Kentucky Colonels ® Trademark Brand and Enterprise
The "Kentucky Colonels ®" Brand Ecosystem underpins the HOKC Commercial Enterprise against the Civic Title of Honor for the Kentucky Colonel Class.
Embedded Files
Membership is not required to establish a Kentucky Colonel Branch or to be listed in the Kentucky Colonels Handbook
Overview: A Commercial Enterprise Built Around the State Commissioned Civic Title, "Kentucky Colonel"
Overview: A Commercial Enterprise Built Around the State Commissioned Civic Title, "Kentucky Colonel"
This page summarizes publicly available information showing how the Honorable Order of Kentucky Colonels, Inc. (HOKC), its for-profit subsidiary Kentucky Colonels Collectibles, Inc., and the Kentucky Colonels Store operated by Upper Right Marketing, LLC function together as a commercial brand ecosystem built around the Kentucky Colonel title, rather than as a purely non-commercial expression of the Kentucky Colonel Class.
The goal is not to dispute that charitable work is done, but to help readers understand how charity, retail merchandising, and trademark enforcement combine to create a commercial enterprise that sits on top of, and often in front of, the public honor of Kentucky Colonelcy conferred by the Commonwealth.
Upper Right Marketing, LLC
Upper Right Marketing, LLC
Upper Right Marketing, LLC, located on Seltzer Way in Lexington, Kentucky, is a 32,000-square-foot facility with about 25–35 employees that operates the Kentucky Colonels Store website and warehouses, brands, and ships Kentucky Colonels merchandise for Kentucky Colonels Collectibles, Inc., which creates products bearing the Honorable Order of Kentucky Colonels’ registered commercial trademarks.
Corporate Structure: Nonprofit, For-Profit Subsidiary, and Branded Store
Corporate Structure: Nonprofit, For-Profit Subsidiary, and Branded Store
According to its own filings and public descriptions, the Honorable Order of Kentucky Colonels is a Kentucky nonprofit corporation and 501(c)(3) charity that raises funds and makes grants. At the same time, its consolidated financial statements show that it wholly owns Kentucky Colonels Collectibles, Inc., a privately held 2,000 share independently incorporated for-profit subsidiary that “develops and has manufactured various Organization novelty items and memorabilia using the HOKC's commercial trademarks and logotypes.” Honorable Order of Kentucky Colonels
In addition:
The Kentucky Colonels Store / Kentucky Colonels Shop is presented as the official gift shop, selling branded apparel, hats, barware, gifts, and other products. Kentucky Colonels Store
Public data (including Wikidata entries and Form 990 Schedule R) identifies Upper Right Marketing, LLC as the operator or named entity behind the e-commerce store and brand.
Structurally, this is a nonprofit–for-profit–vendor triad:
A nonprofit charity (HOKC) that raises money, manages grants, and communicates the mission;
A for-profit subsidiary (Kentucky Colonels Collectibles, Inc.) that retails branded goods; and
An e-commerce operation (Kentucky Colonels Store) run under contract by a retail consumer marketing company.
The non-profit charitable arm of the enterprise discloses its gross and net annual revenue in accordance with 501(c)(3) tax laws, however neither Kentucky Colonels Collectibles, Inc. or Upper Right Marketing, LLC as private corporate entities are required to do so.
Taken together, these elements are characteristic of a commercial brand enterprise, not just a traditional fraternal association.
Trademarks and Branded Product Lines
Trademarks and Branded Product Lines
Public sources confirm that “Honorable Order of Kentucky Colonels” and “Kentucky Colonels” are registered trademarks and service marks used in connection with memorabilia, apparel, baseball caps, souvenirs, membership services, scholarships, grants, and fundraising. Honorable Order of Kentucky Colonels
In other words, within this ecosystem:
“Kentucky Colonels” is treated as a brand identifier for a specific charity and its product lines;
The name is applied to consumer goods sold in the Kentucky Colonels Store and related channels; and
Trademark registrations and enforcement activity signal an intention to control and monetize the term in commerce, apart from its generic and descriptive use for the public title and civic class.
