Access Louisville

Have you ever talked up the taste of Louisville's water to someone visiting the area? If so you wouldn't be alone.On this week's Access Louisville podcast, Editor-in-Chief Shea Van Hoy speaks with Spencer Bruce about the reasons behind that — including the marketing effort that aims to make Louisvillians feel proud of the water. Bruce shares a story about a time that he overheard a restaurant waiter bragging about the taste of the water to a tourist — music to his ears, of course."It's important that the community, that our customers trust us," Bruce said on the show. He added that there's an educational effort underway as well, rather than just pure marketing."We like to say we want to raise next the generation of children to understand the value of water." Bruce also shares some updates on a few milestones from the Louisville Water Co., including a bond it just took out to fund some new infrastructure projects. In August, Louisville Water announced it sold $233 m

Louisville's fall music festivals are bigger than ever — but is that a good thing or not?We discuss that question this week on the Access Louisville podcast. Danny Wimmer Presents’ two annual festivals at the Kentucky Exposition Center — Bourbon & Beyond (Sept. 11-14) and Louder Than Life (Sept. 18-21) — look a lot different this year. The festivals now have 2.4 million square feet of space. They also utilize some indoor space at the Expo Center for merchandise sales, cooling off and bathrooms.Going in, we admit we had our worries. The Expo Center is massive and there's a lot of concrete that can hold in heat. On the show we give our takes on how the first leg of the two consecutive festivals went. We recorded this show on Thursday, Sept. 18, just hours before Louder Than Life was to start, so we couldn't weigh in on that one just yet. We also talk about how the festival experience was — everything from the sound mix to the artists we watched. Later in the show we shift from music to bourbo

Several Louisville companies are led by CEOs that have chosen not to live in Louisville.But how much that matters seems to be up for debate — and we chat about that on this week's Access Louisville podcast.LBF Senior Reporter Joel Stinnett is on this week's show to talk about an in-depth report that he just finished on CEOs leading Louisville companies from somewhere else. Humana Inc., Yum Brands and Papa Johns International Inc. are a few big examples, but there are others as well. For the story, Stinnett talked to executives who said that not having the CEO present can impact both the community and the workplace culture.“When company leaders reside here, things get done,” including building stadiums, zoos, parks and so on, John Schnatter, former CEO of Papa Johns International Inc. told Stinnett. Others, such as Scott Catlett, formerly chief legal officer at Yum Brands Inc., spoke about how it can impact morale inside the workplace.On the other side of the issue, we heard from local executives lik

A plan to tear down Liberty Hall in Downtown Louisville, also known as the Oddfellows Building, in order to build a new pickleball facility is attracting the ire of preservationists.We talk about the plans and the response on this week's Access Louisville podcast. LBF Senior Reporter Joel Stinnett is on the show to share details of a press conference he attended on Tuesday, Sept. 2. Steve Wiser, of the Louisville Historical League, said during the press conference that he was shocked by the plan for pickleball courts, calling it 'a joke."Louisville Business First broke the news recently that the Omni Louisville Hotel is planning to build a $12 million pickleball-focused entertainment venue on the property, according to a permit filed with Louisville Metro Planning and Design. The 14,000-square-foot venue would feature four indoor pickleball courts, four outdoor pickleball courts, an indoor restaurant and bar, outdoor yard-game areas and flexible event and gathering spaces, according to the fili

A building in the heart of Downtown Louisville could be up for a revamp, which we chat about on this week's Access Louisville podcast.LBF Senior Reporter Joel Stinnett is on the show to share his latest reporting on the  Kentucky Home Life Building at 239 S. 5th Street. He notes that the Mississippi-based Thrash Group — plus an unnamed local partner — are planning to convert the building into a mixed-use development with residential units, a hotel and first floor retail, according to multiple sources with knowledge of the project. There are some legal hurdles to clear first, however.The Thrash Group has submitted an application to Mayor Craig Greenberg’s Downtown Louisville Building Conversion Program to help fund the project, Louisville Metro Government Press Secretary Kevin Trager confirmed. The project is one of four finalists still being considered for funds.Though ornate, the building has not been with out its difficulties.Earlier this year, police converged on the vacant 20-story structure, which i

