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Ford Motor Co. recently showed off the latest iteration of its large Expedition SUV in Louisville.Was the reveal a sign of confidence for the automaker? After all, it gave the company a chance to boast about its high level of domestic production — something important in the wake of a trade war. We chat about that as well as the auto industry overall on this week's episode of the Access Louisville podcast. Let's face it, this event may have just been a good reason for Ford executives to come to Louisville on Derby Week.The new 2025 Ford Expedition is rolling off the line at the Kentucky Truck Plant in Louisville after the company invested $500 million at the facility. The reveal took place on Wednesday, April 30, and included a visit from Ford CEO Jim Farley as our partners at WDRB News reported. He spoke about the auto industry reactions on tariffs as well as the economy as a whole.The price for the new SUV ranges anywhere from $62,000 to $100,000, by the way.  After the automotive talk, we switch gears to talk about the Kentucky Derby. Reporter Michael L. Jones has covered a couple of Kentucky Derby related stories in the run-up to the big event, including a conversation with George Zambelli of the Zambelli fireworks family. Obviously, this was a rough year for the company after a huge flood in April canceled Thunder Over Louisville.“I always wondered what it would be like if there was no Thunder, and unfortunately, we got to see what it was like,” Zambelli told Jones. “It's certainly an economic impact on the city. So, maybe this is a good wake-up call to say, ‘Hey, let's be supportive of this.'"We also talk about the Belle of Louisville being scratched from the Great Steamboat Race and Jones' recent visit to Kern's Kitchen, makers of the famous Derby Pie.Access Louisville, sponsored by Baird, is a weekly podcast from Louisville Business First. It's available on popular podcast services including Apple Podcasts and Spotify (which are linked above.)

What are Louisville's biggest assets and how can we best leverage those?That was recently a topic of discussion on the Access Louisville podcast. We took the weekly LBF show live for a special episode — recorded in front of an audience and with three guests: Jennifer Barber, office member in charge, Louisville, Frost Brown ToddScott Catlett, chair, Impetus for a Better Louisville and former Yum Brands Inc. chief legal and franchise officerMike Mountjoy, founding partner and chairman emeritus of MCM CPAs and Advisors (now Cherry Bekaert)All three were members of LBF's Power 50 list of Louisville's most influential business people. They are all also at different stages of their careers, with Barber making her first appearance on that list, Catlett being a regular and Mountjoy being part of the inaugural Power 50 Hall of Fame. We talked about their careers for a bit at the top of the show, with each sharing their proudest accomplishments.After the career talk, we got to talking about what Louisville should look to accomplish as a city — and they all three had great takes: On building the economy"We talk about bringing big companies here — we don't need to bring the big companies here. We need to bring people here," said Mountjoy. He advocates 0% income tax as a means of doing that. "The businesses follow the people, not the other way around. There aren't enough engineers in Louisville. There need to be more. There's not enough technology people here." On getting involved"One thing about our community is it's small enough if you want to make a difference you can," said Catlett. "There are plenty of organizations where you can contribute and make a difference and it's gonna take that. We can't look to the leaders of the past. We need people to step up — of today's generation, of tomorrow's generation — to really be a force for good in the community." On the workforce"The talent pool is still very strong. Outside of the legal industry, I think the issue for Kentucky and for Louisville is less the talent pool and more workforce participation," said Barber, noting a troubling trend within that metric. "We've got to increase our workforce participation. We're going to have to tackle some things like housing issues and childcare issues to get more Kentuckians and more Louisvillians into that talent pool." Access Louisville, sponsored by Baird, is a weekly podcast from Louisville Business First. It's available on popular podcast services including Apple Podcasts and Spotify.

UPCOMING EVENT: Access Louisville Live presented by Baird. Be on hand for a live recording of the Access Louisville podcast April 22. Details and registration here.A new pizza joint, a French Bistro and the latest on the brewing scene.All of the above are topics on this week's Access Louisville podcast. LBF Restaurant reporter Michael L. Jones is on the show to tell us about a new St. Matthews Pizza joint, Pizza Jones (no relation.) Pizza Jones will be located at 126 Breckenridge Lane, next to the China 1 restaurant, and is scheduled to open in early May. Gene Stein, co-owner of Pizza Jones, is the former co-owner of the defunct Pizza Guy brand, which closed nearly two decades ago.Jones also tells us about French bistro M. Peppers, which opened at 1306 Bardstown Road, inside the Bellwether Hotel, opened Tuesday, April 15. It comes from the team behind bar Vetti inside NuLu's AC Hotel. The ownership group includes chef Andrew McCabe and restaurateur Ryan Rogers, co-owner of Feast BBQ and Royals Hot Chicken.We also chat about Mashup Food Hall landing its first restaurant, the closure of the Oddbird Cafe in the Highlands and the latest trends in craft beer brewing. Brewing is still a growing business (despite troubles experienced lately by Louisville brewers) though it's not growing as fast as it was pre-pandemic, as our data showed.After the restaurant talk, we chat about music festivals — including the news that Danny Wimmer Presents, the promotor behind Bourbon & Beyond and Louder than Life, has committed to Louisville for the next 10 years. Bourbon & Beyond and Louder Than Life generated more than $33 million in local economic impact in 2024 and drew more than 300,000 attendees, booking over 60,000 hotel room nights, as Jones reported. We also chat about the recently announced lineup of The Big Stomp festival, which you can find here. Access Louisville, sponsored by Baird, is a weekly podcast from Louisville Business First. It's available on popular podcast services including Apple Podcasts and Spotify.

UPCOMING EVENT: Access Louisville Live presented by Baird. Be on hand for a live recording of the Access Louisville podcast April 22. Details and registration here.Sometimes Mother Nature just has our number — and that's certainly been true so far in 2025. On this week's Access Louisville podcast we discuss the loss of Thunder Over Louisville — which is being canceled this year because of flooding. On a normal Thunder, about half a million people line the banks of both sides of the river. Kentucky Derby Festival pegs the Thunder economic impact at more than $120 million, while Louisville Tourism charts it at $10 million. A Louisville Tourism spokesperson detailed that their number only accounts for direct economic impact (and excluding things like sponsorship or advertising dollars or TV rights).On this week's show, we also discuss how the flooding has impacted businesses including The Galt House, Captains Quarters and Buffalo Trace Distillery in Frankfort.After the flooding talk, we discuss work beginning on a project at the Kentucky Expo Center. Crews will begin demolishing parts of the existing center, including Newmarket Hall. The cleared space will pave the way for Phase I of the project, which is a new 350,000-square-foot multipurpose building designed to expand and redefine event capabilities at the facility.  Additionally, we chat about Louisville Metro Government taking preliminary steps to restore Louisville Gardens. The city is planning to do exterior demolition around the entrance of the building at 525 W. Muhammad Ali Blvd. And, lastly, Reporter Stephen P. Schmidt is on the show to discuss the latest on how tariffs will affect Kentucky's signature bourbon industry. Tariffs were causing wild fluctuations on Wall Street this week. But they're also something the bourbon industry has been talking about for far longer, including at LBF's recent Bourbonomics event.Access Louisville, sponsored by Baird, is a weekly podcast from Louisville Business First. It's available on popular podcast services including Apple Podcasts and Spotify (which are linked above.)

UPCOMING EVENT: Access Louisville Live presented by Baird. Be on hand for a live recording of the Access Louisville podcast April 22. Details and registration here.Louisville and the surrounding area have seen a bevy of new data center projects announced in the last several months. We discuss what it all means on this week's Access Louisville podcast.The latest news is a $6 billion project in Oldham County which is attracting scrutiny from nearby residents and officials. There are also data center developments in South Louisville and at the River Ridge Commerce Center in Jeffersonville, Indiana. The jury is likely still out on whether having these projects are good or not. Sure, they attract big investments and require some high paying jobs. And possibly set the area up for more technology industry development. But they're also a major draw on power and water resources.After the data center discussion, Reporter Joel Stinnett shares some of his notes from covering new University of Louisville president Gerard "Gerry" Bradley. He did his first press conference recently after his very unusual appointment to UofL's top office. Lastly, we get into a little baseball talk — particularly the news that a Louisville native has landed a very lucrative MLB contract with the Arizona Diamondbacks. And we wrap up the show with me lamenting the fact that Cincinnati Reds games are no longer readily available on my TV provider of choice. TV revenue is a challenge for MLB teams compared to those in other sports, as we recently reported. Access Louisville, sponsored by Baird, is a weekly podcast from Louisville Business First. It's available on popular podcast services including Apple Podcasts and Spotify.

