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FAST LANE - July
2003
HOPKINSVILLE
Carton Manufacturer Brings 175 New Jobs to Kentucky
 One
of the nation’s largest carton manufacturers has purchased a vacant
manufacturing facility in Hopkinsville, where the company expects to
hire approximately 175 workers.
Texas-based Paris
Packaging will operate out of the 119,000-square-foot plant that was
left vacant when International Paper shut down earlier this year, leaving
some 300 workers jobless.
Like International
Paper, Paris Packaging produces cartons used by the food-service industry.
However, where International Paper suffered from slow demand for its
product, Paris Packaging has seen increased sales and the need to expand
beyond its existing plant capacity. International Paper’s Hopkinsville
plant and its equipment turned out to be the perfect answer for Paris,
which will also install new equipment to meet its needs.
Paris’ primary
clients include AFC Enterprises Inc., the Atlanta-based parent of the
Church’s and Popeye’s chicken chains, Cinnabon bakeries and
Seattle’s Best coffee. The company also produces pet-food cartons
and department store gift boxes.
BOWLING GREEN
Kobe Steel to Invest up to $32M for New Aluminum Plant
Kobe Steel, Ltd.,
one of Japan’s largest steelmakers and producers of aluminum and
copper products, is joining with Mitsui & Co., Ltd. and Toyota Tsusho
Corporation to construct a $32.7 million plant in Bowling Green that
will manufacture aluminum forgings used in automobile suspension systems.
The plant will be
run by Kobe Aluminum Automotive Products LLC, a joint venture established
by the three companies to better meet the growing market for automotive
aluminum forgings in North America.
The 108,000-square-foot
plant will be located on approximately 33 acres in Bowling Green’s
South Industrial Park. Construction is expected to begin next month
and be in full operation by June 2005. Company officials anticipate
hiring approximately 80 employees with wages in the range of $15 per
hour. Annual sales are forecast to reach $25 million by the second year
of operation.
Company officials
said they settled on the Bowling Green site in part because of its proximity
to other automobile facilities in the region.
State incentives
for Kobe could amount to nearly $3.8 million over 10 years, with the
stipulation that the company is profitable.
NICHOLASVILLE
Retail Development Projected to be Region's Largest
Nicholasville developer
Jim Hughes has purchased approximately 93 acres of property near the
Fayette/Jessamine county line with plans to begin the first phase of
what is projected to be one of the largest retail and office developments
in the region.
With a total investment
in excess of $12 million, the purchase ranks as the largest property
transaction in the history of Jessamine County, said Hughes.
The proposed project
has created an intense debate among area residents, with those in favor
pointing to the economic boost the development will provide. Opponents
claim the project is not in compliance with the country’s comprehensive
plan.
The first phase
of development will feature five national retailers, a Farmers Bank
branch office, Traxx Oil Co., Oak Express, Dairy Queen, a multi-screen
cinema and an assortment of national retail shops. The first stores
are slated to open next spring.
The development
is projected to create some 700 new jobs with an estimated payroll of
$38 million and provide Jessamine County with nearly $1.5 billion in
property taxes.
RICHMOND
EKU Business Program Earns Accreditation
 Eastern
Kentucky University’s business administration program has gained
the distinction of being among the top business schools in the nation
with the recent announcement of accreditation by the Association to
Advance Collegiate Schools Business International (AACSB).
Institutions earn
accreditation by the AACSB only after being put through a rigorous and
comprehensive peer review that assesses a wide range of quality standards
related to strategic management of resources, interactions of faculty
and students in the educational process, and achievement of learning
goals in degree programs. Only 17 percent of the nation’s business
schools have earned the AACSB certificate.
“This accreditation
sends a strong signal to the business community that our business programs
meet the highest standards and adds tremendous value to our students’
degrees,” said EKU President Joanne Glasser.
CORBIN
High-Tech Company Plans Main Manufacturing Facility
in Corbin
NucSafe, a high
technology company specializing in scientific instrumentation and components,
has announced plans to build its main manufacturing facility in Corbin.
The Oak Ridge, Tennessee
company manufactures radiation measurement systems for the nuclear safeguards
industry and for law enforcement and federal agencies charged with providing
nuclear safety and protecting public security.
NucSafe’s plans
call for 10,000 square feet to be built initially and another 25,000
square feet added within the next two years. It is expected that 34
jobs will be created within the first two years, with a $1.7 million
investment. NucSafe officials said the possibility also exists to add
more than 100 new jobs in upcoming years.
