Columnist Tom Eblen speculates on how Lexington might benefit from the lay-offs from Lexmark.
Herald Leader columnist Tom Eblen 
has written on the opportunities that may arise following the decision from printer manufacturer Lexmark that it will be letting go of 350 employees and 200 contractors as part of the closure of its inkjet printer operations.
Noting that “Lexington doesn’t have to attract […] 500 highly skill technical workers […] they’re already here. The bad news is that many of them are getting ready to leave”, entrepreneur support organisations and officials are said to be seeking for ways to ensure they remain in Kentucky.
The Kentucky Science and Technology Corp. is holding an event on 24 September entitled “Another Path”, inviting workers being cut by the OEM to a free informational meeting. Additionally, Startup Advantage will also be holding a free event on 26 September for former Lexmark employees to meet local technology entrepreneurs and investors.
Kris Kimel, President of the Kentucky Science and Technology Corp., commented: “We see this as an exciting positive reaction to an unfortunate situation […] this is a unique infusion of experience technical knowledge and creativity, and we need to do whatever we can to keep it here.”
Lexmark are said to be letting go engineers and senior-level designers “with expertise and experience in microfluidics”, a speciality of significant value in other industries besides inkjet printing.
Kimel continued: “There’s a lot of knowledge and talent that we think has adjacent uses. There are new companies there, without a doubt [..] Lexington has never had this big a pool of technology talent suddenly available. And if we don’t do something, most of that talent will leave.”