Tricon Global Restaurants and Lexmark International joined a list of 47 newcomers named to the 1999 Fortune 500 list, bringing Kentucky’s total to six.

Lexington-based Lexmark ranked number 486, spurred by new products and strong demand for printing, which resulted in strong revenues growth, noted Fortune.

Tricon, which pulled a number 190 ranking, is the parent company of Pizza Hut, Taco Bell and KFC. Tricon’s addition to the list gives Louisville four Fortune 500 companies; the city is also home to Humana, LG&E Energy and Vencor.

Ashland Inc. retained its position in the top half of the list in spite of a reduction in revenue due to the sale of the company’s refining business.

The Fortune 500 list is based on companies’ 1998 revenues.

Source: Fortune magazine

In a bold move that will more than double the size of the company, General Cable Corporation has agreed to acquire the assets and certain liabilities of BICC plc’s worldwide energy cable and cable systems business for approximately $440 million in cash. BICC plc, headquartered in London, England, operates one of the world’s largest energy cable businesses. The acquisition will create the third largest wire and cable company in the world and the second largest in North America. The Chase Manhattan Corp. has agreed to provide $1.1 billion in financing to fund the acquisition.

Stephen Rabinowitz, chairman, president and CEO of General Cable, noted that "BICC is well invested in manufacturing and engineering capabilities, has strong positions in its markets and manufactures superior products with strong brand recognition" that will complement General Cable. Combined, the two companies will create "incremental sales above what either company could generate separately," added Rabinowitz.

Based in Highland Heights, General Cable (NYSE: GCN) employs 4,700 employees worldwide and is a leader in the development, design, manufacture, marketing and distribution of copper, aluminum and fiber optic wire and cable products for the communications and electrical markets. The company reported 1998 sales of $1.2 billion. If approved by both U.S. and British regulators, the acquisition is expected to close next month.

General Cable’s board of directors recently approved the repurchase of up to $50 million of company stock.

The new $40 million Newport Aquarium opens its doors to the public this month, showcasing more than 11,000 animals and 600 different species in a 100,000-square-foot facility that features more than 60 exhibits. Situated on the banks of the Ohio River in Newport, the aquarium serves as the cornerstone of Newport on the Levee, a 10-acre entertainment district currently under development (scheduled for completion by Winter 2000) that will also include a 3-D IMAX theater, a 21-screen cinema, restaurants and shops.

Aquarium officials say they expect nearly 1.2 million visitors during the first year and are projecting the annual economic impact on the Northern Kentucky/Cincinnati area to be between $80 - $100 million during the first five years of operation.

Bluegrass Family Health has been fined $35,000 by the state for what State Insurance Commissioner George Nichols has termed "serious" violations involving its operations in the western portion of the state. The Lexington-based health insurance company was found guilty of providing policyholders with inaccurate lists of member physicians and violating state law by not offering Lourdes Hospital in Paducah the same contract that was offered to other hospitals in the region. The fine for providing misleading information was $30,000; $5,000 was assessed for breaking the state’s "provider law." The fine is one of the largest ordered based on consumer and provider complaints.

Bluegrass was put under investigation by the state in January following protests from physicians who claimed that the company was manipulating provider contracts to favor Western Baptist Hospital in Paducah and its physicians. Western Baptist and Bluegrass are both owned by Baptist Health Care Systems.

In a deal that has city officials beaming with delight, Paducah-based Duke and Long Distributing Company has purchased the former J.C. Penney building in downtown Paducah with plans to renovate the space to accommodate its headquarter operations.

The company purchased the property for $92,000 from the city, which in March bought the Penney building and two adjacent parking lots for $805,000 with hopes of attracting a business that would help revitalize the downtown area. City officials say they were willing to sell for a loss in order to pull in a company that would ultimately rejuvenate the sagging downtown district. The 55,000-square-foot Penney building has been vacant since 1984, when the retail chain moved its local operation to a nearby mall.

