IN THIS ISSUE
BusinessLexington APRIL 2021 | VOL. 17 ISSUE 4
BizIQ: Jason Falls, Cornett’s chief influence strategist, with five ways your business can benefit from influencers PAGE 7
Independent Business: Designer Albert Lukonga’s bespoke menswear label, Albert Couture, takes a personalized approach in crafting custom pieces for clients PAGE 10
BizLexQ&A
Mary J. Davis
The new dean of UK’s J. David Rosenberg College of Law on emerging opportunities in the legal profession
Building Boom: Materials are at a premium as the demand for new construction, renovations increase PAGE 14
PAGE 21 PHOTO FURNISHED
BizLists Manufacturing Employers
PAGE 17
| Insurance Agencies
PAGE 18
| Law Firms
PAGE 20
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BusinessLexington Chuck Creacy PUBLISHER
chuck@bizlex.com Chris Eddie PUBLISHER
CONTENTS
3
A Winning Recipe:
EconomicAnalysis
Fazoli’s posts record profits during a trying time for restaurants
A monthly look at economic indicators compiled by the Center for Business and Economic Research (CBER) at the University of Kentucky PAGE 5
PAGE 12
chris@bizlex.com Tom Wilmes EDITOR
tomw@bizlex.com Drew Purcell ART DIRECTOR
drew@bizlex.com Rena Baer COPY EDITOR
Sharon Metz BIZLISTS EDITOR
sharon.metz66@gmail.com Donna Hodsdon ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER
donna@bizlex.com Theresa Stanley DIRECTOR OF EVENTS AND PROMOTIONS
theresa@smileypete.com ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES
Amy Eddie
amy@bizlex.com Ann Staton
GrammarGourmet
Continually improving your grammar PAGE 5
PVAStatistics
The latest statistics on local commercial and residential properties PAGE 6
BizIQ
Five ways your business can benefit from influencers PAGE 7
CraveWorthy
Co-op model offers alternative to fee-based apps for restaurant delivery PAGE 8
QuickBites
Tacos, bourbon-spiked ice cream and more treats coming to town PAGE 9
ann@bizlex.com
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P.O. Box 22731 Lexington, KY 40522 P: (859) 266-6537 F: (859) 255-0672 www.smileypete.com
Well-Suited: Designer Albert Lukonga’s bespoke menswear label, Albert Couture, takes a personalized approach in crafting custom pieces for clients PAGE 10
Manufacturing Employers PAGE 17 Insurance Agencies PAGE 18 Law Firms PAGE 20
Who’sWho
Employment updates from around the Bluegrass PAGE 22
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PHOTO FURNISHED
BizList
Building Boom: Materials are at a premium as the demand for new construction, renovations increase PAGE 14
Kentucky Wired Makes Final Connections: An ambitious project to bring broadband access to every Kentucky county reaches completion PAGE 16
Q&A with Mary J. Davis: The new dean of UK’s J. David Rosenberg College of Law on emerging opportunities in the legal profession PAGE 21
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Creating a Culture of Caring Distance Education Programs to Become a Nurse-Midwife or Nurse Practitioner. We’re excited to welcome students to our Versailles, KY campus in 2021!
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BusinessBriefs Specialties Offered: • Certified Nurse-Midwife • Family Nurse Practitioner • Women’s Health Care Nurse Practitioner • Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse Practitioner
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From left to right: Rick Woodbury, Woodbury Corporation chairman; Eli Capilouto, UK president; Linda Gorton, mayor of Lexington; George Ward, Kentucky Technology Inc. president and UK Coldstream Research Campus executive director; and Ray Daniels, Commerce Lexington.
UK Breaks Ground on High-Tech Facility at Coldstream
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The University of Kentucky recently broke ground on a $15 million development on UK’s Coldstream Research Campus. The facility will offer office and laboratory space for early-stage companies working to develop and commercialize products and services. “When we think about strengthening our economy — particularly following the challenges we’ve faced over the past year — we believe that partnership with the city and the business community is the best way to move forward,” said UK President Eli Capilouto. “This space will create new opportunities for businesses to establish themselves here in Kentucky, create jobs and contribute to economic growth.” The facility will be named The Core, which stands for collaboration, research and entrepreneurship. It’s envisioned as a first stop for companies looking to locate and grow on the research campus. Construction is expected to be completed by early 2022. Kentucky Technology Inc. (KTI), a subsidiary of the UK Research Foundation, will master lease 20,000 square feet of the building’s estimated 40,000 square feet. KTI plans to sublease its space to appropriate high-tech companies. The facility will bring in not only startup companies being incubated at UK but also other companies moving into Central Kentucky. “The Core will provide an opportunity for more early stage high-tech companies to flourish in Lexington as they grow wellpaying jobs and create new products that improve people’s lives,” said George Ward, president of KTI. The Core project is funded through a public-private partnership with the Woodbury Corporation, the company developing the facility, as well as partnerships with state, city and local officials.
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A product development initiative (PDI) grant created by the state and the Kentucky Association for Economic Development and supported by Commerce Lexington will enable the Coldstream Research Campus to receive a $500,000
matching grant to develop lab space in the new building. The city of Lexington has also encouraged the development through a change in Coldstream’s zoning definition as well as by providing tax incentives. “Coldstream Research Campus is an important key to economic development and growth in Lexington,” said Lexington Mayor Linda Gorton. “The partnership we’ve built with the University of Kentucky to develop this area creates a live, work, play and innovative environment. Lexington will continue its growth as a hub for high-tech development, and The Core is going to be a critical part of our move forward.”
Revived Bourbon Brand Pays Homage to Kentucky Lawmakers Damon Thayer, a state senator from Georgetown, and business partner Andre Regard, a Lexington attorney, have revived a historic whiskey brand they intend to showcase examples of fine Kentucky straight bourbon whiskey — as well as pay homage to past Kentucky lawmakers. Each batch of Kentucky Senator Bourbon will carry the name of a past Kentucky senator. The brand originated with the now defunct Double Springs Distillery in Bardstown, Kentucky. Thayer and Regard have revived the label and, using sourced whiskey distilled in Kentucky and bottled at Bluegrass Distillers in Lexington, will offer a series of limited-edition bottlings distributed through Kentucky Eagle Wine and Spirits. The first Kentucky Senator release, aged for 15 years and bottled at cask strength with 1,320 available bottles, is named for Alben W. Barkley. Barkley was a U.S. senator from McCracken County who also served as vice president under Harry S. Truman from 19491953. The suggested retail price is $200. “While remaining true to the original intent of this vintage brand, we want to help Kentucky consumers feel a sense of pride for our local history and carry on the spirit of Alben W. Barkley to those who sample our product,” Regard said in a statement announcing the release. BL
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EconomicAnalysis A monthly look at economic indicators compiled by the Center for Business and Economic Research (CBER) at the University of Kentucky. For more on CBER, visit www.cber.uky.edu.
Recent Data March 2021
1-Month 1-Year Change Change
Payroll emp. MSA**** Manufacturing Employment Durable Goods (KY) **** Manufacturing: Lexington-Fayette MSA Total Employees**** Unemployment Rate MSA****
265,000 Jan. 151,900 Jan.
0.30% -2.00%
-5.83% -6.75%
28,213 Jan. 4.10% Jan.
0.06% -1.30%
-5.90% 0.70%
Payroll Employment, US Manufacturing Payroll Employment US Unemployment Rate, US
143,148,000 Feb. 12,238,000 Feb. 6.60% Feb.
0.36% 0.17% -0.20%
-6.15% -4.38% 2.80%
Consumer Price Index, Southern Region Consumer Price Index, US Producer Price Index, US
253.386 Feb. 263.014 Feb. 211.6 Feb.
0.50% 0.50% 1.54%
2.00% 1.70% 2.72%
Index of Leading Indicators** Fed’s Index of Industrial Production**
110.5 Feb. 104.7 March 16.
0.20% -2.24%
NA -4.56%
3-Month Treasury Yield*** 10-Year Treasury Yield***
0.02% March 18 1.63% March 18
-0.03% 0.33%
-0.17% 0.61%
Real GDP (millions $)
4th Qtr. 2020 $21,479,529.00
1-Month 1-Year Change Change -1.23% 1.46%
MSA: Lexington-Fayette Metropolitan Statistical Area; (p)=preliminary; NA=not available * Source: http://www.conference-board.org ** Source: Federal Reserve Statistical Release — http://www.federalreserve.gov/releases/G17/ *** Source: Federal Reserve Statistical Release — http://www.federalreserve.gov/Releases/H15/data.htm **** Source: St. Louis Federal Reserve — https://research.stlouisfed.org/fred2/ Note: In some cases 1 mo. and 1 yr. changes are based on revised data from previous mo./yr. GDP is reported in current dollars.
GrammarGourmet
By Neil Chethik
Continually Improving Your Grammar In the 1980s, Toyota popularized a Japanese concept called kaizen, in which each Toyota employee would recommend work changes to help improve quality and cut company costs. Kaizen has since been defined variably as continual improvement and continuous improvement. But continual and continuous are not interchangeable. Continual indicates duration over a long period with occasional breaks along the way. Continuous means nonstop, without interruption. So, kaizen is accurately defined as continual improvement. Employees are expected to recommend positive workplace changes, over a long period, with breaks between their suggestions. After all, those employees have duties to perform that have nothing to do cutting costs or improving quality. Toyota’s top managers undoubtedly hope that employees will make frequent recommendations for improvements. But managers shouldn’t expect those recommendations to come continuously. Indeed, it is management’s role to create continuous (uninterrupted) improvement based on the employees’ continual (intermittent) recommendations. How can we remember the difference between continuous and continual? Note that the word continual ends with a letter that looks like the number one. And continual is about something happening one at a time,
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WHY BUY LOCAL? Multiplier effect: Spending money at locally owned merchants, restaurants, and service providers keeps money circulating closer to home. When you spend money at a local business, three times as much stays in the community compared to dollars spent at a national chain business.
