Business Lexington June 2021

IN THIS ISSUE

BusinessLexington JUNE 2021 | VOL. 17 ISSUE 6

Frame by Frame

CraveWorthy: Local educator finds sweet spot with boutique cookie business PAGE 8

As the owners of South Hill Gallery retire, the business transitions into trusted hands PAGE 6

More Than Just A Game: The University of Kentucky aims to expose students to an array of gaming-related careers through its investment in esports PAGE 11

Q&A with Rex Chapman: The former Kentucky Wildcat opens up about his new podcasts and owning up to past mistakes PAGE 17

Meredith Willett, owner of M’s Canvashouse, recently acquired South Hill Gallery from owners Mike and Letha Drury.

PHOTO BY EMILY GIANCARLO

BizLists Hotels

PAGE 15

| Meeting and Convention Facilities PAGE 16

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JUNE 2021

WWW.BUSINESSLEXINGTON.COM

BusinessLexington Chuck Creacy PUBLISHER

chuck@bizlex.com Chris Eddie PUBLISHER

chris@bizlex.com Tom Wilmes EDITOR

tomw@bizlex.com Drew Purcell ART DIRECTOR

drew@bizlex.com Rena Baer COPY EDITOR

CONTENTS

3

More Than Just A Game: The University of Kentucky aims to expose students to an array of gaming-related careers through its investment in esports

PVAStatistics

The latest statistics on local commercial and residential properties PAGE 4

EconomicAnalysis

PAGE 11

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

GrammarGourmet

Like, when do you use ‘such as’? PAGE 5

Sharon Metz BIZLISTS EDITOR

sharon.metz66@gmail.com Donna Hodsdon ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER

donna@bizlex.com

IndependentBusiness

Frame by frame: As the owners of South Hill Gallery retire, the business transitions into trusted hands PAGE 6

Theresa Stanley DIRECTOR OF EVENTS AND PROMOTIONS

theresa@smileypete.com ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES

Amy Eddie

amy@bizlex.com Ann Staton

ann@bizlex.com

BizIQ

Planet or plastic: Can the hospitality industry shrink a 150-million ton plastics footprint?

PAGE 7

CraveWorthy

Local educator finds sweet spot with boutique cookie business PAGE 8 PHOTO BY MARK CORNEILSON UK PHOTO

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QuickBites

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

Hemp-finished beef, the return of Tomo, SoulFeast Week and more PAGE 9

BizList

Hotels PAGE 15 Meeting and Convention Facilities PAGE 16

Who’sWho

Employment updates from around the Bluegrass PAGE 18

RELAX

Local Flavor: Local First Lexington may have disbanded as an organization, but its mission remains as critical as ever PAGE 10

Widespread Staffing Shortages Hit Home: Local restaurants struggle to find enough employees to meet growing demand

Q&A with Rex Chapman: The former Kentucky Wildcat opens up about his new podcasts and owning up to past mistakes

PAGE 13

PAGE 17

UNWIND

ENJOY

bluegrasshospitality.com

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ABSOLUTE AUCTION

Three Frankfort Properties Selling on One Day! Wednesday, June 16th - 12:00 noon Auction location for all 3 properties: 1050 US Highway 127 S

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JUNE 2021

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

Top Commercial Transactions for April 2021

OPEN HOUSES AT ALL PROPERTIES: 2:00 - 5:00 p.m.

Wednesday, May 26th Wednesday, June 2nd & 9th For more information, contact: James Schrader, Principal Auctioneer/Broker jschrader@schradercommercial.com

859-252-SOLD

www.schradercommercial.com

TERMS: The property and improvements thereon will be sold “as is” with no warranty, expressed or implied. Announcements made the day of sale take precedence over printed material or prior verbal statements. 10% down and signed contract due day of sale. Closing within 30 days of sale date.

