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FAST LANE - May
2004
Beginning this June, UK will offer the Second Degree B.S.N. (Bachelor of Science in Nursing) option, a degree for those who desire a nursing career, but have a bachelor’s degree in another field. “There are so many people in the workforce who are unhappy with their career choices” said Dorothy Brockopp, R.N., Ph.D., professor and assistant dean for undergraduate studies, UK College of Nursing. “The candidates for our program are people who bring previous life and work experiences with them. In general, they are mature individuals who have been academically successful who want to return to school to make a career change.” Second Degree B.S.N. students will be prepared to take the nursing licensure exam in four and one-half semesters. This option allows two sophomore-level nursing courses to be collapsed into an eight-week, intensive course with daily classes. The curriculum will include a combination of classroom, laboratory and supervised clinical-setting instruction. Second-degree programs that prepare new registered nurses are becoming a national trend. The UK College of Nursing has received expressions of interest from more than 600 potential applicants over the past two years. At Western Kentucky University, a pilot program that will help train nursing educators has received $400,000 in federal funding. The one-year accelerated master of science in nursing program, which prepares graduates to function in the role of nurse educator, will help address the serious shortage in nursing faculty, which compounds the shortage of practicing nurses, said Dr. Donna Blackburn, head of WKU’s Nursing Department. Blackburn said schools of nursing lost 10 percent of their faculty last year. “Nearly 16,000 qualified applicants were turned away from nursing programs this current year even though seats were available, due to an insufficient number of faculty,” she said. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, more than one million new and replacement nurses are needed by 2012. The U.S. Department of Labor has identified registered nursing as the top occupation in terms of job growth through the year 2012. STATE
The joint effort will include the pursuit of work in living systems, information systems, automation, nanotechnology and celestial mining. As part of the effort, KSTC will provide access for Kentucky faculty, companies and students by opening an office at the NASA Ames Research Center in California. The office, which will be funded and managed by KSTC, will not only facilitate efforts with NASA, but also greatly expand access to and work with a wealth of new talent, venture capital firms, innovative companies and world-class universities. The new partnership builds upon projects in which Kentucky is already involved with NASA, including work being done at the University of Kentucky, the University of Louisville, the Remote Sensing Center at Murray State University, the NASA Space Grant Corsortium and NASA EPSCoR (Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research) efforts at Western Kentucky University and the new Space Science Center at Morehead State University. BOWLING GREEN Houchens Industries, a Bowling Green-based company that owns a chain of supermarkets and convenience stores, has announced plans to purchase Food Giants Supermarkets through an exchange of stock. Food Giant owns approximately 90 supermarkets in eight states that primarily operate under the Food Giant and Piggly Wiggly moniker. The Missouri-based company has some 2,500 employees and annual sales of $400 million. Houchens, founded in 1918, owns and operates grocery (Houchens, Save-A-Lot) and convenience stores (Jr. Foods, Tobacco Shoppe) in 13 states ranging from eastern Texas to New York. The company has 8,000 employees and annual sales of $1.5 billion. Houchens also owns an insurance company, a recycling business and several other non-grocery subsidiaries, as well as Commonwealth Brands, a discount cigarette manufacturer that makes USA Gold. Both companies are employee-owned. According to Houchens CEO Jimmie Gipson, the purchase creates a perfect fit for his company. From a geographical standpoint, Food Giant’s markets surround Houchens’ existing locations, with very little overlap. The two entities will continue to operate as they have, Gipson says, with Food Giant retaining their Missouri headquarters and management staff. No changes for employees or stores are expected. The sale is expected to be finalized in early July. STATE
The findings are part of a report conducted by the Milken Institute, an economic think tank. Milken ranked the states based on its technology and science index, which utilizes 75 indicators in five different categories to measure how well states are performing in today’s hi-tech environment. The categories include: research and development input, risk capital and entrepreneurial infrastructure, human capital investment, technology and science work force, and technology concentration and dynamism. Kentucky’s score of 32.61 – compared to a national average of 52.64 – placed it ahead of only Arkansas and Mississippi. Massachusetts, California, Colorado, Maryland and Virginia led the list, with Vermont and Tennessee showing the most improvement. Even more discouraging for Kentucky was the fact that the Commonwealth had dropped two spots from the last study, conducted in 2002. According to the report, “Places that can attract, grow and retain firms and industries proficient at deploying information technology, in addition to producing it, will be at a competitive advantage. The degree to which a state’s knowledge assets are harnessed and converted into successful innovations, products and services determine its economic future.” Though the state has invested $73 million through the Office of the New Economy since its creation in 2000, Kentucky Commissioner for the New Economy Bill Brundage explained to the Lexington Herald-Leader that other states have been focusing on the same issues – and doing more. For example, he said, Ohio is investing $1.1 billion in its new economy infrastructure over the next 10 years. The Milken study, one of the most comprehensive examinations of state technology and science assets ever undertaken, found that despite the downturn in the technology sector a couple of years ago, it remains one of the keys to economic development. “The new engine of regional economic prosperity is based upon how successful that location is in attracting and expanding science and technology assets and leveraging them for economic development,” the study said. “Science, technology and knowledge-driven innovation are critical to job and wealth creation.” PIKEVILLE
