LOUISVILLE
Yum Brands is Derby's First Presenting Sponsor

Following the ever-growing trend of company sponsorships for sporting events, Churchill Downs has signed a five-year contract that gives Louisville-based Yum Brands the distinction of serving as the first-ever sponsor of the Kentucky Derby.

The race will now be known as “The Kentucky Derby presented by Yum Brands.”

Yum, the parent company of KFC, Taco Bell, Pizza Hut, Long John Silver’s and A&W Restaurants, has been a corporate partner with Churchill Downs and the Kentucky Derby for several years, but the new agreement adds a new dimension to the sponsorship commitment.

On Derby Day, the Yum Brands logo will appear beneath Churchill Down’s famed Twin Spires, on the sign above the starting gate for the Derby race, on the jackets of the pony riders who escort the Derby horses and jockeys during the post parade, and on television billboards before and throughout the broadcast, as well as in various places around the racetrack facility. In addition, Yum Brands will receive six 30-second television ads on NBC’s Derby broadcast and two 30-second television commercials on ESPN and ESPN2 during their event coverage.

The Derby sponsorship will be the first such vehicle for Yum. In the past, the company has wooed individual investors primarily through public relations initiatives, but has not invested in sponsorships or corporate advertising.

“Millions of people watch ‘the most exciting two minutes of sports’ so this is a highly targeted and cost-efficient way for us to create awareness and interest in Yum around the globe,” Yum Chairman and CEO David Novak said. “Through this sponsorship, potential investors will know of Yum Brands and begin to associate the company with our leading restaurant brands.”

Traditional Derby television viewers range in age from 25-54 years old with annual household incomes of $100,000 or more, matching the profile of potential individual investors for Yum. Currently, institutional investors own about 80 percent of the company’s stock, with individual investors owning the remaining 20 percent. Yum would like to increase the number of individual investors because they create a stable base and tend to hold on to the stock longer.

Churchill Downs President and CEO Tom Meeker said the company had been contemplating a major sponsorship for the Derby for some time, but decided “we would only pursue an agreement if it was with the right partner.”

In Yum, Meeker said, they found that “as an outstanding corporate citizen in our hometown, Yum Brands understands the importance of the Derby’s history and tradition to the residents of our city and region, as well as to racing fans around the world.”

LOUISVILLE
Distinctive New Structure Will Transform Skyline

The City of Louisville has unveiled plans for a new $380 million downtown building that is being hailed as a work of art unto itself.

The 61-story building, to be called Museum Plaza, will house two museums, a 300-room hotel, office space, luxury condominiums, residential lofts and retail businesses such as restaurants, a grocery, a farmers market, dry cleaners and coffee shops.

The architecturally distinctive structure, designed by the renowned international firm of Office of Metropolitan Architecture (OMA), promises to become a defining feature of the Louisville skyline.

Located in the heart of Louisville’s West Main Street Historic District, Museum Plaza will become part of the city’s arts and entertainment corridor that includes the Kentucky Center for the Arts, the Muhammad Ali Center, the Frazier Historical Arms Museum, the Louisville Slugger Museum and Factory and the Kentucky Museum of Art and Craft.

“The more we are exposed to Louisville, the more we see it is not only capable of great things, but is already achieving them,” said Joshua Prince-Ramus, who leads OMA’s New York office and is responsible for the design of Museum Plaza. “I can’t imagine New York executing a project like Louisville’s waterfront redevelopment with the same speed and coherence. We’re shocked when asked if Louisville is ready for a project like Museum Plaza. It’s been ready for a while.”

Museum Plaza is the vision of Louisville residents Laura Lee Brown, Steve Wilson, Craig Greenberg and Steve Poe. Wilson and Brown, whose family has extensive holdings in Brown-Forman Corp., are Louisville investors and contemporary art collectors. Poe is the owner of Poe Companies, a Louisville-based real estate development firm, and is known for utilizing an entrepreneurial approach to development.

CARROLLTON
Dow Corning Announces $60M Expansion

Dow Corning plans to expand its Carrollton plant to meet increased demand for the company’s silicone-based products.

Dow Corning products are used in a variety of applications, ranging from construction sealants and automobiles to electronics and personal care products.

The company will invest $60 million in the Carrollton project, which will expand the site by more than 15 percent. The expansion will add around 30 full-time employees to the plant’s existing staff of 370. Dow Corning has operated in Carrollton since 1966 and is one of the city’s largest employers.

The company has received preliminary approval by the Kentucky Economic Development Finance Authority for up to $1 million in tax benefits under the Kentucky Industrial Development Act, an incentive program designed to increase employment in the commonwealth.

JACKSON COUNTY
Mid-South Electronics to Move Majority of Jobs to Mexico

Faced with international competition and continuing pressure to reduce costs, Mid-South Electronics has announced it will move the majority of work done by its Jackson County plant to Mexico.

