Business and the Economy

The inaugural Quaker State 400 brought mixed results for businesses near the Kentucky Speedway, with some saying their business was up while others were left wondering why the expected windfall fell short.

It’s been more than a month since production increased at the Toyota plant in Georgetown, Kentucky after a weeks-long parts shortage. The shortage was caused by the April earthquake and tsunami in Japan, which severed and disrupted supply chains. All of Toyota’s 13 North American plants saw production drop as a result.

Repairs to a railroad which cuts through the heart of a scenic central Kentucky town is sure to cause some disruption.   But, it’s the view ‘down the track’ which excites business owners who cater to tourists. Railroad crossing repairs along four streets in Midway is expected to snarl traffic over the next couple of weeks.  Each crossing will be impassible for a couple days while it’s upgraded.  It’s inconvenient, but Mary Thoresen of Damselfly Gallery says it’s important to look at the big picture.

More than 700 Hitachi employees, including upper management from Japan and across the country, attended a ribbon-cutting ceremony Thursday in honor of the company's expansion, which will create 145 new jobs over the next three years. Harrodsburg's Hitachi plant already employs 2,000 workers. Gov. Steve Beshear was on hand in September when the company broke ground for the $48 million project.

Kentucky residents could feel the effects locally if Washington, D.C., politicians can’t come up with a solution to raise the debt ceiling by the beginning of August - although one state economist doubts the severity of the situation would be as bad as some have predicted. John Garen, the Gatton Endowed Professor of Economics at the University of Kentucky in Lexington, said there have been temporary disruptions of government business in the past. In those events, which are typically very brief, some federal employees are furloughed and offices are closed, he said.

More than politicians on Capitol Hill are taking stock in the current U-S debt ceiling debate.  University of Kentucky professor of economics, John Garren says finding a solution to long term debt can be a confidence builder for Kentucky business people.

Louisville is among five cities chosen to receive money and assistance from the philanthropic arm of the Bloomberg company.  Bloomberg Philanthropies is giving a total of $24 million to Louisville, Atlanta, Chicago, Memphis and New Orleans. The money will essentially pay for brain power, through what the charity is calling innovation teams. They’ll work with local governments to address pressing issues identified by city leaders.

The city of Cumberland is considering turning the water off for customers in outlying areas. That was revealed at Tuesday’s city council meeting where Mayor Carl Hatfield painted a stark picture of the city’s water problems. “Unless we get funds to rebuild our water distribution system, we will have to disconnect our service to customers in the outlying areas,” said Hatfield. “This is very serious. The new hookups that we have been doing have overburdened the city’s water system. Our water lines are so dilapidated that the added pressure from additional hookups causes them to pop open.”

One of Winchester’s most well-known businesses will celebrate another milestone Wednesday. Eighty-five years ago today, Ale-8-One founder G.L. Wainscott sold the first bottle of the local soft drink. The company has no official celebrations planned for the day, but the public is invited to share stories about Ale-8-One.

Work started this week on the new zipline at the Black Mountain Off-Road Adventure Area. The $200,000 project represents a major investment for the Harlan County Outdoor Board Authority, and recently the board learned about the opening of a competing zipline in eastern Kentucky. A private developer has opened a zipline attraction at Red River Gorge in Wolfe County, but representatives of the outdoor board downplay the significance of that opening on their project

WINCHESTER – Community leaders and officials from Senko USA celebrated the grand opening Monday of the company’s new distribution center in Clark County. The facility represents a capital investment by the company in excess of $4.8 million to date and will create 12 new jobs in the community by the end of the year.

LEXINGTON - Community leaders and company officials from Allconnect Inc., a consumer services company, celebrated Monday the opening of the company’s new in-bound sales and customer care center in Lexington. The company announced its decision to locate the new facility in the Coldstream Research Campus earlier this year. The project represents a nearly $7 million investment and approximately 220 new jobs for the community.

A central Kentucky company is again sponsoring the largest equestrian event in the world. Alltech President Dr. Pearse Lyons announced Friday that his animal nutrition and brewery business will again be the title sponsor for the World Equestrian Games.

Under the direction of the Kentucky Economic Development Partnership Board, the Cabinet for Economic Development Friday announced it has engaged Boyette Strategic Advisors, an economic development consulting firm, to develop a statewide economic development strategic plan. Called "Kentucky’s Unbridled Future," the plan will provide direction to enhance job creation and investment in the state over the next several years.

The Nicholasville Trim Masters plant anticipates laying off more than 100 employees, Jessamine County Economic Development director Wayne Foster said. The said the factory will remain open. The company makes door trim, including injection molding and assembly, seat assembly and vacuum forming and assembly for the automotive industry.

For the first time in more than 80 years, Kentucky state government is depositing its receipts in a new bank. Earlier this year, the state awarded to JP Morgan Chase the contract to be its depository. Chase took over as the state’s new banker this week. Frankfort-based Farmer’s Bank had held the contract continuously since 1928.