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or intermittently, over a long period. Put those two ideas together, and you’ll continually improve your grammar. BL Neil Chethik, aka the Grammar Gourmet, is executive director at the Carnegie Center for Literacy and Learning (www.carnegieliteracy.org) and author of “FatherLoss” and “VoiceMale.” The Carnegie Center offers writing classes and seminars for businesses and individuals. Contact Neil at neil@carnegieliteracy.org or (859) 254-4175.
Nurturing community: Independent, locally owned businesses know their customers and cater to the specific needs and diverse preferences of Central Kentuckians. Local businesses also support community causes at more than twice the rate of national chains. Do yourself and our community a favor by shifting a bit more spending to our local merchants, restaurants, service providers, artists, and nonprofit organizations.
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PVAStatistics These statistics on local residential and commercial property are compiled by the office of the Fayette County Property Valuation Administrator. The data reflect the most up-todate information available at the time of printing for this publication, but monthly figures may be revised as additional public records of property transactions are submitted and become available.
Top Commercial Transactions for February 2021
Residential Sales Data for February 2021 The chart below shows the monthly residential sales activity in Fayette County for the previous 24 months. The data for the most recent month reflect a projected estimate from the office of the Fayette County Property Valuation Administrator and are subject to change. 2021 RESIDENTIAL SALES
2020 RESIDENTIAL SALES
2019 RESIDENTIAL SALES
800
SALE DATE ADDRESS
PRICE
OWNER
2/10/21
3751 Appian Way
$34,850,000
RVF Lexington Property LLC
2/12/21
155 E. Reynolds Road
$2,100,000
Zenith Petroleum LLC
2/23/21
767 E. Seventh St.
$1,950,000*
WUG & Company LLC
600
2/23/21
767 E. Seventh St.
2/12/21
517 Patterson St.
$730,000
Purple Aura Properties LLC
500
2/2/21
315 Ballpark Drive
$630,000
315 Ballpark LLC
2/22/21
2700 Old Rosebud Road Unit 250
$617,500
C & F Holdings LLC
2/10/21
549 W. Third St.
$360,000
Noelscher, Carrera
2/5/21
790 E. New Circle Road
$330,000
Sukruthi Inc.
2/24/21
1795 Alysheba Way Unit 7202
$325,000*
Condi Property Group LLC
2/24/21
1795 Alysheba Way Unit 7102
2/26/21
824 Winchester Road
$290,000
Barnhill Realty LLC
2/1/21
3721 Hacker Court
$240,000
Myers, Harrison Prescott
2/4/21
173 N. Limestone
$225,000
173 North Limestone LLC
2/4/21
131 Prosperous Place Unit 19A&C
$205,000
Adams Family Properties LLC
2/23/21
241 Rosemont Garden
$165,000
Shamieh, Michael D.
700
400 300 200 100
JAN
FEB
MAR
APR
MAY
JUN
JUL
AUG
SEP
OCT
NOV
DEC
3%
-13%
3%
-19%
-21%
-6%
19%
4%
15%
21%
14%
16%
MONTHLY PERCENTAGE CHANGE OVER PREVIOUS YEAR For more local residential and commercial real estate information, visit the website of the Fayette County Property Valuation Administrator at www.fayettepva.com.
* Sale price based on a multiple-parcel transaction ** Parcel includes multiple improvement
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BizIQ
A MONTHLY COLUMN OF BUSINESS INSIGHTS FROM CENTRAL KENTUCKY PROFESSIONALS
Five Ways Your Business Can Benefit From Influencers BY JASON FALLS CONTRIBUTING WRITERS
B
ased on headlines from mainstream media outlets, you can’t blame business owners for being skeptical about the effectiveness of influencer marketing. It seems like the only time we hear about influencers is when one gets busted for staging fake pictures or fraudulently buying followers. But the worst actors are a small portion of the whole. The truth is there are hundreds of thousands, even millions of high-quality content creators on social media channels who attract engaged, genuine audiences. If those audiences align with your prospective customers, partnering with those content creators is smart marketing. Investing in influencer marketing needs to make business sense, of course. Our default thinking says if we pay an influencer to post about our brand, we should see direct sales in return. But think about that for a second: How easy is it for someone who creates content on a social media platform to drive people to convert on a third-party website, when the audience they have is engaged with their content and not there to shop? That’s not to say influencers can’t drive revenue, only that we have to think more broadly about what influencers can do for your business.
There are five core business drivers online influencers can affect. Choosing the driver helps define your goal and how you quantify success. To increase brand awareness. People with big audiences can put your product, service or message in front of a lot of people. Naturally then, influencers can drive reach and impressions for your brand, sometimes more effectively and efficiently than other channels. But be careful. Someone with 100,000 followers won’t put your product in front of all 100,000 of them. Use influencer software or ask the influencer to share their post impressions, video views or actual reach numbers to work with a realistic outcome. To help protect your reputation. Good products have good reputations and can weather the storms of negative press because they have advocates willing to stand up for them. The more influential and impactful those advocates are, the more protection they can provide. Influencers posting about and linking to your website also helps support good search engine optimization, as inbound links and traffic are fundamental ranking factors. To build community. The best influencer programs use a small number of impactful influencers consistently over time, which checks the dual boxes of reach and frequency.
That frequency incorporates your brand into the influencer’s content and worldview. That’s what attracts the community around them, which then becomes an extension of your own community. Some brands, like online retailer AdoreMe.com, use their own customers as influencers, leveraging the community they have to validate their product and attract more customers in a beautiful influence cycle. To further research and development. Guess what happens when you invite influential people to participate in R&D around your brand? They turn and tell the people they influence about it. Find the right influencers to give you product feedback, tour your facilities and advise your marketing campaigns. Then empower them to tell their audience about
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how important they are to your efforts. They will. They can’t help themselves. To drive sales and leads. Yes, influencers can drive sales and leads. In fact, Instagram, Facebook and TikTok have features like shoppable images and direct call-to-action buttons for brand partnership posts that are powerful for retailers. Third party applications like Bazaarvoice take that feature set to different levels and applications for your website (or the influencer’s) and beyond. In the B2B space, partnering with an influencer for a webinar or white paper is a tailor-made lead-gen bonanza, as their audience is far more apt to sign up for their insights than a brand’s. Now that you know what influencers can do for your business, you have to decide which you’ll leverage. You can choose one, two, or all five. Build your strategies and plan to measure from the onset so you don’t get to the end and wonder if it worked. BL
Jason Falls is the senior influence strategist at Cornett. He is the author of the new book “Winfluence – Reframing Influencer Marketing to Ignite Your Brand,” available on Amazon or wherever you buy books. He also hosts “Winfluence – The Influence Marketing Podcast” and “Digging Deeper,” Cornett’s weekly marketing and creative interview show.
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CraveWorthy Co-op model offers alternative to fee-based apps for restaurant delivery BY SHANNON CLINTON CONTRIBUTING WRITER
O
ver the past year and throughout the pandemic, restaurants that didn’t do much, if any, home delivery were left scrambling to provide this service. Well-known national companies such as Grubhub, DoorDash and Uber Eats, which contract with local drivers to pick up orders from restaurants and deliver them to customers, provide a ready-to-go solution, but these services come at a cost. The services take a substantial cut — as much as 10 to 30 percent of order totals — to provide in-app ordering and meal delivery, which leaves restaurant owners with a tough decision in many cases to either raise prices or operate at a loss. A Lexington trio is flipping the script with a nonprofit, cooperative delivery service that is owned and operated by the restaurants, drivers and subscribers. Drura Parrish, David Coomer and Aaron Withers PARRISH
joined forces to launch Delivery Co-op late last August. Parrish is an entrepreneur known for his work with the online transactional marketplace MakeTime, which was acquired by Maryland web-based procurement firm Xometry. Coomer is COOMER owner of the eponymous creative marketing consulting agency, Coomer. Withers, nominated by Coomer and Parrish to speak on their group’s behalf, studied anthropology at the University of Kentucky and was an archaeologist for a time before training as a chef. He’d cooked in highly WITHERS regarded restaurants such as Noma and Relae in Copenhagen, Den in Tokyo and The Catbird Seat in Nashville, and was working toward opening his own place. “When I realized I could not open a restaurant during a pandemic, I worked on getting the Delivery Co-op ready to launch and took some computer programing courses,” he said.
