Saturday April 20, 2024
Local Connection
Weather
Traffic
@LouisvilleDispatch
@LouisvilleDisp
SubscribeCompany to invest $36.4 million in move to Northern Kentucky, anticipates creation of 500 Kentucky-resident jobs
Gov. Matt Bevin today announced CTI Clinical Trial and Consulting Services, a global, privately held company providing therapeutic expertise to the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries, will relocate its headquarters to Covington with a $36.4 million investment projected to create up to 500 Kentucky-resident jobs.
“We are grateful for the decision by CTI to move its headquarters to Northern Kentucky and bring with them hundreds of highly skilled jobs,” Gov. Bevin said. “Our administration and local officials are committed to providing the space and resources needed for CTI to continue its growth in the years ahead. CTI is a recognized leader in the life sciences industry and we are delighted to welcome them to Kentucky.”
CTI plans to move its headquarters from the Cincinnati suburb of Blue Ash, Ohio, closer to the region’s urban center. It will lease about 125,000 square feet in the RiverCenter building. The relocation will help the company consolidate its locations and facilitate future growth.
“We’re thrilled for CTI to be starting a new chapter at RiverCenter,” said Timothy Schroeder, CEO of CTI. “We feel that this location will be a state-of-the-art headquarters for our staff, enabling collaboration and innovation. This site allows us to retain and grow the most talented team in the industry who are helping to develop some of the most innovative life-changing therapies.”
Founded in 1999 by Schroeder and Lynn Fallon, CTI is a global leader in clinical research, working with pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies to plan, manage and analyze clinical trials, a critical step in bringing new drugs, therapies and medical devices to market. The company is therapeutically focused on critically ill patient populations, chronic diseases and unmet medical needs including the areas of regenerative medicine, cell and gene therapy, rare disease, immunology, transplantation and oncology.
CTI has associates in more than 25 countries and has worked on over 2,700 projects across six continents. CTI has contributed to more than 100 new drug and device approvals by regulatory agencies around the world.
Sen. Christian McDaniel, of Taylor Mill, said the company’s relocation and employment growth will serve Northern Kentucky well in the coming years.
“This company’s relocation from Blue Ash to Covington is yet another example of Kentucky’s business-friendly atmosphere and opportunities for economic growth,” he said. “I am excited to welcome CTI Clinical Trial and Consulting Services to Covington and I look forward to their future endeavors in our region.”
Rep. Arnold Simpson, of Covington, said the location of CTI is evidence of the region’s ability to support large-scale business growth.
“This is great news for Northern Kentucky,” Rep. Simpson said. “We are encouraged by CTI’s confidence in the Commonwealth with this significant investment and trust that other corporate leaders will take note. I want to thank CTI for making this decision and bringing these jobs here. We look forward to making their employees feel right at home in Covington.”
Rep. Addia Wuchner, of Florence, chairwoman of the Northern Kentucky Legislative Caucus, said CTI’s move will advance the area’s biomedical industry.
“On behalf of the Northern Kentucky Legislative Caucus, we extend a warm welcome to CTI,” Rep. Wuchner said. “We look forward to a surge in the life sciences industry in our region with CTI’s leadership.” Continue reading
Next Century Cities today announced that Louisville is among three cities given an award recognizing projects that harness high-speed internet to enhance civic engagement and democratic participation.
Louisville was given the inaugural Charles Benton Next Generation Engagement Award for its plan to develop a Gigabit Experience Center.
Joining Austin, Texas, and Raleigh, N.C., Louisville will receive $30,000 and hands-on technical assistance to help drive the Gigabit Experience Center forward in the next year.
Louisville Metro Government plans use the award to identify and wire an existing community center in west Louisville with gigabit connectivity, providing access to digital training, entrepreneurship, and civic engagement opportunities.
“Gigabit connectivity is a key to creating socio-economic opportunity and equity in a global economy — driving innovation, expanding our economy and providing residents with new opportunities,” Mayor Greg Fischer said. “The Gigabit Experience Center will allow us to help our citizens see the enormous potential this technology has for reshaping our city.”
Deb Socia, Executive Director of Next Century Cities, said: “We know that broadband connectivity can bring economic and educational development to a region, but next-generation broadband is also a valuable tool for empowering citizens to be actively engaged in their communities.
“The new Gigabit Experience Center in Louisville and the other two winners of the Benton Awards show a range of exciting approaches, and all three cities share a strong commitment to better engaging their citizens using high-speed broadband connectivity.”
Through the Gigabit Experience Center, city leaders are seeking to increase awareness about the importance of high-speed internet access and to provide an opportunity for residents to build their digital skills.
At the center, citizens will be able to experience virtual reality and take classes on innovation. The center will also include connectivity stations for residents, artists and musicians co-creating engaging technology exhibitions, and more.