Duke and Long, which operates convenience stores in six states and is a wholesale distributor of petroleum products, plans to invest approximately $3.4 million to renovate the facility. Randy Long, president and chief executive officer of the company, has also been quoted as saying that he plans to buy two additional buildings adjacent to the Penney building to allow for future expansion.

Duke and Long is one of the largest companies headquartered in western Kentucky in terms of annual sales, with fiscal 1997 figures recorded at $99 million. The company’s recent plans to merge with Texas-based Evans Systems Inc. -- a move that would have resulted in a combined annual revenue of $350 million -- was scrapped last month after complications arose regarding an agreement of terms.

Southwire Co. has announced that it plans to sell its aluminum smelter operation in Hawesville as part of a strategic move to concentrate on its primary business of producing wire and cable for other industry.

In a statement released by the Southwire, company officials noted that, "At one time, the major metal producers controlled the price of copper and aluminum. However, base metals are now priced in an open market. Today, companies like Southwire pay the same price for metal as its competitors. The result is there is no longer a strategic advantage for a wire and cable company to be a metals producer."

Ironically, Southwire was nearing completion on a major expansion (estimated at $125 million) at the Hawesville plant, which employs approximately 800 people. The company has said, however, that it plans to keep the facility operating until a buyer is found and has also stated that it does not plan to sell its other Hancock County operation, which produces rod and cable utilizing the aluminum produced by the smelter plant.

Although the company has been embroiled in labor disputes for nearly a year, officials say that the strike situation had no bearing on its decision to sell the operation. The company also plans to sell a copper refinery near its Carrollton, Georgia headquarters.

The Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government is encouraging more people to carpool with a new program that offers a free ride home for participants who can’t meet their regularly scheduled rides. The Guaranteed Ride Home Program (GRHP) is available to anyone in the Central Kentucky area who lives or works in Fayette or Jessamine counties. Eligible areas include Anderson, Bourbon, Boyle, Clark, Estill, Fayette, Franklin, Garrard, Harrison, Jessamine, Lincoln, Madison, Mercer, Montgomery, Nicholas, Powell, Scott and Woodford counties.

The program reimburses participants the cost of a ride home up to five times a year -- using taxis for commutes of less than 25 miles or rental cars for distances over 25 miles - when certain situations make it impossible for them to ride home with their carpool.

To be eligible for the GRHP, individuals who carpool at least three days a week must register with the Lexington-Bluegrass Mobility Office. Participants are given vouchers that, when accompanied by a receipt from the taxi or rental service, allow for reimbursement. Registration forms are available in Lexington at the Central Public Library, the Lexington-Fayette Government Center, and at the W.T. Young Library, the Chandler Medical Center and the Student Government Association at the University of Kentucky. In Jessamine County, the forms are available at the Withers Memorial Public Library. For more information about the GRHP, contact 233-POOL (7665).

Toyota Motor Manufacturing North America Inc. has announced plans for a $15.4 million addition to its headquarters offices in Erlanger. The four-story addition will add another 80,000 square feet to the original building, bringing the total facility size to 258,000 square feet.

"In our two-and-a-half years in operation here, we have continued to absorb administrative functions previously performed by our parent company in Japan and our North American manufacturing companies," explained Teruyuki Minoura, president and CEO of TMMNA. "As a result, our full-time employment at Erlanger will grow to 700 team members and we have to expand existing work and meeting space."

The expansion will also allow team members who have been working in leased space in a nearby building to move to the main TMMNA building.

The announcement represents the second time TMMNA has added space to its North American manufacturing headquarters since locating there in 1996. Last year, a new laboratory opened on the site to accommodate quality and production engineering activities. With the newest expansion, which is expected to be complete by next May, Toyota’s total investment in the Erlanger office will come to more than $68 million.

In addition, the company announced last December that it would build a Midwest Parts Center in nearby Hebron for distribution of repair and service parts to dealers across the eastern portion of the country. With the completion of the TMMNA headquarters expansion and the parts center, the company will employ more than 1,500 people in the Northern Kentucky/Cincinnati area.

