Latest / Kentucky Business News / 10.29.26

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10.29.26 · Kentucky Business News

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  Speaker 1: Hello. Today I'll be reading from business sources in Lexington
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  Speaker 1: and Louisville, including the Lane Report and others from around
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  Speaker 1: the Commonwealth. Your reader today is Julia Shane. As a reminder,
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  Speaker 1: Radio Eye is a reading service intended for people who
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  Speaker 1: are blind or who have other disabilities that make it
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  Speaker 1: difficult to read printed material. Our first article comes from
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  Speaker 1: the October 27, 2026 edition of the Lane Report. It
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  Speaker 1: is titled Bowling Green Startup Launches Archive with More Than
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  Speaker 1: 200 Million Human Profiles. Kentucky technology startup ULO has launched
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  Speaker 1: a digital archive containing more than 200 million source-backed profiles
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  Speaker 1: with the goal of documenting and preserving individual lives across
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  Speaker 1: generations and cultures. The platform, ULO Archives, draws on historical
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  Speaker 1: records from archival and government sources. The company says each
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  Speaker 1: profile combines a protected historical record that users cannot alter
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  Speaker 1: with a separate space for paragraphs, documents, personal stories, and
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  Speaker 1: other contributions. ULO believes the platform is among the world's
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  Speaker 1: largest accessible databases of non-crowd-sourced, source-backed human profiles. Its launch
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  Speaker 1: coincides with the National Funeral Directors Association annual convention in Charlotte,
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  Speaker 1: North Carolina. Co-founder and CEO Dan Murph said ULO's approach
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  Speaker 1: centers on individual lives rather than the family trees that
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  Speaker 1: are central to many genealogy platforms. This platform provides the
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  Speaker 1: architecture for what will become one of the most comprehensive
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  Speaker 1: historical preservation efforts ever undertaken, Murph said. He added that
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  Speaker 1: the archive is intended to help people learn about lives
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  Speaker 1: that came before them, including those beyond their own families.
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  Speaker 1: Users can contribute material to profiles and curate collections about
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  Speaker 1: people in the archive. The platform is intended to preserve
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  Speaker 1: stories of people whose contributions to their professions, communities, churches,
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  Speaker 1: and civic organizations may not meet the notability requirements for
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  Speaker 1: a Wikipedia entry. We have been fortunate to have researchers
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  Speaker 1: and archivists from a wide range of museums, universities, and
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  Speaker 1: other prestigious institutions Help us with this endeavor, Murph said.
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  Speaker 1: Our mission is simple. No life should ever be forgotten.
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  Speaker 1: ULO plans to introduce a series of curated historical collections
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  Speaker 1: developed over the past year with research assistance from institutions
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  Speaker 1: across the United States. They include a collection of university
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  Speaker 1: presidents assembled with assistance from Harvard and Yale and a
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  Speaker 1: group F64 photographers collection developed with assistance from the Getty
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  Speaker 1: Research Institute. The company said its advisory board includes leaders
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  Speaker 1: from the Library of Congress, Internet Archive, Massachusetts Institute of Technology,
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  Speaker 1: University of Southern California, and Temple University. ULO was founded
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  Speaker 1: by siblings Dan Murph, the company's CEO, and Marilyn Murph,
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  Speaker 1: its president, along with co-founder and chief operating officer Ali Zia.
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  Speaker 1: The next article from the Lane Report is titled UK U.S.
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  Speaker 1: signature healthcare partner on 105-bed nursing facility at Hamburg East.
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  Speaker 1: The University of Kentucky and Louisville-based Signature Healthcare are partnering
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  Speaker 1: to develop and operate a 105-bed skilled nursing facility at
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  Speaker 1: UK's Hamburg East campus, a project designed to help patients
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  Speaker 1: transition from the hospital to the next stage of recovery.
