Karl Schmitt, Jr. is all about teamwork-- both in the office and in the sports arena. As President & CEO of the Louisville Sports Commission, his goal is to increase teamwork so that their mission is accomplished-- a mission that ultimately "puts heads in beds"!

Growing up in Louisville's west end through tumultuous times developed strong character traits that Karl Schmitt, Jr. has used to build a thriving sports event city. In the last eight years alone, sporting events revenue has topped the charts!

The Louisville Sports Commission acts as the economic tool to attract hotel room night visits (hence "heads in beds"). However, they are also proactive in promoting active lifestyles, especially with the youth in disadvantaged neighborhoods, in an effort to attract and retain a strong workforce.  In addition, they act as entrepreneurs by creating, owning, and operating their own events.

Hear how Karl's leadership at The Louisville Sports Commission has developed into a legacy, even after managing Covid and how lessons learned have played a role in developing better event experiences! 

"Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts."  - Winston Churchill

Ed Hart defines an entrepreneur as someone who can achieve success in different industries, as opposed to a successful business person who achieves success in a specific field. By that definition, Ed Hart is certainly an entrepreneur!

Curiosity stimulates learning opportunities and intrigues those that tend to gravitate towards the path of entrepreneurship. During his childhood, Mr. Hart was very curious by nature and this trait, coupled with his perseverance, allowed him to gain huge success with projects that the typical person would not think to undertake.  As an admirer of Churchill Winston, Ed Hart followed his words of wisdom with a profound clarity.

Renovation of property that is foreclosed on, revitalizing distressed theme parks, venturing into the big screen-- all different paths, all diversified, all turn-around successes due to foresight, a clear vision, and perseverance. 

Want to know how that person behind the success thinks? Listen to this podcast and gain rare insight into the person that is Ed Hart.

The  Kentucky Center for the Arts is instrumental to our community.  As stated on their website, "Through a coordinated effort and community support, the Fund for the Arts builds a stronger community by investing in world-class Arts organizations, driving collaborative initiatives, fueling innovative arts-in-education programs and engaging corporate partnerships throughout the region."

The entertainment industry has struggled through COVID and touched a variety of platforms, from restaurants to caterers to venues to artists.  Collaboration and coordination with peer industries is imperative during this timeframe.

As businesses come online and people begin to feel confident in re-engaging in community efforts, entertainment and the arts will be an influential  leader to link our society and build strong fellowship bridges. The  Arts encourage our differences. It sees the strengths formed from capitalizing on our diversity.

Join us as we discuss with Kim Baker, President/CEO of the Kentucky Center for the Arts, how to overcome COVID struggles and "Keep Moving Forward"!

"According to The Family Firm Institute, only about 30 percent of family businesses survive into the second generation, 12 percent are viable into the third generation, and only about 3 percent of all family businesses operate into the fourth generation or beyond." Evolution is critical to success, as well as strong processes and consistent vision.

Masterson's Food & Drink Group has successfully evolved into just that legacy. Initially established as a restaurant, they have expanded into the Number One catering seat in Louisville and now they are growing in the manufacturing world. In addition, they have diversified into an event facility (The Olmsted), a waterfront restaurant (Captain's Quarters), and a chartered yacht (CQ Princess).

While discussions to migrate more into the manufacturing arena were already underway, COVID definitely escalated that plan to a top priority. However, changing business lines is not an easy task. It takes a lot of collaboration, a common vision, and lots of effort! 

Join us as we discuss the dynamics of family business with Sueanna and how success continues into a third generation family business!

Team staffing solutions are tough enough! Factor in a pandemic, a roller coaster economy, and a diverse workforce and the solution is often times buried in operational challenges.

Pre-Covid, Cara Silletto was already working with companies to blend their workforce diversities into a consistent message and training program. In her book, Staying Power: Why Your Employees Leave and How to Keep Them Longer,  Cara suggests that "The only way for organizations to successfully and sustainably face the new realities of today's workforce and the evolution of employee expectations is through a deep understanding of how to effectively hire and manage shorter-term workers who have a different view of the workplace."

The last year, and most likely the majority of 2021, will present challenges with workforce supply, demand, retention, and growth. Companies will be faced with new challenges to recruit and retain their team, while struggling to increase efficiency and profitability. 

