The latest statistics on local residential properties PAGE 4
EconomicAnalysis
A monthly look at economic indicators compiled by the Center for Business and Economic Research (CBER) at the University of Kentucky PAGE 5
WriteStu
Five ways to say more with less PAGE 5
CraveWorthy
A Dining Destination: Mileta, an upscale Italian concept, creates a buzzy new reason to head to Fayette Mall PAGE 6
QuickBites
Crust rises again PAGE 7
IndependentBusiness Game On: Pickleball Paddock opens with nine indoor courts and membership perks PAGE 8
BizLists
Colleges and Universities PAGE 12 MBA Programs PAGE 14 Private Schools PAGE 16
Who’s Who Employment updates and notable achievements from around the Bluegrass PAGE 18
Equipping Tommorow’s Leaders: MBA programs continue to evolve to prepare students to thrive in a changing business environment
PAGE 11
Trailblazers of Innovation: Kentucky Entrepreneur Hall of Fame highlights achievement with its 2024 class PAGE 9
AI at Work: How local professionals in the legal, healthcare, and advertising industries are integrating artificial intelligence tools into their workflow PAGE 10
BizLex Q&A Ryan Quarles: The president of the Kentucky Community and Technical College System on expanding a ordable access and educational opportunities PAGE 17
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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 reflects the most up-to-date 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 October 2024
Residential Sales Data for October 2024
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.
Note: In some cases 1 mo. And 1 yr. changes are based on revised data from previous mo./yr/
* Source: The Conference Board Research Group; http://www.conference-board.org/
** Source: Federal Reserve Statistical Release, http://www.federalreserve.gov/releases/G17/
*** Source: Federal Reserve Statistical Release; https://www.federalreserve.gov/releases/h15/
**** Source: St. Louis Federal Reserve; https://research.stlouisfed.org/fred2/
***** GDP is reported as Real Gross Domestic Product, Chained Dollars [Millions of chained (2012) dollars] Seasonally adjusted at annual rates (Updated numbers as of Jan. 27, 2023); https://apps.bea.gov/histdata/histChildLevels.cfm?HMI=7
WriteStu
Five Ways to Say More With Less
If you’ve been limited by word or character counts, page lengths, and other measurements, you know how di cult it can be to communicate everything you want to say. Even emails need to be concise due to our busy workdays. So how do you write using less space?
Here are five useful techniques when conveying information about announcements, programs, events, opportunities, human resource topics, and more.
Lead with the 5 W’s + 1 H. Answer these questions inside a couple of sentences or a short paragraph:
• Who does this written document impact, and (when applicable) who are you or what services does your company o er?
• What is going to occur, or what is the primary purpose of this document?
• When will this topic/ event be in e ect or occur?
• Where will the topic/ event be in e ect or occur?
• Why is this happening or important?
• How will this occur?
By Jennifer Mattox
Focus on the most important details. Often the little details can be saved for meetings or are irrelevant to your overall message. Training and conversations could be a more e ective platform for deeper dives into a topic.
Utilize stats that demonstrate your points rather than writing longer and often vague paragraphs. Using percentages for comparisons is especially e ective.
Never use two words when one will do, as Thomas Je erson is credited with saying. Ask yourself, “what words can be cut to arrive at your next point faster?” Be specific. You can also swap -ing verbs with shorter verb forms. (e.g., was using = used; is using = uses).
Use a signature block or otherwise list your contact info, when relevant, instead of including it in a paragraph. This format will make it easier for someone to reach you or do business with your company. BL
Jennifer Mattox is the Executive Director of the Carnegie Center for Literacy & Learning and a professional writer. The Carnegie Center, 251 W. Second St., is a nonprofit educational center o ering seasonal writing, publishing and language classes, among other community programming. For more information, visit CarnegieCenterLex.org.
We’re committed to being a true community partner, which is often expressed in the ways we give back. Just as valuable as monetary contributions, our employees donate countless volunteer hours serving on nonprofit boards, building homes, mentoring youth, collecting food and so much more.
We’re
CraveWorthy
A Dining Destination
Mileta, an upscale Italian concept, creates a buzzy new reason to head to Fayette Mall
BY SHANNON CLINTON CONTRIBUTING WRITER
Designed to evoke a dinner party atmosphere with European flair, Mileta — a new upscale restaurant offering housemade pastas, shareables and more — has opened at Fayette Mall.
The vision for Mileta comes from Lexington native and managing partner Dallas Rose, executive chef Alex Green, and director of operations and partner Aaron Wood.
The restaurant’s name also holds a trifecta of meanings. Mileta means “gracious” in Serbian, and it honors both Rose’s grandfather, Milo, and his daughter, Mila.
Rose’s entrepreneurial journey began during his college years when he launched Bunk’s Burger inside Two Keys Tavern. After a stint with Goldman Sachs in Texas, he returned to Lexington, where he spent the past six years developing an idea for his own restaurant concept. Rose and Green first met about 18 months ago, and together they finalized details for a winning concept in Mileta, which opened in early November.
Green, a Mayfield, Kentucky, native and Culinary Institute of America graduate, brings his diverse culinary experience to the table. Having worked in upscale Italian restaurants in New Orleans, Green also incorporates global influences into his cuisine. During the pandemic, he returned to Kentucky and shifted to corporate dining, where a mutual chef friend introduced him to Rose.
Together, Rose and Green aim to deliver a unique dining experience in Lexington, with robust cocktail and wine programs and a focus on handmade pastas, all served in an elegant space. Guests can watch chefs at work in a dedicated pasta-making room at the front of the restaurant, which also serves as a private dining room accommodating up to 10 guests.
The main dining area and bar accommodate about 120 patrons, with seating for 16 in the cocktail lounge and an additional 40 in the Rose Room—a cocktail bar and private dining space. When the patio opens during warmer months, Mileta can serve up to 200 guests. Reservations are recommended.
