September 2007
 Louisville downtown continues unprecedented growth
University of Louisville selected as Center of Excellence
CEO sees bright future for PharMerica
Arena milestone
Brown Cancer Center to get $12 million
Louisville International is third-busiest cargo airport
Rebirth of old Philip Morris site is starting
E.On to invest $25 million in Simpsonville facility
H.D. Smith's new center will employ 80
Hispanic population on the rise
Kentucky recognized for work-force development programs
Louisville downtown continues unprecedented growth
2010 -- A Louisville Odyssey.
It might sound a bit like science fiction, but it increasingly appears as though the city's downtown a mere three years from now will have a makeup almost unrecognizable to Louisvillians today.
Imagine working on the site of the old Haymarket in what will be an expanded University of Louisville Health Sciences Center. Or perhaps take a lunch break and visit the shops at the Iron Quarter mixed-use district along West Main Street.
After work, you could watch the top-ranked U of L Cardinals basketball team taking on a Big East Conference foe at the newly opened riverfront arena or attend a concert or a minor-league hockey game at the newly renovated Gardens. After the game you could stop for a drink or more shopping in the Center City District, the $250 million second phase of The Cordish Co.'s Fourth Street Live development. Or attend a concert or a minor-league hockey game at the newly renovated Gardens. Read more.
Then, head home to your plush condominium in Louisville's world-renowned Museum Plaza. Or head east just a few blocks away to Liberty Green, a $233 million neighborhood development that will include more than 700 apartments, condominiums, town houses and houses for people of all income levels. Read more.
A decade ago, planning such a day in the city's urban core would have been laughable. Today, it's as close as 2010, which is when those mega-projects are scheduled for completion and the Haymarket transformation is expected to be well under way. Read more.
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University of Louisville selected as Center of Excellence
The National Parkinson Foundation has named the University of Louisville's Movement Disorder Program a "center of excellence" for research and treatment of Parkinson's disease.
The designation could bring more patients to Frazier Rehab and Neuroscience Center in downtown Louisville, where the program is housed, and more grants and researchers to U of L.
Being in a network with 25 other Parkinson's centers of excellence in the United States also will enable local doctors to learn of cutting-edge treatments. Read more.
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CEO sees bright future for PharMerica
PharMerica Corp. has "excellent growth prospects" because of the expanding number of senior citizens and the fragmented institutional pharmacy market, according to Gregory Weishar, Chief Executive of Louisville's newest Fortune 1000 company.
The company, which sells medications to nursing homes and other long-term-care facilities, was formed July 31 by spinning off the pharmacy business of Louisville-based Kindred Healthcare and merging it with a competitor.
The company has nearly $2 billion in revenue, operates more than 100 pharmacies and has about a 15 percent share of an estimated $13 billion market.
PharMerica plans to grow by signing up more nursing homes as customers, moving into new geographic markets and buying up smaller competitors. Read more.
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Arena milestone
 A curving, cascading roof gives a nod to Louisville's Ohio River heritage, while walls of glass, a Main Street plaza and amphitheater are meant to link with the core of downtown.
Described as "iconic," "dynamic" and "contemporary," the design of a planned 22,000-seat downtown arena was unveiled recently at a public meeting attended by city and state officials, business leaders and University of Louisville representatives.
The $252 million arena, the centerpiece of a $371 million project, was designed by Architect HOK Sport, based in Kansas City, Missouri. Read more.
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Brown Cancer Center to get $12 million
The James Graham Brown Cancer Center will receive $12 million over six years from Kosair Charities to hire scientists who will try to create drugs that combat cancers in children.
The center is part of the University of Louisville Medical School. The gift is one of the largest Kosair has given and one of the largest U of L has received. Read more.
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Louisville International is third-busiest cargo airport
Louisville International Airport has been ranked as the third-busiest cargo airport in the nation by the Airports Council International.
Louisville International, which is home to United Parcel Service's global air hub, handled nearly 2 million metric tons of cargo in 2006 -- an increase of 9.3 percent over 2005. Read more.
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Rebirth of old Philip Morris site is starting
A huge crane chipped away at the roofline of one of the old Philip Morris cigarette-manufacturing buildings at 18th Street and Broadway, marking what officials called a new beginning for the site and for western Louisville's economy.
Developers plan to build as much as $80 million in retail space, offices, condominiums, restaurants and other projects in NewBridge Crossing on the 22-acre former Philip Morris site.
The development may take five or more years to complete. Read more.
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E.On to invest $25 million in Simpsonville facility
 E.On U.S. LLC, the parent company of Louisville Gas & Electric Co. and Kentucky Utilities Co., has begun work on a $25 million transmission and data center in Simpsonville.
The 46,000-square-foot space will allow E.On to combine its existing transmission facilities: a 12,000-square-foot center on Third Street that serves LG &E and a 14,000-square-foot center south of Lexington that serves KU. Read more.
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H.D. Smith's new center will employ 80
Pharmaceutical distributor H.D. Smith has opened a distribution center in Louisville with about 80 employees and expects to add about 20 more by next spring.
H.D. Smith, based in Springfield, Ill., is the fourth largest pharmaceutical distributor in the United States. Read more.
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Hispanic population on the rise
Jefferson County saw its Hispanic population grow by nearly 6,000 people between 2000 and last year, the most of any Kentucky county, according to new figures from the U.S. Census Bureau.
The estimated number of Hispanics in the county as of July 1, 2006, was more than 18,300, or 2.6 percent of the population. Read more.
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Kentucky recognized for work-force development programs
For the fifth consecutive year, Expansion Management magazine has included Kentucky in its list of the top 10 states with the best work-force training programs.
Expansion Management surveys industrial site selection consultants and asks them to identify states where they found the best work-force training programs while investigating potential sites for their clients. Programs were judged on financial value, ease of usage and applicability. Read more.
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