The company’s plant in Annville has served as Mid-South’s primary location for service to the telecommunications, appliance and business equipment markets. The plant’s capabilities include printed circuit board assembly, plastic injection molding and electro-mechanical assembly. Mid-South also produces water dispensing systems for residential refrigerators, with one of its major clients being Frigidaire.

The company took a hit last year when a devastating fire destroyed much of its main plant in Annville. The company received tax incentives from the state to help rebuild the plant, but Mid-South President Daryl Weaver has said the company never fully recovered. Losses from the fire, believed to be arson, have been estimated at more than $40 million, some of which was not covered by insurance.

At the time of the fire, Mid-South employed more than 700 people at the Annville plant. The company now has approximately 540 workers, about 80 percent of whom will lose their jobs once operations are moved to Mexico by the end of the year. Some 110 jobs will remain in Annville to handle the company’s smaller contracts, such as those with Motorola and GE.

BOWLING GREEN
Study: Relocating Airport More Cost-Efficient than Updating

A study conducted by the consulting firm of PB Aviation concludes that it would be less expensive to move the Bowling Green Warren County Regional Airport than to buy additional property adjacent to the existing site in order to meet Federal Aviation Administration standards.

The issue has come to the forefront as the result of a congressional edict that requires airports to own at least 80 percent of their runway safety areas. According to the study, it would cost $91 million to buy up the necessary amount of land around the existing airport, while moving to a location northeast of the Kentucky TriModal Transpark would cost an estimated $62 million.

Airport officials say the FAA typically covers 95 percent of such costs, with state and local money funding the remainder.

Another benefit to relocating would be the synergies resulting from the proximity of the transpark. According to the consulting firm, airport traffic will likely double within the next 20 years as a result of activity at the nearby transpark.

LEXINGTON
KSTC to Develop Su-Surface Space Exploration Plan for NASA

The Kentucky Science and Technology Corporation (KSTC) has received a $40,000 grant from NASA’s Ames Research Center that will be used to develop a strategy for planetary sub-surface space exploration.

Kentucky’s recognized expertise in mining, materials processing and geosciences places it in a position to emerge as an important player in the area of planetary sub-surface exploration, said Greg Schmidt, associate director for strategic planning and directorate of astrobiology and space research directorate for NASA Ames.

KSTC entered into its partnership with NASA Ames in 2004 with a primary focus on sub-surface exploration. As part of the partnership, KSTC operates an office at the NASA Ames Research Center in Mountain View, Calif.

In addition to the direct benefits of sub-surface exploration are the potential spin-offs centering on the development of new technologies, processes and products that could be used on Earth. For example, the knowledge and insights gained in developing mining and drilling-related technologies could be applied to coal and other mining machines and processes that could have important long-range benefits to business and industry. Technologies involved in sub-surface exploration span a range of areas, many of which may possess important terrestrial applications.

KSTC’s involvement with the new Institute for Sub-Surface Exploration “is part of Kentucky’s broader efforts to aggressively expand its R&D and innovation capacity,” KSTC President Kris Kimel said. He added that the work done in affiliation with NASA could help pave the way for the development of new Kentucky companies.

PRESTONSBURG
Genesis Coal Receives $6.9M Investment from Prospect Energy

Genesis Coal Corporation has accepted $6.9 million in senior secure debt funding from Prospect Energy Company, a New York investment company that specializes in lending to energy-related businesses.

Prestonsburg-based Genesis plans to utilize the investment to acquire non-management shareholder interests, purchase additional mining equipment and increase production rates. Prospect is receiving what was termed a “significant equity ownership position” in Genesis as part of the investment.

Genesis President and CEO Jerry Tackett said the expansion is expected to result in the addition of up to 120 new jobs in order to handle the production of five deep mines and one surface mine.

Genesis holds leases on approximately 4,700 mineral acres in Floyd County, with some 10 million recoverable tons of sulfur coal reserves.

STATE
Magazine Places Curlander, Novak on 'Best CEOs in America' List

Lexmark CEO Paul Curlander and David Novak, CEO of Louisville-based Yum Brands, Inc., have been named by Institutional Investor magazine as two of the best chief executive officers in America.

The annual ranking identifies the top CEOs in 62 industries, as rated by investors and brokerage firm analysts. The magazine surveyed more than 1,700 investment professionals at nearly 475 firms across the nation.

Curlander has been chairman and CEO of Lexmark International since 1999. Under his guidance, Lexington-based Lexmark has become a leading developer, manufacturer and supplier of printing and imaging solutions for customers in more than 150 countries, with approximately 12,000 employees. The company reported $5.3 billion in revenue in 2004.

As head of Yum Brands, Inc., Novak oversees the world’s largest restaurant company, with nearly 34,000 restaurants in more than 100 countries. Under the Yum umbrella are KFC, Long John Silver’s, Pizza Hut, Taco Bell, and A&W. In 2004, Yum generated more than $9 billion in total revenues. Novak has headed the company since 2000.

