Latest / Kentucky Business News / 11.6.25

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11.6.25 · Kentucky Business News

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Speaker 1: Hello. Today, I'll be reading from business sources in Lexington
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and Louisville, including The Lane Report and others from around
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the Commonwealth. Your reader today is Julia Shane. As a reminder,
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RADIOI is a reading service intended for people who are
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blind or who have other disabilities that make it difficult
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to reprinted material. Our first article comes from the November fourth,
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twenty twenty five edition of The Lane Report and is
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titled Ford's Garage opens new Kentucky restaurant location. Ford's Garage,
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a burger and craft beer restaurant known for its nineteen
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twenties vintage automotive charm and comfort food classics, is now
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open in Lexington. Located at one four zero Roe Jay
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Drive in Fayette Mall, it brings a one of a
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kind dining experience to one of the region's most vibrant
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retail and dining destinations. Founded in twenty twelve, enfranchising since
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twenty fifteen, the original Ford's Garage opened in Fort Myers, Florida,
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less than a mile from Henry Ford's former winter home.
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Today as an official licensee of the Ford Motor Company,
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enabling them to use the company's iconic blue oval logo
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and other brand imagery. The nineteen twenties garage themed burger
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and craft beer restaurant franchise has expanded to include a
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total of thirty three locations across eight states, spanning eighty
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one hundred fifty six square feet and accommodating two hundred
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fifty nine guests. Ford Garage Lexington offers an immersive atmosphere,
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transporting diners back to a nineteen twenty s service garage.
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The design is a nostalgic nod to the early days
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of the Ford Motor Company, featuring vintage vehicles, antique fixtures,
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gas pumps, and authentic Ford memorabilia. Throughout, even the smallest
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details rev up the theme. Servers wear mechanic shirts, napkins are
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blue shot, optowels and bathroom sinks are crafted from tires
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and fuel pump nozzles. Ford's Garage isn't a restaurant, It's
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an experience, said Sam Tancretti, operating partner at ten Lizzy Restaurants,
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the franchise group that now owns six Ford Garages restaurants,
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including two in the Cincinnati area, two in the Indianapolis area,
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and one in Florence, Kentucky, and now one in Lexington.
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From the decord to the food, every element is designed
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to create American innovation, hospitality and immersing our guests in
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a timeless story of the historic Ford brand. We're thrilled
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to bring this unique concept to Lexington and be a
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part of such an exciting dining community. Guests can take
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in the nostalgic setting while fueling up on the menu
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of American comfort favorites including black Angus beef burgers with
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fresh unique toppings, and housemaid sauces, all served on Artison
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buns branded with a Ford garage logo. Menu highlights include
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the restaurant's signature burghers of fame for those looking to
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switch gears. Other favorites include Mama Ford's homemade meat loaf,
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pulled pork, mac and cheese, beer, battered fish and chips,
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and barbecue pork ribs. The Lexington location is open Monday
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through Thursday eleven am to ten pm, Friday and Saturday
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from eleven am to eleven pm, and Sunday from eleven
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am to nine pm. The next article from the Lane
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Report is titled Bluegrass Community Foundation mobilizes two hundred seventy
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five thousand dollars to fight food insecurity following SNAP benefit delay.
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Across Central and Appalachia Kentucky, Tens of thousands of our
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neighbors are now grappling with the loss of federal food
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assistants following the November first expiration of SNAP benefits. In response,
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Bluegrass Community found Foundation BGCF has brought together partners and
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activated resources to ensure food reaches those most affected. BGCF
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has committed one hundred eighty seven thousand dollars in direct
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support to food pantries and hunger relief programs across our
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sixteen county service region. The discretionary funds at BGCF contributing
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to this response include the David C. Humphreys Fund, the
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Edith D. Gardner Fund, the Stuart Hindman Fund, and the
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Thompson R. Bryant Junior and Betty R. Bryant Fund. Several
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of bgcf's endowed community funds and initiatives have joined in
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to ensure no one in our region goes hungry, together
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the Clark County Community Foundation fifteen thousand dollars, Franklin County
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Community Fund five thousand dollars, Fund for Greater Lexington ten
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thousand dollars, Harrison County cou Community Fund ten thousand dollars,
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Lexington Black Prosperity Initiative twelve thousand dollars, Madison County Community
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Fund ten thousand dollars, RL Brown Foundation twenty five hundred dollars,
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Rowan County Community Fund thirty one hundred dollars, and Woodford
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County Community Fund twenty thousand dollars are sending critical support
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to food pantries and hunger relief efforts across Central and
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Appalachia Kentucky. Together, that's two hundred and seventy five thousand
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dollars invested in nonprofits working to put food on our
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neighbour's tables. Nearly six hundred thousand Kentuckians rely on Snap
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benefits each month. In the sixteen counties served by BGCF,
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more than eighty six thousand residents depend on Snap to
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help feed their families, an average of one in ten people.