The city got some surprising news this week with the announcement that Kim Schatzel was out as president of the University of Louisville.What started as a Tuesday night rumor quickly evolved into a close-door meeting of the University of Louisville Board of Trustees on Wednesday. Louisville Business First reporter Michael Jones was at that meeting and shares his insights on the situation on this week's Access Louisville podcast. Perhaps most surprising was that Schatzel's departure was followed by the quick appointment of Gerry Bradley to replace her. Bradley is the third president in five years. UofL has experienced a rotating cast of leaders since longtime president James Ramsey resigned in 2016.Also on this week's show, we discuss the former Highland United Methodist, which recently hit the market. Star Auerbach and her father Rob Auerbach, co-founder of Rainbow Blossom Natural Food Market, had purchased this property in 2023 and were considering a boutique hotel for the space. But after Rob Auerbach passed away in 2024, Star says she's no longer able to do the project on her own — though she would still like to see someone else pick it up.Further, we talk about some recent Downtown property sales including Advocacy Plaza near the courthouse and the former MPI Printing building on Jefferson Street. We chat about development near Lynn Family Stadium and we've got an interesting story involving two bars in NuLu, both of which are named Taj.There's also some content from our sponsors at Baird. LBF's Lisa Benson has an interview with investment strategist Ross Mayfield — they're talking market volatility, tariffs, bourbon and other economic news.Access Louisville, sponsored by Baird, is a weekly podcast from Louisville Business First. It's available on popular podcast services including Apple Podcasts and Spotify (which are linked above.)

We have a classic restaurant news update on this week's Access Louisville podcast. LBF Restaurant Reporter Michael L. Jones is on the show to share some of his latest reporting. We start off on the surprising news that Joy Luck has closed its two locations in the area. The Asian fusion eatery, which had locations in the Highlands and on the East End, has been a staple of the local restaurant scene over the last nine years. The restaurants were owned by brothers Alvin and Brendan Lin. The two opened the Highlands location in 2013, and the East End restaurant followed in 2016.Jones also has some news on Playa Bowls, which is replacing the Highlands restaurant. New Jersey-based Playa Bowls specializes in bowls containing superfoods like acai, pitaya, chia pudding, and more. We also chat about Limon Y Sal, a new modern Mexican restaurant that opened recently at to 3900 Shelbyville Road. The nearly 7,500-square-foot space was previously occupied by The Raven, which closed last May.We also talk about the food and drinks on offer this season at Lynn Family Stadium. And we go over new locations for Bubba's 33 as well as Swig and Highlands Fish Market that are coming to the area soon.After the restaurant talk, we discuss new regulations on the hemp beverage industry. As well as a new promotion and relegation system adopted by the United Soccer League, of which Louisville City FC is a part.Access Louisville, sponsored by Baird, is a weekly podcast from Louisville Business First. It's available on popular podcast services including Apple Podcasts and Spotify (which are linked above.)

We get some perspective from a Louisville CEO on this week's Access Louisville podcast.Logan Pichel, president and CEO of Republic Bank & Trust, is on this week's show. (He also recently made our Power 50 list of the area's most powerful executives.) We cover a little bit of everything including diversity, equity and inclusion, mergers in the banking industry and banking under the new administration of Donald Trump. In a period where stories out of Washington D.C. seems to be lighting up news feeds on an hourly basis, Pichel discussed the need to focus on his company's mission."You don't run the bank for the administration, you run it for the longterm franchise value of the organization," he said. "Administrations change. Not a lot has changed in our strategy." He suspects a looser regulatory environment will likely be in place as a result of the new administration. He could also see more consolidation in the sector — "although I will tell you that we just bought a bank two years ago under the previous administration." Pichel was referring to Republic Bancorp's (NASDAQ: RBCAA) acquisition of CBank for approximately $51 million in cash in 2023. "It got approved quickly and it was a great experience," he said. We also get into talking about Louisville's economy — which has taken some hits of late particularly with the news that KFC U.S. is leaving Louisville for Plano, Texas. The news of Humana Inc.'s move out of its namesake tower on Main Street hasn't bolstered confidence either."It is worrisome. You don't want to see exits. You want to see entrance into the community — especially with companies with such great reputations as KFC and Humana. We moved associates downtown in the last year or two.""I also believe in momentum. Once you start to see more companies coming to Louisville, more people will come here. It's a great community," he said, noting he just moved here 4 and half years ago. Housing is not as expensive here as it is in other places and travel is easy."I just think we need momentum. We've got good leadership. Our mayor is fantastic. Craig Greenberg's great. And he's pro business. And he wants to bring new companies in. We just have to start getting some momentum," he said."I know we'll get there. I'm encouraged we'll get there. We all just wish it was a little faster."Access Louisville is a weekly podcast from Louisville Business First. It's available on popular podcast services, including Apple Podcasts and Spotify, which are linked above. You also can listen to the show in the player above.

We chat about a couple of apartment developments in the area on this week's Access Louisville podcast. But we also discuss why these proposals seem to touch off so much controversy. Specifically on the show we talk about two apartment development projects: One in a former school house in the Highlands and another near Highlander Point Shopping Center in Floyds Knobs, Indiana. Through the years, we've heard that Southern Indiana is generally friendlier for development. But in this case, the Indiana development is attracting more complaints from residents than the one in Louisville. We get into chatting about why people oppose developments like this — including traffic, density and population growth. We move on to some lighter topics after that including some restaurants and retail news. The new Bourbon & Burgers and the PGA Superstore are both opening soon in St. Matthews. And we chat about music a bit considering that the iconic Headliners Music Hall is on the market. We also make note of some of the acts on the lineup at Louder than Life this year.Access Louisville is a weekly podcast from Louisville Business First. It's available on popular podcast services, including Apple Podcasts and Spotify, which are linked above.

The hits just keep coming for economic development in Louisville — most recently with the news that KFC is leaving town.That's one of five recent examples of some absolutely abysmal economic news coming out of Louisville. Before that it was Papa John's flight from Louisville to Atlanta. And the news that Humana Inc. is vacating its Main Street tower in Downtown Louisville. You can throw the closure of the Brown-Forman Cooperage and Diageo's ending of bottling operations at Stitzel-Weller Distillery onto the bad news pile too. Those are just the big, semi-recent ones. Add it all up and it doesn't look good for the Derby City. So what's happening here? We give our best shot at an explanation on this week's Access Louisville podcast, which you can check out in the player above.In short, it's not all just one thing. Louisville is on the wrong end of some recent business trends. Obviously, the trends that led restaurant companies (KFC and Papa Johns) out of town are different than those causing the distillers (Diageo and Brown-Forman) to shut down facilities. In the case of the former, it seems restaurant companies want greater access to the world than Louisville can readily provide (a few site selection professionals we spoke with gave us some great insight on this recently.) And in the case of the latter, there's a global spirits downturn and threats of a trade war that are impacting Kentucky's bourbon industry. As for Humana, it's in step with a lot of companies that are just needing less office space in the wake of remote work. So the question is less: What's going on here and more what do we do about it? More on this weeks showWe don't just lament Louisville's losses on this week's show. We also go over some good news that has taken place as well. It seems that  things are moving for a redevelopment project at Louisville Gardens, which will be home to the film industry. There's also new apartment building going up that could be a real boon for Downtown Louisville.And we've got some news on massive upgrades planned at Churchill Downs. 

A big time change coming to U.S. soccer could mean Louisville's best opportunity for a new top-tier sports team. And we chat about it on the Access Louisville podcast. As LBF reported on Thursday, The United Soccer League is planning to launch a division one professional soccer league which will directly compete with Major League Soccer at the top of the U.S. soccer pyramid. LouCity FC currently plays at the second tier of the pyramid in the USL Championship league. While nothing has been officially announced, there are strong hints that Louisville would move up to the top once the new league is launched.As we talk about on the show, USL President Paul McDonough mentioned Louisville soccer specifically in two separate press interviews — one with the Athletic and one with the Guardian. We talk about why this could be an exciting development — though not without it's growing pains. As we discuss, Lynn Family Stadium, where LouCity FC plays, can get tight when too many fans show up. There's also the question of the long-awaited development that was supposed to happen around the stadium — something that's surely among Louisville's biggest development opportunities.We also spoke about Greater Louisville Inc.'s new economic development strategy. The plan includes a talent attraction strategy around wooing people back to Louisville who used to live here — referred to as boomerangs. That's already been something that occurs naturally in a lot of cases. And we talk about Trevor Pawl, the new CEO of Louisville Economic Development Alliance (LEDA), who seems to be bringing fresh perspective to the realm. We wrap up with a discussion about Humana CEO Jim Retchin, who spoke at GLI's annual meeting this week.Access Louisville is a weekly podcast from Louisville Business First. It's available on popular podcast services, including Apple Podcasts and Spotify.