Now, Withers is working full time to oversee the Lexington co-op’s hiring, operations, bookkeeping and other day-to-day functions. He’s also working to expand the number of participating restaurants in the co-op, and potentially launch similar operations in cities like Miami, Louisville and Washington, D.C. Coomer helps with marketing and, along with Parrish, serves as a strategic advisor for the enterprise. Withers said the goal of Delivery Co-op has been to help restaurants survive the pandemic, but he believes people will continue to expect and depend on delivery services. To design its framework, Withers researched similar restaurant delivery co-ops operating in Louisville and Dayton, Ohio. The Delivery Co-op’s business model, he said, is designed to be equitable and retain good people by returning profits back to restaurants with no delivery fees for customers. Rather, customers pay a monthly subscription, currently $25, that allows for unlimited, fee-free food deliveries from participating restaurants. Restaurant members pay a moderate flat fee every quarter or every month, with no sales percentages taken. Drivers receive a $10 hourly wage and keep
BusinessLexington
all tips, with a ratio of about one dedicated driver per restaurant. Health insurance is offered to drivers who remain on board at least three months, with profit-sharing options after one year. Additionally, 20 percent of net profits are redistributed to restaurant members and to drivers annually. Currently there are five full-time drivers, about 400 subscribers and seven participating restaurants, including Athenian Grill, Corto Lima, Bella Notte, CurryCurry Katsu and the Ouita Michel family of restaurants. Though interest in growing — there’s currently a waiting list of 30 to 40 restaurants, Withers said — growth will be scaled to adequately cover drivers’ salaries, with an eventual cap of 50 restaurants in the co-op, he said. As of late February, the co-op has orchestrated 1,150 total deliveries, which account for more than $48,000 in gross revenue. The Delivery Co-op is also experimenting with another innovation — a Delivery Bot for short-range deliveries that’s part of a pilot program in partnership with Italian vehicle manufacturer Piaggio. It’s in the beta test phase now, Withers said, though software is being developed to make the robot more autonomous. While that’s pretty cool, Withers said the best part is seeing the co-op’s model at work. “The biggest reward is definitely seeing all of the money that’s going back to the restaurants,” he said. BL
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QuickBites Tacos, bourbon-spiked ice cream and more treats coming to town BY SHANNON CLINTON CONTRIBUTING WRITER
A
restaurant chain promising to offer an “epic” elevated taco experience has been undergoing an ambitious expansion plan, with a second Lexington location coming early this summer. In early June, Agave & Rye Tequila and Bourbon Bar will open a location at the corner of Broadway and Short downtown, in addition to its existing Fayette Mall restaurant, founder/CEO Yavonne Sarber said. The new location most recently housed Saul Good’s downtown location. Sarber said while the mall location brings in a lot of hungry shoppers, “This, as everybody knows is more of an urban setting downtown, right next to Rupp Arena.” The downtown location will seat about 150, and have retractable windows on the Broadway side. After Lexington, new restaurants will open in Huntsville, Alabama; Columbus, Ohio; Nashville, Tennessee; and Indianapolis, bringing the total to a dozen, Sarber said. And next year, another six to 12 restaurants will open, depending on how and where opportunities arise, she added. “We’re super excited,” she said of Lexington’s forthcoming location. “We’ve always loved the downtown Lexington environment and energy. … We certainly will provide
something that I think the downtown market’s going to really love.” In other local food and beverage industry happenings: Buzzed Bull Creamery has announced via Facebook that it will open at the Summit at Fritz Farm this spring, describing itself as “a family friendly liquid nitrogen creamery with small batch ice cream and milkshakes” with or without the addition of alcohol. Menu items teased include cold concoctions like the Buzzed Bull with caramel, espresso, peanuts, whipped cream and, if desired, bourbon. According to its Facebook page, Lean Feast on Ruccio Way has opened, with healthconscious, customizable meals in which customers choose a protein, vegetable and carb. Eiffel Pizza’s Buckhorn Drive location has closed, according to its Facebook page, but its location in the University of Kentucky dining hall at 160 Avenue of Champions is still open. “It has been the joy of our lives to serve you and become a part of this community,” the post from the pizzeria’s owners said. “We hope that our paths will cross sooner than later.” Mi Pequena Hacienda has unveiled a new seafood-themed food truck, according to its Facebook page. The truck will set up from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Thursdays through Sundays at 229 W. New Circle Road, Lucky’s Autosports. Roosters Wings and More will open at the former Chop House location at 2640 Richmond Road, franchisee Robert Gauthier said.
The restaurant offers chicken wings, chicken fingers, salads, soups, subs, pizzas, sandwiches and other items. Gauthier, who operates eight locations in Kentucky, as well as one in Clarksville, Indiana, and three in Cincinnati, said he’s always on the lookout for new locations. The Richmond Road site is slated to open May 10. Rosemont Station restaurant is slated to open this spring at 222 Rosemont Garden, the former Painted Taco location. The restaurant is owned by Sean Nealey, who also operates PieTana Wood Fired Oven. Tia Chancellor, owner of Sweet Matriarch Bakery in Georgetown, announced she will open an offshoot of the bakery, called Cattywampus Station, this April lakeside at Lexington Green. The location will feature a dessert bar as well as the bakery’s Cattywampus Shakes, over-the-top creations loaded with toppings and served in Mason jars. El Cid, a Mexican restaurant located at the intersection of South Limestone Street and Maxwell Ave., has announced it will open a second location at 701 National Ave., in the former location of Local’s. The location features a rooftop seating area that should prove popular in warmer weather, especially when the restaurant is running its $.85 margarita specials. Postmaster’s Pub on West Short Street, formerly the location of The Village Idiot, announced on the Facebook page of its sister restaurant Bear & the Butcher that the pub is
planning to reopen July 1 and was working to hire staff. Julietta Market continues to be a launch pad for new dining experiences, with The Salad Bar and Louisiana Passion now listed on its social media as new offerings. Recently promoted as serving etouffee and gumbo, Louisiana Passion is operated by chef Stephen Vaughn, who honed his chops in the kitchens at Berea College and UK dining. The Salad Bar’s Facebook page said it provides healthy alternatives to urban communities via to-go salads. After announcing in early March it would permanently close due to hardships endured during the pandemic, the owners of Roulay Restaurant and Bar have indicated it will remain open as a bar serving drinks, with a new menu coming out “soon.” The partners in Burgher Burger 40475 on West Main Street announced they’ve decided to close the craft burger eatery. “You have been amazing and it’s been truly inspiring watching the community come together during all this. Thanks for allowing us to serve you!” the post said. A new café called Butch’s Grill opened in early March inside the new Critchfield Meats Family Market location on Southland Drive. The café menu lists ribeye steaks, burgers, chicken breast, hot dog and sausage grinders, fries, onion rings and fountain drinks. There’s also a hot bar at the market. BL Have a food- or beverage-related update to share with readers? Please email info@smileypete.com.
ew
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IndependentBusiness Located in the downtown shared office space Base 110, the Albert Couture showroom opened in February 2020. In the showroom, Albert Lukonga gets to know his clients, takes their precise measurements and goes over options for fabrics, patterns and other personalized details. PHOTO BY ESTILL ROBINSON
Well-Suited Designer Albert Lukonga’s bespoke menswear label, Albert Couture, takes a personalized approach in crafting custom pieces for clients BY KATHIE STAMPS CONTRIBUTING WRITER
A
s the owner of Albert Couture, a bespoke men’s clothier, Albert Lukonga is a self-made entrepreneur. He credits a variety of sources for his knowledge of sales and business, including formal education, business motivation books, local mentors and plenty of experimentation. As the seventh of 10 kids growing up in the
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Democratic Republic of the Congo and Zimbabwe, Lukonga comes by his people skills naturally. His family moved to Lexington in the summer of 2006, and he graduated from Henry Clay High School in 2011. Lukonga spent a semester at Eastern Kentucky University and transferred to the University of Kentucky to enroll in a pre-med program. He took a few business classes along the way and left UK during his junior year to work full-time in sales.
He sold energy drinks; he worked doorto-door sales, selling knives and vacuum cleaners; he picked up a job at Baptist Health transporting patients. He learned about retail by working at J.Crew. He mixed paint at Lowe’s, which helped him understand color palettes. He sold shirts and suits at Jos A. Bank. “I wasn’t afraid to experiment,” he said. “I feel like all of us are born with a purpose. But the trick is being able to find it and put it on the right platform.” He asked himself, “What is something I talk about without thinking, you know, when I go out with my guys?” The answer turned out to be operating his own bespoke clothing shop. Lukonga is known for his keen fashion sense, and friends would often ask him for clothing advice. “OK, check. So, what did I grow up around when I was young?” he then asked. His dad was an entrepreneur. His mother was an entrepreneur in the fashion world, and he had
helped her throughout his childhood, learning to sew on buttons and hem pants. Lukonga traveled to Europe and worked directly with fashion suppliers in Italy, Belgium, London and Spain. He learned how to put fabrics together and create a high-quality product “without charging customers a crazy amount of money,” he said. He would say, “I work for Albert Couture on the East Coast of the United States. It’s a new company. I’m here shopping around to see who’s willing to take over this contract.” Knowing that most of those fabric companies deal in million-dollar contracts, he was still able to buy fabric samples from them “to see how this is going to work out.” He came back to Kentucky to make shirts and suits for one client at a time, asking each person, “What else can we do better?” He had heard from books and mentors not to reinvent the wheel. He concentrated on working better and more efficiently, with an
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Every element of Albert Couture’s designs are bespoke, meaning that every detail — from fabric, pattern and fit to buttons, cuff links and lining — is tailor-made based on the measurements and specifications of the individual client.
It can be lonely at the top. In the world weʼre living in, it is natural that business owners and executives feel lonely and isolated.
PHOTO BY ESTILL ROBINSON
... but it doesn’t have to be that way! One of the most crucial aspects of my practice is to support my clients counteracting the isolation that they feel all too often.
attention to detail and personalized focus. Lukonga’s goal is to pair the right fabric and design with each client, customizing each piece and making it as perfect as possible, the first time. In January 2020, he prepared to officially launch Albert Couture, working out of Base110 in downtown Lexington. He was planning a grand opening for March. “I had three hanging suits. I had a couple of shoe samples. I had one couch. I had maybe eight ties on the wall and a couple sample books,” he said. “That’s how I was going to do my grand opening.” And then the pandemic hit. Lukonga had already decided not to keep inventory, since each piece is customized. As the weeks wore on, he realized people weren’t buying or wearing suits, so he started making jeans and then sweaters and customized sneakers. “I had to be an entrepreneur, because
that’s how I was created,” he said. “I had to answer problem solving in Lexington that people didn’t notice. I hated shopping [in retail stores], so I wanted to create [an alternative] almost selfishly.” Lukonga began charging $60 for consultations. It takes time and energy to meet with a potential client, take measurements, choose colors and design a look. The fee is applied toward the first purchase, and otherwise is nonrefundable. “No one was used to this in Lexington,” he said. “My conversion rate went through the roof.” As more orders roll in, Lukonga has remained focused on delivering on a customized, high-quality product tailored for each individual client. “Create one product, make sure you can get your first feedback, and then do it again,” Lukonga said. “That’s how I’ve built my business.” BL
I act as a trusted partner and advisor. They can talk to me about things they wouldnʼt talk about with anyone else. It is my job to listen, provide support while maintaining complete confidentiality.
Don’t let isolation impact YOUR life and YOUR business. Call or text 859-667-4805 or visit CoachLuca.com to schedule your first FREE initial consultation.