The company will
lease a building in Tri-County Industrial Park for the first 12 months,
with construction of the permanent facility expected to begin by March
2004. The facility is expected to be complete no later than March 2005.
NucSafe’s products
are based on an innovative and patented neutron-sensitive scintillating
glass fiber (trademarked PUMA), designed to detect small quantities
of plutonium and other neutron-emitting radionuclides.
Demand for the company’s
products have grown tremendously since the events of September 11, said
Dr. Rick Seymour, president and founder of NucSafe.
Seymour described
his decision to locate in Corbin as mutually beneficial to his company
and the community. “Establishing a manufacturing facility for our
products in the Corbin area provides access to a diverse workforce and
enhances our capabilities to respond to rapidly growing market.”
NEWPORT
Aquarium Launches Expansion to Add Exhibits, Boost
Attendance
NORTHERN KENTUCKY
Cincinnati/N. Kentucky Airport Earns Top Ranking from
Frequent Travelers
 The
Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport (CVG) has been rated
the No. 1 U.S. airport and one of the top 10 worldwide in a survey of
international travelers.
The ranking, published
by the International Air Transport Association, is based on surveys
of 70,000 passengers who compared more than 50 major airports worldwide.
IATA’s annual survey rates airports in more than two dozen categories
of service and convenience, including ease of connections, comfort of
waiting lounges and quality of food service.
Since 1994, travelers
have consistently named CVG one of the best airports in the world in
surveys by IATA, ACNielsen, OAG Worldwide and Regional Airline World
magazine. Last year, frequent travelers from 77 nations rated CVG the
No. 2 U.S. airport in a report published by London-based Skytrax Research.
“Customer service
has always been one of our highest priorities. So to see our airport
consistently ranked so highly is very gratifying,” said Robert
F. Holscher, the airport’s director of aviation. “It reflects
our passenger-friendly design and the dedication of our employees.”
Cincinnati serves
more than 20 million passengers a year and is predicted by the Federal
Aviation Administration to remain one of the fastest-growing major airports
in the U.S. over the next 10 years. CVG currently offers more than 600
daily departures to 120 cities.
STATE
McConnell Honored for Support of U.S. Manufacturing
Companies
 Kentucky
Senator Mitch McConnell has been awarded the National Association of
Manufacturers Award for Manufacturing Legislative Excellence. The award
was presented to McConnell in recognition of his consistent support
of American manufacturers and their employees.
The award is given
by the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM), one of the nation’s
largest and most influential business groups, to senators and representatives
who have demonstrated support for a pro-growth, pro-manufacturing, pro-working
agenda through their voting records on key legislation that affects
the manufacturing community.
“Senator McConnell’s
voting record shows a true understanding of manufacturing’s key
role in the strength of our economy and a willingness to cast the critical
votes that will boost competitiveness, job creation and prosperity for
working Americans,” said Dennis Cuneo, senior vice president of
Toyota Motor Manufacturing North America.
Key manufacturing
votes for the 107th Congress include tax cuts, trade expansion and economic
stimulus, among others.
STATE
Kentucky Cities Rank Among Forbes' Best Places
for Business
 It
seems that Kentucky cities are gaining a national reputation as good
places in which to do business these days.
In recent report
done by Forbes magazine entitled “The Best Places for Business
and Careers,” both Lexington and Louisville were included, with
Lexington landing an impressive No. 14 ranking and Louisville placing
71st. Owensboro received kudos as well, ranking 59th on Forbes’
listing of “Best Small Places for Business and Careers.”
In addition to average
income and job growth, the analysts conducting the research also looked
at the cost of doing business (factoring in the price of labor, energy,
taxes and office space), crime rates, housing costs and net migration.
When the analysts
focused entirely on the cost of doing business, Lexington was ranked
at No. 4, with Louisville close behind at No. 13.
Austin, Texas was
named as the top spot in nation in which to do business, with Tulsa,
Oklahoma ranked as the most cost-efficient location.
LOUISVILLE
Thoroughbred Technologies Is One of Nation's 'Hot
100' Small Companies
Thoroughbred Technologies,
a Louisville business that specializes in remanufacturing computer ink
cartridges, is the sole Kentucky company to be named to Entrepreneur
magazine’s “Hot 100,” a listing of the nation’s
100 fastest-growing small businesses.
