Advertise on podcast: Access Louisville

Louisville's restaurant scene keeps cooking — and that's the topic of this week's Access Louisville podcast. We start with Gustavo's Mexican Grill, which has broken ground on its next location in eastern Jefferson County. Reporter Michael L. Jones discusses what's behind Gustavo Reyes's continued expansion and why the restaurant has built such a loyal following in a crowded category. After that, we shift across the river to New Albany, where Byrd's Hot Chicken is bringing its Nashville-style menu to Southern Indiana. Zak Owens breaks down the California-based chain's plans and we chat about the enduring popularity of hot chicken and one of its famous origin stories.  The conversation then turns to Noah's Kitchen, which recently hired former Food Network executive chef Rob Bleifer. Michael explains how Bleifer's 24-year career with the TV network led him to Kentucky and why Louisville's food scene continues to attract culinary talent from larger markets, including New York City. In addition to Bleifer, Drake Aldrich at Perso is mentioned.  We also talk grocery wars as Publix opens another Kentucky location, this time in Elizabethtown. Finally, we chat about Oniichan's Kitchen, a new vendor inside Logan Street Market serving Japanese comfort food.  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.

We talk all things Louder Than Life and Bourbon & Beyond on this week's Access Louisville podcast. Special Projects Editor Allison Stines and Editor-in-Chief Shea Van Hoy join the show to discuss the massive crowds, how the festival continues to evolve and the impact the events have on Louisville by bringing hundreds of thousands of visitors to the city during September. We're probably a week or so out from knowing exactly what attendance looked like for the festivals. The two festivals are put on by Danny Wimmer Presents and have had a major impact over the years. Louder Than Life was expected to have an estimated economic impact of  $24.1 million, while Bourbon & Beyond is expected to bring in $13.8 million. According to Louisville Tourism, the two festivals generated an estimated $43 million in local economic impact in 2025. So if the estimates above hold true, they would be off that figure slightly at $37.9 million this year.   We also chat about how Louisville's food scene is represented at the festival grounds. And of course, we swap stories about memorable performances, favorite festival experiences, standout food and drink options and more. On the show this week, we also talk about Danny Wimmer Presents commitment to keeping the events in Louisville for the next 10 years.  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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

We discuss the latest look at Louisville’s Belvedere overhaul on this week's Access Louisville podcast.  New renderings show a greener, more flexible public space designed to host everything from concerts to farmers markets. But, as Reporter Michael L. Jones explains, much of the project's budget will actually go toward repairing the aging parking garage beneath it.  We also look at the latest addition to the Galt House’s ongoing makeover: a collection of luxury suites themed around Louisville traditions including U of L athletics and horse racing. Plus, we toss around a few other Louisville icons we think could inspire future suites. Later in the show, we chat about the recently opened Grand Lyric Theater in the Russell neighborhood, a venue that honors West Louisville's entertainment history while aiming to spark new economic development along the Muhammad Ali corridor.  We also discuss Texas Roadhouse's purchase of the iconic Wright Tower on Dutchmans Lane and what the growing restaurant company might have planned for the 16-story building. Late in the show, Jones highlights his cover story on Dr. Mushtaque Juneja, the Louisville anesthesiologist whose had a remarkable career in medicine and real estate. Editor-in-Chief Shea Van Hoy previews this fall's music festivals and I talk about Ford's ongoing overhaul of Louisville Assembly Plant. 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.

We look at Louisville's hotel development boom on this week's Access Louisville podcast.  Senior Reporter Joel Stinnett breaks down why tourism leaders and convention organizers say Louisville needs more hotel rooms — something he'd looked into for a recent cover story.  While weekend tourism remains strong, the larger opportunity is attracting and growing conventions during the week. We discuss nearly a dozen proposed hotel projects around Downtown Louisville and one in Southern Indiana and what they could mean for the local economy. We also talk about the proposed Clockworks development in Clarksville, Indiana, where developers plan to anchor a $500 million mixed-use project with a 175-room Marriott hotel.  Later in the show, we discuss the surprising news that no Louisville hospital made the latest U.S. News & World Report rankings of Kentucky's top hospitals. Stinnett explains which health systems topped the list and offers some perspective on how those rankings are determined. We also cover Baptist Health Floyd's planned emergency department expansion in New Albany and a new bioscience research facility planned as part of the University of Louisville's Innovation Park development near the Belknap Campus. Late in the show we mention the future of the former Theatair X property.  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.