SALE DATE ADDRESS

PRICE

STRUCTURE

4/12/21

220 Ruccio Way

$4,150,000

Ruccio Shoppes LLC

4/28/21

840 Angliana Ave.

$3,350,000

840 Angliana LLC

4/23/21

751 Enterprise Drive

$1,400,000

Litzler Properties LLC

4/1/21

311 Duke Road

$1,312,500

Camas Proper L5 LLC

4/15/21

1701 Nicholasville Road

$1,050,000

Lexington Urgent Care PLLC

4/9/21

218 N. Broadway

$975,000

Favetto, Juan Martin

4/23/21

223 Gold Rush Road

$875,000

GHS Duty Properties LLC

4/9/21

239 N. Broadway

$820,000

Colt Management LLC

4/27/21

641 Red Mile Road

$750,000

Four SIS Property LLC

4/30/21

535 Wellington Way Ste. 120

$540,000

Pepperpeak Land Holdings LLC

4/28/21

509 W. Third St.

$487,500

DRDS Capital Holdings LLC

4/22/21

3301 Morhan Way

$346,500

Parcover, Alexander R.

4/22/21

300 Poage Court

$285,000

Mattingly, Dustin and Leigh

4/10/21

1824 Augusta Drive

$245,000

Kadd LLC

4/30/21

445 Davidson Court

$225,000

Landshark Properties LLC

4/12/21

472 Southland Drive

$204,000

Cundiff Real Estate Investments LLC

4/23/21

1517 Nicholasville Rd. Unit 402

$160,000

ATT Holdings LLC

4/26/21

427-429 E. Fifth St.

$85,000

Vasquez, Rafael

* Sale price based on a multiple-parcel transaction ** Parcel includes multiple improvement

Residential Sales Data for April 2021

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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.

2021 RESIDENTIAL SALES

2020 RESIDENTIAL SALES

2019 RESIDENTIAL SALES

800

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500

400

300

200

100

JAN

FEB

MAR

APR

MAY

JUN

JUL

AUG

SEP

OCT

NOV

DEC

4%

-19%

-4%

3%

-21%

-6%

19%

4%

15%

22%

15%

20%

MONTHLY PERCENTAGE CHANGE OVER PREVIOUS YEAR

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For more local residential and commercial real estate information, visit the website of the Fayette County Property Valuation Administrator at www.fayettepva.com.

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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 April 2021

1-Month 1-Year Change Change

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

269,300 March 156,200 March

0.71% 1.10%

-4.06% -3.04%

28,772 March 4.00% March

1.89% 0.00%

-3.66% -0.30%

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

144,308,000 April 12,284,000 April 6.10% April

0.18% -0.15% 0.10%

10.87% 7.62% -8.70%

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

257.207 April 267.054 April 214.3 March

0.70% 80.00% 1.28%

4.40% 4.20% 5.20%

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

111.6 April 105.6 April

0.10% 1.44%

NA 1.83%

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

0.02% April 11 1.63% April 11

0.00% 0.09%

-0.10% 0.87%

Real GDP (millions $)

1st Qtr. 2021 $22,048,894.00

1-Month 1-Year Change Change 1.39% 2.58%

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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 Like, when do you use ‘such as’?

The word “like” is versatile. You may use it as a verb (as in, I like that gray horse in the Belmont). You may use it as a preposition (she runs like Secretariat), or as a conjunction (she looks like a winner), or even as a colloquial lead-in to a quote (they were like, “OMG! How did you bet on her?”).

Just don’t use like when you mean such as.

The general rule is this: When you use like, you are excluding. When you use such as, you are including.

The difference can be subtle and confusing. Here’s how one grammarian tried to explain it: “When you use ‘like,’ you’re saying that what follows is intended as a frame of reference to indicate the group of things you’re talking about but is itself not included in the group.”

As — or is it like? — I said, this can be confusing. Perhaps examples will help.

Here’s a sentence with like. “With a jockey like Mike Smith, even an average horse has a chance to win.” When you use like in this case, you are excluding Smith from the larger lot of jockeys; you are saying he is special, even unique.

Here’s a sentence with such as. “I enjoy watching jockeys, such as Mike Smith and John Velazquez, get the most out of their mounts.” In this case, like is inclusive; it refers to jockeys as a class, with Smith and

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By Neil Chethik

Velazquez as two named — but not necessarily special — individuals.

It may be helpful to remember the phrase, “I like a special person.” I use it to remind myself to use like when I’m talking about someone or something special. If there’s nothing unique about my subject, such as works just fine. BL Neil Chethik, aka the Grammar Gourmet, is executive director at the Carnegie Center for Literacy and Learning (www.carnegieliteracy.org) and author of “FatherLoss” and “VoiceMale.” The Carnegie Center offers writing classes and seminars for businesses and individuals. Contact Neil at neil@carnegieliteracy.org or (859) 254-4175.