HIGHLAND HEIGHTS
NKU to Offer Master's Programs in Leadership, Communication

Northern Kentucky University plans to begin two new master’s programs this fall.

The Master of Science degree in Executive Leadership and Organizational Change will incorporate an emphasis on leadership that includes:

• assessment and development of emotional intelligence, as well as coaching and developing others

• action learning with a focus on application and practice

• a public engagement project with a service learning component

• the integration of management concepts such as strategy and performance management as core components of leadership.

The two-year cohort program will include up to 25 students who will stay together for the duration of the program. Participants in the program will meet one weekend per month during the semester, for a total of 10 weekends per year.

The university also will begin offering a master’s in communication in the fall. The new program is aimed at full-time professionals and will focus on applied, professional, organizational and corporate communications. Students enrolled in the program will have the option to attend on either a part-time or full-time basis. To accommodate working students, the program also will have an alternative to its internship and thesis degree requirements. Classes will take place primarily Monday through Thursday nights with occasional Saturday offerings. Some electives will be offered entirely online or in Web-enhanced courses.

The program will admit 30 students a year.

LEXINGTON
UK Ranks in World's Top 20 for Information Systems Research

The information systems faculty of the School of Management at the University of Kentucky’s Gatton College of Business and Economics has been ranked among the top 20 in the world for research productivity in a 2005 study published by the Association for Information Systems.

The Decision Science and Information Systems area of the Gatton College, which is comprised of seven professors, focuses on developing students’ abilities to design and use advanced quantitative methods and computer-based information systems to support decision-making.

Other schools ranked among the top 20 in the study include The Wharton School (University of Pennsylvania), Carnegie Mellon University and the University of Michigan. UK tied with Stanford University and the University of North Carolina in the ranking.

The study was based on research published from 1999 to 2003 in the top five information systems journals and two prominent computer science periodicals.

STATE
Kentucky Cities Earn Top 50 Ranking for Business Expansion

Expansion Management magazine has listed Louisville and the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky area among the top 50 sites in the country for companies to expand or relocate their facilities.

The results of the annual listing are the product of a survey of 80 site location consultants. The consultants were asked to list their top city choices for relocating and expanding manufacturing companies, taking into consideration such factors as the business climate, work force quality, operating costs, incentive programs and the ease of working with local officials.

“Unlike the other rankings we do each year, which are based upon hard economic and demographic data, the Hot Cities poll attempts to measure the perceptions of professional site location consultants, whose business it is to help companies select the best locations for future facility expansions,” said Bill King, chief editor of Expansion Management.

For the second year in a row, the Nashville metro area topped the list, followed by Phoenix, Atlanta, Dallas and San Antonio. Rounding out the Top 10 were Charlotte, N.C., Memphis, Tenn., Jacksonville, Fla., Knoxville, Tenn., and Birmingham, Ala.

Louisville was ranked at No. 31, followed by Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky at No. 33.

Expansion Management is mailed to more than 45,000 CEOs, vice presidents, directors and other officers of companies who have indicated they are considering expanding into new geographic areas.

LOUISVILLE
Louisville Lawyer Receives Presidential Appointment

Robert Irwin Cusick, a partner with the law firm of Wyatt, Tarrant & Combs, LLP, has been nominated by President George Bush to serve a five-year term as director of the Office of Government Ethics.

The nomination has been given to the U.S. Senate for its approval.

The director of the Office of Government Ethics oversees issues and policies as they relate to conflicts of interest on the part of officers and employees who work for any executive agency of the U.S. government.

Cusick has been affiliated with Wyatt, Tarrant & Combs for more than 30 years, serving for much of that time as the firm’s partner in charge of ethics. He currently is chairman of the Kentucky Bar Association’s committee charged with revising the substantive ethics rules.

“Ric knows the rules inside and out, but more importantly, he applies them with common sense,” said J. Mark Burton, a member of Wyatt, Tarrant & Combs’ executive committee. “He can be as tough as you’d expect a 30-year naval officer to be on important matters, but he has the wisdom and good judgment for fair application.”

GEORGETOWN
Toyota Opens $12 Million North American Training Center

Toyota Motor Corporation has invested $12 million to open a new facility in Georgetown that will serve as a training site for the company’s plants throughout North America.

The North American Production Support Center (NAPSC) will simulate hands-on operations, including stamping, body weld, paint, plastics, assembly, quality control and internal logistics. Future programs will include axle and engine assembly, machining and casting functions. The center is modeled after the Global Production Center at Toyota’s Motomachi facility in Japan, where managers from around the world train in best practices.

“Through this cascading system at the NAPSC, we will train everyone using the same method,” said Gary Convis, executive vice president of Toyota Motor Manufacturing North America, Inc.