The existence of a trademark portfolio, product catalog, and e-commerce platform is a core indicator that this is a commercial enterprise built on the goodwill associated with the Kentucky Colonel title.
Volume of Commissions and Integration with the Brand
Volume of Commissions and Integration with the Brand
Public statements by both HOKC and independent media describe a high volume of new commissions each year:
HOKC’s own FAQ states that in recent years governors have commissioned between 4,000 and 6,000 individuals annually. The Honorable Order of Kentucky Colonels
A 2023 article reports that Governor Andy Beshear “bestows the title of Kentucky Colonel on about 6,000 people each year,” and that his predecessor Matt Bevin issued about 4,000 per year. KentuckyMonthly.com
At this scale:
It is not realistic for any governor personally to know or investigate every nominee; commissions necessarily rely on staff processes, nomination pipelines, and external recommendations (including those associated or personally linked with HOKC). The Honorable Order of Kentucky Colonels
The same language used on the Governor’s nomination page (“our Colonels are Kentucky’s ambassadors of good-will and fellowship around the world”) is also echoed in HOKC and third-party materials, reinforcing a close narrative alignment between the public program and the HOKC brand. Governor of Kentucky
The combination of mass commissioning and a large membership-plus-merchandising structure means that each new commission becomes a potential entry point into the HOKC commercial ecosystem: the colonel is invited to donate, join, and purchase brand-bearing goods as a way of “living out” the honor, contrary to the original duties of a Kentucky Colonel during the HOKC's earlier years. Wikipedia
This does not prove misconduct, but it does show how the public commissioning function and the private brand enterprise are tightly interconnected and perhaps how the HOKC receives preference despite a controversial history as a social fraternity from 1933-1957.
Impact on the Kentucky Colonel Class and the Value of the Title
Impact on the Kentucky Colonel Class and the Value of the Title
From the perspective of the Kentucky Colonel Class:
A commission is supposed to be the highest honor awarded by the Commonwealth, recognizing outstanding service and accomplishment. Governor of Kentucky
Historically and traditionally, the colonel title functioned as a selective civic distinction, with much lower numbers of commissions and a strong emphasis on personal merit and civic leadership. Wikipedia
When thousands of commissions are issued annually, and new colonels are immediately funneled into a brand-driven fundraising and product merchandising system being endorsed and supported by the government, several effects follow:
The perceived exclusivity, legitimacy, and symbolic weight of the title can be diminished in the eyes of the public, who encounter “Kentucky Colonels” primarily as a donor base for a private charity and commercialized merchandise market;
The authority and individuality of colonels—each of whom holds a commission from the Governor—can be overshadowed by the central corporate narrative and branding, which presents the HOKC ecosystem as the primary expression of the tradition; Wikipedia
The line between being honored by the Commonwealth and being cultivated as a consumer and donor becomes blurred.
This page takes the position that these dynamics commercialize the appearance of the title in ways that do not arise from the title itself, but from the private centralized corporate enterprise built around it.
Perceptions, Safeguards, and the Role of the Governor
Perceptions, Safeguards, and the Role of the Governor
Publicly available information shows:
The Governor’s Office administers the commission program, accepting nominations through an online form that highlights colonels as ambassadors of goodwill. Governor of Kentucky
The HOKC presents itself as the main organization of Kentucky Colonels, invites commission recipients to donate annually to be considered “active members,” and actively markets branded merchandise and giving instruments (including life-insurance beneficiary designations and legacy gifts). Wikipedia
In that context, reasonable observers can ask:
Whether the volume of commissions (4,000–6,000 per year) allows for meaningful, individualized recognition, or whether the process has become largely administrative and pipeline-driven; KentuckyMonthly.com
Whether the close narrative and symbolic alignment between the Governor’s colonel program and the HOKC brand creates a perception that the public honor is embedded within, or feeds into, a particular private fundraising ecosystem;
Whether current disclosure, ethics, and conflict-of-interest safeguards are sufficient to reassure the public that no improper personal benefit, quid pro quo, or undue influence arises from the interaction between state-conferred honor and private brand fundraising.