Though the Kentucky Methodist Conference was instrumental in the hospital’s operation for many years, the Conference has had little involvement in recent years and made no financial contributions in more than 30 years, according to hospital officials. Still, the two entities have been at odds over control of the hospital for the last decade. In 1999, the hospital filed suit against the Conference, which in turn filed a countersuit that alleged conflict of interest on the part of several hospital board members. A recent settlement between the two ended with the hospital paying the Conference more than $5 million and the requirement that it cease using “Methodist” as part of its name. With that dispute now wrapped up, Pikeville Medical Center President Walter E. May recently announced $25 million in new projects and services. In addition, the organization is in the final stages of a period of transition from an acute care hospital to a tertiary center, which enables the hospital to offer most of the major specialized services that patients formerly had to be transferred to larger facilities in far-away cities to receive. A new neurosurgery program is also being added. VERSAILLES Nisshin Steel has purchased a 40,000-square-foot building in Versailles with plans to begin production of stainless steel tubular products for automotive applications. Nisshin Automotive Tubing represents a joint venture between Nisshin Steel, Toyota Tsusho and Marubeni-Itochu. All three companies are headquartered in Japan. The move is a part of Nisshin Steel’s initiative to structure and upgrade overseas networks to supply automobile and auto-parts producers in North America with products and services of equal qualities as provided in Japan. The company plans to begin commercial production on July 5 and expects to employ a staff of 16 at an average wage of $15.91 per hour. The project represents a company investment of approximately $10 million. STATE
KCTCS is one of four U.S. educational institutions selected to provide faculty training and curriculum development at Kien Giang Community College, which is located in the small fishing community of Rach Gia, Vietnam. The other U.S. institutions involved include Mohawk Valley Community College in New York, Richland College of Dallas County Community College District in Texas, and Texas Tech University. The Vietnam government has identified Kien Giang Community College as being in a key position to assist new industries that are taking root in the community: building products, cement production and shipyards. “The ALO grant provides the college an excellent opportunity to introduce computers and IT systems into the community’s workforce,” Michael B. McCall, KCTCS president, said. “We are in the position to help the country’s economic development by training skilled laborers in this field.” The first phase of the 18-month project will be implemented this month, as a U.S. delegation travels to Vietnam for orientation and initial training. LOUISVILLE Louisville Mayor Jerry Abramson has announced revitalization plans for Technology Park, a 142-acre industrial park that previously served as a Naval Ordnance Station. The site has been under local government auspices since February, when the Navy transferred ownership to a city-appointed development authority. The revitalization will involve the expansion of several of the park’s existing 13 tenants as well as new retail developments that will bring additional jobs, said Abramson. Approximately 175 new jobs are being added immediately, with Raytheon, Whelan Tools, Integrated Consulting Services and Applied Surface Technology expanding and adding new investment to their operations. About 1,200 employees already are based at Technology Park. Over the next 10 years, Titan Research & Development, which is managing the park, expects to add some 1,000 more workers. New retail space will be built along the front of the park, giving a new face and feel to both the park and the surrounding neighborhood. Plans for the park also include a new 60,000 square-foot building that will be built to specification, with construction slated to begin in Spring 2005. NORTHERN KENTUCKY
To qualify for the Growth Awards, each company had to add at least 20 new jobs, increase investment by a minimum of $500,000 or expand its facilities by 20,000 square feet or more in 2003. More than 130 regional companies met or exceeded those benchmarks last year a testimony to the strength of the region, noted Danny G. Fore, president and CEO of Northern Kentucky Tri-ED, which helps sponsor the awards. FedEx Ground’s new 335,000-square-foot distribution center, scheduled to open in 2005 in Boone County, will feature the latest automated package sorting technology. At full capacity, the new hub will process up to 45,000 packages an hour and could employ a workforce topping 1,900. Toyota Motor Manufacturing North America Inc., headquartered in Erlanger, began construction last year on a 98,400-square-foot expansion of its quality and production engineering laboratory. The facility will handle warranty claims analysis, parts, components and materials testing for the company, which employs more than 8,300 workers in Northern Kentucky. The $15.6 million expansion will add 75 jobs to the Erlanger campus over the next two years. Ticona, a technical polymers subsidiary of the Celanese AG, selected Kentucky’s Boone County for the site of its North American regional headquarters because of the region’s unique ability to speed up commercialization and improve customer service. The company’s $41.3 million investment will create 150 new jobs and add 129,000 square feet to Ticona’s current facility. LEXINGTON The University of Kentucky Hospital has conducted the state’s first laparoscopic radical prostatectomy utilizing robotic instruments for the entire surgical procedure. The procedure is a