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  Speaker 1: The UK Board of Trustees approved the joint venture on
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  Speaker 1: October 23rd University officials said the facility will expand access
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  Speaker 1: to skilled nursing services while improving patient flow, care coordination,
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  Speaker 1: and outcomes. UK health care has seen a growing demand
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  Speaker 1: for advanced and specialty care from patients across Kentucky. At
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  Speaker 1: the same time, limited skilled nursing capacity in Lexington has
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  Speaker 1: made it more difficult to find placements for patients who
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  Speaker 1: are ready to leave the hospital but still need care
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  Speaker 1: before returning home. Patients from every corner of Kentucky come
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  Speaker 1: to UK Healthcare for the most advanced care available. When
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  Speaker 1: they are ready for the next step in their recovery,
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  Speaker 1: they deserve a place to go that is connected to
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  Speaker 1: the team that cared for them, said Eric N. Munday,
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  Speaker 1: UK's co-executive vice president for health affairs and executive vice
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  Speaker 1: president for finance and administration. Munday said the agreement builds
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  Speaker 1: on an existing relationship between UK Healthcare and Signature Healthcare,
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  Speaker 1: is focused on expanding access and improving patient care signature
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  Speaker 1: healthcare operates 67 nursing facilities including more than 30 in
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  Speaker 1: kentucky the company's president and ceo joe steyer said the
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  Speaker 1: partnership will give more patients access to services that help
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  Speaker 1: them rebuild strength and regain independence after a hospital stay
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  Speaker 1: leaving the hospital is a major milestone but many patients
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  Speaker 1: still have important work ahead before they can return home,
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  Speaker 1: Steyer said. This partnership will give more Kentuckians access to
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  Speaker 1: that care and give families a trusted place to turn
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  Speaker 1: during an uncertain time. Under the agreement, Beyond Blue Corporation,
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  Speaker 1: a wholly owned UK affiliate, will hold a 60% ownership
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  Speaker 1: stake in the facility. Commonwealth Regional Skilled Nursing Holdings, LLC,
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  Speaker 1: a signature healthcare affiliate, will hold the remaining 40%. A
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  Speaker 1: separate signature affiliate, Commonwealth Regional Skilled Nursing Management, LLC, will
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  Speaker 1: manage day-to-day operations. UK Healthcare will provide clinical leadership and
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  Speaker 1: medical director services, and the facility will purchase services from
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  Speaker 1: affiliates of both organizations. The joint venture is also expected
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  Speaker 1: to support workforce development and educational opportunities. as UK continues
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  Speaker 1: to build out its Hamburg East campus off Winchester Road.
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  Speaker 1: In April, the board authorized the university to pursue a
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  Speaker 1: public-private partnership for an approximately 80,000 square foot medical facility
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  Speaker 1: at Hamburg East that would include skilled nursing care, outpatient
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  Speaker 1: clinical space, and supporting infrastructure. UK and UK Healthcare broke
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  Speaker 1: ground earlier in October on the Hamburg East Medical Office building,
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  Speaker 1: the first phase of the larger development. A 10-member board
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  Speaker 1: of governors will oversee the skilled nursing joint venture. UK's
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  Speaker 1: six appointees are Sarah Marks, Jake Stover, Justin Campbell, Tim Slocum,
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  Speaker 1: JJ Housley, and Allison Hansen. Signature Healthcare's four appointees are Steyer,
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  Speaker 1: John Harrison, Missy Higley, and Tim Lehrer. The trustee's action
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  Speaker 1: also authorizes UK's Executive Vice President for Finance and Administration
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  Speaker 1: to negotiate and finalize the agreements needed to launch and
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  Speaker 1: operate the partnership. The next article from the Lane Report
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  Speaker 1: is titled, Tax Credit Financing Supports $ 400 Million Kroger Distribution
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  Speaker 1: Center in Franklin. A $ 400 million Kroger Distribution Center in
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  Speaker 1: Simpson County has received $ 22. 5 million in new markets tax
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  Speaker 1: credit financing, supporting a project expected to create 430 permanent
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  Speaker 1: jobs and 350 construction jobs. Heartland Renaissance Fund, an affiliate
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  Speaker 1: of ACC Capital, announced that it deployed $ 12. 5 million in
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  Speaker 1: tax credits for the 950,000-square-foot facility in Franklin. The Empowerment
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  Speaker 1: Reinvestment Fund of New York provided an additional $ 10 million
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  Speaker 1: in financing through the program. The distribution center is expected
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  Speaker 1: to serve more than 100 Kroger grocery stores. Heartland said
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  Speaker 1: most of the permanent and temporary construction jobs will be
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  Speaker 1: available to low-income workers. All permanent positions are expected to
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  Speaker 1: pay above the Massachusetts Institute of Technology's living wage level
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  Speaker 1: for the area and offer substantial benefits, according to the fund.
