Turnpike wins national transportation award

The Kansas Turnpike has been selected as one of the state’s top two transportation projects of the 20th century by the Washington D.C.-based American Road and Transportation Builders Assn.

The turnpike was recognized by the group as an important corridor for commerce and for providing “unparalleled mobility to the state’s motorists.”

The ARTBA also recognized several other Kansas projects and transportation officials. For more on these award, please see the briefs section on page 2E.

Anniversary: Sports drink still quenching university’s thirst for dollars

What started as a concoction to boost the sun-drained performance of University of Florida football players is celebrating its 35th year as the granddaddy of all sports drinks: Gatorade.

The invention started an industry that now markets dozens of competing brands, but Gatorade remains on top. It also has poured $76.4 million in royalties into the university’s research coffers since the ’60s.

The Gators began drinking Gatorade in 1966. They became known as the “second-half” team for their ability to come back from a dehydrating first half to dominate their opponents.

Motley Fool: Name that company

I’m headquartered in Manhattan, but was born in London in the mid-1800s and adopted my coronet logo in 1919. In 1955, I introduced the flip-top box. My revenues topped a billion dollars in 1968. In 1999, 76 of my brands (which include Miller beers and Kraft Foods) each generated at least $100 million a year in sales, 14 of them topping $1 billion a year each. The surgeon general is not a big fan of mine, but many long-term shareholders are. I settled with 46 attorneys general to pay more than $200 billion. I’m trying to change my name to Altria Group. Who am I?

Study: This talk not cheap

It might not come as a surprise to the boss, but the time spent by workers chatting around the office water cooler is often money down the drain.

Challenger, Gray & Christmas Inc., an outplacement firm, tallied the cost of lost productivity if workers across the country spent around 10 minutes or so chatting about the news from the night before. The final figure? Around $37 million a day.

But that time around the water cooler might have another, beneficial side-effect  workers can take their mind off the economy and the daily grind for a while, the study says.