Join us as Cara suggests some workplace dilemmas and warning signs that can be used to grow your workforce into 2021 and beyond.

Kentucky Restaurant Association (KRA) has a tenacious leader who is determined to get her members to the other side of this pandemic! Stacy Roof, President and CEO, believes her job is to tell your story and continue fighting for Kentucky restaurants.
 
Restaurants are leading employers in the state and deserve to be recognized for all the positive progress made, especially with regard to the health and safety of their customers. While the pandemic has been tough on many businesses, the hospitality industry, inclusive of restaurants and caterers, have taken a huge hit. Significant shut-downs, job losses, and in many cases business closings, have escalated the need for help and the cry to regain normalcy as soon as possible.
 
 Coming into 2020, Kentucky restaurants were hitting landmark revenues and gaining a reputation as the place to come and visit. However, the last year's challenges have forced members to re-evaluate how they do business, how they can change their business, and most importantly how they can stay in business!
 
Join Stacy as she discusses all the efforts that the KRA is designing and implementing to support, advocate, and protect your business each day. 

The event industry has  taken a beating in 2020 to be sure. Large convention centers, art centers, concert halls... no one is the exception to the rule.  Covid has impacted all large events and even affected what would be considered a small family event.

Lauren Brown, President, and Kalye Beets, Visionary, of Michaelis Events are no strangers to adversity, challenges, or tough times. Living through a tough start-up when their parents opened a new business in 2000, taught them resilience and determination. They learned how to pivot.

Today they are using these skills to reformulate and forecast next steps in a changed event industry. They have analyzed the market and turned their energies to the future instead of lingering in the past and hoping all things come back to some form of "normalcy".

Join us as we discuss their upbringing, potential future event trends, and how they learned to use laughter to maximize tough times and increase their energy!    

Acquiring a family-owned company that has gained a national presence over the course of nearly 50 years requires a leader that can interact with team members to continue growth and encourage a positive culture in the midst of adversity.  All great leaders must learn to pivot amid today's challenges. Simon Richards has learned to do just that.

By continuing to delight their guests, Thornton's new leader has been able to take the strong culture and values that gained the company its success and "keep the magic going". Simon Richards, Thornton's new CEO, wants to evolve the culture in a positive direction as they continue to grow their business model.

As a leading member of "A new generation of convenience stores that are re-defining the gas station food experience", Thornton's is innovating its product line to cater to the person on the go. They have formulated some of their top sellers during COVID and their food team is evaluating new ways to expand their guest experience.

In this episode we explore how Simon blends innovation, team culture, and the total guest experience to be a leader in the convenience store industry. Learn how his connections with his new team has created an innovative atmosphere for an industry segment to cross barriers.  

Demonstrating value and leadership for your members during a pandemic and civil unrest is a challenging task! Add the fact that you are only in your new role less than two months and most people would blame less than favorable results on the situation. 

Not Sarah Davasher-Wisdom! As the new president of Greater Louisville, Inc. (GLI), she rose to the challenge and has demonstrated continuous value for her members, thus creating an environment of sustainability and growth, even during this crisis. She wakes up every morning knowing that she has the ability to influence change.

Under her leadership as the president of GLI, the business community has rallied together to send a message out to the nation that we refuse to be a victim of poor circumstances! Instead, we will rise and stand united to build a better and stronger community.

In this episode, we explore how Sarah creates value for her members and has stepped out to lead our community during this difficult time. Learn how her philosophy, joined with business progress has started a new era of success in our city! 

Starting a non-profit is quite the undertaking... especially if you are starting it because you are looking for guidance! Imagine feeling lost and embarrassed because you feel as if you have failed as a parent. Where do you turn? 

Jean Schumm, Founder/President of Operation Parent has taken the initiative to create a safe place for parents to learn the trials and difficulties their children may encounter, watch for the warning signs, and make adjustments to help both your children and yourself.

After 15 years of being a constant for parents and watching lots of non-profits fold due to COVID, Operation Parent is branching out to reach families nationally and going the next step locally to help not only in the prevention stage, but also the addiction stage. 

Jean believes that we need to love on our parents more. They need to know it is ok to be a parent to your children and they need to be able to recognize the warning signs to steer their children away from.

Join us as Jean shares her passion about Operation Parent and how she has been blessed to grow it without losing site of her reason for starting in the first place.