Access Louisville

Louisville Business First
  • 4.6 (35)
  • Business
  • Updated Weekly

The latest news on Louisville, Kentucky from the staff of Louisville Business First. We look at trending issues in the Derby City from a business perspective. Join us each week!

  1. 5d ago

    Trouble in the Highlands

    Our next live podcast: Residential real estate trends are redefining Louisville's growth and neighborhoods. Join us for a live Access Louisville recording as we dive into the latest market insights. The event includes networking, breakfast and a spirited discussion of the latest news in our area. Our panel includes: Stacy Durbin, Semonin Realtors, Jakeeva Lee, Greater Louisville Association of Realtors and Jon Mand, Lenihan Sotheby's. Tickets and registration are available here. Special guest Nick Morris, vice president of the Highlands Commerce Guild, joins us on the Access Louisville podcast this week.  We chat about recent violence in the Highlands that has resulted from gatherings of teenagers and young adults in the area. Morris tells us what he's hearing from city leaders as well as businesses who want to see the issue addressed.  Our partners at WDRB reported that last weekend's violence resulted in nearly 40 citations and 21 arrests.  The city has put at least some of the blame on bars in the area. This week Louisville Metro Alcoholic Beverage Control issued an emergency suspension order for Atomic, a Bardstown Road bar and gameyard following a shooting. “We will not tolerate conditions at any establishment that threaten the safety of our community,” Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg said.  But, as WDRB reported, Atomic and other bars in the area have pushed back on that characterization, noting that violence isn't being caused by their customers but rather people showing up and walking or cruising the streets. Bardstown Road bars "are being blamed for things occurring off our properties and in the public right of way where we have no control, rather than the bad actors themselves being held accountable for their actions," said Dustin Hensley, co-owner of Atomic Louisville. Access Louisville is a weekly podcast from Louisville Business First. You can find it on popular podcast services including Apple and Spotify.

    23 min

  2. Jun 19

    St. Matthews development drama

    Our next live podcast: Residential real estate trends are redefining Louisville's growth and neighborhoods. Join us for a live Access Louisville recording as we dive into the latest market insights. The event includes networking, breakfast and a spirited discussion of the latest news in our area. Our panel includes: Stacy Durbin, Semonin Realtors, Jakeeva Lee, Greater Louisville Association of Realtors and Jon Mand, Lenihan Sotheby's. Tickets and registration are available here. We break down an unfolding development lawsuit on this week's Access Louisville podcast. Reporter Olivia Estright, who covers residential and multifamily real estate, explains the history of the Gilmans Point development, a proposed apartment development on Westport Road that the St. Matthews City Council recently rejected.  LDG filed a lawsuit on June 11 in Jefferson County Circuit Court, alleging the St. Matthews City Council and its mayor improperly blocked the development despite its compliance with zoning ordinances. Gilmans Pointe was planned to have 199 apartment units with rents ranging from $2,100 to $2,700. The complex would be located at 4101 Westport Road, previously occupied by Plant Kingdom. This prompts us into a discussion of why new apartment proposals are frequently met with anger from nearby residents.  After that, we chat about a decision by Yum Brands Inc. to sell Pizza Hut. As reported recently, Yum Brands. Pizza Hut, excluding in Mainland China, will be acquired by LongRange Capital, a private equity firm. Pizza Hut in Mainland China will be acquired by Yum China Holdings Inc. This prompts a discussion about some of the challenges the pizza sector as a whole has been facing, everything from increased competition to a trend on protein heavy diets. Access Louisville, sponsored by Baird, is a weekly podcast from Louisville Business First. You can also follow it on popular podcast services including Apple Podcasts and Spotify.

