STATE
Patton Announces Preliminary Funding for New Interstate

Governor Paul Patton recently outlined a proposed route for Interstate 66, the new transcontinental highway that will extend some 3,000 miles from Virginia to California, cutting a swath directly through Kentucky. Though the entire project could take up to 20 years to complete, Kentucky has been awarded a $4.5 million grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation to begin the preliminary engineering and environmental analysis of a 30-mile section of the corridor that will run from U.S. 23 in Pike County to the proposed I-73 south of Williamson, West Virginia.

The preliminary engineering, which will take two to three years, will involve the study of potential I-66 alignments, environmental analysis and documentation, public interaction and an ultimate decision on a preferred location for the new highway corridor.

"The preliminary engineering phase is the beginning of a long journey toward implementing this much-needed, major east-west connection through Pike County, but at least it is a beginning," said Patton. "It is important to ensure that the link into West Virginia ties in with plans for the location of I-73 and the proposed Coalfields Expressway so that a direct east-west connection is achieved across the ridge to Beckley. Appalachia sorely needs this direct access from U.S. 23 in Kentucky to Interstates 64 and 77 at Beckley."

The total cost of I-66 from U.S. 23 to I-73 is currently estimated at over $750 million, but a 1995 study by the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet has indicated that an interstate corridor between I-57 in Missouri and the proposed I-73 in West Virginia would be financially feasible in the short term. Design of the Somerset to London segment of the corridor is currently in the project’s six-year highway plan, with the second priority being the portion between U.S. 23 and proposed I-73 in West Virginia.

A new state government Web site is providing information for both job seekers and employers seeking workers.

Located at http://www.des.state.ky.us, the site links visitors to Kentucky Job Bank or America’s Job Bank, enabling them to search for job openings by broad occupational categories.

Employers will find assistance in job recruiting, handling mass applications for new and expanding companies, information regarding tax credits for hiring welfare recipients and more. The site also includes frequently requested labor market statistics.

STATE
Businesses Honored for Foreign Trade Contributions

The University of Kentucky Department of Computer Science is looking for businesses across the state to participate in a new program that seeks to bridge the gaps between educational institutions and industry.

The goals of the Industrial Partners Program include:

• Improving communication between computer science professors and high-tech industry

• Enhancing faculty awareness of industry needs

• Increasing industry knowledge of the computer science department’s expertise as well as its educational, research and outreach programs

• Facilitating technology transfer between industry and the department

• Providing a neutral forum where industry and department representatives can exchange information, establish relationships and discuss possible collaborations

Companies that have already joined the partnership include Belcan Corporation, DataBeam, Lexmark, Panasonic-Matsushita Corp., Perot Systems and Proctor and Gamble. Other interested companies are encouraged to contact computer science chairman Mirek Truszczynski at 606/257-3981 or at mirek@cs.engr.uky.edu.

The University of Kentucky College of Allied Health Professions Clinical Laboratory Science division and its associate dean have been recognized as being the best in the nation according to Clinical Laboratory Science, a national trade journal.

The UK program was ranked first among the top 15 programs in the U.S. and Vincent S. Gallicchio, Ph.D. ranked first in terms of faculty scholarly productivity, according to the publication. To determine the rankings, the journal looked at faculty research productivity at more than 120 programs throughout the nation.

"The fact that UK and one of its faculty members rank among the premier programs in the country should have a beneficial impact on future student recruitment, especially in the future CLS graduate program," said Raymond L. Olesinski, Ph.D., director and associate professor, Clinical Laboratory Science. "It’s a validation of the efforts of a talented and dedicated group of faculty and staff."

Gallicchio has received two patents in the past year for two new drug delivery systems. One patent tests whether anti-viral drug agents can be made more effective when produced chemically as a lithium salt. The second patent involves a new drug delivery system that could remove some of the side effects of chemotherapy.

"These number one rankings indicate that the College of Allied Health Professions is doing its part to help the University of Kentucky become one of the top 20 research universities in the United States," said Thomas C. Robinson, dean of College of Allied Health Professionals.

