The Kentucky Golf Foundation has received its largest donation in history thanks to a $1 million pledged gift from Jimmy Kirchdorfer, CEO of ISCO Industries.

This historic moment will reshape many existing components within the KGF and introduce several exciting new features heading into the 2022 golf season in Kentucky. A significant portion of the gift will be dedicated to Youth on Course Kentucky initiatives. Youth on Course programs feature affordable golf access for junior golfers to over 60 Kentucky golf courses, allowing Youth on Course members to play golf for $5 or less. The Youth on Course Caddie Program supports participants up to age 18 with opportunities to caddie at select golf courses. Participants will earn money as a caddie, but more importantly, earn scholarship funds for completing varying levels of caddie loops. The scholarship money Kentucky’s youth earn by participating in the Caddie Program shall be renamed the Jimmy and Dana Kirchdorfer Scholarship.

The KGF’s largest fundraiser, the Youth on Course Kentucky Pro-Am, will now feature a title sponsorship from Kirchdorfer’s company, making the event known as the ISCO Industries Youth on Course Kentucky Pro-Am for its next six editions through 2027. The 2022 edition of this event will take place at Valhalla Golf Club on Monday, August 1. Registration for the tournament will become available this spring.

One of the key additions to Kirchdorfer’s contribution will be the introduction of two new internship positions at Golf House Kentucky. A person who receives one of these internships will be entitled the James J. Kirchdorfer Golf Fellow. These interns will dedicate most of their time during the summer towards Youth on Course administration and promotion as well as involvement in other aspects of Kentucky Junior Golf. The job descriptions for those positions will be made available soon.

Additionally, Kirchdorfer’s gift will support the PGA HOPE Kentucky program, providing golf instruction to Military Veterans at no cost. PGA HOPE Kentucky (Helping Our Patriots Everywhere) introduces golf to Veterans with disabilities to enhance their physical, mental, social, and emotional well-being.

“Every year, it becomes clearer to me how fortunate I was to have a father who put a golf club in my hand at a young age,” Kirchdorfer said. “The game has been so impactful in my life, and I am grateful to be able to share it with my own children. Unfortunately, not every child has that opportunity. I know this contribution will help make golf more accessible and inclusive throughout Kentucky.

The growth of our golf community is dependent on the next generation having access to programs like Youth on Course, which provides affordable golf, as well as caddie and scholarship opportunities. Kids who grow up passionate about golf gain life lessons that will carry through to adulthood. My wife Dana and I are proud to support the work that the Kentucky Golf Foundation is doing and we hope others will join us.”

“This is a signature moment for the Kentucky Golf Foundation and truly, Kentucky golf as a whole,” Craig Heibert, PGA Chairman of the Kentucky Golf Foundation explained. “This is a wonderful way to ring in the new year as we strive to continue introducing golf to those who have not had exposure to the sport and positively influence their lives through it. Our thanks to Jimmy for providing this gift cannot be overstated and we are tremendously appreciative for his support of the Foundation.”

“In my 25 years in the golf business, I have not met anyone more passionate and committed to supporting golf than Jimmy Kirchdorfer,” Jeff Adkerson, PGA CEO/Executive Director at Golf House Kentucky stated. “This historic gift will support programs offering junior golfers affordable access to golf courses, earning scholarships for college, and providing opportunities to explore career opportunities in golf. The Kirchdorfers’ gift also supports our Military Veterans and provides them with opportunities to learn and play the game. All of the opportunities lead to enhancing lives through the game. This is the essence of what Jimmy and Dana want to accomplish with their gift, to enhance the lives of others through golf! Words cannot adequately describe how impactful this gift is to the Kentucky Golf Foundation. We are beyond grateful for the generosity of the Kirchdorfers!”