Residential real estate trends define Louisville's growth and neighborhoods.  This week the Access Louisville podcast got out of the studio for a live recording during which we dive in to local and national residential real estate trends.  Three local experts joined us for the discussion: Stacy Durbin, president of HomeServices KOI, Inc., overseeing Huff Realty, Semonin Realtors, and Rector Hayden Realtors.; Jakeeva Lee, CEO of Greater Louisville Association of Realtors; and Jon Mand, head of Jon Mand & Associates, part of Lenihan Sotheby's. The event was held Thursday, July 30 at the Baird Conference Center on the 29th floor of 500 W. Jefferson in Downtown Louisville.  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

Our next live podcast: Residential real estate trends are redefining Louisville's growth and neighborhoods. Join us for a live Access Louisville recording as we dive into the latest market insights. The event includes networking, breakfast and a spirited discussion of the latest news in our area. Our panel includes: Stacy Durbin, Semonin Realtors; Jakeeva Lee, Greater Louisville Association of Realtors; and Jon Mand, Lenihan Sotheby's. Tickets and registration are available here. We go over the latest restaurant news on this week's Access Louisville podcast. To start out we chat about the sale of the former Silver Dollar building. The famous bourbon bar, which closed last year, had been housed in the Albert A. Stoll Firehouse at 1761 Frankfort Ave. Attorney Vanessa Cantley owns the building but is looking to step back from property management and focus on other pursuits, as Reporter Michael L. Jones explains on the show.  We also talk about a new executive chef at Hotel Bourré Bonne. Jason McCollum, the former Chik’n & Mi chef and co-owner, is now in charge of the Downtown hotel’s culinary program.  After that, we chat about a major acquisition deal for Louisville-grown breakfast franchise Biscuit Belly, a magic shop in Old Louisville that has a bar attached and a fast food bankruptcy. Jones also gives us his impressions of the new Cuban Itallian restaurant Prado 264, which recently opened in the Highlands.  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.

Our next live podcast: Residential real estate trends are redefining Louisville's growth and neighborhoods. Join us for a live Access Louisville recording as we dive into the latest market insights. The event includes networking, breakfast and a spirited discussion of the latest news in our area. Our panel includes: Stacy Durbin, Semonin Realtors; Jakeeva Lee, Greater Louisville Association of Realtors; and Jon Mand, Lenihan Sotheby's. Tickets and registration are available here. The Starks Building project, which aims to add residential housing at the corner of 4th Street and Muhammad Ali, could be huge for Downtown Louisville. We go over the latest with the long-delayed effort on this week's Access Louisville podcast. Senior Reporter Joel Stinnett is on the podcast this week to tell us about the recent sale of 315 W. Muhammad Ali Blvd., which is next door to the Starks, and how it could fit into the project. A group of investors including developer Jeff Underhill (who's behind the Starks project) just bought the building for $300,000. Amazingly, that purchase price is down from $2.5 million just a year or so ago.   Stinnett notes that the developers have yet to secure financing for the Starks redo. But Underhill said the purchase of 315 W. Muhammad Ali adds several advantages to the project, if and when it gets off the ground. For one, the inclusion of 315 W. Muhammad Ali in the project creates the potential for a rooftop bar or recreation area on the fifth floor roof, something Underhill said would be unfeasible on the taller Starks Building.  More detail on that story here. Also on the show we also talk about a new entrepreneurial space in NuLu, the latest with the Highlands "moist" vote and a new burrito joint heading to St. Matthews. 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.

Our next live podcast: Residential real estate trends are redefining Louisville's growth and neighborhoods. Join us for a live Access Louisville recording as we dive into the latest market insights. The event includes networking, breakfast and a spirited discussion of the latest news in our area. Our panel includes: Stacy Durbin, Semonin Realtors, Jakeeva Lee, Greater Louisville Association of Realtors and Jon Mand, Lenihan Sotheby's. Tickets and registration are available here. We have a little bit of everything on this week's Access Louisville podcast.  Reporter Olivia Estright tells us about a new 200-home subdivision being built in Jeffersonville, called Kings Crossing. It's being built by Land-Mill Developers Inc. at 4785 Walker Way in Jeffersonville, Indiana, according to listing agent Matthew Henegar. The homes, with functional layouts and high-end finishes, range from $360,000 to $375,000. "We can facilitate anybody in that price point from first-time homebuyers to last-time homebuyers," he'd told Estright.  That figure is much higher than what this market has seen for starter homes in the past, though it does seem to fit with the nationwide narrative of soring home prices.  After that, we go over the latest with former Kentucky Venues CEO David Beck, who was recently ousted from his position in a surprising development. We also chat about Estright's story about an executive at GE Appliances who recently celebrated the seemingly unheard of milestone of 60-years with the same company.  And we go over the latest fallout from violence on Bardstown Road, including the news that Atomic is getting its liquor license back with restrictions, a judgement from the state on Baxter's 942 liquor license and a petition that would limit alcohol sales on Bardstown Road. 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.