A couple of major projects that the Louisville area has been watching for years appear to be inching forward — and we chat about them on the latest episode of the Access Louisville podcast.The two projects are the One Park development effort in Louisville and the redevelopment effort around the former Colgate-Palmolive Co. plant in Clarksville, Indiana. One Park is a massive mixed-use high-rise development from Jefferson Development Group planned near the intersection of Lexington Road and Grinstead Drive. Final state approval for tax increment financing, or TIF, for that project is “a couple weeks away,” the One Park team told Louisville Business First and WDRB News in a joint report. Nothing has really happened with the project since Kentucky’s incentives board gave the first of two approvals needed to provide state support for the estimated $554 million development in early 2024.The news on Colgate is a new development team with Louisville-based Weyland Ventures at the helm. Weyland Ventures says it has pl

We chat about Louisville's peer cities on the Access Louisville podcast this week.Louisville Business First Reporter Stephen P. Schmidt recently wrapped up a story on the topic. While the list of Louisville's peers definitely varies depending on who's being asked a few things were clear. First, Cincinnati, Indianapolis or Nashville, Tennessee — who we often like to compare ourselves to — are not really our peers because they are much bigger now than they used to be. Instead Memphis, Tennessee, Birmingham, Alabama and others are closer comparisons to Louisville. During the show, we also discuss some ideas that Louisville could steal from other cities. Removing I-64 from the Downtown Louisville riverfront is one suggestion we come up with, as other cities have had success opening their riverfronts. Another suggestion we land on is a riverwalk in the vein of San Antonio — something Louisville has looked at in the past, including on a recent Greater Louisville Inc. trip.In the second half of the sh

The merger of Jefferson County and Louisville — yes, the one that happened 20+ years ago — is being threatened with a recent lawsuit. We chat about that on this week's Access Louisville podcast.LBF Reporter Michael L. Jones explains that Real estate developer David Nicklies is challenging the constitutionality of merged local governments in Louisville Metro and Lexington-Fayette Urban County.In a lawsuit filed in Jefferson District Court, Nicklies argues that the laws enabling these consolidations are examples of unconstitutional “special legislation” — laws tailored to specific localities in violation of Sections 59 and 60 of the Kentucky Constitution. Jones has a full story on the issue here.The way in which merger was executed has been unpopular with some residents for a long time — particularly those who live outside of the old city limits, known today as the Urban Services District. Those outside the district don't get the same level of city services — garbage pickup, for instance — as those in

Louisville Business First and Access Louisville did a poll asking: What is the most important project in Louisville? We talked about the results of the poll all these projects this week's Access Louisville podcast. Here's a look at the top five priorities that Louisville must take action on. Finding a new use for the Humana building: In early 2024, Humana Inc. announced plans to vacate the iconic tower and consolidate its local employees in the recently renovated Waterside building and neighboring Clocktower building. The Humana tower is now for sale and Chicago-based Cushman & Wakefield U.S. Inc. has been retained as the exclusive listing agent for the building — a 27-story structure at 500 W. Main St.Two new Downtown hotels:  Louisville Business First broke the news on both of them. The most recent one is a 1,000-room hotel tower at the now-vacant site next to the Muhammad Ali Center, which is in the “predevelopment” phase by Louisville-based Poe Cos. There’s also a 300-room, 27-story hotel to

Derby weekend won't be the same next year, following the news that Churchill Downs is pushing the running of the Kentucky Oaks back to 8 p.m. or later.We chat about the impact of that on this week's Access Louisville podcast. Churchill Downs announced the change on Thursday, July 24.  Typically post time for the race, which runs the day before the Kentucky Derby, is scheduled shortly before 6 p.m. NBC executives say the race will move to NBC and Peacock, and the primetime post will allow for a “spectacular twilight finish.”Our next live podcast is July 28: Join us as we take look at Louisville's most important development projects. Registration here.The big impact will likely be how restaurants and bars evolve their dinner service. They're obviously losing a few hours — though it's hard to imagine that restaurants will actually be empty at dinner time on Oaks Day. We'll surely be watching how restaurants respond come next May.We also chat about how the Derby Week experience has e