Toyota vehicles produced in North America include the Avalon, Camry, Corolla, Matrix, Sienna, Solara, Sequoia, Tacoma, Tundra and the Lexus RX 330. By 2008, Toyota will have the annual capacity to build 1.88 million cars and trucks, 1.44 million engines and 600,000 automatic transmissions in North America.

The NAPSC is expected to employ 29 people.

LOUISVILLE/LEXINGTON
UK, Norton Healthcare Partner to Address Pharmacist Shortage

The University of Kentucky College of Pharmacy and Louisville-based Norton Healthcare have partnered to develop a program designed to address the area’s serious shortage of pharmacists.

Norton has pledged $1.15 million over five years to establish a clinical education center that will bring pharmacy students from UK to Louisville. UK has the only pharmacy college in the state.

The partners hope the new center will serve as a model for future partnerships with other medical centers throughout the state.

Kentucky continues to experience a pharmacist shortage, with as many as 400 vacant positions projected even after this year’s UK pharmacy class graduates in May. According to information released by Norton, Kentucky has been listed among the states having one of the most severe pharmacist shortages. The shortages are statewide, affecting both urban and rural areas of the state. By offering educational opportunities to students in areas outside of Lexington, UK and Norton hope to draw more pharmacists to regions of the state that are experiencing such shortages.

The UK College of Pharmacy consistently ranks among the top 10 pharmacy schools in the nation. The college has an enrollment of 425 students in the Doctor of Pharmacy program, with more than 90 percent of students from Kentucky.

LEXINGTON
Keeneland Scratches July Sale, All Yearlings to be Sold in Fall

Citing a changing market, Keeneland has announced that it will not conduct its July Selected Yearling Sale in 2006. Instead, all yearlings will be sold during the September Yearling Sale, scheduled for Sept. 11-24.

“The September sale is now the global marketplace for Thoroughbred yearlings,” Keeneland’s Director of Sales Geoffrey Russell said, noting that participation from foreign buyers was extremely strong in 2005.

The 2005 September Yearling Sale established a world record of $384,349,900 in gross receipts. In addition, the average price of $108,420 and median price of $40,000 were both sales records. Forty yearlings sold for $1 million or more, an industry record.

“All of these indicators tell us the market continues to clearly dictate its preference for a single yearling sale, in September, at Keeneland,” Russell said.

FRANKLIN
Tyco Closes Electronics Plant, Industrial Authority Buys Facility

Tyco International will close its electronics plant in Franklin, possibly as early as this month. The announcement did not come as a complete surprise to the community: In 2004, the company began taking steps to phase out manufacturing at the Franklin plant, and in the spring of 2005, approximately 300 employees were let go. By the time the decision to close the plant was announced last month, only 41 employees remained. At its peak, the Tyco plant employed nearly 500.

According to Tyco spokesperson Mike Ratcliff, the decision to close the Franklin plant came down to a need to maximize efficiencies. Nearly all of Tyco’s other electronics operations are currently conducted in North Carolina, Ratcliff said, and most Franklin employees have been offered the opportunity to relocate there.

In addition, Tyco is selling its Tyco Adhesives plant in Franklin as part of an agreement to sell its plastics, adhesives and Ludlow Coat Products division to Apollo Management, LP. The adhesives plant currently employs 650 workers.

The Franklin-Simpson Industrial Authority is purchasing the former Tyco Electronics facility in hopes of luring another company – or companies – to the area. The 170,000-square-foot building can house one large industry or up to three smaller businesses.

TENNESSEE
Gastite to Relocate Manufacturing Distribution Operations to Portland

Gastite, a company that produces flexible gas piping used to supply gas to appliances, is relocating its manufacturing and distribution operations from Springfield, Mass., to Portland, Tenn., bringing some 150 new jobs to the area.

Gastite, a division of Titeflex Corp., is building a 154,000-square-foot plant in the Tennessee/Kentucky Industrial Park that will house 12 production lines capable of generating up to 90 million feet of corrugated stainless steel tubing annually. The company currently has six lines and a production capacity of 45 million feet at its Springfield plant.

The Portland site also offers another 100,000 square feet of expansion capability, Gastite Division Vice President and General Manager Duane Shooltz said.

Shooltz said Tennessee’s location was a significant factor in the company’s decision to move.

“It’s no secret that the logistics of shipping product from New England to states west of the Rocky Mountains is a major challenge,” Shooltz said. “Relocating to the middle of the country will dramatically improve our logistics, shrink our freight costs to all points on the compass and result in more timely deliveries – especially in the Midwest, the Southwest, the Mountain Region and the West Coast where most of the new residential and commercial construction now is.”

OHIO
Buckeye State Ranks 8th in the Nation for Insourced Jobs

With 208,600 Ohioans working for U.S. subsidiaries of companies headquartered abroad, Ohio ranks 8th in the nation in terms of the total number of insourcing jobs, according to new statistics from the U.S. Commerce Department.

