US Airways - August 2012 - (Page 76)

Lexington, KY At the Helm: From Diamond Pendants to Peanut Butter With easy access via the airport or the interstate, plus some mighty beautiful scenery and strong community support, Lexington is the choice for a variety of corporate headquarters and major manufacturing facilities. Tempur-Pedic International will celebrate its 20th anniversary in the Bluegrass in January 2013. This fall, the sleep-products company will move into a new building at Coldstream Research Campus, which comprises a whopping 735 acres. Owned by the University of Kentucky, the campus is home to 57 companies and organizations, including A&W Restaurants and Laura’s Lean Beef. Owned by Commerce Lexington, Blue Grass Business Park houses everything from a new Tiffany & Co. manufacturing plant (think diamond pendants) to a Gold LEED–certified testing facility for Lexington-based Big Ass Fans. This company designs and manufactures fans for commercial, industrial, agricultural, institutional, and residential buildings. Speaking of big, the Jif facility in Lexington is reportedly the largest tiffany & Co. peanut-butter plant in the world. And Toyota also has a major plant in nearby Scott County employing about 8,000 workers. Befitting the place known as the Horse Capital of the World, some 35 regional and national offices of equine organizations operate at the Kentucky Horse Park. Other notable headquarters include Fazoli’s, the Italian quick-service restaurant chain, and Valvoline, a division of Ashland Inc., based in Covington, 80 miles north of Lexington. the toyota Venza is manufactured at the Kentucky plant. Faces of Lexington: Author Nikky Finney By Patti Nickell Poet, activist, teacher, nature lover, passionate defender of the mountains — it’s impossible to characterize Nikky Finney with a single phrase. The literary world and an increasing circle of fans know her as the 2011 National Book Award recipient for poetry for her fourth book, Head Off & Split. But Finney is also an outdoorswoman who loves taking people to Raven Run Nature Sanctuary. She’s an educator, having taught in the English department at the University of Kentucky for 18 years. And she’s a traveling troubadour on the back roads of the Bluegrass. “I’m an off-the-path person,” Finney says. “I find inspiration for my writing from trails that aren’t on the map, learning how creeks connect with rivers which connect with lakes, and wondering about the lives of people who came before me.” That sense of wonderment leads her frequently to one of her favorite places in Lexington: the African Cemetery No. 2 on Seventh Street. It’s one of the oldest cemeteries in the country established and maintained by free African Americans. “So much lost history, poetry, and life is written on those tombstones,” Finney muses. “One of the things that touched me most about Lexington is that when the graveyard fell into disrepair, the entire community came together to save it.” Another thing she values about Lexington is its love of “books, its vibrancy for local writers and for storytelling.” “From the moment I arrived here, I found a passionate, hungry community of both readers and writers,” she says. “That, coupled with the nurturing environment at the university, allowed me to grow as both a teacher and a writer.” nikkyfinney.net photos (clockwise from top right) courtesy of tiffany & co., toyota motor co., rachel eliza griffiths, university of kentucky 76 august 2012 usairwaysmag.com http://www.nikkyfinney.net http://www.usairwaysmag.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of US Airways - August 2012

US Airways - August 2012
Table of Contents
CEO Letter
From the Editor
Did You Know?
Making It Happen
Hot Spots: Making Waves
Wine & Dine: The American Spirit
Adventure: Reynolds Plantation
Great Escapes: Puerto Vallarta
Tel Aviv: The City That Never Sleeps
Heavy Duty: US Airways Maintenance
Toques Off! Top Chefs on Summer Entertaining
Welcome to Tampa Bay
Driving Force: The First Tee of the Triad
New Vision: Lexington, Kentucky
Best of Education: Salisbury University
Puzzles
Charlotte in 2012: Making a New Economy Possible
Readers Resource Index
Your US Airways Guide
Video Entertainment
Audio Entertainment
U.S. and Caribbean Service Map
International Service Map
Airport Terminal Maps
US Airways Fleet/Customs & Immigration
Passenger Info/Contact US Airways
US Airways MarketPlace™
Giving Miles for Good: Fisher House
Window or Aisle?

US Airways - August 2012