minimally invasive surgical procedure used to remove the prostate in order to treat prostate cancer. Prostate cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death in men in the United States, with approximately 40,000 dying of it each year. Prostate removal is the most common procedure performed on men with prostate cancer and is typically performed through large, open surgical incisions, which often result in lengthy and uncomfortable patient recovery. “Robotic technology is an excellent addition to the minimally invasive surgical program at UK,” said Stephen Strup, M.D., associate professor of surgery and director of Minimally Invasive Urologic Surgery at UK’s College of Medicine. “The addition of the robot will allow us to continue to expand our minimally invasive program for prostate surgery as well as other urologic procedures.” The robotic system at UK allows surgeons to insert instruments through tiny ports, placed within one-centimeter incisions in the body. Surgical procedures using the robotic system require a minimum of three incisions; one for a camera and two for surgical instruments. Surgeons can rotate the instruments 360 degrees through the incisions. The robotic surgical system allows the surgeons to perform enhanced surgical procedures by translating the natural hand, wrist and finger movements on the system controls to corresponding movements of the instrument tips. UK Hospital purchased the $1,290,000 robotic system in December 2003. UK surgeons plan to use the robotic surgical system for vascular, neurological, pediatric and cardiothoracic surgical procedures. LOUISVILLE
MOREHEAD Morehead State University has achieved accreditation of its bachelor’s and master’s degree programs in business administration in its College of Business by recent action of the Board of Directors of AACSB International - The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business. To attain accreditation, business programs must satisfy the expectations of a wide range of quality standards relating to strategic management of resources, interactions of faculty and students in the educational process, and achievement of learning goals in degree programs. “This process has taken nearly six years and is a testament to the hard work and dedication of our faculty and staff,” said Dr. Robert Albert, dean of the College of Business. “As a result, today we are positioned among the most elite business programs in the world: Only 15 percent of all business colleges worldwide have passed the rigorous review process and have met the standards for AACSB accreditation.” MSU’s College of Business has 50 full-time faculty members and enrolls more than 1,200 majors at the associate, bachelor’s and master’s degree levels. It established Kentucky’s first fully online degree program with the MBA in 1999. Academic programs in the College of Business include the bachelor of business administration with options in accounting, economics, finance, management, marketing, real estate, computer information systems, business information systems, and business and information technology education. The College also manages the East Kentucky Small Business Development Center and an economics education program. It soon will begin directing the new Satellite Innovation and Commercialization Center in West Liberty. GEORGETOWN
No additions to the current 7,000-member Toyota team are expected as a result of the upgrade. The company has requested up to $25 million in tax breaks from the Kentucky General Assembly, which last year created the Kentucky Reinvestment Act in an effort to persuade Ford Motor Co. to upgrade and retain its Kentucky facilities. The law offers tax breaks to companies with more than 1,000 employees that plan to invest a minimum of $100 million in an existing facility. Additional jobs do not have to be added in order to qualify for the tax break. OHIO Earlier this year, LabOne purchased the lab operations of The Health Alliance of Greater Cincinnati for approximately $40 million. The purchase resulted in the creation of LabAlliance, Inc., a subsidiary of LabOne. The company currently employs nearly 600 people in Cincinnati. In addition to increased staffing, the expansion will include the construction of a new 140,000-square-foot building. (As of press time, a specific site had not yet been announced.) In a bid to keep the company in Ohio – LabOne had also been considering moving operations to Northern Kentucky – the Cincinnati City Council approved $2.6 million in tax breaks. INDIANA Cook Group Inc., one of the nation’s leading manufacturers of medical devices, has announced that it will make an initial investment of $45 million to develop a state-of-the-art biotech drug manufacturing facility using a portion of the former Thomson Consumer Electronics factory in Bloomington. The Bloomington-based company is teaming with the Bloomington Economic Development Corporation, local and state government agencies and some of the state’s major research universities on the project. The new company, named Cook Pharmica, LLC, will add approximately 200 jobs to the Bloomington economy during its initial start-up phase, according to Cook Pharmica President Jerry Arthur. In coming years, the company could grow to a $200 million biotech manufacturing facility with up to 600 employees occupying as much as 430,000 square feet of space within the former television manufacturing plant. “We expect construction to begin within 30 to 60 days, and the construction project should be completed by mid-2005,” said Arthur. Following construction, the facility must undergo an extensive validation review by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for approximately two years before production can begin at the new company, he added. Cook Pharmica will provide contract manufacturing services to the biotech drug industry. Using a process called mammalian cell fermentation, the company will grow batches of cells genetically engineered to produce a biopharmaceutical product such as a vaccine or drug. Those larger batches of engineered cells can then be used to produce quantities of the biotech drug needed for further testing or clinical trial use. “Our plan is to build a contract manufacturing facility that grows as demand for these products grows,” Arthur said.