The Kentucky Golf Foundation is certainly most grateful towards Jimmy Kirchdorfer and his family for this pledged gift and is eager for what is to come as a result. The KGF encourages golfers of Kentucky to join the forward momentum currently in place and continue its growth by making a contribution of your own or by spreading the word about the KGF’s programs, including Youth on Course, PGA HOPE and the Kentucky PGA Junior Tour among others. Please click here to make a donation or visit the Golf House Kentucky website to learn more about these programs.

About the Kentucky Golf Foundation:
The Kentucky Golf Foundation (KGF) is one of the three organizations encompassed under Golf House Kentucky, in addition to the Kentucky Golf Association (KGA) and Kentucky PGA Section (KPGA). The KGF is a joint-initiative of the KGA and KPGA that was founded in 2002 to enhance lives through golf throughout the Commonwealth. The KGF is a 501(c)(3) charitable organization.

Media Contact:
Ethan Fisher, PGA | Golf House Kentucky | efisher@kygolf.org | (502) 792-9703

This article was originally shared on Kygolf.org

ISCO Industries, Inc. (“ISCO”), a Louisville, Kentucky-based high-density polyethylene (HDPE) piping products manufacturer and distributor has signed a Definitive Agreement to purchase the HDPE fabrication portion of Plasson USA (“Plasson”), which was formerly known as “IPF” and includes the Spirolite™ product line. IPF has been an innovator in the fabrication business for 25 years. The combination of two HDPE fabrication leaders will provide ISCO customers with the most comprehensive product and service offerings in the industry.

“Ensuring we take care of our customers is paramount to ISCO’s business,” explained ISCO COO Lee Mizell. “To us, that means being able to provide them with solutions for almost any situation. No two jobs require the same products. This acquisition will allow us to give our customers what they deserve; the very best custom solutions.”

The combination of ISCO and IPF’s Factory Mutual (FM) product listing offers the most complete and comprehensive FM listing in the world. Along with fabrication capabilities, the acquisition brings employees with decades of experience in the HDPE industry. That knowledge is an invaluable resource for ISCO customers.

“ISCO has been a valued customer of Plasson USA/IPF for over 20 years and the collaboration between the companies was and will remain strong. ISCO is a perfect partner to continue the IPF history of innovative and quality HDPE products which includes fabricated fittings, Precision Products and Spriolite™. Our employees and customers will benefit from the acquisition by ISCO,” stated Gal Wexsler, CEO of PLASSON Ltd. “PLASSON has decided to concentrate on its core product of Electrofusion. The company will continue its outstanding product offering in North America as Plasson USA.”

“IPF/Plasson USA has been a valuable supplier of ours for many years,” said Jimmy Kirchdorfer, CEO and Chairman of ISCO. “Through that time, we’ve come to admire the team they’ve built to support their product development. We’re passionate about reinvesting in our company through acquisitions like this and our recent facility expansions. This acquisition brings a state-of-the-art fabrication facility in Corsicana, TX. The end result is unmatched service for ISCO customers and more long-term opportunities for members of the ISCO team.”

The acquisition is scheduled to take effect January 1, 2022.

Watch the announcement on WDRB News >

ISCO Industries is further strengthening our customer service capabilities by expanding the company’s Riverport plant in Louisville, Kentucky. The project adds a new 46,000-square-foot building to the existing campus.

“Our customers come to ISCO because we’re able to craft custom solutions to match their needs,” explains CEO Jimmy Kirchdorfer. “We continue to invest in our facilities to keep up with the rising demand for high-density polyethylene (HDPE) piping products. This expansion gives us space to stockpile inventory, increase fabrication, and expand the ISCO team.”

Our shipping and warehousing operations will move into the new section of the building. This will allow fabrication to expand in the existing structure. It will also free up space for ISCO’s fusion machine rental repair and refurbishment.

“ISCO is growing right along with the demand for HDPE pipe and products,” says Phil Foley, the vice president of manufacturing. “Our customers have come to expect the absolute best service from our team, so we are reinvesting in our facilities to make sure that service remains the best in the business.”

