Access Louisville

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 [https://www.bizjournals.com/louisville/news/2025/02/12/kentucky-kingdoms-new-11m-attraction-gets-a-name.html]. 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. [https://www.wdrb.com/news/business/louisville-plant-debuts-new-ford-expedition-as-ceo-weighs-effects-of-economic-situation/article_d380e668-7e9a-4e41-ad36-22a165e7079c.html?utm_source=WDRB&utm_medium=Web&utm_campaign=BizFirst] 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 [https://www.bizjournals.com/louisville/news/2025/04/28/george-zambelli-thunderless.html] 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 [https://www.bizjournals.com/louisville/news/2025/04/30/belle-of-louisville-scratched-great-steamboat-race.html] and Jones' recent visit to Kern's Kitchen, makers of the famous Derby Pie [https://www.bizjournals.com/louisville/news/2025/05/01/kerns-kitchen-new-generation.html]. 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 [https://www.bizjournals.com/louisville/c/lbfs-power-50-2025.html]. 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 [https://www.bizjournals.com/louisville/c/power-50-hall-of-fame.html]. 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. [https://www.bizjournals.com/louisville/event/171976/2025/access-louisville-live-presented-by-baird] 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 [https://www.bizjournals.com/louisville/news/2025/04/17/pizza-jones-opening-announcement.html] (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. [https://www.bizjournals.com/louisville/news/2025/04/15/m-pepper-opening-week.html] 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 [https://www.bizjournals.com/louisville/news/2025/04/16/mashup-food-hall-announces-first-food-vendor.html] landing its first restaurant, the closure of the Oddbird Cafe in the Highlands [https://www.bizjournals.com/louisville/news/2025/04/14/oddbird-bakery-closing.html] 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 [https://www.bizjournals.com/louisville/news/2025/04/08/what-s-on-tap-a-look-craft-breweries-in-the-u-s.html]. 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 [https://www.bizjournals.com/louisville/news/2025/02/05/bourbon-and-beyond-2025-lineup.html] and Louder Than Life [https://www.bizjournals.com/louisville/news/2025/02/26/louder-than-life-announces-2025-lineup.html] 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 [https://www.bizjournals.com/louisville/news/2025/04/11/danny-wimmer-commits-to-louisville.html].  We also chat about the recently announced lineup of The Big Stomp festival, which you can find here [https://thebigstomp.com/].  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. [https://www.bizjournals.com/louisville/event/171976/2025/access-louisville-live-presented-by-baird] 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 [https://www.bizjournals.com/louisville/news/2025/04/05/thunder-over-louisville-canceled.html].  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 [https://www.bizjournals.com/louisville/news/2025/04/10/thunder-louisville-lost-business.html], Captains Quarters [https://www.bizjournals.com/louisville/news/2025/04/09/river-road-restaurant-flooding.html] and Buffalo Trace Distillery in Frankfort [https://www.bizjournals.com/louisville/news/2025/04/08/buffalo-trace-distillery-closed-following-flooding.html]. After the flooding talk, we discuss work beginning on a project at the Kentucky Expo Center [https://www.bizjournals.com/louisville/news/2025/04/08/kentucky-exposition-center-expanding.html]. 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 [https://www.bizjournals.com/louisville/news/2025/04/04/louisville-gardens-to-get-demo-work.html]. 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 [https://www.bizjournals.com/louisville/news/2025/04/09/trump-tariff-pause-stock-market-real-estate-prices.html] this week. But they're also something the bourbon industry has been talking about for far longer, including at LBF's recent Bourbonomics event. [https://www.bizjournals.com/louisville/news/2025/03/18/bourbon-executives-panel-tariffs-consumer-trends.html] 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.)