Middlesboro Mayor Rick Nelson was the guest of honor at the regular monthly meeting of the Business and Professional Women’s Club Tuesday.

“I have signed a proclamation to honor the work you’ve done and the fact that you are working to make the community better through your own business experiences,” Nelson said as he spoke to the group, “I think what you do is really good and I am very glad to do this.”

Nelson explained that when he worked in the state as a representative the work he did involving the various Business and Professional Women’s Clubs was on a different scale than the work he does with them now.

“I worked with them a lot but a lot of our communication would be when a bill was brought up and the various groups would say they are either against it or for it,” he explained. “In Frankfort, the experience is just a little bit different because people are lobbying you to be for something, against something or to change something. Here, what we do is more of a celebration to honor the people that are from the business community, the women that are trying to make this positive difference.”

He said that he has seen a positive difference with the work being done by the BPW in the 10 months that he has been mayor.

“There’s an old saying that we hear in our churches,” he said jokingly. “Men can come up with some good ideas, but the women are actually the ones who do the work. I think that’s true a lot of times, not 100% the ladies in this group are positive role models and they are successful in their own right. They want to see the community, the school system, our churches, and everything we do be positive.”

One thing that he says he admires is the positivity to roll up sleeves and get the job done.

“You don’t hear a lot of complaints,” he said of the group of women. “They roll up their sleeves and get the job done in this case it’s the local economy and our local businesses and I think it’s fantastic.”

He pointed out the fact that 20 to 30 years ago there were several clubs and organizations but those have continued to fade away over the years.

“This club continues to prosper and move forward,” he said. “They come together and share ideas and visions, and I think that is important for the community.”

In the meeting, BPW President Meryl Ward pointed out that October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month and Domestic Violence Awareness Month. Oct. 20-26 is Business and Professional Women’s Week, and there will be activities to spotlight that week that will be announced soon.

If you would like to be a part of the Business and Professional Women’s Club, you can contact Ward at marylward@icloud.com.