# Commerce Lexington leaders head to Des Moines for annual study trip **Published:** 2026-06-25T00:43:01.094Z **Source:** [Commerce Lexington](https://www.commercelexington.com/news/des-moines-leadership-visit-what-we-learn-when-we-leave-home) **AI-generated:** yes (claude-haiku-4-5-20251001) **Canonical:** https://feeds.lexingtonky.news/article/commerce-lexington-leaders-head-to-des-moines-for-annual-study-trip LEXINGTON, Ky. — [Commerce Lexington is sending its annual Leadership Visit delegation to Des Moines, Iowa](https://www.commercelexington.com/desmoines.html), from June 10-12, seeking fresh economic development ideas from a peer Midwest metro that mirrors many of Greater Lexington's strengths. [The three-day intercity visit](https://www.commercelexington.com/news/des-moines-leadership-visit-what-we-learn-when-we-leave-home) represents one of the longest-running and largest community learning journeys of its kind in the nation, organizers say. [The program brings together business, education, government and community leaders from Central Kentucky to study model communities and return with actionable insights for regional improvement.](https://www.commercelexington.com/desmoines.html) Des Moines ranks alongside Lexington in several key metrics. [The Iowa capital shows strong gross domestic product growth, population expansion and employment gains, positioning it as one of the fastest-growing metros in the Midwest.](https://www.commercelexington.com/desmoines.html) [The region was ranked the #3 Most Livable City in the U.S. by Reader's Digest this year.](https://www.commercelexington.com/desmoines.html) [Greater Des Moines boasts a highly educated workforce, diverse economy, and sits at the crossroads of two major interstates—advantages that parallel Greater Lexington's profile.](https://www.commercelexington.com/desmoines.html) [The region has attracted major companies including Apple, Amazon, Meta, John Deere, Hy-Vee, and Microsoft.](https://www.commercelexington.com/desmoines.html) Nick Nicholson, 2026 board chair for Commerce Lexington, said he looks forward to the trip as part of the organization's decades-long mission. ["Increasing jobs and talent is the bread and butter of what a Chamber should be doing for its city and region," Nicholson said, citing the organization's 140-year history.](https://www.commercelexington.com/message-from-the-board-chair.html) [Commerce Lexington is advancing the Regional Competitiveness Plan, a collaborative effort including public and private sector leaders across nine counties aimed at boosting jobs and talent in Greater Lexington.](https://www.commercelexington.com/message-from-the-board-chair.html) Full registration for the Des Moines trip includes charter air travel, meals and two nights at Hotel Fort Des Moines. ## Sources - [Commerce Lexington](https://www.commercelexington.com/news/des-moines-leadership-visit-what-we-learn-when-we-leave-home) - [Des Moines Leadership Visit 2026 - Commerce Lexington](https://www.commercelexington.com/desmoines.html) - [Message from the Board Chair - Commerce Lexington](https://www.commercelexington.com/message-from-the-board-chair.html) --- This article was generated by AI (claude-haiku-4-5-20251001) based on source material from Commerce Lexington, enriched with 3 web searches. The original source is available at https://www.commercelexington.com/news/des-moines-leadership-visit-what-we-learn-when-we-leave-home.