Corporate Report: Nov. 29

Senior Home Care signs deal to join Kindred Healthcare
Senior Home Care Inc., a Clearwater-based home health care provider that operates through 30 locations in Florida, has signed an agreement to be acquired by Kindred Healthcare Inc. The transaction is expected to close in the fourth quarter.

If the agreement is approved, Senior Home Care will become part of the largest provider of post-acute care services in the country.

Senior Home Care's 47 branch offices (Senior Home Care in Florida and Synergy Home Care in Louisiana), will continue operating as Senior Home Care, an affiliate of Kindred at Home, the company's Care Management Division. Senior Home Care has 1800 employees.

Kindred at Home provides home health, hospice, palliative care and personal home care assistance in 105 locations and 11 states.

PSCU Financial Services debuting EMV chip cards for ATM transactions
Atlanta-based payment processor First Data Corp. is partnering with St. Petersburg's PSCU Financial Services to process payment for the credit union organization's first scheduled deployment of the EMV chip technology for ATM transactions.

EMV chips generally offer greater security than the magnetic-stripe technology more commonly used in credit and debit cards.

The initial deployment will occur at the ORNL Federal Credit Union in Oak Ridge, Tenn.

“First Data has supported EMV processing for more than a decade,” Tom Gandre, chief operating officer for PSCU, says in a press release. “We're confident in First Data's EMV expertise and ability to deliver a successful execution for its ATM clients and [are] delighted to be among the first in the U.S. payments industry to launch this capability.”

Evolucia names innovation manager to lead Lighting Research Center
Sarasota-based Evolucia Inc. has appointed Asiri Jayawardena as its innovation manager. Jayawardena will direct the new Lighting Technology and Research Center of Excellence at the company's Sarasota headquarters.

Jayawardena, the fourth person to receive a Ph.D. in lighting from the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, has earned several awards for innovation in LED engineering and research. Before joining Evolucia, he held key positions at the Ceylon Electricity Board and at A.P. Moller-Maersk group in Colombo, Sri Lanka.

The Evolucia's Lighting Research Center, scheduled to launch in January, will be a specialized lighting technology and product-testing facility. It will include photometry (studying light energy), product reliability and research laboratories, as well as a Lighting Education Center.

Evolucia is building the center in collaboration with Leader Electronics Inc., as part of its partnership and that company's commitment of $2 million for R&D equipment to speed Evolucia's product development.

Longtime Southwest Florida engineer forms Velocity Engineering Services
Christopher Pacitto has launched Velocity Engineering Services, a new geotechnical and environmental engineering, facilities consulting and building inspection firm in Fort Myers.

For the past nine years, Pacitto worked as a branch manager and vice president for GFA International and before that he worked as an engineer for ASC Geosciences. With 15 years in Southwest Florida, Pacitto has worked-on such notable and diverse projects as the Boston Red Sox Spring Training Facility at Jet Blue Park, Golisano Children's Hospital, Southwest Florida International Airport and facilities on Florida Gulf Coast University's campus.

Water distributor Jensen sold to Atlanta's DS Waters
Atlanta-based DS Waters of America Inc. has acquired Jensen Distributors Inc., a Largo-based distributor of Mountain Valley and Diamond water products in the Tampa area. DS Waters will continue to distribute the products to homes and offices in the region, along with its Crystal Springs bottled water brand.

“We are pleased to add Mountain Valley and Diamond water products to our central Florida routes,” Glen Sanders, senior vice president, general manager southern division for DS Waters, says in a press release. “These unique brands complement our range of bottled drinking water and give customers a wider choice of beverages.”

EcoNet Controls debuts Z-Vent smart HVAC vents
EcoNet Controls of Clearwater has released its Z-Vent series of battery-powered HVAC vents. The Z-Vent's are replacements for standard home forced-air vents and are available in a number of sizes and two colors. The wireless-controlled vents are designed to make energy management and energy savings easier and more affordable. Any computer or smartphone can be used to control and manage the opening and closing of the vents, from anywhere over the Internet.

When used with the EcoNet Controls' Z-Wave home automation system, the wireless Z-Vent allows direct control of heating or AC airflow to specific rooms in a home. The company says the system can reduce energy costs by 20% or more. Along with more direct control the Z-Vents can be configured to adjust based on a schedule or through activity or temperature sensors.

The Z-Vents are available individually or as a starter three-pack kit that includes a Z-Wave controller. The Z-Vent is compatible with most Z-Wave Controllers and Z-Wave Software.

EcoNet Controls, a division of ICI Controls Inc., was formed in 1993. EcoNet Controls designs and manufactures wireless automation products with a focus on energy management and security.