Business Lexington August 2020

IN THIS ISSUE

BusinessLexington AUGUST 2020 | VOL. 16 ISSUE 8

BizLexQ&A

BizIQ: Tips and techniques for creating a professional podcast from Bourbon Barrel Podcasting’s Jennifer Longworth PAGE 7

Jonathan Webb Meet the man working to make Kentucky the ag-tech capital of America PAGE 21

CraveWorthy: Shining a light on Lexington’s minorityowned restaurants PAGE 8

Independent Business: With the Explore Kentucky Initiative, Gerry Seavo James turns his love for the outdoors into a thriving venture PAGE 10

BizLists Commercial Real Estate Management Companies | PAGE 18 Residential Real Estate Companies | PAGE 19 Shopping Centers | PAGE 20

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BusinessLexington Chuck Creacy PUBLISHER

chuck@bizlex.com Chris Eddie

CONTENTS

A Community of One: Tara Stanfield, director of integrated health services for HealthFirst, speaks from experience on the benefits of holistic, team-based health care

BusinessBriefs

News to know from around the region PAGE 4

PUBLISHER

chris@bizlex.com Tom Wilmes EDITOR

tomw@bizlex.com Susan Baniak FEATURES EDITOR

susan@bizlex.com Drew Purcell ART DIRECTOR

drew@bizlex.com Sharon Metz BIZLISTS EDITOR

sharon@bizlex.com Donna Hodsdon ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER

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PAGE 12

EconomicAnalysis

A monthly look at economic indicators compiled by the Center for Business and Economic Research (CBER) at the University of Kentucky PAGE 5

Prepare for Launch: Launch Blue provides a support system and critical feedback for founders of tech-based startups in Lexington and beyond

GrammarGourment

To a Greater and Lesser Degree PAGE 5

PVAStatistics

The latest statistics on local commercial and residential properties PAGE 6

PAGE 14

donna@smileypete.com Theresa Stanley DIRECTOR OF EVENTS AND PROMOTIONS

theresa@smileypete.com ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES

Amy Eddie

amy@bizlex.com Steve O’Bryan

steve@bizlex.com Ann Staton

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ann@bizlex.com

P.O. Box 22731 Lexington, KY 40522 P: (859) 266-6537 F: (859) 255-0672 www.smileypete.com

BizIQ

Tips and techniques for creating a professional podcast PAGE 7

Signs of the Times: Low inventory, low interest rates and high demand help keep the local market primed for both buyers and sellers

Quick Bites: Local Restaurant News PAGE 9

IndependentBusiness

The Active Entrepreneur: With the Explore Kentucky Initiative, Gerry Seavo James turns his love for the outdoors into a thriving venture PAGE 10

PAGE 16

BizList

Commercial Real Estate Management Companies PAGE 18 Residential Real Estate Companies PAGE 19

Shopping Centers PAGE 20

Who’sWho

Employment news from around the Bluegrass PAGE 22

CraveWorthy Shining a light on Lexington’s minority-owned restaurants

PHOTO By MARTINA BARKSDALE

PAGE 8

Q&A with Jonathan Webb: The founder and CEO of AppHarvest on the importance of growing our own food and positioning Kentucky as an ag-tech leader PAGE 21

banana pudding cheesecake mexican street corn (Elotes)

heirloom tomato, burrata & watermelon salad

chef-driven dinner & weekend brunch | obckitchen.com

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BusinessBriefs Lexington Clinic Celebrates its Centennial, Construction of New Flagship Facility Lexington Clinic, Central Kentucky’s oldest and largest group practice, is celebrating its 100th anniversary this year as construction continues on a new flagship facility set to open in 2021.

Arvin’s grandfather, W.T. “Bish” Bishop, was the first general manager of Keeneland when the track opened in 1936. Her father, the late William T. “Buddy” Bishop III, grew up at Keeneland, living in an apartment next to the clubhouse. Buddy Bishop’s lifelong service to Keeneland included positions as director, secretary, trustee and counsel. He was also a partner at SKO, and worked with his daughter at the firm until his passing in 2008.

Founded on July 1, 1920, by a group of physicians who came together to form a multispecialty medical group, Lexington Clinic has celebrated a number of firsts throughout its history, including founding the first radiology department in Lexington in the 1920s, developing the first cardiac care unit in Lexington in the 1960s, and performing the first thoracic ablation surgery in 2006.

“I have a deep love and passion for Keeneland and it is a tremendous honor to lead this organization and work alongside this amazing team,” Arvin said. “By building on the foundation laid by Bill Thomason and those who came before him, and with a continued focus on integrity, innovation and safety, we will further the mission of Keeneland and ensure the future of this sport.”

“Our journey started 100 years ago and continues today as we strive to provide the best care for our patients by keeping them at the center of all we do,” said Lexington Clinic CEO Dr. Andrew Henderson.

Kentucky Bank Opens Office in Tates Creek Centre

Today Lexington Clinic encompasses more than 200 providers in 30 different specialties, with more than 25 locations throughout Central Kentucky.

Building one relationship at a time with great service and high-quality expertise.

People Matter

Leaders Inspire

Excellence Rules

”Though Lexington Clinic has had to postpone plans to celebrate this milestone due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, it is still moving ahead with construction plans for its new South Broadway building, which will replace the current Lexington Clinic flagship that has been serving the community since 1957,” Henderson said.

Bill Thomason to Retire as Keeneland President and CEO; Shannon Bishop Arvin Named Successor Keeneland President and CEO Bill Thomason has announced that he will retire at the end of 2020 after a decade with Keeneland Association, including eight years at the helm of the global racing and sales company.

Shannon Bishop Arvin, who has served as corporate counsel to Keeneland as a partner with Stoll Keenon Ogden (SKO) since 2008 and as secretary and an advisory member of Keeneland’s board of directors since 2015, has been named to succeed Thomason. Arvin will serve as the incoming president-elect beginning September 1, and will officially transition to president ARVIN and CEO on January 1.

She becomes Keeneland’s eighth president, and the first woman to serve in that position.

The appointment of Arvin was a unanimous decision by the Keeneland trustees.

859.514.7800 www.mcmcpa.com

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Through her work with SKO’s Lexington office, where she has practiced since 2002, Arvin has represented Thoroughbred owners and prominent industry organizations in Kentucky and around the world, among them Keeneland, Breeders’ Cup Ltd., Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association and the National Thoroughbred Racing Association. She also serves on the University of Kentucky’s Gluck Equine Research Foundation Board of Directors and is a member of The Jockey Club.

Kentucky Bank has opened a new office in Tates Creek Centre, near the intersection of Tates Creek Road and Man O’ War Boulevard. “We are excited to open our newest location in Lexington located at 4161 Tates Creek Centre Drive,” President and Chief Executive Officer Louis Prichard said in announcing the new location. The bank also opened a new branch in Hamburg in January, and has hired additional employees for the new Tates Creek Centre office.

“We are excited about these new facilities and the opportunity to expand our relationship-based approach to consumers, businesses, professionals, and the medical community in Fayette County,” Prichard said. “We are bankers who build long-term relationships based on knowing our clients, addressing their needs, anticipating the future, and providing a consultative approach.

We also strongly believe in giving back to our local communities.”

New Bulleit Whiskey Production Site Will Be Among Country’s Largest Carbon-Neutral Distilleries Global beverage alcohol producer Diageo announced that its new Kentucky whiskey distillery, which will distill Bulleit, is expected to be one of the largest carbon neutral distilleries in North America. The new distillery, which is currently under construction in Lebanon, Kentucky, will be powered by 100 percent renewable electricity, with a capacity to produce up to 10 million proof gallons per year.

Employing electrode boilers, the site will utilize a mix of renewable electricity sources to power a 72,000 square-foot distillery, dry house and warehousing facilities. The facility will have the capability to distill a variety of bourbon and American whiskey brands. Bulleit will be the first and lead brand produced at the new distillery, supplementing existing production at The Bulleit Distilling Co. in Shelbyville, Kentucky.

“As a company, we know that our longterm sustainable growth depends on reducing our reliance on fossil fuels that contribute to climate change,” Perry Jones, president of North America Supply for Diageo, said in announcing the details.

Diageo’s stated goal is to source all of its electricity globally from renewable sources by 2030. BL

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EconomicAnalysis A monthly look at economic indicators compiled by the Center for Business and Economic Research (CBER) at the University of Kentucky. For more on CBER, visit www.cber.uky.edu.

Recent Data July 2020

1-Month 1-Year Change Change

Payroll emp. MSA**** Manufacturing Employment Durable Goods (KY) **** Manufacturing: Lexington-Fayette MSA Total Employees**** Unemployment Rate MSA****

240,500 May 125,600 May

0.84% 10.37%

-13.64% -23.51%

27,632 May 9.40% June

5.11% -6.00%

-27.89% 6.00%

Payroll Employment, US Manufacturing Payroll Employment US Unemployment Rate, US

137,802,000 June 12,095,000 June 11.10% June

3.61% 3.03% -2.20%

-8.59% -5.79% 7.40%

Consumer Price Index, Southern Region Consumer Price Index, US Producer Price Index, US

245.696 May 256.394 May 201.20 May

-0.20% 0.00% 2.34%

-0.40% 0.10% -2.52%

Index of Leading Indicators** Fed’s Index of Industrial Production**

99.8 May 92.6 May

2.80% 1.42%

N/A -15.51%

3-Month Treasury Yield*** 10-Year Treasury Yield***

0.15% July 6 0.65% July 6

-0.02% -0.23%

-2.11% -1.40%

Real GDP (millions $)

1st qtr.

1-Month 2020 Change $21,537,940.00 April 30 -0.88%

1-Year Change 3.06%

MSA: Lexington-Fayette Metropolitan Statistical Area; (p)=preliminary; NA=not available * Source: http://www.conference-board.org ** Source: Federal Reserve Statistical Release — http://www.federalreserve.gov/releases/G17/ *** Source: Federal Reserve Statistical Release — http://www.federalreserve.gov/Releases/H15/data.htm **** Source: St. Louis Federal Reserve — https://research.stlouisfed.org/fred2/ Note: In some cases 1 mo. and 1 yr. changes are based on revised data from previous mo./yr. GDP is reported in Current Dollars.