Successful jockeys such as John Velasquez win like a lot of money.

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IndependentBusiness Frame by Frame As the owners of South Hill Gallery retire, the business transitions into trusted hands

BY KATHIE STAMPS CONTRIBUTING WRITER

W

hen Mike and Letha Drury started seriously discussing selling South Hill Gallery, their custom picture framing and printing company with a more than four-decade lineage in Lexington, the couple had a very short list of who they’d entrust to take over the business.

Meredith Willett, owner of M’s Canvashouse Needlepoint Shop, and Mike Drury have been close friends since the early 1980s, when they were classmates at Woodford County High School. Both went on to start successful businesses, which have grown to become mainstays in the local community.

And now that Mike and Letha were ready to retire, they knew that Willett was the perfect person to shepherd South Hill Gallery into the future.

“Mike called and said, ‘Letha and I are considering retiring, you were No. 1 on our list who it would fit with,’” Willett said. She was pleasantly surprised by the opportunity.

“It fits in like a glove with us,” said Willet, who has recommended South Hill Gallery for years to her customers wanting to have their needlework pieces framed.

South Hill Gallery maintains a large inventory of supplies so that all work is done on-site, including providing turnkey service for

projects involving photography and custom framing. Careful thought goes into frame designs, as staff members “relate not to just traditional tastes but fresh and modern styles appealing to younger audiences,” Letha said.

In preparing to officially take over ownership June 1, Willet said she has been pleased with the smooth transition. “They’ve been so incredibly nice and so helpful,” she said of the Drurys. Willet’s daughter, Laura Laine Barnhill, has “a little bit of ownership too,” she said. “She’s a Realtor and she also works for me, which is the best blessing of my whole life.”

“The similarity of our businesses gives her a leg up, and of course she will have our talented and experienced staff on board to help usher South Hill Gallery into its next exciting chapter,” Mike Drury said.

“Mike and Letha did a great job.

This company has a great reputation,” Willett said. “For sure I’m going to keep South Hill’s name.”

The frame shop was known as The Gallery when it was founded in 1977 by Jim Clemons. Mike Drury bought the business from Clemons in 1991, after selling his interest in a Versailles-based framing business he owned with his uncle, Fred Newton.

In 2005, he and Letha married, and she joined him as co-owner of The Gallery. Within a few years, the Drurys renamed it as South Hill Gallery, Ltd. and moved the shop from its spot on Bolivar and Broadway to Versailles Road. In 2010 they purchased Photo Therapy, a digital printing business, to add photo printing, archiving and restoration services to their picture framing business.

“He is a gifted woodworker and frame builder and has a very creative eye in the design of shadowboxes,” Letha Drury said of her husband. She has handled front-

PHOTO BY EMILY GIANCARLO

Letha and Mike Drury, left, knew that their friend Meredith Willett, right, owner of M’s Canvashouse, would be the perfect person to take over South Hill Gallery when the couple retires in June. “It fits in like a glove with us,” Willet said.

of-the-house duties and customer service at South Hill Gallery, while the production staff of six work in frame design, building and assembly, as well as woodworking and photography.

Drury is a master-certified picture framer by the Professional Picture Framers Association, an uncommon distinction in Kentucky, and has served on the organization’s national board of directors.

“We have experienced phenomenal growth over the past 20 years, adding a large component of commercial and health care work to our established residential customer base,” Mike Drury said. “The local business community is a great space to be in Lexington. We enjoy being able to network with other local businesses, such as The Box Stop, LEXTRO [formerly Lexington Trophy], Scout, and Mulberry and Lime, to name a few.”

Willett’s journey as a smallbusiness owner also involves strategic growth and capitalizing on opportunities.

Originally a partner in Designer Belts Unlimited, Willett bought out her two partners and moved her needlepoint shop from Clay Avenue to Kentucky Avenue, when she changed the name to M’s Canvashouse. In 2019, she relocated the business to a storefront on Red Mile Road that she bought. Today, Willett employs 14 people at M’s Canvashouse and another handful at her wholesale company, the Meredith Collection, which are both housed in the same building.

Through the Meredith Collection, Willett and her staff create needlepoint patterns that are sold in stores across the country. Hers is one of the few wholesale companies that offers full-service finishing services. When a customer buys a

needlepoint purse to stitch, for example, from any retail needlework store, and wants it lined with, say, silk dupioni or moiré, with a cellphone pocket inside and a detachable shoulder strap, the retailer will send the purse to Willett’s company in Lexington for finishing work.