The figures were released by the Organization for International Investment (OFII), a Washington, D.C.-based business group representing U.S. subsidiaries of companies headquartered abroad.

Of the insourced jobs in Ohio, 48 percent are in the manufacturing sector, representing a total of 100,600 employees.

Insourcing companies in Ohio include ABB Inc., Ahold USA, BASF Corporation, Boehringer Ingelheim, Bridgestone Corporation, DaimlerChrysler, Honda Motor Co. Ltd., ICI Americas, Inc., Mitsubishi Electric Automotive America, Inc., Nestlé USA, Inc., Reed Elsevier, Rodenstock North America, Saint-Gobain Corporation, Siemens Corporation, Signet Group, Sodexho Inc., and Tomkins Industries.

Business Briefs

BOONE COUNTY

• Innotrac Corporation has selected a site in Boone County for its second distribution center in Northern Kentucky. The facility, now under construction by Duke Realty Corporation, is slated for completion in May. The Atlanta-based company provides fulfillment and logistics services for clients throughout the country. Robert Toner, vice president of logistics for Innotrac, said the Boone County site was selected because of its accessibility to the interstate system and its proximity to several small package carrier hubs.

CAMPBELLSVILLE

• Campbellsville University has received approval from the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools to offer an associate degree in nursing. The university already has received a number of donations in support of the program, including $200,000 for student scholarships from Taylor Regional Hospital; $100,000 from Citizens Bank & Trust Co. in Campbellsville; $750,000 from the Richard D. Van Lunen Foundation; and $550,000 in various federal funding. Forty students will be admitted to the first class this June, with the first nursing courses beginning in August. Campbellsville University is a private comprehensive institution affiliated with the Kentucky Baptist Convention.

CASEY COUNTY

• Plans are moving forward for the construction of a new 36,000-square-foot hospital in Casey County. Hospital administrators have signed a contract with Louisville-based META Associates to oversee the design and construction of the project. The 24-bed facility, which is expected to cost between $15 and $21 million, will be built adjacent to the existing hospital. Construction costs are being financed by county tax money.

CRITTENDEN COUNTY

• Crittenden County Coal Company Inc. has entered into an exclusive letter of intent to sell the company to the Phoenix Coal Corporation, a Madisonville company that acquires, leases and develops coal reserves in the Illinois Basin. Crittenden Coal opened in February 2005 and has been producing approximately 10,000 tons of coal per month from a surface mining operation. Financial details of the transaction have not been made public.

FLORENCE

• St. Elizabeth Medical Center has opened a new business health center in Florence, offering injury care, physicals and screenings, drug and alcohol testing, OSHA compliance and physical therapy to companies in the area. St. Elizabeth’s also operates a business health center in Edgewood.

FRANKLIN

• The Bowling Green Technical College Board of Directors is moving forward with plans for the construction of a new technical center in Franklin. The $13 million facility will be built near I-65 in the Sanders Industrial Park. The board expects to open the doors of the center by October 2007. Among the courses that will be offered are those that focus on diesel and drive train mechanics, in order to meet the demands of the area’s RV and heavy trucking industry. A new RV showroom and service center, Garvin’s, currently is being developed and is expected to create 800 new jobs when it opens next year.

GEORGETOWN

• The Kentucky Community and Technical College System (KCTCS) has received a $2.48 million grant from the U.S. Department of Labor that will be used to establish a state-of-the-art training center for automotive manufacturing in Georgetown. The Advanced Manufacturing Learning Center will train more than 3,600 individuals in the Central Kentucky “auto corridor” over a three-year period, utilizing a realistic learning environment that will provide hands-on training. The grant is part of the President’s High Growth Job Training Initiative, a strategic plan to prepare workers for jobs in vital industries.

HAZARD

• Goodwill Industries of Kentucky will receive $300,000 in federal funding for a new donation and workforce training center in Hazard. Scheduled to be completed in early 2007, the Goodwill Store will bring more than 30 jobs to Perry County and generate approximately $3.6 million in private investment.

HIGHLAND HEIGHTS

• Northern Kentucky University has announced plans to establish an institute that will train staff members of nonprofit organizations and connect them with consultants who specialize in their area. The university expects to launch the Non-Profit Capacity Building Institute by mid-year.
• Northern Kentucky University has broken ground on a new $37 million student union that will house a 30,000-square-foot eating facility, a Starbucks, a conference area and ballroom. The new facility “will transform campus life,” NKU President James Votruba said. “About 90 percent of our students commute to NKU every day, and this new facility will be a place where they can relax and spend time with friends.”

JESSAMINE COUNTY

• Associated Health Care Systems, the owner of Samaritan Hospital in Lexington, has been meeting with Jessamine County leaders to discuss the feasibility of building a 50-bed, acute-care hospital. According to Associated President and CEO Ron Turner, Jessamine is the largest county in Central Kentucky without a local acute-care hospital. Furthermore, the county’s population is projected to increase by 80 percent, to 70,114, by 2030. In order to move forward with the project, the state must approve a Certificate of Need (CON). According to Turner, funding for the $32 million facility would be generated by rural development grants and loans. Associated would be responsible for the construction and operation of the hospital.