Automotive interior supplier Johnson Controls has acquired the 116,000 sq.ft. TechnoTrim manufacturing facility in Glasgow with plans to convert the plant to handle the manufacture of sun visors and overhead consoles for the production of model-year 2000 vehicles. The acquisition is particularly good news for the Glasgow community, which learned earlier this year that TechnoTrim planned to close the plant as part of a company consolidation plan.

Approximately 300 of the 600 TechnoTrim employees in Glasgow are expected to be given full-time job opportunities with Johnson Controls.

"Johnson Controls has been exploring potential locations for an interiors manufacturing facility in either Ohio, Kentucky or Tennessee for almost two years," said John Arnold, vice president of interiors manufacturing for Johnson Controls. "When we learned of the availability of the Glasgow facility and its workforce, we jumped at the opportunity to keep the facility and its employees working."

Faced with one of the tightest labor markets in years, the Lexington Partnership for Workforce Development has joined forces with Bryan Station High School to help develop the Medical/Health Sciences Academy in an effort to increase awareness for career opportunities in the healthcare field. The program, which is slated to be implemented during the coming school year, involves matching teachers with healthcare providers and educators to offer pre-professional and para-professional curriculum tracks to Bryan Station students.

The pre-professional track includes health career courses including pre-medicine, pre-pharmacy, pre-optometry, pre-dental, nursing, pre-occupational therapy and health administration. The para-professional track focuses on careers including dental assistant, physical therapy aide, medical lab aide, certified nursing assistants and clinical lab technician.

Students studying pre-professional courses must attain a minimum grade point average of 3.5 by their junior year. Para-professional students must achieve a 3.0 average within the same time frame.

"It is our mission to develop an elite four-year program available to all students who have an interest in health careers," emphasized Bryan Station Principal Donna George.

The program is being guided by an advisory council made up of dozens of area healthcare professionals, educators, private businesses and non-profits organizations.

"Employers see this academy as a real opportunity to prepare students for careers in healthcare and ultimately fill positions that are vitally needed," said Anja Peerson, a healthcare professional who chairs the advisory council. The goal of the academy is to have 100 students enrolled by the year 2002.

So far, 1999 has been a very good year for Comair, the Northern Kentucky-based regional airline, and its management team.

David Siebenburgen, president and chief executive officer of Comair, Inc., was named as the 1999 Regional Airline Executive of the Year by Commuter/Regional Airlines News. Within the same week, David Mueller, chairman of Comair Holdings, Inc. (the parent corporation of Comair Inc.), was tapped as Airline Executive of the Year by Regional Airline World magazine. Three weeks later, the airline was named "Best-Managed Regional Airline" for 1999 in the "Best in the Business" issue of Aviation Week & Space Technology magazine.

The best-managed company ratings were based on the magazine’s proprietary "competitiveness index," which focuses on management measures such as asset utilization, productivity, financial stability, sales and profits.

Mueller and his father, Raymond, started Comair in 1977 and the airline pioneered the use of regional jets in 1993. The company now serves more than 6.4 million passengers annually and boasts the largest fleet of regional jets in the world. It is the largest independently-owned regional airline in the nation, employing 4,500 people and offering 700 daily departures to 80 cities in 30 states and three countries.

In the past year, Comair Holdings was added to the Nasdaq-100 Index for 1999 and moved up to Standard & Poor’s Midcap 400 from the S&P SmallCap 600. The company was recently listed by a Wall Street Journal report as the top performer among both regional and major airlines in shareholder returns for the second year in a row.

Furniture manufacturer Period Inc., which has been in operation in Henderson since 1937, has signed an agreement to be acquired by Wisconsin-based Krueger International. Krueger manufactures commercial, institutional and contract furniture and specializes in metal furnishings. Period is a leading manufacturer of solid wood furniture used primarily for university and military housing.

Although the majority of Period’s main facility was destroyed by a fire that broke out late last year, officials with Period -- which has continued to fill furniture orders from a satellite operation and a portion of the building that wasn’t destroyed -- say the company was negotiating with Krueger even before the fire.

Krueger plans to operate the company as an independent subsidiary, with Period owner and president Dale Nesbit and the existing management team remaining in tact. Period employs approximately 135 permanent and temporary workers in the Henderson area.

The Ancient Age Distillery, one of the country’s oldest distilling sites, will now be known as Buffalo Trace Distillery, according to Sazerac Company, Inc., the Louisiana-based company that owns the distillery.