Does Louisville hate big ideas? We get into that on the Access Louisville podcast.A proposed revamp of the Belvedere is what gets us talking about the topic. Renderings of the project were recently unveiled, which showcase a unique and distinct design, on Louisville's waterfront. The designs were created by London-based Heatherwick Studios, which is also behind the Vessel in New York or Little Island in Brooklyn.There's been a few pieces of news on the project including it's cost and timeline. Mayor Craig Greenberg has also appointed an executive to lead the effort.But the reception on social media has largely been negative. Yes, we realize that people generally use social media to complain but it got us talking about other big Louisville ideas that have seemingly been met with scorn — Museum Plaza, the Big Four Bridge, a Mid-City Mall redo and so on. Even when the Clark Memorial Bridge got a coat of paint that wasn't grey, people seemed upset by it. We have our theories as to why — everything from nostalgia for the way things used to be to just plain grumpiness. Also on this week's show we chat about a new art installation, called Spark, coming to Louisville's Portland neighborhood that's surely to get people talking. We chat about the upcoming sale of the Humana tower and what might become of it. And we update you on the progress of the former Urban Government Center on Barret Avenue.Access Louisville is a weekly podcast from Louisville Business First. It's available on popular podcast services.

We chat about several local construction projects on this week's Access Louisville podcast.Topping the discussion is what looks to be a new grocery store at 201 Blankenbaker Parkway. LBF Reporter Joel Stinnett spotted a demolition permit that had been filed to tear down part of the structure there (which used to be home to a Winn-Dixie and Walmart Neighborhood Market) in order to make way for something new.The permit hints at a retailer going into the space and it's the right size for one — though nothing has been confirmed yet. After that we also chat about Kentucky Educational Television (KET) opening its new studio on Main Street, which Digital Editor Zak Owens got a look at earlier recently. Also on this week's show we talk about demolition planned at the former EMW Women's Surgical Center at the corner of 2nd and Market streets. A new 27-story hotel tower has been discussed for that space in the future, but for now the building is being demolished for a parking lot, as Stinnett reported recently. After that we go talk about Stinnett's recent LBF cover story on the largest development opportunities in Louisville, which include the Urban Government Center on Barrett Avenue, the Starks Building in Downtown Louisville and the area surrounding Lynn Family Stadium. You can check out the full story on that development to-do list here.In the second half of the show we switch gears and chat about a handful of local sports stories, including a new platform that allows fans to raise money for college sports recruits. LBF Reporter Stephen P. Schmidt has details on that program here. We also go over news about a former Louisville City FC player going to the MLS and the departure of UofL volleyball coach Dani Busboom Kelly.Access Louisville is a weekly podcast from Louisville Business First. It's available on popular podcast services, including Apple Podcasts and Spotify.

We talk strategy with the CEO of a popular Louisville attraction on this week's Access Louisville podcast.DeVone Holt has been at the helm of the Muhammad Ali Center, as president and CEO since September. He's the first in the organization's history to hail from Louisville. On the show he talks about how he plans to both foster local relationships and expand the organization's reach. “It really has been a whirlwind of activity,” Holt said on the podcast, which was recorded with LBF Editor-in-Chief Shea Van Hoy in late December. Holt spoke about the immense honor of spreading Muhammad Ali's legacy around the world, calling it “literally one of the greatest honors of my professional career.” Ali is revered by people from all walks of life and continues to inspire the center's mission, he said.Holt worked for Goodwill Industries of Kentucky prior to his CEO appointment and helped shepherd the organization's $50 million Opportunity Campus development in West Louisville. He speaks about his roots growing up in West Louisville before attending Doss High School. That's something we reported in our recent holiday feature on where several local executives went to high school.The Muhammad Ali Center welcomed about 150,000 guest in 2023, ranking it among the area's largest tourist attractions. Access Louisville is a weekly podcast from Louisville Business First. It's available on popular podcast services, including Apple Podcasts and Spotify.

We catch up with a major Louisville nonprofit on this week's Access Louisville podcast.Tamera Reif, senior director of Housing Services at Volunteers of America Mid-States, is on this week's show to talk about a number of ongoing projects with the organizaiton. She spends her days in the world of residential homeless and housing work — a key issue affecting Louisville in recent years. She talks about how she is inspired to do the work.Volunteers of America Mid-States (VOA) broke ground on its new headquarters, the $58 million Community Care Campus, in September. Reif tells us on the show that one of the most exciting parts of that project is a new family emergency shelter, which will more than double the available space for families experiencing homelessness. The campus also includes transitional housing for 18 to 24 year old youths and respite care for homeless people leaving the hospital. The space will also include meeting rooms and partner spaces, she explains. And she speaks with LBF Editor-in-Chief Shea Van Hoy talks with Reif about how the campus project came together with the support of Louisville Metro Government.The start of construction comes nearly two years after Louisville Metro Government purchased the Smoketown properties on Breckinridge Street near Floyd and Brook streets for nearly $7 million. Existing facilities on the property included the Vu Hotel and Guest House as well as the C2 event space, which George Stinson and his partner Ed Lewis opened in 2016.The majority of the funding for the project is coming from the Kentucky General Assembly and Louisville Metro Government, which are contributing a combined $22.5 million, according to VOA's website. Low income housing credits are responsible for $19 million in funds and the VOA has been able to raise $2.5 million for the project to date. But that still leaves a $17.5 million gap in funding.The new campus is expected to fully completed in 2027 and will employ 75 people. Miranda Construction is handling the buildout of the Community Care Campus. Hancock said the new Unity House will have 34 rooms and be able to serve 80 to 90 people at a time.Access Louisville is a weekly podcast from Louisville Business First. It's available on popular podcast services, including Apple Podcasts and Spotify.

How important is a proposed $250M development around Louisville Slugger Field? We chat about that on this week's Access Louisville podcast.Reporter Joel Stinnett initially reported on this project, on Dec. 2. and is on this week's show to share a few insights and details about it.The Louisville Sports Entertainment District would be a 500,000-square-foot mix of housing, retail, hospitality and entertainment atop of what now is a city-owned parking lot east of the baseball stadium. The more than $250 million public-private partnership would include Louisville Bats owner Diamond Baseball Holdings, which bought the club last year, and Houston-based real estate firm Machete Group. The city is working with the two groups on a development agreement.Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg said the proposed development is in the “very early stages” so it is not clear how much of the $250 million investment would be provided by the city. However, the project would require incentives, he said, including the possible creation of a Tax Increment Finance district.We also chat about an O.G. punk rocker, Dean Thomas, drummer for the Los Angeles rockabilly group Levi And The Rockats in the late 1970s, who's opened an art gallery on Main Street. Dean Thomas Fine Art Painting opened Dec. 8 at 635 W. Main St. in Downtown Louisville. Reporter Michael L. Jones talked to Thomas about his careers in both music and art, which he wrote a story on here and explains on the show. Jones also tells us about a new restaurant he recently reported on, which, oddly enough, is opening inside a gun range. Brass Social, at 11800 Electron Dr. opened Friday, Nov. 29, in the Next Level Ranges development in Jeffersontown, which also includes gun ranges and a pro shop.Brandon Mitchell, co-owner of Brass Social, said the new restaurant serves what he likes to call elevated bar food with locally-sourced ingredients. His partners in Brass Social, James and Jennifer Naive, own a farm in Spencer County, Double J Beef, that supplies the restaurant's beef. The restaurant also gets beef from Ridge Creek Farm in Spencer County.Access Louisville is a weekly podcast from Louisville Business First. It's available on popular podcast services, including Apple Podcasts and Spotify.