GrammarGourmet

By Neil Chethik

To a Greater and Lesser Degree

Let’s start with the apostrophe, which shows up in two of the three choices above.

Do you use an apostrophe or not in academic degrees? The answer is yes. Whether you’re talking about a bachelor’s degree or a master’s degree, you use the possessive apostrophe. Think of a degree as something you hold in your possession, and you will remember the correct punctuation.

The rules about when to capitalize your degree are more nuanced. If you’re speaking generically – as in, “Anyone can earn a bachelor’s degree at UK” – bachelor’s degree is not capitalized. But if you’re speaking about a specific degree – as in, “My son earned a Bachelor of Arts Degree from Transylvania” – you use capital letters for the major words.

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BUSINESS Traditional Bank’s digital online banking tools DQG ORZ IHHV JLYH \RX WKH ƛQDQFLDO SHDFH RI

The Bluegrass has graduated. Over the last few weeks, thousands of students from UK, Transylvania, Bluegrass Community and Technical College and elsewhere have donned virtual robes and tassels and strolled metaphorically across Zoom stages, imagining their deans handing them sheepskins.

But while much of America was wondering how this graduating class would launch careers during a pandemic, grammarians were focused on something else: Have these graduates earned a Bachelors Degree, a bachelor’s degree, a Bachelors’ degree, or something capitalized and punctuated differently from all of these?

HELPING YOU GET BACK TO

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What if your son is proud of his degree that he wants to put letters after his name?

Some reference manuals suggest that you include periods: John Smith, B.A., M.A., M.D., Ph.D. The American Psychological Association Publication Manual, however – the bible for academic usage – recommends deleting periods: John Smith, BA, MA, MD, PhD. My thinking is: If you have that many academic degrees, you can figure it out yourself. BL Neil Chethik, aka the Grammar Gourmet, is executive director of the Carnegie Center for Literacy and Learning (www.carnegiecenterlex.org) and author of “FatherLoss” and “VoiceMale.” The Carnegie Center offers writing classes and seminars for businesses and individuals. Contact Chethik at neil@ carnegiecenterlex.org or 859-254-4175.

traditionalbank.com

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PVAStatistics Top Commercial Transactions for July 2020

Residential Sales Data for July 2020

These latest statistics on local residential and commercial property were compiled by the office of the Fayette County Property Valuation Administrator. The data reflect the most up-to-date information available at the time of printing for this publication, but monthly figures may be revised as additional public records of property transactions are submitted and become available.

The chart below shows the monthly residential sales activity in Fayette County for the previous 24 months. The data for the most recent month reflect a projected estimate from the office of the Fayette County Property Valuation Administrator and are subject to change.

2018 RESIDENTIAL SALES

SALE DATE ADDRESS

PRICE

PURCHASED BY

6/29/20

845 Red Mile Road

$12,822,149

CREI-Lexington LLC

6/9/20

605 Blue Sky Pkwy.

$1,750,000

EMT X LLC

6/5/20

2171 Christian Road

$840,000

2171 Christian Road LLC

6/18/20

3057 N. Cleveland Road

$661,300

Sayre Christian Village Nursing

6/3/20

941 Manchester St.

$500,000

Astana LLC

6/30/20

628 N. Broadway

$415,000

Fortune Brothers Realty LLC

6/12/20

448 Lewis Hargett Circle Unit 220

$360,000

Turner & Tait Properties LLC

6/24/20

105 Dennis Drive

$240,000

Timothy R. Borden Enterprises Inc.

6/24/20

103 Dennis Drive

$233,000

Timothy R. Borden Enterprises Inc.

6/12/20

134 Barberry Lane

$210,000

Revitalex LLC

6/1/20

205 Floral Park

$205,000

Reid, David

6/1/20

143 Shawnee Place

$200,000

Friendly Properties LLC

6/12/20

102 Dennis Drive

$200,000

Alford, David

6/3/20

1317 Camden Ave.

$48,000

Anderson Acquisitions LLC

6/3/20

144 American Ave.

$48,000

Anderson Acquisitions LLC

2019 RESIDENTIAL SALES

2020 RESIDENTIAL SALES

800 700 600 500 400 300 200 100

JAN

FEB

MAR

APR

MAY

JUN

JUL

AUG

SEP

OCT

NOV

DEC

7%

2%

-8%

-27%

-28%

-28%

0%

-2%

14%

4%

6%

19%

MONTHLY PERCENTAGE CHANGE OVER PREVIOUS YEAR For more local residential and commercial real estate information, check the website of the Fayette County Property Valuation Administrator at www.fayettepva.com.

* Sale price based on a multiple-parcel transaction

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BizIQ

a MontHlY coluMn oF Business insigHts FroM central KentucKY ProFessionals

tips and techniques for creating a professional podcast

BY JENNIFER loNgwoRth BourBon Barrel Podcasting

A

s a podcast editor and owner of Bourbon Barrel Podcasting (bourbonbarrelpodcasting.com), a professional recording and editing suite here in Lexington, my job is to help clients hone their message and remove distractions in order to enhance the listening experience.

I love working with new podcasters and helping them launch a show, whether it’s a personal project or designed to help promote their busiLongworth ness or area of expertise. As co-founder of Lexington Podcasters and a presenter at events such as Podcast Movement, Podfest, and She Podcasts Live, I’ve seen quite a few shows come to life across a variety of genres and formats.

My career in podcasting began in broadcasting, as a volunteer call-screener-turnedtraffic-reporter on a small community radio station. I eventually became the production manager, a podcast producer and a co-host.

The small station was purchased by a larger

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group, and I became a freelance podcast editor. Here are several tips I’ve picked up along the way to help your message come across clearly through a podcast.

Determine your topic, audience and format Everyone has something they could talk about for hours on end. When deciding which of these things should be the focus of a podcast, you need to consider topics that you will never get tired of talking about. Brainstorm 52 show topic ideas, one for each week of the year. This will let you know if you have enough ideas to have a regular podcast of your own, or if you would be better off finding guesting opportunities on existing programs.

Of course, a show doesn’t have to be weekly, but it’s a starting point.

Defining your audience will help to hone the direction of the show, as well. A show geared toward young mothers will sound much different than a podcast for midcareer professionals. Your audience is rarely “everyone.” Figure out who they are and talk specifically to them, their needs and interests.

As you plan your show, consider what type of format will be most effective, as well. Will you host guests, have a co-host or fly solo?

Choose memorable, straightforward branding When coming up with a title for your podcast, it’s best not to be too clever or obscure. Make it easy to remember and spell and also give some idea of what the show is about. Search potential names in Google and on iTunes to be sure your idea isn’t already an established podcast. You’ll also want to claim a custom URL and related social media handles. Again, searching for these items will indicate if the title is already taken.

Cover art for your podcast needs to be an exact square, sized at least 1,400 pixels by 1,400 pixels and 3,000 pixels by 3,000 pixels at the most. Remember that people will be viewing it on a small screen, so use large text for your show name and relevant artwork.

Assemble a digital audio workstation The technological side of podcasting can be as complex or as simple as you need for it to be.

You can even get started with just a smartphone and a recording app. A Samson Q2U microphone plugs directly into a computer, recorder or mixer and costs less than $100.

Audacity (audacityteam.org) is a free program that lets you record on a computer.

Other options for a digital audio workstation (DAW) include programs such as Adobe Audition, Reaper and Hindenburg.

Once you record a show, it does not magically appear on Apple or Spotify. You need a media host to bridge the gap. Simply upload

your MP3 files to a media host such as Libsyn, Podbean or Buzzsprout, and that media host will generate an RSS feed, which is sent to Apple, Spotify and other platforms.

Monetize your podcast One of the most frequently asked questions about podcasting is, “How do I make money?”

In the business world, a podcast can be another arrow in your marketing quiver. The podcast itself may not directly bring in any money, but it will raise your perceived authority in your field and help to make more people aware of your product or services. Many popular podcasts, such as Congressional Dish, are fully listener supported. Listeners appreciate the value they receive from the hosts, and are willing to give back. Sleep with Me Podcast is primarily listener supported, but also receives income from sponsorships. Some podcasts, such as Welcome To Night Vale, perform live to audiences across the country, and podcasts such as WTNV also sell merchandise, books and more. BL

Podcasts about podcasting • Build A Big Podcast podcast.bigpodcast.com • The Feed: Official Libsyn Podcast thefeed.libsyn.com • School of Podcasting schoolofpodcasting.com

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CraveWorthy Shining a light on Lexington’s minority-owned restaurants

BY SHANNON CLINTON CONTRIBUTING WRITER

M

artina Barksdale is a multimedia maven, having worked in acting, modeling and hosting in New York City for seven years. After returning to her hometown of Lexington more than two years ago, she’s kept busy freelance writing, copywriting and doing voiceover spots while working as a Game Day host for the Cincinnati Reds.

She’s also a foodie, saying that while she knows how to cook she prefers letting others do the culinary wizardry for her and would rather scout out the latest local restaurant offerings and try new and exciting dishes, from Southern specialties to global gastronomy.

With these talents and interests, Barksdale had the perfect recipe to create “The SitIn,” a video series that explores topics including black women in politics and black women in STEM careers, and a companion blog called “The Sit-In & Savor,” which primarily highlights minority-owned restaurants.

Barksdale’s inspiration for the name comes from sit-ins held during the Civil Rights Movement of the 1950s and 1960s, in which her grandfather and other family members took part. During that time, as a means of peaceful protest, black people gathered to sit at segregated lunch counters and in restaurants that wouldn’t serve them and refused to leave when service was denied. This often

phOTO fURNIShEd

“I wanted to move the meter forward and have a platform for marginalized communities, especially black people” MArTINA BArkSdALe CREaTOR Of ThE vIdEO SERIES “ThE SIT-IN” aNd ITS COMpaNION BLOG “ThE SIT-IN & SavOR”

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resulted in arrest and violence, but eventually led to the end of these discriminatory policies.

“I wanted to move the meter forward and have a platform for marginalized communities, especially black people,” Barksdale said.

Barksdale promotes her latest installments on Facebook and Instagram, and earlier this year launched her own website, thesitinproductions.com, where she’s continued to update a directory of minority-owned businesses in Lexington compiled by The Lextropolis magazine.