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In some counties, that number rises to nearly one in three.
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Our mission at Bluegrass Community Foundation is simple, activate forll
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entropy to build a community where everyone can thrive, said
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BGCF President and CEO Lisa Atkins. That starts with making
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sure every family has enough to eat. When our neighbors
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are fed, our communities are stronger. BGCF leadership is matching
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staff donations offering a dollar for dollar match on donations
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up to two hundred and fifty dollars to local food
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pantries or organizations working to fight food and security. We
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encourage BGCF fundholders, donors, and caring community members to give
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what they can to their local food pantries. Every donation,
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large or small, helps fill the shelves and feed families.
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Those unsure where to give can call us at eight
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five nine two two five three three four three. The
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next article from the Lane Report is titled The Remarkable
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Life of Martha Lane Collins Revolutionized Kentucky's Economy, written by
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Jack Brammer of The Kentucky Lane. Martha Lane Collins, who
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was the only woman to serve as Governor of Kentucky,
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revolutionized the state's economy by landing Toyota Motor Manufacturing, died
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at three am Saturday, November first, in Lexington. She was
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eighty eight. Her husband, doctor Bill Collins, said his wife
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died in her sleep at Richmond Place, a retirement community
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in Lexington where they had been living. I was with her.
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We had a lady for hospice and caregivers come in
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and out. She died peacefully. She lived a remarkable life,
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he said. News of her death drew quick responses. Kentucky
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Governor Andy Basheer, like Collins, a Democrat, said on Facebook
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today Kentucky said goodbye to our first and only woman
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governor and my friend, Martha Lane Collins. Governor Collins was
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a powerhouse, transforming our commonwealth through major accomplishments like bringing
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Toyota to our state for its first U S side.
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She created a foundation for us to build a strong
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future upon, and her legacy will continue to benefit Kentucky
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families for generations. She was a proud Kentuckian and she
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will be greatly missed Kentucky. Let's remember to send up
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a thank you with our prayers as we remember a
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remarkable woman who made an undeniable difference in our state.
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Former Governor Steve Basheer, the current governor's father, said, Jane
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and I are saddened to hear of the passing of
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Martha Lane Collins. I had the privilege of serving as
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Lieutenant governor when she broke the glass ceiling to become
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Kentucky's first female governor, and I saw firsthand her transformational
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efforts related to economic development, education and equine tourism. With
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Toyota the Horse Park and ongoing education reform, Kentuckians continue
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to benefit from her leadership. Our thoughts go out to
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Bill and their children. Republican US Senator Mitch McConnell said,
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as Kentucky's first female governor, Martha Lane Collins was known
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for breaking barriers. Governor Collins was a tireless advocate for
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all levels of education in Kentucky, and that passion carried
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her throughout her life. She also promoted growth in the
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Commonwealth by bringing the Toyota Plant to Georgetown, stimulating the
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regional economy. It is with deep sadness that Elaine and
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I learned about Governor Collins passing, and we send our
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sincere condolences to her husband, Bill and their two children.
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Public school teacher Martha Lane Hall's remarkable life began in
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the tiny community of Baghdad in Shelby County on December seventh,
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nineteen thirty six, and led to her inauguration as the
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state's first woman governor for a term from nineteen eighty
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three to nineteen eighty seven. Growing up in Shelby County,
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She was known as a beautiful, dignified person, said classmate
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Whitey Gray. She had much charisma and ran round in
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the social circle of the well to do kids, but
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no one at the time thought of a woman as
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governor anytime soon. A graduate of the University of Kentucky,
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Collins was a public school teacher before working in Wendell
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Ford's nineteen seventy one gubernatorial bid and Walter D. Huttleson's
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nineteen seventy two US Senate bid. She became secretary of
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the Kentucky Democratic Party and in nineteen seventy five was
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elected clerk of the Kentucky Court of Appeals, overseeing its
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transformation into the state Supreme Court. Collins was elected lieutenant
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governor in nineteen seventy nine and served simultaneously with Democratic
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Governor John Y. Brown Junior. When Collins did become the
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state's number one elected official, Kentucky's governors were limited to
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one four year term. She was only the third woman
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in US history to be elected governor of a state
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in her own right. Collins was considered in nineteen eighty
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four for US Vice President as a running mate with
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Democratic presidential nominee Walter Mondale, who instead chose Geraldine Ferraro.
