The Madisonville/Hopkins County Economic Development Corporation is pleased to announce that Congressman Ed Whitfield will be the keynote speaker for the Third Annual Progress Luncheon on Tuesday, October 16, 2012. The luncheon will be held at the First United Methodist Church and will begin at 11:30 am.
 
Ed Whitfield was elected to Congress in 1994 as the first Republican to represent Kentucky's First Congressional District. Whitfield is a native of Hopkinsville, Kentucky and attended Madisonville High School. He earned a Bachelor's Degree and law degree from the University of Kentucky. He also studied at Wesley Theological Seminary in Washington, D.C., where he now serves on the Board of Governors. Whitfield served as a 1st Lieutenant in the 100th Division of the U.S. Army Reserves.
 
Congressman Whitfield served in the Kentucky House of Representatives from 1974-75 while practicing law in Hopkinsville, where he operated a successful oil distributorship in the west Kentucky coal fields. In 1979, he became Counsel to the President of Seaboard System Railroad in Washington, D.C. Later, he was named Vice President of State Relations and then Vice President for Federal Railroad Affairs for CSX Corporation. Whitfield served as Legal Counsel to the Chairman of the Interstate Commerce Commission (ICC) from 1991 to 1993 where he worked to reduce regulation of the nation’s barge, railroad and trucking industries.
 
Congressman Whitfield serves as Chairman of the Subcommittee on Energy and Power of the full House Energy and Commerce Committee. He is also a member of the Subcommittee on the Environment and Economy and the Subcommittee on Health. He is an active supporter of economic development in Western Kentucky and a proponent of the coal industry.  
Congressman Whitfield’s major legislative accomplishments include creating the 170,000 acre National Recreation Area at the Land Between the Lakes; introducing and passing legislation to create a Health Compensation Program at the Paducah Gaseous Diffusion Plant; championing the development of Interstates 69 and 66 in Western Kentucky; and helping to create the first Medicare Prescription drug benefit plan for seniors.
 
The Congressman is married to Connie Harriman, who served as Assistant Secretary of the Interior and Director of the U.S. Export-Import Bank and, currently, as Senior Advisor for Presidential Initiatives at The Humane Society of the United States.
 
The Luncheon will also feature the announcement of the Unbridled Business Spirit Awards, presented to businesses that have expanded, located, added jobs, or made significant capital investments in Hopkins County.
 
Additionally, manufacturers and processors operating in the Hopkins County region will be honored and recognized for their critical support of the local economy.
 
Tickets are $20.00 each and may be reserved by calling the MHCEDC office at 270-821-1939. Reservations are required. There will be no ticket sales at the door.