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Bardstown: NPR Manufacturing Opens New $48M Automotive Parts Plant, Creating 150 New Jobs

NPR Manufacturing Kentucky LLC (NMKY) has opened a $48.7 million auto parts manufacturing plant in Bardstown, creating 150 new jobs.

NMKY, which is owned by Japan-based Nippon Piston Ring Co. Ltd., supplies high alloy steel piston rings, PM camshafts and valve seats to automotive customers such as Toyota, Isuzu, DMAX, Honda, Nissan, Mazda, Subaru and Mitsubishi. The company has 3, 210 employees at seven companies around the world, including Japan, China, Thailand, Indonesia, India and Korea.

Production at the company’s new 200,000 s.f. facility in Bardstown is expected to reach 18 million pieces per year.

State: UofK and UofL receive $22M in NIH Funding to Research Link Between Obesity and Disease

Both the University of Kentucky and the University of Louisville have received millions in grant funds from the National Institutes of Health to establish centers of excellence to study the links between obesity, diabetes and heart disease.
The Center for Biomedical Research Excellence (COBRE) grants provide five years of support, with $11.6 million going to the University of Louisville and $10.5 awarded to UK. The grants are designed to give talented young scientists the opportunity to produce initial data in new fields of study so that they can quickly seek individual federal research grants.

“We know there is a connection between obesity and Type 2 diabetes, and there are well-established connections between both of those conditions and cardiovascular disease,” said Lisa Cassis, professor and chair of UK’s Graduate Center for Nutritional Sciences and the principal investigator of UK’s center of excellence. “What we don’t know is exactly how those connections are mapped out on a cellular, biochemical level. Through a better understanding of how obesity leads to cardiovascular disease, we will be able to develop new treatments.”

The research is especially important in Kentucky, where rates for obesity, diabetes and heart disease are well above the national average, Cassis said.
Kentucky has the fourth-highest rate of death from heart disease among the 50 states, according to the Centers for Disease Control. The state comes in at No. 7 for the prevalence of both obesity and diabetes, and it ranks high in other primary risk factors for cardiovascular disease, such as hypertension and inactivity, according to the most recent statistics from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. Statewide, 28.4 percent of adults are obese, 67 percent are overweight, 9.6 percent have diabetes, 30.7 percent are physically inactive and 30 percent have high blood pressure.

The close association between statistics for these diseases, coupled with their high prevalence in Kentucky, signifies the importance of research aimed at defining how obesity promotes diabetes and cardiovascular disease.

: American Howa Plans to Expand Manufacturing Facility

Only six months after opening its manufacturing plant in Bowling Green’s Kentucky Transpark, American Howa Kentucky has announced plans to expand the facility.

AHK’s expansion project will add 56,000 s.f. to its existing 81,294-s.f. facility, and will house three new manufacturing lines. The company manufactures various products for the automotive industry, including headliners, dash insulators, and other interior items.

The expansion represents a $12 million investment and will result in the addition of 24 new jobs.

“The fact that American Howa Kentucky is announcing an expansion so soon after its grand opening demonstrates the positive business climate that’s been cultivated in the South Central Kentucky region,” said Larry Hayes, interim secretary of the state’s Economic Development Cabinet.

Bardstown: Slow Auto Sales Cause Parts Plant to Schedule '09 Close

Intertec Systems has announced that the company’s Bardstown plant will close by spring, another victim of the nation’s sagging automotive industry.

The closure is part of a restructuring plan being implemented by Johnson Controls, which along with INOAC created Intertec in 1996.  The Bardstown plant opened in 1997.

The facility currently employs some 200 workers, who produce high-end foam and skin instrument panels for General Motors vehicles.

Company officials say the closure will take place in phases, beginning this winter. Operations will end by late spring or early summer.

Bowling Green: NEW Customer Service Companies to Double Staff by May

NEW Customer Service Companies Inc. is expanding its Bowling Green workforce and plans to double its staff by next May, putting the company well ahead of its previously announced hiring schedule.

In May of this year, the Virginia-based company – which provides extended service plans and buyer protection programs for consumer products – announced plans to establish its work-at-home program in the Bowling Green area. At that time, NEW said it would hire around 120 people over the course of the first year and would continue to hire at that pace, creating a total of around 350 new jobs within three years.

Now, the company expects to come close to 350 employees within only one year. NEW currently has a staff of 160 in the Bowling Green area and plans to add 160 jobs by May 2009, bringing the total number of jobs to 320.

“Bowling Green has far exceeded our initial expectations back in May at the start of the program,” said NEW’s Senior Vice President of Customer Experience Ray Zukowski. “The caliber of the candidates and the tremendous support and enthusiasm we have received from the community has been the deciding factor in expanding the Bowling Green work-at-home training site.”

The Bowling Green location handles technical troubleshooting to one of the company’s largest clients, DIRECTV.  However, rather than working at a centralized call center, company representatives work at their homes from their own computer.

