Business Notes: June 23

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■ Kroger announces quarterly earnings.

■ The National Association of Realtors announces existing-home sales for May.

Kentucky

Chamber announces lineup for its summit

The Kentucky Chamber of Commerce announced on Monday three sessions that will highlight its Economic Summit and Annual Meeting on July 14 and 15 in Louisville. The first, to be held at 1 p.m. July 14, examines the world in 2025 and beyond and will be led by Nat Irvin II, a professor of management at the University of Louisville. Michael Morris, chairman, president and chief executive of American Electric Power, will lead the keynote session at 8:30 a.m. July 15. Morris will discuss ways to address global warming without dramatic economic impact. At 12:45 p.m. Wednesday, there will be a luncheon keynote session on education by Robert Compton, executive producer of the documentary Two Million Minutes. The film's title refers to the amount of time that students are in high school and compares high school experiences in the United States, India and China. For more information, go to www.kychamber.com.

E.Ky. business survey launches

A non-profit work-force agency in Eastern Kentucky plans to conduct an intensive study of the area's businesses to assess what types of skills workers will need for the future. The Eastern Kentucky Concentrated Employment Program, financed through the state Education and Workforce Development Cabinet, is planning a six-month survey that will include 100 face-to-face interviews with company decision-makers. Called the Workforce Opportunity Project, the survey will help determine the kinds of training that EKCEP will finance. The companies to be surveyed will be contacted by Career Span, which is conducting the survey for the program, according to a news release. Results of the survey will be completed by March. For more information, go to www.workforceopportunityproject.com.

Free seminars in Ashland

Two free seminars for business owners and managers will be held Wednesday in Ashland. The first, to be held 9 to 11:30 a.m., discusses how to attract and retain great employees. The second, "Overcoming Management Communication Challenges," will be 1 to 3:30 p.m. The classes will be at the Jesse Stuart Foundation at 17th Street and Winchester Avenue in downtown Ashland. To register for the classes, call (606) 329-8011 or go to the Kentucky Small Business Development Center's Web site, http://kysbdc.ecenterdirect.com.

UK has new honor society

The University of Kentucky now has a chapter of the Phi Kappa Phi national honor society. The chapter's founding president is Dr. F. Douglas Scutchfield, a professor in the College of Public Health. Membership is by invitation only to the top 10 percent of seniors and graduate students and 7.5 percent of juniors. Faculty, staff and alumni who achieve scholarly distinction also qualify.

Scott Sloan