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 looking for," he said.

Late last year, Kroger also announced a $40 million new marketplace store on Beulah Church Road.

The company is facing new competition in town, including Publix's entry and expansion into Louisville. Cannon talks about competition as well — including what he looks for when he visits Kroger's competitors. As well as companies that he personally admires, including Starbucks and Chik-fil-a.

Cannon, originally from Utah, started working in a grocery store when he was 16 as he explained in this 2023 profile story in Business First. That store wasn't a Kroger location but he found his way to the company from there. He worked for Kroger in Utah, Las Vegas and at the company's general office in Cincinnati, before coming to Louisville. 

Cincinnati-based Kroger has served the Louisville community for 95 years now at 27 stores across Jefferson County. Kroger Louisville Division operates 116 retail stores in Kentucky, Southern Indiana and Southern Illinois. Kroger Co. is one of the largest employers in Greater Louisville.

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 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 in Bardstown, Kentucky. The festival is adding new experiences, as it takes inspiration from the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas as well as the PGA Championship and the Kentucky Derby. Full details on that here.

We also hear from our sponsors at Baird this week. LBF President and Publisher Lisa Benson is on the show with an interview with Mark Nickel, who is president and chief investment officer at Baird Trust to talk about numerous topics, including what's known as "The Great Wealth Transfer." 

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.

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 has signed a lease to move into 47,000 square feet of space at 515 W. Market St., a building owned by the University of Louisville Foundation, as reported by Senior Reporter Joel Stinnett.

Owens will also talk about how Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg recently pulled the plug on a $65 million project for a large pickleball facility in Joe Creason Park in response to an outpouring of public outcry.

Staying on the sports theme, I will talk about PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan visiting town earlier this month for the Kentucky Derby. He and another member of the PGA Tour leadership team were Derby guests of Jimmy Kirchdorfer, the CEO/chairman of ISCO Industries who is also a co-owner of Valhalla Golf Club. I spoke with Monahan and Kircdorfer before they teed off for a round at Valhalla. 

The main topic of conversation was how the PGA Tour is fully committed to having the ISCO Championship in Kentucky, which will take place in July. It will be at Hurstbourne Country Club for the next three years, with options to move the tournament to other courses in Kentucky. 

Monahan also said that he thought it was “when not if” Louisville will be able to host another major golf tournament after last year’s PGA Championship took place at Valhalla. Keep in mind that the ultimate decision is made by the PGA of America, not the PGA Tour.

I will also talk about how the ISCO Championship has already sold out of its 18th green hospitality suites with the event still two months away.

And finally, we will top the podcast off with Jones talking about two of his recent headlines. The first is the future opening of Gaucho Urban Brazilian Steakhouse at 2013 S. Hurstbourne Parkway. Jones will also share the latest on Tavern To-Go, located at 111 E. Hill St.

Sarah Worrell, general manager of Kentucky Kingdom Theme and Waterpark joins us on the Access Louisville podcast this week. 

On the show, Worrell tells us a bit about what's new at the park, including the newest addition — Discovery Meadow. Discovery Meadow is an $11 million investment (part of $25 million in upgrades overall) and will open May 10.

"It's gonna be unlike anything anyone has ever seen in the park before," she told us. 

Kentucky Kingdom Theme and Water Park, owned by Atlanta-based Herchend, is Kentucky’s largest amusement and water park. It spans 67 acres and has over 70 rides and attractions, including five roller coasters.

The new area is an homage to the community, she said. The name Kentucky Kingdom has been in the community for the last 30 years and Herchend and the team there wanted to celebrate the state, she said.

"Discovery Meadow is the first step into that," she said "... really embracing what is beautiful and special about Kentucky."

The new land features six acres aimed at families with three new attractions and 24 new and re-themed experiences. The three new rides are:

• Redbird Racer – Spin and swoop aboard a vibrant cardinal defending its home.
• Scout’s Squirrel Race – Playful squirrels chase the ultimate prize—a giant acorn.
• Cumberland Express – A whimsical garden train adventure wrapped in vines.

Other details:

• Shaded 4,800-square-foot playground
• Two refreshed eateries plus a brand-new Dippin’ Dots cart.
• More seating and shade
• Games Garden – Classic yard game fun with a Kentucky twist.
• Two refurbished restrooms.
• Two new retail locations

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.)

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 Todd
• Scott Catlett, chair, Impetus for a Better Louisville and former Yum Brands Inc. chief legal and franchise officer
• Mike 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.)