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  Speaker 1: The project is located in a census tract that Heartland
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  Speaker 1: described as deeply distressed, with an unemployment rate 2.87 times
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  Speaker 1: the national average. The investment marks Heartland Renaissance Fund's first
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  Speaker 1: new markets tax credit project in Kentucky, President Leslie Lane said.
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  Speaker 1: The organization is based in Little Rock, Arkansas, and focuses
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  Speaker 1: on financing projects in underserved communities across the American heartland.
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  Speaker 1: This is our first new markets investment in Kentucky, and
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  Speaker 1: we're proud to have a part in it, Lane said.
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  Speaker 1: We've been looking for the right project, and this sort
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  Speaker 1: of project is exactly what the allocation is for. Lane
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  Speaker 1: said the fund hopes to support additional projects in Kentucky.
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  Speaker 1: ACC Capital also could use other financing tools in the Commonwealth,
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  Speaker 1: including Small Business Administration 7A lending and the EB-5 Immigrant
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  Speaker 1: Investor Program, she said. The New Markets Tax Credit Program
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  Speaker 1: is administered by the U.S. Treasury Department's Community Development Financial
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  Speaker 1: Institutions Fund. It encourages private investment in low-income communities by
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  Speaker 1: providing federal tax credits to investors who make equity investments
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  Speaker 1: in qualified community development entities. Founded in 2003, Heartland Renaissance
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  Speaker 1: Fund said it has deployed more than $ 425 million in
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  Speaker 1: New Markets Tax Credits, The organization said its investments have
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  Speaker 1: supported projects that create more than 5,000 jobs and leveraged
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  Speaker 1: $ 1 billion in total community investment. About Empowerment Reinvestment Fund, LLC.
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  Speaker 1: Empowerment Reinvestment Fund, LLC, ERF, a subsidiary of True Fund
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  Speaker 1: Financial Services, said, is a certified community development entity that
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  Speaker 1: leverages the New Markets Tax Credit Program to provide flexible
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  Speaker 1: financing for projects that create jobs, expand access to essential services,
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  Speaker 1: and strengthen low-income communities throughout the United States. About Kroger.
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  Speaker 1: At the Kroger Company, we are dedicated to our purpose,
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  Speaker 1: to feed the human spirit. We are, across our family
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  Speaker 1: of companies, more than 400,000 associates who serve over 11
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  Speaker 1: million customers daily through an e-commerce experience and retail food
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  Speaker 1: stores under a variety of banner names, serving America through
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  Speaker 1: food inspiration and uplift and creating a zero-hunger, zero-waste community.
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  Speaker 1: The next article from the Lane Report is titled, Lexington-Based Wilde.
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  Speaker 1: secures $ 40 million investment to accelerate national growth. Lexington-based snack
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  Speaker 1: food company Wild has secured a $ 40 million investment from
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  Speaker 1: S2G Investments to expand manufacturing, accelerate product innovation, and strengthen
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  Speaker 1: its national presence as demand for protein-rich snacks continue to grow.
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  Speaker 1: The investment marks a significant milestone for the Kentucky company,
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  Speaker 1: which has surpassed $ 100 million in sales and expanded distribution
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  Speaker 1: to more than 35,000 retail locations nationwide. Founded in 2015
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  Speaker 1: by entrepreneur Jason Wright, Wild has built its business around
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  Speaker 1: an unconventional approach to traditional snack foods, producing chips and
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  Speaker 1: crackers made primarily from chicken breast rather than potatoes or grains.
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  Speaker 1: The company's products, which also incorporate ingredients such as egg
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  Speaker 1: whites and bone broth, deliver at least 10 grams of
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  Speaker 1: protein per serving, while maintaining the crunch and flavors associated
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  Speaker 1: with conventional salty snacks. The new financing will support Wild's
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  Speaker 1: next phase of expansion, including increased production capacity, development of
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  Speaker 1: additional snack products, and investments in branding, packaging, and marketing.