"The name change is just the first step we are taking to integrate fine bourbon-making with historical authenticity," said Mark Brown, president of Sazerac, who explained that the new name "harkens to the very origin of the distillery site."

The distillery is located on the northern banks of the Kentucky River, near the state’s capitol and is the site of an ancient buffalo crossing that was part of the Great Buffalo Trace. Early explorers and pioneers followed the paths carved by herds of migrating buffalo. Kentucky’s first settlement north of the Kentucky River was established on the distillery’s site in 1775. Settlers soon discovered the area plentiful with limestone water and rich bottom loam that were perfect for growing grain.

The distillery now produces internationally acclaimed bourbons such as Blanton’s Rock Hill Farms, Hancock’s Reserve and Eagle Rare.

Brown said the company will place increasing emphasis on the heritage of the site and will be expanding the tours and facilities to promote the distillery as a viable tourism destination.

CASDNS, Inc., a Louisville computer service company, has been selected as one of a limited number of companies in the country authorized to assign Internet domain names to applicant users.

The assignments, which are being sought by 50,000 applicants a month, include the Internet address and the "dot" identifier. The most common identifier is "dot com" (.com) but others include .net and .org. Several new identifiers are currently being created to accommodate more precise nomenclature.

The new registration system is part of a process in which the U.S. government is turning over operation of the Internet to an international company, the Internet Council on Names and Numbers (ICANN). ICANN, in turn, has contracted with five cooperating services groups to provide rapid nomenclature and identification. CASDNS, Inc. is a participating company in one of the five groups, or Council of Registrars, which has 14 U.S. participants. Before the transition, only one company Network Solutions, Inc., was authorized to assign names.

To qualify as a naming authority, CASDNS was required to pass a rigorous technical and financial examination and post a $15,000 fee, according to its president, Jeffrey S. Smith. The 11-year-old company, which has nine employees and revenues of $1 million a year, began offering Internet services two years ago to supplement its wide area connectivity support, the business of helping companies set up data communications connecting all of their operations.

SOMERSET
Sumerset Houseboats Recognized for Technological Advancements

Sumerset Houseboats has been recognized for its creative use of technology to expand its business. Sumerset, a world leader in custom-built houseboats, was recently chosen as runner-up in the category of fully-established companies as part of the "Growing with Technology" awards program sponsored by Cisco Systems, Inc. and Inc. magazine. The program recognizes small and medium-sized businesses with up to 500 employees that demonstrate how innovative use of networking and the Internet can increase profits, provide a competitive advantage and drive company growth.

Through their interactive website (www.sumerset.com), Sumerset allows its nationwide base of customers to participate in the construction of their custom houseboats throughout the manufacturing process.

The company was selected from more than 700 entries in three categories (fully established, start-up, and Internet/virtual). Grand prize winners and two runners-up were chosen in each category.

Sumerset employs approximately 200 people at their 200,000-square-foot Somerset facility, where the company produces boats ranging from $145,000 to more than $1 million. Last year, company sales were $26 million (a 102 percent increase since 1995) and are expected to top $28 million this year.

Jim Host, chairman of Lexington-based Host Communications, Inc. (HCI), has been named as chairman of the new collegiate sports marketing company that will be formed when HCI and its sister company, Universal Sports America (USA), complete their merger with Atlanta-based Bull Run Corporation. The merger is expected to be completed this month.

In 1992, Bull Run acquired a one-third interest in HCI, which holds the broadcasting rights for intercollegiate football and men’s basketball at UK and other major university sports programs throughout the country. HCI and Bull Run have been the major shareholders of USA since 1995, when USA was established via a merger of HCI’s University Division and Streetball International, USA’s sports marketing and event production arm. The merger created USA’s subsidiary, the USA Collegiate Group, which serves as a marketing partner for numerous college and conference athletic programs. Bull Run announced this past February that it would acquire the remaining interest of HCI, plus USA, for approximately $93 million in cash and stock.

The newly-formed company will also feature a new division to be called Collegiate Sports Marketing. Long-time HCI executive Marc Kidd has been appointed president of the new division and will report directly to Host.

HCI employs approximately 225 people in the Lexington area.