    22 min

  3. Jun 12

    A bourbon bankruptcy

    Our next live podcast: Residential real estate trends are redefining Louisville's growth and neighborhoods. Join us for a live Access Louisville recording as we dive into the latest market insights. The event includes networking, breakfast and a spirited discussion of the latest news in our area. Our panel includes: Stacy Durbin, Semonin Realtors, Jakeeva Lee, Greater Louisville Association of Realtors and Jon Mand, Lenihan Sotheby's. Tickets and registration are available here. The bourbon industry has shifted and recent headlines bare that out. We discuss on this week's Access Louisville podcast. Topping our show this week is news on a potential deal to acquire Luca Mariano Distillery in Danville, Kentucky. As LBF Bourbon Reporter Stephen P. Schmidt notes Mark Newman, CEO of Las Vegas-based Apogee 21 Holdings, Inc., doing business as A21 Wine & Spirits, made a bid for $16.7 million to acquire the distillery as well as more than 6,600 barrels that are aging there. A hearing on the confirmation plan of the sale is set for July 7 in Detroit. In June 2025, Luca Mariano held a grand opening for the facility despite being involved in several lawsuits. A month later, LMD Holdings, the parent company of Luca Mariano, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. Also on the show this week, we chat about a different bourbon company, TKC Distilling Co, which is facing two lawsuits in Jefferson County Circuit Court over claims of unpaid bills. TKC Distilling Co. is the producer of True Story, a bourbon brand launched by Angel’s Envy Co-Founder Wes Henderson and his sons in September 2024. The company faces two legal complaints for more than $1.5 million.  Late in the show we talk about the development of data centers, including a proposal for a data center in Charlestown, Indiana and new regulations being considered by Louisville Metro Government. Access Louisville, sponsored by Baird, is a weekly podcast from Louisville Business First. You can also follow it on popular podcast services including Apple Podcasts and Spotify.

    26 min

  4. Jun 5

    Latest restaurant news

    Our next live podcast: Residential real estate trends are redefining Louisville's growth and neighborhoods. Join us for a live Access Louisville recording as we dive into the latest market insights. The event includes networking, breakfast and a spirited discussion of the latest news in our area. Our panel includes: Stacy Durbin, Semonin Realtors, Jakeeva Lee, Greater Louisville Association of Realtors and Jon Mand, Lenihan Sotheby's. Tickets and registration are available here. A Louisville brand with financial troubles and a new fast casual chain top this week's Access Louisville podcast.  This week we dive into the latest restaurant news in the area, including the recent bankruptcy filing by Louisville-based coffee chain Please & Thank You. The business, famous for its chocolate chip cookies, is remaining open as it navigates a financial restructuring via a chapter 11 bankruptcy filing. Reporter Michael L. Jones is covering the story and is on the show this week to talk about some of the factors that led up to the bankruptcy, including a difficult environment for restaurants and a social media controversy that went viral.  After that, Reporter Olivia Estright is also on the show to chat about a new fast casual restaurant concept coming to the area. Denver-based Teriyaki Madness has leased space at 1225 Veterans Parkway in Clarksville, Indiana, between Chillburger and The Joint Chiropractic. We also chat about a change in menu at Louie's Hot Chicken (it's going back to hot chicken after a brief flirtation with soups and sandwiches), a  bakery that just moved into Floyds Knobs and the revival of Porkland BBQ following a zoning saga.  Later in the show we talk about how the shutdown of I-65 is treating us thus far. The interstate closed on Monday and is to remained that way for two months as bridges are being repaired along it. We get into whether the relative smoothness of the shutdown bolsters the case for supporters of the 8664 plan.  Access Louisville, sponsored by Baird, is a weekly podcast from Louisville Business First. You can also follow it on popular podcast services including Apple Podcasts and Spotify.

    29 min

  5. May 29

    Bringing people back

    Attracting former residents back to Louisville — boomerangs, as they're known — could potentially be a way to increase the city's population. But there are challenges to it.  LBF Senior Reporter Joel Stinnett joins us to talk about some of those issues on this week's Access Louisville podcast. Stinnett just wrapped up a cover story on the topic of boomerangs and how they fit into Louisville's growth strategy. The biggest stumbling block is the job market.  In spite job gains in some sectors, Louisville doesn't have a lot of options for people holding advance degrees. Those jobs are often confined to bigger metropolises. Stinnett also looked at programs that small cities like Topeka, Kansas and Tulsa, Oklahoma have implemented in order to address a similar problem.  After the boomerang discussion, we chat with Reporter Michael L. Jones about the financial troubles being experienced by Memorial Auditorium in Louisville and how a looming Metro budget cut may impact it. We also chat about an upcoming move by The Whirling Tiger, the closure of the Bristol Bar & Grille restaurant in Downtown Louisville and a pending relocation for Texas Roadhouse in Clarksville.  Access Louisville, sponsored by Baird, is a weekly podcast from Louisville Business First. You can also follow it on popular podcast services including Apple Podcasts and Spotify.

