Dr. Gary Ransdell, Johnny Webb honored as inductees at 2023 JA Business Hall of Fame breakfast

BOWLING GREEN, Ky. (WBKO) - The Junior Achievement Business Hall of Fame now has two new inductees for 2023.

Dr. Gary Ransdell, a former WKU president, and Johnny Webb, a former Bowling Green Mayor were inducted Tuesday morning at the 2023 Business Hall of Fame breakfast.

Dr. Ransdell was the president of Western Kentucky University from September 12, 1997, to retirement in June 2017. He spoke to those in attendance about how honored and surprised he was to be selected.

“My first thought was that I hardly measured up to the distinguished and accomplished group of past honorees, including the gentleman with whom I share the podium today, Dr. Ransdell said, “Many of the previous Junior Achievement Hall of Fame inductees were my mentors. People who I admire and who I strive to emulate built this city, and they drove our regional economy”.

Johnny Webb served as the Mayor of Bowling Green from 1992 to 1995. He also founded the organization Operation PRIDE, which was created to help improve the appearance of the city. One of the projects he headed up was the Beautifi-65 project, a project designed to revamp several areas of land around exits 28, 26 and 22 in Bowling Green.

During a speech, he spoke about working hard and expressed how much of an honor it was to be selected as a JA Business Hall of Fame inductee.

“Occasionally I hear people say that opportunities that people had two or three generations ago, don’t exist anymore,” he said, “I don’t believe that. If you’re willing to work hard, and never never give up. You can attain success.”

WBKO and Sublime Media Group were each presented with an impact award for all of the things that both organizations have done for Junior Achievement.

Copyright 2023 WBKO. All rights reserved.