LOUISVILLE
ResCare Continues Aggressive Growth with Three Acquisitions

ResCare, Inc., the Louisville-based provider of services for special needs individuals and at-risk youth, is continuing its aggressive growth plan with the acquisition of three companies that have been purchased to extend ResCare’s services.

The company will be moving into the Canadian marketplace for the first time with the acquisition of Anagram Rehabilitation Community, a private Canadian provider of services for individuals with acquired brain injury. The transaction between ResCare and Anagram, which has annual revenues of approximately $5.6 million, will be structured as a cash purchase of stock. Terms of the agreement have not been disclosed.

ResCare has also entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Summitt, LLC, a private provider of services for those with developmental and other disabilities. The acquisition of the Kansas company is expected to generate some $2.1 million in annual revenue.

The company also announced that it has completed the acquisition of RAISE Geauga, Inc., a private provider of supported living services to those with mental retardation and other developmental disabilities in the Chardon, Ohio area. RAISE Geauga, which is expected to generate approximately $400,000 in annual revenue, will operate as part of an existing ResCare operation in adjacent Lake County, Ohio.

ResCare’s strategic growth plan has taken the company from $218 million in sales in 1996 to projected sales of $800 million for 1999. The company currently serves some 12,600 consumers in 25 states and Canada in its Division for Persons with Disabilities and 9,200 at-risk and special needs youth in 17 states and Puerto Rico in its Division for Youth Services. The company employs approximately 19,000.

LOUISVILLE
Expansions Put Louisville Seventh Nationally for Convention Space

With expansions at both the Kentucky Fair and Exposition Center and the Commonwealth Convention Center, Louisville ranks 7th nationally in net square footage of exhibit space sold for 1999, according to Tradeshow Week magazine.

Louisville is host to four of the country’s 20 largest trade shows -- the National Farm Machinery Show, Mid-America Trucking Show, North American Livestock Expo, and the National FFA Organization. In comparison to other cities in the region, Indianapolis has three shows in the second 100 grouping; Nashville and Cincinnati have none. Ranking ahead of Louisville in the national listing are Las Vegas, Chicago, Atlanta, New York City, Dallas and Orlando.

While praising Louisville’s meeting facilities, local planners maintain that the area is limited by a relative lack of hotel rooms. With 13,000 rooms, the city has less than half the number of Nashville and only two-thirds as many as Cincinnati or Indianapolis.

BARBOURVILLE

• The Immigration and Naturalization Service will open a telephone calling center in Barbourville that is expected to handle up to 15 million calls per year from people requesting information regarding citizenship. The new call center, which will be operated by Datatrac Information Services Inc. for the INS, is expected to eventually employ approximately 300 people.

BOWLING GREEN

• Bowling Green’s Intermodel Transportation Authority has committed nearly $800,000 to pursue the study of an intermodal commerce park that would be served by rail, air and road transportation.

BURGIN

• Keystone Brush and Contact has announced that it will close its Burgin plant on July 31, resulting in the loss of 52 jobs. A subsidiary of Kirkwood Industries in Cleveland, the company plans to consolidate the manufacturing of motor brushes and contacts used in electric motors at its Cleveland plant.

CAMPBELLSVILLE

• Some 4,000 people turned out to apply for jobs at the new distribution center being established by Amazon.com. The company expects to eventually hire approximately 1,000-1,500 full-time workers for the 570,000-square-foot facility, a former Fruit of the Loom warehouse that Amazon plans to expand by 200,000 square feet. The company is also setting up a 600,000-square-foot distribution warehouse in Lexington, where it will employ up to 500 people within the next two years.

COVINGTON

• Over a three-week period between May 13 and June 3, Omnicare Inc. announced plans to acquire four pharmaceutical companies, solidifying its position as one of the leading pharmaceutical care companies in the nation. The company’s most recent acquisitions involve Bach’s Pharmacy Services, which supplies nursing home pharmacies in New Jersey; Pharmacy Consultants, Inc. and Medi-Serve, Inc., two South Carolina-based pharmaceutical companies; and Life Care Pharmacy Services, Inc., a multi-state provider of institutional pharmacy services. Terms of the acquisitions were not disclosed.

