The Knox County Chamber of Commerce is composed of business and professional men and women who believe in the future of Barbourville and Knox County, and who are trying to improve our city, our county, and therefore, our community.  The Knox County Chamber of Commerce is organized for the purpose of advancing the commercial, industrial, civic, educational, and general interests of the City of Barbourville and of Knox County.

We are proud of our city and our county, and are always open for suggestions and new ideas to improve the wonderful community we have to make it an even better place in which to live, work, and play.

In October 1944, the Barbourville Chamber of Commerce was established to promote the area.

Temporary officers and directors were chosen and the Charter completed and made ready to forward to Frankfort for initial registration.  The temporary officers were:  Claude Congleton, President and Otis C. Amis, Vice-President.  The directors were R. E. Viall, Kenneth H. Tuggle, Ralph B. Martin, Alex Mayhew, Gorman Taylor, Sam Cawn, and H. R. Chandler.  These men were elected by thirty-five or more present members.  Directors then elected Ralph Martin as temporary secretary and Gorman Taylor as Treasurer.

Directors would meet once each month; the first meeting was held the third Monday in January, 1945, 8:00 p.m. at Union National Bank.  The reason for this meeting was to elect permanent officers and directors, and to consider a set of by laws. 

The first official action of the Chamber was to endorse the proposed location of a tuberculosis sanatorium in Knox County.  They also decided to affiliate with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.

James Blair, Matthew McKeehan, and B. H. Goelman were chosen to find possible locations for an office for the Chamber of Commerce.  In January 1945, the first permanent directors were elected.  Elected for a 3-year term were R. E. Viall, Chas R. Mitchell, and H. R. Chandler.  Elected for a 2-year term were Kenneth Tuggle, Ralph Martin, and Claude Congleton.  Elected for a 1-year term were Gorman W. Taylor, Sam Cawn, and Walter B. Sutton. 

Officers were:  Claude Congleton, President; Chas R. Mitchell, Vice-President; Gorman Taylor, Treasurer; and Ralph Martin, Secretary.

The entertainment committee was composed of Chas G. Black, Chairman; Sam Cawn and Howard Miller.

In the 1960's, the Barbourville Chamber of Commerce was changed to the Knox County Chamber of Commerce.  The reason for this change was so that the Chamber could serve the entire county instead of the city only.

In 1972, the Chamber Executive Director Jesse D. Lay heard about a Tremco Manufacturing plant looking to build in this area.  The plant was going to cost $5 million to build, and about one hundred men would be employed in a 125,000 sq.-ft. building. 

The Chamber's largest fund-raiser to date has been the annual Miss Knox County Pageant, which began in 1988.  The Chamber was honored to present Kim Jones as the very first Miss Knox County in 1988.  Our winner of the Little Miss Knox County 2004 category, Miss Caitlyn Elizabeth Walters, went on to become Little Miss Kentucky 2005.  We are also very proud of yet two additional Knox County residents who have went on to excel in the Miss Kentucky Pageants:  Madayln Kamkar, Miss Kentucky Teen 2004, and Kerri Mitchell, Miss Kentucky 2005.

Recently, in 2004, the Chamber added a few new titles to it's annual pageant:  Miss Knox County Fair, Miss Teen Knox County Fair, and Miss Pre-Teen Knox County Fair.  Each of these three    title-holders are awarded the chance to represent Knox County in the Kentucky State Fair Pageant in Louisville.  The three new titles are open statewide.  Ashley Evans of Barbourville was crowned the very first Miss Knox County Fair in 2004.  The Chamber was very excited to present a Knox Countian as its very first Miss Knox County Fair!  The second Miss Knox County Fair, Miss Kristi Merida, is--you guessed it--also a resident of Knox County!  Thus, it seems fitting to say that Barbourville and Knox County is filled with beautiful places and beautiful faces!  The 18th Annual Miss Knox County Pageant was held September 10, 2005 at Lynn Camp High School.

One more interesting "marker" in the progress of the Knox County Chamber of Commerce was the election of its first female President, Carolyn S. Payne, in 1992.  Since then, the Chamber has been lucky be served by a number of wonderful, talented, motivated and devoted leaders in our area, such as Mike Corey, Carolyn Valentine, Roger Hart, Don Gray, Betty Cole, Doug Sypolt, and our most recent addition to the list:  Barbara Brown!

In short, the Chamber serves as the voice of business in the Knox County area and as an advocate for a quality community.

Our goals are to partner with the people who live here to promote the local economy by attracting new enterprises and maintaining a healthy business environment, to encourage excellence in education, to create an environment which nourishes new ideas and creativity, and to assume a leadership role in southeastern Kentucky.

Join the Knox County Chamber of commerce now, and let your ideas and suggestions be heard!