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K e n t u c k y O n e H e a l t h p e r f o r m e d t h e w o r l d ’ s f i r s t t w o s u c c e s s f u l i m p l a n t a b l e r e p l a c e m e n t h e a r t p r o c e d u r e s ”
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T H E G A T T O N A C A D E M Y A T W E S T E R N K E N T U C K Y U N I V E R S I T Y I S R A N K E D T H E B E S T P U B L I C H I G H S C H O O L I N A M E R I C A ”
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Kentucky sits on a huge limestone
shelf that acts as a natural water filter,
removing many of the elements that
typically affect the taste of whiskey,”
says Eric Gregory, president of the
Kentucky Distillers’ Association. “The
state also has four distinct climates—hot
summers, cold winters and temperate
springs and falls—all of which help
whiskey breathe inside the barrels
and give bourbon its amber color and
distinct flavor.”
Bourbon production has increased
more than 115 percent since 1999, with
Kentucky responsible for producing
95
percent of the world’s supply.
Contributing to that international
demand are distillers behind some of the
most world-recognized spirits, including
Brown-Forman (Jack Daniel’s Tennessee
Whiskey, Southern Comfort, Finlandia
Vodka), Beam Inc. (Jim Beam Bourbon,
Maker’s Mark, Sauza Tequila) and Heaven
Hill, the second-best selling bourbon in
the nation, which now exports its spirits
to more than 60 countries.
“
In 2011, U.S. distilled spirits exports
topped $1 billion for the fourth straight
year,” says Gregory. “Kentucky Bourbon
(
and Tennessee whiskey, which gets
lumped in the same category) made up
more than $700 million of that total
amount—shipping close to 30 million
gallons to 126 countries.”
KENTUCKY TECH
You’ll find many businesses that tackle
tomorrow’s obstacles here, from solving
global issues to developing the products
and services that make your life a li le
bit easier.
There’s Alltech, one of the top 10 animal
health and nutrition companies in the
world, which for 30 years has been
responsible for devising new, all-natural
nutritional solutions to help food and feed
industries throughout North America,
Europe, the Middle East, Latin America
and Asia-Pacific produce higher-quality,
healthier livestock and fish.
Another is Ashland, which started as a
small oil refinery in eastern Kentucky and
is now a leading global specialty chemical
company doing business in more than 100
countries. The ingredients they produce
are used for a vast array of applications,
from helping build faster wind energy
blades and be er ways to reach gas buried
underground to making your paper towels
so er and your sunscreen more effective
at protecting your skin.
You may even have Kentucky to thank
the next time you pick up a prescription,
experience a hassle-free hospital visit
or breeze through the tollbooth using
your EZ-Pass.
Lexmark International is a $4.2-billion
global enterprise, and its technology now
keeps more than 170 countries moving
faster by organizing complex document
challenges across a wide variety of
industries, including banking, retail,
healthcare, manufacturing, education
and government.
“
Most people know us as a printing
company spun off from IBM in 1991,
but we’ve evolved from managing printers
to managing content,” says Lexmark’s
chairman and CEO, Paul Rooke.
“
When a student has to apply for school
or a patient is admi ed into a hospital, it’s
all of the unstructured pieces of
information you have to provide—from
your ID and reference le ers to consent
forms and proof of insurance—that we
Scenes from a Kentucky bourbon distillery