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Certified FocalPoint Business & Executive Coach & Trainer President - Focal Point Business Coaching and Training of the Bluegrass Luca@CoachLuca.com • linkedin.com/in/luca-setti
Call or Text (859) 667-4805 www.coachluca.com Stay connected with me on:
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Drive-thru and delivery service, revamped menus and value-centric offers such as a $20 “Super Family” meal have helped Fazoli’s post record profits despite a global pandemic. PHOTO FURNISHED
A Winning Recipe By building on past lessons and learning a few new tricks, Fazoli’s posts record profits during a trying time for restaurants
BY STEVE COOMES CONTRIBUTING WRITER
I
t’s hard to blame restaurant operators for being anxious about the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. As of January, 110,000 eating or drinking places have closed nationwide, either temporarily or permanently, since dine-in shutdowns began in March 2020. Industry-wide sales losses for last year are estimated at $240 billion and, according to a February 2021 survey conducted by the National Restaurant Association, a third of operators believe sales traffic won’t normalize for at least seven to 12 months. Meanwhile, Lexington-based Fazoli’s is reporting record sales, and even its management team admits those outstanding results were unexpected. Just like its industry peers, leaders at the 220-unit, fast-casual Italian chain watched
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anxiously as COVID-19 infections spread across the United States. Knowing dining room closures were inevitable, they moved quickly to conserve liquidity and prune any expense deemed unnecessary. Next came requests for favors from vendors and landlords. Without customers inside its restaurants, would music providers pause their subscription charges for three months? Would landlords allow short-term rent deferrals if given a plan for catching up? Both groups and many others said “yes.” Knowing Fazoli’s franchisees also would need relief, the corporate office dismissed royalties for two months. “I remember saying to our team, ‘There’s nothing else we can do to take costs out of our business without putting the brand in harm’s way,’” said Fazoli’s CEO Carl Howard. “But I also said that same day, ‘On Monday, I
want to talk about going on offense. We’re going to figure out how to adjust to what we’re facing now.’” Howard’s executive team focused on what customers needed now from Fazoli’s, and how the chain could get it to them. Before the pandemic, it wasn’t known for delivery, drivethru service or carryout, but Howard believed it had to master all three quickly. It marketed its online and mobile ordering options and promoted delivery and curbside pickup. At units already converted to drivethru access, staffers moved outside with wireless ordertaking tablets to shorten queue times. When new value-centric menu options — a “5 for $5 menu” and a Super Family HOWARD meal that bundled a cheese pizza, a bucket of spaghetti (meat sauce or marinara), a bucket of fettuccini Alfredo, a bucket of iced tea and 16 breadsticks, all for $19.99 — spiked sales and created long lines in Fazoli’s parking lots, staffers went outside to pass out free breadsticks and lemonade. “What I cared about most was getting guests to the restaurant and making us part of
their ordering routine,” Howard said. “Ours is a habitual society, and I knew that if we could change people’s ordering habits, we’d get them and keep them.” In the space of a month, Fazoli’s March sales went from minus 40 percent (compared to March 2019) to flat in April (compared to the same month in 2019). And despite a rollercoaster ride of sales soaring and slumping throughout 2020, sales finished up 9.9 percent for the calendar year — a notable accomplishment in a normal year and attention-grabbing numbers during a global health crisis. In 2021, Fazoli’s logged its highest January sales on record, and despite February’s harsh winter weather, Howard expected the chain to finish up 2.5 percent compared with February 2020. “This March we will probably be up 50 percent over last year, and we’ll probably finish our fiscal year 2021 [which ends in March] up 12 percent,” he said. Howard was hired by Fazoli’s in 2008 to save its failing business. Founded in Lexington in 1988 and LEE managed by the Jerrico, Inc., restaurant group, the company grew steadily and profitably before sales to a pair of management groups saw its products cheapened to increase profits. Chief operating officer Rodney Lee, who was hired shortly after Howard, said customer surveys done back then showed 75 percent of patrons were leaving the brand because food quality had plummeted.
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“What I cared about most was getting guests to the restaurant and making us part of their ordering routine. Ours is a habitual society, and I knew that if we could change people’s ordering habits, we’d get them and keep them.” FAZOLI’S CEO CARL HOWARD
“We had a dairy-free Alfredo sauce, if you can believe it,” Lee said, referring to a sauce whose scratch version is made from cream and Parmesan cheese. “You could order a twicebaked lasagna, and before your credit card was back in your pocket, it was on the counter. How did that happen so fast? It happens when everything is precooked.” Howard and his team began a three-year effort to overhaul the menu by raising food quality and by cooking meals to order. Guest survey scores improved and sales moved in step. When Howard ordered the shift from disposable plates and utensils to washable plateware, glassware and silverware, unit operators bristled over buying a dishwasher and adding labor. But when guest experience scores doubled, their opinions changed. “You had to invest money in the guest and stay ahead of what they wanted,” Lee said. “We did that to update a tarnished brand.” With unit sales and profits rising steadily, franchisees got reenergized about Fazoli’s and began reinvesting in its system. “The same guys who once were saying they didn’t know how they were going to make it are killing it now,” said four-unit franchisee Rob Hearden. “Some of them said the same things about when we started doing delivery last year. They didn’t want to do it, but they’re killing it on that now, too.” Both Hearden and Lee credit Howard’s leadership and teambuilding skills with not only the chain’s gradual turnaround but also its rapid repositioning during the COVID-19 crisis. “When Carl makes up his mind up to do something, he pushes hard to make that happen while being receptive to feedback,” Hearden said. Howard made hard decisions that weren’t quick fixes, he added, but he said it all paid off in the long run. “He had a strategy in mind, put it forth and then got to work executing that strategy. That takes time, but it’s been worth it.” BL Lexingtonbased Fazoli’s and its franchisees operate more than 220 restaurants. PHOTOS FURNISHED
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Building Boom Materials are at a premium as the demand for new construction, renovations increase BY LIZ CAREY CONTRIBUTING WRITER
A
lthough the pace of residential construction in Central Kentucky remains strong, it is not without its challenges, industry leaders said. While many businesses saw slowdowns, if not complete shutdowns, over the past year, residential construction continued apace, said Chris Howard with Anderson & Rodgers Construction. “The construction business was booming last year,” Howard said. “We had as many calls as we’ve ever had, and we’re continuing to work through them.” With schools closed to in-person learning and with more people working from home, many Central Kentucky families decided last HOWARD year was the time to work on their homes. “For us here in Central Kentucky, it was a lot of renovations and outdoor spaces as people were at home … with their family and realizing, ‘You know I need to do something
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to my kitchen, it doesn’t work for us anymore,’ or ‘I want a home office,’ or ‘We need to expand the deck so we have more room to entertain,’” he said. “We saw a dramatic uptick in those calls. I would say they more than quadrupled. And we really saw an uptick on outdoor spaces. That was a huge focus for people last year.” Kristy Gooch, president of the LexingtonBluegrass Association of Realtors, said home sales also remain competitive. Total home sales were up 13 percent in January 2021 compared to the prior year, rising to 939 over last year’s 828. And even though new construction sales were down 13 percent over last year, January 2021 still managed to be the second-highest January sales total since 2007. “Despite the lack of inventory, the real estate GOOCH market has been able to maintain a healthy level of activity in both traffic and sales,” Gooch said. “However, without more sellers, the market won’t be able to sustain this momentum forever. There is an appetite for more properties to accommodate
PHOTO FURNISHED
Supply shortages and high demand have caused lumber prices to increase by about 200 percent since this time last year, according to the National Association of Home Builders.
the heightened demand that exists in the marketplace.” New construction sales accounted for 10 percent of the real estate market. While the number of new housing starts dropped in March and April, they picked back up for the remainder of the year. In June 2020, the
number of new housing starts, 162, almost doubled 2019’s new housing starts of 88. The cost for building those homes has also increased, Gooch said. The rising cost of construction is based on supply and demand, she said. As more projects are started and demand increases, the
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total supply of materials decreases. In some cases, contractors are having to renegotiate contracts because of increased costs in materials, she said. “I’ve had three contracts that were renegotiated or canceled because the builder could not build the house for the contracted price,” she said. “In some cases, the lumber package they had purchased just months before went up.” Teddy Rodgers, president of Anderson & Rodgers, agreed. The costs of materials are rising, and they don’t show any sign of going down anytime soon, he said. Due to the rising costs of petroleum, builders are seeing increases in the prices of many materials. “We’re starting to see the effect of petroleum gas prices now,” he said. “You’re going to be seeing shipping prices increase. You’re going RODGERS to see products that have petroleum in them increase. We’re seeing window prices going up 12 to 15 percent. And, when we’re talking about petroleum, we’re talking about rising prices in paint in the future, as well.” The price increases could affect everything from vinyl siding to plastic electrical boxes. Ensuring a steady supply of building materials has also become challenging, Howard added. As construction boomed through the pandemic, more materials were used up. By fall, builders were starting to see shortages in raw materials, including lumber. Newly made
Kitchen Remodeling
materials also weren’t getting to sites quickly enough because mills and manufacturing plants were shut down due to the pandemic. Since more manufacturers are reopening, the hope is those shortages will ease, they said. Another challenge facing the construction industry, Howard said, is labor. Finding skilled contractors and trades people was already difficult, and during the pandemic it has become even more so. “We’ve seen a shortage for several years, and it just seems to be getting worse,” he said. “It’s definitely an issue that’s going to continue to affect the industry, and it is really affecting the cost in our industry. We’re getting to a point where there’s a limited number of people that you can call to do a certain job, and they’re [able to dictate] the price at a certain point.” On the commercial side, Rodgers anticipates construction will be booming there as well. As businesses reimagine what work will look like after the pandemic, and with more people choosing to work remotely on a permanent basis, that means reimaging office spaces. “You have a lot of empty space out there, and that’s lowering the demand, so people are offering better rates,” he said.“You’re having a lot of people relocate either to a smaller space or to spaces that are starving for a tenant ... I think it’s going to continue to be a very hot market with small- to medium-sized projects where [a company is] downsizing and needs minimal renovation work.” This means even more work ahead for local builders, as long as the supply of materials and labor can keep pace with the rising demand. BL
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Higher building costs have so far not slowed demand for new residential construction and renovation projects in Lexington. PHOTO FURNISHED
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Kentucky Wired Project Makes Final Connections An ambitious project to bring broadband access to every Kentucky county reaches completion
Kentucky Wired will serve as the “middle mile” in bringing broadband access to all of the state’s 120 counties. Local providers can then connect customers with service. PHOTO FURNISHED
BY LIZ CAREY CONTRIBUTING WRITER
K
entucky’s efforts to extend broadband internet access into every county in the state is finally coming to fruition. Kentucky Wired, a state-run project to install over 3,000 miles of high-speed, highcapacity fiber optic cable in every Kentucky county, opened up its network to all 120 counties in January, said Rob Morphonios, CEO of KentuckyWired. Now, the project shifts to getting customers connected. Kentucky is the first state in the country to bring broadband access statewide. Kentucky Wired will serve as the “middle mile,” the next step in bridging the digital divide and getting broadband access to the rural parts of the state. Now that the fiber is in place, the project turns to Accelecom, the exclusive provider for the high-speed network. “Accelecom is in the process, as we speak, of building out the optical and networking equipment that will be required to provide service to our customers — enterprises, county governments, hopefully local school systems,” said David Flessas, CEO of Accelecom. “The interstate highway analogy is a great one,” he said. “In this case, the lanes have been constructed. Now we’re working on building the ramps so local communities have access to the superhighway and to help them connect to our superfast middle mile. We’re partnering with either existing ISPs [internet service providers] so that they can have a faster connection or partnering with other companies to drive those broadband connections where they haven’t been previously.” About 140 state government offices have already migrated to the KentuckyWired network, the companies said, including General Butler State Park in Carrollton, several offices affiliated with the Cabinet for Health and Family Services and a Kentucky State Police
post in Dry Ridge, to name a few. “Without exception, those agencies are experiencing faster, more reliable internet access — and more efficient operations,” Flessas said. Providing last-mile connections to homes and businesses throughout the state is up to local internet service providers. Accelecom sells use of its network to the ISPs, which in turn sell the access to business and residential customers. Flessas said Accelecom will employ about 40 technicians, service experts and sales representatives found through a national recruiting effort. The project will raise Kentucky up in terms of broadband connectivity, said U.S. Rep. Hal Rogers (R-5th), a longtime champion of the project. “Kentucky has historically ranked near the bottom of the nation for broadband connectivity, but this new network will launch us to the top tier,” Rogers said. “It opens the door for new industries and jobs for our people. We know that broadband cannot singlehandedly solve our generational challenges in Kentucky’s Appalachian region, but without broadband, we aren’t even on the playing field for a multitude of opportunities from advancements in education, to telehealth, to job creation. Accelecom will help accelerate access to the network from Pikeville to Paducah.”