Rose anticipates the menu, which emphasizes locally sourced ingredients and in-house preparation, will change frequently and with the seasons.
“Every single thing from what you see to taste to feel is intentional,” chef Green said.
For example, Mileta’s beef tartare dish, most often served in a French fashion, has a tasty twist.
“One of my favorite flavor profiles is beef and celery together, so we’re trying to integrate that throughout the whole dish,” Green said. The dish uses local beef from Marksbury farms seasoned with celery vinegar,
“We’re thinking about it like throwing a dinner party at our home every night.”
DALLAS
ROSE, MILETA MANAGING PARTNER
adding a smoked oyster aioli that mimics the smoky flavor of cooked beef, accompanied by potato chips fried in beef tallow.
Menu standouts are numerous, but the crispy potato bites — served with cultured cream, hackleback sturgeon caviar and soft herbs — stood out as a favorite during a recent visit.
Other menu highlights include a fall squash medley served with sourdough croutons, toasted hazelnuts and stracciatella (a stringy Italian cheese); a pork chop with heirloom borlotti beans, carrot-fennel salad and grilled lemon; and half a dozen creative, handmade pasta dishes, ranging from radiatori with mushroom and red wine ragu and black truffle pate to lumache pasta with Jake’s sausage ragu and Calabrian chile.
An upbeat soundtrack of hip hop and R&B add to the ambiance, which blends bohemian and mid-century elements — think rattan, natural stone and brass accents with plush leather and velvet seating. Low lighting creates a warm and cozy ambiance and artwork by local artists Spencer Reinhard and Patrick Smith are on display, adding to the intimacy of the setting.
Rose is confident that Mileta’s attention to detail, thoughtful preparation and welcoming atmosophere will resonate with diners.
“We’re thinking about it like throwing a dinner party at our home every night,” he said. BL
PHOTOS BY KILLIAN ROSE
The Rose Room at Mileta (above) will soon open as a cocktail lounge and private event space, offering special libations and dining menus. The interiors (below) feature a blend of mid-century modern and bohemian elements, accented with wood and brass.
The halibut entrée is served with wilted leeks and spinach over parsnip purree and a pistachio beurre blanc.
PHOTO BY JESSICA EBELHAR PHOTOGRAPHY
QuickBites
Crust Rises Again
BY SHANNON CLINTON CONTRIBUTING WRITER
An Italian restaurant that closed during the pandemic is making a comeback this spring.
Crust, a concept by Bella Notte Restaurant Group, will reopen in March at 3195 Beaumont Center Circle, taking over the former Whiskey Bear location near the Beaumont Kroger.
Jilian Richards, marketing and training director with Bella Notte Restaurant Group, said Crust may have been gone but it was never forgotten.
The reincarnated Crust will feature patio seating and a menu that balances old favorites with new dishes.
“Crust will have lots of wonderful appetizers, fresh salads, the best pizza selections, and a handful of flavorful pastas and sandwiches,” she said. “The bar menu is going to be fun, yet approachable.”
In other food and beverage news:
“You’ll eat the crust” is the toothsome tagline at Dingbats Pizza, located at 471 Jefferson St., now open noon-10 p.m. Tues.-Sun.
Co-owner Brady Barlow, West Sixth Brewing co-founder and co-owner of the wine, cheese and bourbon bar Cibon, has partnered
with his wife Megan Winfield and pizza pro Andrew Saint Clair to open the restaurant, which focuses on crispy and airy Roman-style pizza by the slice or whole pie, in the building that most recently housed Je erson Street Co ee.
A thinner, hand-tossed crust is also available, and of course, West Sixth beer. Sides include hot knots, pretzels with dipping sauces, cinnamon sticks and cinnamon pretzels and cheesy bread.
“There are a lot of places that make pizza, but I don’t think there’s anyone in town that is making the same style of pizza,” Barlow said “We’re very particular about the ingredients that we use.”
Southern comfort food is on the menu at Sassy Bleu at the former location of Ramsey’s at the corner of Woodland and High. Run by Sabrina Booker, co-owner of MiMi’s Southern Style Cooking, the site will also serve as a pickup location for The Empanada Queen
Osaka now has three Lexington locations: 3805 Dylan Place Suite 130, the recently opened Osaka Japanese Restaurant Hamburg at 1976 Justice Dr., and the newest, Osaka Masterson Station, which opened in midOctober at 112 Lucille Dr. BL
Have a food and beverage-related update to share with readers? Please email info@smileypete.com.
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Crust, a concept by the Bella Notte Restaurant Group, is set to reopen in March at 3195 Beaumont Center Circle.
IndependentBusiness
Game On
Pickleball Paddock opens with nine indoor courts and membership perks
BY LIZ CAREY CONTRIBUTING WRITER
Anew pickleball facility in Lexington is helping people learn how to serve up dinks in their opponents’ kitchens.
The Pickleball Paddock, on Enterprise Court just off Alexandria Drive, is the only pickleball-dedicated sports club in town, Redmon said. Its goal is to provide pickleball players in Central Kentucky and beyond with a place to enjoy the facility’s nine courts, along with tennis club-like perks.
Redmon co-owns the Paddock with his father. The two built the warehouse-like structure specifically for pickleball. A pickleball player since 2017, Redmon said he wanted to create a place where people could learn about and enjoy the increasingly popular sport.
Pickleball is, at its core, a paddle sport that incorporates aspects of badminton, tennis, and table tennis. In matches, two or four players use paddles to strike a Wiffle-like ball over a net. Its simple rules and ease of play have made it an attractive alternative to tennis, increasing the sport’s popularity.