Owners Mark and
Tim Appleberry launched the business in July 2000 with an initial investment
of $2 million. The company now has 55 employees and saw 2002 sales of
nearly $3 million.
In order to be considered
for the “Hot 100” listing, the company must:
- Meet the U.S.
Small Business Administration’s definition of a small business
(which varies by industry).
- Company founders
must own a controlling interest in the business and be actively involved
in its daily operations.
- The business
must have been founded no earlier than 2000.
- Annual sales
must exceed $1 million.
Thoroughbred Technologies
ranked 97 on the list and was also included on last year’s list
at No. 86.
STATE
$100,000 Toyota Grant Boosts Efforts to Teach Workforce
Skills
A new non-profit
organization will train Kentucky schools and businesses to teach problem-solving
and teamwork skills to students and employees with the help of a $100,000
grant from Toyota Motor Manufacturing Kentucky, Inc.
The Center for Quality
People and Organizations will carry on the work started in 1998 by QUEST,
a partnership between Toyota’s auto manufacturing plant in Scott
County and the Scott County Public Schools. The Center for Quality People
and Organizations, an independent non-profit organization, will expand
the reach of QUEST throughout Kentucky and expects to become self-sustaining
within five years. The Toyota grant will help the center develop marketing
materials, conduct research, and expand programs to attract more clients.
Because the center
works with both schools and businesses, it is in a unique position to
bridge the traditional gap between the skills students possess when
they graduate from high school or college and the skills employees actually
need.
“Our goal is
to stay ahead of the curve on the changing needs of the workplace so
that we can coordinate our services to educators and employers,”
said Mike Hoseus, executive director of the center.
In addition to working
with school districts, the center also trains employers in how to build
teamwork and productivity among employees. For more information about
training opportunities, contact Hoseus at (502) 867-3993 or visit www.questlearningskills.org.
LOUISVILLE
Tumbleweed Directors Approve Plan to Buy Out Small
Investors
 The
board of directors of Tumbleweed Inc., a chain of restaurants specializing
in Southwestern-style fare, has approved a plan to buy out investors
who currently hold less than 5,000 shares in the Louisville-based company.
The directors have
approved a proposed one-for-5000 reverse stock split to be followed
immediate by a 5000-for-one forward stock split. If approved by the
Securities and Exchange Commission, the transaction would reduce the
number of shareholders from around 1,000 to approximately 120.
With that small
number of shareholders, the company will no longer be required to file
a public report of finances, essentially making the company a privately
held entity. Glennon F. Mattingly, the company’s chief financial
officer, has said that with the current state of the economy, there
is no advantage to being a public company if Wall Street has no interest
in the stock. It costs the company some $350,000 to compile reports
and other filings involved in being a publicly held firm.
Tumbleweed currently
has more than 61 restaurants across the U.S., Germany, Jordan, Egypt,
Turkey and England.
BOWLING GREEN
WKU Develops Customized Online Degree Program for
Weyerhaeuser
 Western
Kentucky University and Weyerhaeuser Corporation are thinking outside
the box with a new online degree program for employees that will effectively
train them to better lead the company.
Last month, a group
of approximately 20 Weyerhaeuser employees began taking classes in an
online associate’s degree program in a partnership with Western’s
Bowling Green Community College and the university’s new Division
of Extended Learning and Outreach.
Weyerhaeuser, which
has two box-manufacturing facilities and a technical education center
in Bowling Green, was looking for a way to expand educational access
for its employees, especially those in leadership positions.
Bowling Green Community
College agreed to develop a customized, 64-credit hour online version
of its business technology degree with a concentration in manufacturing
management.
“This program
is a good opportunity to develop the future leaders for our company,”
said Anthony Garcia, director at Weyerhaeuser’s Technical Education
Center. The company provides technical training at its Bowling Green
center, but the agreement with Western will provide supervisors with
a manufacturing management curriculum.
Weyerhaeuser employees
will take three courses each semester and should complete the program
in two years. The company launched a leadership program to identify
students and already has 140 employees interested.
The company and
Western hope the associate’s program will grow to a bachelor’s
and master’s program for employees. The program could expand to
the 45,000 employees in Weyerhaeuser’s other divisions.
The company, which
offers tuition and textbook reimbursements of 80 percent, will sponsor
some of the student employees. Those students selected for company sponsorship
will be provided with a laptop, Internet access and educational software.