ISCO serves a variety of markets across the globe including municipal, industrial, power, waterworks, golf, and landfill. We will also be expanding our plants in several other states. The Houston, Texas location is adding a 40,000-square-foot structure. In Midland, Texas, we have purchased 10 additional acres and are constructing a new 24,500-square-foot warehouse and maintenance shop. A 43,000-square-foot warehouse is being added to the existing Kingman, Arizona fabrication plant.

ISCO’s Riverport facility is located at 7006 Trade Port Drive in Louisville.

LOUISVILLE, KY (September 14, 2021) – Five Kentuckians will be inducted into the Kentucky Golf Hall of Fame as its 2021 induction class. Bobby Baldwin, PGA, Walter Cisco, Marty Donlon, Margaret Jones, and Jimmy Kirchdorfer have been selected for induction and will officially become members of the most prestigious club in Kentucky golf this autumn.

Bobby Baldwin, PGA is approaching a half-century as a PGA Professional after being elected to Membership in 1974. He began working at Winchester Country Club one year later and has served as the Head Golf Professional or Director of Golf ever since. He was the Kentucky PGA Section’s Golf Professional of the Year Award in 2011 thanks to his many contributions to the state’s golfers, especially its youth through the high number of lessons he has provided for children. His mentorship has been long regarded as one of his strongest traits, which is also seen in the paths his employees have taken. Many PGA Professionals and superintendents that have worked with Baldwin have become award-winning workers in their respective fields both in and outside of Kentucky.

“Needless to say, this is an incredible honor,” Baldwin said. “It’s so humbling. To think that those among you think that you’re deserving of this is entirely gratifying and means more than I could ever express. It will be an honor to be a part of this ceremony and experience it. There are a lot of amazing people on that wall in Golf House Kentucky and I really can’t believe I’ll be on it. All you can say is ‘wow.’”

Walter Cisco will be inducted posthumously after living from 1918-1972. He won the Clark’s Pump-N-Shop Kentucky Amateur in 1940 at Ashland Country Club and once more in 1948 at Big Spring Country Club. In 1949, he reached the championship match of the Western Amateur at Bellerive Country Club just outside of St. Louis. He was edged out in that title match by Frank Stranahan, who was the top-ranked amateur in the world at the time of their match. When not playing himself, Cisco instilled a passion for the game in children at Audubon Country Club at a time when junior golf was not promoted nearly as much as it is today. Many of the club’s members at the time credited Cisco for being the reason why their children formed an attachment with the game.

“He had tremendous talents as a golfer,” Steve Cisco, Walter’s son stated. “He was just as successful on the national level as he was on the local level, so I’m glad he’s getting this recognition. He certainly deserves it.”

Marty Donlon coached golfers of St. Xavier High School from 1963-2008 while also working as a teacher throughout those 55 years. The Tigers’ Boys Golf team won the KHSAA State Championship fourteen times under his leadership while players such as Jesse Mudd, Matt Savage, Patrick Vadden, PGA, and Mike Zimmerer won the KHSAA Individual Championship with Donlon coaching them. Donlon also was the first coach Justin Thomas had in his four years at St. Xavier. In 2009, the year after Donlon’s retirement, Thomas also won the KHSAA Individual Championship. The Courier Journal nicknamed Donlon “Mr. High School Golf” in an article commemorating his retirement in 2008. He has been enshrined in several different Hall of Fames, which includes the Kentucky Golf Coaches Association (KGCA), Bellarmine University and St. Xavier.

“I’ve been very lucky throughout my life,” Donlon described. “I’ve loved coaching, but I enjoyed teaching in the classroom just as much as coaching young athletes. It was an honor just to have the opportunity to serve as a leader, but this is the cherry on top. I’m fortunate to be in several other Hall of Fames, but I think this one is the biggest.”