Last year when COVID hit, Willett thought her needlepoint business would take a hit, but business has picked up so much that she’s barely able to keep up with the demand.

“I’m super-duper blessed,” she said.

The Drurys are also grateful to their customers and friends over the years for many wonderful memories and know the business and those connections will be in good hands.

“Every piece of work tells a story,” said Mike Drury. “Ones that we loved to hear.” BL

South Hill Gallery offers a variety of custom framing and photography services. The frame shop was known as The Gallery when it was founded in 1977 by Jim Clemons.

PHOTOS BY EMILY GIANCARLO

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BizIQ

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A MONTHLY COLUMN OF BUSINESS INSIGHTS FROM CENTRAL KENTUCKY PROFESSIONALS

Planet or plastic: Can the hospitality industry shrink a 150-million ton plastics footprint?

BY JUDITH HUMBLE CONTRIBUTING WRITER

T

he United Nations defines our volume of plastic waste as a global crisis, ranking it a major threat to the environment. The international hotel industry is a major contributor, generating 150 million tons of single-use plastic annually. Fortunately, the industry is responding to this crisis with actions that dramatically reduce plastic waste. The following steps are simple and cost effective HUMBLE in keeping small items from becoming big problems. As customers become more environmentally conscious, these green steps will enhance the public image of organizations stemming the tide.

Eliminate plastic straws The United States discards 500 million single-use plastic straws daily, each taking about 200 years to decompose. Hilton Hotels and Resorts has successfully removed plastic straws from many properties, as have Hyatt Hotels Corporation and Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts. Environmental awareness about degradation caused by straws is increasing,

and many customers may be happy to avoid them. Other low-cost options include substituting bio-degradable straw alternatives made of paper, bamboo or pasta; or offering straws by request.

Eliminate plastic water bottles Only 12 percent of single-use plastic is effectively recycled. With two bottles of water in each of 100 rooms in a hotel, that’s potentially 73,000 pieces of plastic being thrown away annually. Simple ways to reduce this waste include: replacing disposable plastic water bottles with newer options in aluminum cans or boxes. Providing branded, stainless steel water bottles, which can be refilled. Water stations with a bottle count feature help guests recognize environmental benefits, and the branded bottles create advertisements for your hotel. Install a water filtration system in rooms and provide real glasses for drinking water.

Replace plastic bathroom amenities The impact on the environment of millions of single-use toothbrushes and bottles is immense. Consider these alternatives: Many guests bring their own products and don’t need the plastic amenities. Let guests know that they are available as needed at the front desk or from housekeeping. Substitute bamboo toothbrushes, combs and other biodegradable products for plastic. Consider

installing large, wall-mounted dispensers in bathrooms. This will reduce costs over time, as you can buy hygiene products in bulk.

Replace single-serving condiment packs Convenient individual portions of breakfast condiments are destined to become plastic waste. Reusable alternatives (ceramic or metal pots) take more preparation and some capital expenditure, but they ultimately add value because you can buy products in bulk.

As a bonus, they provide a more luxurious customer experience.

Use compostable takeaway containers Polystyrene has long been a low-cost option for cups and containers. Unfortunately, it is difficult to recycle. Biodegradable alternatives are more eco-friendly and may be available in creative options such as containers formed from flattened plant leaves. With more big food retailers adopting biodegradable packaging, budget-friendly options are becoming available.

Develop alternatives to plastic key cards Plastic key cards are reusable but will eventually be waste. The Hilton recently saved 40 tons of plastic by switching to mobile keyless entry. However, installing modern locks to use with the mobile app can be a big expense. To save money and save the planet, consider a return to metal keys. While not a

high-tech solution, keys reduce plastic waste and create a retro ambiance.

Offer recycling An efficient recycling program ensures that recyclable plastics and other waste materials are collected for delivery to processing plants. Staff and customer education may be necessary to guide the process, but this will be a small cost for helping the planet and improving your property’s green credentials. BL

Judith Humble is an LCSW and has practiced therapy in Lexington for 32 years. During her years as a provider for an Employee Assistance Program, she enjoyed the opportunity to collaborate with many local businesses in resolving workplace problems and improving the quality of the work experience. During her eight-year membership in the Sierra Club, she has served on its executive committee, with a focus on conservation. She currently chairs the Zero Waste Team and the Bluegrass Climate Action Team, both of which aspire to engage the business community in the development of affordable solutions for our major environmental problems.