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That year, Collins chaired the Democratic National Convention in San Francisco.
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Economy of Transition. Collins got off to a rocky start
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as governor, but after the first two years racked up successes.
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She oversaw negotiations and an economic incentive package that brought
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Japanese automaker Toyota to Georgetown in nineteen eighty six. The
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Kentucky manufacturing plant is Toyota's largest and remains a major
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economic force in the state. Collins also successfully pushed for
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improvements and education. Collins worked extensively throughout her term to
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build legislative interests and support for wide ranging education reforms,
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says a statement issued Saturday by the Pritchard Committee for
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Academic Excellence. A tough nineteen eighty four legislative session produced
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mandatory kindergarten, required testing and internships for teachers, and instituted
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academic takeovers for failing schools. In June of nineteen eighty five,
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she unveiled a package that raised teacher salaries by five percent,
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reduced class sizes, funded construction projects, provided aids in kindergarten classrooms,
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and helped find more money for poorer school districts. She
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called a special session in July, and the plan was approved,
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along with an increase in corporate taxes. This nation's economy
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is in transition, Collins said at the time. It's an
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economy increasingly built on technology and the human mind rather
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than strong backs and willing hands. Education is the key
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to this new economy. Education is Kentucky's challenge. In nineteen
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eighty six, Collins pushed an increase in higher education funding
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through the legislature and passed a pilot preschool program in
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the education focused atmosphere. A lawsuit challenging the states system
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of school finance was filed in nineteen eighty five, says
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the Prichered Committee statement. It subsequently led to a landmark
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nineteen eighty nine decision by the state Supreme Court that
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prompted the Kentucky Education Reform Act of nineteen ninety, which
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overhauled the state's entire K through twelve school system. Collins,
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a long standing member of the Pritchard Committee, set in
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an oral history interview, when I became governor, you have
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lots of priorities, but when I'd sit down and think
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about it, education always came back as the first thing
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you have to start with. It's the key. That's one
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thing no one can take away from you. That's what
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you have to have in order to have people work,
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to get revenues, to provide libraries and roads and everything.
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It all comes back to education. I feel like I
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made an impact in education and bringing in new jobs.
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I hope we made the people of Kentucky feel good
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about themselves. Pritchard Committee President and CEO Bridget Blam called
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Collins a visionary leader whose steadfast commitment to education transformed
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opportunities for generations of Kentuckians. Her courage, grace, and determination
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continued to inspire all of us who believe in the
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power of education to move our commonwealth forward. Role model
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for women in public life. The darkest moment for the
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governor came when her husband, a dentist, was indicted in
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July of nineteen ninety two for exploiting her position of
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power to advance his financial dealings. He was convicted in
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nineteen ninety three for extorting money from underwriters who handled
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state bond issues and sentenced to prison. The former governor
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said she was unaware of her husband's illegal activities or
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that their net worth increased seven hundred percent during her term.
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He was doing his business and I was running government.
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Collins said her husband's criminal conviction did not erase her legacy,
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especially as a role model in inspiration for women in
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public life. Allison Lundergren Grimes, a Democrat who was Kentucky
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Secretary of State from twenty twelve to twenty twenty, said Collins,
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in every title she held, was always teaching and inspiring
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generations to come. I'm blessed to have had her mentorship, guidance,
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and friendship over the last three decades. Time and travel
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across our commonwealth with her changed me for the better.
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Her very presence showed little girls and women of all
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ages that their voice and politics mattered. The Lady from Baghdad,
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a legend in icon, will be missed beyond measure. Kentucky
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Attorney General Russell Coleman, a Republican, said, as a dad
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of two daughters, I applaud Governor collins service to Kentucky
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and breaking through the glass ceiling to show them there
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are no limitations in our commonwealth. Terry Carter, a writer,
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political columnists and gun control activist from Anderson County, said
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Collins was one of my first mentors in Kentucky politics,
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and it did not matter one bit to her that
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I was from somewhere else. She liked to remind me
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that years ago she was campaigning. She would say, raise
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your hand if you choose Kentucky, if you moved here
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for school or work or family, and then she'd say,
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I'm so glad you're here. I count you twice. Carter said.