Hodgenville: Clayton Homes Closing Manufacturing Plant with 170 Jobs

Clayton Homes Inc. is closing its manufactured housing plant in Hodgenville, leaving nearly 170 employees without jobs.

In a letter to employees, Plant Manager Pete Janatello cited “worsening economic conditions and declining home orders” for the company’s decision to close the facility. 

The Tennessee-based company builds and distributes manufactured homes to more than 1,600 retailers across the nation.

Since opening the Hodgenville plant in 2000, the company had become one of LaRue County’s largest employers.

Lexington: Veteran Ad/PR Agencies Merge Firms to Form Meridian-Chiles

Having been friendly competitors for over two decades, the principals of Lexington’s two largest advertising/marketing agencies have merged their companies.

Meridian Communications, founded by Mary Ellen Slone in 1975, and Jordan-Chiles Advertising, co-founded in 1988 by Larry Chiles, have combined to form Meridian-Chiles. Chiles will serve as chairman while Slone will be president of the newly combined company, which will have a staff of more than 40.

 “This merger gives us the opportunity to greatly enhance the services and options that will be offered to both existing and new clients,” said Slone.  “Instead of having to out-source, we’ll
be able to provide virtually any service in house,
which will translate into significant cost savings
for clients, both large and small.”

Meridian brings experience in creative work, public relations, print supervision and event management, while Jordan-Chiles has extensive work in retail marketing. The annual billing for the new company is $10-12 million, with clients that include Republic Bank, the University of Kentucky and Lexington Clinic.

Lexington: UK Researchers Honored for Work with Alzheimer's Disease

Two University of Kentucky researchers were recently honored with the Alltech Lifetime Achievement and Scientific Medal of Excellence in recognition of their outstanding contributions to the study of Alzheimer’s disease. The awards were presented at the Alltech–University College Dublin–University of Kentucky Lecture Series’ inaugural lecture, which was hosted in University College Dublin.

Dr. William R. Markesbery, director, UK Sanders-Brown Center on Aging and Alzhei-mer’s Disease Research Center, was presented the Lifetime Achievement Award in honor of his outstanding career and his contributions related to Alzheimer’s disease, its early detection and prevention. Markesbery, who also is the Commonwealth Chair in Aging and a professor of neurology and pathology, is recognized globally as a preeminent researcher of Alzheimer’s disease. His pioneering research discounted the once-popular theory that an accumulation of toxic metals such as aluminum play a role in the development of Alzheimer’s disease.

Dr. Charles D. Smith, Robert P. and Mildred Moore’s Professor in Alzheimer’s Research at the UK Sanders-Brown Center on Aging, received the Scientific Medal of Excellence in recognition of his outstanding contributions in the field of presymptomatic Alzheimer’s disease neuroimaging. Smith’s research focuses on the application of structural and functional imaging techniques to the prediction, quantification and diagnosis of persons with Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias.

Louisville: U.S. Chamber Honors GLIWith 2008 Competitiveness Award

Greater Louisville Inc., metro Louisville’s chamber of commerce, has been awarded the 2008 Community Competitiveness Award from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s Institute for a Competitive Workforce.

The award recognizes GLI’s efforts to establish a public-private partnership to advance the region’s global competitiveness.

“As a regional chamber, Louisville demonstrated the leadership to construct top-notch public education and training systems,” said Arthur J. Rothkopf, senior vice president of the U.S. Chamber. “We were impressed with the creation of the HIRE Education Forum, which has helped bring the postsecondary community together to address the region’s need to increase college graduation rates. The number of higher education institutions, the longevity of the project and the successes that HIRE has seen are truly remarkable.”

Louisville was chosen from 16 applicants. To be considered for the award, communities must have engaged in promoting public and private sector cooperation in education and workforce development that leads to sustainable outcomes; enhanced the communities in which employees learn, work and live; built relationships with multiple stakeholders; and taken a proactive role in regional education, workforce and economic development issues.

Louisville: $18M Whisky Row Lofts Project Announced for Downtown

Two historic buildings in downtown Louisville – one the former headquarters of L&N Railroad, the other a building that once housed Louisville’s famous bourbons – are being renovated and converted to accommodate a mixed-used project that will include apartments, condos, restaurants and offices.

The Whiskey Row Lofts project is being developed by Bill Weyland, of CITY Properties, and Valle and Stephen Jones, siblings who own the buildings. The $18 million renovation project, which is adjacent to Louisville’s new downtown arena, will keep many of the buildings’ original features, including hardwood floors and huge windows overlooking downtown, the arena and the Ohio River.

Construction on Whiskey Row will start in early 2009, Weyland said, and is expected to be completed in 2010 – in time for the opening of the new downtown arena.

Louisville: Breeders' Cup Event to Return to Churchill Downs in 2010

The prestigious Breeders’ Cup horse racing event will return to Churchill Downs in 2010 for a record seventh time.