KNOX COUNTY

• Florida-based Pacer Health Corporation has signed a binding letter of intent to lease the Knox County Hospital. Under the terms of the agreement, Pacer has agreed to preserve all health care services that are currently available at hospital, including general health care and emergency services for the area’s indigent population. The agreement also provides Pacer with the option to purchase the hospital, a move that is likely to be acted upon, according to Pacer management. Pacer owns and operates hospitals, medical treatment centers and psychiatric care facilities primarily in non-urban communities.

LEXINGTON

• A new bank has formed in Lexington, operating under the banner of Bank of Lexington. The bank is headed by President and CEO John Mauldin.

LOUISVILLE

• The Louisville Slugger Museum has changed its name to the Louisville Slugger Museum and Factory and unveiled a new logo to better reflect what takes place at the downtown Louisville facility. “The word ‘museum’ only conveys part of the experience here,” said Anne Jewell, executive director of Louisville Slugger Museum and Factory. “Many people are pleasantly surprised to learn the bat factory itself is here and that it’s part of the tour. Guests consistently rate our factory tour as their favorite part of the visit, so we wanted to make sure it was part of our name and new logo.” The new logo was developed by Studio Simon, a Louisville design studio that has produced logos for numerous teams, leagues and companies in professional and collegiate sports.
• Louisville-based Four Colour Imports Ltd., a national illustrated book manufacturer serving publishers and university presses, has established a new Northeast sales office as part of the company’s strategy to expand its presence in the New York and New England markets. The company also has opened a new office in Cleveland in addition to its established locations in Washington, D.C. and Louisville.
• The University of Louisville has broken ground for a new $70.2 million biomedical research building that is part of a two-phase plan to expand research facilities at UofL’s Health Sciences Center in downtown Louisville. The 150,000-square-foot building is the first to be built on the site, which has space for up to six biomedical research facilities and a parking garage. Fifty researchers looking for new cancer treatments will be its first tenants. The facility is being funded with $10.3 in federal funds, with the remainder coming from university money and bonds authorized by the Kentucky legislature last year.
• An increase in business is prompting UPS to add about 1,500 new part-time jobs in Louisville. The company is in the process of hiring for virtually all positions at its hub operation at Louisville International Airport. With 17,000 employees, UPS is the largest private employer in Louisville. The new positions will boost the company’s workforce in Louisville by almost 9 percent.
• Brown-Forman has sold its Jekel Winery in California and the associated equipment and vineyards to S.A.M. Properties for an undisclosed price. Brown-Forman closed the winery in 2004 and moved production of Jekel wines to other Brown-Forman wineries. Brown-Forman plans to purchase grapes from Jekel through the 2007 harvest.
• AST ElectroFin, Inc., a Louisville-based corporation that has developed e-coating technology for HVAC and refrigeration systems, has opened a new plant in Jacksonville, Texas. The $5 million facility employs 34 people and plans to open a second shift in this year, bringing the total staff to 50. Founded in 1997, ElectroFin is a $10 million company with a projected growth rate of 20 percent for 2006. ElectroFin currently has 45 employees in their Louisville plant.
• META Associates, Inc., a Louisville-based firm that specializes in program management for the design and construction of health care facilities, has been acquired by Parsons Corporation, a California engineering, construction and technical services company. META President and CEO Doug Heisler said combining Parsons’ resources with his firm’s expertise and experience in the health care industry would allow META to expand its range of services to address the growing needs and requirement of its clients. META currently employs a staff of more than 80 and has offices in Louisville and Nashville. Terms of the agreement were not disclosed.

MURRAY

• Chosun University of South Korea has established an international office at Murray State University with plans to develop a program that would enable students to study at both institutions. In addition, university officials envision numerous other possibilities resulting from the collaboration, including cultural studies and technical training programs. Chosun officials said they also are interested in Murray’s English as a Second Language program. Chosun is located in Gwangiu, South Korea, and has a student population of approximately 25,000. There are currently about 30 students from Chosun studying at Murray State.

NEWPORT

• The City of Newport is demolishing a public housing project near the Ohio River with plans to redevelop the 13.9-acre parcel into an “urban village” that would encompass residential, retail and commercial projects. The city currently is considering exactly what kind of developments will be most feasible for the property. After years of being run down, the Newport riverfront has seen a drastic turnaround in recent years with the development of Newport on the Levee, a shopping and entertainment complex, and the Newport Aquarium, a top tourism draw for the area. Now, the city wants to build on those successes. “This has the possibility to be the biggest development in Newport’s history,” Mayor Tom Guidugli said.