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The two often talked or texted after reading the newspaper
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or watching comment on Kentucky or Kentucky Tonight on k
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e T. I loved how passionate and focused she was,
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even in her later years, and that our conversations always
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circled back to her central question, what can I do
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to help? Said Carter. I'm always so very thankful for
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her friendship, her quick wit, her sense of humor, and
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her absolute devotion to the citizens of the commonwealth. Longtime
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Kentucky Democratic consultant Danny Briscoe of Louisville said the fact
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that Kentucky has not had another woman governor since Collins
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cannot be blamed on her. She performed well as a governor.
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She was a strong symbol for women, but she took
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care of the whole state. He said, we have many
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well to do families in Kentucky today because she brought
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Toyota here. Her biggest accomplishment, the fact that we have
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had no other woman governor, is due to just how
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conservative this state has become. After leaving office, she was
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president of Saint Catharine College in Springfield from nineteen ninety
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to nineteen ninety six, and later taught leadership classes at
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the Harvard Institute of Politics John F. Kennedy School of Government.
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Doctor Collins said their children, Steve and Marla, will decide arrangements.
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Steve is director of Hall Taylor Funeral Home in downtown
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on Shelbyville, which is grandfather Martha Lane's father, Everett Hall operated.
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Our next article comes from the November fourth, twenty twenty
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five edition of the Louisville Courier Journal and is titled
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is KFC parent company yum Brands selling Pizza Hut? Here's
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what we Know? Written by Olivia Evans. Yum Brands, the
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Louisville based fast food chain Fortune five hundred company, is
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considering a sale of one of its iconic brands. In
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the company's third quarter earnings call on November fourth, newly
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appointed CEO Chris Turner shared that yum Brands is initiating
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a review of strategic operations for its Pizza Hut brand.
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This move is in an effort to increase value for
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YOUM Brands while positioning Pizza Hut for greater success. Turner said,
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yum Brands is considering, but not limiting itself to a
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sale of the Pizza Hut business. We are always evaluating
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what is best for EA each part of our business,
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Turner said in the November fourth call. It is an
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iconic global brand with incredible strength, and in that spirit,
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we do think the business can be positioned for even
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greater success in the future, and it's possible that those
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efforts may be best done under a different structure, potentially
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under outside functions. Of the three major brands that make
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up Young Brands, KFC, Taco Bell, and Pizza Hut, only
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Pizza Hut saw a decline in the same store sales,
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system sales, and core operating profit for the quarter ended
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on September thirtieth. Filings to the US Security and Exchange
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Commission show overall, the third quarter brought growth to Young Brands,
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with a global increase of five percent in system sales
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led by Taco Bell with KFC close behind. The company
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had a rocky start to the year, announcing in February
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it would relocate its KFC division from its hometown of
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Las Louisville to Plano, Texas, in a move that took
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one hundred jobs from the metro and came at a
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cost for the corporation. In April, it was revealed in
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SEC filings that Young Brands spent approximately seven million dollars
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on its KFC relocation, but on November fourth, filings show
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that figure has ballooned upward of twenty million dollars year
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to date and is largely due to administrative expenses and
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severance pay for workers not willing to relocate. The February
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announcement led many to speculate Young Brands would eventually lead
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its hometown, especially after the company donated its gard Neer
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Lane headquarters building to JCPS. However, this speculation was put
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to rest on October thirtieth, when Young Brands announced it
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would take over four and a half floors of the
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P and C Tower at one oh one South Fifth
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Street for its new headquarters, reaffirming a commitment to rule
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we are excited for the opportunities that lie ahead in
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the next chapter of young brands in Louisville, Turner said
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in an October thirtieth statement. The next article from the
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Courier Journal is titled Greater's ice Cream unveils new look,
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gives workers ownership stake, written by Alexander Coolidge. Greater's Ice
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Cream Company is unveiling a brand new look in November
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as it refreshes its packaging. The biggest change is Greater's
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dropping the brick red shield from the logo that adorns
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its signs in packaging, while bestowing a crown with a
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small ice cream cone atop. Its brand name, which remains
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incursive since eighteen seventy, is also switching to established in
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eighteen seventy. The company's new tagline is Taste the Greatest.
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Speaking with the Inquirer, CEO Richard Grater acknowledged a brand
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refresh is tricky, especially with a local favorite, and that
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some companies get it wrong crack o barrel anyone, But
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he added it was time to look at the brand
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as the company looks forward. The goal was to make
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the package reflect the quality inside. Greater said. The trick
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is to know who your customers are and Ours, Value
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family in Cincinnati and ice cream and Legacy. Since Greater's
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last logo change in two thousand and five, the company
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has spent the past two decades expanding its manufacturing capabilities
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and growing its wholesale to grocery stores and e commerce business,
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and with the recent retirement of Bob Grador Rich's cousin,
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a fifth generation of the family is being groomed to
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take over leadership in the coming years. Greater's announces employees
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will assume part ownership of the company with the brand refresh.
