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Mahle Engine Components USA Inc. has announced plans to close its steel manufacturing plant in Franklin by the end of next year.

The shutdown, which is part of the German company’s plan to restructure its North American piston ring manufacturing business, will result in the loss of 52 jobs. The company is also closing a machining plant in Muskegon, Mich., that employs 108 workers.

A majority of production operations from the Kentucky and Michigan plants will be transferred to other Mahle locations in North America. A spokesman for Mahle said that while details of the plant closings are still being ironed out, the company wanted to inform employees as soon as possible so that they would have sufficient time to plan for the future.

Mahle also operates a cast-iron plant in Franklin that will remain open. Both Franklin plants were recently acquired by Mahle from Dana Corp.

Mahle is one of the world’s largest auto parts manufacturers, with more than 100 production plants and 40,000 employees worldwide. The company’s North American operations are headquartered in Morristown, Tenn.

Four years ago, the Perry County economy took a hard hit when Sykes Enterprises closed its call center in Hazard, laying off some 400 employees. The shutdown was the result of the company losing its client, according to company officials.

Now Sykes is preparing to reopen, recently holding a job fair to fill the planned 200-plus positions.

Chris Milton, site director for Sykes, told the Hazard Herald that the Tampa, Fla.-based company is hiring entry-level customer service representatives for a financial services client, and skilled professionals for a Fortune 100 communications client. Melton did not have a specific date by which the company plans to reopen.

Sykes Enterprises is a global company that provides outsourced customer management services. The company has 18,000 employees in 19 countries.

Flying in over the white-fenced pastures of fabled Calumet Farm and the spectacular scenery surrounding Keeneland, passengers arriving at Lexington’s Blue Grass Airport are immediately aware that they have arrived in horse country.

A new addition to the interior of the airport now reminds them that the area will play host to the world in 2010, when the FEI World Equestrian Games comes to town. Scheduled for Sept. 25 – Oct. 10, 2010, the games are expected to draw more than 600,000 spectators.

The FEI Games’ advertising partner, Louisville-based Red7e, has placed large scenic landscapes that highlight four of the equine disciplines that will be part of the event. The landscapes feature the photography of noted Bluegrass photographer Doug Prather.

“These spectacular images are a great way… to inform both every returning resident and visitor to our airport as to what they can expect to see here in 2010,” said Jack Kelly, CEO of the World Games 2010 Foundation, Inc. “We thank the airport for their generous donation of this space to us. This is the kind of advertising you just can’t buy for an event like ours.”

In addition, the airport will soon have new food service and retail outlets that feature Kentucky-made products. Among them will be deSha’s American Tavern, which will serve up traditional Kentucky fare such as hot Browns; fried green tomatoes; the Keeneland Shop, which will sell equine-related items; and Knob Creek Tavern, where guests will find Kentucky’s famous mint juleps.

The new outlets are expected to be open by late fall.

Link-Belt Construction Equipment Co. has announced plans to expand the crane manufacturing and support capabilities at its global headquarters in Lexington.

The company is adding 90,000 square feet to its existing 592,000-square-foot facility. The project represents a capital investment of more than $24 million and will ultimately create 120 new jobs.

“We have systematically put in place a timeline of actions that have improved our efficiencies and have resulted in an increased overall production capacity,“ said Chuck Martz, president and CEO of Link-Belt. “The next milestone in our plan is the requirement for an additional telescopic crane assembly line in addition to a dedicated boom component shot blast and painting facility.”

The Kentucky Economic Development Finance Authority has given Link-Belt preliminary approval for tax benefits of up to $2.4 million under the Kentucky Industrial Development Act, an incentive program designed to attract and expand manufacturing operations in the state.

IdeaFestival has been scheduled for Sept. 13-15 in Louisville. A group of diverse and leading-edge thinkers from around the globe will gather to explore and celebrate new ideas and innovation.

Among the speakers scheduled for this year’s event are Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak; New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof; Homaro Cantu, an inventor, entrepreneur, chef and leader in the field of molecular gastronomy; award-winning author Laurence Gonzales; filmmaker Tiffany Shlain; and fashion designer Karen Walker.