NORTHERN KENTUCKY

• New and expanding businesses in Northern Kentucky created 6,676 direct and indirect jobs and were responsible for more than $1.2 billion in business sales/output from September 2004 to December 2005, according to an economic impact study for the area. Total impact on Northern Kentucky during that time included $251 million in household earnings and $85 million in retail sales. The study was conducted by the University of Cincinnati for Northern Kentucky Tri-County Economic Development (Northern Kentucky Tri-ED) and the Northern Kentucky Chamber of Commerce.
• The Sunday Challenger, a weekly newspaper that focused on news in Boone, Campbell and Kenton counties, has closed its doors, citing insufficient revenue to keep the fledgling paper afloat. In a statement on the paper’s Web site, co-owner Bill Butler, president and CEO of Corporex Companies, noted that since the paper began in July 2004, The (Cincinnati) Enquirer has increased its coverage of the Northern Kentucky area and “the results and benefits are commendable.” The Sunday Challenger was distributed free of charge to more than 60,000 households in Northern Kentucky.

OWENSBORO

• City officials are considering building an arena in Owensboro, despite study results from a Chicago consulting firm that indicate such a project would not prove profitable. Members of the city commission maintain that an arena would serve as a promotional tool for the community and would generate additional business. “We’ve got to look at it as a way to promote our community, knowing full well that the benefits are greater than the costs,” Owensboro mayor Tom Watson said.

PRESTONSBURG

• Reno’s Roadhouse, a Prestonsburg-based steakhouse chain that focuses on establishing locations in small and mid-sized markets, has announced plans to open a new restaurant in Burnside. Under its previous ownership, the company operated a location in nearby Somerset in the 1990s, which was later closed. Current president Eric Fitzer said he has been interested in re-establishing a presence in the area for some time, but was put off by the fact that Somerset was dry. In 2004, the Burnside community changed its local laws to allow alcohol sales in restaurants, prompting Reno’s to take another look. The company plans to introduce a new design for the Burnside location, which is slated to open in August. The 6,100-square-foot restaurant will seat 300 customers and will employ a staff of approximately 100.

PERRY COUNTY

• A company that had been considering locating a call center in the Coal Fields Industrial Park has decided against the move, citing concern over the region’s drug problem. The company, whose name was not disclosed, had been looking at the facility that once housed Sykes Enterprises and recently toured the industrial park as well as Hazard Community and Technical College. Had the plan materialized, the community would have gained up to 400 new jobs.

RICHMOND

• Eastern Kentucky University has announced new workshops scheduled for this spring that are aimed at business professionals. Courses offered include: Training for Trainers (April 10-14), a 40-hour certificate program that focuses on the use of lesson plans, adult learning theory and specific instructional strategies; Funneling Ideas into Action (April 25-26), which provides strategies for preparing and facilitating effective meetings and projects; and Presentation Skills (May 2-3), designed to help participants develop presentation anxiety and develop an individualized style. For more information, contact Eastern Kentucky University’s Division of Continuing Education and Outreach. A 20 percent discount is offered to companies or organizations that have three or more participants in the same workshop.

SIMPSON COUNTY

• Hanson Aggregates is investing $3 million to double the production capacity and modernize the technology of its rock quarry in northern Simpson County. The expansion comes in response to the steady growth and development demand in the south-central part of the state.

STANFORD

• Fort Logan Hospital is closing its extended care unit and has signed an agreement to sell its licenses for 30 extended care beds to a national nursing home company. The agreement with Arkansas-based Beverly Health and Rehabilitation Services Inc. is part of the hospital’s decision to focus its efforts on acute care. Beverly, which is one of the nation’s largest nursing home chains, already operates the 98-bed Stanford Health and Rehabilitation Center. Kyle Privett, executive director of Stanford Health and Rehabilitation Center, told The (Danville) Advocate-Messenger that Beverly is still in the process of determining whether it will expand its existing facility or seek another available building to house the additional beds. The agreement calls for Beverly to keep the beds it has acquired from Fort Logan in Lincoln County.

WILLIAMSBURG

• The University of the Cumberlands has received an anonymous donation of $2 million to help fund the renovation and expansion of its science building. The first phase of the $8 million project has already been completed, adding three state-of-the-art chemistry laboratories. When students return for the fall 2006 semester, phase two –which involves the complete interior transformation of the existing 38,000-square-foot building - is projected to be finished. Phase three calls for a 25,000-square-foot addition to be constructed that will consist of technology-equipped classrooms, lecture halls, and office space. The exterior of the addition is to be a replica of Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello mansion. The final phase of construction is slated for completion by August 2008.