Faced with a 60-70 percent turnover rate on its second shift, Trim Masters Inc. has made the decision to eliminating that shift at its automobile upholstery plant and will relocate the positions to a new plant in Mexico. Company officials say the high turnover is a result of the area’s healthy economy and low unemployment rates. That combined with a 14- to 18-week training period has made it cost prohibitive to continue operating the second shift, costing the company some $3 million a year. The elimination of the second shift will result in reducing the existing 700-member workforce by nearly half. The company has emphasized, however, that there are no plans to close the Harrodsburg plant and have said that nobody will be laid off who wants a job.

Churchill Downs Inc. and Autotote Systems, Inc. have completed the merger of their Tracknet and NASRIN™ telecommunications business units. Plans for the merger were initially announced last December. The new organization, of which Churchill Downs owns 30 percent, will operate under the NASRIN™ and will be managed on a day-to-day basis by Autotote, which owns the remaining 70 percent.

More than 120 racetracks and simulcast-wagering facilities are currently linked via the NASRIN™ network and Autotote systems process approximately 65 percent of the annual North American pari-mutuel handle. Autotote systems are also in use in Mexico, Latin America, Europe, New Zealand and the Far East.

In addition to consulting, network management and long-distance services, NASRIN™ Services will provide frame-relay capabilities to customers for the transmission of simulcast wagers and other data communications applications. For racetracks, frame-relay is a high-speed, cost-effective medium through which large volumes of tote wagering data can be transferred.

Thomas Meeker, president and chief executive officer of Churchill Downs, noted that in addition to providing state-of-the-art telecommunications for the pari-mutuel industry, the merger also represents an opportunity for Churchill Downs to expand its capabilities as it continues to invest in racing-related products and services.

Churchill Downs recently adopted a proposal to increase the number of authorized shares of common stock from 20 million to 50 million, subject to shareholder approval next month.

Federal Express Corp, the Memphis-based rival of United Parcel Service, is quadrupling its Louisville sorting and distribution facility. The company has announced that it will build a new 106,000-square-foot facility on a 24-acre site leased from the Regional Airport Authority. The Authority, in turn, will lease the adjacent 25,000-square-foot facility now occupied by FedEx.

Although terms were not announced, Federal Express will finance the new construction with special interest airport bonds. The Airport Authority has allocated $10 million for the facility, including construction and sorting machinery, according to published reports.

Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has begun construction on a $40 million cogeneration plant that will utilize modern gas turbine and heat recovery technologies to produce approximately 26 megawatts of electricity and up to 500,000 pounds per hour of steam.

In addition to providing power for the company’s existing Calvert City chemicals manufacturing facility, the new plant will also generate revenue for the company. Because the amount of electricity and steam is about twice as much needed by the chemicals plant, the excess power will be available to be sold to other plants in the area, with the Tennessee Valley Authority being one potential customer.

Officials for the company, which is headquartered in Pennsylvania, say that the environmental advantages -- the process reduces air emissions -- and revenue potential are part of the company’s strategy to lower utility costs. When the new plant opens next spring, it will become one of seven cogeneration facilities operated by the company. Air Products currently relies on less efficient coal-fired boilers to product the steam needed at the Calvert City plant.

Air Products and Chemicals currently employs approximately 400 people in the Calvert City area. No significant change is expected as a result of the new facility.

The Lexington Small Business Development Center (SBDC) will be offering entrepreneurial training programs during May and June at its facility at the Lexington Central Library on East Main Street in Lexington. To register for one of the programs or to obtain additional information, call 606/257-7667 or toll-free, 888/475-SBDC.

May Programs:

• Pre-Business Orientation

• Developing a Business Plan

• Tax Workshop for Small Business (Parts I & II)

• Planning a Better Web Site

• Building a Better Web Site

• Basic Record-Keeping & Accounting

• Tip Reporting

June Programs:

• Tax Tips, Techniques and Traps

• Staking Your Claim on the World Wide Web

• Pre-Business Orientation

• Hiring, Firing & Managing Employees

• Advertising & Marketing for Small Business Owners

• Get that Business Loan

ANDERSON COUNTY

• Anderson County has received a community block grant of $962,000 from the state to help fund the expansion of service by the South Anderson Water District. The proposed project would extend drinking water lines approximately 44 miles and add 342 households.