After some struggles years ago, Louisville-based Rainbow Blossom has a great last few years. Rainbow Blossom, an independent chain of natural food markets that specializes in natural grocery, body care and health and wellness products, just opened a new East End location a few months ago. It also made LBF's Fast 50 list of growing companies in Louisville in this year, with revenue rising 18% over the last three years to $13.04 million in 2023. Second generation owner Summer Auerbach joins us on the Access Louisville podcast this week and explains things weren't always so rosy. She discusses the challenges and strategies of growing the family business, which was founded by her parents in 1977. Despite opening a sixth location and expanding its New Albany store recently, Auerbach emphasizes maintaining the company's small, accessible, and family-like culture. On the show she also highlights the importance of direct communication, team input,and creating written guidelines for consistency. Auerbach also reflects on overcoming tough times by differentiating from competition, being nimble and innovative, and leveraging data and metrics to drive growth"We have really been able to make changes quickly, to be responsive to community needs and make sure we are separating ourselves from our competition," she said. She also talks about where she sees the company heading in the future — including a potential medical cannabis dispensary license that it is seeking."I think that will be a natural progression for us as that space moves forward," she said. "I'm proud of our state for taking this leap. I'm glad we're not the 50th state [to make marijuana legal.]Auerbach also was recently honored as part of LBF's Most Admired CEOs program. More on her and other honorees here. You can listen to the full interview in the player above as well as on popular podcast services like Apple Podcasts and Spotify (which are also linked above.) Access Louisville is a weekly podcast from Louisville Business First.

We go over all the latest restaurant news on this week's Access Louisville podcast. LBF Reporter Michael L. Jones is on the show to tell us about several interesting developments. Notably, Jones shares the story of Frank Faris, who formerly owned Genny's Diner and today is behind the Frickled Pickle Express food truck. Jones, who has reported on the restaurant scene in Louisville for many years, said he's always wanted to speak with Farris. He got to do so for a recent feature story, which you can read here.Frickled Pickle Express has been operating for a couple of years but Jones said he was surprised about how much attention his story has gotten on social media, as many people seem to be curious about what Faris has been up to. Next, Jones tells us about a new ice cream shop, Retta's Scoop. The shop will open its first physical location at 2011 Frankfort Ave. in early 2025, but it's ice cream is already available at some retail and restaurant locations. Retta's Scoop offers unique flavors like Sweet Potato Pie, Fancy Toast, and Sour Dough PB&J, Jones explains.We also talk about a new bakery concept from the folks behind Quill's Coffee — Oddbird Cafe. Right now it has baked goods but it'll be adding sandwiches and other lunch items in the future.Off the restaurant news, Digital Editor Zak Owens tells us about a new cigar bar that's open. The Louisville Cigar Company, at 967 Baxter Avenue, will offer a wide selection of cigars plus craft cocktails in a speakeasy-like setting.After that, Reporter Piper Hansen tells us about a new event center being built at the under-development Origin Park. And a plan to connect trails within six counties in Southern Indiana that she recently wrote about.Lastly, we wrap up the show, on the news that Louisville has lost its only flight to LAX. Spirit Airlines cut its flight from SDF to LAX ahead of its recent bankruptcy filing. Access Louisville is a weekly podcast from Louisville Business First. It's available on popular podcast services, including Apple Podcasts and Spotify.

This week on the Access Louisville podcast, we chat about the Givaudan Sense Colour explosion that shook the city on Tuesday, Nov. 12. Two people were killed in the explosion, which took place at 901 Payne Street. On the show we talked about the atmosphere in the newsroom the day it happened and some of the fallout, including damage to surrounding homes and business. And we discuss past violations and incidents at the business. Finally, we wrap up by talking about where things go from here, including the possibility of rebuilding.You can read more of our coverage of the explosion at the links below: 2 dead in Givaudan plant explosionBody pulled from Givaudan plant rubble hours after explosionLouisville Givaudan Sense Colour facility was cited twice for violations last yearClifton businesses recover following Givaudan Sense Colour explosionLater in the show, we switch gears to chat about the potential sale of Mid City Mall in the Highlands. A redevelopment of that site has a lot of potential for change in the area and we talk about our wishlist for what we'd like to see in any type of new development.Access Louisville is a weekly podcast from Louisville Business First. It's available on popular podcast services, including Apple Podcasts and Spotify, which are linked above. You can also listen in the player above. 

A couple recent real estate deals allow plans for a proposed 27-story tower to move forward. And we chat about those transactions on this week's Access Louisville podcast. LBF Senior Reporter Joel Stinnett is on the show to talk about New York City-based Zyyo's latest moves toward building the facility, as it has closed deals to purchase 140, 138 and 136 W. Market Sts., according to deeds filed with the Jefferson County Clerk's office. The transactions totaled more than $4 million.As Business First first reported in July, the properties are where Zyyo, in partnership with Hawley, Minnesota-based TruVine Companies, is planning to build the tower. It's known as One Forty West, and will feature a 300-room hotel at the corner of 2nd and Market streets.“Next steps for the development include demolition, site prep and design. We are managing negotiations with a number of brands, all of which are super excited with our program and vision. Construction estimation is an ongoing process through each of those phases,” Nick Campisano, founder and CEO of Zyyo, said. There's more on the project here.  Also on this week's show we chat about developer Earl Winebrenner buying more land in NuLu.In the second half of the show Reporter Piper Hansen fills us in on what's happening in Floyd County, Indiana, including an under development business park with nearby housing that's under construction. She also tells us about a key figure behind that development, John Vellenger, president of in-space industries, Redwire Corp., which is building a facility in Floyd County. Vellenger has had an amazing career in engineering focused around countless experimental modules and technology being tested on the International Space Station. You can read more about him here. Access Louisville is a weekly podcast from Louisville Business First. It's available on popular podcast services, including Apple Podcasts and Spotify.

After some struggles years ago, Louisville-based Rainbow Blossom has a great last few years. Rainbow Blossom, an independent chain of natural food markets that specializes in natural grocery, body care and health and wellness products, just opened a new East End location a few months ago. It also made LBF's Fast 50 list of growing companies in Louisville in this year, with revenue rising 18% over the last three years to $13.04 million in 2023. Second generation owner Summer Auerbach joins us on the Access Louisville podcast this week and explains things weren't always so rosy. She discusses the challenges and strategies of growing the family business, which was founded by her parents in 1977. Despite opening a sixth location and expanding its New Albany store recently, Auerbach emphasizes maintaining the company's small, accessible, and family-like culture. On the show she also highlights the importance of direct communication, team input,and creating written guidelines for consistency. Auerbach also reflects on overcoming tough times by differentiating from competition, being nimble and innovative, and leveraging data and metrics to drive growth"We have really been able to make changes quickly, to be responsive to community needs and make sure we are separating ourselves from our competition," she said. She also talks about where she sees the company heading in the future — including a potential medical cannabis dispensary license that it is seeking."I think that will be a natural progression for us as that space moves forward," she said. "I'm proud of our state for taking this leap. I'm glad we're not the 50th state [to make marijuana legal.]Auerbach also was recently honored as part of LBF's Most Admired CEOs program. More on her and other honorees here. 

Louisville is getting a new international grocery store — which got us talking about the market's needs on this week's Access Louisville podcast.LBF Reporter Joel Stinnett joins the show this week to tell us about Saraga International Grocery, which has signed a lease and will open its first area store at 200 N. Hurstbourne Parkway inside The Forum Center. This was formerly the site of Lucky's Market, which closed amid a company bankruptcy in 2020. This gets us talking about what we'd like to see in the grocery market in Louisville — a second Trader Joe's and more options inside the Watterson Expressway are on our wishlist. In other grocery news, Stinnett also tells us about the latest with Hy-Vee. In spite of delays, the Des Moines, Iowa-based grocery retailer says it is still planning to open a location in Kentucky. It initially announced plans to build in the Fern Creek area in 2021 but it has yet to happen.Bourbon and restaurant newsLater in the show, we discuss some bourbon industry news with LBF reporter Stephen P. Schmidt, including the auction of a distillery in Downtown Louisville. This auction includes aging bourbon, equipment as well as real estate and other assets. We also talk about a new downtown tasting room for Green River Distilling Co., which sounds  different than some of the other tasting rooms you can find in that it'll have a more sports bar like atmosphere.Finally we wrap up the show with a bit of restaurant and bar news, including the news that Baxters 942 is losing its liquor license. And we discuss a new grab-and-go bar coming to Oxmoor Center that will allow customers to drink while they shop this holiday season. Access Louisville is a weekly podcast from Louisville Business First. It's available on popular podcast services, including Apple Podcasts and Spotify. 

Like many communities, Louisville has a shortage of teachers. We talk about efforts to address it on this week's Access Louisville podcast. Rowan Claypool, founder and CEO of Teach Kentucky, is on the show to talk about his organization's work. Founded in 2003, Teach Kentucky aims to help college graduates launch their teaching careers in Louisville's public schools. The organization has grown from bringing two teacher candidates in its first year to annually bringing a new 40+ person cohort of aspiring teachers from across the nation to the city, according to its website.On the show Claypool explains that they started 24 years ago when the idea of a teacher shortage was just a looming threat. Today it's actually severe and taking place all over the country. "What we discovered in building the program is there's always a shortage of good teachers at all times, forever," he said. With that, Jefferson County Public Schools needs the organization to bring people  from outside the community because the community itself can't produce enough teachers, he said. Fortunately, the district pays its teachers well and has some aggressive relocation incentives.There's more details on how the organization is recruiting teachers here and some of the lessons they've learned over the years on the episode. Also of note, Claypool is among honorees for Louisville Business First's Most Admired CEOs program. Access Louisville is a weekly podcast from Louisville Business First. 