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  Speaker 1: The advancement follows the recent opening of a 130,000 square
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  Speaker 1: foot manufacturing facility that increases Wild's production capacity six-fold. The
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  Speaker 1: company describes the operation as the world's only USDA-regulated salty
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  Speaker 1: snack manufacturing facility. The expanded manufacturing capabilities position Wild to
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  Speaker 1: meet growing retail demand while supporting the introduction of new
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  Speaker 1: products beyond its original protein chips. Building Wild has never
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  Speaker 1: been easy. We started this company to prove that protein
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  Speaker 1: snacks don't have to taste like punishment, and we've spent
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  Speaker 1: years betting on an idea that didn't fit neatly into
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  Speaker 1: the snack aisle, said Jason Wright, founder and CEO of Wild.
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  Speaker 1: We stuck with it, built something people crave, and this
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  Speaker 1: investment proves that hard work and conviction pay off. Now
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  Speaker 1: we have the firepower to go bigger. move faster, and
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  Speaker 1: shake up a whole lot more of the snack aisle.
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  Speaker 1: The investment comes as food manufacturers and retailers respond to
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  Speaker 1: changing consumer preferences, particularly increased interest in protein consumption, convenient nutrition,
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  Speaker 1: and alternatives to traditional processed snacks. Wild has sought to
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  Speaker 1: capitalize on those trends by developing products that combine familiar
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  Speaker 1: snack flavors with ingredients more commonly associated with protein-focused meals.
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  Speaker 1: The company's recent introduction of protein crackers represents its expansion
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  Speaker 1: into additional snack categories. Wild said more product formats are
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  Speaker 1: in development as it works to establish a broader portfolio
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  Speaker 1: of protein-based foods. For S2G investments, the financing represents an
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  Speaker 1: opportunity to support growing consumer packaged goods company with an
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  Speaker 1: established national retail footprint and expanded manufacturing infrastructure. Wild has
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  Speaker 1: shown you can have better products with high-quality ingredients without
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  Speaker 1: sacrificing the taste experience that makes people love salty snacks,
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  Speaker 1: said Arthur Chow, principal of food and agriculture at S2G Investments.
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  Speaker 1: Jason created a standout product with protein chips, but what
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  Speaker 1: excites us most is the opportunity ahead as a snacking platform.
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  Speaker 1: Protein Crackers is among my favorite CPG innovations ever. We're
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  Speaker 1: excited to partner with Jason and the team as Wild
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  Speaker 1: scales into a household brand. S2G Investments is a multi-asset
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  Speaker 1: investment firm focused on business operating in food and agriculture,
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  Speaker 1: energy and ocean-related industries. Its investment strategies include growth equity,
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  Speaker 1: structured finance, infrastructure, and late-stage venture capital. The $ 40 million
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  Speaker 1: investment also highlights the ability of Kentucky-based consumer product companies
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  Speaker 1: to attract significant institutional capital while competing in national markets.
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  Speaker 1: Wild's growth from a startup founded in 2015 to a
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  Speaker 1: company with more than $ 100 million in sales demonstrates the
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  Speaker 1: potential for food innovation businesses headquartered in Central Kentucky and
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  Speaker 1: to build distribution networks extending well beyond the Commonwealth. The
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  Speaker 1: company has not disclosed a valuation associated with the investment
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  Speaker 1: or specific hiring projections tied to the new financing. Wild
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  Speaker 1: said the funding will allow it to increase production, accelerate innovation,
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  Speaker 1: and expand consumer awareness as it works to establish a
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  Speaker 1: larger presence across the snack food industry. Wild Protein Chips
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  Speaker 1: and Protein Crackers, are available through more than 35,000 retail
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  Speaker 1: locations nationwide. The next article from the Lane Report is titled,
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  Speaker 1: Louisville-Based Dan O's Seasoning Expands into Desserts with New Delights
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  Speaker 1: Product Line. Louisville-based Dan O's Seasoning is expanding beyond its
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  Speaker 1: signature savory blends with the launch of Dan O's Delights,
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  Speaker 1: a new line of sweet seasonings designed for baking desserts,
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  Speaker 1: breakfast foods, and everyday snacks. The Kentucky Company, which has
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  Speaker 1: built a national following through its social media presence and
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  Speaker 1: distinctive approach to seasoning, introduced two new products, Ceno Crunch
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  Speaker 1: and Choco Crunch, available beginning Friday, October 23rd. The launch
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  Speaker 1: marks a new product category for Dan O's extending the
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  Speaker 1: brand's reach from traditional cooking seasonings into the growing market
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  Speaker 1: for convenient dessert ingredients and flavor enhancements. Cinno Crunch combines honey, cinnamon,
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  Speaker 1: and brown sugar, creating a blend designed for baking goods,
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  Speaker 1: breakfast dishes, and sweet snacks. Choco Crunch features chocolate, honey,
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  Speaker 1: brown sugar, and Madagascar vanilla, offering a dessert-focused seasoning that
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  Speaker 1: can be incorporated into recipes or used as a finishing topping.