The global event currently consists of 14 races held over two days with $25.5 million in purses.  The Breeders’ Cup will be held Nov. 5-6, 2010, and will be televised live on ESPN and ABC to a worldwide audience in more than 120 countries.

Churchill Downs has previously hosted the Breeders’ Cup in 1988, 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000 and 2006 and has been the site of six of the seven largest crowds in Breeders’ Cup history. In 1998, 80,452 fans attended the Breeders’ Cup, eclipsing the mark set in 1994 at Churchill, when 71,671 were on hand.

“The return of the Breeders’ Cup to Churchill Downs will complete an unforgettable year of international focus on our industry and the Commonwealth of Kentucky,” said Larry Hayes, secretary of the governor’s executive cabinet and interim secretary of economic development for Kentucky Gov. Steve Beshear. “After an international audience views the Kentucky Derby in the spring, we will welcome the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games to the Kentucky Horse Park, and then focus our attention on Churchill Downs for the return of the international celebration of racing that is the Breeders’ Cup World Championships. It will truly be a ‘Year of the Horse’ in the state that is the horse capital of the world, and the return of the Breeders’ Cup World Championships will benefit businesses and citizens throughout Kentucky.”

Louisville: Forchts Contribute $3m Gift to UofL's College of Business

The University of Louisville’s College of Business will use a $3 million gift from Corbin entrepreneurs Terry and Marion Forcht to create the Forcht Center for Entrepreneurship and expand the college’s nationally ranked entrepreneurship programs.

The Forchts’ legacy gift is among the largest ever received by the College of Business.

Forcht, a 1959 graduate of the college, has created or acquired nearly 100 businesses during his 40-year career. He is founder and CEO of Forcht Bank, N.A., one of the largest bank groups in Kentucky. He is also CEO of the Forcht Group of Kentucky, an umbrella organization for 94 separate companies with more than 2,100 employees. His wife, Marion, is a 1959 graduate of the UofL College of Arts and Sciences and a businesswoman and civic leader.

“A gift of this magnitude recognizes our accomplishments and launches our programs to the next level,” said Charlie Moyer, dean of the College of Business.
“As a visionary entrepreneur, Terry Forcht also brings inspiration and a wealth of intellectual capital to our efforts.” In little more than a decade, the College of Business entrepreneurship program has risen from start-up to national acclaim.
Last year it became the highest ranked academic program ever at UofL, and most recently it was named one of the Top 25 graduate programs in the U.S. by Entrepreneur Magazine and The Princeton Review.  

Moyer said in establishing the Forcht Center for Entrepreneurship, the college will expand student exposure to entrepreneurial opportunities, host forums and speakers of national significance, celebrate the success of entrepreneurial graduates and expand partnerships with regional economic development interests.

Morgantown: Wind Energy Closes Turbine Manufacturing facility

Despite the nation’s push for developing alternative energy sources, Wind Energy Corp. has closed its wind turbine manufacturing facility in Morgantown.
The shutdown means the loss of 18 jobs.

When the Elizabethtown-based company opened the facility last July, the company promised some 260 jobs within five years. The recent economic upheaval, though, has forced the company to sideline its production and focus on supporting “product enhancement,” said Wind Energy Corp. CEO Jim Fugitte.

The company has so far not been able to produce wind turbines at a profit. The company’s current plan is to concentrate on research and development, with the hope that manufacturing will resume when market funding recovers and the product has been refined.

The company will continue to operate a turbine unit in Texas.

Versailles: Osram Sylvania Opens New $30 Million Lighting Operation

Osram Sylvania has opened a $30 million manufacturing operation for energy-efficient T5 fluorescent lamps at its plant in Versailles. The operation is the first of its kind in North America.

The Sylvania Pentron T5 fluorescent lamps – which have previously been imported from manufacturing facilities in Europe – are up to 30 percent more efficient than the older T12 and T8 fluorescents.

The new highly automated production line will employ approximately 25 people and produce tens of millions of energy-efficient lamps each year

New Gold for Kentucky's Economy
Fort Knox area booms as Army brings in battalions of higher-paid personnel

A Pep Rally for Boldness
Kentucky must encourage change to compete in today's economic environment

Commentary on U.S. Economy
Commentary on U.S. Economy

E-mail Fatigued?
Efficiency techniques tame the inbox and make it an invaluable tool rather than a productivity killer

University Research
Fischer-Tropsch Is Turning Kentucky's Coal and Biomass into Ultra Clean Fuels Discovered by two German scientists in the 1920s, the Fischer-Tropsch (FT) process uses a catalyst (a reaction accelerator) to convert syngas to hydrocarbons.

One-On-One
Home Builders Association executive Bob Weiss talks abouthow the current economic crisis is affecting Kentucky construction

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Updates on business and economic news from across Kentucky compiled by the editors of the Lane Report.

December 2011: Justin Carter, IT and field engineer, uses an iPlan Table at Lynn Imaging in Lexington. Featuring a 50-inch touchscreen,­­ iPlan Table is a new device created especially for examining construction project plans.