Margaret Jones has been a prominent fixture in women’s golf throughout her life as a player, coach and administrator. She is a four-time champion of the Women’s Kentucky Amateur and a three-time winner of the Greater Cincinnati Women’s Amateur. At the end of the 1971 season, Jones held the course record at seven courses in five different states, including local facilities Fort Mitchell Country Club and Big Elm Country Club. She competed in multiple USGA championships throughout her career, which included finishing as low amateur in the 1963 U.S. Women’s Open at Kenwood Country Club in Cincinnati. In 1970, she began coaching Dixie Heights High School’s Boys Golf team and then led Stetson University’s Women’s Golf team starting in 1991. Throughout this time, she served on the Board of Directors for both the Women’s Western Golf Association and the Women’s Western Golf Foundation. Via those roles, Jones has worked as a rules official and on the tournament committees of numerous local, regional and national competitions ever since.

“I’m extremely honored,” Jones relayed. “It’s such a unique experience because this is happening in the twilight of my life at 78 years old. It makes me think about how lucky I’ve been to be introduced to the game of golf and not only participate as a competitor but give back to it as well. I feel like this is all for my parents though. They instilled this in me, and they may not be here to see this, but I always wanted to make them proud.”

Jimmy Kirchdorfer has spent many years as a Board Member or Ambassador for prominent golf organizations including First Tee of Louisville, the Barbasol Championship, Western Golf Association, Kentucky Golf Foundation, Justin Thomas Foundation, and Golf Course Builders Association of America Foundation. In 2019, he was instrumental in Kentucky becoming the second state to host the Youth on Course Caddie Program. In its first year, more than $5,000 in scholarship funds were awarded to participants of the program with that number set to continue growing in the years to come. Kirchdorfer, as CEO of ISCO Industries, has also provided tremendous support for the Youth on Course Pro-Am at Valhalla Golf Club every August. In 2020 and 2021, even with the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, new records in funding for Youth on Course have been achieved thanks to Kirchdorfer’s commitment to continually introducing Kentucky’s youth to golf.

“Golf has had an enormous impact on the path of my life,” Kirchdorfer exclaimed. “To be inducted into the Kentucky Golf Hall of Fame is a huge honor. I’ll never forget receiving the call from Phil Armbruster when he informed me of this news. There have been so many amazing people that have gone before me and to be recognized beside them is truly an honor.”

The date and venue of this year’s induction ceremony are to-be-determined and will be confirmed in the coming weeks. The class of 2020, composed of Ernie Denham and Dave Nicholas, will also be officially inducted during this ceremony after last year’s induction ceremony was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Each year the Catholic Education Foundation of Louisville, Kentucky honors several alumni for their accomplishments in career, community and life that highlight the storied tradition of excellence in Catholic schools in central Kentucky that began over 200 years ago. ISCO Industries CEO and Chairman, Jimmy Kirchdorfer, is proud to be part of this distinguished group. Follow this link: https://www.ceflou.org/2021Honorees to view the other honorees.

Established in 1990, the Salute is a hallmark community event in the Commonwealth, raising funds for families, parishes and schools to provide tuition assistance for families as well as grants for religious education, professional development of teachers and advancements in technology. In the fall of 2019, the Foundation and its funding partners awarded a record $6.5 million in tuition assistance to an all-time high 3,250 students across 40 Catholic elementary schools.

Foundation President Richard A. Lechleiter remarked, “We could not be more excited to celebrate our eight distinguished honorees. We are indeed grateful to our many supporters who value Catholic education and the countless benefits that it has provided to students, families and the broader community for generations.”