According to the Association of Pickleball Professionals (APP), pickleball is the fastestgrowing sport in America, with participation increasing more than 220 percent over the past three years. The APP reports that 14
percent of Americans have played pickleball at least once, and an estimated 8.5 million Americans have played the game eight times or more. Of those, 45 percent plan to play more pickleball in the next six months than they did in the previous six months.
That growth has proven to be good business, analysts said. Currently, there are 13,969 pickleball courts in the United States, according to Business Research Insights.
The global pickleball paddles market alone was estimated to be around $148.5 million in 2021 and is expected to reach $317.9 million by 2031.
Redmon said it was this growth that inspired him to create the Pickleball Paddock.
“I was seeing the growth of pickleball,” he said. “Around COVID and post-COVID, a lot of folks were getting outside and getting exposure to the sport, and we saw the demand in Lexington was growing.”
While some tennis facilities had temporarily adjusted their court lines to accommodate pickleball, there were few options for playing in bad weather or for lessons, he said. The Pickleball Paddock rents courts and offers lessons from its three pickleball pros. The club also sells memberships ranging from $40 per month for individuals to $105 per month for families. Members receive discounts on court time and lessons, as well as the ability to reserve courts in advance.
“We run a lot of members-only programming like leagues and tournaments,” Redmon said. “The response has been great. We’re not quite at capacity yet, but we’re projecting that we’ll most likely be there by the end of winter. We don’t want to oversell our memberships and risk making our customers unhappy by not having the opportunity to book when they want to. We want to make sure that the experience for [members] is a good one.”
While the club’s membership spans vari-
ous groups, two of the largest demographics are middle-aged men and women looking to stay active but in a less-intensive sport.
“We do have a lot of people in their 20s and 30s, but I would say the biggest demographic is that middle-aged group. There’s a good amount of older players, too,” he said.
The facility is designed specifically for pickleball play, Redmon explained, with special lighting and a court surface that makes play easier on the knees. And because it’s a dedicated pickleball facility, the lines for the courts are permanent, which helps with play.
“With a dedicated facility like ours, you’re not dealing with taped lines over tennis or basketball courts. That can get a little confusing,” he said. “And the color scheme we picked is conducive to being able to see the balls, as is just the way we built the structure. We have perforated metal that helps to absorb the sound. We also have higher nets here, which makes a difference.”
The facility features an area that can be
rented for events and serves as an observation area for tournaments. Although the facility, which opened in October, hasn’t hosted a large-scale tournament yet, Redmon anticipates doing so in the near future.
If membership and interest in the sport continue to grow, he said, there’s room to add two outdoor courts. If demand warrants, he is also open to building another warehousesized Pickleball Paddock in the area.
For now, however, Redmon is focused on providing current pickleball players with a place to enjoy the sport and giving newcomers a chance to learn.
“It really is kind of an addicting thing to do,” he said. “I’ve seen a lot of people who, once they get exposed to it, stick with it. It wasn’t a huge community in Lexington when I first started playing, but now you’re starting to see apartment communities and parks take down their tennis courts to convert them to pickleball. That just shows you how big it has gotten locally.”
BL
The Pickleball Paddock features nine cushioned courts available for public and member court rental. The facility also offers weekly beginner clinics, organized league play, plus, group and private lessons and tournaments.
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PHOTOS FURNISHED
Pickleball Paddock, located on Enterprise Court, is the region’s first indoor Pickleball facility.
Trailblazers of Innovation
BY LIZ CAREY CONTRIBUTING WRITER
This year’s inductees into the Kentucky Entrepreneur Hall of Fame, sponsored by the Kentucky Chamber, highlight the state’s growing prominence in healthcare innovation. Four of the five honorees represent the healthcare sector, demonstrating its significant impact on the commonwealth’s entrepreneurial landscape.
The Kentucky Entrepreneur Hall of Fame serves as both a virtual and physical destination celebrating the state’s most successful entrepreneurs. The 2024 class was honored at a banquet on November 12 at the Central Bank Center in Lexington.
“Kentucky has a long history of innovation,” said Kentucky Chamber CEO Ashli Watts. “At the Kentucky Chamber, we are part of highlighting this work through the Kentucky Entrepreneur Hall of Fame, which recognizes those in the commonwealth who, through grit and determination, achieve great entrepreneurial success.”
“Small businesses are the backbone of the economy,” said Paul Costel, Region Manager for JPMorgan Chase in Kentucky, the event’s presenting sponsor. “Entrepreneurs gener-
ate jobs, create diverse neighborhoods, and are vital to prosperous cities. It’s an honor to celebrate these leaders and their contributions to Kentucky’s innovation and success.”
2024 Inductees
Breck Jones, President and CEO, US WorldMeds — A self-described “serial entrepreneur,” Breck Jones has founded several businesses, including the specialty pharmaceutical company US WorldMeds in 2001.
Based in Louisville, the company develops and markets healthcare products aimed at improving the lives of patients with unmet medical needs.
US WorldMeds is noted for having secured FDA approval of all five of the products it has created, and has earned recognition as a “Best Place to Work” by the Kentucky Chamber and KY Society for Human Resource Management for six of the past seven years.
Scott and Sean Smith, Co-Founders, Castellan Group, Zelis, and HealthLink Dimensions — Twin brothers Scott and Sean Smith have significantly shaped the healthcare technology landscape by co-founding multiple companies specializing in health-
tech and data analytics. One of their ventures, Zelis Healthcare, has grown into a $15 billion leader in healthcare finance, backed by Bain and Parthenon Capital.
The brothers’ companies have been featured on the Inc. 500 and Inc. 5000 lists more than 15 times, and they have received prestigious accolades, including the Ernst & Young Southeast Regional Entrepreneur of the Year Award.