ASHLAND

• The Ashland City Commission has approved a controversial 1.5 percent payroll tax that will go into effect July 1. Community leaders are concerned that the new tax will make it harder to recruit new business and retain existing companies.

• Although the school district has not yet committed to privatizing student transportation, the Ashland Board of Education is moving forward in that direction with a 3-1 vote to accept Laidlaw Transit Inc.’s bid for transportation services. Laidlaw is now drafting a proposed contract, which the board may or may not accept.

BARDSTOWN

• Station WGRB, based in Campbellsville, will build a new five-million-watt tower in Bardstown to begin broadcasting into the Louisville market, pending approval by the Federal Communications Commission. The station is owned by Kentucky Heartland Television of Bardstown and carries the WB network. WGRB will replace the current Louisville WB affiliate, WBNA of Louisville, when that station converts to the PAX -TV network in July.

BOWLING GREEN

• Triad Industries has been forced to file for bankruptcy and lay off all 70 employees after negotiations to sell the company fell through. Triad opened in 1997, specializing in chrome finishes for plastic automobile parts.

CALVERT CITY

• LWD Inc., an environmental management company, and its union workers -- members of the Paper, Allied-Industrial, Chemical and Energy Workers International Union (PACE) -- have agreed to a three-year contract, a move that represents the first labor contract in the company’s history. Since the early ‘80s, there have been four failed attempts by various union groups to organize at LWD, which employs approximately 230 people.

CAMPBELLSVILLE

• Hillenbrand Industries has announced plans to close its Batesville Casket Co. operations in Campbellsville, where the company employs 192 workers. The closing is expected to occur later this quarter. Company officials say employees will be offered jobs at other company factories.

COVINGTON

• Civic and education leaders in Covington are talking to business and community officials to gather support for the development of a new community college in Northern Kentucky, the largest area of the state currently without a two-year college. The plan would ultimately have to be approved by the state’s General Assembly before actual development of the project could be pursued.

FLORENCE

• Ris Paper Co. has completed its purchase of Johnston Paper Co., of Cincinnati, for an undisclosed amount. Ris, one of the largest privately held paper distributors in the country with annual revenues of more than $600 million and 26 distribution sites, will operate Johnston as a branch of its Midwest region.

GALLATIN COUNTY

• Ford Motor Co. and uniform supplier Cintas Corp. have become the first corporate sponsors to sign on with the $152 million Kentucky Speedway being developed in Gallatin County. As the official vehicle manufacturer, Ford will supply pace cars and other cars and trucks for track personnel. Cintas will be the official uniform supplier for track personnel and for the majority of racing apparel that will be sold at the race complex’s gift shop. The 65,000-seat track is slated to open next May.

GRAHAM

• Ensign-Bickford Co., which specializes in the manufacturing and engineering of explosive initiation systems, has been awarded a $8.6 million defense contract for 100 test units of a two-man, mine-clearing system. More than 80 percent of the project will be handled at the Connecticut-based company’s Graham facility (in Muhlenberg County), which will mean job security for 112 workers and the addition of 10 to 20 more people.

HARRODSBURG

• Although Corning, Inc.’s ophthalmic lens division has struggled over the last couple of years, the company has seen an unexpected surge in demand for its liquid crystal display (LCD) product and is now preparing to hire approximately 30 people for its LCD division by the end of the year.

HEBRON

• AmeriServe Food Distribution Inc. has expanded its Hebron distribution center to accommodate its consolidation with the AmeriServe center in Indianapolis. The Hebron center, which employs 190 people, distributes food and supplies to 1,250 fast food operations including Arby’s, KFC, Pizza Hut and Taco Bell.

HENDERSON

• Accuride Corporation, a manufacturer and supplier of wheels for trucks and trailers, has acquired Kaiser Aluminum & Chemical Corp.’s 50 percent share of AKW L.P. for $70 million. AKW was created in 1997 as a joint venture between Kaiser and Accuride to design, manufacture and sell heavy-duty aluminum wheels.