CRITTENDEN COUNTY

• Siemens Electromechanical Components lost an entire production line when the truck carrying the manufacturing equipment was involved in an accident. Valued at more than $1 million, the equipment was en route from Siemen’s Charlotte, North Carolina plant, where it had been disassembled for relocation to Crittenden County due to the closing of the Charlotte facility. The production line equipment involved produced an electronic mechanism that is featured in Ford vehicles. According to Siemens officials, the company plans to rebuild the manufacturing equipment from scratch in order to have the line back up to keep Ford’s inventory replenished.

DANVILLE

• The Pain Management Center at Ephraim McDowell Regional Medical Center has received a nation accreditation from the American Academy of Pain Management. The center has been providing pain management services to individuals since opening in June 1998.

EDDYVILLE

• The Eddyville City Council has passed an ordinance authorizing a 1.5 percent payroll tax effective July 1. City officials say the tax will generate approximately $225,000 and will enable the city to continue offering the same level of services. However, a number of citizens -- including one council member who resigned just prior to the meeting in which the ordinance was passed -- have accused the council of conducting illegal private meetings regarding the tax issue.

ERLANGER

• World Color Press, Inc. has entered into a purchase agreement to acquire Erlanger-based Metroweb Corporation, a commercial printer company that specializes in short-to-medium run publications. Metroweb, a privately-held company, operates a 94,000-square-foot facility and employs approximately 160 people. The company has annual revenues of approximately $20 million. World Color Press is headquartered in Greenwich, Connecticut and employs more than 16,500 employees and operates 58 facilities with a network of sales offices nationwide.

FRANKFORT

• Gershman’s, a family-owned clothing store that has been in business since 1918, will be closing with the retirement of owner Ira Gershman. Gershman is the third generation of his family to operate the store that has become a Frankfort institution.

GALLATIN COUNTY

• Blue Grass Quality Meats has agreed to sponsor the Kentucky Speedway’s ARCA Bondo/Mar-Hyde Series racing event in 2000 and has signed a three-year commitment to become the official meat company for the new track, which is slated to open next June. The agreement also includes strategically placed signage, hospitality and grandstand area seating.

GUTHRIE

• Hudson Brothers, Inc.’s egg operations in Guthrie have been purchased by Cal-Maine Foods, Inc., a Mississippi company that ranks as the country’s largest producer and distributor of fresh-shell eggs. Company officials expect that Hudson management and hourly employees will be retained as Cal-Maine employees.

HENDERSON

• In the face of a healthy economy and low unemployment figures, Tyson Foods Inc. has raised its starting pay from $6.30 to $7.50 per hour at its Henderson County chicken-processing plant to attract 200 new workers needed to get plant production up to full strength. The company currently employs around 1,300 workers at the Henderson County facility.

• The merger of Henderson Union Electric Cooperative Corporation and Green River Electric Corporation has been approved by the Kentucky Public Service Commission. The new co-op will be called Kenergy Corp. and will begin operating July 1.

HOPKINSVILLE

• Grand opening ceremonies were recently held by The Budd Company and Tallent Engineering Ltd. for a new $50 million automotive components plant in Hopkinsville. The Hopkinsville Plant will produce automotive chassis components and suspension assemblies for BMW, Chrysler, Ford and General Motors, as well as the Budd plant located in Shelbyville, Kentucky. When in full production, the 235,000-square-foot facility will employ around 250 people.

LEXINGTON

• The Good Samaritan Foundation, Inc. has given $1 million to the University of Kentucky Chandler Medical Center to establish endowed chairs in the School of Public Health and in the College of Nursing. Both chairs will focus on research and teaching programs directed toward providing improved healthcare to low income, uninsured people in medically underserved areas of the state.

• Robert Elliston was named president of Turfway Park by the track’s new owners. A former executive of the Kentucky Chamber of Commerce, Elliston brings vast business operating experience to his new position.

• Tele-Tech Company, Inc., a Lexington-based telecommunications company, has announced that it will open new branch offices in Miami and Cleveland and plans to also expand its existing facilities in Baltimore and New York City. The company recently moved into a larger facility in suburban Atlanta, where it shares space with DigiSys Corp, an affiliate company of Tele-Tech.

• Long John Silver’s has appointed Doe-Anderson Advertising and Public Relations as its national agency.