The hard stuff keeps flowing, in spite of potential hard times ahead.  We chat about the latest with the Kentucky Bourbon industry on this week's Access Louisville podcast. LBF Bourbon Reporter Stephen P. Schmidt is on the show to give us the latest on Chicken Cock Whiskey (yes, they realize they have a funny name.) The bourbon brand built a tasting room in Bardstown a year ago and is now planning to open another location in NuLu. Schmidt got the scoop on the new development from a company executive after it came to light in a legal ad. “We found a great space and a great part of town that is vibrant and growing,” Tyler Rothenberg, vice president of marketing for Grain & Barrel Spirits, CCW’s parent company, told us recently.Our next live podcast is July 28: Join us as we take look at Louisville's most important development projects. Registration here.Schmidt also got a look at Heaven Hill Brands new corporate office in the ShelbyHurst development in Louisville in the last few weeks. During a vi

Our next live podcast is July 28: Join us as we take look at Louisville's most important development projects. Registration here.Affordable housing is an issue affecting many communities in the country, including Louisville. We get into some of the factors behind it on this week's Access Louisville podcast.Elizabeth Strojan, executive director of the Louisville Metro Housing Authority, joins the program to give us her insights on the issue. You might not realize how many people in Jefferson County are impacted by the Authority's work — which is something Strojan admits surprised her too. It directly serves 30,000 people in the county.Strojan and LBF Editor-in-Chief Shea Van Hoy go over a number of topics on the show, including reactions to the recent Big Beautiful Bill — passed by Congress and signed by President Trump — as well as affordable housing needs. They also talk about the reaction that new affordable housing proposals often garner — specifically when it comes to density. "It&apos

We take a trip to the Hoosier State on this week's Access Louisville podcast.Our discussion revolves around some of the economic goings on in Clark and Floyd counties. LBF recently took a deep dive into trends in the area for a section we called Southern Indiana spotlight.To start, we chat about new home development, which has taken off despite higher interest rates affecting housing affordability New single-family home inventory grew by 8.8% between April 2024 and April 2025 in Clark, Floyd and Harrison counties, Glenn Hockersmith, a Realtor and broker with Schuler Bauer Real Estate, told LBF in a recent report. Despite the increased supply in the area, the average number of days on the market for these homes plummeted 12.9% during the same period. River Ridge Commerce Center, a 6,000-acre commercial and industrial park in Jeffersonville that produced an estimated $3.04 billion in economic output in 2024, has a lot to do with that growth. But we also discuss how the various school systems in the region

GE Appliances President and CEO Kevin Nolan says a move to bring expanded laundry machine production to Louisville, from China is part of the company's ‘zero-distance’ business strategy.We talk about the move and the strategy with LBF Senior Reporter Joel Stinnett on this week's Access Louisville podcast.As Stinnett reported on Thursday, GE Appliances is spending $490 million to expand its local footprint and create an additional 800 full-time jobs at Appliance Park. The investment will move production of the GE Profile Combo Washer/Dryer and the GE Profile UltraFresh Front Load Washer from China to Building 2 at Appliance Park, located at 4000 Buechel Bank Road.The strategy seeks to make appliances as close as possible to our customers and consumers and "aligns with the current economic and policy environment,” Nolan said in a news release announcing the investment.GE Appliances is Louisville’s eighth-largest employer, according to Louisville Business First research, with 8,400 local employees

Louisville's bar scene is a lot to keep up with but we give it our best shot on this week's Access Louisville podcast. This week Louisville Business First Reporter Michael L. Jones is on the show the share some local bar and restaurant news. We start with a new location for High Horse Bar — which is now in Nulu after leaving space in Butchertown. We recently had Brian Goodwin, a partner in that bar, on the cover of LBF for a feature story. Jones also has news on a couple of bar closures. Patrick's, a long-time favorite on Frankfort Avenue, has called it quits after having been in its space since the 1940s. Jones also shares the backstory on the closure of ShopBar — that closure has caused some kerfuffle online. We also discuss a suspended liquor license for the 21st in Germantown, Dave's Hot Chicken coming to St. Matthews and Del Taco's plans for the area. Late in the show, we shift off the restaurant topic and discuss a couple of high-profile executive exits in the nonprofit realm an