Mike Scanlon, CEO and Founder, Thomas and King, Inc. — Mike Scanlon is best known for co-founding Thomas and King, Inc., in 1988. Over 25 years, the company operated more than 100 Applebee’s restaurants across six states, employing over 5,000 people before selling the franchise in 2014.
Scanlon, who also served as Lexington’s vice mayor from 2002 to 2006, has earned numerous awards for his entrepreneurial accomplishments, including Inc. Magazine’s Entrepreneur of the Year for Kentucky in 1996.
Cedric Francois, MD, PhD, Co-Founder and CEO/President, Apellis Pharmaceuticals — Belgian-born Cedric Francois, MD, PhD, co-founded Apellis Pharmaceuticals in 2009 while working as a faculty member at the University of Louisville. Apellis, a biotechnology company, developed its first product to treat a rare blood disorder in 2021 and has since released a treatment for geographic atrophy, a precursor to age-related macular degeneration.
The event also recognized outstanding contributions from Kentucky entrepreneurs in various categories: Emerging Entrepreneurs – Buddy Bockweg, Co-Founder & CEO, Vsimple; Andy Eastes, CEO & Co-Founder, SkuVault. Investor of the Year – Phoebe A. Wood, Principal, CompaniesWood; Mentor of the Year – Dave Knox, Executive Director, Blue North; Executive of the Year – Ann B. Bakhaus, Chair, Kentucky Eagle Inc. BL
Breck Jones
Scott and Sean Smith
Mike Scanlon
Cedric Francois
PHOTO
AI at Work
How local professionals in the legal, healthcare, and advertising industries are integrating artificial intelligence
tools into their workflow
BY CAMPBELL WOOD CONTRIBUTING WRITER
Within a month of OpenAI’s release of GPT-4 in early 2023, Ad Idem Network presented a webinar on artificial intelligence that attracted more than 300 lawyers from across the United States and beyond.
The Continuing Legal Education (CLE) program provided practical information for attorneys addressing the impacts of AI in the workplace, according to Canby Wood, a lawyer and co-founder of Ad Idem Network, a global nonprofit networking organization for in-house counsel. This new reality — still uncertain — is being shaped by the emergence of large language models (LLMs), with GPT4’s generative AI (GenAI) technology leading the way.
According to a statement from the International Monetary Fund, “AI is poised to reshape the global economy” and could eliminate a third of jobs in advanced economies.
Legal services top the list of industries with the greatest exposure to AI’s impacts, according to a study by researchers at Princeton University, the University of Pennsylvania, and New York University. Goldman Sachs estimated that 44 percent of legal work could become automated.
Casey Flaherty, chief strategic officer for LexFusion, a New York City-based leader in legal innovation strategies, was the lead presenter during the webinar. In his presentation, Flaherty shared research projecting that, within five years, AI deployment will reshape 80 percent of corporate spending on core legal services.
He noted that, as early as the 1950s, lawyers were warned they would one-day be replaced by robots, with waves of excitement about AI that often ended with the technology not meeting expectations.
“This time is different,” Flaherty said in an interview with Business Lexington. “This is not a gimmick.”
The advent of AI is a recent and evolving reality, and businesses of all sizes are working to determine how best to integrate the technology into their workflows without
compromising integrity, privacy, or their final products. Many potential applications for AI in the workplace are emerging as the technology is incorporated into new and existing software. But as with any disruptive technology, it must serve the user, not the other way around.
“We need to understand what [GenAI] can and cannot do today,” Flaherty said.
AI isn’t yet adept at generating precise answers, for example, especially in specialized applications, he said, but it can be a useful tool in research and task workflows. He emphasized that, while much of GenAI’s impact is currently at the individual level, it’s the aggregation of those individual gains that is driving improved organizational performance for organizations.
“If you’re a big firm, you should also be making investments in R&D to see how you can make system-level changes using GenAI,” Flaherty said.
Local legal firms are already looking at how to best integrate AI into their workflow.
platform for the profession, while Dawahare subscribes to LexisNexis, a competing platform. Both services have added GenAI legal assistant tools.
“Any time there’s a legal question or issue, we can use AI to quickly get a summary of the law and the latest cases,” Dawahare said. “It’s a shortcut leading to further investigation and analysis. It’s not the answer we should be providing to our clients or the court.”
He also notes that care must be taken when using AI to protect client confidentiality.
“I do a lot of intellectual property work,” Paul said. “In any given intellectual property case, you could get thousands of emails and electronic documents. In the old days, if we asked for those emails, we’d get them as pieces of paper to flip through and read. Artificial intelligence allows you to distill it down with a few keystrokes.”
The accuracy and efficiency of that summary, however, is directly affected by how and where the data is organized. Flaherty emphasizes that a well-organized, consistently used data and communication system is critical to making the most of the technology.
“People are now feeling the pain of their poor data practices,” he said. “They’re seeing more opportunities to leverage data, but they’re not well positioned to do so. [Information is] spread out over all kinds of repositories — in people’s emails, in notebooks, in file folders. It’s a mess.”
trained with medical journals, EHRs, and textbooks, while legal LLMs are trained with legal documents, case law, and statutes.
Chandha pointed out that it’s important to consider the population on which an LLM is trained. “Eastern Kentucky, Central Kentucky, and Western Kentucky may all have different data sets,” he explained. “And Kentucky as a whole will definitely differ from large metropolitan areas like New York or Los Angeles. Whatever we implement, we need to validate it on our own population.”
In 2019, the American Medical Association established the AMA Joy in Medicine program to help prevent doctor burnout and bring more joy to the practice of medicine.
Chandha said ambient voice GenAI holds promise in this area. With patient consent, discussions between physicians and patients can be recorded, freeing doctors from note-taking and data entry and allowing for a more natural conversation.
GenAI can filter out “noise” and generate a summary for the doctor to review and edit.
