The annual Kentucky Derby Festival kicks off this weekend with Thunder Over Louisville, where a tribute to victims of gun violence is planned.
We talked about what we're looking forward to in the festival on this week's Access Louisville podcast. Kentucky Derby Festival President and CEO Matt Gibson joins the show to talk about what's new and where the event goes from here.
Later in the program we also discuss some new restaurants around Louisville, including Jamaican Jerk Center, the new Goodbounce Pickleball Yard on River Road, a new beer spot — called Awry Brewing — and much more.
Access Louisville is a weekly podcast from Louisville Business First. You can find it on popular podcast services, such as Apple Podcast, Google Podcast, Spotify and more.

Access Louisville is a weekly podcast from Louisville Business First. Follow us on popular podcast services to never miss an episode.   

Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts | Spotify | Stitcher

This week on Access Louisville, we are grieving the loss of those who died at the Old National Bank shooting and considering the weight of the news on the community.

On Monday morning, April 10, six people were killed at the Old National Bank at 333 E. Main St. The shooter was among the dead.

Several others were injured and transported to UofL Hospital.

The news was shocking and left many in the community at a loss for words. Businesses, community leaders and elected officials sent condolences, and other business leaders signed a letter calling for change.

It’s hard to talk about anything else. This week, we discuss our reaction to the news, the community’s response and a vigil hosted for them.

Coping with tragedy is difficult, especially when our city sees it often. The Humana Foundation is deploying a $1 million investment into mental health care.

The City of Louisville has a list of mental health support resources on its website, which you can find here.

Access Louisville is a weekly podcast from Louisville Business First. It's hosted by Laurel Deppen and David A. Mann.  Our guests this week are Haley Cawthon and Ellie Tolbert.

You can find it on popular podcast services, including Apple Podcasts, Spotify and more. You can also listen in the player above.

Access Louisville is a weekly podcast from Louisville Business First. Follow us on popular podcast services to never miss an episode.   

Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts | Spotify | Stitcher 

Greg Galiette is ready for the Louisville Bats to play ball.

Galiette is entering his second baseball season as the president of the Louisville Bats, the minor league baseball team in Louisville. He became president in December 2021, but he has been with the team since 1984, when the Bats played as the Louisville Redbirds.

On the same day as the Bats’ home opener this week, Business First Editor Shea Van Hoy spoke with Galiette about the new season.

“Every time you start a new season there’s always a lot of optimism, not only for us but for every team,” Galiette said. “…We’re keeping our fingers crossed and we think we have a decent team this year.”

Galiette and Van Hoy chatted about new additions to Slugger Field and more.

We discuss all this and more on the Access Louisville podcast.

It’s not always baseball season, but some in Louisville would say it’s always bourbon season.

Reporter Stephen P. Schmidt sought to explore the intersection of two old Kentucky industries: bourbon and banking. 

Schmidt said the two industries have supported each other for years, with the latter trying to figure out the best way to qualify the value of an asset that appreciates as it ages.  

Baseball and bourbon… what else is needed for a perfect Louisville podcast? Ah, yes: Jack Harlow.

The Grammy-nominated Louisville native made the headlines this week because he bought into Phocus, a brand of caffeinated sparkling waters made in Louisville. With a new ad campaign and a new team, the company now has its sights on going national.

Access Louisville is a weekly podcast from Louisville Business First. It's hosted by Laurel Deppen and David A. Mann.

You can find it on popular podcast services, including Apple Podcasts, Spotify and more. You can also listen in the player above.

We have a rundown of all the latest restaurant news on this week's Access Louisville podcast.
Topping the discussion is information on Nic and Norman's, a restaurant coming to Whiskey Alley (aka Washington Street, behind Whiskey Row. We also chat about Bandido Taqueria's new location and a new area location for Drake's.
LBF Reporter Michael Jones and Assistant Managing Editor, Digital Haley Cawthon fill us in on all the details. 
Later in the show we talk about the start of soccer season for both Racing Louisville FC and Lou City FC. Racing has a new general manager, who was appointed in the wake of last year's damning report on abuse in the National Women's Soccer League.
After that we talk about the summer concert series Waterfront Wednesday and memories from a few bands on the bill. 
Access Louisville is a weekly podcast from Louisville Business First. It's hosted this week by Laurel Deppen and David A. Mann.
You can find it on popular podcast services, including Apple Podcasts, Spotify and more. 