In June she initiated a “19 Days of Black Business Challenge,” leading up to the June 19th Juneteenth observance, encouraging shoppers to frequent these establishments.

Barksdale said her goal is to highlight talent in Lexington that may otherwise be overlooked.

Minority business owners — which she said includes women of all ethnic backgrounds — face a unique set of challenges, from systemic racism and a lack of community support to difficulty securing financing.

Even location can create unseen barriers, she said, as a black-owned restaurant located within a busy downtown district may be frequented by people from all races, but those located in predominantly African-American neighborhoods may not be.

Her posts to Sit-In & Savor are witty and fun, with headlines including “Taste So Good Makes You Want to Slap Mama Dee!” for a profile on Mama Dee’s Coney Island restaurant, and “3 Black Queens Conquering Vegan Cuisine,” which highlights Woke Junk Food Vegan, Taco Queen and BakEd. Barksdale said she doesn’t have a system for deciding which restaurants to feature, and lets her cravings lead her to each new dining spot. And she doesn’t let anyone know her plans beforehand, though she does alert restaurant reps at the end of her meal that she took some photos and plans to feature their business on her blog, while also asking a few follow-up questions as needed.

This approach ensures a more authentic experience, she said.

“Unless they reach out (to be featured) I do not tell people that I’m coming. I just show up,” she said. “I feel like I’m on a secret mission sometimes because I want to get the dish as it’s going to be presented.”

The owner/operator of Mama Dee’s Coney Island on East New Circle Road, who said she prefers to go by the name Paige H., said Barksdale really helped promote her business when it was featured in February.

“Her energy is amazing and unmatched,” she said. “Since she posted us on ‘The Sit-In & Savor,’ I’ve had numerous customers come in referring to Martina’s blog. She is truly a pillar of the community.”

Barksdale said the feedback from her blog posts has been “insane” (in a good way) so far, and besides loving the food that she’s been served, she’s also had a lot of fun while giving a much-needed boost to local business owners at a time when many have had to close and reopen with limited seating capacity due to COVID-19 restrictions.

“For the most part it’s been a whirlwind, it’s been a blessing, it’s been blissful and I’m just appreciative of the community’s support, especially the media because representation is so important,” she said. BL

Above: Sampling vegan chili made with cornbread and topped with corn chips, guacamole and cheese, from Woke Junk Food Vegan, during a pop-up event held at Mandela Effect.

Left: Chef Stephen Vaughn, owner of Louisiana Passion, prepares spinach and artichoke dip. phOTOS By MaRTINa BaRkSdaLE

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Quick Bites: Local Restaurant News

T

hough some local restaurants have closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic or other factors, the entrepreneurial spirit remains strong among Lexington’s restaurateurs, with plenty of newcomers and experienced culinarians willing to take the leap.

Opening/Coming Soon Chef Ranada Riley, formerly of Ranada’s Bistro & Bar, announced she has amicably parted ways with her business partners in that venture, and she aims to open a new business with boutique catering, private dinners and cooking classes. It’s “a combination of all of the things I love, which will allow me to schedule and take time off for rest and selflove,” she said. The former Ranada’s, at 400 W. Vine St. #108, has been rebranded as Old Vine Bistro.

Genesis Coffee House & Eatery at 1403 N. Forbes Rd., Suite 130, is set for a soft opening date in mid-July, owner Tabet Wilson said.

Located in a former standalone fellowship hall of a neighboring church, Genesis will offer breakfast, lunch and dinner and feature a menu of signature sandwiches, salads, pastries, specialty drinks and more. Dine-in, carryout and curbside pick-up are available, with limited outdoor seating. An area spotlighting local authors, artists and photographers is located inside.

DV8 Kitchen is slated to open a second location on Midland Avenue soon, joining the

PHOTO BY SARAH JANE SANDERS

Crank & Boom has opened a pop-up shop at 3181 Clays Mill Road.

The Chatino Chinese/Mexican Buffet has opened on West Main Street, offering a variety of Chinese and Mexican specialties.

Menu items include nine types of fried rice, eight types of egg foo young and seven types of lo mein, as well as favorites like sweet and sour chicken and Mongolian beef. Menu items are available for special diets and for children.

Crank & Boom Craft Ice Cream’s last day at The Summit shopping center was June 16, but the business has opened a temporary walk-up service pop-up shop at 3181 Clays Mill Road until their new location, which was formerly Lyle’s BBQ, is finished.

Brewed opened June 15 at 124 Malabu Drive, with amenities and activities including a dog-friendly patio, karaoke, cornhole, open mic nights and axe throwing, according to

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burger week 2020

A Fond Foodie Farewell Though there were once three Lexington locations of the Dubai-based franchise Shakespeare & Co., the last of those, located at the corner of West Short and North Broadway, has closed, according to the Lexington Herald-Leader, which reports a new bar called Queue will take its place.

The Hamburg Journal is reporting that a new Starbucks is being built near the intersection of Man O’ War and Polo Club Blvd.

Bourbon N’ Toulouse on Euclid Avenue announced on Facebook that June 30 would be its last day of business for a while due to construction in the area that has hampered curbside pickup, coupled with the size of the restaurant being too small to open the dining room safely under current COVID-19 safety regulations. The post said its owners intend to reopen the Cajun restaurant sometime in August.

The 398 Southland Drive location of Save-A-Lot was set to close Aug. 1, and its deli chicken was revered as some of the best in town. Store personnel referred comment to the corporate office, which didn’t return a message, but an article in the International Business Times earlier this year noted that Save-A-Lot was closing several U.S. locations to reduce debt. BL

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first location on South Broadway, according to a recent Facebook post on its site. “Keep an eye on our social media to see construction updates and to be the first to know when we plan on opening!” the post said.

The opening of Leestown Coffee House at 1416 Leestown Road was announced in February, but the ongoing pandemic delayed progress on the former Hamilton-Ryker staffing agency building. Owner Thomas Ward said, barring any other unexpected delays, the coffee house would open by the first week of August and will specialize in cold-brewed coffee, with a full-service coffee bar featuring espresso-based drinks, drip coffee, teas, pourovers and smoothies. Food items include croissants, muffins and scones from Good Foods Co-op, bagels from Southland Bagel and confections from Martine’s Pastries.

There will be a drive-through upon opening and indoor seating for up to 15 people.

Jack’s Sandbar & Grill opened in midJune at 2520 Nicholasville Rd. inside the Malibu Jack’s arcade and bowling alley. The establishment has beer, wine and cocktails, with daily specials. Food offerings include pizzas, wings and brisket bites.

Postmaster’s Pub has opened at 307 West Short St., the former location of The Village Idiot. According to its Facebook page, the pub, located in Lexington’s oldest surviving post office building, serves “locally sourced food that earns a spot at the table with our outstanding craft beer selection, quality wines and exciting house recipe cocktails.” Its owners also own Bear & the Butcher and The Beer Trappe.

EK

CONTRIBUTING WRITER

its Facebook page. Menu highlights include pour-over coffee and beer, along with light bites such as bagels, cookies, brownies and a variety of quiches.

The Burl Food by Kismet, located inside The Burl Arcade at 375 Thomspon Road, opened June 10. Early menu offerings included Holy ‘Mole’ spiced guacamole, steam buns, burger, home fries and sweet potato donut.

L

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IndependentBusiness The Active Entrepreneur With the Explore Kentucky Initiative, Gerry Seavo James turns his love for the outdoors into a thriving venture

BY KATHIE STAMPS CONTRIBUTING WRITER

S

ocial entrepreneur, environmental advocate and outdoor enthusiast Gerry Seavo James wants everyone to appreciate Kentucky’s natural beauty as much as he does, and to know about opportunities for outdoor recreation. In 2016 he incorporated the Explore Kentucky Initiative (explorekentucky.us), which he had started three years earlier in college. What began as a passion project to showcase his photography skills and love for the outdoors has since grown into a viable business with a three-fold model that includes organized outdoor events, consulting work and merchandise sales. Explore Kentucky’s events, like Bluegrass River Run and Expedition Frankfort, not only help promote public health and encourage people to be active outdoors, they contribute revenue to a local economy’s financial health through ecotourism.

A self-described military brat, James is a member of the Air Force Reserve. He lived in several states, including Georgia, Oklahoma and Texas, before moving to Kentucky in 2010 to finish his mass communications degree at Campbellsville University, where he studied photojournalism and multimedia.

He graduated in December 2013, a couple of months after he had started an Instagram account called Explore Kentucky. Using the hashtag #explorekentucky, as he still does, he documented his adventures around the state, discovering and sharing trails to hike, rocks to climb, and rivers and lakes to paddle.

What began as a passion project to showcase his photography skill and love for the outdoors has since grown into a viable business with a three-fold model that includes organized outdoor events, consulting work and merchandise sales. the explore kentucky initiative

Instagram was still fairly new at the time, but as the social media platform has grown, it’s also proven vital to helping to grow an audience for James’ work. “I was like, this is not just a social network, but a way to use pictures to showcase a visual narrative,” James said. “The Explore Kentucky concept forged a community.”

After college he worked for a nature conservancy and was a freelance writer focusing on Kentucky’s outdoor spaces. The first large-scale outdoor event he put on was in June 2016. “In my Backyard: Red River Gorge” was an outdoor festival James created with the Powell County Public Library. “It was amazing,” he said. “That invigorated my appetite for this model.”

He then helped with the Drakes Creek Watershed Festival in Bowling Green. And he put on the Big South Fork River Dash in McCreary County, which is, according to James,

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“one of the poorest counties in the country, but one of the prettiest.”

In 2017 he teamed up with Kentucky Natural Lands Trust to create Explore Kentucky’s Ancient Forest, a series of hikes through Pine Mountain in Harlan County, “one of the most biologically diverse corridors in the world,” he said.

James also launched the Kentucky Waterman Series that year, for competitive paddle sports on lakes and rivers across the state.

“If it’s a paddle sport race in Kentucky, I’ve touched it,” he said. James, who is black, not only enjoys promoting the natural wonders of Kentucky, but also appreciates the opportunity to promote minority involvement with the outdoor world. “I’m proud because these are things that people think black people can’t do or don’t think of black people doing.”

The Kentucky Waterman Series became so popular, James was soon hosting events in West Virginia, Ohio, Indiana and Pennsylvania, and eventually rebranded it as simply The Waterman Series (thewatermanseries.com).