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  Speaker 1: Unlike traditional finishing sugars, both products are formulated for multiple uses,
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  Speaker 1: allowing consumers to mix them directly into batters and doughs
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  Speaker 1: or sprinkle them over finished foods. We've been telling people
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  Speaker 1: to put some Dan O's on it, and now we're
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  Speaker 1: taking that to the sweet side, said Dan Oliver, founder
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  Speaker 1: of Dan O's Seasoning. We want to change how the
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  Speaker 1: world seasons food, and that doesn't stop at dinner. Cinna
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  Speaker 1: Crunch and Choco Crunch are are just the beginning. The
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  Speaker 1: company said the new products are intended to make dessert
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  Speaker 1: preparation more convenient while encouraging consumers to experiment with flavors
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  Speaker 1: in everyday recipes. Cinna Crunch can be mixed into cookie dough,
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  Speaker 1: incorporated into cinnamon rolls, or added to pancake batter. Choco
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  Speaker 1: Crunch can be used in brownies, cookies, and other baked goods.
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  Speaker 1: Both blends can also be sprinkled over ice cream, yogurt, toast,
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  Speaker 1: and fresh fruit. Restaurants and chefs finish a dessert with
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  Speaker 1: one last touch because it makes the dish memorable, Oliver said.
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  Speaker 1: Delights puts that touch in a shaker anyone can use
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  Speaker 1: at home. We hope it also gets people looking at
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  Speaker 1: the seasoning aisle as a place to find dessert ideas.
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  Speaker 1: The expansion reflects Dan O's strategy of building on its
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  Speaker 1: established brand recognition and while introducing products that appeal to
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  Speaker 1: consumers beyond its traditional savory seasoning market. Dan O's has
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  Speaker 1: developed a substantial digital audience, reporting more than 15 million
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  Speaker 1: followers across social media platforms. The company's online presence has
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  Speaker 1: helped establish its identity through cooking demonstrations, recipes, and direct
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  Speaker 1: engagement with consumers. The Delights launch gives the Kentucky brand
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  Speaker 1: an opportunity to introduce its products into additional cooking occasions,
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  Speaker 1: including baking, breakfast preparation, and dessert making. Both new seasonings
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  Speaker 1: are packaged in 5-ounce shaker bottles, maintaining the familiar format
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  Speaker 1: associated with Dan O's existing product lineup. Dan O's Delights
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  Speaker 1: will initially be available through the company's website with a
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  Speaker 1: suggested retail price of $ 8. 96 per bottle. A two-pack bundle
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  Speaker 1: featuring both flavors will retail for $ 17. 92. The company indicated
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  Speaker 1: that Ceno Crunch and Choco Crunch are the first offerings
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  Speaker 1: in the new Delice family, signaling the potential for additional
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  Speaker 1: sweet seasoning products in the future. Our next article comes
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  Speaker 1: from the October 28, 2026 edition of the Louisville Courier-Journal
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  Speaker 1: and is titled, Used Toyota RAV4s Are Selling for More
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  Speaker 1: Than New Models. Here's why. Written by Olivia Evans. Most
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  Speaker 1: car shoppers heading to the used car lot are looking
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  Speaker 1: to strike a deal. But for drivers seeking out the
• 20:44
  Speaker 1: Toyota RAV4, historically one of the best-selling vehicles in the U.S.,
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  Speaker 1: even a used model could come at a high price
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  Speaker 1: in today's market. An analysis from Edmunds, an online automotive
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  Speaker 1: research and car shopping platform, found that the average transaction
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  Speaker 1: price through the first eight months of 2026 for a
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  Speaker 1: new RAV4 ranged between $ 35, 384 to a high of $ 42, 096. Meanwhile,
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  Speaker 1: the analysis shared with the Courier-Journal found for the same
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  Speaker 1: time period, the used model year 2026 RAV4 vehicles' average