Another feature gaining popularity is the crafting of follow-up messages for patients, which can be reviewed and sent out by doctors or nurses. Several academic medical centers are running pilot programs with this technology. Chandha said UK HealthCare is currently reviewing the technology.
Cornett, a Lexington-based ad agency, has also integrated GenAI into its workflow.
Bruce Paul, a partner specializing in intellectual property and litigation at McBrayer law firm in Lexington, is on a Kentucky Bar Association committee preparing a CLE on GenAI for June 2025. “Everyone wants to learn about it,” he said. “The lawyer who is going to be out of work is the one who isn’t willing to understand these technological advancements.”
Richard Dawahare, a Lexington lawyer with a solo practice specializing in elder law, estate planning, and more, attended two sessions on AI at the American Bar Association’s annual convention last summer. “AI was a big topic of conversation there,” he said.
Both Paul and Dawahare have begun using GenAI in their work. McBrayer subscribes to Westlaw, a long-established legal research
Flaherty recommends not starting with the tools but with the problem to be solved. The more important questions are: What am I trying to build? Where can I find greater efficiencies? Rather than, “Hey, someone just invented a chainsaw — what can I cut?”
GenAI has also made its way into public healthcare. Dr. Romil Chandha, chief medical information officer at UK HealthCare, leads a team of informatics physicians studying information and communication systems to strengthen provider-patient relationships and improve health outcomes.
Chandha explained that AI has been used in the medical field for decades, and recent advancements in microprocessors and computing power have increased the accuracy of AI systems. Vendors of electronic health records (EHRs) are preparing to market AI tools based on national and global data sets to healthcare providers.
“If I have a patient, Mr. X,” said Chandha, “and he has hypertension, age of 45, doesn’t have diabetes or kidney disease — if I start him on this one type of medication, what outcome will I see, versus if I start him on a second kind of medication?” He said such predictive AI tools are coming.
In both the medical and legal industries, large language models (LLMs) need training with field-specific data to be more useful and reliable. For example, medical LLMs are
“Generative AI tools are like having a really fast intern,” said Peter Cook, director of interactive strategy at Cornett. “They can do quick drafts of things, but it’s not ready [to present to clients].”
It all needs the human touch, he said, however AI “does help me to do some of my more mundane tasks more quickly and efficiently, so I have more time for creative and strategic thinking.”
“We’re not replacing humans with AI in any of the work Cornett’s doing,” Cook said. The agency relies on photographers, writers, and video crews to create its products. AI is mainly useful for creating “mock-ups or early comps” to present project ideas to clients. “We have no desire to replace people. We want people to use their time efficiently, and we want to have plenty of work that only real creative humans can do.”
“We’ve definitely run up against the limitations of AI tools in many ways,” said Jason Majewski, group creative director at Cornett. “Certain nuances just don’t compute yet. We’ve generated a lot of monstrosities. It’s interesting to see what the tools haven’t quite mastered yet.” BL
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Equipping Tomorrow’s Leaders
MBA programs continue to evolve and diversify to prepare students to thrive in a changing business environment
BY DAN DICKSON CONTRIBUTING WRITER
Simon Sheather, dean of the University of Kentucky’s Gatton College of Business and Economics since 2018, believes that the best reason for obtaining a Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree in 2025 is to help someone make their business — and their career — more profitable.
“You will have learned fundamental business skills and also amassed an online Rolodex of valuable contacts that you keep for the rest of your life to help open doors for you,” he said.
While building a professional network and advancing one’s career — along with increasing knowledge, skills, profitability, and lifetime earnings — have long been touted as benefits of pursuing an MBA, the ways students earn the degree have shifted to accommodate modern priorities and lifestyles. Areas of specialization within MBA programs and opportunities to pursue concurrent degrees have also expanded.
“If our students want to do a four-plusone program, for example an engineering degree and then an MBA, [that’s] a recipe for a great job,” Sheather said.
There are 575 universities in the United States that offer MBA programs. Courses are taken full-time, part-time, online or through distance learning. In-demand fields include healthcare management, technology management, finance, marketing, entrepreneurship, and data analytics.
UK is ranked 60th in the U.S. for all MBA programs and 40th among public universities, according to Sheather. He adds that UK is ranked No. 1 in ROI (return on investment) for an MBA student, as reported by Bloomberg Businessweek. Bloomberg noted that UK’s program is efficient (11 months) and effective in helping graduates secure jobs.
UK has about 60 full-time MBA students enrolled in its one-year program. It also offers an evening/part-time plan for working professionals, who may take two to three years to complete the requirements. A few hundred students are enrolled in these programs. Sheather recalls speaking with an MBA candidate, a veteran, who works in building construction in Covington one week and Louisville the next. “It’s great that he can just pull out his laptop and attend live online classes remotely,”
Sheather said.
While UK has big numbers in its MBA program, Midway University, with a total enrollment of about 2,000 students, holds its own in the region.
“We actually stack up fairly well against larger nearby schools in terms of enrollment and the students we are serving,” said Mark Gill, who leads Midway’s MBA
program. Midway offers one of the most affordable MBA degrees in the region. An MBA degree with 30 to 33 credit hours costs $485 per credit hour, or about $14,000 total.
Midway offers six areas of concentration, including equine management, healthcare administration, human resource management, management information systems, sport management, and bourbon studies. All are available in-person and online.
Nursing is another major area of study at Midway. The school offers a dual degree program allowing nursing candidates to earn both a nursing degree and an MBA.
Gill explained that many students graduate from college with an undergraduate degree and the technical skills to excel in their fields. But when promoted to leadership positions, they are required to lead teams, which involves hiring, retaining, developing, and managing people — a unique skill set from the one that earned them the promotion.