LOUISVILLE
Atria Announces Merger, Plans to Move Headquarters
to California
Atria, Inc. has
announced plans to merge with another assisted living company and will
move its headquarter operations from Louisville to California following
the completion of the merger early next year.
Both Atria and California-based
ARV Assisted Living are affiliates of New York-based Prometheus Assisted
Living LLC.
The newly-merged
company will work under the name Atria Senior Living Group and will
operate 135 assisted living facilities in 26 states.
The merger will
involve relocating approximately 50 jobs from Louisville to California.
Those employees opting not to relocate will be given a “very generous”
package, said company officials. About 40 jobs will remain in Louisville,
including positions in sales and marketing, creative services, human
resources, legal, maintenance and engineering.
Atria began in 1996
as a spin-off company from Vencor Inc.
LONDON
New Company to Employ Up to 350 to Handle Homeland
Security Calls
 A
new company that will handle incoming calls for the nation’s Highway
Watch program is expected to bring as many as 350 jobs to London.
The Highway Watch
program is a national road safety and security initiative that was created
to provide anti-terrorism protection to the trucking industry.
New employees of
London-based Senture will take calls from professional truck drivers
who have been trained to spot suspicious activities along the U.S. roadways.
Those calls will be routed to the Senture facility, which will then
process them into the nation’s Homeland Security system. Twenty-three
states and more than 4,000 drivers currently participate in the program.
The new company
is headed by Bill Deaton, president and founder of London-based Image
Entry, a data and document management company that employs more than
1,000 workers in Kentucky and Indiana. Deaton also heads Order Resource,
a London company that provides third-party merchandise ordering and
handling services.
PADUCAH
Computer Services Inc. Acquires North Carolina Technology
Firm
Computer Services,
Inc., one of the top five bank processing companies in the nation, has
acquired ATTUS Technologies, Inc., a privately-held company headquartered
in Charlotte, North Carolina.
ATTUS is a leading provider of technology-based compliance solutions
for banks, credit unions, insurance companies and securities firms.
Terms of the acquisition were not disclosed.
The ATTUS management and entire employee group will remain in Charlotte
and operate as an independent subsidiary of CSI.
TENNESSEE
Quanta Computer Establishes U.S. Headquarters in Nashville
Quanta Computer,
a Taiwan computer company, has announced plans to establish a new file
server manufacturing and distribution facility in Nashville.
Quanta will invest
approximately $7 million to begin operations in an existing building
at the Interchange Business Park, where it will manufacture, test and
distribute file servers. The facility is expected to be operational
by September and will serve as the company’s U.S. manufacturing
and distribution headquarters.
The plant will initially
employ 50 workers and is expected to grow to 500 by the end of three
years.
Quanta, headquartered
in Taipei, Taiwan, is the world’s leading producer of notebook
computers, boasting 24 percent of the world market. The company also
produces servers, LCD panels, LCD TVs and monitors, optical storage
devices and network products. Apple, Dell, Gateway, Hewlett-Packard
and Sony are among Quanta’s customers.
OHIO
Federated Adds Macy's Name to Regional Department
Stores
 Federated
Department Stores, Inc. has announced a broad national strategy to couple
its high-profile Macy’s name with all of the company’s regional
department stores in a move to more fully leverage the Macy’s moniker.
“By layering
the powerful Macy’s national brand onto Federated’s strong
divisional operations and regional nameplates – the Bon Marche,
Burdines, Lazarus and Goldsmith’s – we not only will be able
to fully capitalize nationally on the Macy’s brand for the first
time, but will be able to operate more efficiently as a company,”
explained Terry Lundgren, president and chief executive officer of Federated.
Beginning August
1, the regional stores will be known as Lazarus-Macy’s, The Bon-Macy’s
and Goldsmith’s-Macy’s. Burdine’s will not make the changeover
until February of next year.
The change includes
a new central marketing function, which is being created to support
the national Macy’s branding strategy.
Lundgren added that
the decision was based on the high level of success the company experienced
when the Rich’s-Macy’s nameplate integration was initiated
earlier this year in Georgia, South Carolina and Alabama.
Federated, with
corporate offices in Cincinnati and New York, is one of the nation’s
leading department store retailers, with annual sales of more than $15.4
billion.
Business
Briefs
BOWLING GREEN
- Production and
maintenance employees at Renaissance Mark have approved a union affiliation
with the Teamsters Local 89 by a vote of 71 to 34. Renaissance Mark,
which employs approximately 120 workers (including management), manufactures
product labels.