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  Speaker 1: transaction ranged between $ 41, 509 and and $ 47, 274. The used 2026
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  Speaker 1: model year RAV4 entered the market in February with a
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  Speaker 1: peak average transaction price of $ 47, 274, according to Edmunds. As
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  Speaker 1: the supply of the vehicle began to stabilize, the prices
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  Speaker 1: for the used vehicle remained strong at $ 42, 706 in August,
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  Speaker 1: outpacing new RAV4 transaction prices of $ 40, 784 in August. For
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  Speaker 1: it to be significant enough to show up in our data,
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  Speaker 1: it means it's happening all of the time, Joseph Yoon,
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  Speaker 1: senior analyst at Edmunds, said of the high prices for
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  Speaker 1: used RAV4s. That's how popular the RAV4 is right now
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  Speaker 1: for the American consumer. The Edmunds analysis found the used
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  Speaker 1: 2026 RAV4s command roughly a $ 9, 000 to $ 13, 000 premium in
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  Speaker 1: comparison to the used 2025 gas-powered used RAV4s. It's unusual
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  Speaker 1: in the sense that it's such a normal car. It's
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  Speaker 1: very rare for a mass market product that sells 4,000
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  Speaker 1: or 500,000 units per year to fall under this weird situation,
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  Speaker 1: Yoon said. One factor influencing the RAV4 pricing stems from
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  Speaker 1: the COVID-19 pandemic, Yoon noted. In the immediate aftermath of
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  Speaker 1: the pandemic, the used car market saw demand spike, which
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  Speaker 1: pushed up the used car prices. And in a lot
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  Speaker 1: of ways, the prices haven't really recovered from that and
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  Speaker 1: have stayed elevated since, Yoon added. Where the RAV4 fits
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  Speaker 1: into this is even before the pandemic. The RAV4 was
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  Speaker 1: one of the best-selling crossovers in the country, Yoon said.
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  Speaker 1: That kind of outsized demand is being directly reflected in
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  Speaker 1: the used prices of 2026 model year cars that have
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  Speaker 1: maybe a couple of thousand miles on it. Additionally, In
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  Speaker 1: early 2026, Toyota released its highly anticipated newest model year
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  Speaker 1: of the RAV4. The crossover vehicle made in Georgetown, Kentucky
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  Speaker 1: at Toyota's massive manufacturing plant moved from having gas and
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  Speaker 1: hybrid vehicle offerings to being solely hybrid. A Toyota spokesperson
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  Speaker 1: noted that during the model year changeover, vehicle production of
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  Speaker 1: the RAV4 at plants in Kentucky and Canada were lower,
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  Speaker 1: but by spring of 2026, Full production pace had resumed.
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  Speaker 1: And as new 2026 RAV4s came to dealer lots, they
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  Speaker 1: did not sit long. A Toyota spokesperson told the Courier-Journal
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  Speaker 1: that at the end of September, the RAV4 supply was 1.7
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  Speaker 1: days with a 94% turn rate, meaning it took less
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  Speaker 1: than two days to sell nearly the entire available RAV4
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  Speaker 1: supply at dealerships. Currently, the RAV4 supply is roughly four days.
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  Speaker 1: Many new RAV4 vehicles are ordered for a specific buyer
• 24:32
  Speaker 1: who is willing to wait weeks to months for the
• 24:34
  Speaker 1: new vehicle to arrive, Yoon said. But for consumers who
• 24:38
  Speaker 1: are interested in purchasing a vehicle right away, the used
• 24:41
  Speaker 1: market for RAV4 offers the ability for buyers to drive
• 24:45
  Speaker 1: away in the vehicle the same day. The RAV4 continues
• 24:50
  Speaker 1: to attract strong consumer interest, a Toyota spokesperson said. We
• 24:55
  Speaker 1: are working to get more vehicles to dealers, and we
• 24:58
  Speaker 1: expect RAV4 wholesales to increase in the fourth quarter. The
• 25:03
  Speaker 1: Edmonds analysis noted that the redesigned new model rollout for
• 25:07
  Speaker 1: the RAV4 led to a supply constraint for buyers, with
• 25:11
  Speaker 1: consumer demand continuing to outpace vehicle availability, pushing used vehicle
• 25:16
  Speaker 1: prices to a premium. As buyers look to quickly get
• 25:20
  Speaker 1: behind the wheel of a RAV4, the vehicle with a
• 25:24
  Speaker 1: reputation for quality, dependability, and reliability consumers were more readily
• 25:29
  Speaker 1: willing to pay a higher price to get a used vehicle.