“The MBA [program] equips people with management skills, people skills, budgeting and understanding their organization from a global standpoint, more than just the tasks they performed before,” Gill said. “They learn how units work together to be efficient and maximize market opportunities.”
Managing people is a skill set that leaders must acquire, develop, and continuously refine, Gill said. “Today, managers often lead cross-collaborative teams working remotely across the country or even globally,” he said. “The MBA proves valuable for individuals in these leadership roles.”
Change is constant and it is speeding up. For organizations and individuals to succeed, they must adapt. “You can be a leader of change or wait for it to force you to change,” Gill said. “How organizations adjust to the challenges of modern technology and markets and new threats proves the value of an MBA.”
In Richmond, Eastern Kentucky Uni-
versity is proud of its MBA program, which this year is celebrating its fourth decade and currently enrolls about 200 students. Like many schools today, EKU prioritizes work-life balance for its professional students.
“For the in-person program on the Richmond campus, classes meet at night for eight weeks so the students can balance their professional lives,” said Weiling Zhuang, director of EKU’s MBA program. “Students can take nine courses over three semesters. Or, if they are extremely busy, they can take courses over two or three years. It is a flexible program.”
EKU offers 14 areas of concentration, including in construction management, community development, emergency management, accounting, manufacturing management, organizational psychology, and more.
Courses are offered in two eight-week terms in the fall and spring semesters and two six-week terms in the summer, allowing most students to take two courses at a time. EKU has joined other schools in offering free textbooks, and there is no application fee.
Zhuang agrees with Sheather and Gill on the value of an MBA. “Businesses and our society demand change, and the MBA gives students skills to enhance their career options and solve problems,” he said. “We know that there are not enough qualified managers in various professions. The MBA helps train new ones.”
As change remains constant in business, schools face the challenge of adapting to trends.
“The economy and business can change, so EKU tries to respond to trends by consistently monitoring our curriculum,” Zhuang said. “For example, we are currently scrutinizing artificial intelligence and how it fits into our concentrations and courses. We do this to help our students be leaders in their industries.”
SHEATHER
GILL
ZHUANG
The University of Kentucky’s Gatton College of Business and Economics has about 4,300 full-time students.
Central Kentucky institutions ranked by total enrollment 2024-25
Lexington Christian Academy
450 W. Reynolds Way Lexington, KY 40503 (859) 422-5700 lexingtonchristian.org
Lexington Catholic High School 2250 Clays MIll Road Lexington, KY 40503 (859) 277-7183 lexingtoncatholic.com
The Lexington School 1050 Lane Allen Road Lexington, KY 40504 (859) 278-0501 thelexingtonschool.org
Sayre School
194 N. Limestone St. Lexington, KY 40507 (859) 254-1361 sayreschool.org
Christ the King School
412 Cochran Road Lexington, KY 40502 (859) 255-5641 ctkschool.net
Mary Queen of the Holy Rosary School 605 Hill N Dale Road Lexington, KY 40503 (859) 277-3030 maryqueenschool.org
Trinity Christian Academy
3900 Rapid Run Dr. Lexington, KY 40515 (859) 271-0079 trinitylex.org
Lexington Latin School
Ashland Baptist Church 483 W. Reynolds Road Lexingon, KY 40503 (859) 940-7485 lexingtonlatinschool.com
Steton Catholic School 1740 Summerhill Drive Lexington, KY 40515 (859) 273-7827 setonstars.com
Providence Montessori School 1209 Texaco Road Lexington, KY 40508 (859) 255-7330 providencemontessoriky.org
Sts. Peter & Paul Regional Catholic School 432 W. Short St. Lexington, KY 40507 (859) 254-9257 Early Childcare Center 133 Barr St. Lexington, KY 40507 (859) 233-0921 stspeterandpaulschool.org
St. Leo School 255 Huntertown Road Versailles, KY 40383 (859) 873-4591 saintleoky.org
Lexington Universal Academy 4580 Nicholasville Road Lexington, KY 40515 (859) 272-3360 luaky.org
St. John School 106 Military St. Georgetown, KY 40324 (502) 863-2607 stjohnschoolonline.org
Good Shepherd Day School 544 Sayre Ave. Lexington, KY 40508 (859) 255-9734 goodshepherddayschool.org
Community Montessori School/ Montessori MIddle School 725 Stone Road Lexington, KY 40503 (859) 277-4805/ (859) 277-1169 cmsmontessori.org
Lexington Montessori School 319 S. Broadway Park Lexington, KY 40504 (859) 254-7034 lexkymontessori.org
BizLexQ&A
Ryan Quarles
The president of the Kentucky Community and Technical College System on expanding affordable access and educational opportunities
BY CAMPBELL WOOD CONTRIBUTING WRITER
In January, Ryan Quarles became president of the Kentucky Community and Technical College System (KCTCS), which includes a central office in Versailles and 16 colleges with more than 70 campuses across the state.
Quarles brings a wealth of experience to the position, combining a background in government service with advanced degrees from Vanderbilt University, Harvard University, and the University of Kentucky, where he earned a juris doctorate.
A ninth-generation farmer from Scott County, Quarles grew up working on his family’s farm, which dates to the 1780s. “I started working on the farm for $1 an hour when I was 6 years old,” he said. “I saved that money to go to college.”
Quarles’ career in public service began in 2010 when he was elected to the Kentucky House of Representatives. From 2016 to 2023, he served as Kentucky’s commissioner of agriculture, overseeing one of the state’s largest executive agencies, with more than 200 employees.
Since stepping into his leadership role at KCTCS, Quarles has focused on charting a path forward for the state’s community colleges. In June, he presented a comprehensive vision document to the KCTCS Board of Regents, outlining key goals for the next year. A significant part of this plan aligns with the directives of Kentucky Senate Joint Resolution (SJR) 179, which tasks KCTCS with identifying ways to strengthen and advance its system while reporting its findings to state leadership.
