About
Our community’s future depends on our local businesses’ ability to start, grow, and be competitive with the times. We understand that for our citizens, employment opportunities impact not only themselves, but their families for generations to come.
Berea Business and Economic Development, a department of the City of Berea, assists companies in starting and growing jobs in our area. The services we provide include site selection, community related data, business training programs, employee recruitment, and assistance in navigating governmental regulations.
Click here for information about the city’s ongoing
Business and Economic Development progress!
About Berea
Known as the Kentucky Folk Arts and Crafts Capital, Berea provides access to a labor market of over 745,000 adults. Our location on I-75, in the heart of the Bluegrass Region, There are 2 railway-accessible industrial parks with over 10 large manufacturing employees. Berea is within a day’s drive to 54% of the US population.
With a population of 17,797, Berea is home to world-renowned Berea College. Each year colleges and universities within a one-hour drive produce over 12,000 graduates. With workforce training available through multiple career centers and the future home of an incoming tech school, Berea has a strong emphasis on economic development with ongoing small business workshops and educational seminars.
Meanwhile, our local school systems have embraced our “Work Ready Certification” to ensure that the future workforce is prepared to take advantage of the job opportunities available to them. The Work Ready Communities program requires communities to meet criteria in six key areas that are critical to producing a productive workforce. The certification criteria includes an evaluation of high school graduation rates, National Career Readiness Certificate holders, community commitment, educational attainment, soft skills, and internet availability.
Today our schools are providing the next generation of adults with an educational curriculum that includes business management, computer-aided drafting, machine tool technology, and health sciences.