The festival’s events are specifically designed to appeal to people from all walks of life. Last year’s event drew approximately 10,000 people to some 40 events in downtown Louisville. Though many of the events are free of charge, festival organizers are asking patrons to obtain admission tickets even for the free events so that adequate preparations can be made to accommodate everyone. More information about the event can be found at www.ideafestival.com.

Humana Inc. has signed a definitive agreement to purchase CompBenefits Corporation, an Atlanta, Ga.-based dental and vision benefits company, for $360 million.

The transaction will be financed through a combination of cash and debt.

CompBenefits is a full-service provider of dental and vision benefit plans to more than 4.8 million members nationwide. The company serves more than 14,000 employer groups in 22 states, primarily in the South and Midwest. CompBenefits revenues for the year ending Dec. 31, 2006, were approximately $345 million.

 “The addition of CompBenefits now gives Humana a full-service vision product as well as added expertise in the large-group dental line of business,” said Michael B. McCallister, president and chief executive officer of Louisville-based Humana. “When combined with our current HumanaDental business unit, this acquisition will give Humana the type of comprehensive integrated product offering that employers are seeking.”

HumanaDental currently provides benefit plans to approximately 1.5 million members, primarily in 38 states. The company services 28,000-plus employer groups supported by a national PPO network with more than 97,000 dental office locations. HumanaDental’s product offerings include dental indemnity and dental PPO.
The acquisition is subject to regulatory approval and is anticipated to be completed in the third quarter of 2007.

The International Economic Development Council has selected Louisville Mayor Jerry Abramson as the 2007 recipient of its annual Leadership Award for Public Service for his role in generating economic development in Louisville.

The International Economic Development Council is a non-profit organization of economic development professionals. Its members include regional, state, county, and city economic development organizations; chambers of commerce; community and neighborhood development organizations; and technology development agencies, among others. Each year, the council honors the nation’s and world’s best economic development leaders. The Leadership Award for Public Service recognizes an elected official who has served as a committed advocate for economic development for at least 10 years in the public sector.

Abramson is being honored not only for past achievements, such as the airport expansion and the creation of Waterfront Park, but also for recent initiatives such as:

• “City of Parks,” one of the largest urban parks expansion projects in the nation
• Luring PharMerica’s headquarters to Louisville
• Downtown development, with $1.6 billion in construction projects planned or underway, including a new arena and Museum Plaza

Louisville-based Porter Bancorp Inc. has announced plans to acquire Ohio County Bancshares in a transaction valued at approximately $12 million.

Ohio County Bancshares is the holding company for Kentucky Trust Bank, which operates six retail banking offices in Daviess, Ohio and Warren counties. Kentucky Trust, headquartered in Beaver Dam, has assets of approximately $120 million.

Porter Bancshares operates banking offices in Louisville and 14 other Kentucky communities along the Interstate 65 corridor through its subsidiary, PBI Bank.

Porter Bancorp President and CEO Maria Bouvette said the acquisition is part of the company’s plans to continuing focusing on the fast-growing markets along the I-65 corridor. The Kentucky Trust Bank locations being acquired are contiguous to Porter’s existing footprint.

The proposed acquisition is expected to close in the late third or early fourth quarter. Following the closing, Kentucky Trust offices will be re-branded as PBI Bank.

Pikeville-based Community Trust Bancorp Inc. has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Eagle Fidelity, Inc. of Williamstown, Ky.

The merger agreement calls for the payment of $18.5 million in cash and the issuance of 544,137 shares of CTBI stock in exchange for all outstanding shares of Eagle Fidelity stock. The transaction, which is expected to close in the fourth quarter of 20007, is valued at approximately $37 million.

The acquisition will increase Community Trust Bancorp’s total assets by approximately $157 million. As of Mar. 31, 2007, CTBI had assets of $3.1 billion. The company has 74 banking locations and five trust offices in Kentucky, as well as five banking locations in southern West Virginia. The acquisition of Eagle will add five locations to the CBTI network.