Major benefactors of this year’s Salute, each of whom has contributed $25,000 or more, include Fifth Third Bank of Kentucky (founding benefactor); Norton Healthcare; AirHydro Power; Brandeis Machinery & Supply Company; Brown–Forman Corporation; Caldwell Tanks; D3 Foundation; The Galt House Hotel; ISCO Industries, Inc.; LG&E and KU Foundation; SCJ Consulting Services, LLC; The Bufford Family Foundation; Joseph and Sherry Dougherty; David and Cathy Durik; the Steve and Kathy Ford Family; David and Jennie Heintzman; The Mackin Family Foundation; the John and Sarah Lechleiter Family; the Paul and Maureen Lechleiter Family; Bill and Michelle Mudd; Neil and Anne Ramsey; Brad and Charlotte Stengel; the Daniel C. Ulmer Family; Tom and Rhonda Wimsett; the Paul Varga Family; and the Richard and Janice Lechleiter Family.

About the Foundation

For over 200 years, Catholic schools have contributed significantly to the social, spiritual and economic fabric of our entire community. The Catholic Education Foundation is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization dedicated to the growth and vitality of Catholic education in the Archdiocese of Louisville. Since 1999, the Foundation has awarded over $37 million in support of Catholic education. Visit the Foundation at www.ceflou.org.

Louisville, Ky, (March 4, 2021) –  The Kentucky Chamber of Commerce, the Kentucky Society for Human Resource Management (KYSHRM) and ClearPath Mutual Insurance Company recently announced the 100 companies that made the 17th Annual Best Places to Work in Kentucky list and ISCO was amongst the winners, for the ninth time.

“I am so proud of all of our team members who helped ISCO be named a best place to work in Kentucky,” said Jimmy Kirchdorfer, CEO of ISCO Industries. “Our people are what make ISCO, ISCO. Without this team of extremely talented and passionate people, we never would have experienced the successes and be where we are today.”

Jimmy and Mark Kirchdorfer are brothers and second-generation owners of ISCO, They always follow their late father, Jim Kirchdorfer, Sr.’s, guidance, if you take care of your people, they will take care of the customers and each other. Two of ISCO’s core values are Family Atmosphere and Have Fun, which the team members all live by.

The Best Places to Work in Kentucky is a survey and awards program dedicated to identifying and recognizing the Commonwealth’s best employers and providing organizations with valuable employee feedback. The winner rankings will be announced at an awards dinner Thursday, June 17, 2021. The selection process is based on an assessment of the company’s employee policies and procedures and the results of an internal employee survey. For more details about Best Places to Work in Kentucky, visit www.bestplacestoworkky.com.

Louisville, Ky. (August 13, 2020) – ISCO Industries, Inc. (ISCO), a Louisville-based high-density polyethylene
(HDPE) total piping solutions provider, announces an agreement to sell Aquatherm polypropylene piping
systems across the entire United States.

“We are excited to expand our relationship nationally with Aquatherm,” said Jimmy Kirchdorfer, ISCO
CEO. “They were the first supplier to enter the polypropylene market in North America. Through a lot of hard
work and business development they have become the clear brand leader. ISCO is well-positioned to deliver
value-added services ensuring a successful Aquatherm installation. It is an exciting time to expand our
relationship and jointly grow the Aquatherm presence across the country.

The North American arm of Aquatherm GmbH, Aquatherm established the polypropylene piping market with
hundreds of successful installations in commercial, institutional, industrial, and other applications.

Aquatherm CEO Jordan Hardy explained that bringing ISCO on as a national distributor is extremely
promising. “As a market leader in polypropylene piping systems, we always look to align with the best
partners in each market and our companies share many of the core beliefs and skillsets of being solution
providers and focusing on the needs of our customers, so it is a natural fit,” Hardy said.

ISCO has a national fusion equipment footprint, a network of fabrication facilities that can simplify
installation on-site, and a large group of experienced, qualified field fusion technicians available to assist. In
addition, ISCO has a project management team, experienced in the polypropylene market, ready and
available to help anywhere in North America. As the companies join forces, ISCO is excited to continue to
provide total piping solutions to our customers.

Download a PDF version of the press release HERE

To learn more about Aquatherm please follow the link below!

Aquatherm