STATE

• The Kentucky Sports Authority has secured eight fishing tournaments that are part of the 2006 ESPN Outdoors Bassmaster Series. Starting with a tournament at Lake Cumberland in Russell County on March 19 and concluding with a September 24 event at Lake Barkley in Lyon County, the Kentucky tournaments are part of a group of 120 Bassmaster amateur competitions stretching from Texas to Maine. State officials hope the tournaments will raise the state’s profile in the sport fishing world and increase tourism. The tournaments are expected to generate hundreds of thousands of dollars in economic impact for Kentucky hotels, restaurants, gas stations, attractions and other local businesses.
• The Kentucky Department of Agriculture (KDA) has been authorized by the National Organic Program as one of only 54 accredited certifying agents in the United States. Jake Schmitz, the KDA’s organic program coordinator, said that having a Kentucky-based certifying agent will spur growth in organic production, which is currently the fastest growing segment of U.S. agriculture. Wholesale prices for certified organic products are 25 to 100 percent higher than those for conventionally produced products.
• The state government has altered the procedures involved in establishing and expanding health care facilities in Kentucky with a simplified Certificate of Need (CON) process. The new state health plan and regulations end the moratorium that prevented the approval of CON applications proposing to establish or expand certain health care facilities. A form of moratorium had been in place for more than 10 years. Highlights of the new regulations include: making it easier for existing hospitals to obtain acute care beds; allowing further growth of clinical services, such as specialized units for critically ill newborns and treatment facilities for patients needing physical rehabilitation services; allowing an increase in equipment used for the treatment of cancer; and establishing criteria to determine if additional acute care hospitals are needed now or in the future. Specifics of the plan can be viewed at http://chfs.ky.gov/ ohp/con.
• The Kentucky Office of Energy Policy (KOEP) has announced that $300,000 in funding will be made available to promote energy research and development at Kentucky’s public universities. KOEP’s Energy Research, Development and Demonstration Program was established last year with the goal of increasing energy research at Kentucky’s public universities and encouraging information exchange between the universities and private industries. The program also aids the state’s universities in leveraging research funding from federal and private sources.

• As part of Kentucky’s efforts to increase the profile of its state park system, the Kentucky Parks Department has launched a campground reservation system that is available by phone or the Internet. In the past, spaces at campgrounds were distributed on a first-come, first-served basis, a system park officials felt discouraged many potential visitors. The state expects the new system to result in better use of the campgrounds, particularly those that have been under-utilized. Through ReserveAmerica, a national Internet reservation service, visitors can search for sites by select features, such as proximity to woods, water and electrical hookups. Sites can be reserved up to a year in advance; those not reserved will continue to be available to “drop in” campers.

INDIANA

• General Motors is investing approximately $35 million in its Fort Wayne Assembly plant to construct additional space for activities associated with building its next-generation full-size truck program. The plant currently produces the Chevrolet Silverado and the GMC Sierra trucks.
• Aisin Seiki Co., a Japanese automotive parts supplier, has established a new company in Crothersville, Ind., that will produce wet friction material to be used in automatic transmissions. Aisin Chemical Indiana is scheduled to begin production in July 2007 and will ultimately have approximately 30 employees. The new operation is Aisin Seiki’s second facility in Crothersville; the company also operates Aisin Drivetrain Inc. there.
• Three southern Indiana organizations are joining forces to establish one group that will oversee economic development in the region. One Southern Indiana represents the collaboration of the Southern Indiana Chamber of Commerce, the Southern Indiana Economic Development Council and Southern Indiana 2020.

OHIO

• The Wornick Co., which produces prepared and ready-to-eat foods, is moving its McAllen, Texas, operations to Cincinnati in an effort to reduce costs and simplify logistics. The Cincinnati-based company operates its Prepared Foods Division in the Cincinnati suburb of Blue Ash, where it employs some 460 people. The consolidation will result in the addition of approximately 200 more jobs at the Cincinnati facility. Wornick is one of the largest suppliers of MREs – “Meals, Ready-to-Eat” – to the U.S. Department of Defense.
• Cincinnati-based Cintas Corporation has purchased select assets of Van Dyne Crotty for an undisclosed price. The acquisition involves 20 uniform rental operations and five operations that work under the Select First Aid name. Cintas is a provider of highly specialized business services, ranging from corporate uniforms to document management.
• As part of a change in company product strategy, Procter & Gamble has announced that it is eliminating some 300 jobs at its Health Care Research Center in Mason, Ohio, where it currently employs 2,500 workers. The decision stems from P&G’s plan to shift its focus from drug development to buying and licensing pharmaceuticals from other companies.

TENNESSEE

• In an address to local business and government leaders in Kingsport, Tenn., Eastman Chemical Co. Chairman and CEO Brian Ferguson said the company anticipates hiring more than 2,000 workers within the next four years to replace retirees. Three-quarters of the positions will be technical jobs requiring an associate’s degree, Ferguson said. The remainder will be professional positions such as those in engineering, business and law. The Kingsport-based company manufactures and markets chemicals, fibers and plastics and operates facilities around the world. The company employs 7,500 employees at its Tennessee headquarters and a total of 12,000 worldwide.

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