Business Lexington spoke with Quarles about what lies ahead for KCTCS.
What prepared you for your role as president of KCTCS? My mother was a lifelong educator and nursing instructor at Kentucky State University. She was a direct influence on me about the value of an education, espeicially higher education, as well. She went back to school as an adult learner to get her PhD when she was in her late 40s and 50s. It’s because of her I finished out my doctorate, which prepared me for this role.
My years as a state representative and Agriculture Commissioner also helped. First, they gave me insight into the higher education process in Frankfort — how policy is made and how higher education impacts the state. Second, traveling to every Kentucky county multiple times allowed me to see firsthand the workforce needs across the state, from technical skills to the need for more Kentuckians earning four-year degrees.
What appealed to you about KCTCS? KCTCS just celebrated 25 years since the
reforms of the 1997 House Bill 1. We have the largest student body in Kentucky, with well over 100,000 students and a footprint in every county. Enrollment is up over 8% from last year.
We are the state’s largest provider of workforce training. We currently work with and interact with over 7,000 Kentucky companies every year, and we’re always looking for partnerships to help solve workforce needs in our state. The best experience for our students is when they know that there’s a job waiting for them once they complete their studies. For example, last spring, I met a student finishing his electrical degree who already had a job lined up months before graduation.
We’re also the largest provider of dual credit, meaning that we are in our high schools now, providing early college experiences for high schoolers across our state, so they can jump-start their college studies.
We’re proud that we are educating Kentuckians who have faced a few bumps in the road, meaning that we are in our addiction and recovery communities. We’re also in our jails and prisons, teaching Kentuckians as they exit the criminal justice system.
There are 300,000 Kentuckians without a high school diploma. We are the largest provider of not just associates degrees and technical degrees, and the big provider of certificates, but we’re also a provider for those Kentuckians who want to achieve the dream of getting their GED.
Can you talk about the vision statement you presented to the Board of Regents in June? As only the fourth president of KCTCS and the first native Kentuckian in the role, I felt it was crucial to articulate a vision for the system’s future, not just for the next year but for the next decade.
First and foremost is to achieve compliance with the multiple state audits that I inherited as the new president. We just finished two audits, and we have one more to go — primarily about financial issues and policies that need to be corrected.
We are also focusing on a once-in-ageneration reset of KCTCS through Senate Joint Resolution 179. We are finishing up well over 8,000 hours of work reviewing KCTCS after 25 years and preparing us for the next 25 years. We’re finalizing a reform package that includes legislation for this upcoming session.
What details can you share about that report? The report includes recommendations to maintain our affordability advantage compared to four-year colleges while ensuring we are adequately funded. It also emphasizes the need for a statewide workforce plan that defines KCTCS’s role.
There’s a focus on the student pathway
experience at KCTCS — whether high school students, traditional students, or adult learners — and how can we remove barriers so they can achieve their goals, whether pursuing a four-year degree or earning a certificate.
We’re also expecting changes in our board of governance. And we need to have more program sharing across the state. Program sharing might be where Maysville has a healthcare program that we need to replicate, say, in Ashland. Instead of reinventing the program, we can share that program across counties.
What work pathways are you finding most in demand across Kentucky? We know that we have a shortage of allied health workers, primarily nurses. We are the largest nursing provider in Kentucky. We also train behind-the-scenes medical professionals like lab workers and technicians. We also have one of only four prosthetic limb schools in the country.
Another area is cybersecurity. You don’t need a four-year degree to be a cybersecurity professional. And, of course, anything to do with jobs that require you to work with your hands — meaning welders, electricians, aviation mechanics.
A lot of people find it surprising that the Kentucky Fire Commission is attached to KCTCS. The Fire Commission oversees most of the training for our 18,000 firefighters across Kentucky. Firefighters cannot only get their annual training that they need through us, they can also earn college credit.
What is the enrollment cliff, and how is KCTCS positioned for it? Back in 2008-2009 and in the subsequent years of the financial recession, the birth rate in America went down. This means fewer students in the pipeline.
Additionally, there’s a growing narrative questioning the value of higher education, citing concerns over student loans and degree relevancy.
KCTCS is well-positioned to address these challenges. We’re focused on getting students in and out in two years or less. Over 80% of our students receive financial aid, and two out of three students pay no out-of-pocket tuition.
While we’re concerned about overall enrollment trends, KCTCS is somewhat insulated. About a third of our students are high schoolers earning dual credit and another third are adult learners. Our flexibility and affordability keep us competitive. BL
Ryan Quarles, president of the Kentucky Community and Technical College System, leads a network of 16 colleges with over 70 campuses statewide.
Who’sWho
New Hires & Board Selections
The Lexington-Fayette County Board of Health announced the appointment of Steve Davis, MD, as its interim commissioner of health.
Sherman Carter Barnhart Architects has hired Jacqueline Pitts Selby as its associate principal and director of business development.
Central Bank announced the recent addition of Dominic LaBarber as vice president, retirement plan manager II; and Stephen Barton as vice president, commercial insurance manager, and officer. The bank also promoted the following employees: Kirt Caldwell to consumer underwriter, officer; Laurel Locke to retail administration analyst, officer; Patricia Chamness to retail banking officer; Gina Ensminger to vice president, retail banking officer; and Karen Lackey to vice president, retail banking officer.
Lexington Clinic has named Jason Ladd as its new chief financial officer. The clinic also announced the addition of Julie Martin, MD to its dermatology department.
The Henry Clay Memorial Foundation recently appointed Mike Delzotti, Matthew Clarke, Lou Anna Red Corn, and Angela DeHart as new board members.
