Frost Brown Todd forms Alliance with German Firm
Frost Brown Todd (FBT) recently formed an alliance with a German
law firm in Stuttgart named Wahlert Rechtsanwalte. The agreement,
which took effect October 1, will allow FBT to work more closely
with German companies that are establishing or expanding operations
in the Midwest. In return, Wahlert will provide legal assistance
to American companies that are branching into Germany or the
European region. The two firms have hired attorney Nicolaus Susta,
a Hamburg native, who is fluent in both German and English, to
manage the alliance.
The firms worked together in the past through membership in
Multilaw, an international association of law firms through which
attorneys can refer clients to international counterparts and
vice versa.
FBT
expects the alliance to boost business in the international
sector. Germany is one of the largest investors in the United
States, and Europe is typically the first market that American
companies consider when expanding outside the United States.
There are many opportunities in Stuttgart because FBT is the
first U.S. firm to open an office in that city, whose business
sector mix is similar to that of Kentucky. www.fbtlaw.com
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Hitachi Automotive Products Builds Japanese Tea House
Hitachi Automotive Products has built a Japanese teahouse at
its Harrodsburg facility to help strengthen Japanese and American
relationships in the workplace. The company plans to sponsor
events each month at the teahouse as part of a cultural exchange
training program. General Manager Herb Nakajima told employees
that having mutual respect for one another’s culture will help
to establish a Hitachi Automotive Parts culture. www.hap.com
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Lexmark Announces New CFO
John W. Gamble Jr. has been named executive vice president
and chief financial officer of Lexmark International Inc.
He officially succeeded Gary E. Morin on September 6. Morin,
56, announced
in April that he planned to retire by early next year to
devote more time to his adopted daughters from China. Morin,
who has
been with Lexmark for 10 years, will remain with the company
until the transition to a new CFO is completed, said spokesman
Tim Fitzpatrick. "Gary will support the transition as
long as necessary."
Lexmark
CEO Paul J. Curlander cited Gamble's "extensive
financial experience and a strong track record of success in
finance leadership roles" in yesterday's announcement and
said Gamble will be "a strong addition" to the company.
After joining Agere in 2001, Gamble was senior vice president
and treasurer, and senior vice president and business controller,
before becoming executive vice president and CFO. Prior to Agere,
he was with AlliedSignal Inc., Honeywell International Inc.,
General Motors and Bethlehem Steel Corp.
A
native of New York City, Gamble earned a bachelor's degree
in electrical engineering at Cornell University and a master's
degree in business administration from Columbia Business School. www.lexmark.com
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NGAS Resources Recognized Among America’s 100 Best Small Companies
NGAS Resources has been named one of America’s 100 Best Small
Companies by Fortune Small Business magazine. To compile the
list, Fortune Small Business asked financial research firm Zacks
to screen annual reports for public companies with annual revenue
of less than $200 million and a stock price of more than $1.
Within that group, companies were ranked based on the past three
years’ earnings growth, revenue growth, and stock performance.
Real estate firms and banks, which had begun to override the
list in recent years, were not considered for the list this year.
William S. Daugherty, President and CEO commented, “We are very
pleased to be included in this prestigious list. The fact that
our performance has earned us the position of 3rd fastest growing
small company in America is confirmation that our business strategy
and execution capabilities have created significant value for
our shareholders.
Being recognized by FORTUNE Small Business clearly demonstrates
the strength of this strategy and the outstanding performance
and dedication of our employees.”
NGAS
Resources is an independent energy company focused on natural
gas development drilling and reserve growth with its main operations
in the Appalachian Basin, primarily eastern Kentucky. Additional
information, including the Company’s report on Form 10-Q for
1Q 2005, can be accessed on its website. www.ngas.com
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Peptides International Named Among 50 Fastest Growing Private
Companies
Peptides International was named in Business First of Louisville
as one of the fifty fastest growing private companies in Louisville.
Peptides International Inc. (www.pepnet.com) manufactures and
distributes biochemical products for major research institutions
throughout the world, specializing in high purity biologically
active peptides and related products and services.
Peptides recently announced an addition that will more than
double its 5,000-square-foot plant in Bluegrass Industrial Park.It's
needed because of demand for specially made peptides as more
medical and other uses are found. Overall lab space will triple.
Once the project is done, it will cover about half the company's
two-acre tract in Louisville’s Bluegrass Industrial Park. Officials
are already thinking about a second expansion.
In
June, the company announced the appointment of Dr. Bryce V.
Johnson to the position of President and CEO. Dr. Johnson
has a Ph.D. in chemistry from Yale University and an MBA from
the University of Chicago, and was a faculty colleague of Peptides
International founder Dr. Spatola, at the University of Louisville
during the late 1970s. Following his years at Louisville he pursued
a research career at Amoco Chemicals Corporation before moving
to the 3M Company in St. Paul, Minnesota where he held a number
of technical and management positions of increasing responsibility.
Most recently he was a Vice President at Dyneon LLC, a wholly
owned subsidiary of 3M, where he had responsibility for a number
of polymer and additive related businesses. During the past year
Dr. Johnson has also served on the Board of Directors of Peptides
International. www.pepnet.com
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Stoll
Keenon & Park to Merge with Ogden, Newell & Welch
Member firms Stoll keenon & Park and Ogden Newell & Welch
have approved a merger agreement that will go into effect January
1, 2006. The combined firm, named Stoll Keenon Ogden PLLC, will
have 135 attorneys and offices in Louisville, Lexington, Frankfort,
Henderson and Convington. The Louisville office will be located
in the PNC plaza.
Stoll Keenon Ogden's lawyers have experience in various practice
areas, including utilities, health care, mergers and acquisitions,
tax and estate planning, government relations, public finance,
real estate, labor and employment, banking, and commercial litigation.
Stoll,
Keenon & Park traces its roots to 1897 when Richard
C. Stoll began his law practice in Lexington, while Ogden Newell & Welch
was founded in 1898 in Louisville. www.skp.com
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Toyota Selects Kentucky Plant for Hybrid Car Production
Toyota Motor Manufacturing North America has announced that the
company’s first Northa American gas-electric hybrid production
will take place at its Georgetown, Kentucky plant (TMMK), when
production of a Camry hybrid begins in late 2006.
TMMK will have the capacity to build approximately 48,000 Camry
hybrid vehicles per year. The addition of the hybrid production
to TMMK will include a $10 million investment in the plant. Toyota
expects capacity and employment to stay the same since the hybrid
production will take place on the plants’ existing lines, and
no new construction is planned.
TMMK
is Toyota’s largest plant in North America, employing approximately
7,000. The plant currently builds the Camry, Avalon and Solara
and has the capacity to build 500,000 vehicles annually. www.toyota.com
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UPS
Opens Hub & Offers Express Service in China
In September, UPS completed the set up of a logistics distribution
center in China and now offers express-package service across
much of the country. The new operation links 23 major metropolitan
areas with next-day service.
Last February, UPS opened 3 new warehouse and distribution centers
in Shanghai, Suzhou and Futian, and reported plans to open another
20 in major cities during the next two years. The new facilities
are near manufacturing centers and expand to more than 40 the
number of logistics centers operated in China by UPS Supply Chain
Solutions.
In
the past year, UPS has expanded to 18 the number of weekly
jet flights to and from China, and will add another 3 daily
flights
in 2006. www.ups.com