Faced with a rapid increase in demand for new telephone numbers in the western portion of the state, the Kentucky Public Service Commission has decided to split the 270 area code.

In an order issued last month, the western portion of the 270 area code, which includes the cities of Henderson, Hopkinsville, Madisonville, Murray and Paducah, has been assigned the new area code – 364. Cities remaining in area code 270 include Bowling Green, Columbia, Glasgow, Elizabethtown and Owensboro.

The new area code number was determined by the North American Numbering Plan Administrator (NANPA), which is responsible for allocating phone numbers to telecommunication providers.

Mandatory use of the new area code will take effect on Oct. 1, 2008. A transition period during which either the new area code or area code 270 may be used in the affected area will begin by July 1, 2008.

Area code 364 is currently projected by NANPA to run out of numbers in 23 years. The exhaustion time for the redrawn area code 270 is 13 years. The current area code 270 was established in 1999 and is projected to run out of numbers by late next year.

However, the PSC is evaluating the effect of a May 31 order by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) that grants Kentucky the authority to change the way in which telephone numbers are allocated by NANPA in the current and future area code 270 and in area code 364. The FCC decision could free up thousands of unused numbers.

The need for new numbers is being driven by rapid growth in the area and the proliferation of cellular phones and other wireless devices that each require a new phone number. The decision on where to retain area code 270 was made “on the basis of greatest population density and areas of fastest growth,” the PSC said.

Although an area code can, in theory, include as many as 10 million potential phone numbers, there actually are far fewer numbers available for use since certain sequences of numbers are not used.

The Kentucky Business Environmental Assistance Program (KBEAP), headquartered in the Kentucky Small Business Development Center at the University of Kentucky’s Gatton College of Business and Economics, has earned the top honor for Small Business Environmental Assistance Programs nationwide.

The award recognizes exemplary performance in developing program innovations in small business technical assistance.  

KBEAP provides compliance technical assistance to businesses with fewer than 100 employees by helping with permit preparation, emission calculations, record-keeping and conducting on-site air quality audits and employee training. KBEAP estimates its clients net $37,500 in benefits per assistance. 

A partnership between the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association (TOBA), Keeneland Association and Blood-Horse Publications has resulted in the development of a Web site designed to identify and attract new involvement in Thoroughbred racing.

Online users who visit The Racing Game (www.theracinggame.com) can find information on matters such as how to buy a horse and how to find a trainer, as well as details about the costs of owning a racehorse, licensing and tax information, and definitions of key breeding and racing terms.

“Thoroughbred racing is an absolutely thrilling industry for the casual fan and inside participant alike, but part of its attraction is a mystique that may keep some who would love to get more deeply involved from taking those first steps,” said TOBA president Daniel Metzger. “The Racing Game is an information hub and referral service for prospective owners and breeders that will get them through the starting gate and well into the first leg of the race.”

It’s a basic tenet of business: If you’re going to make money selling something, you have to have a buyer. To that end, the Kentucky Department of Agriculture (KDA) has partnered with other public and private entities to create a Web site that provides a way to connect Kentucky producers with interested buyers.

The MarketMaker Web site (www.marketmakerky.com) features a buy/sell forum that is a free online food classified advertisement for producers and buyers: Producers can list what they sell, and buyers can list what they are interested in purchasing.

A national portal has also been added, allowing buyers from anywhere in the world to find products in any MarketMaker state, including Kentucky.

Michael Judge, executive director of the KDA’s Office of Agriculture Marketing and Product Promotion, said the buy/sell forum will decrease the time it takes producers and buyers to find each other while the national portal can open up new national and international markets for Kentucky products.

Kentucky farmers who are part of the Kentucky Proud program, the state’s trademarked initiative to help its farmers establish or expand their market, should automatically be listed on the Web site, Judge said. Joining the program is free of charge.

More information MarketMaker: Kentucky is available at www.marketmakerky.com.