Board of directors

Steve Merrick is President and Owner of five forest products companies throughout Kentucky, Merrick Hardwoods, Inc., Somerset Bio Fuel, Inc., Kentucky Hardwood Lumber, Co. Inc., Interstate Hardwoods, Inc. and Bluegrass Wood Products, Inc. These are all Hardwood Products and Hardwood Lumber companies. Somerset Bio Fuel takes the waste products received from all the other companies and manufactures a pelletized Bio Fuel and Grilling Pellets. He owns farm and timber land throughout southeastern Kentucky. He founded and was President of Somerset Hardwood Flooring, which was acquired by The Bauwerk Group, a Swiss company, in 2022.

Steve is a member and past president of The Kentucky Forest Industries Association, Member and past board director of the National Hardwood Lumber Association and the National Wood Flooring Association. He is on the Board of Directors of Citizens National Bank of Somerset, KY, a Board member of the Center for Rural Development, and a Board member of the Kentucky State Chamber of Commerce.

Steve is a graduate of the University of Kentucky and is married to Kimberly Merrick. They have two children, Stephanie and Cameron, and three grandchildren. He is a member of Oak Hill Baptist Church.

Austin Molen was born and raised in Florence, Kentucky. He earned his Bachelors and MBA from Eastern Kentucky University. Upon graduation, he worked for PGA of America and EKU’s College of Business.

After moving to Somerset, Molen was employed at Team Modern. Today, he is the Owner Operator of Culver’s in Somerset. Raised to value hard work and education, Austin is passionate about providing opportunities for the people in the community.

Outside of his professional life, Austin is a member of the PGA and enjoys golfing and spending time with his family. He is a member of First Baptist Church of Somerset. He is married to his wife of six years, Haley, and they have a daughter, Harper (3), and a son, Henry (1).

Alan Keck was elected mayor of the City of Somerset in 2018 and is currently serving his first term. Since taking office, Keck has transformed the culture in city hall and has provided record investment in the city’s fire and police departments, with EMS soon to follow. Also underway is the implementation of his vision to revitalize Somerset’s historic downtown.

As a lifelong resident of Somerset, Keck has been greatly involved in local business and civic activities. Prior to being elected mayor, Keck served as president of Somerset Recycling. In addition, he is the founder and principal agent of Keck Sports Management, a professional baseball agency that represents professional athletes. He was one of the youngest independent agents ever to be certified by the Major League Baseball Players Association.

Keck serves as deacon at First Baptist Church where he also teaches Sunday School. He is a 2003 graduate of Somerset High School and a 2007 graduate of Western Kentucky University. He earned his master of business administration in 2014 from the University of the Cumberlands. Keck was a member of the 2017 class of Leadership Kentucky.

Alan is married to his wife of nine years, Tiffany, and they have 3 daughters, Olyvia (6), Oaklee (5) and Olsen (2).

Marshall Todd is in his first term as Pulaski County Judge Executive and is using his knowledge of
construction and business to build a better Pulaski County Government. He began working in his family’s
business, Todd Masonry, in 1969 and became a small business owner himself in 1990 with the formation
of Marshall Todd Builders. He’s a past President of Homebuilder’s of Kentucky and currently serves on
the Land Development and Environmental Issues Committee of the National Homebuilder’s Association
and is a Kentucky State Representative to the National Association of Homebuilders.

A lifelong Republican, Judge Todd is a graduate of Nancy High School and attended Somerset Community
College where he serves on the Board of Directors. He is also an Advisory Committee member at the
Pulaski County Area Technology Center and an instructor for the Kentucky Construction Career Choices
Council. He has been active in Babe Ruth and Cal Ripken Baseball for the past 40 years and has served as
District 5 Baseball Commissioner.

A member of Sardis Chapel, Judge Todd resides in Nancy, Kentucky, with his wife of 42 years, Shelia.
Their daughter, Sarah, is married to Ryan Godby and they have a daughter named Annabell Grace.

Coming Soon!

Dwight Sears is a proud seventh-generation resident of eastern Pulaski County, a business owner, and a community leader. He serves or has served on numerous local, state, and national boards. He and his wife of 38 years, Barbara, live in Shopville. Together, they own Silent Guard and co-own Kentucky Service Company, family businesses dedicated to serving communities throughout the Commonwealth. Dwight was recently reappointed to his third four-year term on the Kentucky State Board of Elections. He also serves on the Kentucky State FFA Association Board of Trustees and has served as Kentucky’s Ambassador for Global Pay It Forward Day for 10 years. Dwight is passionate about supporting young people, strengthening local communities, and giving back to the Commonwealth.

Their son, Taylor, and daughter-in-law, Kellie, have two daughters, Davis Ruth and Margaret.”