• Bluegrass Woodworking of Kentucky, Inc., a Lexington company that specializes in the production of custom store fixtures, has been acquired by RHC/Spacemaster Corporation. Bluegrass will be teamed with RHC/Spacemaster’s Garcy division to complement the metal and wood fixtures currently being produced in its Alabama and California facilities. Bluegrass President Duane Van Horn, who is currently president of the National Association of Store Fixture Manufacturers, will continue as president of Bluegrass and will retain the company’s management team.

LOUISVILLE

• Humana Inc. has agreed to pay $13.5 million for 50 medical centers operated by FPA Medical Management Inc., a physician practice management company. The centers involved are located in Kansas City, San Antonio, Orlando, Tampa, Jacksonville and south Florida.

• Louisville based Creative Alliance has been hired by Gateway, Inc. to plan and implement a new advertising, marketing, and promotional scheme. The area’s largest advertising and public relations agency will also run store-manager meetings, local store marketing, and a vendor-partner program for the computer company.

• Effective June 11, Churchill Downs Incorporated stock began trading on the Nasdaq National Market. The company’s shares were previously traded on the Nasdaq SmallCap Market. The trading symbol CHDN remains unchanged. The company’s flagship operation, Churchill Downs, was recently selected to host the Breeders Cup Championship on November 4, 2000, for a record fifth time.

• Sypris Solutions, Inc. has been awarded a contract valued at $17.7 million to manufacture circuit card assemblies for AlliedSignal Aerospace. The circuit card assemblies will be integrated into the cockpit display units of the AH-64 Apache Longbow attack helicopter.

• Vencor, Inc., the long-term health provider that has experienced increasing financial and management difficulties over the past year, has been notified by the New York Stock Exchange that its common stock has been suspended from trading. The NYSEalso intends to delist Vencor’s common stock. Vencor says it plans to pursue measures to allow the common stock to trade in the over-the-counter market.

• Genlyte Thomas Group LLC, a leading manufacturer of lighting fixtures and controls, has acquired Ledalite Architectural Products Inc., a Vancouver, Canada-based manufacturer of architectural linear lighting systems. Ledalite, a privately-held company, specializes in lighting for commercial/institutional buildings and has a projected sales volume of $40 million (Canadian) for 1999.

• Republic Bancorp, Inc., the holding company for Republic Bank & Trust Company, has begun offering Internet banking services, allowing customers to access accounts around the clock, 365 days a year.

• Creation Gardens, a Louisville company specializing in wholesale and retail gourmet products and specialty produce, has established a year-round retail farm market in downtown Louisville that will offer locally-grown produce, baked goods, fresh eggs, meats, cheeses and flowers. In addition to offering products to the retail market, the operation will also serve to fill wholesale orders for area restaurants.

MIDDLESBORO

• HFB Financial Corporation, the parent company of Home Federal Bank, has signed an agreement with National City Bank of Kentucky to acquire its Harlan branch office. Under the agreement, Home Federal will assume $17.2 million of deposits from National City. As of March 31, 1999, HFB had total assets of $192.2 million and stockholders equity of $17.9 million.

MOREHEAD

• Universal Electric Power Corp., an Akron, Ohio company, has sought a preliminary permit from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to study the feasibility of a hydropower plant at Cave Run Lake Dam. If completed, the plant could produce power for as many as 5,000 households. Company officials say they are also looking into similar projects on the Barren, Green, Rough and Kentucky rivers with hopes of selling the electricity to utility companies, government agencies and large businesses.

MURRAY

• Tanning Research Laboratories of Florida has signed a letter of intent to acquire HT Marketing Inc., a Murray-based distributor of Hawaiian Tropic sun products that ranks as one of the largest companies in the Western Kentucky region. Tanning Research Laboratories manufactures Hawaiian Tropic products at its plant in Ormond Beach, Florida. No job changes are expected as a result of the acquisition.

NORTHERN KENTUCKY

• The International Air Transport Association has named the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport second in the nation and seventh in the world for overall passenger satisfaction in the 1998 survey. The association based its ratings on a survey of 77,000 international passengers, who were asked to rank airports in categories such as baggage delivery, comfort of waiting areas, flight information screens and ease in finding their way through the airports. The survey ranked the Orlando airport as the best in the U.S. The Cincinnati airport was recently named the best airport in North and South America and No. 2 in a survey conducted by OAG Worldwide.

