow UPIKE students access to a business incubator which will provide them with the infrastructure and support needed to grow a small business. He talked about how there are two students currently studying abroad in Japan, and how partnership agreements between UPIKE and schools in Japan have also been signed, which allow for educational co-ops to lay the groundwork for economic development in the region. 

UPIKE is a leader in graduating doctors who practice primary care. One-third of alumni stay here in Appalachia for their career. For two years in a row, UPIKE has placed 100% of its medical residents. Dr. Webb also mentioned that UPIKE graduated 574 students this May and has around 2,500 students total, both full-time and part-time.

“We’re so thrilled to have had such a good group come out to hear Dr. Webb speak,” said Chamber President & CEO Jordan Gibson. “We’ll be taking a break from Lunch & Learns for the summer, but we are excited to line up some great speakers in a few months. These Lunch & Learns are a great way for the community to come together to celebrate all the great things happening in the region, so we look forward to hosting more soon.”

Southeast Kentucky Chamber members can view a recording of the presentation, and a selection of past presentations, by logging into the Member Information Center at: business.sekchamber.com/login.

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.