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Started in 2015 under then Governor Steve Beshear, the project’s original price tag was supposed to be in the $250 million range. Morphonios said current costs are nearly $350 million. Among other things, cost overruns and delays had to do with negotiating where lines could be hung and laid, he said. “This is a project that is the first of its kind ever done in the United States. One of the most economical ways to build the project, rather than putting in all new infrastructure to support it, is to make use of a lot of the infrastructure that’s already in place by other utilities,” Morphonios said. “And in order to get that economic savings, we had to have agreements in place to hang on other utility poles. Then there has to be easements put in place. A lot of those things were risk items that came into play early in the project that we had to resolve. We were able to solve that and finalize everything back in 2019.” The project will bring more to the state than just broadband internet access, the men said. Having high-speed internet access will also help create jobs. From the start, backers of Kentucky Wired said the project would create more high-tech jobs in parts of the state that currently aren’t served by high-speed internet access. Flessas said the broadband access would give those in rural areas, such as East-
ern Kentucky, the ability to take on remote jobs or to build entrepreneurial businesses that take advantage of the high-speed access. In March, Kentucky lawmakers voted to designate $250 million of federal award money included under the American Rescue Plan to support “last-mile” broadband services in hard-to-reach areas. While experts agree it will take years for many economic opportunities to be realized, by investing in Kentucky Wired, the state has improved its position relative to economic development, they said. Having that access in rural areas could be the key to those communities surviving in the coming years. In a talk with the American Society of Civil Engineers earlier this month, U.S. Rep. Jim Clyburn (D-S.C.) said broadband internet access is the key for economic growth in rural America and that he’d like to see broadband included in future infrastructure discussions. “I’m hoping that we can broaden our definition of infrastructure. In the beginning of the internet, we called it the information highway,” he said. “And I’d like to see that become a part of our infrastructure like other highways. Broadband access is going to be key to rural America in the 21st century, just like electricity was key to rural America in the 20th century.” BL
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BizList
Please email questions regarding our BizLists to Sharon Metz at sharon.metz66@gmail.com.
Manufacturing Employers Ranked by number of employees
Rank
1
Company Name Address, Phone Website
Total Number of Local Employees
Toyota Motor Manufacturing Kentucky 1001 Cherry Blossom Way Georgetown, KY 40324 (502) 863-3630 www.toyotageorgetown.com
9,712
Kentucky Directory Manufacturers Report, January 2020
Business
Top Local Executive/ Year Est. Locally
Automobiles: Avalon, Avalonhybrid, Camry, Camry-hybrid, and the Lexus ES350; engines, axles, steering components, blocks/cylinder heads/ crankshafts, dies and North American Production Support Center (NAPSC) Training Facility
Susan Elkington (President)/ 1988
Development, marketing and sales of printers and related supplies and software; corporate headquarters
Allen Waugerman (CEO)/ 1991
Automotive electric control units, warehouse and distribution sensors, actuators, fuel systems & components, lithium ion battery, machinery warehouse distribution
Philip Dadisman (VP)/ NA
Contractor logistics support DOD contract
Marilyn A. Hewson (Chairman, President and CEO)/1885
Manufacturing of lift trucks
Rodney Wilson (Plant Mgr.)/ 1973
2
Lexmark International Inc. 740 W. New Circle Road Lexington, KY 40550 (859) 232-2000 www.lexmark.com
1,500
3
Hitachi Automotive System Americas 955 Warlick Road Harrodsburg, KY 40330 (859) 734-5309 www.hiams-am.com
1,100
3
Lockheed Martin 5749 Briar Hill Road Lexington, KY 40516 (859) 566-4778 www.lockheedmartin.com
1,100
5
Hyster-Yale Group, Inc. 2200 Menelaus Pk. Berea, KY 40403 (859) 986-5718 www.hyster-yale.com
980
Toyota Productions, Engineering and Manufacturing Center 151 Engineering Way Georgetown, KY 40320 (502) 863-0400 www.toyotageorgetown.com
852
Adient US, LCC (Georgetown Plant) 824 Lemons Mill Road Georgetown, KY 40324 (502) 863-0400 www.adient.com
838
Trane Co. 1515 Mercer Road Lexington, KY 40511 (859) 259-2500 www.trane.com
800
Montaplast of North America 2011 Hoover Blvd. Frankfort, KY 40601 (502) 695-7766 www.montaplasat.com
760
Link-Belt Construction Equipment Co. 2651 Palumbo Drive Lexington, KY 40509 (859) 263-5200 www.linkbelt.com
750
11
Webasto Sunroofs Inc. 2200 Innovation Road Lexington, KY 40511 (859) 389-6100 www.webastosunroofs.com
660
Automotive sunroofs
John Wilder (GM); Daniel Klug (Engr. Mgr.)/ 1998
12
Quad Graphics 100 US 60 Bypass Versailles, KY 40384 (859) 879-4100 www.qg.com
624
Book printing, binding and distribution
William Jalbert (Plant Mgr.)/ 1962
13
Catalent Pharma Solutions 1100 Enterprise Drive Winchester, KY 40391 (859) 745-2200 www.catalent.com
600
Pharmaceutical processing
Dennis Johnson (GM)/ 1992
TIE
TIE
6 7 8 9 10
Production engineers focusing on innovation and problem solving within Toyota’s manufacturing process
John Tinney (VP, Toyota Productions, Engineering and Manufacturing/ 2017
Automotive seats and interior components; foam pads for automotive industry
Todd Bruno (Plant Manager)/ 1993
Manufacture of commercial and industrial air handling equipment, custom, catalog and specialized air handlers, including integrated controls
Gregg Krick (Plant Mgr.)/ 1963
Plastic injection molding automotive supplier of exterior trim parts, center caps, cloth interior trim parts, and air intake manifolds
John Phillips, COO/ 1992
Design, manufacture, market, sell and service of telescopic mobile and cable cranes
Melvin Potter (President and CEO)/ 1974
Company Name Address, Phone Website
Total Number of Local Employees
14
CMWA 125 Wheat Drive Paris, KY 40361 (859) 987-0500 www.cmwa.com
575
Automotive wheels - steel and aluminum
Koichi Hayashi (CEO, President)/ 1986
15
TOPY America Inc. 980 Chenault Rd. Frankfort, KY 40601 (502) 695-6163 www.topyamerica.com
567
Steel road wheels for passenger cars and light trucks
Mark Ohi (President/ CEO)/Samuel Amburgey (VP)/1985
16
EnerSys 761 Eastern Bypass Richmond, KY 40475 (859) 624-7358 www.enersys.com
520
Lead acid industrial batteries
Troy Baxter (Plant Mgr.)/ 1976
17
Schneider Electric 1601 Mercer Road Lexington, KY 40511 (859) 243-8000 www.schneider-electric.com
515
Electrical safety switches and load centers
Joe Blackburn (Plant Mgr.)/ 1955
Toyota Tsusho America Inc. 700 Triport Road Georgetown, KY 40324 (502) 868-3355 www.taiamerica.com
511
Steel processing
Mike Lavender (Sr. VP)/ 1986
Big Ass Solutions 2348 Innovation Road Lexington, KY 40511, (877) 233-1271 www.bigassfans.com
460
Ceiling fans and lights for large industrial agriculture, commercial and residential settings
Lennie Rhoades (President)/ 1999
G & J Pepsi 559 S. Forbes Road Lexington, KY 40504 (859) 255-3375 www.gjpepsi.com
460
Carbonate soft drink bottling
Jim Trant (CEO)/ 1941
21
Alltech Inc. 3031 Catnip Hill Pike Nicholasville, KY 40356 (859) 885-9613 www.alltech.com
450
Natural animal feed additives; corporate headquarters
Mark Lyons, (President)/ 1980
22
Corning Display Technologies 680 E. Office St. Harrodsburg, KY 40330 (859) 605-2200 www.corning.com
400
AMLCD glass substrate, thin, durable, highly scratch resistant cover glass used in portable/handheld electronic devices
Amy Porter (Plant Mgr.)/ 1952
Leggett & Platt Inc. 101 New St. Winchester, KY 40391 (859) 744-4626 www.leggett.com
400
Inner springs and box springs for the bedding industry
Mike Lavender, (Senior VP)/ 1986
Yokohama Industries America, Inc. 105 Industry Drive Versailles, KY 40383 (859) 873-2188 www.yokohama.com
400
Automobile air conditioning and power steering hoses, fittings and assemblies; fluid conveying products
Walt Williams (Plant Mgr.)/ 1989
McKechnie Vehicle Components 801 John C. Watts Drive Nicholasville, KY 40356 (859) 887-6246 www.mvcusa.com
353
Plastic injection molded parts with chrome and stainless steel plating
Randy Sorensen (GM)/ 1979
Buffalo Trace Distillery 113 Great Buffalo Trace Frankfort, KY 40601 (502) 696-5903 www.buffalotrace.com
353
Distiller of world class and award winning bourbons and American whiskies
Mark Brown (President)/ 1775
Aichi Forge USA Inc. 596 Triport Road Georgetown, KY 40324 (502) 863-7575 www.aichiforge.com
350
Steel forgings and powder metal sinter forgings for application in automotive/ aircraft engine and suspension components
Naohide Goto (President)/ 1985
Rank
18 19 TIE
19 TIE
TIE
22 TIE
22 TIE
25 TIE
25 TIE
27
Business
Top Local Executive/ Year Est. Locally
Source: Cabinet for Economic Development, January 8, 2020, Kentucky Directory of Manufacturers Report, Commerce Lexington Development data for 2020. Note: Lexington Area Manufacturers - Ranking by total of local employees minimum for 350, including the following counties: Bourbon, Clark, Fayette, Jessamine, Madison, Mercer, Scott, Woodford. Key: NA=Not Available
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APRIL 2021
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BizList
Please email questions regarding our BizLists to Sharon Metz at sharon.metz66@gmail.com.
