A former Secretary of State took the stage in Lexington Monday as part of an annual Alltech conference.
"I've got to be a little candid with you," Gen. Colin Powell began with a self-deprecating nod. "At this stage of my life, this stage of my career, I'm just glad to be anywhere."
On hand to receive the Alltech Medal of Excellence and speak about his philosophy on leadership and building trust in organizations, the one-time national security advisor and chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff applauded the goal of the conference, which he described as “feeding the world.”
"It takes a conference like this where you all will come together and challenge each other... and say we can change it. We can do better," Powell told the audience at Rupp Arena.
Turning to recent headlines, Powell took a lighthearted swipe at Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton over the controversy surrounded her private emails as Secretary of State. He also criticized limited efforts to bomb the self-described Islamic State – saying it represents a movement that must either burn itself out or face serious opposition from troops in the region.
Alltech founder Dr. Pearse Lyons delivered his own call to action toward the end of the opening session of Rebelation – that’s a portmanteau of “rebel” and “revelation” – stressing the importance of inspiration and thinking outside-of-the-box.
"You have to fall in love with innovation. You have to fall in love with doing things differently," the company president said.
While the big draw Monday may have been Gen. Powell, attendees also began hearing from a variety of industry insiders on topics ranging from antibiotics in modern farming to fending off cyber attacks. One early session featured former Maker’s Mark president Bill Samuels, who suggested his company and others might do well to let the product do the talking.
"I think we need not to get too fancy with gimmicks, tricks, fads, and trends. We are the trend," Samuels said. "And I'm tickled to death that we were able to revitalize bourbon. It's been damn good for Kentucky's economy."
Founded in 1980 with a focus on animal nutrition, Alltech has expanded to overseas markets and sponsored major Lexington events, including the 2010 World Equestrian Games.