In 2018, James worked with the city of Glasgow, the National Park Service and other entities to establish a creek cleanup in Barren County. The project created the Beaver Creek Blueway Trail in a stream that had previously not been paddled. As the new decade began, James co-founded an advocacy group called Red River Gorge United. “We don’t think a large-scale resort is the way,” he said of recent development initiatives in the area. “It’s not opposing a resort, but invigorating the local community and providing for a sustainable development approach to the gorge.”

In February, a whitewater race went off at Elkhorn Creek in Frankfort, the first event of what was to be a banner year for The Waterman Series. And then the coronavirus hit. There was pivoting and postponing until James decided to cancel the event.

He spent the downtime making a database of natural areas, and updating notifications of closings and availability parameters.

On May 24 James, a Frankfort resident, took his Canon 5D Mark IV camera to the state capitol to document the anti-lockdown rallies. “I was frustrated,” he said. “Beshear is crushing it. We’re doing so good and people are complaining. I said, ‘Let me go see what these folks are talking about.’”

He posted videos and images on Facebook Live about the Three Percenters militia group hanging an effigy of Gov. Andy Beshear.

The next day he was on CNN talking about it. He’s currently working on a documentary about these times.

“COVID, in a nutshell, got me back to my roots in journalism,” he said. On June 20, after a week and a half to prepare and promote the event, the Explore Kentucky Initiative put on the BLM (Black Lives Matter) Paddle Out at Fort Boonesborough. Attendees in canoes, kayaks and paddleboards gathered in a large circle on the Kentucky River for eight minutes and 46 seconds, symbolic of the length of time a former Minneapolis police officer pressed his knee on George Floyd’s neck.. “It was a pivotal moment for me, one of the best events I’ve hosted,” James said. “It was powerful.” BL

PHOTOS FURNISHED

Gerry Seavo James, a photographer and journalist, documents his explorations around the state through the Explore Kentucky Initiative.

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A Community of One Tara Stanfield, director of integrated health services for HealthFirst, speaks from experience on the benefits of holistic, team-based health care

BY RENA BAER CONTRIBUTING WRITER

W

hen Tara Stanfield talks about her first job out of graduate school, her gratitude tumbles out faster than her words.

“It was a great place to be raised,” said Stanfield.

And that tells you a lot, because her formative professional “raising” came at Bluegrass.org (now New Vista) in Powell County as a mental health technician when the opioid epidemic was in full swing but resources to fight it were almost non-existent.

“We were providing a service that everyone was looking away from,” she said.

And, as the only mental health care providers in the area, with no hospital in town, Stanfield said they did the best they could. “There was no Medicaid reimSTANFIELD bursement, no drug court, nowhere to send people,” she said. “There was just us, a group of people with the same mission, working together.”

Teamwork is also mission critical in Stanfield’s current role as director of integrated health services for HealthFirst Bluegrass Inc., a federally qualified community health center that provides a multitude of health services to underserved communities in the region.

Stanfield joined the Lexington-based nonprofit when it opened in 2017 after seeing firsthand how physical, mental and environmental health are so closely tied together, she said, and how addressing these areas under a model of holistic health care can help improve patients’ outcomes and quality of life.

Stanfield is responsible for facilitating HealthFirst’s model of integrated health care, which includes pairing one behavioral health consultant and one community health worker with every four primary care providers. Along with medical assistants, interpreters and nurses, these team members work together to address not only a patient’s physical health needs, but also underlying emotional and behavioral issues that aren’t easily diagnosed

during a typical primary care visit, such as depression, substance abuse, domestic violence, housing insecurity and anxiety. “The one-to-four ratio gives us a good chance to provide on-demand intervention when the issue is at its freshest and likely motivation at its highest,” Stanfield said.

HealthFirst has about 250 employees and 15 locations around Fayette County that include three primary care sites, with pharmacies at two sites and a women’s clinic at one.

HealthFirst also operates nine school-based clinics in high-needs areas; two health-carefor-the-homeless sites; and a freestanding dental clinic, as well as two mobile dental clinics. On the mental health side, they have a team that comprises psychiatrists, psychiatric nurse practitioners, behavioral health consultants and community health workers, as well as a wellness center for patients who need ongoing therapy.

Primary care providers immediately embraced the integrated approach, Stanfield said. Having these behavioral health specialists and community health workers on call when a patient needs extra support allows them to not only better focus on providing primary care, but also reassures them that root causes are being addressed.

“They don’t have the time to dig into those [issues] like they’d want to,” she said, citing a few examples. “Our behavioral health consultants can work with those patients, whether they need help with something like weight loss or motivation around medication adherence. They also do a ton of work with diabetes and hypertension.”

Stanfield will be the first to admit that offering these services simultaneously can be difficult because it requires a lot of flexibility on the parts of therapists and other behavioral health staff.

“It’s really backward from the way therapists were trained, which was ‘here’s your schedule; here’s who you are going to see; here’s all the information about them;’ versus a primary care doctor popping their head out of a door 20 times a day, saying ‘Hey, can you come help me with this,’” she said. “And you have no idea what you are walking into. It might be a little bit of depression; it might be someone actively psychotic.

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“Hiring integrated care staff who can handle lots of quick information, prioritize needs, communicate effectively with different personalities and different professional levels, and support a fast-paced clinical environment is the foundation block for how it all works,” she said.

Stanfield is used to adapting quickly and making the most of available resources.

When she was promoted to clinical coordinator in Powell County after several years as a therapist, more funding had become available to fight opioid addiction. With that increased funding and through a concerted group effort, the community began to see positive impacts.

“I loved the local people and how they stuck together,” she said. “As tragedy worked its way through families in the county, the community wrapped itself around them and supported one another.”

Having grown up in the tiny community of Camargo outside of Mt. Sterling, Stanfield knows rural communities. She was active in FFA (Future Farmers of America) throughout high school and became an agriculture major when she attended Eastern Kentucky University. But after taking a psychology class as an elective, she let one of her agriculture professors know she was switching majors.

“The professor told me, ‘You won’t be able to do much psychology with the cattle,’” she recalled.

Stanfield went on to get a master’s degree in social work from the University of Kentucky. She later earned a master’s in public administration as she worked for Bluegrass. org, moving up in management to oversee 17 Central Kentucky counties as regional director of substance abuse operations before

going to work at HealthFirst.

HealthFirst’s integrated care model is particularly helpful in identifying and aiding treatment for addiction and other mental health issues. Because of the attached stigma, it’s difficult motivating people to seek help, Stanfield said.

“It’s a rare moment that someone wakes up and says, ‘I want to go talk about my hardest thing that I am suffering from that’s really emotionally painful with a complete stranger,’” she said. “It’s hard to make yourself go to those appointments. Most people, though, will go to primary care. And you want to strike while that window is open and the iron is hot, while they have a problem, and show them we are just members of your medical team, same as anyone else you’d come to see here.”

In the future, Stanfield wants to find a way to quantify how well integrative health is working with HealthFirst’s approximately 23,000 patients. Stanfield said quantifying behavioral health improvements and cost savings around systemic and societal issues has always been difficult, but it’s another challenge in a series of many that she is willing to undertake.

“We want to be able to lobby and pitch what our worth is,” she said. “Anecdotally, we know it on patient experience. We regularly get mail thanking us for going above and beyond. And we have some data [for particular chronic conditions like diabetes or high blood pressure]. But being able to say, from a big-scale picture, that this is the way everyone should be doing health care, not just a federally qualified community health center that has funding for it? That’s really what I want my next step to be and what I feel like it should be.” BL

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or entrepreneurs, finding a path from idea to launch can be an arduous process. But, with help from some of Central Kentucky’s best entrepreneurial resources, a new program that is hoping to set entrepreneurs on the path to success.

Launch Blue, a collaborative effort from the University of Kentucky’s Office of Technology Commercialization (OTC), Base 110, Bluegrass Angels (BGA), Bullard, Commerce Lexington, Kentucky Small Business Development Center (KSBDC), Kentucky Science & Technology Corporation (KSTC), Awesome Inc. and Marrow, was developed to be an early state business accelerator program to nurture Kentucky entrepreneurs and their fledgling technology-based businesses.

Laura Halligan, executive director for Launch Blue, and New Ventures manager for OTC, said the idea was to bring together the various partners to help startup businesses move from pre-seed phase to launch.

“Accelerators aren’t new to us and certainly not a new idea around Kentucky,” she said. “There’s been talk from many people in the ecosystem about the value of accelerators and increasing the amount of accelerators that we have in the ecosystem in the state. But this was … [about] trying to bring the community together to determine what value this program could have if we all worked together, especially at these early stages [for startup companies].”

OTC is a thought leader and significant contributor to startup efforts throughout the state, and is one of the funding partners behind Launch Blue, along with KY Innovation and the Lexington–Fayette County Urban County Government.

The program opened up applications for its first cohort in June, receiving more than nine applications for just six spots. Once entered into the program, the businesses will work with Eric Hartman, Launch Blue program advisor, instructor and coach.

“I think the biggest challenge for entrepreneurs is just knowing what to do,” Hartman said. “When you start you have this idea like ‘I know where I want to go but I don’t know steps to get me there,’ and there haven’t really been the resources or this huge network of people like you would have in a more developed ecosystem. So I think knowing where to put their time and resources and knowing when is the right time to bring in a software developer or when is the right time to bring in an investor or when is the right time to file for a patent … those are the types of things that we want to be able to help people know.”

After an initial beta cohort ran earlier this year, the program will begin its 12-week classes starting in fall and will run through the end of the year. Another cohort will be selected in late fall for a session that runs in spring, Hartman said. Founders of scalable, technology-based startups can find more information and begin the application process on the program’s website, launchblue.org.

The entrepreneurs are taught how to help their business idea launch into a business.

Developed around Silicon Valley entrepreneur Steve Blank’s curriculum, the course teaches the business owners when

to make what moves and how to make them successfully. Between classes, there are cohort meetings that help fine-tune that information as it pertains to their business, as well as individual sessions with the businesses to go into more detail, Hartman said.

Doug Van Pelt, co-founder of Synaptek, a SaaS startup focusing on concussion data management, said the experience was invaluable to his company. A member of the beta cohort, he said the program helped him and his partners work through everything from what their company was doing to better identifying their market.