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CraveWorthy

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Local educator finds sweet spot with boutique cookie business

BY SHANNON CLINTON CONTRIBUTING WRITER

U

sually this time of year, Leon Buford-Kelly would be ramping up his summer catering business. But over the past year, he has found a sweeter calling.

Buford-Kelly is an assistant principal at Leestown Middle School and has lived in Lexington about 10 years. He loves to cook and typically spends summers catering weddings, baby showers and other functions. That is, until 2020.

“When COVID hit, of course there were no gatherings, of course I couldn’t cater,” he said.

“So, I thought to myself, ‘I want to share my food, but how can I do that and in what form?’”

The answer came when he shared a batch of cookies he’d made with a neighbor. They were so well received that Buford-Kelly decided to post about them on social media, and that’s when an idea began to form.

cream pie sandwich cookies, gluten free and CBD-infused varieties. Buford-Kelly introduced a new birthday cake-flavored cookie in May, in honor of 25,000 cookies sold.

His cookies are available in two packs at Total Wine at Lexington Green, Southland Bagel and Leestown Coffee House, as well online and for in-person pickup. They’re available for shipping, and for a $5 fee, can be delivered locally.

Buford-Kelly said despite the temptations, he doesn’t eat his own cookies past taste testing recipes, because eventually it numbs his palate. Before he debuts a new flavor, he makes samples to give to teachers and friends to gather feedback. He also contacts regular customers to let them know when new cookies are available.

TaQuoya Shegog jokingly calls BufordKelly “Satan,” because he got her hopelessly hooked on his sinfully delicious cookies.

“There’s really no comparison,” she said.

“I think the biggest thing between his cookies and store-bought cookies is they’re not hard; they’re chewy. And if they last longer than a week at my house, they’re still not hard.”

One time she says she bought some red velvet cream pies intended for a Thanksgiving dessert to share. She admits they were gobbled up before Thanksgiving, and she had to buy a replacement batch.

It doesn’t hurt that Buford-Kelly’s winning personality makes him the ultimate salesman.

“To know him is to love him,” Shegog said.

“You can be in a bad mood, and you just hear his voice and it’s instant entertainment!”

Alicia Wilson is a Lexington resident and mother of three boys who knows Buford-Kelly from his middle school role.

“My boys fight over BK’s Cookies,” she said. “They like to hide them. They try to get their hands on them first.”

Leon Buford-Kelly, as assistant principal at Leestown Middle School, launched BK’s Cookies in August. They’re available online, as well as at Total Wine Lexington Green, Southland Bagel and Leestown Coffee House.

PHOTO FURNISHED

He decided to offer a dozen generously sized cookies for $20, starting out with his “Not Your Granny’s Chocolate Chip Cookie” recipe. He sold 100 bags in the first month, even shipping to other states, and the momentum kept growing.

Since August, he’s been selling BK’s Cookies nonstop, even taking time off in December to work on perfecting new varieties, which he introduces monthly. He now has a website at www.bkscookies.com, formed an LLC for the business and moved operations from his home kitchen into Southland Commissary Kitchen, a commercial shared kitchen on Southland Drive. He also hired two staff members to help keep up with demand.

While chocolate chip remains his top seller, other flavors include red velvet white chocolate chip, cookies with candy bar bits mixed in, bourbon chocolate chip, strawberry cheesecake, snickerdoodle, #BLM Triple Chocolate Cookie and more. There are even

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BLX_June21_20pp.indd 8

She said she tried chocolate chip and lemon varieties initially, and between the large size and pleasing filling texture, she’s given up trying to resist the red velvet cream pies.

“From there it was game on,” she said. “It was, I’m telling you.”

Marvin Washington is a school resource officer at Leestown Middle School, who happily tries test batches. The oatmeal cream pies are his favorite.

“I think mainly it’s the texture,” he said of the cookies’ appeal. “The flavor’s pretty good.

When he makes those cookies, it’s his version … you can tell that they’re homemade, just the texture and the flavor of it.”

Don’t even try getting hints about BufordKelly’s ingredients or methods — those are trade secrets. For now, he’s doing so well at cookie sales he doesn’t expect to fully jump back into catering when the pandemic completely wanes.

