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Lexington

Like the University of Louisville, The University of Kentucky has helped land several deals in the Lexington area. Perhaps the most significant deal of late has been the $70 million R&D expansion of Lexmark International, an IBM spin-off that produces printers. The two-phase expansion will create 700 new jobs.

"They've done extremely well in the marketplace," says William M. Lear Jr., chairman of Lexington United. "The Lexmark project will call upon a lot of research from the University of Kentucky."

Lexington expects to leverage the University of Kentucky's research capabilities to attract businesses in several different industries. "The School of Pharmacy, which is nationally ranked in the top two or three, is one that we're focusing greater attention on," says Lear. "We're also hoping to target the research and development related to the automobile industry."

Lexington is also geographically well positioned from the distribution/logistics standpoint. It is in close proximity to both the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport as well as the UPS hub in Louisville, and it is located on major north-south and east-west interstates.

The city also has developed industrial R&D land in a university-related business park call Cold Stream. The state invested $5 million into the park during the 1998 general session.

This access to both air hubs as well as major interstates played a significant role in Amazon.com's decision to locate one of its two Kentucky distribution centers in Lexington. The 600,000-sq.-ft. (55,742-sq.-m.) Lexington facility will employ up to 500 workers within the next year and a half. The second facility will be located southwest of Lexington in Campbellsville. Upon completion, the Campbellsville facility will total 770,000 sq. ft. (71,535 sq. m.) and employ up to 1,000 workers. SS