LEXINGTON

• Discount retailer Meijer is paying $10.7 million for Fayette County property near Fayette Mall, on which it plans spend an additional $12 million to build a 215,000-square-foot superstore scheduled to open next summer. The Michigan-based company also plans to open a third Lexington store on the city’s north side.

• The board of directors of the Greater Lexington Chamber of Commerce has stated that it is in support of the construction of a water pipeline from Louisville to Lexington, an issue that has proven to be controversial in recent months. The Chamber’s official position states that a pipeline "is the least-cost, most reliable option, which would also serve as an important alternative source for all water users in Central Kentucky." The Chamber is also supporting the "continued upgrading of the lock and dam system of the Kentucky River to protect our primary water supply."

• The University of Kentucky has received a $400,000 grant from the Max Kade Foundation to establish a German cultural center that will serve as a resource for UK students, high school German teachers and Kentucky businesses with German connections. The foundation was created by Max Kade, a prominent German-American businessman.

LONDON

• Drawn by the prospect of above-average wages (beginning at $7.50 per hour) and company-provided benefits, some 1,800 people turned up at a recent job fair to apply for positions at Renaissance Bankcard Services’ new customer service call center in London. The center is scheduled to open this summer and the company anticipates hiring up to 500 employees over the course of the next three years.

LOUISVILLE

• The Kentucky State Fair Board has voted to request approximately $100 million in bonds from the state’s General Assembly (scheduled to meet next year) to help fund an expansion project that would essentially double the size of the Kentucky Fair & Exposition Center’s South Wing. Long-range plans call for the renovation of the East Wing and East Hall of the Center as well.

• In a $170 million stock swap, ResCare Inc., the nation’s largest provider of services for the mentally and developmentally disabled, has bought PeopleServe Inc., a Dublin, Ohio company that is its next largest competitor. The acquisition is part of an aggressive growth plan that involved the purchase of 20 other companies during the course of 1998.

• ThermoView Industries Inc., a Louisville-based window company, has acquired Thermo-Shield Company Inc., a Wheeling, Illinois company that distributes, installs and services vinyl windows and siding. ThermoView has acquired or merged with 14 companies since it became a publicly-held company just over 12 months ago and is anticipating sales in excess of $120 million this year.

• Greenebaum Doll & McDonald PLLC, a Louisville-based regional law firm, has opened a new office in Frankfort, bringing its total number of offices in the Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana and Tennessee region to six.

• Healthcare Recoveries Inc., which provides health insurance subrogation and other recovery services for private healthcare payors, has announced plans to buy back up to $10 million of the company’s common stock.

• Louisville-based Tumbleweed, Inc. has announced that it is making 776,000 shares of its common stock available at $10 per share, trading on the OTC Bulletin Board under TWED. The net proceeds from the sale will be used for debt reduction and development of new restaurants, which specialize in Southwestern-style food. The company currently has 44 restaurants throughout the U.S., Germany, Jordan and Saudi Arabia.

• The Regional Airport Authority is soliciting proposals for a new hotel to be built near Louisville International Airport. Construction could begin by the middle of 2000, opening with at least 250 rooms and growing as needed.

• LG&E Energy Corp. has reached an agreement with the state to reduce electricity bills by $52 million over the next five years. The plan, which goes into effect July 1, will benefit customers in Louisville and Lexington. LG&E recently acquired 28 percent of Invergas, S.A., the majority owner of GasBAN, Argentina’s second largest gas company. The deal is LG&E’s third major investment in the Argentine gas distribution market.

• Standard and Poor’s Information Services has placed Papa John’s International (PZZA) on the S&P MidCap 400 Index, replacing ASA Holdings, which was recently acquired by Delta Air Lines.

MIDDLESBORO

• Civic Development Group (CDB) , a New Jersey-based teleservices company, has set up its first Kentucky call center in Middlesboro, where it has hired 150 teleservice representatives.

MOREHEAD

• As of this coming fall, Morehead State University will become the first school in the state to offer its complete master of business administration degree online. About half of the classes in the MBA program are already available online, which has drawn students not only from Morehead’s 22-county service area, but also students living overseas.

