July 2007
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 Louisville snags major technology win
Ford proposing $105 million in improvements at Kentucky Truck Plant
U of L find could give vaccines a boost
Abramson to receive award for leadership
Chicago gets a taste of Louisville
Kentucky board OKs Ford tax incentives
Senior Games good fit for Louisville and Humana
Louisville snags major technology win
University of Louisville technology czars recently staged a coup of sorts that has brought Kentucky a remarkable technology victory.
There's a lot of techno-talk involved to explain how they snagged an invaluable networking resource for Kentucky. But suffice to say that the long-term benefits for economic development and growth of research initiatives are huge, according to the principals involved.
Such future success stories are possible because some part-daring/part-ingenious U of L tech administrators finagled a rare connection point along the newly developing, super-fast network resource nicknamed "NewNet."
This hook up is 10 times faster than the national network that research universities have been using for the past decade, which already was a significant improvement over the commercial Internet most consumers and businesses access today. Read more.
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Ford proposing $105 million in improvements at Kentucky Truck Plant
Ford Motor Co. has proposed making a $105 million investment to upgrade its Kentucky Truck Plant on Chamberlain Lane.
Ford announced its potential project at Kentucky Truck Plant during a meeting of the Kentucky Economic Development Finance Authority in Frankfort.
The KEDFA board granted the Dearborn, Mich.-based automaker preliminary approval for a total package of state tax incentives worth up to $66.3 million for up to 10 years.
Ford's plans call for a $75 million investment in new equipment and a $30 million investment in engineering costs at the Kentucky Truck Plant. The moves would increase the factory's flexibility and efficiency. Read more.
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U of L find could give vaccines a boost
A discovery by University of Louisville researchers could lead to a new generation of more effective vaccines for many diseases.
In a paper published in the Journal of Science, a U of L team deciphers how one vaccine additive generates stronger and longer-lasting immunity than a vaccine alone.
Vaccines rely on a one-two punch in which antigens trigger an immune-system response while additives, called adjuvants, strengthen the response.
But some adjuvants have toxic side effects, making them unsafe for human use.
The U of L researchers demonstrated that one adjuvant, called MPLA, boosted immune-system responses in mice without toxic side effects. The research explained the mechanism that makes this possible. Read more.
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Abramson to receive award for leadership
 The International Economic Development Council, based in Washington, D.C., is honoring Louisville Metro Mayor Jerry Abramson with its leadership award for his oversight of projects ranging from airport expansion to the creation of Waterfront Park.
The Leadership Award for Public Service recognizes an elected official who is a "committed advocate for economic development for at least 10 years in the public sector."
Abramson will be presented with the 2007 Leadership Award for Public Service at its annual conference in Phoenix in September. Read more.
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Chicago gets a taste of Louisville
Greater Louisville Inc. and Metro Mayor Jerry Abramson had something new to offer job seekers at the "Louisville Reunion 2007" traveling job fair in Chicago -- real jobs.
The annual one-night reception and civic rally was back in the city where it began in 2003, trying to lure young professionals with Louisville connections back to their old Kentucky home.
But instead of simply setting up informational displays and chatting up potential employees as they had in the past, corporate sponsors for this year's trip had committed to try to fill at least 15 specific jobs. Read more.
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Kentucky board OKs Ford tax incentives
Gov. Ernie Fletcher announced $66 million in state tax incentives over 10 years to help the struggling Ford Motor Co. as it retools the Kentucky Truck Plant.
The financial package is part of the state's effort to keep Louisville's largest employer viable.
Ford has proposed to invest $105 million in Kentucky Truck. That will include investments in the plant, new machinery and technology. Read more.
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 Senior Games good fit for Louisville and Humana
For a company that generates more than a third of its annual revenue by providing health care benefits for seniors, there is no better gift than having 12,000 athletes at or near retirement age come to your hometown to compete.
That is the present that officials with Humana Inc. were offered when the National Senior Games Association announced in 2004 that it would hold its biennial Senior Olympics this year in Louisville.
 Humana is the presenting sponsor of the event, which is expected to bring more than 30,000 visitors to Louisville and have an estimated $30 million to $35 million economic impact on the community. Read more.
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