Insurance Agencies Independent agencies ranked by full-time licensed agents
Rank
Agency Name Address, Phone Website
March 2021
Full-Time Licensed Agents
Full-Time Employees
Commercial Lines
Personal Lines
Equine Lines
Surety Bonds
Life/ Health Benefits
Top Local Official
Year Founded Locally
1
Assured Partners 2443 Sir Barton Way, Ste. 400 Lexington, Kentucky 40509 (859) 543-1716 www.assuredpartners.com
61
65
55%
10%
0%
1%
34%
Tom Riley (CEO), Paul Vredenburg (COO), Bryan D. Raisor (Agency President)
1999
2
Houchen Insurance Group * 505 Wellington Way, Ste. 350 Lexington, KY 40503 (859) 263-2771 www.higusa.com
60
65
67%
4%
0%
3%
26%
Mike Hostetter (Executive VP), Sue Porter (President of PEI)
1990
3
Marsh & McLennan Agency 360 Vine St., Ste. 200 Lexington, Kentucky 40507 (859) 254-8023 www.marshmma.com
53
54
58%
8%
3%
2%
29%
Chris Barnett (Managing Director)
1852
4
Energy Insurance Agency ** 3008 Atkinson Ave. Lexington, KY 40509 (859) 273-1549 www.energyinsagency.com
41
44
52%
24%
2%
5%
11%
Mark Kelder (Chairman/President)
1982
5
GCH Insurance Group * 780 Winchester Road Lexington, KY 40505 (859) 254-1836 www.gchinsurance.com
33
37
70%
20%
0%
5%
5%
John Hampton, David Henry, Jim McCarty, Shelley Goffrey (Managing Partners)
2008
5
Elite Insurance Agency ** 2408 Sir Barton Way Lexington, KY 40509 (859) 264-9400 www.eliteky.com
30
35
65%
30%
0%
2%
5%
James H. Booth (President), Craig Preece (Vice President)
1989
7
McGriff Insurance Services * 200 W. Vine St., Ste. 300 Lexington, KY 40507 (859) 224-8899 www.mcgriff.com
20
20
29%
4%
0%
3%
64%
John Couch (Agency Executive Senior VP)
2003
8
Al Torstrick Insurance Agency 343 Waller Ave., Ste. 101 Lexington, KY 40504 (859) 233-1461 www.altorstick.com
14
14
45%
25%
0%
1%
29%
Allison Torstrick Johnson (President) `
1962
8
Old Colony Insurance Service Inc. 1900 Cambridge Drive Lexington, KY 40533 (859) 255-3355 www.oldcolonylexky.com
14
15
49%
4%
45%
2%
1%
L. Nicholas Strong (Chairman/President)
1964
10
Cambridge Insurance 2300 Regency Road Lexington, KY 40503 (859) 252-0381 www.cambridgeinsurance.net
13
14
70%
30%
0%
0%
0%
Joseph Carson Evans (Chairman/President)
1986
11
Lexington Insurance Agency, Inc. 465 E. High St., Ste. 101 Lexington, KY 40507 (859) 253-6570 www.lexingtoninsuranceagency.com
12
12
60%
21%
0%
1%
18%
Joe Cerzosie (President)
1952
12
Neely & Wade Insurance Agency, LLC 31 W. Hickman St. Winchester, KY 40391 (859) 233-7855 www.neelyandwade.com
6
6
45%
30%
2%
3%
20%
Danny S. Neely, II (Chairman/President)
1934
13
Kentucky Health Solutions 2365 Harrodsburg Road, Ste. B-235 Lexington, KY 40504 (859) 309-5033 www.kentucyhealthsolutions.org
4
4
0%
0%
0%
0%
100%
Pete Alberti (Chairman/President)
2010
Greater Lexington Insurance Agency 1066 Wellington Way Lexington, KY 40513 (859) 224-2477 www.greaterlexins.com
4
6
45%
45%
0%
0%
10%
David Thornton (President)
1976
TIE
TIE
TIE
13 TIE
Source: Information was obtained from representatives from listed agencies and the Business Lexington BizList questionnaire. Others may have been eligible but did not respond to requested information by stated deadlines. Local refers to Lexington Bluegrass areas. Key: NA=Not Available or Not Applicable, WND=Would Not Disclose Footnote: * New name ** Previous figures
bizlex.combizlex.combizlex.combizlex.com BLX_Apr21.indd 18
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At AssuredPartners we are not just in the insurance business we are true partners. Our na�onal team of dedicated, experienced insurance professionals always have your best interests in mind. Through listening, problem solving and collabora�on, together we find the best new innova�ve solu�ons to fulfill your specific needs and promote your success. It’s what we call power through partnership.
2443 Sir Barton Way, Ste. 400 Lexington, KY 40509 859-543-1716 | assuredpartners.com
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APRIL 2021
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BizList
Please email questions regarding our BizLists to Sharon Metz at sharon.metz66@gmail.com.
Law Firms Ranked by number of lawyers in local office
Rank
Firm Name Address Phone Website
Lawyers in Local Office1/ All Offices
Local Partners/ Associates/ of Counsel/ Paralegals
Firms with 12 or fewer lawyers March 2021
March 2021
Main Practice Areas
Managing Partner(s)2 in Local Office/ Year Founded Locally/ Total Number of Offices
Firm Name Address Phone Website
Lawyers in Local Office1
1
Stoll Keenon Ogden PLLC 300 W. Vine St., Ste. 2100 Lexington, KY 40507 (859) 231-3000 www.skofirm.com
53/134
30/11/14/10
Commercial litigation; corporate mergers and acquisitions; utility, energy, mineral & environmental; securities; corporate finance/lending; labor, employment & employee benefits; intellectual property; alcohol & hospitality; corporate governance; state & local tax; bankruptcy; real estate; health care; equine
P. Douglas Barr (Managing Director)/ 1897/5
Dickinson Wright, PLLC 300 W. Vine St., Ste. 1700 Lexington, KY 40507 (859) 899-8700 www.dickinson-wright.com
12
2
Dinsmore & Shohl LLP Lexington Financial Center 250 W. Main St., Ste. 1400 Lexington, KY 40507 (859) 425-1000 www.dinsmore.com
50/714
25/17/8/7
Business litigation; corporate; transactional; labor & employment; natural resources; environmental; insurance; product liability; mass torts; bankruptcy; creditor’s rights; estate planning; real estate; public finance; intellectual property; equine law & gaming; political law
Grahmn N. Morgan (Managing Partner, Lexington)/ 1997/29
Fowler Bell, PLLC 300 W. Vine St., Ste. 600 Lexington, KY 40507 (859) 252-6700 www.folwerlaw.com
12
3
Stites & Harbison PLLC 250 W. Main St., Ste. 2300 Lexington, KY 40507 (859) 226-2300 www.stites.com
38/163
27/8/3/4
Cassidy R. Rosenthal (Office Executive Member)/ 1832/10
The Getty Law Group, PLLC The Offices at City Center 100 W. Main St., Ste. 200 Lexington, KY, 40507 (859) 259-1900 ext. 2223 www.gettylawgroup.com
11
Banking; business & finance; business litigation; business services; construction; creditors’ rights; data privacy & security; employment; employee benefits and executive compensation; environmental; natural resources & energy; equine; health care; insurance regulatory; intellectual property & technology; manufacturing; mergers & acquisitions; mining; real estate; taxation; tax-exempt organizations; torts & insurance; trusts & estates
4
McBrayerPLLC 201 E. Main St., Ste. 900 Lexington, KY 40507 (859) 231-8780 www.mcbrayerfirm.com
36/54
20/13/7/3
Administrative law; bankruptcy; business & corporate law; mergers & acquisitions; commercial & business litigation; construction law; criminal defense; employment law; energy/mineral law; equine law; estate planning & administration; family law; gaming law; government solutions; health care law; insurance defense; arbitration & mediation; real estate law; land use law; creditor’s rights & foreclosures; wireless communications law; oil & gas law; intellectual property law; health care professional licensure defense; hospital representation; legal malpractice defense; malpractice professional liability defense; medical malpractice; nursing home negligence and professional liability defense; taxation; tax compliance; tax controversy; tax planning; transaction tax; politics, elections, and campaign finance, agriculture, hemp production
James H. Frazier, III/ 1978/2
Rose, Grasch, Camenisch, Mains 326 S. Broadway Lexington, KY 40518 (859) 721-2100 www.rgcmlaw.com
10
8
Appellate; bankruptcy & restructuring; business & commercial litigation; CMBS lending & servicing transactions; construction; corporate law; employee benefits & ERISA; environmental; estate planning & administration; finance; government contracting; government services; insurance coverage & bad faith; insurance regulation & risk management; intellectual property; international services; labor & employment litigation; product liability & tort litigation; public affairs; real estate; tax
Jonathan S. Miller (Member-In-Charge)/ 1981/15
Fogle Keller Walker, PLLC 300 E. Main St., Ste. 400 Lexington, KY 40507 (859) 253-4700 www.fkw-law.com King & Schickli, PLLC 800 Corporate Drive, Ste. 200 Lexington, KY 40503 (859) 252-0889 www.iplaw1.net
8
Steptoe & Johnson PLLC One Paragon Centre 2525 Harrodsburg Road, Ste. 300 Lexington, KY 40504 (859) 219-8200 www.steptoe-johnson.com
7
5
Frost Brown Todd LLC Lexington Financial Center 250 W. Main St., Ste. 2800 Lexington, KY 40507 (859) 231-0000 www.frostbrowntodd.com
34/511
6
Wyatt, Tarrant & Combs, LLP Lexington Financial Center 250 W. Main St., Ste. 1600 Lexington, KY 40507 (859) 233-2012 www.wyattfirm.com
