Mazak Corp. will begin exporting for the first time machine tools assembled at the company's U.S. headquarters in Florence to Japan, Europe and South America. The exports will begin next month, the company said Monday.

 

Mazak is one of the largest machine tool builders in the nation, employing 600 in Florence and 800 at other sales and technical centers across North America. The Florence plant opened in 1974 and has been expanded more than 15 times to more than 600,000 square feet. Read the full story here.

 

Beshear called the project a collaborative effort to keep a major supplier for the automobile industry in the state.

 

"The expansion of ZF Steering is an excellent example of how state and local government, community representatives and the private sector all worked together to create a strong partnership to create jobs and investment in the Commonwealth," Beshear said. "I couldn’t be more pleased to see this project become a reality and to know that global companies such as ZF Steering continue to display their confidence in the Commonwealth by creating jobs and making long-term investments."  Read the full story here.

 

Founders Chris Bergman and Paul Armstrong of the startup ChoreMonster were among 12 winners awarded a total of $115,000 in investments and in-kind support at an awards presentation Thursday evening at Northern Kentucky University. Learn more and find out about other awardees here. 

 

"We are honored that Northern Kentucky has been able to serve as the national pilot site for this poll," said Marianne Schmidt-Hurtt, Senior Vice President, PNC Bank and Chair, NKYEC Board of Directors. "We are focused on improving educational outcomes and these results will help us ensure that our youth are prepared and ready for the future." 

 

Gallup's research has shown that hope, engagement and well-being are key factors that drive future employment, retention, grades and achievement scores. Hope drives attendance, credits earned, and GPA of high school students; predicts GPA and retention in college; and is a more robust predictor of college success than are high school GPA, SAT and ACT scores. Engagement distinguishes between high performing and low-performing schools and wellbeing tells us how our students are doing today and predicts their success in the future.

 

"Many communities invest resources in tracking the skills and behaviors of their students to help drive success, but few are able to dig deeper to capture the attitudes and perceptions of students that drive performance," said Polly Lusk Page, Executive Director, NKYEC. "Even among those who have such data, too few are using it and translating it into action."

 

In Northern Kentucky, local school districts are using these data to help youth plan for their future and build both school and community-based support systems for our students. "We can't ignore our students' thoughts and feelings," said Kathy Burkhardt, Superintendent, Erlanger-Elsmere Schools. "We have been treating the symptoms, such as test scores and grade point averages, but not the causes, such as feeling hopeless about the future, not feeling engaged or not having a strong support system in place to help them reach their goals."  

The Gallup Student Poll gives young people a voice to convey their daily experiences and aspirations for the future. Poll data can facilitate new conversations and solutions that lead to community engagement and school and student success. To help begin these conversations in Northern Kentucky, NKYEC has invited national youth development expert Karen Pittman to be the keynote speaker at their Fall Council Meeting on September 21. Ms. Pittman is the President and CEO of the Forum for Youth Investment and will share what it means for the entire community to take ownership in ensuring that all children, youth and young adults are "Ready by 21" and "Ready for the Future".

 

"The conversation about the future of American youth starts with a shared understanding of hope, engagement and wellbeing," said Karen Pittman. "When local leaders, schools, businesses and community partners work together, communities can prepare a competitive workforce, strengthen the network of supports for all young people, support families and help all young people realize their full potential." 

 

"The Northern Kentucky community must send a clear message to our youth that we have high expectations for their future," said Jim Votruba, President, Northern Kentucky University. "When we help students overcome obstacles and plan for their future, they will not only be more successful in school, they will be more successful in life."

 

"If our community is going to focus on creating jobs and improving the economy, it is imperative that we connect business and education," said Brent Cooper, President of C-Forward, Inc. and current Chair of the Northern Kentucky Chamber of Commerce. "Hopeful, engaged and thriving youth will grow up to be more productive employees and by investing in their futures we help build the workforce of tomorrow."

 

According to Shane Lopez, Ph.D., Senior Scientist and research director for Gallup, 20 years of field research demonstrate that more hopeful students do better in school and life than less hopeful students. Helping students become more hopeful can improve their ability to learn as well as make them more resilient for future challenges. 

 

"What would Northern Kentucky look like if all youth were hopeful?" asked Ms. Page. "At the Council, we believe in the power of these data to galvanize school, business and community partners to take action on behalf of our youth in Northern Kentucky. By working together with our partners to align practice and leverage resources, we can implement strategies that positively affect the lives of our youth." 

 

The enhanced version of the Gallup Student Poll was developed with support from the Ready by 21 National Partnership. NKYEC is serving as the lead agency for coordination and administration of the two-year pilot with support from the United Way of Greater Cincinnati and Vision 2015. Last spring, the poll was administered in 48 schools representing 13 Northern Kentucky public school districts, with more than 20,000 students in grades 5 through 12 participating in the poll. More information regarding the Gallup Student Poll can be found at gallupstudentpoll.com. Learn more at nkyec.org. 

CSN, which is based in Boston, offers more than 3 million items from 5,000 brands at its 250 specialized online stores. 

Read the full story here.

First Financial Bank joins six other local companies in making major investments in the fund, which currently stands at $7.5 million. Once the corporation reaches its goal, it will begin lending to developers. 

Read the full story here.

The chapel is being designed by Northern Kentucky-based architects Robert Ehmet Hayes & Associates PLLC.

The decades-long dream of building a chapel became a determined quest in 2009, when President Sister Margaret Stallmeyer, C.D.P., with the support of the Board of Trustees, launched an official fund-raising campaign to make that dream a reality. The Diocese of Covington, under the guidance of Bishop Roger Foys, led the donor list with a multi-year $500,000 pledge, and soon parishes and other donors joined in the effort. A capstone gift from John and Juanita Griffin and family allowed the College to meet the goal this March. 

Read the full story here.