CAMPBELLSVILLE
- Campbellsville
University trustees have approved three construction and renovation
projects amounting to $7 million. Projects include a new dining hall
and student service building, a new addition to the existing women’s
residence village and the renovation of North Hall.
CORBIN
- Local voters
have approved a measure that allows alcohol sales by the drink in
Corbin restaurants that seat at 100 or more customers and draw at
least 70 percent of their business from food sales.
ELKTON
- Hopkinsville
Wood Products, a Dawson Springs, Ky. company that manufactures wood-trimmed
lighting fixtures, has announced plans to open a new plant in Elkton.
The company will occupy space that formerly housed C.F.I. Manufacturing
and American Heritage Oak Factory. The new operation will create more
than 50 jobs, representing an annual payroll of $1 million.
FULTON
- Ferry-Morse Seed
Company has acquired the sales, marketing and distribution rights
to Jiffy Garden Products America, an Illinois company that produces
container gardening equipment and fertilizers. The acquisition gives
Ferry-Morse 60 percent of the nation’s seed-starting market.
Ferry-Morse currently employs 200 at its Fulton plant and expects
to add more than 20 new jobs as a result of the deal with Jiffy.
HOPKINS COUNTY
- Citing a lack
of firm sales commitments, Alliance Resource Partners has laid off
90 miners at its two Hopkins County Coal surface mines near Madisonville.
An additional 16 positions are slated to be cut next month, leaving
fewer than a dozen employees to handle the remaining mine reclamation
work.
LEXINGTON
- The University
of Kentucky has officially unveiled its new Plant Science Building,
home to the university’s departments of agronomy and plant pathology.
Research already under way includes the development of disease-resistant
and higher-yielding plants, improved seed quality, prevention of forage
toxins, pathogen control with less use of chemical pesticides, and
bioengineering of plants, which is a growing segment of Kentucky’s
economy. From this research, applied findings are provided through
the UK Cooperative Extension Service to farmers, who then use that
information to improve the profitability of their crops.
- The Unified Banking
Co. has been acquired by Indiana-based Blue River Bancshares Inc.
for $8.2 million in cash. Lexington-based Unified, which has approximately
$82 million in assets, will operate as an independent subsidiary of
Blue River Bancshares.
- In a recent ranking
of the nation’s 125 medical schools conducted by the National
Institute of Health, the University of Kentucky’s Department
of Surgery was named 16th among NIH-funded public medical schools.
The department ranked 25th among all medical schools, public and private.
Dr. Emery Wilson, dean of the UK College of Medicine, noted that the
NIH ranking not only recognizes the university’s achievements
but also helps attract and retain top students and faculty.
LOUISVILLE
- Genlyte Thomas
Group LLC, a leading manufacturer of lighting fixtures and controls,
has acquired a portion of the assets of California-based Shakespeare
Industrial Group for $19 million. The purchase encompasses Shakespeare’s
Newberry, S.C. and Largo, Fla. plants, which produce an array of decorative,
commercial and utility light poles, transmission and distribution
poles, crossarms and other composite operations.
- Software developer
Advanced Imaging Concepts has won approval for up to $570,000 in incentives
from the state for an expansion that will add 15 jobs at an average
salary of $54,000. AIC specializes in medical records programming
for physician practices.
- Brown & Williamson
Tobacco Corp. has lost a $19 million federal court case brought against
it by the family of a woman who died of lung cancer in 1999 after
smoking unfiltered Pall Mall cigarettes for 36 years. The case charged
that prior to 1969, when warning labels were placed on packaging,
Brown & Williamson did not effectively caution against the dangers
of smoking and that the B&W product was defective. The case is
significant in that it is the first such case to be tried in Arkansas;
such judgments have in the past tended to come from juries on the
West Coast, say experts. B&W does plan to appeal.
- In response to
an air-quality report indicating increasing health risks in the Louisville
area, American Synthetic Rubber Co., Rohn and Haas Co. and Zeon Chemical
have agreed to alter the ways in which they manufacture their products
and/or improve pollution controls. All three companies are in Louisville’s
Rubbertown area, located on the city’s west side.
- The newly merged
Louisville-Jefferson County Metro Government has resulted in the elimination
of 660 jobs, including 520 positions that were already vacant. The
cuts are expected to bring a savings of approximately $10 million
in the next budget year.