30/118
21/4/6/5
Bank regulatory; bankruptcy and creditors’ rights; commercial lending; corporate and securities; data privacy and security; employee benefits and executive compensation; environmental; equine and gaming; general business; governmental affairs and regulated industries; health care; immigration; intellectual property protection and litigation; labor and employment; labor union relations; land use and zoning; litigation and dispute resolution; natural resources and energy; nonprofit institutions; public finance and economic development; real estate and lending; real estate development; taxation; title insurance; trusts; estates and personal planning
W. Craig Robertson III/ 1977/5
7
Ward, Hocker & Thornton, PLLC 333 W. Vine St., Ste. 1100 Lexington, KY 40507 (859) 422-6000 www.whtlaw.com
29/34
14/15/0/0
Insurance defense & coverage; workers’ compensation defense & coverage; appellate practice; automobile litigation; bad faith defense and extra contractual; bankruptcy; commercial transactions and contracts; construction law; employment law; family & probate matters; fire & casualty; government and municipal liability; mass torts; medical negligence defense; premises liability; products liability; surety and fidelity; trucking; transportation & freight
Walter A. Ward, George B. Hocker, Gregg E. Thornton/ 1984/2
Wallingford Law, PSC 1050 Monarch St., Ste. 100 Lexington, KY 40517 (859) 219-0066 www.wallingfordlaw.com
6
8
Sturgill, Turner, Barker & Moloney, PLLC 333 W. Vine St., Ste. 1500 Lexington, KY 40507 (859) 255-8581 www.sturgillturner.com
28/28
20/5/3/8
Arbitration & mediation, bankruptcy, business law, commercial litigation, constitutional law & civil rights, education law (K-12 schools and higher education), employment law, governmental & municipal law, health care law, medical malpractice defense, nursing home defense, torts & insurance law, trusts & estate planning, utilities & energy law, sustainable energy, workers’ compensation defense
Bryan H. Beauman/ 1957/1
DelCotto Law Group PLLC 200 N. Upper St. Lexington, KY 40507 (859) 231-5800 www.dlgfirm.com
6
9
Landrum & Shouse, LLP 106 W. Vine St., Ste. 800 Lexington, KY 40507 (859) 255-2424 www.landrumshouse.com
25/30
15/11/3/7
Arbitration & mediation; appellate litigation; bad faith insurance defense; business & commercial law; corporations & llc’s; breach of contract; criminal defense; white collar crime defense; criminal infractions; federal search warrants; employment law for employees; employment law for employers; insurance defense; sexual discriminations, sexual harassment defense; estate & probate; wills & trusts; health care directives; insurance defense; mineral law; products liability defense; railroad law; trucking defense; commercial vehicle accidents; workers compensations; construction site accidents
Leslie P. Vose/ Managing Partner/ 1956/2
Morgan, Pottinger, McGarvey, PSC * 175 E. Main St., Ste. 200 Lexington, KY 40507 (859) 253-1900 www.mpmfirm.com
4
10
Kinkead & Stitz PNC Tower, 301 E. Main St., Ste. 800 Lexington, KY 40507 (859) 296-3600 www.ksattorneys.com
17/17
13/4/1/6
Commercial, employment, real estate, civil rights, construction and trust & estate litigation practices, medical malpractice defense, professional negligence & legal ethics, natural resources, real estate transactions and financing, commercial leasing, zoning & development, 1031 exchanges, tax planning & more
Robert Stiltz, Jr./ 1997/1
Littler Mendelson, PSC 333 W Vine St., Ste. 1720 Lexington, KY 40507 (859) 317-7970 www.littler.com
4
11
Dentons Bingham Greenebaum 300 W. Vine St., Ste. 1200 Lexington, KY 40507 (859) 231-8500 www.dentons.com
16/175
12/2/2/1
Business litigation, corporate/transactional, energy, environmental & natural resources, intellectual property, estate planning, economic development, labor & employment, bankruptcy/restructuring, real estate & construction, wealth management & family law, employment benefits, government services, beverage-alcohol, equine & manufacturing, health care, public finance
P. Branden Gross (Managing Partner)/ 1978/6
Goss Samford 2365 Harrodsburg Road, Ste. B-325 Lexington, KY 40504 (859) 368-7740 www.gosssamford.com
3
12
Gess Mattingly & Atchison, PSC 201 W. Short St., Ste. 102 Lexington, KY 40507 (859) 252-9000 www.gmalaw.com
15/15
15/12/3/4
Appellate law, bankruptcy & financial restructuring, business & commercial law, commercial & residential real estate, criminal defense, equine law, family law, health care law, litigation, mediation tax, trust & estate planning
Guy M. Graves (President)/ 1954/1
Boehl Stopher & Graves, LLP 444 W. Second St. Lexington, KY 40507 (859) 252-6721 www.bsglex.com
3
13
Embry Merritt Shaffer Womack, PLLC Chase Tower, 201 E. Main St., Ste. 1402 Lexington, Ky 40507 (859) 543-0453 www.emswlaw.com
14 /14
5/4/5/4
Business & commercial litigation; real estate; estate planning & probate; administrative law; health care; corporate; transactional; insurance defense; workers’ compensation; government; campaign finance; bankruptcy; trade mark; construction law; criminal defense; family law; arbitration and mediation; appellate practice
Darren L. Embry, Joyce A. Merritt, Suzanne L. Shaffer, James G. Womack, Samantha T. Nance/ 2011/3
3
13
Walters Richardson, PLLC 771 Corporate Drive, Suite 900 Lexington, KY 40503 (859)219-9090 www.waltersrichardson.com
14/20
3/6/1/10
Webb Hoskins Brown & Thompson, PSC 2393 Alumni Drive, Ste. 101 Lexington,KY 40517 (859) 296-9229 www.kytitlelaw.com
Agriculture; bad faith; business transactions; class actions; collections; construction; coverage litigation; dram shop; estate planning; insurance defense; medical malpractice/ pharmaceutical law; automobile accidents; premise liability; products labiality; real estate; trucking; workers’ compensation
John Walters/ 1999/4
Jackson Kelly, PLLC City Center 100 W. Main St., Ste. 700 Lexington, KY 40507 (859) 255-9500 www.jacksonkelly.com
13/165
13/2/4/4
Commercial; litigation; tax; health care; finance; federal Black Lung & worker’s compensation; construction; occupational safety & health; environmental; equine
Clifton B. Clark/ 1985/10
TIE
TIE
14
21/12/1/6
Source: Information was obtained from Business Lexington Questionnaire, firm’s websites, firm’s representatives. Other firms may have been eligible but did not respond to requests for information by stated deadlines. List was restricted to firms with 13 or more lawyers with offices located in Lexington, Kentucky. The secondary list names firms with 12 or fewer lawyers in their Lexington offices. Note: In the event of a tie, rankings were based on alphabetical name. Footnotes: 1=In some instances, the total number of lawyers in firms’ Lexington office may be greater than the total of partners, associates, and of counsel attorneys, as these firms have additional attorneys who do not fit in the categories listed. 2=Some firms refer to their partners as members. For this list, these two terms have been used interchangeably.
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21
BizLexQ&A
Mary J. Davis The new dean of UK’s J. David Rosenberg College of Law on emerging opportunities in the legal profession civic responsibility entails: not just taking charge, but leading by listening and learning to collaborate on difficult problems to find a solution.
BY TOM WILMES BUSINESS LEXINGTON
M
ary J. Davis joined the University of Kentucky’s law school faculty in 1991, following a successful practice in liability litigation defense. She was selected as a university research professor in 2016 and has been a visiting professor at the University of Texas School of Law, Boston College Law School, William and Mary College of Law and Wake Forest University School of Law. When the university decided it was time to replace the law school’s outmoded facilities — UK’s law program began operation in 1908 and is among the nation’s oldest public law schools — Davis served as chair of the building committee. The renovated building opened in August 2019. “It was an exciting time for us, after a long time wanting and needing a new building. And then the [$20 million] naming gift of J. David Rosenberg, our wonderful and generous alum, happened in the fall of 2019,” she said. “Then, in March 2020 , we exited this building, as we all did during the pandemic, and things were dramatically different,” she said. This past January, after serving one year as interim dean, the university named Davis as the permanent dean and she became the first woman to serve in the role.