We talk campaign finance trends on this week's Access Louisville podcast. A few weeks ago, LBF Reporter Piper Hansen began digging into donation trends among workers at some of Louisville's biggest employers. She found that most of those donations (for the second quarter of 2024) went to Democratic presidential nominee and sitting Vice President Kamala Harris over former President Donald Trump.   Here's a look at trends from the top three employers, according to info from OpenSecrets.org, a nonprofit campaign finance tracking website.United Parcel Service Inc. employees — $226,529 donated in total; Harris contributions: $139,746; Trump contributions: $86,783Ford Motor Co. — $119,986; Harris contributions: $76,071; Trump contributions: $43,915Kroger Co. — $85,917; Harris contributions: $46,696; Trump contributions: $39,221Hansen talks about these figures on this week's Access Louisville podcast and you can read more about what she found here. Campaign contribution data just released for the third quarter, as well. Hansen is digging into those figures now — looking at individual donations this time — we expect to be posting a story soon at Bizjournals.com/Louisville. Election Day is on Tuesday, Nov. 5. More this weekFollowing the campaign finance talk we discuss talk a little restaurant news, including an ownership change Le Relais. We also chat about a new endeavor from the team behind Wild Eggs. It'll be doing a virtual kitchen for a related concept (Crazy Bowls & Wraps) in order to serve customers on delivery apps.We talk about a deal to purchase the former Harvest restaurant building selling and some news from the Louisville Economic Development Alliance. And wrap things up with some local media news, with Bill Lamb returning to WDRB.Access Louisville is a weekly podcast from Louisville Business First. It's available on popular podcast services, including Apple Podcasts and Spotify.

We've got a little bit of everything on this week's Access Louisville podcast.To start off the show, we chat about what Louisville and Kentucky had offered the Sundance Film Festival. As we've reported multiple times in the last year, Louisville had been in consideration for the legendary film festival but that is no longer the case. That said, LBF Reporter Michael L. Jones did recently get his hands on what had been offered by the city and state to bring Sundance here: An incentive package valued at $73M.After that, we get into some development and restaurant news. We chat about an upcoming move by High Horse, a popular Butchertown bar, that's going to Louisville's NuLu neighborhood following a dispute with its landlord.Further, we discuss a new pedway that's planned between two NuLu buildings and a new bourbon attraction, called Whiskey Thief, that's moving into that neighborhood. LBF got a sneak peak at Whiskey Theif recently.Late in the show, Jones tells us about an ownership change at Ciao, a well-known Italian restaurant near the Highlands. And we wrap things up by talking about the Kroger company's efforts to update its store on Outer Loop as it faces new competition from Publix. Access Louisville is a weekly podcast from Louisville Business First. It's available on popular podcast services, including Apple Podcasts and Spotify, which are linked above. You can also listen in the player above. 

We didn't get the part, but we gotta keep auditioning.Louisville was recently snubbed on a bid to land the Sundance Film Festival. As we reported a few weeks ago, the legendary film festival had Louisville on a short list for possible relocation. Then it narrowed its list even further and the Derby City is now out of the running. But that doesn't mean our film ambitions have dried up entirely. Soozie Eastman, founder and president of 502 Film, joins the Access Louisville podcast this week to talk about where the city goes from here in terms of its developing film industry. Of particular interest to us is the reuse of shuttered Louisville Gardens in Downtown Louisville, which has been proposed as a site for a sound stage that could bolster the business.That effort was considered during the Sundance bid and is continuing forward and eyeing completion in late 2026, she said — though she's more of a supporter of the project, not an active developer on it."Sound stages are really, really special pieces of property within the film industry," she said. "It becomes a hub for a community. And quite honestly, while we have been doing incredibly well growing our film economy as is, having a sound stage is kinda that missing link that helps us grow to the next level."That's just a sample of what Eastman had to say. Be sure to check out the show for more. And for a wider look at Louisville's film industry, check out this recent piece from LBF Reporter Michael Jones. (Note: This was written while Sundance was still in play.)Access Louisville is a weekly podcast from Louisville Business First. It's available on popular podcast services, including Apple Podcasts and Spotify.

We catch up with the latest restaurant news on this week's Access Louisville podcast.Reporter Michael L. Jones leads the podcast with a story about Renshoku Ramen, an Old Louisville restaurant that has faced a few struggles of late, including being hit by a car (known as being MagBarred) more than two months ago. The crashed killed the driver and caused a fire that spread to the building at Second and Oak streets. Co-owner Nick Robey told Jones in a recent story about how the ramen shop reopened in late August, but the crash is still impacting his business.That's just one of the stories on this week's show. We also talk about a favorite New Albany doughnut shop, Honey Créme, which recently hit the auction block. The online reserve auction launched last Monday with an opening bid of $750,000. We also chat about the sale of Kyros Brewing in Louisville's Portland neighborhood; an expansion for Back Deck BBQ into the Butchertown neighborhood, the closure of Bakersfield in the Highlands and a new location for Derby City Pizza that's coming to Jeffersonville.Access Louisville is a weekly podcast from Louisville Business First. It's available on popular podcast services, including Apple Podcasts and Spotify.

Every once in a while, you have to look back at your career and your place in the community and not only ponder where you've been but look ahead at what's coming next. That's what we did on Monday, Sept. 9 as we sat down with our newest inductees in LBF's Forty Under 40 Hall of Fame:Sandra Frazier, founder, Tandem Public RelationsJimmy Kirchdorfer, chairman and CEO, ISCO Industries Inc, and an owner of Valhalla Golf ClubWilliam Summers, chief community development officer, Republic BankThe three joined us on the most recent episode of the Access Louisville podcast, which was recorded live in front of an audience for a special event at Junior Achievement of Kentuckiana. We covered myriad topics on the show — from Louisville's hits and misses to honing in on specific moments of the three honorees careers.For an example of the latter, Kirchdorfer spoke about taking his family's business from a small irrigation company that primarily served clients in Kentucky to one that serves people around the world. He remembers walking into the company's plant and watching a system that was going to be used in Asia being built right here. "They needed our expertise, halfway across the world — calling us," Kirchdorfer said. "That kinda inspired me to think bigger."Fraizer told us about the advice she gives to young professionals looking to advance in their careers and get more involved in the community. She tells them to slow down, learn from what they're doing and don't worry about offending people. "If you do want to get engaged in things, have a strategy and processes. You've got to come to it from a thoughtful place that isn't going to immediately shut people down," she said.And Summers spoke about a few of the community's key turning points, such as the opening of the KFC Yum! Center. He was a long-time member of the Louisville Arena Authority board, a non-profit that oversees the arena's management and operation, which he called a big part of his career.Opening the arena was a key win for Louisville. But the community has had its misses too, such as not bringing an NBA franchise to the city."That would have been a game changer," he said. Summers believes there are a lot of opportunities to be had for Louisville, though. "We as a community, we have to be comfortable taking more risks," he said.Access Louisville is also available on popular podcast services, including Apple Podcasts and Spotify.Access Louisville is a weekly podcast from Louisville Business First, where we cover recent news and spotlight local business and community leaders. Monday's recording was only the second time we've recorded in front of a live audience. The last live show, which featured former Louisville Mayor Jerry Abramson and Philanthropist Christina Lee Brown, can be heard here.You can check out who made this year's Forty Under 40 class here. And you can read more about the Forty Under 40 Hall of Fame (including past inductees) here.