Business Briefs BOWLING GREEN
DANVILLE
ELIZABETHTOWN
ELIZABETHTOWN
ERLANGER
FRANKLIN
FRANKLIN COUNTY
GREENSBURG
HIGHLAND HEIGHTS
HOPKINSVILLE
KUTTAWA
LEXINGTON
LOUISVILLE
MURRAY
NORTHERN KENTUCKY
RADCLIFF
SHELBYVILLE
SHEPHERDSVILLE
SPARTA
WESTERN KENTUCKY
STATE
INDIANA
OHIO
TENNESSEE
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Copyright 1996-2004, by Kentucky Business Online. All rights reserved. Editorial content
is copyright 2004, Lane Communications Group The Lane Report is a trademark of Lane Communications Group. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. |
In an effort to respond to the growing shortage of nurses nationwide, the University of Kentucky College of Nursing and Western Kentucky University have announced new programs aimed at alleviating the situation. 
The Kentucky Science and Technology Corporation (KSTC) has formed a new partnership with NASA that will focus on developing new technologies and knowledge as part of the emerging Moon/Mars Initiative.
Despite establishing an Office of the New Economy and efforts to position the University of Kentucky as a top research institution, Kentucky ranked 48th in the nation in a recent report ranking the progress of states in the areas of technology and science. 
Pikeville Meth-odist Hospital has changed its name to Pikeville Medical Center, in part to reflect the “comprehensive healthcare delivery system” that it now offers and also to settle an ongoing dispute with the Kentucky Methodist Conference that dates back to 1989. 
The Kentucky Community and Technical College System (KCTCS) has been awarded a $95,221 grant from the Association Liaison Office for University Cooperation in Development (ALO) to help develop an information technology workforce-training program at a Vietnamese college.
Northern Kentucky-based Ticona, Toyota Research and FedEx Ground were among nine regional companies to be honored with Cincinnati USA Partnership’s prestigious Growth Awards. The Cincinnati USA Partnership is a regional economic development initiative that unites 15 counties, three states and more than 200 public and private organizations.
Toyota Motor Manufacturing has announced plans for a $250 million upgrade of its Georgetown plant, where it produces the Camry, Avalon and Solara models.
LabOne, Inc., a Kansas-based diagnostic services provider, has announced that it will invest some $21 million to expand its medical laboratory testing operations in Cincinnati, creating some 400 new jobs over the next four years. 
The former owner of the Elizabethtown Coca-Cola Bottling Co. has announced plans for a multimillion-dollar museum to house Coca-Cola memorabilia. Bill Schmidt, whose family owned the bottling plant from 1920 until 1999, maintained a museum there until the family sold the rights in 1999. Since then, Schmidt’s collection - once valued at some $10 million - has been temporarily housed at the Elizabethtown Tourism and Convention Bureau. Prior to selling the rights to the bottling plant, Schmidt tried to spearhead a fundraising campaign to build a Coke museum, but encountered several setbacks before ultimately abandoning the plan. Schmidt said he and his wife plan to finance the new museum themselves. 
In an effort to preserve historic green space in downtown Frankfort, Buffalo Trace Distillery has acquired the nearby Blanton Family homestead – also known as The Beeches – and will make it part of the distillery grounds. The property – which includes two historic homes, an original mortar-free fence and a smokehouse – has been in the Blanton family for five generations. “We are thrilled to be able to continue to preserve this property and look forward to having it as an inviting and historic addition for our visitors and employees alike,” said Stephen Camisa, vice president of homeplace for Buffalo Trace. Buffalo Trace itself dates back to 1787 and was recently named to the National Historic Register. 
United Defense Industries Inc. has won a $43 million contract from the U.S. Department of Defense for three MOD 4 naval gun mounts. The 5”/62 caliber MK 45 MOD 4 is a fully automatic naval gun capable of supporting anti-surface, strike, fire support, and anti-air warfare missions.Sixty percent of the work will be handled by United’s Minneapolis plant with the remainder being done in Louisville, where the company has approximately 300 employees at its facility in Technology Park of Greater Louisville. The contract is expected to be completed by December 2006.
Comair will begin offering daily nonstop service between the Greater Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport and Sioux Falls, South Dakota, beginning July 29. The airline, which serves as a Delta Connection carrier, will operate three round-trip flights each day.