Access Louisville is a weekly podcast from Louisville Business First. Follow us on popular podcast services to never miss an episode.   

Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts | Spotify | Stitcher

Greg Fante wants to make you notice the Louisville Sports Commission.

Fante, who officially stepped into the president and CEO role at the Commission last month, is focused on increasing the name recognition for his organization. He compared what he wants to do for sports what Fund for the Arts did for the arts, he said in an interview on the Access Louisville Podcast.

The Sports Commission has been busy prepping for the South Regional of the NCAA Men’s Division I Basketball Tournament (the Sweet Sixteen Tournament), hosted in Louisville this year.

Fante explains how Louisville won the tournament, and some of his favorite sporting events to watch.

We also discuss a shiny new rendering unveiled for a $51 million distillery project. The project from Blue Run Spirits was designed by a key architect behind other projects including the Google Headquarters, Lego Brand Museum and more.

Blue Run is located in Georgetown, Kentucky, and the facility is expected to open in 2025.

Beyond basketball and bourbon, we also go through several other top headlines from the week, including a new food selections at the Lynn Family Stadium, a $2.6 million house in Prospect, a new hospital project and another Rooster’s fire.

Access Louisville is a weekly podcast from Louisville Business First. It’s hosted by David A. Mann and Laurel Deppen. Our guests are Fante, Shea Van Hoy and Haley Cawthon.

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.

Access Louisville is a weekly podcast from Louisville Business First. Follow us on popular podcast services to never miss an episode.   

Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts | Spotify | Stitcher

Though the Silicon Valley Bank failure happened on the other coast, the ripple effects were felt by Louisville startups, attorneys and bank leaders.

A startup founder told KYInno that he was rushing to pull funds from the bank, faced with the fear of the question: How will their employees be paid. Haley Cawthon spoke to the founder, who asked to be anonymous given the fluidity of the situation, and shares what she learned with us.

Beyond startups, an attorney at large Louisville law firm Frost Brown Todd spent his weekend helping clients both locally and across the country who had funds in SVB. Ellie Tolbert spoke with him and some leaders in Louisville’s banking scene to get their reaction.

The SVB bank collapse was big news everywhere, but in true Access Louisville fashion, we sneak in some talk of restaurants and tourism.

The Bard’s Town, which recently announced a move, put plans on hold after its owner passed away. In his memory, former employees are opening the new location anyway with the help of some of his plans, Michael L. Jones reports.

We also discuss renovations to the Louisville Slugger Museum and lineups for two Danny Wimmer presents music festivals: Bourbon and Beyond and Louder than Life.

Access Louisville is a weekly podcast from Louisville Business First. It was hosted this week by Laurel Deppen. Our guests are Tolbert, Cawthon and Jones.

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.

Access Louisville is a weekly podcast from Louisville Business First. Follow us on popular podcast services to never miss an episode.   

Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts | Spotify | Stitcher 

A multi-use development by a prominent developer made headlines multiple times this week, but what is it missing?

Nulu Marketplace, which is owned by developer Mo Deljoo, is home to a brewery, restaurants, retail establishments and even office space. Recently one of its retailers, Buff City Soap, closed its location, leaving the opportunity for something new.

We speculate on what the complex could use on the Access Louisville Podcast: perhaps another restaurant, new retail or a bodega.

West Sixth Nulu, the complex’s anchor tenant, recently announced it was adding food to its menu offerings. It will start by focusing on shareable items, including wings and tacos.

Cherry Pickin’, a cold press juice bar, will open in Nulu Marketplace at the end of April. The concept’s owners said juice bars were something missing in the area, and they hope to fill that void.

Beyond the Nulu area, we also discuss Lil Toasty’s, a second location for Toasty’s Tavern opening in the food truck at Gravely Brewing Co. The food truck was previously home to Mayan Street Food from the owners of Mayan Café.

Louisville also ranked in the top five metros for economic development, according to a site selection magazine. It ranked above the likes of Nashville, Tennessee; Charlotte, North Carolina; Indianapolis; and Columbus, Ohio.

We discuss all this and more on the Access Louisville Podcast.

Access Louisville is a weekly podcast from Louisville Business First. It was hosted this week by Laurel Deppen. Our guests are Eleanor Tolbert, Haley Cawthon and Michael L. Jones.

