Louisville-based Papa John’s International has become the first national pizza chain to offer a 100 percent whole-wheat crust to its menu offerings. According to a 2007 Pizza Marketplace survey of 450 pizzeria operators, only 7.7 percent of pizzerias offer whole-wheat crust, but most said that it is growing in popularity. According to data from the Whole Grains Council, 64 percent of Americans say they are trying to eat more whole grains, which provide a range of health benefits such as reducing the risk of heart disease, diabetes and stroke.
The University of Louisville’s James Graham Brown Cancer Center has agreed to become a stem cell collection center for NeoStem, Inc., a New York company that is growing a nationwide network of facilities that enables people to donate and store their own stem cells for personal use in case of a future medical need. “By enabling investigators to have access to large numbers of adult stem cells from interested and informed study subjects, we believe that translational adult stem cell research will move forward at an accelerated pace and that clinical trial designs will be more rapidly implemented to investigate new research findings,” said Manuel Martinez, M.D., executive vice president for research at the University of Louisville.
Louisville-based Summit Energy Services Inc., a privately held energy management firm, has acquired Kiimball Resources of Houston, Texas. Kimball, a leading industry player, is a full-service management firm operating from offices in Texas, Michigan, Washington and Pennsylvania. The firm manages approximately $5 billion in energy spending and is active in all U.S. markets as well as in Canada, Mexico and Puerto Rico. Financial details of the acquisition were not released. The purchase of Kimball Resources is the fifth corporate acquisition by Summit Energy in the last two years.
A University of Louisville research team has been awarded a $1.25 million grant from the National Institutes of Health. The grant will be used to fund a study of pancreatic cell transplants as a potential new weapon for fighting diabetes and cardiovascular disease.
Union workers at General Electric’s Appliance Park in Louisville have agreed to job and wage cuts that include reducing the average wage from approximately $23.84 to $14.19 per hour and eliminating some 183 jobs through early retirement offers. GE recently announced that it was considering three possibilities for the Louisville facility: a strategic partnership or joint venture, a spin-off, or the sale of its appliance business. However, plant officials say they were working to cut wages and jobs before the company’s announcement.
Nypro Inc. has announced that it will close its plastic injection molding plant in Louisville by the end of the September. Company officials with the Massachusetts-based company said the shutdown, which will eliminate 180 jobs, is the result of a declining demand for the plastic parts the plant produces for the auto industry.
Paragon Door Designs Inc., a subsidiary of Keller Manufacturing Co., has acquired a Pennsylvania door company for an undisclosed sum. The acquisition includes the exclusive rights to the Radiance Entry Systems product line, customer base and order stream of J.J. Moore Sales, Inc. of Erie, Penn. The Radiance Entry Systems products will be manufactured at the Paragon facility in Louisville, while a distribution and customer service center will be maintained in Erie to service the current Radiance delivery area.
Sealed Air Corp., a New Jersey company that produces packaging equipment and materials, has announced plans to open a manufacturing plant in Louisville by the end of this year. The plant will produce polyethylene foam products that are used in a variety of industries. Sealed Air is investing $11 million in the plant, which will employ 100 people and have an annual payroll of more than $3.8 million.
Rohm and Haas has announced that it will end production of acrylic emulsions at its facility in Louisville and will also reduce a significant portion of its plastic additives line at the plant. Company officials said the decision, which will mean eliminating 220 of the plant’s 353 jobs, was driven by the rising cost of raw materials and energy combined with a decrease in product demand.
Cincinnati-based health GBBN Architects has announced plans to open a new office in Louisville this month. The 50-year-old design firm currently operates offices in Cincinnati, Lexington and Beijing, China, and has more than 120 professional staff members. GBBN’s resume of projects in Kentucky includes works at the Kentucky Horse Park, Northern Kentucky University, Berea College, Newport Aquarium and the University of Kentucky patient care facility.
Add Comment