- YUM! Brands plans
to move its payroll operation in New Mexico to the company’s
Louisville accounting facility, bringing 60 jobs and $2.7 million
in payroll to the area. YUM! employees in New Mexico are being offered
relocation packages.
- First Residential
Mortgage Network Inc. has received $1.2 million from the state to
expand its Internet-based lending business. The expansion will add
more than 155 jobs with an average salary of $56,000. Company officials,
who had considered relocating company operations to the West Coast,
said the tax credits offered by the state of Kentucky played a large
role in their decision to remain in Louisville.
- Unable to pay
its musicians or creditors, The Louisville Orchestra has filed for
Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection and is currently working on a reorganization
plan. Orchestra officials said opting for Chapter 11 – versus
other forms of bankruptcy – not only allows the orchestra to
keep playing as it works to restructure its budget but also preserves
its endowment income.
- National Processing
Co. has purchased all the outstanding shares of credit card processor
Bridgeview Payment Solutions for $32.3 million, paying for the acquisition
with existing cash balances. Bridgeview currently processes for 28,000
merchants and generated approximately $1 billion in credit card sales
in 2002. National Processing estimates that the transaction will generate
approximately $20 million in annual revenue and will have minimal
impact to its earnings for the remainder of 2003.
- Churchill Downs
Inc. and real estate developer Charles Betters have announced a definitive
agreement to develop a proposed Thoroughbred racetrack in Pittsburgh.
Under the agreement, Churchill Downs would assist in the development
of Pittsburgh Palisades Park and would manage the racetrack’s
operations. The park currently has an application pending before the
Pennsylvania Horse Racing Commission for a license to operate the
track.
MANCHESTER
- Memorial Hospital
in Manchester has closed its second-floor nursing home unit, citing
mounting financial losses. Hospital President Dennis Meyers said the
freezing of Medicare/Medicaid payments combined with rising costs
and increased facility taxes all played a role in the unit’s
demise. The closure requires 16 long-term patients to find a new facility
to accommodate their needs.
MARION
- Crittenden Hospital
has launched a $5.4 million expansion project that involves the addition
of 14,000 square feet of space and the renovation of another 14,000
square feet. Hospital officials are hoping the enhanced facilities
will also help attract new physicians to the area and have implemented
a plan to identify those interested in working in a small-town setting.
NORTHERN KENTUCKY
- The board of
regents of the Kentucky Community and Technical College System have
authorized Gateway Community and Technical College to begin offering
two associate degrees, allowing students to apply their coursework
toward bachelor degrees at four-year colleges and universities. The
new associate in arts and associate in science degrees represent Gateway’s
first offerings in the liberal arts/university transfer area. Gateway
currently has three campuses in the Northern Kentucky area and is
in the process of building a fourth.
OWENSBORO
- Atlanta-based
Home Depot has paid $2.28 million for a 33-acre site in Owensboro,
where it plans to build a new store that is expected to open early
next year. The company plans to hire up to 180 workers to staff the
new store.
- The Owensboro
Mercy Health System is now under the sole ownership of ODCH Inc.,
a non-profit health corporation that has held majority interest in
the Owensboro Mercy system since 1995. ODCH purchased the remaining
19 percent interest from Catholic Healthcare Partners for $35 million.
OWENSBORO
- Large Scale Biology
Corp.’s biomanufacturing division in Owensboro has been charged
with the production of an enzyme to be tested as a potential treatment
of a rare, hereditary disorder known as Fabry disease. Large Scale
Biology uses its biomanufacturing, functional genomics and proteomics
technologies to develop and manufacture drugs and vaccines for effective
treatment of disease. Large Scale plans to grow the enzyme in tobacco
plants in hopes of demonstrating that it can produce enough of it
to be utilized in human clinical trials.
- Toyotetsu Mid
America LLC has opened a new $20 million plant at Owensboro’s
MidAmerica Airpark, more than doubling the size of its original 137,300-square-foot
plant, which opened only last year. The plant opened in December with
a staff of 120 and expects to reach more than 350 by this fall. Toyotetsu
produces metal parts such as windshield header panels and radiator
frames for Toyota’s Sienna, Tundra and Sequoia vehicles. The
plant will also manufacture parts for the new Lexus RX 330, a luxury
sport utility vehicle scheduled to be introduced for 2004.