Our next live podcast: Residential real estate trends are redefining Louisville's growth and neighborhoods. Join us for a live Access Louisville recording as we dive into the latest market insights. The event includes networking, breakfast and a spirited discussion of the latest news in our area. Our panel includes: Stacy Durbin, Semonin Realtors, Jakeeva Lee, Greater Louisville Association of Realtors and Jon Mand, Lenihan Sotheby's. Tickets and registration are available here. The Olmsted Parks wrap around Louisville like a string of pearls. And we chat about this civic jewelry on this week's Access Louisville podcast. Mary Grissom, president and CEO of the Olmsted Parks Conservancy, is on the show this week for an interview with LBF Editor-in-Chief Shea Van Hoy. The two talk about the history of the parks and bringing the renowned landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted to the city, how the conservancy works with Louisville Metro Government and how the system sets the city a part from its peers. "This is the original. This is the national legacy for Louisville," she said. She also speaks about the Olmsted Parks Conservancy's plans for restorative work at Chickasaw Park, following a $5 million anonymous donation. After the U.S. Civil War, Grissom explained, Olmsted personally believed in public parks that were open to all — our disunity as a nation had to do with us not being able to see the humanity in each other.  In the 1920s, the city of Louisville went against those values and segregated its parks. It was around that time that Chickasaw Park was created on 61-acres and the city brought back the Olmsted firm to design that park, giving it the dubious distinction as the only segregated park developed by the firm.  That said, the park is a very special place for generations of Black Louisvillians. And because of that, Grissom said she was honored that the conservancy can use the $5 million donation to work on upgrades and restoration there, including lighting, benches, playgrounds and walking paths. There'll be a refreshed master plan that's created with the feedback of park users and nearby residents "to ensure that both nature and park amenities are tended to," she said. Elsewhere in the system, she talked about restoration of the pavilion at big rock in Cherokee Park, building conservancy membership and bridging the gap between generations of park users.  "We want to make sure that Olmsted parks are here for everyone. Always. Period." 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, which are linked above.

Our next live podcast: Residential real estate trends are redefining Louisville's growth and neighborhoods. Join us for a live Access Louisville recording as we dive into the latest market insights. The event includes networking, breakfast and a spirited discussion of the latest news in our area. Our panel includes: Stacy Durbin, Semonin Realtors, Jakeeva Lee, Greater Louisville Association of Realtors and Jon Mand, Lenihan Sotheby's. Tickets and registration are available here. Special guest Nick Morris, vice president of the Highlands Commerce Guild, joins us on the Access Louisville podcast this week.  We chat about recent violence in the Highlands that has resulted from gatherings of teenagers and young adults in the area. Morris tells us what he's hearing from city leaders as well as businesses who want to see the issue addressed.  Our partners at WDRB reported that last weekend's violence resulted in nearly 40 citations and 21 arrests.  The city has put at least some of the blame on bars in the area. This week Louisville Metro Alcoholic Beverage Control issued an emergency suspension order for Atomic, a Bardstown Road bar and gameyard following a shooting. “We will not tolerate conditions at any establishment that threaten the safety of our community,” Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg said.  But, as WDRB reported, Atomic and other bars in the area have pushed back on that characterization, noting that violence isn't being caused by their customers but rather people showing up and walking or cruising the streets. Bardstown Road bars "are being blamed for things occurring off our properties and in the public right of way where we have no control, rather than the bad actors themselves being held accountable for their actions," said Dustin Hensley, co-owner of Atomic Louisville. Access Louisville is a weekly podcast from Louisville Business First. You can find it on popular podcast services including Apple and Spotify.