This page does not allege that any Governor or official is personally engaged in misconduct or receiving improper payments. Instead, it documents how the structure and scale of the Kentucky Colonels brand ecosystem invite scrutiny about how clearly the public function of commissioning is separated from the commercial interests of a single private organization that profits from colonel-branded goods and donor relationships. The governor perhaps is unaware of the mostly undisclosed foundational corporate scheme underlying the HOKC's actual existence as are most of its donors that are being used as commercial targets.
According to statistical audits of the Kentucky Colonels Store operated by Upper Right Marketing only 10-13% of all those who are nominated and become Kentucky Colonels actually consider themselves members of the Honorable Order of Kentucky Colonels. According to the organization's executive director, Colonel Sherry Crose in 2020 when there were approximately 350,000 Kentucky Colonels, she reported having 30,000 members or approximately 9%.
Distinguishing the Civic Title from the Commercial Brand
Distinguishing the Civic Title from the Commercial Brand
For purposes of this website:
“Kentucky Colonel” and “Kentucky Colonelcy” are used in their generic, descriptive, and nominative sense to refer to the honorary title and the class of honorees commissioned by the Commonwealth; Wikipedia
The Kentucky Colonel Class is understood as a public, non-proprietary body of people whose status flows from the Governor’s commission, not from joining any particular charity or purchasing any particular merchandise; Kentucky Colonelcy
The Honorable Order of Kentucky Colonels, Kentucky Colonels Collectibles, Inc., and the Kentucky Colonels Store are treated as one commercial enterprise and brand ecosystem that operates alongside the colonelcy, not as its owner or exclusive representative. Kentucky Colonels Store
Clarifying this distinction helps prevent the commercial ecosystem from absorbing or erasing the independent standing of the Kentucky Colonel Class and the individual colonels who carry the title.
Why This Distinction Matters for Colonels and the Public
Why This Distinction Matters for Colonels and the Public
This page is provided so that colonels, citizens, journalists, and policymakers can carefully distinguish between:
The public honor of Kentucky Colonel, created solely by the Commonwealth;
The civic Kentucky Colonel Class and independent associations, which form part of Kentucky’s historical and cultural heritage; and
The Kentucky Colonels commercial enterprise and ecosystem, composed of a nonprofit, a for-profit subsidiary, a trademark and merchandising program, and an e-commerce store operated by a marketing firm.
Understanding these differences allows readers to evaluate whether a given email message, donation solicitation, or branded product is:
An official act of state (a commission or government communication);
An independent historical or civic initiative; or
A commercial or fundraising communication from a private brand that uses the words “Kentucky Colonels” in a proprietary way.
By keeping the civic title distinct from the commercial ecosystem that has grown up around it, the authority of individual colonels, the prominence of the honor, and public confidence in the Governor’s commissioning program can be better protected and more clearly understood.
In summary, the publicly available corporate records, trademark filings, and e-commerce descriptions show that the Honorable Order of Kentucky Colonels, Inc., its for-profit subsidiary Kentucky Colonels Collectibles, Inc., and the Kentucky Colonels Store operated by Upper Right Marketing, LLC function as a unified commercial brand ecosystem built around the Kentucky Colonel name, title, and its honorees. While the nonprofit entity conducts grantmaking and charitable programs, its fundraising, identity, and day-to-day operations are tightly interwoven with trademarked branding, retail merchandising, and donor-facing product sales, which is fundamentally different from the noncommercial, honorific character of the Kentucky Colonel commission itself. This page is provided so that colonels and the public can recognize that the “Kentucky Colonels” brand enterprise is one private participant in a broader civic tradition—not the source of the title, not the owner of the Kentucky Colonel Class, and not the only lawful or appropriate channel through which colonels may express their identity, support charitable work, or engage in independent historical and educational projects.
Page updated
Report abuse