    24 min

  6. May 22

    Building up NuLu

    We chat about a big project underway in NuLu on this week's Access Louisville podcast. LBF Senior Reporter Joel Stinnett is on the show to talk about The Zen 620 development at 622 E. Market and 620 E. Market Sts. The Zen already houses restaurant owner Kevin Grangier’s Sake A Go Go restaurant. The other portion of the Zen, which spans six stories, is under construction and will feature nine apartment units and a ground-level restaurant called Zen Cafe. You can check out renderings of the Zen and floor plans on its website, zennulu.com. Workers are adding four of the nine apartment units to the rear of the property, according to a permit filed with Louisville Metro Planning and Design.  Also on the show this week, we discussed a new St. Matthews location for Barnes & Noble and a new hi-fi bar that's on its way to Clarksville, Indiana.  We also go over the latest information on the crash of UPS Flight 2976. The National Transportation Safety Board held hearings on the crash this week, which focused on UPS maintenance decisions ahead of the flight as well as the equipment failure that ultimately led to the crash.  Access Louisville, sponsored by Baird, is a weekly podcast from Louisville Business First. You can also follow it on popular podcast services including Apple Podcasts and Spotify.

    26 min

  7. May 15

    Louisville teams confront financial realities

    Some of Louisville's highest level sports teams are facing serious financial realities, which we discuss on this week's Access Louisville podcast. First, we chat about Racing Louisville FC, the city's National Women's Soccer League franchise, which is looking for an equity investor.  According to a story from ESPN, Soccer Holdings, LLC — the owner of Racing Louisville FC — is seeking an equity partner to keep the team competitive in the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL).  A representative with Soccer Holdings told ESPN that its chairman, John Neace, was not interested in giving up controlling ownership or moving the team.  Right now both Racing Louisville and Louisville City FC are locally owned, via Soccer Holdings. We discuss the implications of taking on outside investment — from positive outcomes (like higher caliber players) to negative outcomes (such as selling the team.) In a separate sports business story, we also chat about the financial consequences of Name Image Likeness rights and salaries for college athletes. Leaders at the University of Louisville have sounded the alarm about the lack of sustainability for situation.  On this week's show, we also talk about a sweeping new plan for a $500 million development at the former Colgate-Palmolive Co. plant in Clarksville, Indiana. The plan would turn it into a mixed-use development, known as the Clockworks, which will have a large hotel and sports venue. We chat about a developers plans for a downtown-like area in Prospect. And we talk about the latest with the Louisville Zoo. And there's a brief mention of this new art gallery at the River Ridge Commerce Center. Access Louisville, sponsored by Baird, is a weekly podcast from Louisville Business First.

    29 min

  8. May 4

    An education leader's take on Downtown Louisville

    Anne Kenworthy has her hands full.  As president of Spalding University, she's in charge of leading an educational institution at a challenging time for that sector. In addition to everyday challenges, like keeping current on the artificial intelligence tools that are available to students, post secondary education is also facing an expected enrollment cliff (related to declining birthrates) as well as skepticism about the return on investment for a college education.   Kenworthy, who was named as Spalding's president in 2024, talks about all of the above, and more, on this week's Access Louisville podcast. We even talk about how Spalding fits into downtown Louisville and some of the development taking place around there She said when she came into the job many people told her about Downtown's past — but she's interested in it's future. "I'm excited about what is happening ... even just the last 18 months of downtown," she said. "I think the redevelopment of downtown is strong and just keeps getting stronger. You're publishing these stories every day where people are making significant investments into downtown." She praised the leadership of Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg, Louisville Downtown Partnership and others. [By the way, if you like podcasts about downtown — also be sure to checkout recent live episode Access Louisville: Heart of the City]. Access Louisville, sponsored by Baird, is a weekly podcast from Louisville Business First. You can also follow it on popular podcast services including Apple Podcasts and Spotify, which are linked above.

    34 min
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4.6
out of 5
35 Ratings

About

The latest news on Louisville, Kentucky from the staff of Louisville Business First. We look at trending issues in the Derby City from a business perspective. Join us each week!

Information

  • Creator
    Louisville Business First
  • Years Active
    2019 - 2026
  • Episodes
    348
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Access Louisville
  • Show Website
    Access Louisville

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