PADUCAH
- The layoff process
has begun at Dura Automotive Systems’ Fulton plant, which is
being closed and its operations moved to the company’s existing
facilities in Lawrenceburg, Tenn. and Queretaro, Mexico. Some 320
workers will lose their jobs as a result of the shutdown, which is
expected to be complete by early next year. The plant produces windows
for numerous automobile manufacturers.
- A total of 87
workers at USEC’s Paducah Gaseous Diffusion Plant have applied
for early retirement, thereby reducing the number of workers affected
by a forced layoff. USEC has said it needs to eliminate 200 jobs in
order to cut its costs by $15 million.
SHEPHERDSVILLE
- Quilts by Donna,
Inc., a quilt wholesaler that has been one of Louisville’s fastest-growing
companies, is building a new facility in Shepherdsville to accommodate
its growth. The company has broken ground in Cedar Grove Business
Park for a new 30,000-square-foot facility that will house headquarter
and warehouse operations.
VANCEBURG
- The Vanceburg-Lewis
County Industrial Authority has authorized the development of 60 additional
acres at the Black Oak Industrial Park. Tram Construction has been
awarded a contract to add water, sewage and gas to the property. Mountain
Enterprises was awarded a contract to build a new access road that
will connect to the main entrance of the industrial park. Existing
tenants at Black Oak include Coroplast, Inc. and Hollinee Manufacturing.
VERSAILLES
- Palmer &
Cay, Inc., a Georgia-based insurance brokerage and benefits consulting
firm, has established a new office in Versailles devoted exclusively
to the equine industry, providing insurance brokerage services for
horse owners and breeders on an international basis. In 1999, Palmer
& Cay acquired the Kentucky insurance firm of Powell-Walton-Milward
Inc. and continues to operate a Lexington office under the Powell-Walton-Milward
name.
WARSAW
- The Warsaw City
Council and Gallatin County Fiscal Court have given approval for Argent
Metal Technologies to raise $35 million through industrial revenue
funds to purchase and renovate the vacant 15,000-square-foot factory
that once housed American Racing Wheels’ operations. New Zealand-based
Argent, a supplier of aluminium alloy road wheels and structural suspension
components to the global automotive industry, anticipates hiring up
to 300 people. The Warsaw area lost approximately 200 jobs when American
Racing Wheels closed its plant in 2001.
WEBSTER COUNTY
- The Webster County
school district has approved plans to shift to a four-day school week
for the 2003-2004 school year in order to save money. The plan, which
is contingent upon the approval of the Kentucky Department of Education
and the state board of education, is expected to save the county between
$200,000 and $300,000 in utility and transportation costs. If approved,
say county education officials, the plan would also prevent more staff
layoffs and the reduction of enrichment and extracurricular programs.
The amount of classroom time required by the state would be accomplished
by implementing a slightly longer school day when classes are in session.
WESTERN KENTUCKY
- Cable modem high-speed
Internet service is now available to businesses and residents in the
Western Kentucky communities of Wickliffe, LaCenter, Barlow, Bardwell,
Arlington and Clinton via Galaxy Cablevision.
WILLIAMSBURG
- Construction
has begun on a new 26,000-square-foot building that will house Cumberland
College’s business classes. The structure, which is expected
to be complete by August 2004, is designed to resemble Independence
Hall in Philadelphia.
STATE
- Reports filed
with the state’s public service commission show that Kentucky
Utilities spent $22.5 million to reinstate power following the ice
storm that slammed the state in February. While insurance is expected
to cover approximately $13 million of that amount, the company is
searching for a means of paying the remainder and company officials
admit that a rate increase could be possible.
- Kentucky’s
Medicaid program will recoup nearly $10 million dollar from a settlement
with two major drug manufacturers – GlaxoSmithKline and Bayer
Corporation – that have been found guilty of violating the federal
Medicaid drug rebate law. The settlement, which involved 48 states
and the District of Columbia, yielded nearly $330 million dollars
total, and is the largest Medicaid fraud case in history. An investigation
of the companies revealed that they sold several heavily prescribed
medications such as Paxil, Flonase, and Cipro to several large Health
Maintenance Organizations at deeply discounted prices, repackaging
the drugs under the HMO’s private label. Because the companies
did not report the deep discounts, state Medicaid programs paid millions
of dollars more for the affected drugs over a three- to five-year
period since they did not receive the amount of rebates they should
have gotten from the companies.