He said baking cookies is simpler than catering both financially and practically, and he enjoys the creative process of inventing new flavors.

“This is the magic I was looking for, absolutely!” he said.

He said in the future he may try to have a storefront location or expand into offering the cookies at more locations but for now is content with his current business model and modest goals.

“I just want to put a cookie in everybody’s mouth across the United States: that’s it!” he said, laughing. BL

BusinessLexington’s WeeklyWire

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QuickBites Hemp-finished beef, the return of Tomo, SoulFeast Week and more

BY SHANNON CLINTON CONTRIBUTING WRITER

A

newcomer to The Julietta Market has a new twist on fresh beef, with hopes of starting a cattle-raising trend.

Hemp Cattle Co. is the brainchild of Kevin Poole, who has been raising cattle for about 15 years on his family farm bordering the Clark/Fayette county lines. After some research, he decided to start raising grass-fed, hemp-finished black Angus cattle.

The special hemp strain used has no THC in it, company spokesperson Robby Chadwell said, and contains 23.5 percent plant-based protein that imparts the taste of corn-fed beef but is leaner with the hemp/Sudan grass blend of feed used.

“It’s a really amazing plant, and the thing about it is it grows great here,” he said.

With an eye on bringing more farms into its model and into the company fold, Hemp Cattle Co. beef has recently begun beef sales Thursday through Sunday at The Julietta Market, where Chadwell says there’s a true family atmosphere among vendors.

“It’s been great,” he said. “That place is awesome.”

Other newcomers to The Julietta Market’s culinary scene include Wild Willow Co., which sells plant-based condiments and milk, sourdough soft pretzel company Papa

Pretzel, gourmet popcorn venture Pojos Pop Station and xNorma, which specializes in small-batch cocktail mixers.

SoulFeast Week and SoulFeast Saturday will celebrate Black culinary excellence by highlighting Black farmers, chefs, food establishments, caterers and culinary vendors in Central Kentucky, according to a press release. SoulFeast Week will be held June 17-27, with 12 curated dining experiences and special off-menu entrée options at Blackowned restaurants and food establishments.

“SoulFeast Week is an opportunity for Kentuckians of all races and backgrounds to directly provide support for Black businesses by putting their money where their mouths are—literally,” the press release said.

SoulFeast Saturday will be held at The Summit at Fritz Farm on June 26. To see a full line of events and to purchase tickets, visit soulfeastweek.com.

Several restaurants have recently joined the locally owned and managed food delivery service Delivery Co-op, including Bourbon n’ Toulouse, Sav’s and Distilled on Jefferson, according to the co-op’s social media.

The former Grey Goose restaurant at 170 Jefferson St. is now The Goose Lexington and operating under a new ownership team featuring several former employees of Portofino, which shuttered during the pandemic.

“It’s the quality and service you know

with a fresh, casual menu,” said Kristen Richardson, a part owner in the venture.

The Goose Lexington had a soft opening in early May, with indoor dining and a covered patio that seats up to 70, Richardson said.

Papi’s at Palomar opened a new location in late April at 3901 Harrodsburg Road. The casual Mexican restaurant was the first tenant to open at the new Fountains at Palomar shopping center development.

Tomo Restaurant on East High Street recently reopened with a new menu and refreshed décor. While sushi is no longer on the menu, new items include grilled pork belly, katsu curry rice, shrimp tempura tacos, and a variety of soba, udon and ramen noodle dishes, as well as rotating specials. In addition, Tomo has added a Manna Shop soft serve ice cream bar and a “One Day” brunch from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturdays.

“You will find some of the classic Tomo that you know and love has stayed while we have added in fresh new dishes,” a social media post said. “We’ve created a brand new menu from scratch that we can’t wait to share with you.”

West Sixth Brewing recently announced its expansion into northern Kentucky with the opening of West Sixth Box Park, an open-air taproom at the Bridgeview Box Park at Newport on the Levee. It was slated to open in late May. Harvey’s Bar is being reinvented on

West Main Street as a collective known as The Grove Lex, with an opening date to be announced, according to its Facebook page.

“Fusing distinctive drinks, savory eats and private events in a tasteful eccentric atmosphere, The Grove is not just Lexington’s newest eclectic hot spot, it’s a micro-community that supports small businesses and the community that helped shape us,” the post said.