The move to remote learning must have been an especially difficult transition. I’m sure everyone has a story about how they responded to the crisis, but we just tried to do the next right thing, and our faculty and students pivoted in a remarkable way. This building has amazing technological capabilities in the classrooms, so many of us were prepared to use the available technology, but doing it remotely was something else. You have to continue to engage students, and a computer screen doesn’t afford the opportunity to have the kind of dynamic conversations and engage in intractable legal and political problems that we do. We surveyed alumni, students and faculty to determine what features we should focus on in a 21st century legal education program. The top answer was enhanced faculty–student interaction and collaboration, along with group study spaces. Our students wanted to have opportunities within the building to build community and to enhance their relationships with one another and with us. Those personal interactions are extremely important and always have been. How has legal education changed? Our general curriculum is still fairly traditional, but it has evolved, and we continue to make enhancements to the program. People might have a general impression of legal education
BLX_Apr21.indd 21
What kind of career paths are available to graduates? I think graduates today find that their path in the law is not a straight line. Not everyone goes to a law firm, does great associate work, becomes a partner and stays with the firm for the entirety of their career. It’s a much more fluid environment, and we try to prepare students for that and encourage them to think broadly. We have a wonderful legal clinic, and our externship opportunities for students, particularly in their third year, to get some client experience or work in a U.S. attorney’s office, for example, are helpful. Our Career Development Office is also great at helping to identify a broad range of opportunities, including government positions and judicial clerkships. For 20 percent of our graduates, their first job is with a judge in chambers in federal and state courts across the country. Those are great breeding grounds for enhancing your legal analytical skills and also recognizing other opportunities, such as working as a commonwealth’s attorney or a public defender. Students have become more conscious of the importance of public interest work and nonprofit work. That’s a wonderful path. Working in the Department of Justice or in a whole host of government positions, both state and federal, is also open to our graduates. Many of our students also go into smaller rural communities to set up the kind of legal practice that every community needs — the person who can work on your real estate deals or help with employment-related issues, write wills or work in family law.
PHOTO FURNISHED
as being austere and strict and uber-competitive — those “Stand and Deliver” kind of images. We’re competitive and we want to excel, there’s no doubt, but current generations of law students also appreciate, again, the value of community and of building relationships. That’s true for faculty, as well. We find that interacting in that informal, passing-in-thehall kind of way can really enhance learning opportunities. I’d say listening skills and being able to have a conversation with someone about a difficult issue continues to be critical — where you’re open-minded and can disagree without being uncivil. Our students are also very active in the community, both in student organizations and in a broader sense, and of course, we encourage that. They’re also very interested
in public interest and social justice issues. I can’t emphasize enough the importance of promoting an inclusive educational environment and helping students understand what it means to be an inclusive professional. The beautiful array of our diverse backgrounds are important to building community and better understanding one another. We thrive when every one of us thrives. We also think a lot about what it means to be a leader. Our graduates become business leaders and government leaders. They become leaders of their firms but also leaders in their communities and societies. They are on school boards. They are in local government. They are on planning commissions and the boards of nonprofits. We encourage students to be open to all the ways in which you can lead and try to create an expectation of what
Do you see other ways the legal practice may change? Changing economic forces often open up new opportunities. The way in which the economy is changing as a result of the pandemic, for example, will impact legal professionals. The commercial real estate business, for one, is very likely to change because of remote work opportunities. The gig worker environment is also going to have a dramatic impact on businesses at large but also legal service professionals. I was having a conversation with some of our alumni recently about this issue. One of them said, “It may well be that law students and future graduates have a taste for remote work and law firms will need to adapt. Clients might also appreciate the efficiencies of a virtual legal practice.” Will people really need to be in person to take a deposition, for example? The traditional professional practice is going to have to respond to those changes. We call that the seamless web — recognizing that things are interconnected. In order to see the whole, you have to see all of its parts and how they work together. BL
3/22/21 4:20 PM
22
APRIL 2021
WWW.BUSINESSLEXINGTON.COM
Who’sWho
EMPLOYMENT NEWS AND AWARDS IN OUR COMMUNITY
BOARDMAN
SHARAF
FARISH
T. COMBS
ASHY-JONES
MCKEE
HARLAN
JAMES
HAAS
BROADDUS
DANIEL
GARTNER
N. COMBS
BARNHART
LILLY
MILLER
MICHUL
MOTER
HUELSMAN
MCHONE
EILAND
GOOCH
WHO’S WHO FOR YOU? Submit your company’s recent hirings, promotions and awards for listing in the Who’s Who section of Business Lexington. Email a press release and photo to info@bizlex.com. UNDERWOOD
NISBET
DISPONETT
New Hires & Promotions The University of Kentucky Markey Cancer Foundation has named Lexington financial advocate John V. Boardman, III, founder and CEO of Ballast, as the newest member to its board of trustees. Valvoline Inc. has announced the appointment of experienced financial industry leader Mahmoud (Mack) Sharaf to serve as the company’s treasurer and chief liaison to the investment community. Lane’s End Farm’s William “Bill” Farish, who serves on the boards of numerous Thoroughbred industry and Central Kentucky organizations, has been appointed a Keeneland trustee. Fowler Bell PLLC has welcomed attorneys Teresa T. Combs, Aziza
HODGE
CARTER
Ashy-Jones, Mary Porter McKee, and Danielle Harlan to its Lexington offices.
account representative; and Chris Lilly, commercial lines marketing manager.
The Hope Center board of directors has promoted Janice James to chief operating officer.
The Webb Companies has named Carter Miller, CPM, CCIM, as executive vice president of leasing and brokerage. Miller succeeds Ken Michul upon retiring in March 2021 after 36 years with The Webb Companies.
The board of directors of the Jewish Federation of the Bluegrass has named Mindy Haas new executive director. Kentucky American Water has announced the appointment of Rebecca Broaddus as finance manager. Assured Partners has welcomed the following new additions to its Lexington office: Tracy Daniel, commercial lines account executive; Caroline Gartner, commercial lines intern; Noah Combs, personal lines internal sales support; Katherine Barnhart, personal lines
Joseph & Joseph + Bravura Architects has expanded by adding an office in Lexington. Currently the firm has its primary headquarters in Louisville. The new Lexington office is located in The Lexington Design Center at 628 Winchester Road. Cash Moter and Eric Huelsman, partners at Joseph & Joseph, will welcome Ian McHone as lead in the Lexington office. The Lexington Legends has announced that two-time World
Series champion Dave Eiland will serve as pitching coach in the Legends inaugural Atlantic League season under manger PJ Philips. Kristy Gooch was installed as the 2021 president of the LexingtonBluegrass Association of REALTORS® (LBAR). Remaining 2021 officers are president-elect Rusty Underwood, Milestone Realty Consultants, and treasurer Kelley Nisbet, Coldwell Banker McMahan. Other 2021 board of directors include: Sandy Allnutt, The Agency; Tommy Black, RE/MAX on Main; Jonathan Bronaugh, Rector-Hayden, REALTORS®; Greg Buchanan, ERA Select Real Estate; Matt Coomer, Weichert, REALTORS®, Ford Brothers; Anne Hart Cornett, Milestone Realty Consultants; Barb Curtis, Coldwell Banker McMahan; Anthony de Movellan, Berkshire Hathaway de Movellan; Gary Denton, Rector-Hayden,
REALTORS®; Sha Fister, RectorHayden, REALTORS®; Todd Hyatt, Lois Ann Disponett Real Estate; Ruby Mason, RE/MAX Elite Realty; Randy Newsome, United Real Estate and Tom Thomas, RectorHayden, REALTORS®.
Kudos The Lexington-Bluegrass Association of REALTORS® announced recipients of its top awards for 2020. Lois Ann Disponett was named REALTOR® of the Year and Liz Hodge received the Good Neighbor Award. In addition, Raquel Carter received the Distinguished Service Award. The Kentucky Chamber of Commerce has named Connected Nation one of the Best Places to Work. This is the 10th time the Kentucky-based, national nonprofit has been given the distinction. BL
COMING IN MAY The May 2021 Business Lexington will feature the following BizLists:
• Banks • Credit Unions • Engineering Firms
Get business news when it breaks.
AD SPACE DEADLINE: APRIL 9 AD MATERIALS DEADLINE: APRIL 14 FOR ADVERTISING INFORMATION CALL (859) 266-6537 OR EMAIL ADVERTISE@SMILEYPETE.COM
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BusinessLexington’s WeeklyWire
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Duncan Taylor President and CEO, Taylor Made
A STABLE OF GREAT IDEAS. Duncan Taylor organizes his family’s personal giving and Taylor Made’s corporate giving with charitable funds at Blue Grass Community Foundation. Working with the Community Foundation is a sure bet to get your giving goals across the finish line. Join Duncan and Taylor Made, and establish your charitable fund at the Community Foundation today.
bgcf.org
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499 East High Street • Suite 112 • Lexington, KY 40507 / 859.225.3343
3/22/21 2:03 PM
Thank you for your leadership. The Truist Greater Lexington Advisory Board: Robert M. Beck Jr. Member Stites & Harbison Lexington, Kentucky
Nana Mensah Chairman, Chief Executive Officer Xports, Inc. Lexington, Kentucky
David W. Blackwell Provost and Professor of Finance University of Kentucky Lexington, Kentucky
Nicole Pieratt Chief Executive Officer and President Sallee Horse Vans Lexington, Kentucky
Laura T. Boison Market President BB&T now Truist Greater Lexington, Central Kentucky
Joe L. Rosenberg Community Investor Lexington, Kentucky
Bret A. Caller Co-founder Viking Partners Cincinnati, Ohio/ Lexington, Kentucky William S. Chapman III Vice President Clay Ingels Company Lexington, Kentucky Liz Fowler President and Chief Executive Officer Bluegrass Care Navigators Lexington, Kentucky Anne Gorham Executive Vice President, Chief Legal Counsel Gray Inc. Lexington, Kentucky
Rakesh Sachdeva MD FAAP Physicians For Children and Adolescents PSC Pikeville, Kentucky Randall Stevens Chief Executive Officer AVAIL Solutions, Inc. Lexington, Kentucky John D Stewart MD Chairman , Chief Executive Officer Stewart Home & School Frankfort, Kentucky/Lexington, Kentucky L. Tracee Whitley Dean for Administration Harvard Law School Lexington, Kentucky/Cambridge, Massachusetts
Karen S. Hill, DNP, RN Chief Operating Officer/Chief Nursing Officer Baptist Health Lexington Lexington, Kentucky
Truist.com Truist Bank, Member FDIC. © 2021 Truist Financial Corporation. Truist, BB&T, SunTrust, the Truist logo and Truist Purple are service marks of Truist Financial Corporation.
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