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.

Access Louisville is a weekly podcast from Louisville Business First. Follow us on popular podcast services to never miss an episode.   

Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts | Spotify | Stitcher

We discuss all this and more on Access Louisville.

Owners of the Claudia Sanders Dinner House have edited the listing with changes that could help attract a buyer.

The Shelbyville restaurant was established by KFC founder Col. Harland Sanders for his wife Claudia. It went on the market in June for $9 million and has now been lowered to $4.9 million.

The price decreased because the original listing included Sanders family memorabilia and the trademark and likeness of Claudia Sanders. The owners will sell that separately. Now the listing includes just the physical real estate and the restaurant business.

Reporter Eleanor Tolbert explains that this could help them attract a new buyer.

In other KFC news, we also discuss a beloved menu item returning to the Louisville-based chicken chain for a limited time. The Double Down, famous for its use of fried chicken as bread, is returning to KFC menus across the nation beginning on March 6. 

With its double chicken, double bacon, and double cheese, it has what the company calls a “cult following like no other.”

Reporter Stephen P. Schmidt also joined the show to discuss a recent trip to the Old Forester distillery and what he learned.

Schmidt also talks about how two Louisville tech companies are helping those in Ukraine after a year at war. The companies are helping in different ways, but both are making an impact.

We discuss all this and more on the Access Louisville Podcast.

Access Louisville is a weekly podcast from Louisville Business First. It’s co-hosted by David A. Mann and Laurel Deppen. Our guests this week are Tolbert and Schmidt.

 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.

Access Louisville is a weekly podcast from Louisville Business First. Follow us on popular podcast services to never miss an episode.   

Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts | Spotify | Stitcher

Louisville is a foodie town — and several new restaurants will bring different cuisines to the area.

Harvey’s Cheese, a shop formerly in Logan Street Market, has now changed course to offer food beyond cheese: Australian. 

Now just named Harvey’s, the restaurant will reopen in March at 2011 Frankfort Ave. in the former ramen restaurant Mirin, which closed in December 2019. Reporter Michael L. Jones tells us that the owner is from Sydney, Australia, and opening such a restaurant has been his longtime dream.

In other restaurant news, a Louisville popup is opening its first brick-and-mortar location. Renshoku Ramen owners plan to open a restaurant in Old Louisville this spring. It will focus on dinner and then expand to include lunch grab-and-go options.

Renshoku started as a popup in 2019 and served locations including the Merryweather and the Asia Institute – Crane House in Old Louisville, which celebrates Asian culture.

Beyond restaurants, we also discuss the One Park North project. The site, which is the former Jim Porter’s on Lexington Road, is comprised of two mixed-use buildings which are 10 and 17 stories.

Recently, the rezoning of the area was approved by Metro Council.

We discuss all this and more on Access Louisville. 

Access Louisville is a weekly podcast from Louisville Business First. It’s co-hosted by David A. Mann and Laurel Deppen. Our guests this week are Eleanor Tolbert and Jones.

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.

The Access Louisville podcast is a two-parter this week.
First, we focus on bourbon. Louisville Business First Bourbon Reporter Stephen P. Schmidt has been on the road recently visiting some local distilleries, including a trip to Buffalo Trace in Frankfort. This is one of Kentucky's largest distilleries and behind some hugely popular brands like Pappy Van Winkle and Eagle Rare.
Schmidt got a chance to take it's all new "hard hat tour," which is partially good marketing, partially a behind-the-scenes look at how one of Kentucky's signature products are made.
He also tells us about his recent trip to Heaven Hill's Louisville Distillery and a new project coming to Whiskey Row, called Buzzard's Roost.
After that, we switch gears and chat about sustainability — specifically a Kentucky-based program called Canopy. Louisville-based Canopy offers certifications to for-profit companies based on the “good” the company does, including the work they do for their people, community and environment.
Editor-in-chief Shea Van Hoy is on the show interviewing Scott Koloms, the founder and CEO of Canopy, and Confluent Health CEO Larry Benz, who's company is Canopy certified.
They chat about how the process works and how it can benefit companies in various ways.
Access Louisville is a weekly podcast from Louisville Business First. It's hosted by David A. Mann and Laurel Deppen. It's available on popular podcast services, including Apple Podcast, Spotify, Google Podcasts and more.