Louisville has a big decision to make about what kind of public transportation system it wants. Transit Authority of River City, better known as TARC, is facing a "fiscal cliff" as a result of several factors, including covid-era stimulus funding running out. We talked about the issues with TARC executive director Ozzy Gibson on a bonus episode of the Access Louisville podcast this week. Gibson and others want to hear from the community about what they want out of the agency. And it's collecting input via an online survey, which you can take part in here. The deadline for the survey is Sept. 20.Lots of people around town, and on social media, have voiced support for a robust transit system, complete with rail and bus offerings. But, as Smith explains on the show, it's most certainly a financial issue. "Everybody tells me, you need to look at what Cincinnati's doing, Indy. They tell me to look at Richmond [Virginia] — all three of those raised taxes to get the good service they have." For Louisville to do that it would require the support of 14 Metro Council members to bring fourth a referendum, which would then be decided on by the voters. A few of the aforementioned cities raised taxes in 2017 or 2018, so when they got money from Covid-era stimulus packages, they were able to make upgrades and add new busses, Gibson said. Louisville, had to use its stimulus money to keep service running — and now that's running out."If we wanna be the best, it's gonna cost money to get there," Gibson said. "Otherwise, we're just going to be little ol' TARC. We will be cut [by] 50%. And how long will it take us to get back to where we were? Maybe not in my lifetime. If people don't take the survey and reach out to the powers that be, we can't be anything." Service cuts are already the first of a three-pronged strategy to address the operational budget gap projected to be as much as $30 million by July 2026 without cuts, additional revenue or some combination of the two. Those strategies include:The January 2025 service reductions.A community-focused network redesign process called TARC 2025 that launches this summer and will result in a full plan for an updated TARC network within the reality of available funding by February 2025.Comprehensive efforts to identify new sources of revenue to support service from local, state, and federal sources.Access Louisville is a weekly podcast from Louisville Business First. It's available on popular podcast services, including Apple Podcasts and Spotify, which are linked above. You can also listen in the player above. Since this is a bonus episode, look for us to drop another episode later this week. 

Is Louisville's lack of population growth a cause for concern? We talk about that on this week's Access Louisville podcast.LBF Reporter Piper Hansen recently finished a story examining population trends in Louisville. Estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau released in June show Jefferson County's population decreased by 1.4%, nearly 11,000 people, between April 2020 and July 2023. Meanwhile, the Louisville MSA gained only 2,602 people (0.2%) while the Nashville MSA gained 80,929 people (4%); the Cincinnati MSA gained 19,5050 (0.9%) and the Indianapolis MSA gained 45,723 (2.2%).Sure, there are people who like Louisville the size that it is and they don't want to see the population explode like it did in Nashville. That comes with its own set of problems. But we're not exactly on that road right now — or even going in the direction of that road.“We're not going to be the next Nashville overnight, everybody can relax,”  Christine Tarquinio, GLI's vice president of talent, workforce and brand strategies, who launched the Live in Lou initiative, told Hansen for her story.After the population talk we switch to a few lighter topics, including: • Renovations at the Holiday Manor Kroger store and the groundbreaking of a new Kroger in Highview;• A couple of new shops around town, including Kawaii Candy & Karaoke in Anchorage as well as Goldie's "For the Love of Food" in Nulu; and• The end finally coming into sight for the Sherman Minton Renewal Project. Access Louisville is a weekly podcast from Louisville Business First. You can find it on popular services like Apple Podcasts and Spotify.

Join us for Access Louisville's next live recording: Sept. 9 at JA BizTown, sponsored by Junior Achievement of Kentuckiana. Tickets and details here.We switch into sports talk radio mode on this week's Access Louisville podcast with three big local sports business stories.Stephen P. Schmidt, who covers sports business at Business First, tells us about Bellarmine University moving its men's basketball program back to Knights Hall in the Highlands. For the last few years the program has been playing at Freedom Hall. Knights Hall is on campus and it provides a much more intimate setting for watching games. But it does make us wonder what's next for Freedom Hall now without that regular tenant. Fortunately, it's on the Kentucky State Fairgrounds, where a big renovation project is underway.Next, we talk about the rise of volleyball and how Louisville fits in. The KFC Yum Center is hosting the University of Louisville's women's volleyball team for several dates in the next few months and is the host for the championship later on in December.After that, we go over our takeaways from a joint appearance by UofL men's basketball coach Pat Kelsey and University of Kentucky men's basketball coach Mark Pope. The two coaches, both new to their respective jobs this year, were interviewed on stage this week at the Leadership Louisville Luncheon by Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg.(We also swerve into some college football talk later in the show — not much of a business story, just a thing that is happening.)After sports we go over some recent restaurant news, including: • The owners of local favorite Monnik Beer Co. have a new concept planned; • Chef Shaq's Kitchen, a Downtown restaurant, is teaming up with a new cigar lounge;• The former KFC 11 property in the Highlands has been sold;• Starbucks is getting a new Downtown location;• A bluegrass bar is moving into the former TimTam space; and• A south end favorite, Khalil's, is closing to make way for a new Clucker's location.Access Louisville is a weekly podcast from Louisville Business First. You can find it on popular services like Apple Podcasts and Spotify.

Join us for Access Louisville's next live recording: Sept. 9 at JA BizTown, sponsored by Junior Achievement of Kentuckiana. Tickets and details here.The former the Jeffersonville Boat and Machine Co. shipyard — Jeffboat, as it's known — is no doubt one of the area's biggest redevelopment project.The former shipyard, closed to downtown Jeffersonville (and just across the Ohio River from Downtown Louisville) closed in 2018 due to economic struggle in the industry. Now there's a push to have it redeveloped as mixed use commercial, residential and green space. We talk with Jeffersonville Mayor Mike Moore about that project on this week's Access Louisville podcast. He sees it as a major chance for his city to capitalize on quality of life and million-dollar views of the city. Taking it on is Thrive Cos., a real estate development company based in Columbus, Ohio, as Louisville Business First recently reported.We also talk about development at River Ridge, including landing Facebook parent Meta, which is opening a data center there. And how best to address the high-number of short-term rental properties around the city, among other topics. Access Louisville is a weekly podcast from Louisville Business First. You can find it on popular services like Apple Podcasts and Spotify, which are linked above. You can also listen in the player above.

We check in on some retail news on this week's Access Louisville podcast. Topping our show is a story from Reporter Stephen P. Schmidt on Swags, a popular retailer for runners, changing hands. Schmidt talked to the founder of the store about how this handoff came together. In other retail news, Kroger is making some headlines lately both with a new store on Louisville's East End and plans for a big renovation on Louisville's West End. In restaurant news we make note of a bankruptcy filing from World of Beer, which is a Tampa-based company that has a Louisville location. And we chat about a new restaurant going into the Speed Art Museum. Schmidt also talks about his recent interview with well-known bourbon industry luminary Fred Minnick, who was named Louisville Business First's Volunteer of the Year thanks to his notable philanthropic work. The Volunteer of the Year honor came out as part of our Partners in Philanthropy program.Lastly, we wrapped up the show with a bit of soccer talk on the news that the Lexington Sporting Club is joining the USL Championship League. That means both Louisville City FC and  Lexington SC will be in the same league, which should make for a fun rivalry for fans in the commonwealth. Access Louisville is a weekly podcast from Louisville Business First. You can find it on popular services like Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Join us for Access Louisville's next live recording: Sept. 9 at JA BizTown, sponsored by Junior Achievement of Kentuckiana. Tickets and details here.

A couple of interesting businesses hit the market recently, which we talk about on this week's Access Louisville podcast.The first is Colonial Gardens, a South Louisville landmark that's home to four restaurants: Hokkaido Ramen & Sushi, Costa Del Sol, Craft House Pizza and The B.A. Colonial. It was redeveloped by Louisville-based Underhill Associates starting in 2017. LBF Senior Reporter Joel Stinnett spoke with Underhill Associates president Jeff Underhill about why now is the right time to sell. “We're developers. We're not buy and hold guys," he told Stinnett. The fact that the development is full with the four restaurants having strong leases is probably a strong selling point as well. After that, Reporter Michael L. Jones tells us about Third Street Dive being put on the market. He spoke with Lynne Frost, who's owned the establishment since 2010 about how the bar still does good business and has actually become a bit touristy in more recent years (it's close to several hotels) even while maintaining its punk rock identity. Later in the show we chat about the closure of Pivot Brewing, a visit by the U.S. Women's National Soccer Team, a new "secret" garden speakeasy in Shelby Park and the latest on the redevelopment of Louisville Gardens. Access Louisville is a weekly podcast from Louisville Business First. Join us for Access Louisville's next live recording: Sept. 9 at JA BizTown, sponsored by Junior Achievement of Kentuckiana. Tickets and details here.