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The company also announced that it has changed its ownership structure,
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establishing an employee stock Ownership Plan or ESOP. While Greater
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family members still own a majority of the company, the
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twenty million dollar transaction puts about forty four percent of
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the company's shares into a trust that will eventually go
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to vested full time employees. The change was brought about
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by Bob Grater's retirement. The company doesn't allow family members
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not active in the business to own shares, so his
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stake was bought out. ESOP plans are an alternative way
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for private business to raise money to grow and evolve,
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aside from going public or selling at stake to private
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equity investors. Some noteworthy ESOP companies are supermarket operators, Publics
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and HEB manufacturers WL, Gore and Associates, Gore Tech Outerwear
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and Amsted Industries, Auto construction and rail, and food companies
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like New Belgium Brewing, Fat Tire and their Beers and
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King Arthur Baking Flour. Grater's has been approached by private
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equity firms, but family members, who are protective of the
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company's product and traditional production methods, were skeptical. Private equity
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is a financial deal with the devil. It's kind of
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like selling your soul. Pe ruins companies, Greater said, adding
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outside investors would insist Greaters dispose of its unique French
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pot small batch production that gives its ice cream its
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unique flavor. There's no secret recipe. The key ingredient is
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not what you think. Greater said. The key to making
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his company's ice cream is its technique making it in
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small two and a half gallon batches, one at a
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time at its plant in the Cincinnati neighborhood of Bond Hill.
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People think we've got a secret recipe. It's not. There's
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no secret recipe. It's cream, milk, sugar and eggs. Greater said.
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What makes Grater's ice cream stay and out even compared
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to super premium brands like Hogandhas and Vin and Jerry's
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is one ingredient that Graters has less of. Air mass
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manufactured ice cream folds more air bubbles into the final
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product than Graters, called overrun and industry lingo. Some premium
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ice creams contain forty to fifty percent air. Graters keeps
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that air content to twenty to twenty five percent, which
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makes it denser, heavier, and tastier than competitors. Fortress Midwest
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Big plans for growth while his older cousin is out.
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Greater sixty one, said he plans to put in another
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nine to ten years, and there is much to do.
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Graters currently has fifty seven stores and plans to grow
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to sixty five or sixty six in the next two years,
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paying attention to markets such as Indianapolis, Lexington, and Columbus.
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The company's retail operations generate seventy five percent at sales,
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but making the retail footprint, Biger also grows the wholesale
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business to customers like Cincinnati based supermarket giant Kroger and
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its direct to consumer online sales. Growing market presence in
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a community with retail ice cream shops, combined with shelf
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space in supermarkets helps build what Greaters calls the company's
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Fortress Midwest. Internally, the Greater family has half a dozen
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fifth generation members, either active in the business or with
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past experience and considering further responsibilities. Greater said the company,
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under the fourth generation of ownership, has also brought in
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outside professionals for key leadership. The next article from the
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Louisville Courier Journal is titled three new projects could bring
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over forty million dollars in investments to Louisville. Here's what
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we know, written by Olivia Evans, Three business expansions with
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multi mils millions of dollars in investments are headed to
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the Louisville metro area. In a meeting of the Kentucky
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Economic Development Finance Authority on October thirtieth, projects at Advance
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ready Mix, a concrete company, in glove Safe, a sterile
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glove manufacturer, both received approval for investments of over five
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million dollars each in Louisville that will also be supported
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by state incentives. A third business, Pack Size, also announced
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its intentions to undergo a nearly thirty million dollar investment
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in Louisville. Gloves say will create two hundred jobs over
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ten years. The average hourly wage is expected to be
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twenty eight dollars and ninety four cents. Advanced ready Mix
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received approval of one hundred thousand dollars in incentives from
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the state. Pack Size will create twenty one jobs with
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an average hourly wage of thirty nine dollars and eighty
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six cents, and is preliminarily approved for four hundred thousand
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dollars in state incentives. This concludes the reading of the
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most recent business news in Lexington, Louisville, and around the state.
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Your reader today has been Julia Shane. If you have
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any questions or comments about this program, please give our
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Lexington Studios a call at eight five nine four two
28:15
two six three nine zero. Thanks for listening, and now
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please stay tuned for readings from the Kentucky series here
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on Radio I