“They have done a really great job of helping us to examine what our business model is going to be,” Van Pelt said. “They helped us to identify who our first customers would be, and to realize that it’s okay to have a different product when you enter the market than the one you presented to them.”

Having access to a network of other entrepreneurs and business resources was also key to their experience, Van Pelt said.

“Launch Blue is like an outlet that you can plug into that connects you to the entrepreneurial community,” he said. “We were able to meet face-to-face with people who gave us great advice and energy that we wouldn’t have been able to access as quickly and easily if we’d sent out a cold email.”

Among those network contacts is Chris Young, president of Bluegrass Angels, an angel investing club. For him, being a part of Launch Blue provides the community with new businesses “I look at this as much of a mentorship and help as anything else,” Young said. “That’s one of our basic principles at Bluegrass Angels. We don’t want to be armslength investors. We really want to roll our sleeves up and help entrepreneurs because our overriding mission is to improve the startup ecosystem and the startup environment in the state of Kentucky.”

Ultimately, he said, if companies succeed they can, in turn, give back to the community.

For the E. D. Bullard Company in Cynthiana, that’s part of the reason being a part of Launch Blue is so important. The 122-yearold personal protective equipment company sees the partnership with OTC as a way to connect with and grow the startup community in Lexington, said Landon Borders, Bullard’s Director of Product Development.

“I think we’re seeing firsthand now that you no longer have to be present in a startup hotbed like San Francisco or Austin to really be successful. I’m confident we can do that right here in our own state,” he said.

Hartman said the entrepreneurial environment in Lexington, and in Kentucky, is growing, and that this partnership will spur on further growth.

“I think the entrepreneurial ecosystem here has been growing for a number of years,” Hartman said. “But it’s still relatively young and it needs more people, more programs, more resources, more experienced serial entrepreneurs who have done this before and can actually help a new company get started. So that I think that’s really the impetus behind Launch Blue...helping those Kentucky entrepreneurs be able to build that foundation … and build those types of networks with the right people and the right resources to be successful long term.” BL

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Market Analysis: A Look At Lexington Real Estate in the Era of COVID-19

BY DAVID O’NEILL FAYETTE COUNTY PROPERTY VALUE ADMINISTRATOR

PHOTO FURNISHED

Signs of the Times Low inventory, low interest rates and high demand help keep the local market primed for both buyers and sellers

BY NATALIE VOSS CONTRIBUTING WRITER

W

hen the COVID-19 pandemic took hold this spring, real estate agents were among many professions bracing for a decisive hit to their business.

“It looked like it was going to be a good year the first of January, and then the start of March we had COVID, and I thought, ‘Well, so much for this year,’” said Suzanne Elliott of Berkshire Hathaway. “But the market just kept on moving.”

Elliott noted that the lower price range in the market has been particularly lively in recent months.

“I sold a house that was around the $200,000 range and there were 19 offers on it in the first day and a half,” she said.

That kind of activity is typical right now for a correctly priced residential property. The Lexington–Bluegrass Association of Realtors (LBAR) reports that the average number of days on the market are down, and the number of showings happening in the area is on par with what the industry saw in March and April last year.

Because of the time involved in closing on a house sale, LBAR’s data runs 30 to 60 days behind. The latest figures show that residential home sales remained quite strong throughout March, said LBAR CEO Justin Landon, but showings began dropping off in April, causing a delayed pause in home sales weeks later.

As people adjusted to the ‘new normal’ in later April, however, Landon said showings picked back up and that has been reflected in an increase in sales since.

Most real estate agents credit the whirlwind market to low inventory and high demand, but that isn’t a recent imbalance.

“I want to be very careful that we don’t point to our tight inventory and say, ‘That’s a COVID-19 impact,’” Landon said. “I think the coronavirus has probably exacerbated the inventory challenges we were already experiencing. In January we were already at the lowest inventory in the history of the market.”

Part of the reason for that is the finite amount of land within Lexington’s Urban Services Boundary that can support new residences. Builders, who often want a property sold before beginning construction, are backed up between eight months and a year.

Adjusting to a new normal That isn’t to say nothing has changed in the time of coronavirus. Showings now involve masks, hand sanitizer, gloves and, in some cases, even disposable booties to fit over the shoes of buyers and agents walking through a home.

“Very early on, our industry embraced the guidelines the governor issued,” said Landon. “We were social distancing, we were sanitizing and we were masking. We did that right at the beginning and have continued that aggressively all through the process.

I think that put clients at ease that we were doing everything we could to keep them safe.”

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Perhaps surprisingly, most experts interviewed agreed they don’t hear much from sellers in the way of anxiety about having people do a walk-through in their home.

The closing process also looks different.

“There’s one company that you’re invited to go in and sit around the table as always,” said Katy Prather of The Prather Team and Keller-Williams. “There’s another attorney who [has] the Realtors stay in their cars. There’s another attorney who will take the buyers in and sellers in separately. They’re all different, and it’s whatever they’re comfortable with.”

While 30 days was a standard timeframe for closings prepandemic, that timeframe has stretched out closer to 45 days for many. That’s not a result of reduced capacity of lenders, but rather a reflection on how busy many have become. Interest rates remain at 3 percent or less for many buyers, and that has a lot of people thinking about refinancing homes they plan to stay in for a few more years.

What does ‘home’ look like now?

The same types of properties that were in demand before the pandemic have remained popular. For Prather, ranch-style houses with a basement are the most requested, followed by ranches with no basement.

Prather also said the pandemic has not made buyers less demanding in what they want to see from a home.

“The buyer today that I find is very particular,” she said. “They do not want anything that needs to be cleaned or painted. If it’s not up to snuff, they’ll pass on it, even though there’s not a lot of product.”

Mina Mattone of Bluegrass Sotheby’s said she believes people are looking at houses with a different perspective now that many of them have been stuck at home for weeks or months.

“I think people realize how important it is to have a nice home and, now that we’re working at home more, everyone seems to want to have more space,” she said.

Mattone says clients in the popular Chevy Chase neighborhood and other downtown neighborhoods seem to find it more important now to buy someplace where they can walk to nearby attractions, or enjoy a walk around the block.

Buyers, sellers both stand to do well No one is quite sure what the fall will look like for the real estate market. Most agents agree interest rates seem unlikely to rise again for some time, but no one can be sure of what the economy will do — in response to COVID-19, the election, or the end of economic stimulus and other income supports.

“We’re just taking it day by day,” said Elliott. “We have nothing to look back on, because nothing like this has ever happened before. We’re lucky, I think, in Kentucky, that COVID has been handled well. I think we’ve been cautious. I’m pretty pleased that most places I go most people have on masks. I think we’ve listened and tried to follow the guidelines.”

Landon said for those on the fence about whether to sell, it’s a great time to take the leap if you can price your house correctly — and if you’re willing to confront a competitive market as a buyer.

The best cure for that, he says, is to hire a real estate agent who can help you navigate the negotiation process, which has become more complex than ever.

“It’s very rare that you can say it’s both a buyer’s and a seller’s market,” he said.

But here we are. BL

As our population grows without the benefit of a corresponding increase in the supply of new homes, Lexington continues to experience increased demand for housing. In short, we have a housing shortage, as do many cities our size and larger. And, like everybody everywhere, we are somewhat at the mercy of whatever forces COVID-19 brings to our housing economy. Even though we won’t understand the total effect of those forces for some time, it is obvious they are further compounding the housing shortage.

The further down the economic spectrum you look, the more noticeable and profound the housing shortage is. We often hear about the need for “affordable housing,” but what does that mean exactly? For most of us, the term is interchangeable with “housing affordability,” but it’s important to make a distinction between the two. When we wonder what size mortgage we can swing at a given salary, or whether we have to look for houses in surrounding counties to get both the square footage and lot size we want — that’s housing affordability. But for governments, nonprofits and the housing industry, “affordable housing” has a specific definition — to be considered affordable, housing should cost no more than 30 percent of the consumer’s gross household income.

Median household income in our area is about $55,000. At that level, for housing to be affordable, the total cost should be no more than $1,375 per month — that includes the total of rent, mortgage, insurance, taxes, utilities, etc. But “median” means half of all households in the area fall below $55,000. For a household earning $30,000 per year, housing costs would have to be at or below $750 per month all-in to be affordable — a level that is increasingly difficult to find.

A sizable portion of housing stock that might previously have been available at the $750 level have been purchased and improved to meet the growing demand for homes in the $150,000 to $200,000 level. The types of starter homes once built in abundance in neighborhoods like Masterson Station, Polo Club and Kearney Ridge are no longer being built at all. In fact, we are only building a few hundred new homes in Lexington per year, with almost none of them at the starter-home price point.

Of the approximately 150 newly constructed homes sold so far in 2020, only two sold below $199,000, and the median price was $330,000.

That’s compared to 10 years ago, when the median sale price for new construction was $206,000.

In 2009, the median sale price for all single-family homes, both new construction and existing stock, was $149,000. By 2019, the median price had risen to $189,000, a significant 27 percent jump, but well short of the 60 percent increase in the price of new homes over the same decade.

Zooming in to measure COVID-19’s impact on the local housing economy is not a simple calculation. And even if it was, the impact would not be the same across the entire economic spectrum nor in every neighborhood. Anecdotally, we know fewer potential sellers are bring their homes to market, and that the reduced supply is negatively impacting an already historic lack of inventory of homes available for sale. All things equal, the laws of supply and demand suggest prices would rise due to the lack of inventory. But logic would also suggest the threat of impending economic calamity would limit major purchasing.

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Perhaps more insight could be gained by looking at just the period in 2020 since around the Ides of March, when the realities of COVID-19 began to settle in, and compare those numbers to the same period in 2019. Between March 15 and June 30, 2019, there were 2,138 singlefamily home sales with a median sale price of $199,000. During that same period this year, only 1,714 homes sold — a drop in the number of transactions of almost 20 percent year-overyear. However, the median sale price during that period in 2020 was $210,000 — a 5.5 percent increase over the same period last year. At the countywide level, the economy and other external forces have reduced the volume of sales, but the strong demand, particularly at the lower price points, have kept prices climbing.