We talk about a couple of local projects that appear to be dead — or at least on life support — during this week's Access Louisville podcast.The first is the proposed Dream Hotel — a $100 million hotel project that was proposed on Main Street a few years ago. As LBF Senior Reporter Joel Stinnett reported recently, the effort is indefinitely on hold, according to a Louisville Metro Government official. Louisville isn't the only city where Dream Hotel projects have faced some issues. After that, we talk about a retail development in J'town (which was suspected to include a new Publix location) that looks to have been stopped as well. The property where the development was proposed needed a rezoning in order to move forward, which was denied by Louisville Metro Council. And now the deadline to appeal that action has passed.It's not all bad news though. We also talk about plans to move forward with redevelopment of the former Jeffboat property in Jeffersonville, Indiana, now that a developer has been picked for that massive project.After that we chat a bit about soccer with Louisville City FC hosting a major German club, Eintracht Frankfurt, for an international friendly recently. And we discuss some recent layoffs in the bourbon industry. Access Louisville is a weekly podcast from Louisville Business First. You can find it on popular services like Apple Podcasts and Spotify.

Fourth Street Live needs something. What that something is — well, that sounds like a fun idea for a podcast. The Downtown Louisville entertainment district recently marked 20 years without any fanfare, as seven of its 20 locations are vacant. On this week's Access Louisville podcast, LBF Reporter Michael L. Jones tells us about the history of the entertainment district, how it came to be and decisions that were made at the time of its founding. He also fills us in on his conversation with the Cordish Cos.' Zed Smith about future plans for the site.We use that as an excuse to share some of our favorite Fourth Street Live memories and ideas for what we'd want to see there in the future.After that, we talk about a potential lawsuit that has been threatened regarding the redevelopment of the Urban Government Center off Barret Avenue. The long-stalled project could be getting put on the back burner yet again. After that, we switch gears to talk about some recent restaurant and retail news, including a new location for the popular chain Cook Out, going in near University of Louisville. Waldo's Chicken & Beer and Big Bad Breakfast also have new locations in the works. And Jones also tells us about a couple of Highlands area businesses —  Koko + Rae, which was recently sold; and Dirty Tease, which is moving.And lastly we round out the show by talking about UofL men's basketball coach Pat Kelsey buying a new house. Access Louisville is a weekly podcast from Louisville Business First. It's available on popular podcast services, including Apple Podcast and Spotify.

Sometimes you have to power through the beginnings of things.That seemed to be the case for the Louisville Economic Development Alliance (LEDA), a newly-formed group of local business leaders who are taking the reins of economic development under Mayor Craig Greenberg. The group got started this week under buggy circumstances, as Reporter Michael L. Jones explains on the Access Louisville podcast. Some of the issues included a failed attempt to record the public meeting, microphone feedback and an awkwardly arranged room that had members of the alliance sitting with their backs to the press in attendance.In spite of the issues, the effort does bring a lot of the city's biggest players in business to the table to focus on economic development. Among the board members are Lawson Whiting, president and CEO of Brown-Forman; Bill Carstanjen, CEO of Churchill Downs Inc. and Brian Cromer, partner and chair of the business and finance group at Stites & Harbison, PLLC. You can see the full list of who's on the board here. Also on the show this week, we discussed recent news that Fabletics is closing its Louisville facility. While the job losses are difficult, we reflect on whether there is a wider trend toward fatigue with subscription-based services. We also chat about a new bourbon attraction and upscale restaurant opening next to the KFC Yum Center on Whiskey Row. The facility opens in Main Street space that formerly housed Bearno's — and there's a Bearno's partner involved in the deal to establish the new spot, as Reporter Stephen P. Schmidt explains.Finally, we wrap up the show on a somber note by discussing the recent assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump during a rally last week in Virginia. Sadly, the attempt served as a grim reminder of the dangers of political violence in America. It hit particularly close to home for Mayor Greenberg, who survived as assassination attempt himself while running for Mayor. Reporter Piper Hansen reflected on listening to the mayor talk about it during a press conference this week. 

We talk about Louisville's hotel needs on this week's Access Louisville podcast — specifically in light of a proposed new 27-story hotel tower in Downtown Louisville.Louisville Business First was first to report New York City-based commercial real estate developer Zyyo's plans to construct the $175 million tower, which would sit at 140, 138 and 136 West Market Street. The site is across from the future Canopy by Hilton hotel, which is another Zyyo development that is currently under construction.Louisville has about 23,000 rooms while regional neighbor Nashville has more than 50,000, according to Cleo Battle, Louisville Tourism President and CEO. Indianapolis has about 40,000. Columbus, Ohio is north of 30,000.The reaction to the tower plans from city leaders like Battle have been favorable, though the comment section on LBF's Facebook page has been critical (Wait!? People on the internet are mad about something?)In addition to the tower plans, we also chat about some restaurant news including plans for Le Moo founder Kevin Grangier's next steakhouse. It's going in the aforementioned Canopy by Hilton, actually. We also chat about plans for a new Craft House Pizza location in Louisville; as well as a new wine bar that's moving into La Grange. And we get into some fresh tourism numbers and talk about a lofty goal set by Louisville Tourism.Access Louisville is a weekly podcast from Louisville Business First. You can find it on popular podcast services, including Apple Podcasts and Spotify. 

Is Louisville overdue for a different approach to economic development?We chat about that on this week's episode of the Access Louisville podcast. Specifically, we discuss Mayor Craig Greenberg's recently unveiled plan for a public-private-partnership aimed at economic development, which takes the form of a new nonprofit group that is to include many business and nonprofit leaders at the helm. (We also chat about how the last few months have unfolded for Mayor Greenberg, including turbulent weeks at the Louisville Metro Police Department of late.)On the topic of economic development, we make some comparisons between the strategies of Louisville and Southern Indiana. Reporter Piper Hansen recently spoke with Lance Allison, the new president and CEO of One Southern Indiana, to gain some insights on that. One Southern Indiana is the economic development agency and chamber of commerce for Clark and Floyd counties. She also recently sat down and discussed economic development with Wendy Dant Chesser, chief director of corporate strategy and external affairs for the River Ridge Development Authority.On the topic of Southern Indiana, we also chat about the mixed use Shadow Lake development in Charlestown; as well as plans to turn Downtown Jeffersonville into one of the area's premier entertainment districts. Access Louisville is a weekly podcast from Louisville Business First. You can find it on popular podcast services, including Apple Podcasts and Spotify. 

In the last few decades, plenty of Louisvillians have made their way through the ranks of Young Professionals Association of Louisville. But have you ever wondered how that organization got its start? As YPAL approaches its 25th anniversary, we sit down with its founders Cynthia Knapek, president of the Leadership Louisville Center; and Christy Ames, general counsel and EVP at Republic Bank & Trust Co.The two tell us how they were each looking for ways to connect with other professionals and with the leadership in the city at the time. They wanted to build something that lasted too — though they each admit they weren't thinking 25 years into the future back when they founded the organization.Access Louisville is a weekly podcast from Louisville Business First. You can find it on popular services such as Apple Podcasts and Spotify. 

Louisville Business First set out to put some of the city's development issues under the microscope in a recent special feature we call Opportunity Louisville.And we talk about those issues and some of our coverage on this week's Access Louisville podcast. Reporters Michael L. Jones and Piper Hansen, who have led our coverage on these issues,  are on the show to talk about what they've learned. A key takeaway seems to be that both developers and even some city officials seem to agree that changes are necessary on the permitting and rezoning fronts. And the problems we have in our land development codes are affecting both commercial and residential development. That hurts Louisville in a couple of different ways.Of course the podcast is just to tip of the iceberg. If you really want to get into heart of the coverage check out the links below:Pain points: Is there a cure for Louisville's development dilemma?How middle housing could increase housing stock optionsDevelopment professionals say streamlined approval process needed to spur growthOpportunity Louisville: Cincinnati developer says cities face the same challenges in converting offices to residentialOPINION: Louisville needs to foster more housing options, streamline developmentAccess Louisville is a weekly podcast from Louisville Business First. You can find it on popular services such as Apple Podcasts and Spotify. You can also listen in the player above.

Louisville's restaurant scene always gives us plenty to talk about. And it leads this week's Access Louisville podcast.We chat about the new executive chef at the Brown Hotel, who comes to Louisville via a similar position at the Trump Hotel in Chicago. After that, LBF restaurant Reporter Michael L. Jones tells us about a new ramen restaurant in the Highlands, Kiwami Ramen, which opened at the site of the former Wild Ginger restaurant. Kiwami is part of a wave of recent Asian restaurants to open in the area and shows how the local market is maturing, he said.We also chat about bourbon on the show this week, hearing about a recent trip to Wild Turkey Distillery near Lawrenceburg, Kentucky. And we talk about an effort to bring an estate in Oxmoor into the bourbon world.Late in the show, we get into a conversation about sports betting. including why gamblers (and sports leagues) love parlay bets.Access Louisville is a weekly podcast from Louisville Business First. It's available on popular podcast services including Apple Podcasts and Spotify.

