Access Louisville

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!

Access Louisville is a business podcast hosted by Louisville Business First, with 359 episodes on record and a Required Pod Score of 80. PitchCentric scores this show on Booking Probability, Listen Score, and live audience signals refreshed every 24 hours.

Louisville Business First hosts Access Louisville, a business show with 359 episodes published.

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  Episode #358

  Interview with a Louisville business icon

  Sep 18, 202628 min

  We sit down with one of Louisville's most recognizable business leaders on this week's Access Louisville podcast. Republic Bank Executive Chairman Steve Trager joins the show to discuss the bank's continued growth, including its presence in five states, a record financial performance and competitive advantages. In an interview wtih LBF Editor-in-Chief Shea Van Hoy, Trager also shares his thoughts on technology in banking, including how Republic is using artificial intelligence internally while maintaining a strong focus on personal relationships. "We have multiple internal [AI] agents that we've developed that can answer questions and help our people serve their customers in various areas," he said. However, he added, "I don't see it customer-facing directly anytime soon.I have my own experience with customer-facing AI, and it's been terrible almost every time I've tried to use it." With that said, he also comments on how he believes bankers should have a personal relationship with their clients We also talk philanthropy and community leadership, with Trager reflecting on the influence of his Jewish faith and why projects such as the Trager MicroForest and other downtown investments are important to Louisville's future. We get off business topics a bit too and Trager gives us recommendations on restaurants and where he likes to take out of town guests. He even shares a fast food guilty pleasure: "You know what? I love Popeyes' fried chicken," he said, noting that he'll sometimes hit the drive thru there if the mood strikes him right. Access Louisville, sponsored by Baird, is a weekly podcast from Louisville Business First. You can listen in the player above. You can also follow it on popular podcast services including Apple Podcasts and Spotify.

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  Episode #357

  A trademark fight looming?

  Sep 11, 202619 min

  The NHL's Los Angeles Kings have requested more time to decide whether to challenge the Louisville UFL team's trademark . We chat about what's at stake, where the Louisville King's name came from and look back at the football team's championship-winning first season. The conversation then shifts to college athletics, where University of Louisville officials say their fundraising and NIL strategy is paying off better than expected. Despite recent success, athletic leaders continue to push for broader changes to the college sports model and federal legislation that could help support non-revenue sports programs. On the bourbon front, we chat about Brown-Forman reviving the historic Kentucky Boy brand with a limited release honoring longtime master distiller emeritus Chris Morris. After that, Reporter Olivia Estright tells us about a proposed $300 million housing development near The Parklands that could bring nearly 800 homes to eastern Jefferson County. She also talks about a unique adaptive reuse project in New Albany, where a former church is being transformed into a recording studio and com music space . 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.

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  Episode #356

  Two big bets on Louisville

  Sep 4, 202626 min

  We discuss a pair of major investments in Louisville on this week's Access Louisville podcast. GE Appliances announced a $1 billion investment at Appliance Park, including plans to move dryer production from Mexico to Louisville. Meanwhile Amazon is opening a new same-day delivery facility near Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport, which will help support its expanded rapid-delivery network. We also dive into the latest developments at Brown-Forman on this week's show. LBF Digital Editor Zak Owens tells us about criticism from members of the Brown family over the company's strategy, including the growth of flavored Jack Daniel's products. And we break down comments from outgoing CEO Lawson Whiting during the company's latest earnings call . Plus, we talk about Yum Brands' decision to complete the sale of Pizza Hut as the Louisville-based company sharpens its focus on other opportunities . Later in the show, Senior Reporter Joel Stinnett shares the story behind a mysterious door along Lexington Road that leads to a historic lagering tunnel, which is slated to become a unique event venue known as The Vault. We also discuss new progress on the Belvedere redevelopment after the project received a $5 million grant from the James Graham Brown Foundation . We revisit the ongoing saga of Akiko's karaoke bar, whose property is headed to auction , and what the sale might say about the changing landscape of Louisville's Highlands neighborhood. At the very end of the show we highlight LDG Development's court victory over the City of Prospect , a ruling that clears the way for a long-delayed affordable housing development. Access Louisville, sponsored by Baird, is a weekly podcast from Louisville Business First. You can listen in the player above. You can also follow it on popular podcast services including Apple Podcasts and Spotify.

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  Episode #355

  What tourists come to Louisville for

  Aug 28, 202626 min

  Louisville has plenty to offer visitors, but can the city's tourism sector keep up with demand? We chat about that and more with Louisville Tourism CEO Cleo Battle on this week's Access Louisville podcast. Battle is on the show this week for an interview with LBF Editor-in-Chief Shea Van Hoy. The two talk about Louisville coming off a fourth consecutive year of record tourism revenue, generating a $4.4 billion economic impact in Jefferson County. "Thursday through Sunday in this city, we are jamming every month of the year," he said. But he notes that Louisville needs additional hotel rooms to keep pace with growing conventions and remain competitive with peer cities. This was something that Senior Reporter Joel Stinnett wrote about in a recent cover story . Through Louisville Tourism, 610 meetings and events are booked each year. Those events are growing, he said, but in order for them to stay in Louisville, the city needs to grow with them. "That's our challenge," he said. "We have the smallest amount of hotel rooms in our competitive set. We have the smallest number of direct flights in our competitive set. We have to compete and so we need to grow. In addition to the convention side of the business, Battle and Van Hoy talked about big events that bring guests to town, including music festivals like Bourbon & Beyond and Louder Than Life as well as Louisville's plans to host the USA Gymnastics Olympic Trials in 2028. "I don't know that it's sunk in for people that the Olympic flags are going to fly above Louisville and represent Louisville and Kentucky," he said. "There is just not a price you can put on that type of exposure and advertising and marketing that we're going to get from that." Battle also shares what Louisville Tourism is doing to market the city, why Chicago remains Louisville's top visitor market and what trends he's watching across the tourism industry. Access Louisville, sponsored by Baird, is a weekly podcast from Louisville Business First. You can listen in the player above. You can also follow it on popular podcast services including Apple Podcasts and Spotify, which are linked above.

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  Episode #354

  Restaurant news roundup

  Aug 21, 202632 min

  We serve up a packed restaurant roundup on the Access Louisville podcast this week, including some familiar names and new concepts entering the market. Reporter Michael L Jones starts us off with an update on Captain's Quarters' plans for a new event venue . The Boathouse, as the space will be called, will consist of a 1,700 square foot main hall and a 600-square-foot patio. The space will accommodate up to 100 guests for seated dinners and 140 guests for cocktail-style receptions. Additionally, we chat about the news that KingFish, one of Louisville's longtime and very recognizable restaurant brands, is up for sale. Senior Reporter Joel Stinnett notes that the business, as well as the riverfront real estate from its two locations (in Louisville and in Jeffersonville, Indiana), are on the market . We also chat about a new pan-Asian concept headed to the former Anoosh Bistro space , called Wasabi; the upcoming auction of the former Bakersfield space in the Highlands; and the opening of Magnolia Bakery in NuLu . Beyond restaurants, the discussion turns to real estate, including the collapse of the Meidinger Tower deal and what it could mean for Fourth Street Live . We also discuss the listing of the former Old National Bank office space on Main Street and talk about a long-awaited affordable housing development coming to the Merriwether neighborhood . Late in the show, Stinnett reflects on the passing of Charles Griffin Sr., a longtime downtown business owner who died recently at age 84 . And we chat about the upside to Publix signing a lease in the Highlands. Access Louisville, sponsored by Baird, is a weekly podcast from Louisville Business First.

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