So far Fable Wine and Charcuterie and a new gourmet food truck, called Luna, have joined the collective.

Big Kahuna Hawaiian BBQ has opened on Liberty Road following a May 1 grand opening, serving a variety of traditional Hawaiianstyle plate lunches and sandwiches.

Big City Pizza has opened a second Lexington location at 2312 Sir Barton Way, #110, in the former iChing location.

Founded in Nicholasville in 2014 by Johnny Hunt, the Big City concept expanded to Lexington’s Chinoe Shopping Center in 2016.

The Hamburg location is open for counter service and delivery seven days a week. Outdoor dining is also available.

Menu items include Big City’s signature New York Style and Chicago style pizzas, as well as calzones, salads and desserts, including ice cream from Richmond-based Mad Scoop. BL Have a food-related news?

Email info@smileypete.com.

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JUNE 2021

WWW.BUSINESSLEXINGTON.COM

Local Flavor Local First Lexington may have disbanded as an organization, but its mission remains as critical as ever

BY LIZ CAREY CONTRIBUTING WRITER

S

hoppers in Lexington have likely spotted the green “I buy local!” stickers and signage around town over the past decade or so. The message and others like it are an awareness-raising campaign from Local First Lexington.

Founded in 2008, Local First Lexington was an alliance of independent, locally owned businesses and nonprofits that collectively sought to promote the benefits of supporting local organizations, as well as to support and learn from one another.

Although the group has dissolved as an official organization — its last meeting was in February 2020, just before the health crisis shut everything down — the impact of its 12-year run can still be felt and its mission lives on. Which is encouraging, because as the country and the city continues to recover from the pandemic, the importance of supporting local organizations has never more critical.

The United States saw 200,000 more businesses close in 2020 than would shutter in a typical year, according to a report released by the Federal Reserve Board released in April.

Of those closed businesses, 130,000, or about

65 percent, were independently owned. Not surprisingly, the smallest businesses — those with fewer than 5 employees — are the most susceptible and at the highest risk of closure, the report found.

While the figures are grim, additional research indicates that consumers are more willing to shop locally as the pandemic wanes.

In a survey conducted by Intuit in January, 82 percent of consumers said they would be willing to spend more money in order to support local businesses. Seventy percent of those shoppers said they were supporting local businesses by shopping online only or in a mix of online and in-store shopping. And more than half of those responding to the 1,500-person survey said their main reason for shopping local was to keep their dollars in the community.

Additionally, 38 percent said they shop local to support their community and local creators.

That’s encouraging news for business owners like Robyn Wade, who owns ReBelle and is a former board secretary and vice president of Local First Lexington.

During the pandemic shut-downs, her business switched to curbside delivery — something her customers embraced, Wade said.

Buying from local businesses not only helps support owners and staff, Wade said, it also

contributes to the character of a community.

“Every town in America has a Walmart or a Target,” she said. “The one in Tallahassee is no different than the one in Anchorage … it’s very homogeneous.

“The biggest thing about small businesses is if you don't support them, they go away.

Supporting them not only keeps money in the community and keeps families afloat; it also preserve the uniqueness of your community.”

Small businesses also offer a different atmosphere than big-box stores, she said.

“Small businesses offer more personalized, one-on-one experiences.

You know the people who work there. And, as a business owner, you get to know your customers like they’re your family,” she said.

Steve Baron, owner of CD Central, and the founding president of Local First Lexington, said the group has helped many local businesses.

“It certainly got people interested in shopping local,” he said. “I feel like it did help my business and help with the outreach to the community.”

Buying local, he said, not only helps keep money in the local community, but it’s better for the environment as well.

According to a Civics Economics Study by the think tank Common Future, for every $100 shoppers spend locally, $68 stays in the local economy. Only $43 stays in the local economy when people shop at nonlocal businesses.

Baron said it cuts down on waste, too.

“So much business has been shifted toward online because of COVID,” he said. “There’s so much waste in online shopping from the packaging alone; it’s not good for the environment.”

For Wade, one of the best parts about Local First was the networking and learning from other businesses.

“There were quarterly meetups, where businesses would get together and talk about what’s going on in their businesses and give each other advice,” she said. “When my business partner and I got into business, we had no business background. I feel like those were really helpful. I learned a lot of things that maybe would have taken me longer to learn without them.”