Dan Maloney, director of the Louisville Zoo,   joins us on the Access Louisville podcast this week. During the show, LBF Editor-in-Chief Shea Van Hoy interviews Maloney about a number of different goings on at the facility, including its accreditation process. The two also talk about plans what is current the elephant exhibit in the Zoo. The elephants are being retired to a sanctuary. https://louisvillezoo.org/elephantjourney/This could be a real positive for the neighboring, rhino exhibit.The two also talk about the trails exhibit and the Zoo's train, among other topics. Access Louisville is a weekly podcast from Louisville Business First. You can find it on popular podcast services, such as Apple Podcasts and Spotify, which are linked above. 

Kentucky Kingdom's Sarah Worrell joins us on the Access Louisville podcast this week to talk about what's next for the park. The biggest change is several months out, but exciting nonetheless: 'Christmas at Kentucky Kingdom.'The idea, she explains is a family-friendly wonderland that will even include a snowmaker and snow-tubing. It's part of an $8 million investment and comes a few years after the park was acquired by Herschend Family Entertainment in 2021.  Worrell, who came on board just after that deal, said the company is looking to create four seasons of fun.After the interview we talk about a few recent news stories, including Kentucky's first Montessori school hitting the market for $2.5 million. We also chat about Gustavo's opening at a new location and Tumbleweed closing one location. Access Louisville is a weekly podcast for Louisville Business First. It's available on popular podcast services.

Will the world ever embrace Kentucky bourbon the way it embraces Scotch whiskey? We chat about that a bit on this week's Access Louisville podcast.Bourbon Reporter Stephen P. Schmidt is on the show with news that Buffalo Trace is opening an attraction in London, England. Buffalo Trace Distillery London, a 2,000-square foot facility will be located at 32-33 Long Acre in Covent Garden in the city's West End. Plenty of Kentucky bourbon brands are trying to grow their international markets. And this will mark the first time that such a venue will be open for one of Sazarac's flagship brands outside of its original production campus in Frankfort, Kentucky. So we chat about which international cities might be a good fit for bourbon attractions. Tokyo comes up in that discussion considering that some big Kentucky brands have ties to Japan.After the bourbon talk, we go over a few other recent news items.Reporter Piper Hansen tells us about a recent law that will allow the city to perform random inspections on rental properties. Don't worry, this doesn't mean that inspectors are going to be randomly showing up at renters' doors. That just means the properties are randomly selected by the city for inspections and scheduled. Previously, inspections were carried out in the case of complaints. After that we talk about an interview that Reporter Michael L. Jones recently finished with Chef Bryan Emperor, who will lead the soon-to-be-open NuLu sushi restaurant Sake A Go Go.Access Louisville is a weekly podcast and can be found on services such as Apple Podcast, Spotify and others. You can also listen in the player above.

Doug Owen, senior vice president, principal broker Kentucky, for JLL joins the Access Louisville podcast this week to talk about the state of Downtown.It's a mix of both good news and bad news Owen says.There have been some wins for Downtown Louisville including a move by accounting firm Forvis into the top floor of the PNC tower earlier this year. And news that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is seeking a lot of space in Downtown Louisville was also a positive.But there are challenges as well — with many people citing safety as an issue considering homeless and panhandling at many intersections. "It's not the image you want to portray, in terms of coming into downtown — having somebody greeted by a panhandler. And then we have some mentally ill people walking the street. And so that's where the city needs to focus." Owen said he realizes it's not a popular opinion but it is having an impact on tenants leasing downtown because they hear about safety concerns from their employees.After the interview with Owen, we talk about the one-year anniversary of the April 10 mass shooting at Old National Bank. Reporter Stephen Schmidt recently penned a story about how the leadership team there is moving forward. Access Louisville is a weekly podcast from Louisville Business First. It's available on popular services including Apple Podcasts, Spotify and more. 

We've got a special Access Louisville Podcast this week — and it's special for a couple of reasons.First, two guests join us: Jerry Abramson, former mayor of Louisville and executive-in-residence at Spalding University; and Christina Lee Brown, philanthropist and namesake of the Christina Lee Brown Envirome Institute.Secondly, this week's show is special because it was recorded in front of a live audience at our offices in Downtown Louisville for the first time.The theme of the show was to look back at Louisville's milestones over the past 40 years. What did we get right? What surprised us? And what's on our wishlist for the future?The expansion of what is today known as Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport was one example that Abramson highlighted. But we also talked about more recent developments, such as the building of the River Ridge Commerce Center in Jeffersonville. As far as looking ahead at what the city needs in the future, Brown said the top thing on her wishlist is that everyone see the real value of health for our community.  The idea of creating jobs is solid, she said, but we need to ask ourselves about employees health too."How can we care for those employees psychological health in new kinds of ways? How can we take care of their air, water and soil in new kinds of ways," she asked.Abramson noted the importance of education and civic engagement. "This whole citizenship thing has sort of evaporated," Abramson said. "You need to engage — there's a responsibility. For democracy to work, you have to have an educated electorate." Those were just a few of our favorite takeaways. You can listen to the entire show in the player above and on popular podcast services, such as Apple Podcast, Spotify and Google Podcasts.Access Louisville is a weekly podcast from Louisville Business First.

Garth Williams, general manager of Derby City Gaming Downtown, joins us on the Access Louisville podcast this week. Williams tells us about getting the venue open last December, what he looks for in the hospitality industry and preparing for Louisville's busier seasons in tourism. After that we chat with Reporter Joel Stinnett about the prospect for converting former office buildings into residential spaces in Downtown Louisville. Such projects have found traction in nearby peer cities such as Cincinnati and Cleveland. And we talk about the surprising departure of Rob Lynch from Papa John's International Inc.Access Louisville is a weekly podcast from Louisville Business First. It's available on popular services like Apple Podcasts, Spotify and Google Podcast.

The Access Louisville podcast takes a surprisingly sporty turn this week.We've got an interview with Bev Yanez, head coach of Racing Louisville FC. Yanez, who's in her first year leading the team, tells us about her career in soccer and how she found her way to Louisville. We also talk about what it's like to be a working mom of two small children who is also working in a high-profile sports job. For more on Yanez, check out this profile story we recently posted as the season is getting set to begin.After the interview, we talk about a couple other local sports developments in the world of bowling and golf.LBF Reporter Joel Stinnett is on the show to tell us about the Executive Strike & Spare, a bowling alley that has long been located near the Kentucky State Fair Grounds, moving to Jeffersontown. It'll be taking over a Dick's Sporting Goods location on South Hurstbourne that is expected to close soon. In the world of golf, Stinnett also tells us about a story he recently finished up about Eagle Creek Golf Course, in Oldham County, building a new $3 million clubhouse. The new one-story, 10,600-square-foot clubhouse will include a pro shop, a basement for golf cart storage, a party room, two golf simulators, a covered porch in the front and a residential unit to house the course superintendent.And we also talk about a new golf attraction that recently opened at Oxmoor Center — the technology-forward Puttshack. As we reported this week, it's tech. It's mini golf. It's both — mixed with a lot of food, drinks and bright lights.One more thing — we also talk with the newest member of the Louisville Business First team and the Access Louisville crew, Reporter Piper Hansen. Hansen grew up in Louisville and will be covering residential real estate, professional services and Southern Indiana.Access Louisville is a weekly podcast from Louisville Business First. It's available on popular podcast services, which are linked above. 

We've got a classic roundup of local restaurant news on the Access Louisville podcast this week. First up, we chat about LuCretia's Kitchen, a new soul food spot coming to Old Louisville. It will open at 617 W. Oak St., near the intersection of Oak and Seventh streets, on Friday, March 15. The menu will include fried chicken, meatloaf, smothered pork chops, ribs, rib tips and brisket and more.After that we talk about a second location that's on the horizon for Steak & Bourbon, across from Derby City Gaming. The steak restaurant, which started out in Westport Village, is going into the former Z's Oyster Bar location in Downtown Louisville. We also talk about some favorite cocktails and steak pairings during this segment.After that we go over some recent board of directors news at Texas Roadhouse. And we discuss a new oyster bar coming to the Germantown neighborhood, called Franny's. It'll be located in a new development that's being built on Goss Avenue.You can join us for a live recording of the Access Louisville podcast on March 26 in Downtown Louisville. Guest will include former Mayor Jerry Abramson and philanthropist Christina Lee Brown in a discussion on Louisville's biggest milestones. Register for the event here.Access Louisville is a weekly podcast from Louisville Business First. It's available on popular podcast services, which are linked above.