Continuing with a look at the period of time influenced by the pandemic, let’s switch focus to the specific neighborhoods featured in the accompanying chart, all of which trend higher in price points than the county at large. The medians in these neighborhoods range from $245,000 in Kenwick to a high of $472,000 in Chevy Chase. In 2019, between March 15 and June 30, the median sale price for these six neighborhoods combined was $361,000, but for the same period in 2020, the median sale price was only $337,500, a decline of 6.6 percent. It would appear at the higher end of the market, we are experiencing the type of moderation one would expect in times of such economic uncertainty, but at the lower end of the market, which is already under significant supply and demand pressures, economic uncertainty is outweighed by a very strong demand for houses. BL

2020 Real Estate Stats

Fayette County

Beaumont, Harrods Hill

Chevy Chase, Ashland Park, Mount Vernon

Cumberland Hill, Gardens of Hartland, Ashmoor

Kenwick, Bell Court, Mentelle Park

Lansdowne, Glendover, Shadeland

Palomar, Firebrook, Dogwood Trace

Total single family residences

90,080

2,102

1,596

1,347

1,158

1,594

1,557

Median square feet of living area

1,692

2,867

2,216

2,420

1,428

2,311

2,914

Median age of home (in years)

36

23

81

31

95

59

28

Number of homes sold in the past year *

5,661

94

83

71

64

81

95

Percentage of homes sold in the neighborhood in the past year *

6.3%

4.5%

5.2%

5.3%

5.5%

5.1%

6.1%

2020 Median sale price *

$199,500

$340,000

$472,000

$275,000

$246,000

$310,000

$365,000

Number of homes sold last year **

6,020

126

93

73

84

88

86

Percentage of homes sold in the neighborhood last year **

6.7%

6.0%

5.8%

5.4%

7.3%

5.5%

5.5%

Median sale price last year **

$189,000

$360,000

$423,000

$260,000

$220,000

$325,000

$360,000

Change in median sale price from last year to this year**

5.6%

-5.6%

11.6%

5.8%

11.8%

-4.6%

1.4%

Residential sales stats compared to the same period last year **

* Past Year: July 1, 2019-June 30, 2020. ** Same Period Last Year: July 1, 2018-June 30, 3019.

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Commercial Real Estate Management Companies Local companies ranked by rentable square footage managed Rank

Company Name Address Phone Website

Local Rentable Sq. Ft. Managed 2019

2020

Top Local Official

Principal in Charge of Property Management

Property Managers on Staff

Local Properties Managed or Number of Properties

1

The Webb Companies 250 W. Main St. Lexington, KY 40507 (859) 253-0000 www.thewebbcompanies.com

4,843,346

R. Dudley Webb (Chairman), Woodford Webb (President), Ron Tritschler (CEO & Senior Legal Counsel), Ken Michul (Principal Broker)

Nick Schwendeman, CPM (Downtown Central Business District); Carter Miller, CPM (Suburban Property Manager); Brad Willoughby

3

160 properties

2

CRM Companies 145 Rose St. Lexington, KY 40507 (859) 225-3680 www.crmco.com

4,824,347 *

Craig Turner, Wayne Wellman, Mega Walsen, Garyen Dennnig, T.W. Wellman

Zedtta Wellman, Scott Holler, Scott Hollopeter, Tom Johnson, T.W. Wellman

46

125 properties and 49 HOAs1, COAs2 & POAs3

3

NAI Isaac 771 Corporate Drive, Ste. 500 Lexington, KY 40503 (859) 224-2000 www.naiisaac.com

3,217,159

Al Isaac (President)

Al Isaac (President)

8

36 properties, including: Chase Towers, Corp Plaza, Lexington Business Center, Bryant Road Industrial, Chinoe Center, Executive Place, Stonewall Shopping Center

4

Anderson Communities 1720 Sharkey Way Lexington, KY 40511 (859) 231-0099 www.andersoncommercial-ky.com

2,763,888

Dennis Anderson

Dennis Anderson, Dallas Hodge

12

25 properties

5

Turner Development 2464 Fortune Drive, Ste. 100 Lexington, KY 40509 (859) 977-0820

1,299,589

Ron Turner, Troy Turner, Daren Turner

Kim Davis

4

39 properties

6

Switzer Development 811 Corporate Drive, Ste. 303 Lexington,KY 40503 (859) 223-5353 www.smcpa.com

1,253,450

Ron Switzer

Ben Hammack

1

35 properties

7

The Gibson Company 1050 Monarch St., Ste. 200 Lexington, KY 40513 (859) 224-8833 www.thegibsoncompany.com

1,030,017

Doug Gibson, Billy Smith, Kevin Verhoven

Billy Smith, Kevin Verhoven

2

54 properties, including: Chevy Chase Place, Monarach Plaza Office Condos, Melbourne Plaza, Pasadena Plaza

8

Coleman Group, LLC 710 E. Main St., Ste. 130 Lexington, KY 40502 (859) 255-8855 www.colemangroup.net

940746 *

Bob Cole (President)

Lynn Pearson, CFM (Sr. Vice President)

3

12 properties, icluding: One Paragon Centre, PNC Towers, Old National Bank

9

SVN Stone Commercial Real Estate 300 E. Main St., Ste. 220 Lexington, KY 40507 (859) 264-0888 www.svnlex.com

861,625

Matt Stone

Matt Stone

1

18 properties

10

Langley Properties Company 300 W. Vine St., Ste. 2200 Lexington, KY 40507 (859) 253-2255 www.langleyproperty.com

593,130

Scott Davidson

Scott Davidson

2

The Mall at Lexington Green, 300 West Vine

11

Haymaker/Bean Commercial Real Estate 3120 Wall St., Ste. 300 Lexington, KY 40509 (859) 296-9696 www.haymakercompany.com

557,000

Stephen G. Bean

Frank Mattone

4

19 properties

12

Schrader Commercial Properties P.O. Box 21793 Lexington, KY 40522 (859) 288-5008 www.schradercommercial.com

526,036

James M. Schrader (President)

James M. Schrader (Property Manager)

2

37 properties

13

BC Wood Properties 321 Henry St. Lexington, KY 40508 (859) 335-9663 bcwoodproperties.com

353,810

Brian Wood (Founder & CEO)

Brian Wood

2

1 property, Eastland Shopping Center

14

Silvestri Real Estate 444 E. Main St., Ste. 102 Lexington, KY 40507 (859) 263-2300 www.silvestrirealestate.com

225,148

Ken Silvestri (Principal Owner-Broker), Brandon Cutwright (President)

Ken Silvestri

5

21 properties

Source: Information obtained from Business Lexington Survey, company representatives and company websites, Fayette County commercial real estate companies listings and Commerce Lexington business sources.

Other companies may have been eligible but did not respond to requests for information. Key: *=2019 figures; 1=HOA: homeowners association; 2=COA: condominium owners association; 3=POA: property owners association

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Residential Real Estate Companies Lexington real estate firms ranked by Fayette County residential sales Rank

Company Name Address Phone Website

Jan. – Dec. 2019

Residential Sales Volume, Jan.–Dec. 2019

Total Transactions Listed and Sold, Jan.–Dec. 2019

Average Sale Price

Total Transactions Sold, Jan.–Dec. 2019

Principal Broker-in-Charge/ Top Official

1

Bluegrass Sotheby’s International Realty 1999 Richmond Road, Ste. 400 Lexington, KY 40502 (859) 268-0099 www.bgsir.com

$231,021,937

614

$376,257

297

Becky Reinhold

2

Keller Williams Greater Lexington 2700 Old Rosebud Road, Ste. 250 Lexington, KY 40509 (859) 721-2121 Facebook.com/kwgreaterlex

$227,353,397

971

$234,144

513

Mary Ann Morris

3

Keller Williams Bluegrass Realty 2424 Harrodsburg Road, #101 Lexington, KY 40503 (859) 321-8999 www.lexington.kw.com

217,242,776

884

$245,750

450

Myrna Downing

4

Rector Hayden Realty 1099 Duval St. #250 Lexington, KY 40515 (859) 276-4811 www.rhr.com

$195,036,468

777

$251,012

400

Sha Fister

5

The Brokerage 505 Wellington Way Lexington, KY 40503 (859) 230-4597 www.thebrokerageky.com

$153,656,000

537

$286,138

285

Greg Back

6

Milestone Realty Consultants 3609 Walden Drive Lexington, KY 40517 (877) 741-3126 www.milestoneky.com

$147,426,589

540

$273,012

205

Mike Wheatley

7

Lifstyl Real Estate* 114 Pasadena Drive, Lexington, KY 40503 (859) 278-7501 www.lifstyl.com

$139,852,814

649

$215,490

356

Eli Haddad

8

RE/MAX Creative Realty 2808 Palumbo Drive Lexington, KY 40509 (859) 422-2000 www.remax.com

$98,386,631

447

$220,104

201

Janice Mueller

9

Berkshire Hathaway de Movellan Properties 171 Prosperous Place Lexington, KY 40509 (859) 266-0451 www.demovellan.com

$92,771,717

311

$298,301

145

Anthony DeMovellan

10

United Real Estate 424 Lewis Hargett Circle, Ste. 120 Lexington, KY 40503 (513) 206-0790 www.unitedrealestatelexingtonky.com

$78,930,003

335

$235,612

191

Margie Hodges

11

RE/MAX Elite Lexington 203 Ruccio Way Lexington, KY 40503 (859) 245-1165 www.eliterealtylexington.com

$72,826,467

307

$237,220

151

Kristy Gooch

12

Turf Town Properties 124 Kentucky Ave. Lexington, KY 40502 (859) 268-4663 www.turftown.com

$65,722,822

156

$421,300

68

Hill Parker

13

ERA Select Real Estate 444 Lewis Hargett Circle, #275 Lexington, KY 40503 (859) 296-1525 www.eraselect.com

$55,420,214

299

$222,571

141

Greg Buchanan

14

Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate Cypress 270 S. Limestone Lexington, KY 40508 (859) 977-0000 www.bhgcypress.com

$35,848,716

152

$235,847

81

Kenny Whalen

15

The Agency 860 Corporate Dr. Ste. 103 Lexington, KY 40503 (859) 699-4663 www.agencyky.com

$35,022,714

159

$220,269

86

Aaron Allnutt

16

Keller Williams Legacy Group 2700 Rosebud Road, Ste. 250 Lexington, KY 40509 (859) 533-9427 www.kwlegacyrealty.com

$28,033,002

121

$231,678

76

Yvette Kelly

17

Weener Properties, Inc. 2333 Alexandria Drive Lexington, KY 40504 (859) 514-6753 www.lexingtonproperties.com

$23,995,428

82

$292,627

41

Vicki Weesner

Source: Business Lexington questionnaire, oop.ky.gov/lic, Krec.ky.gov, LBAR and firms websites. We based ranking numbers by total number of Volume Residential Sold from January to December 2019. Our cut off in volume was $23,995,000. Key: NPR=Not Previously Ranked

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Shopping Centers Ranked by total square footage — over 110,000 square feet

Rank

Complex Name Address, Phone Website

Total Square Feet

Stores/ Parking Spaces

Anchor Stores

2020

Complex Manager/ Property Management Firm

Year Built/ Complex Owner

1

Fayette Mall Reynolds Road & Nicholasville Road Lexington, KY 40503 (859) 272-3493 www.shopfayette-mall.com

1,400,000

170/5,495

Macy’s, Dillard’s, Dick’s Sporting Goods, H&M

Myron Worley (General Manager)/ CBL & Associates Properties, Inc.

