Vol 23/Issue 1
greater owensboro chamber of commerce
JAN.
CHAMBER MATTERS 2025
Rooster Booster to feature State of the Community The Chamber will host its Rooster Booster breakfast this Thursday, January 9 at 7:30 a.m. at the Owensboro Convention Center (501 West Second Street). The program is co-sponsored by City of Owensboro and Daviess County Fiscal Court and will feature the City/County Addresses. Reserve your spot now at www.chamber.owensboro.com or by calling the Chamber office at
(270) 926-1860 by 2:00 p.m. on Wednesday, January 8. COST IN ADVANCE: $15 for Chamber Members and $25 for non-members. COST AT THE DOOR: $20 for Chamber Members and $25 for non-members.
Mayor Tom Watson Tom Watson is the former president and co-owner, along with his wife Barbara, of Tom Watson’s Prosthetic and Orthotics Labs, Inc. He recently retired after fifty years in the prosthetics industry. Tom studied at the Northwestern University Medical School at the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago. He entered the field of prosthetics and orthotics in 1972 after a construction accident left him in need of a prosthesis but without resources to procure one. Tom has served on numerous local, state, and national boards, and spent many years as a paraprofessional football and baseball coach at both the high school and collegiate levels. He was a founding member of the KFL youth football league, for which he was honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award for his work with youth sports. Watson is also a recipient of the Owensboro Public School Hall of Achievement Award and the American Orthotic and Prosthetic Association’s Lifetime Achievement Award for his excellence in prosthetic care for individuals with limb loss. Currently, he serves on the You Decide, Kentucky! Board, as well as the Kentucky League of Cities, Inc. Board of Directors. Watson first served as Mayor of Owensboro from 2005 to 2008. He was re-elected in 2017 and again in 2021. Following his recent re-election, he is now serving his fourth term, holding the distinction of being the longest-serving mayor in Owensboro’s history. Tom and Barbara have two sons, David and Jeff Phelps, two daughters-in-law, Trisha and Krystal, seven grandchildren, and are eagerly awaiting the arrival of two great-grandchildren.
Judge/Executive Charlie Castlen In 2022, Charlie was elected to serve the citizens of Daviess County as their County Judge/Executive. He served for 12 years (three terms) as the Central Division County Commissioner and prior to that, served 10 years (five terms) over a 12-year period as an Owensboro City Commissioner, four of which were as Mayor Pro Tem. He is a graduate of Brescia University and was a self-employed CPA with more than 40 years of experience in banking, public accounting, and government. Charlie has been married to his wife, Lisa, for 39 years and together they have three children, Sarah, Theresa, and Daniel and enjoy their three grandchildren – Maddie, Griffin, & Owen. As a social and fiscal conservative, Charlie is a committed friend of the taxpayer and humbled to be your County Judge/Executive.