$93M Kentucky Castle project revealed; CEO group names new leader

A new $92.5 million distillery project in Kentucky will feature lodging options and a restaurant.

Saga Spirits Group plans to develop a new whiskey-related project at Edgewood, a 150-acre site in Versailles, Kentucky. The project includes the creation of a distillery, an interactive visitor center, a tasting room, unique lodging, a restaurant and retail and event space.

Saga Spirits Group, led by Angel's Envy co-founder Wes Henderson , also will be making improvements to The Kentucky Castle, an iconic hotel and venue catering to visitors exploring the Kentucky Bourbon Trail and Keeneland Racecourse in Lexington with its premium guest rooms, restaurant, whiskey bar and event space. | Read more

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CEOc names new CEO

The CEOc board of directors has appointed Steve Cunanan as its new president and CEO.

Cunanan most recently served as the American Red Cross of Kentucky Regional CEO. Prior to the Red Cross, he served as the chief people officer and chief administrative officer of Kindred Healthcare. Previously this role was held by Tammy York Day , who announced plans to step down in July .

CEOc is a group of Louisville health care CEOs that was formed to foster collaboration in that sector to create jobs, spur innovation and bolster Louisville’s economy. It was originally called the Louisville Healthcare CEO Council. | Read more

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GLIDE 2024: Speedy permitting stuns Louisville coalition

Only one?thing drew audible gasps from attendees of Greater Louisville Inc.’s 2024 GLIDE San Antonio trip Wednesday.

It wasn’t the rich history of The Alamo. It wasn’t the beauty of the city’s iconic River Walk. It wasn’t even the region’s delicious Tex Mex cuisine — it was permitting law.

"...for the Historic and Design Review Commission, if we receive an application we have to take action on it within 60 days or it’s automatically approved. It moves the process along,” said Shanon Miller, San Antonio’s director of the Office of Historic Preservation.

Historic preservation has been a key factor in several of Louisville’s most well-known developments, including the facades of Whiskey Row, Colonial Gardens in the South End, the Dream Hotel Louisville, which is “indefinitely on hold ,” and most recently the Urban Government Center. | Read more

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Hyper Cars considers former Great Escape Theatres location

What once was a local spot to watch high-speed car chases on the big screen might soon be a place to get yourself behind the wheel.

Hyper Cars , which deals in high-end custom exotic cars, intends to operate a used car dealership out of the former Great Escape Theatres next to River Falls Mall, according to a use variance request filed with the town of Clarksville's Board of Zoning Appeals in late July.

The variance request says a proposed reopening of the site would be August 2025, should everything fall into place. | Read more

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Norton Commons lands new retailer

Blume Florist, a new full-service floral shop, has opened its doors in the North Village of Norton Commons at 6353 Meeting St., across the street from Watch Hill Proper .

The shop offers a variety of "ready-to-go" floral arrangements as well as custom designs created by floral artist Meredith Cunningham.

The opening of Blume Florist is the latest in a string of small business openings and announcements in Norton Commons. Over the past year, the community has seen the arrival of 18 new businesses. | Read more

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Against the Grain closes location

Louisville brewer Against the Grain is closing its Highlands Public House, the company announced in a Facebook post .

The company opened the location just before the Covid-19 pandemic. It said in the post that it never reached its full potential despite its best efforts to adjust to shifts in the market and the neighborhood's economic landscape.

Against the Grain's flagship location at Louisville Slugger Field on Main Street will continue on and employees working in the Highlands are being given the opportunity to transfer there should they choose to do so. | Read more

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Jeff Brohm on higher expectations

The second year of the Brohm era for the University of Louisville football program is well underway. The Cards notched a dominant 62-0 win over Austin Peay Saturday, and look to carry the momentum into this weekend's home matchup with Jacksonville State.

The bar for this year's campaign is set sky-high. This year, UofL Athletics expect to sell 40,000 season tickets , a jump of 10% from last year.

“The only difference is now the expectations are higher,” Jeff said. “You’ve got to try to match or exceed those expectations to make people happy. … Everyone wants to see wins, and they want to see the program try to elevate every year, so in order to do that, we need to go to the [ACC] championship game and, yeah, have a great year, so that means missteps along the way can become costly.” | Read more

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This Weekly Edition was compiled by Zak Owens. Questions? Comments? Concerns? Send them to [email protected] .