1971/ CBL & Associates Properties, Inc.

2

Hamburg Place, Sir Barton Place War Admiral Place Lexington, KY 40509 (859) 299-1515 www.hamburgplace.com

1,223,109

91/NA

Total Wine, Buy Buy Baby, Staples, Half Price Books, Off Broadway Shoes, Bed, Bath & Beyond, Walmart, Lowe’s, Sportman’s Warehouse, Boot Barn, Costco, Cabela’s, Cost Plus World Market, Hobby Lobby

Courtney Woolard (Hamburg Place Dir. of Sales/Leasing/Marketing)

1998/ Sir Barton Place, LLC, War Admiral, LLC

3

Hamburg Pavilion Sir Barton Way Lexington, KY 40509 www.hamburg-pavilion.com

982,502 *

66/5,751

Target, Regal Cinemas, Barnes & Noble, Dick’s Sporting Goods, Kohl’s, Best Buy, At Home, Petsmart, Ross Dress for Less, Marshalls, Michaels, Old Navy, DSW

NA/NA

1998/ HAP Owner LP

4

Eastland Shopping Center 1301 Winchester Road Lexington, KY 40505 (859) 335-9663 www.bcwoodproperties.com

340,094

69/1,384

Roses, Harbor Freight, Citi Trends, Family Dollar, Hibbett Sports

Lee Cowden (Asset Manager)/ BC Wood Propterties

1959, renovated 2018/ BC Wood Properties

5

The Summit at Fritz Farm 120 Summit at Fritz Farm, Ste. 155 Lexington, KY 40517 (859) 309-9682 www.thesummitatfritzfarm.com

340,000

NA/NA

Whole Foods, Arhaus, Pottery Barn

Bayer Properties

2017/ Joint venture, Bayer Properties and Investment Firm

6

Man O’ War Place 3101 Richmond Road Lexington, KY 40509 (859) 312-8200 www.equity-management.com

250,000

55/1,257

Kroger Market Place, Texas Roadhouse

Vickie Graffius (Leasing & Property Manager)/Equity Management Group, Inc.

NA/NA

7

The Plaza at Fayette Mall Rojay Dr. & Mall Road Lexington, KY 40503 (859) 272-3495 www.cblproperties.com

218,080

20/1,272

Old Navy, Guitar Center, Cinemark, Gordman’s

Myron Worley (General Manager)/ CBL & Associates Properties, Inc.

2006/ CBL & Associates Properties, Inc.

8

South Park Shopping Center 3220 Nicholasville Road Lexington, KY 40503 (502) 456-1999

217,635

6/1,199

Best Buy, Office Depot, Bed, Bath & Beyond, Value City Furniture, Ulta Beauty, Burlington

Lora Forde (Property Manager)

NA/ Kaden Company

9

Mist Lake Plaza Richmond Road & Man O’ War Blvd.

Lexington, KY 40509 (513) 200-0928 www.centroprop.com

217,000

15/NA

Gabriel Brothers

Kristie Hall (Property Manager)

NA/NA

10

Tates Creek Centre Tates Creek Rd. & Man O’ War Blvd.

Lexington, KY 40517 (770) 618-1086 www.weingarten.com

198,372 *

32/952

Kroger

Lori Walker (Regional Property Manager)/Weingarten Realty

1986/ Weingarten Realty

11

Lakeview Plaza 2909 Richmond Road Lexington, KY 40509 (859) 312-8200 www.equity-management.com

180,000 *

16/736

Sherwin Williams, Aaron’s, Rainbow Apparel, Ollie’s Bargain Outlets

Jason Taylor (Asset Management, Development & Leasing)/ Equity Management Group, Inc.

NA/ Equity Management Group, Inc.

12

The Mall at Lexington Green 161 Lexington Green Circle, Ste. D Lexington, KY 40503 (859) 245-1513 www.themallatlexingtongreen.com

168,038

17/858

Joseph Beth Booksellers, Total Wine, Logan’s of Lexington

Jennifer James (Property Manager)/ Langley Properties Company

1986/ The Mall at Lexington Green, LLC

13

Regency Center Nicholasville Road & Lowery Lane Lexington, KY 40503 (770) 618-1086 www.weingarten.com

139,958 *

38/657

Michael’s, T.J. Maxx, Kroger

Lori Walker (Regional Property Manager)/Weingarten Realty

1986/ Weingarten Realty

14

The Square 401 W. Main St. Lexington, KY 40507 (859) 252-7575 www.thesquarelexington.com

135,466 *

12/NA

Urban Outfitters, Saul Good Restaurant & Pub, Alumni Hall, Artist Attic, Main Cross Gallery, Explorium of Lexington, Sincerely Yours, Tony’s Steaks & Seafood, Pies & Pints, HopCat, Seaview Outfitters

Sandra L. Duvall (General Manager)/ NA

1985/ Victorian Square, LLC

15

Millpond Center Man O ‘War Blvd. & Boston Road Lexington, KY 40514 (770) 618-1086 www.weingarten.com

124,966 *

15/817

Kroger

Lori Walker (Regional Property Manager)/Weingarten Realty

1986/ Weingarten Realty

16

Lansdowne Shopping Center 3319 Tates Creek Road Lexington, KY 40502 (859) 335-5400

120,000

22/NA

Bluegrass Hospitality Group, Fresh Market, Rite-Aid Pharmacy

The Davis-McEachin Families

1969/ The Davis-McEachin Families

Source: Information was obtained from Business Lexington questionnaire, company representatives and websites. Key: *=2019 figures; NA=Not Available; NPR=Not Previously Ranked.

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BizLexQ&A

Jonathan Webb The founder and CEO of AppHarvest on the importance of growing our own food and positioning Kentucky as an ag-tech leader

BY TOM WILMES BUSINESS LEXINGTON

B

y this time next year, AppHarvest expects to have begun production in the 2.76-million-square-foot greenhouse the company is building in Morehead, Kentucky. The $97 million building will be the biggest greenhouse in the country and among the largest in the world when completed, encompassing 60 acres and with a capacity to ship 45 million pounds of fresh produce annually — primarily tomatoes — to grocers throughout the Midwest, Southeast and as far north as New York within a day’s drive.

Bolstering the domestic production of our food supplies is critical in securing a stable future, says AppHarvest founder and CEO Jonathan Webb, as is creating an environment where government, private businesses and research institutions work together to support and further these agricultural efforts.

Facing a food shortage following World War II, the Netherlands has since grown to become the agricultural capital of Europe. And Webb sees every opportunity for Kentucky to similarly position itself as the ag-tech capital of the United States.

In June, Webb took part in a press conference along with Gov. Andy Beshear, Agriculture Commissioner Ryan Quarles, Dutch dignitaries and representatives from the 17 organizations who entered into an agreement to work together to transform Eastern Kentucky into an epicenter for ag-tech development. Gov. Beshear also announced a state task force, which he will lead, to further support these efforts.

Webb, a University of Kentucky graduate, share more in the following conversation.

At what point in the development of AppHarvest did it become apparent that this needs to be a larger effort and that more partners should be involved? It’s been our strategy from day one to go really big picture on this and not make it about just a couple of facilities, but an entire ecosystem.

We’re not just building steel-and-glass structures. Yes, those are the most fundamental and biggest part of what we’re doing, but the moment we got the funding secured to build this first facility, I allotted my time personally to work toward this larger effort. Which is, how do we get our universities here working with universities in the Netherlands? How do we get the best companies in the Netherlands committed to working with our universities here? And then, the last piece was, how do we convince our government that this is a big industry that our state can grab?

AppHarvest is one company and we want to be successful in our own lane, but there are 10,000 companies in the Netherlands supporting the industry there, and we’re not going to be able to accomplish these objectives on our own. We’re happy to help build a larger table instead of trying to be the only party at the table.

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What are the benefits of working hand-in-hand with the Dutch instead of just using their technology? They call it the triple helix — it’s government, universities and the private sector working together — and they really have mastered that model better than almost anywhere else in the world.

Instead of us pulling ideas out of thin air, it’s asking ‘how do we do what you’ve done? How do we do it faster? What’s worked and what hasn’t worked?’ And [the Dutch] government has been incredibly transparent.

As far as the universities, we’re looking for basic knowledge transfer and information sharing. Their universities have been studying this for decades, and of course we’re already working with companies that are based over there, and we’re also working to get them offices in Kentucky.

In this world of controlled-environment agriculture, we’ve had the best in the world flying into Lexington, hitting I-64 and heading east. What means for the city — we’re still trying to wrap our heads around it — but Lexington is going to be a part of this, for sure.

In this increasingly global economy, why is it important to grow our own food supply? Well, if COVID hasn’t taught us how structurally broken or on the verge of broken many of our systems are — whether it’s food, energy or health care — I don’t know what will. We have pushed our production out of this country, and we’re heavily reliant on Mexico to stock our shelves with fresh fruits and vegetables. We’re vulnerable, and we’ve got to do something to change that. The good thing is, we can.

