Louisville economic agency off to a buggy start

Access Louisville

Sometimes you have to power through the beginnings of things.

That seemed to be the case for the Louisville Economic Development Alliance (LEDA), a newly-formed group of local business leaders who are taking the reins of economic development under Mayor Craig Greenberg.

The group got started this week under buggy circumstances, as Reporter Michael L. Jones explains on the Access Louisville podcast. Some of the issues included a failed attempt to record the public meeting, microphone feedback and an awkwardly arranged room that had members of the alliance sitting with their backs to the press in attendance.

In spite of the issues, the effort does bring a lot of the city's biggest players in business to the table to focus on economic development. Among the board members are Lawson Whiting, president and CEO of Brown-Forman; Bill Carstanjen, CEO of Churchill Downs Inc. and Brian Cromer, partner and chair of the business and finance group at Stites & Harbison, PLLC. You can see the full list of who's on the board here.

Also on the show this week, we discussed recent news that Fabletics is closing its Louisville facility. While the job losses are difficult, we reflect on whether there is a wider trend toward fatigue with subscription-based services.

We also chat about a new bourbon attraction and upscale restaurant opening next to the KFC Yum Center on Whiskey Row. The facility opens in Main Street space that formerly housed Bearno's — and there's a Bearno's partner involved in the deal to establish the new spot, as Reporter Stephen P. Schmidt explains.

Finally, we wrap up the show on a somber note by discussing the recent assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump during a rally last week in Virginia. Sadly, the attempt served as a grim reminder of the dangers of political violence in America.

It hit particularly close to home for Mayor Greenberg, who survived as assassination attempt himself while running for Mayor. Reporter Piper Hansen reflected on listening to the mayor talk about it during a press conference this week.