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Ford Family Makes Financial Commitment to Owensboro Convention Center

Owensboro Convention Center

A family with deep roots in Owensboro is giving $30,000 to the city's newly built convention center. 

In a news conference Wednesday, the E.M. Ford Company was announced as a lifetime sponsor of the Cascade art piece located in the lobby. 

Convention Center Manager Dean Dennis says the artwork, created by Henderson native Dan Neil Barnes, is a real focal point of the facility.

"It hangs from the ceiling with these large windows at the front of the building," explains Dennis.  "There are these fused blue and green stained glass pieces that are curved to offer a contrasting compliment to the more angular lines of the center's architecture.  It's really a very stunning piece."

The E.M. Ford Company is an insurance agency in Owensboro that opened in 1925 by the father of former U.S. Senator Wendell Ford.  A fourth generation of the Ford family now runs the company.

The Owensboro Convention Center opened in January and showcases various works of art inside the lobby.  The E.M. Ford Company stepped up with the first sponsorship.  Dennis says the convention center is looking for additional sponsors for the remaining pieces of art. 

Lisa is a Scottsville native and WKU alum. She has worked in radio as a news reporter and anchor for 18 years. Prior to joining WKU Public Radio, she most recently worked at WHAS in Louisville and WLAC in Nashville. She has received numerous awards from the Associated Press, including Best Reporter in Kentucky. Many of her stories have been heard on NPR.