• 25:34
  Speaker 1: The RAV4 is kind of alone in the sheer scale
• 25:37
  Speaker 1: of this happening, Yoon said. And Toyota knows its customers
• 25:41
  Speaker 1: want to get into RAV4s as quickly as possible. The
• 25:46
  Speaker 1: automaker has seen sales of the RAV4 steadily increase for
• 25:49
  Speaker 1: nearly a decade, with substantial annual sales growth coming between
• 25:53
  Speaker 1: 2022 to 2025. In 2025, Toyota peaked with more than 479,000
• 26:01
  Speaker 1: RAV4s sold in the U.S., a roughly 36% increase in
• 26:07
  Speaker 1: sales since 2016. Our manufacturing plant in Canada has used
• 26:12
  Speaker 1: overtime and some Saturday shifts to help meet demand, while
• 26:16
  Speaker 1: our plant in Kentucky is operating at full RAV4 capacity,
• 26:21
  Speaker 1: the automaker's spokesperson said. We're also working to move vehicles
• 26:25
  Speaker 1: through logistics and to dealers more quickly. But for now,
• 26:30
  Speaker 1: as car buyers hunt for their perfect RAV4 to bring home,
• 26:34
  Speaker 1: they should anticipate paying a little more for a used
• 26:37
  Speaker 1: vehicle or waiting a little longer to get their hands
• 26:40
  Speaker 1: on a new model. I think this pattern might continue
• 26:43
  Speaker 1: for a little longer just because Toyota has basically maintained
• 26:48
  Speaker 1: their current kind of production levels for the past couple
• 26:51
  Speaker 1: of years now, Yoon said. If that continues, and really
• 26:55
  Speaker 1: the demand for the car itself continues, then you know
• 26:58
  Speaker 1: it's Econ 101. The next article comes from the October 28,
• 27:03
  Speaker 1: 2026 edition of Louisville Business First, and is titled Clifton
• 27:07
  Speaker 1: Restaurant Relocates to Butchertown, written by Michael Jones. A family-owned
• 27:13
  Speaker 1: Mexican restaurant is preparing to begin its next chapter in
• 27:16
  Speaker 1: Butchertown after closing its original Clifton location and completing a
• 27:21
  Speaker 1: move into the much larger space. The new restaurant occupies
• 27:24
  Speaker 1: more than 4,300 square feet, a significant increase from the
• 27:28
  Speaker 1: former 765 square foot space. Alexander Gomez opened Edlido with
• 27:34
  Speaker 1: his mother, Edlina, and brother, Brian, when he was 18
• 27:38
  Speaker 1: years old. Now 21, he said the restaurant has built
• 27:42
  Speaker 1: a loyal following for its traditional Mexican cuisine, particularly its
• 27:46
  Speaker 1: homemade mole, which is based on his grandmother's recipe and
• 27:50
  Speaker 1: made in-house with roughly 35 to 40 ingredients. We are
• 27:54
  Speaker 1: really excited to show people what we're capable of in
• 27:57
  Speaker 1: a bigger spot, Gomez said. This concludes the reading of
• 28:01
  Speaker 1: the most recent business news in Lexington, Louisville, and around
• 28:04
  Speaker 1: the state. Your reader today has been Julia Shane. If
• 28:08
  Speaker 1: you have any questions or comments about this program, please
• 28:11
  Speaker 1: give our Lexington studios a call at 859-422-6390. Thanks for listening,
• 28:14
  Speaker 1: and now, Please stay tuned for readings from the Kentucky
• 28:21
  Speaker 1: series here on Radio Eye.