- Kentucky will
receive nearly $14 million for the first year of a multi-year Reading
First grant to help schools throughout the state improve children’s
reading achievement. The state received the money after passing a
rigorous review panel that judged Kentucky’s plan against 25
main review criteria. Over the next six years, Kentucky will receive
more than $89 million to support classroom reading instruction, early
identification and help for reading difficulties, monitoring student
progress, and continuous professional development for teachers. The
Reading First program is part of “No Child Left Behind,”
a federal education law passed in 2001 that was the centerpiece of
President Bush’s education reform agenda.
- Officials with
the Kentucky Lottery estimate that the state may lose more than $35
million in lottery proceeds by 2006 due to the implementation of a
Tennessee lottery. Tennessee recently passed legislation to establish
a lottery that, like Kentucky’s, will be used to help fund college
scholarships. Tennessee expects to begin selling lottery tickets by
early next year. Kentucky officials estimate that up to 12 percent
of Kentucky’s current lottery sales are generated from ticket
buyers who reside in Tennessee.
- Eight Kentucky
schools will receive cash awards and technical and program assistance
from the Partnership for Kentucky Schools over the next two years
to accelerate their students‚ academic achievement. The Partnership,
an independent, nonprofit organization established in 1991 by Ashland,
Humana and UPS to help mobilize the state’s business community
in support of improving public education, will invest $50,000 in cash
and services to each school over the next two years. The support includes
an education professional at each school to help leaders build on
their plans for improvement. The schools selected for the partnership
program include: A. B. Combs Elementary (Perry County), Barbourville
Elementary (Barbourville Independent – Knox County), Botts Elementary
(Menifee County), East Jessamine High, Iroquois Middle School (Jefferson
County), L.C. Curry Elementary (Bowling Green Independent – Warren
County), Morgan Elementary (Paducah Independent – McCracken
County) and Simon Kenton High (Kenton County).
OHIO
CINCINNATI
- Dr. Christof
von Kalle, a doctor at the Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical
Center is one of only three scientists in the nation to win the 2003
Young Investigator Award from the American Society of Gene Therapy.
Kalle is considered an expert in the study of human hematopoietic
stem cells.
NEWARK
- Basket maker
Longerberger Co. has eliminated more than 460 positions at its two
Ohio plants, citing the negative effects of the continuing economic
downturn. An additional 90 employees are being reassigned to other
positions.
SHARONVILLE
- Quick Pak,
a division of Multi-Color Corp. that provides packaging services to
companies such as Jergens, L’Oreal, Bath Body Works and Victoria’s
Secret Beauty, is in the process of an expansion project that will
nearly double the size of its existing Sharonville facility. The project
will add approximately 90,000 square feet to the 125,000-square-foot
plant, which currently employs about 80 full-time employees. The company’s
staffing increases during the fall as the demand for products rises
in preparation for the holiday season and company officials say the
plant could see as many 500 jobs by this time next year.
INDIANA
Jeffersonville
- Kasle Steel
Corp. has selected a site in Jeffersonville’s Clark Maritime
Center for its newest production plant. The Michigan-based company
will process steel into blanks used by automotive manufacturers, including
Ford’s Kentucky Truck plant and the Louisville Assembly Plant.
Average salaries at the new plant will be in the range of $14 per
hour.
Princeton
- Toyota has
implemented a “variable work force” at its Princeton plant
that will provide the company with more flexibility in plant operations
while also offering a pool from which to hire future permanent employees.
The program has started with a pool of 24 workers, who are employees
of a staffing contractor. The plan allows Toyota to use workers as
needed and protects permanent employees from cutbacks should the plant’s
production demands decline.
TENNESSEE
Knoxville
- A $38 million
budget cut, the result of a nine percent reduction in state funding,
has forced the University of Tennessee to eliminate 287 positions.
The cutbacks will result in 228 fewer class sections and could affect
up to 9,000 students at the state’s flagship institution.
GALLATIN
- Automotive
parts supplier PK USA Inc. has begun construction on a new 62,000-square-foot
plant in Gallatin that will produce automotive metal assemblies for
Nissan North America. The Indiana-based company, which has two other
U.S. plants, expects to hire 50 workers for the new plant, which is
projected to be complete in December.
MORRISTOWN
- Michigan-based
La-Z-Boy Inc. is closing its two Lea Industries furniture plants in
Morristown, citing a decline in sales and increased competition from
imports. Of 480 jobs being cut systemwide, 330 will come from the
Morristown facilities. La-Z-Boy officials said the company is hoping
consolidation of its plants will improve its efficiencies.
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