Jim Allen, vice chairman of Robert W. Baird & Co., is on this week's Access Louisville podcast.Baird is the sponsor of the podcast, but Allen was on the show with LBF Editor-in-Chief Shea Van Hoy to talk about local business as well as other topics. At the top of the program, Allen tells us about progress since the merger between Hilliard Lyons and Baird. The merger of the two legacy financial firms (Hilliard Lyons dates back to 1854 in Louisville and Baird 1919 in Milwaukee) was announced in fall 2018 and completed in April 2019. The companies celebrated the five year anniversary of that merger last year and it's been going well since, he said."What has really made it go is the cultural compatibility between the organizations," Allen said.The business has really changed over the 44 years that he's been in it, he explained. Back at the time he began, Hilliard Lyons was much more of a brokerage and transaction business. Today it's more about wealth planning, which he says is a

A handful of significant commercial real estate deals top this week's Access Louisville podcast. LBF Senior Reporter Joel Stinnett is on this week's show and tells us about the sale of the Brown-Forman Cooperage. As he reported recently. Lebanon, Missouri-based Independent Stave Co. purchased the 16-acre property at 402 MacLean Ave. from Brown-Forman for $13.66 million on May 1, according to a deed filed with the Jefferson County Clerk’s Office.The site includes several storage warehouses, two equipment shops and the more than 4,000-square-foot production facility. The cooperage, which opened in 1945, produced about 2,000 barrels a day before closing this year as part of a 12% cut to Brown-Forman's global workforce.Stinnett also tells us about a Louisville company, Goodson Clothing and Supply Co., moving into new office space on Nelson Miller Parkway. We also chat about a new Wawa opening along Veterans Parkway in Clarksville, Indiana. And we discuss a couple of recently revealed plans for new

What's behind the Kroger Co.'s recent push to invest in Louisville?Jake Cannon, Louisville division president for Kroger, is on this week's Access Louisville podcast to explain that and much more.LBF has been reporting on major investments from Kroger in the market during the last few years. In March we had a story about a $1.8 million remodel of the West Broadway location. Before that, we covered a $2 million renovation of the Outer Loop Kroger. Those are just to name a few recent examples.As Cannon explains on the show: "it takes capital dollars invested into our brick and mortar stores to make sure layout of the store is right and that we have the right assortment [of products.] Thousands of items are introduced into the market each year."For example, he noted, that when he ran a Kroger store in the 2000s, there was only one energy drink on the shelves: Red Bull.  "Now it's an aisle ... everybody in the world has an energy drink and that's what the customers are look

The temporary closure of The Dirty Bird restaurant — which has struggled to obtain a liquor license — tops this week's Access Louisville podcast.The Audubon neighborhood restaurant has garnered attention in part because of the suggestive names on its menu — the appetizers are referred to as "foreplay" and the fish sandwich is called "the hooker," for instance.Fred Pizzonia, the property owner and manager of The Dirty Bird, told LBF Restaurant Reporter Michael L. Jones that a state ABC representative has complained about the names and he believes it to be a factor in the liquor license issue. We discuss that with Jones on this week's episode. Jones also tells us about a new restaurant in New Albany with a well known local name — Falls City Kitchen. It's owned by Neace Ventures, the same company that owns Falls City Beer and a few other local food and beverage brands. We also hear from Reporter Stephen P. Schmidt about the latest with this year's Kentucky Bourbon Festival

Access Louisville is a weekly podcast from Louisville Business First. Follow us on popular podcast services to never miss an episode.A look at the latest happenings in NuLu, a little pickleball, a little golf and even a small restaurant recap.All of the above are topics in a loaded edition of the Access Louisville podcast. LBF Reporter Michael L. Jones is on the show to discuss how Gravely Brewing Co. shook the local brewery scene by announcing that it would be moving its taproom from Phoenix Hill to 905 E. Main St. in NuLu. Gravely Brewing opened at 514 Baxter Ave., near Hull Street, in 2017. The taproom has been a community staple ever since. Yours truly will also talk about my initial observations after I visited Fifth Third Bank’s new office in NuLu for a sneak peek. The 10,000-square foot space is on the fourth floor of the NuLu Yard development, a $115 million project being overseen by Weyland Ventures.Zak Owens, our digital editor, is also on hand to discuss how the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office ha