This is nationwide problem, and Kentucky can be part of the solution of building a more resilient food system and ensuring that we have large-scale food production here. We know what the problems are, and we have a lot of people coming to the table and saying they want to lead. Now it’s just a matter of putting the solutions in place and positioning our state to be out front in bringing food production home and having a strong supply of year-round production.

What about getting large retailers on board? Frankly that was the easiest thing for us. The demand for U.S. produced controlledenvironment [agriculture] is through the roof. We’ll be in the top 25 grocers — all the big names. Let’s be clear, though, we have to compete on price, and that’s why we had to build so big. We had to build a 60-acre facility to get our unit economics down to where we can compete with a tomato coming out of Mexico, but is it fair? I don’t particularly feel that it’s fair, and that’s why governments need to be at the table. Our competition down in Mexico is paying people less than $5 a day, and they’re using chemical pesticides three times a week that you can only use once a year in the U.S. But there’s nothing we can do about that, because we still have to get grocers tomatoes at or under the pricing that they already have

PHOTO FURNISHED

When completed, AppHarvest’s 2.76-million-square-foot greenhouse in Morehead, Kentucky, will be the largest in the country.

Some people have expressed concern about pushing out small Kentucky farmers. What are your thoughts? We want to support farmers in Kentucky, and fight to get them onto the shelves with us. Our team is very passionate about this. And to help the small farmer, we need to get large production year-round onto the shelves. The problem is, small farmers can’t grow outdoors in [the winter], so we’re going to take our facilities offline in the summer months.

Big last number here — 1.2 billion pounds of tomatoes were imported annually from Mexico 10 to 15 years ago, and last year it was four billion pounds. We have quietly shifted all of our production out of this country south of the border, and we have put the farmers here in the U.S. in peril. None of us here locally are going to be able to compete with the 4 billion pounds of tomatoes coming out of Mexico.

Our facility, as big as it is in Morehead, is only 45 million pounds of tomatoes. To help the small farmers — who frankly do not have a voice with these large grocers — we’re going to have to fight together to push the imports off the shelf and get local production on. We will do everything we possibly can. BL

Jonathan Webb, founder and CEO of AppHarvest, is working to foster a collaborative environment for ag-tech businesses in Kentucky.

PHOTO FURNISHED

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Who’sWho New Hires & Promotions Town Branch Park announced the hiring of Ralph Coldiron to be the project coordinator.

Coldiron will oversee design and construction of the park.

Mayor Linda Gorton announced that Roszalyn Akins, educator, executive director of BMW Academy and civic leader, and Gerald Smith, University of Kentucky history professor and pastor of Pilgrim Baptist Church, will co-chair a group she is appointing to recommend changes concerning racial equality.

Central Bank has announced that Glenn D. Leveridge, Winchester market president, has retired. Leveridge spent 24 years of his 50 years in banking at Central Bank, serving as the Winchester market president since 2008. The bank also announced the promotions of J.B. Schmidt to assistant vice president, commercial lending, Bradley Sutherland to assistant vice president, mortgage lending, and Benjamin Wilbanks to vice president, credit analysis.

Bill Reynolds, a doctor of optometry who practices in Richmond and Lexington, has been named incoming president of the American Optometric Association.

Sarah Coen, a national expert on enrollment and student success, has been named as Transylvania’s new vice president for strategic initiatives and enrollment management.

Transylvania University has also named Johnnie Johnson as its vice president for admissions, effective immediately. Johnson has served as the interim vice president for enrollment since July 2019.

AMR Management Services, a Kentucky-based association management firm, announced that two key staff members — Julie Pelstring and Mike Cooke — have been promoted to director positions.

Fayette County Public Schools Superintendent Manny Caulk has named new principals for three elementary schools: John Moore, new principal of Ashland Elementary School; Michael Jones, new principal of Mary Todd Elementary School; and Ebony Hutchinson, new principal at William Wells Brown Elementary School.

Keeneland officials announced that Stuart E. Brown II, who cared for an international clientele during his nearly 30-year career with Hagyard Equine Medical Institute in Lexington, will join Keeneland full time as equine safety director.

Wrigley Media has welcomed three new team members:

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EMPLOYMENT NEWS AND AWARDS IN OUR COMMUNITY

Zack Brewer, senior associate producer; Evan Boggess, production specialist, and Jonathan Grosz, assistant editor.

Lexington businessman Stewart Perry (Perry and Perry Insurance) has accepted Governor Andy Beshear’s appointment to the Kentucky Horse Park Commission.

COLDIRON

LEVERIDGE

SCHMIDT

SUTHERLAND

WILBANKS

B. REYNOLDS

COEN

JOHNSON

PELSTRING

COOKE

MOORE

JONES

HUTCHINSON

BROWN

PERRY

HARDY

VANDERHORST

BARTLEY

BREYETTE

TAYLOR

A. REYNOLDS

SOLOMON

MUSGRAVE

ALVERSON

DANIELS

STONE

RADER

SMITHER

FRIESEN

BOARMAN

CECIL

SORRELLS

SHIREY

ETHINGTON

BARNES

WesBanco Bank has promoted Elizabeth “Lisbon” Hardy to city president of the Bourbon district, which includes Anderson, Franklin and Mercer counties.

Windstream has named Kie Vanderhorst as Kinetic business sales executive for the Lexington area.

The International Bluegrass Music Association Foundation board of directors has welcomed Arthur Hancock IV of Frankfort, Kentucky, to a threeyear term.

Kentucky Natural Lands Trust (KNLT) has welcomed new members to their board of directors and staff team. Kelly Bartley, an environmental law attorney with Dentons Bingham Greenebaum LLP, was recently elected chairperson. Nicole Breyette joined the staff team in February as development director. The board also elected a founding member, Bert Lyons, as the new secretary/chair, and philanthropy expert, Kathleen Shelton, as a new board member. Longtime board chair Marc Evans will continue to lend his expertise as KNLT’s first ever senior science advisor.

The Saint Joseph Hospital Foundation announced the following members of the 2020-21 board of directors: Chair Lee C. Hall, Vice Chair Larry Cowgill, Secretary Tracy Colon, Treasurer Alan VanArsdall, Judy Albrecht, Kathy Arms, Diane Cashen, Judy Cummins, Lisa Gumm-Gray, Laura Hayden, Missy Lange, Daryl K. Love, Christy Nash, Saint Joseph Hospital President Bruce Tassin, Julie Whitman, Gregory S. Yeary and Saint Joseph Hospital Foundation President Leslie Smart.

Blue Grass Community Foundation announed the election of the following officers of the board for fiscal year 2021: Chair Fran Taylor, owner/partner of Lexington Silver, LLC; Vice Chair Andy Reynolds, COO of Ballast; Treasurer Art Salomon, founder & CEO of Salomon & Co.; Secretary Travis Musgrave, Merrill Lynch wealth management advisor with Musgrave Dunn & Associates. The Foundation is also announced the appointment of the following board members: Bill Alverson, retired CEO of Traditional Bank and Community Volunteer; Tiffany Daniels D.C., MSC-P, Chiropractic Care of Lexington; and

Art Salomon, founder & CEO of Salomon & Co. Brittany Stone has been promoted to assistant vice president, commercial loan officer at Field & Main Bank.

Kentucky American Water has announced that Dorothy Rader has been named senior superintendent of the company’s northern division.

WealthSouth portfolio manager Nikolaus Smither has been promoted to assistant vice president.

The Lexington-Fayette County Board of Health has elected Michael Friesen as chair for the 2020-21 fiscal year.

Attorneys Keeana Sajadi Boarman, David T. Cecil, and Cassidy L. Sorrells have joined McBrayer’s Lexington office.

Nancy Shirey, CNM, APRN, has joined CHI Saint Joseph Medical

Group – Obstetrics/Gynecology in Lexington as a certified nurse midwife. Shirey is accepting patients for obstetrics and gynecology appointments.

Kudos Five video projects created by Wrigley Media Group received attention from the Telly Awards, Hermes Creative Awards and Omni Awards.

Amber Ethington, of Garrett Morgan Elementary, is Fayette County’s Outstanding Special Educator for 2020. Ethington has taught students with moderate/severe disabilities for six years, including two years previously at Julius Marks Elementary.

The Kentucky Association of Japanese Language Teachers recently selected Mariko Barnes of Lafayette High School as the state’s Japanese Teacher of the Year. Barnes is now in the running for 2020 Kentucky World Lan-

guage Teacher of the Year, which will be announced Sept. 19.

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development has recognized Lexington Housing Authority Executive Director Austin Simms, Eric Friedlander, Kentucky State secretary Cabinet for Health & Family Services, Lexington Mayor Linda Gorton and Polly Ruddick, Lexington Fayette Urban County Government, Director of Office of Homelessness Prevention & Intervention and partners for the recent award of over $170,000 in total HUD Foster Youth Initiative grants that was utilized to expediously assist 12 local foster youth aging out of foster care with housing options with the ultimate goal of helping a total of 23 foster youth obtain housing.

BB&T Insurance Holdings, Inc., a subsidiary of Truist Bank, announced it is now doing business as Truist Insurance Holdings, Inc.. BL

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CORONAVIRUS RESPONSE FUND WE GET BETTER TOGETHER.

Thanks to generous donors, the Coronavirus Response Fund, a partnership of Blue Grass Community Foundation and United Way of the Bluegrass, has helped those most affected by the COVID-19 outbreak.

+ $950,000 TOTAL RAISED

+ 45

GRANTS AWARDED

+ $625,000

NONPROFIT GRANT RECIPIENTS DELIVERING THESE GOODS & SERVICES TO 13 KENTUCKY COUNTIES

There’s still more work to do. Will you join us?

Giving to the Coronavirus Response Fund is easy!

Donate online at bgcf.org/coronavirus.

DO GOOD. LIVE UNITED.

bgcf.org

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499 East High Street • Suite 112 • Lexington, KY 40507 / 859.225.3343

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Fifth Third Means Business™ From revenue cycle optimization to working capital management, we know your organization requires unique solutions to meet the specific moments you’re navigating. That’s why, at Fifth Third Bank, we have a team of local experts who understand your organization. Whatever your organizational goals are, we’re here to help you succeed. Let’s build, together.

Fifth Third Means Business™

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Fifth Third Bank, National Association. Member FDIC.

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