OWENSBORO

• Due to its being one of the largest assets owned by Greater Ministries International, the Executive Inn Rivermont could be sold to repay those who say they were scammed by the Tampa-based organization’s fraudulent investment schemes. Greater Ministries provided funding to Servco of Kentucky, a corporation it organized to acquire the Executive Inn in 1997. This past March, seven principal members of Greater Ministries were charged with 20 counts of fraud and money laundering and are now awaiting trial.

• Whitehall Furniture, a manufacturer of wood upholstered office furniture, has signed a letter of intent to sell the family-owned company to Paoli Furniture of Paoli, Indiana. Whitehall officials say the company will continue to operate in Owensboro under the Whitehall name and anticipate that employment figures may increase under Paoli ownership. Whitehall currently employs 160 people.

• A $300 million contract was approved by the Tennessee Valley Authority that will see the purchase of up to 12 million tons of Kentucky coal. The deal between TVA and AEI Resources Inc. of Ashland is for five years with an option for a sixth year.

• Field Packing Co. has announced that it will close its Owensboro slaughtering operation next month, eliminating up to 150 jobs. The decision will affect the part of the plant that buys and slaughters livestock for fresh-meat distribution. The company has elected to focus on its more profitable division of processed meats, which employs 440 workers in Owensboro. Field officials say that laid-off workers will likely be rehired as openings in other departments come available, with those with the most seniority being the last to be let go and the first to be rehired.

• The board of directors of Owensboro Grain Co. has terminated its contract with a Chicago investment banking firm it hired earlier in the year to explore the possibility of selling the company and has voted to continue as a local, family-owned corporation. Owensboro Grain processes soy meal and vegetable oils and is one of only around 15 such facilities in the nation. In February, the company signed an agreement with California-based Biosource Technologies, Inc. to develop technology for the recovery and purification of biopharmaceuticals and other biomolecules from genetically modified seed crops such as soy, corn, and canola.

PADUCAH

• Hoping to increase enrollment figures, the Kentucky Community and Technical College System board of regents has agreed to waive out-of-state tuition for West Kentucky Technical College students living in Illinois, Missouri and Tennessee counties that sit near the western Kentucky border. The reduced tuition, which is limited to specific counties, means that full-time students to which the new ruling applies will only pay the in-state rate of $310 per semester versus the out-of-state tuition of $630.

• Kentucky’s hopes of landing a $2.5 billion uranium enrichment plant in Paducah have been dashed as a result of USEC Inc.’s decision to abandon the AVLIS (atomic vapor laser isotope separation) project, saying the process is too costly and risky. Because Paducah is already home to a USEC gaseous diffusion plant, where it produces fuel for nuclear energy plants, hopes had been high that the city would been seen as a natural location for the AVLIS plant. Had USEC pursued the project and selected Paducah for the plant site, the community would have seen the addition of some 1,600 new jobs.

PIKEVILLE

• The Leonard Lawson Cancer Care Center of Pikeville Methodist Hospital has been approved by the Southwest Oncology Group to conduct clinical trials for cancer patients. By gaining approval to conduct clinical trials the hospital will be able to offer the Eastern Kentucky population access to the same treatments and drugs as other major cancer treatment centers.

PRESTONBURG

• Prestonsburg Community College President Deborah Floyd has announced that she will retire from the position in which she has served for the past eight years. Floyd, who will take a sabbatical leave until her official retirement is effective on November 15, has emphasized that her departure is in no way related to recent allegations that she asked college staff to handle personal chores for her and mishandled various issues at PCC. The Kentucky Community & Technical College System is paying Floyd $150,000 to give up her tenure rights.

PRINCETON

• A FAB Corp., which designs, builds and distributes components for race cars, has announced that it will be moving into the 63,000-square-foot facility once occupied by Fruit of the Loom. The company expects to employ more than 50 people over the course of the next two years.

RICHMOND

• Eastern Kentucky University has launched a job bank web site (www.jobbank.eku.edu) that provides employers with a new way to inform students and alumni of job openings and career opportunities.

SHELBY COUNTY