Shaker Village of Pleasant Hill has named Billy Rankin as interim president and CEO of the historic nonprofit organization.
Commerce Lexington Inc. has promoted Lisa Deaton Mahan to vice president of strategic partnerships, and Lynda Bebrowsky to the role of chief of staff.
McBrayer announced that attorneys Emily D. Penn and Kara N. Legg will join as associates in the firm’s Lexington office.
The Kentucky Community and Technical College System welcomed Tiffany KelleyJenkins, Raeanne Powers, Ryan Hall, and
Robert Higdon as new members to its board of regents. Members Brianna Sanders Witten and Marty Sutherland were re-elected to serve on the board.
The Supreme Court of Kentucky’s Chief Justice-elect, Debra Hembree Lambert, has appointed Justice Robert B. Conley as deputy chief justice.
Lexington Christian Academy has named Coleman Marshall as its new director of admissions.
Valvoline Inc. announced the addition of Adam Guilmette as new senior director, construction.
Attorney General Russell Coleman recently named award-winning TV anchor and reporter Lauren Adams as the Attorney General’s Office’s deputy communications director.
Kudos
VisitLEX recently launched Film Lexington (FilmLEX), a one-stop resource to market Kentucky’s competitive entertainment incentive program. Led by industry veteran Lisa Brin, this film and entertainment resource hub will attract new investment and make filming in Lexington easier.
Gov. Andy Beshear recently announced the 2024 Governor’s Awards in the Arts honorees. This year’s recipients are as follows: Milner Award - Mark Lenn Johnson, Fayette County; Artist Award - Gregory Turay, Fayette County; Community Arts Award, Individual - Jeffery Reed, Warren County; Community Arts Award, Organization - Yes Arts, Franklin County; Education Award - Louisville Academy of Music, Jefferson County; Folk Heritage Award - Cheryl Pan, Fayette County; Government Award - Carl M. Brashear Radcliff Veterans Center, Hardin County; Media Award - Owensboro Messenger-Inquirer, Daviess County; and the National AwardTyler Childers, Lawrence County.
McBrayer has been ranked among the nation’s top law firms by Best Lawyers®, achieving recognition in their 2025 edition of Best Law Firms®
Lexington Clinic’s Ben Kibler, MD, FASCM has received the prestigious Charles Neer Award in Basic Science from the American Shoulder and Elbow Society.
The Lexington Medical Society (LMS) has presented Thomas Waid, MD, the Jack Trevey Award for Community Service. Waid is a past LMS president, and LMS executive board chair. The Jack Trevey Award for Community Service is LMS’s highest award.
Monic Ductan, author of Daughters of Muscadine: Stories (University Press of Kentucky), has been named recipient of the inaugural Tennessee Book Award in the fiction category. The awards recognize excellence in fiction, nonfiction, and poetry written by Tennessee residents.
The Kentucky Community and Technical College System (KCTCS) and six of its colleges recently won 11 Medallion awards for outstanding achievement in design and communications from the National Council for Marketing & Public Relations, District 2.
KCTCS and Indiana Wesleyan University have signed a new transfer agreement that will help more KCTCS graduates earn a bachelor’s degree. By combining the strengths and resources of both institutions, KCTCS and IWU aim to make a bachelor’s degree more accessible and attainable for students desiring to earn their degree at a reputable institution online.
Dermatology Associates of Kentucky (DAK), a part of Lexington Clinic, announced the accreditation of its Ambulatory Surgery Center by the Accreditation Association for Ambulatory Health Care has been renewed. DAK first received this significant accreditation in 2002 and has continuously maintained it since then.
Frontier Nursing University (FNU) has been named recipient of the 2024 Health Professions Higher Education Excellence in Diversity (HEED) Award from INSIGHT Into Diversity magazine. Also, for the fourth consecutive year, FNU has been named one of the best colleges in the nation to work for, according to the Great Colleges to Work For® program. In other news, two current FNU students have been selected by the Nurses for Sexual and Reproductive Health for the prestigious 2024 Karen Edlund Future Nurse Leader Fellowship. Women’s Health Nurse Practitioner student Samirah McKee and certified Nurse-Midwifery student Erlyn Woodward were two of the six students selected for the 2024 fellowship.
University of Kentucky student Caroline Groth, a graduate Fayette County Public Schools SCAPA, Lafayette and Locust Trace AgriScience Center, has been elected as the Future Farmers of America (FFA) eastern region vice president for 2024-2025. Groth is the first-ever national FFA officer selected from Lexington.
Alltech recently presented a $100,000 donation to GreenHouse17, an advocacy agency and emergency shelter in Central Kentucky committed to ending intimate partner abuse. The donation was made possible thanks to the success of Alltech’s third annual Make a Difference Golf Scramble and matching funds from the Pearse Lyons ACE Foundation,
R.J. Corman Railroad Group has donated a vintage boxcar that will be used for the café in Gatton Park on the Town Branch. The 1,750-square-foot space will be located behind the amphitheater and offer park visitors a variety of seasonal grab-and-go, quick-serve hot and cold food and beverages.
Local nonprofit FoodChain has been awarded Bank of America’s Lexington 2024 Neighborhood Builder. FoodChain will be awarded a $200,000 grant over two years, comprehensive leadership training for the organization’s executive director and an emerging leader, and access to a national network of nonprofit peers. BL
LACKEY LADD MARTIN
DAVIS SELBY
ENSMINGER
LABARBER
BARTON LOCKE CALDWELL CHAMNESS
LEGG KELLEY-JENKINS POWERS
DELZOTTI CLARKE
PENN RED CORN
DEHART
MAHAN RANKIN
BEBROWSKY
KIBLER WAID DUCTAN
HALL HIGDON ADAMS WITTEN SUTHERLAND MARSHALL CONLEY GUILMETTE
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