NORTHERN KENTUCKY

• The Northern Kentucky Chamber of Commerce has joined with area schools, employers and state officials to form a Workforce Development Collaborative in response to a recent Chamber study indicating that the region is facing a worker shortage, in terms of both sheer numbers and skill level. The study estimates that with the number of jobs created by existing area companies combined with companies expected to locate in the region, Northern Kentucky could be gaining 56,000 jobs over the next eight years.

• DHL Airways has begun construction on its new North American hub facility at the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport, where it is moving from 36 acres on the north side of the facility to 150 acres on the south end of the airport. The new facility is being built to house a $30 million -plus sorting system for DHL, which ranks as the world’s largest air-express courier. The company’s Cincinnati hub handles more than 75 percent of DHL’s domestic cargo.

• Forward Quest, a non-profit group organized to help plan growth in the Northern Kentucky region, has tapped John Vissman, a fund-raiser and consultant to non-profit organizations, to lead planning efforts for a light-rail system that would run from the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport north to Paramount’s King’s Island. Forward Quest is among the local groups working with the federal government to investigate the feasibility of such a system.

OWENSBORO

• Green River Steel Corp., which has suffered the effects of a depressed international steel market, has been acquired for an undisclosed sum by The Reserve Group of Akron, Ohio. The Reserve Group operates 11 other steel mills under various company names.

• A decision by the U.S. Court of Appeals has upheld an earlier finding by the National Labor Relations Board that Norman King Electric violated the National Labor Relations Act by discriminating against six job applicants and firing two employees due to union sympathies. The NLRB decision stated that prospective employees were questioned about where they had worked before and their opinions regarding an International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers business agent.

• Owensboro Mercy Health System, HealthSouth Corp. and a group of some 20 Owensboro surgeons have formed a partnership to develop a new outpatient surgery center. Owensboro Mercy will be the controlling partner, with ownership of 55 percent of the center. HealthSouth will own 25 percent; the surgeons’ group will hold the remaining 20 percent.

• BellSouth has released 20 of its operators at its Owensboro toll center and will lay off another 33 by the end of June, most of whom have been with the company 25 years or more, earning an average of $16 per hour. Though the company plans to hire 60 new operators at the national directory assistance center, located in Owensboro, the average wage for those positions is $8 per hour. Company officials say the changes are a result of increased competition and automation in the telecommunications industry.

PADUCAH

• Kentucky Senators Jim Bunning and Mitch McConnell and Congressman Ed Whitfield were among the federal lawmakers signing a letter addressed to U.S. Energy Secretary William Richardson, urging the Department of Energy (DOE) to move more quickly in building uranium recycling plants in Paducah and Portsmouth, Ohio. The two cities currently are home to plants operated by USEC, Inc. a gaseous diffusion plant operator that is cutting hundreds of jobs in order to attain a more competitive posture. The recycling plants are seen as a way to offset the two communities’ loss of jobs.

• Service Script, Inc., a Paducah-based distributor of pharmaceuticals and medical supplies, plans to begin construction later this year on a new headquarters facility and processing center in Paducah’s Information Age Park. Service Script primarily deals with respiratory and diabetic medications, but also markets and sells insurance and billing services, a sector of the company’s business that is targeted for expansion. The company employs 20 people in Paducah, in addition to nearly 50 sales representatives throughout the country, and expects to hire more when it moves into the new facility.

PIKEVILLE

• Pikeville Methodist Hospital has filed a lawsuit against the Kentucky Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church over issues involving ownership of hospital property and the appointment of members to the hospital’s board of directors.

• After laying off 32 people in January, Mountain Top Baking has been forced to cut 11 more employees and anticipates having to let go of more in the coming months. Company officials blame the situation on a loss of contracts and the shutdown of a production line while new machinery is being installed to handle products the plant has not previously handled, such as a new brand of Kellogg’s Pop-Tarts. The company expects, however, to bring most employees back by January 2000.

SHELBYVILLE