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By 8:00 a.m. on the morning of Thursday, Nov. 9, some Winchester citizens might have still been preparing for work.

However, at the offices of East Kentucky Power Cooperative on Lexington Avenue, a different kind of business was already underway.

The Winchester-Clark County Chamber of Commerce hosted a chamber breakfast with many local luminaries, entrepreneurs and others in attendance.

“Thank you all so much for coming. [We] appreciate it,” said Cindy Banks, executive director of the Winchester-Clark County Chamber of Commerce.

At the event’s start, all present were welcomed to a breakfast offering plenty of delicious options.

Among the items on the menu were eggs, sausage, biscuits and a multitude of drink selections.

After breakfast, the meeting officially got underway at approximately 8:15.

As mentioned, the meeting included many local figures, such as former Winchester Mayor Ed Burtner, Magistrates Robert Blanton and Steve Craycraft, City Commissioner Kitty Strode, Executive Pastor Mike Smith of Church of the Living God and Housing Director Tish Shupe of Clark County Community Services.

Nick Comer, external affairs manager of East Kentucky Power Cooperative, addressed the crowd.

“We really appreciate your support. I always look forward to this event every Fall,” he said. “It’s always good to see friends and folks from the community. What’s really special about [this] is Winchester is really passionate about supporting [us].”

Comer talked about some of the recent local highlights and actions EKPC took.

“During these fall and spring months, what we’re doing is taking our units [and] our engines offline and [doing] maintenance on those,”  he said, noting that such actions were typical as the weather cooled. “It’s kind of like changing oil in your engine and occasionally doing an overhaul of that.”

The company also has made efforts to support Breast Cancer Awareness Month, including fundraising, and recently had famed University of Notre Dame football player Daniel “Rudy” Reuttiger present as a motivational speaker.

Brenda Siefold, owner of Devil Dog K9 Fitness & Training, LLC, was also recognized at the event.

The business on Waterworks Road marked its entrance into the Winchester-Clark County Chamber of Commerce with a ribbon cutting ceremony later that day.

“We [can] take on clients and go to your house and help train your dog to behave,” Seibold said. “We volunteer a lot of training times at the shelter for the shelter dogs to try to get them in a position where they’re adopted.”

Aaron Dickey, president and CEO of ODN Consulting, and Cassidy Beach, branch and business development manager at Luttrell Staffing Group, were also present.

ODN Consulting, located on Cleveland Avenue, is a full-service informational and consulting company seeking to help clients achieve their goals through computer and other technological services.

Luttrell Staffing Group, which has its office in Mount Sterling, helps local businesses and individuals by providing workforce staffing solutions within a local area.

With all present expressing enthusiasm, hopes are high for the next chamber breakfast and the future of Clark County.

“This is a big year,” Banks added.