The Benton Award was given by Next Century Cities, a nonprofit membership organization of over 145 mayors and city leaders nationwide committed to ensuring access to fast, affordable and reliable internet access for their citizens. As a founding member, Louisville has been a member of Next Century Cities since its inception in 2014.
In addition to providing expert technical assistance as the program gets underway, Next Century Cities will also elevate Louisville’s creative use of next-generation broadband to bolster civic engagement and will promote replication of the Gigabit Experience Center project nationwide.
More information about both the winning projects and the award program can be found here.
Have you ever driven by a house and wondered what all of those large antennas on the roof are? Have you seen a vehicle with antennas of various sizes sprouting from it like a big, steel porcupine? Have you attended a large event like a marathon or the Derby Breakfast and seen event coordinators communicating with each other using handheld radios? If so, then chances are that you have seen some licensed radio amateurs – also known as “hams.”
The Louisville area is home to many active ham radio enthusiasts who use the technology for everything from emergency communications to simply chatting with friends or seeing what kind of homebrew transmitting or receiving equipment they can create.
Each year, area hams get together for an event known as a hamfest. The 2015 Greater Louisville Hamfest will be held September 12 at Paroquet Springs Conference Center in Shepherdsville. During the event, attendees will have the opportunity to connect face-to-face with other hams they have met on the air; buy, sell, and trade equipment at the flea market; learn about various topics during the forums and presentations; watch demonstrations; and earn or upgrade their operating license during the on-site testing opportunities. According to Amateur Radio Kentuckiana, getting licensed to operate on amateur radio frequencies is often much easier than people think it is.
To learn more about the upcoming Greater Louisville Hamfest, visit their website at louisvillehamfest.com.
The 2015 Consumer Electronics Show, or CES, kicks off this week in Las Vegas
Running from Tuesday, January 6, through Friday, January 9, the 2015 CES showcases the latest tech trends on the market, as well as those that will be coming soon.
More than 160,000 attendees will be walking over 2 million square feet of exhibit space to visit with nearly 4,000 exhibitors and learn about the gadgets that will be making our life easier. This is also the place for product launches – with tens of thousands of new product announcements being made for everything from the biggest, sharpest, and curviest new televisions to the smallest and smartest devices.
Continuing to be a popular category, wearable tech will be big this year, as will be connected tech in the automotive industry. The Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) has announced that the 2015 International CES will feature the largest ever showcase of products, services and technologies that make up the “Internet of Things” (IoT), with more than 900 exhibitors planning to share innovations that harness the power of the network to connect everyday devices.
“The ‘Internet of Things’ is the hottest topic in tech right now,” said Karen Chupka, senior vice president, International CES and corporate business strategy, CEA. “It’s all about the opportunity to connect everyday items like cars, home security systems and kitchen appliances to networked devices like PCs and smartphones for greater control and management of our everyday lives. We’re excited that the 2015 CES will bring together all of the companies and products that are making this a reality.”
Louisville Dispatch staff will be on hand at the 2015 CES to share the hottest new devices with you.
Many people rely on the Transit Authority of River City (TARC) for their daily commute and getting around Louisville. Riding TARC saves commuters money, stress and wear-and-tear on their personal vehicles as well as helping the environment. Current regular adult fares are $1.75 and include a two-hour transfer. With recent high gas prices, it is easy to see why many people take advantage of Louisville’s public transit system (check out the gas savings calculator). Unfortunately, one of the biggest drawbacks about the transit system is the schedule. TARC schedules are available online and posted at many stops around town. Buses, however, do not always show up at their scheduled time.
There are many reasons a bus is late throughout the day: heavy traffic, accidents, breaks downs, etc. Waiting for a late bus when you are on a schedule can be quite frustrating when you have no idea when, or if, it will show up. In the past, finding out where a late bus was meant calling the TARC phone number, which is posted on all bus stop signs, waiting for someone to answer and asking about your bus. I personally have waited up to 45 minutes for a bus that was running late (on a route that is supposed to run every 15 minutes!) and have been on hold with customer service for upwards of 15 minutes trying to find a “missing” bus.
The good news? TARC has being catching up with technology. TARC announced in January that real-time bus information will be available through Google Maps and their own Trip Planner. The press release says that it is viewed best on a desktop computer and that they are challenging local mobile app developers to design a program that is phone friendly. When a user loads their current location and destination into Google Maps, there is, in small print underneath the directions, that says “Live Transit Time”.
Even more helpful for commuters on the go is the mobile integration. If you have a smartphone with Google Now, which is available on Android and iOS systems, you can get schedule information sent directly to your phone. Google Now has a setting to receive nearby bus stop information. It uses your phone’s GPS function to locate you, then it brings up the information for the nearest bus stop. This information includes all of the buses scheduled to stop there in the next 30 minutes as well as how far behind schedule they may be.
Now riders can spend less time standing around the bus stop and more time doing what they need to do.