Local organizations such as the Kentucky Small Business Development Center at the University of Kentucky and Commerce Lexington offer business networking events, and neighborhood business associations such as the Southland Association — a group for individuals, organizations and businesses in the Southland neighborhood — can also help businesses to network and get the word out about shopping local, she said.

For Baron, the loss of Local First Lexington represents the end of an era, but he celebrates the positive impacts it had on businesses and the community and hopes that momentum can continue.

“It really did make a difference. Hopefully, we reached some people [about shopping local] and that’s always a positive thing,” he said. “I was proud to be a part of it.” BL

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More Than Just A Game The University of Kentucky aims to expose students to an array of gaming-related careers through its investment in esports

BY MATT WICKSTROM CONTRIBUTING WRITER

V

ideo gaming, once thought of primarily as child’s play, is now big business.

Organized, competitive gaming, colloquially known as esports, has undergone a major transformation in recent years, with an influx of big financial players into the industry and a surge of professional players, tournaments, sponsors and development programs.

The shift can even be felt in Lexington, where the more than $1 billion industry is beginning to take hold with the launch of the University of Kentucky’s comprehensive esports program in 2019.

UK teamed up with international esports organization Gen.G for the program, one of only two schools in the United States that the company is partnered with, the other being Eastern Michigan University. According to Heath Price, UK’s associate chief information officer and a leader of the university’s esports program, the aim of the partnership is to expand classroom and internship opportunities related to esports, while also providing professional development and new research methods for scholars.

Additionally, Gen.G has pledged $100,000 annually for the next 10 years to a scholarship fund open to students majoring in gaming, esports, entrepreneurship, journalism and related fields.

“Esports today act as a portal, in many cases more than traditional sports, to how our students communicate and view the world,” Price said. “That doesn’t mean that all of our students are hardcore gamers, but it does likely mean that they all play games to some degree.”

When designing the program and space within the new Cornerstone building that opened last fall at the intersection of South Limestone Avenue and Avenue of Champions, UK looked heavily to its student population, specifically its esports club, for guidance on subject material, building design, hardware and other aspects. One of those consulted was Thomas Bailey, who is currently president of UK’s esports club.

“We helped them to gather a laundry list of ideas of what we as

BLX_June21_20pp.indd 11

a club wanted to see in the space, particularly with the esports arena,” Bailey said. “Their original plans had players on stage facing the broadcast screen seen by viewers, which is a huge strategic no-no [as players could see other players screens]. As gamers ourselves, there are certain nuances like that which we were able to point out that leadership wasn’t familiar with. I’m very appreciative of them including and listening to us throughout the planning process.”

In addition to a 100-person capacity arena, UK’s high six-figure investment into esports within the $34 million Cornerstone space also includes a gaming lounge with 50 AlienWare gaming PCs and a handful of Xbox One X, PlayStation 4 and Nintendo Switch consoles.

The arena also features a backstage locker room area and media room for “casters,” the esports equivalent of in-game commentators, to broadcast events live.

“It’s been interesting to watch the rise of esports into legitimacy more than just the occasional match you’d see on ESPN,” said Bailey. “You’re seeing events pull in absurd numbers that have gotten the attention of colleges and other big players, which is only going to further balloon interest and spur more industry growth.”

For top players, earning potential in esports can be astronomical, ranging anywhere from tens of thousands of dollars annually into the millions. In 2019 Kyle Giersdorf netted $3 million from winning the solo Fortnite World Championship.

The same year Dutchman Johan Sundstein earned nearly the same amount from playing Dota 2.

Even players not considered elite can realize success and notoriety. In 2018 Tyler Blevins, better known by his online alias “Ninja,” broke a viewer count record on streaming platform Twitch when he streamed Fortnite with rappers Drake and Travis Scott and Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster.

The fast rise of esports encompasses far more than just gaming.

With events now shown everywhere from ESPN to YouTube, Twitch and other platforms, broadcast journalism has found its way into the industry as well. Other fields with career paths directly relating to esports include event

Members of the University of Kentucky’s esports club contributed to the design of The Cornerstone building, which includes a gaming lounge, 100-person esports arena, media room and other amenities.

PHOTOS BY MARK CORNEILSON | UK PHOTO

planning, graphic design, lighting, audio, computer programming and law.

According to Price, UK’s aim with its esports program is to use the broad appeal of video games to show prospective students the wealth of career options in the industry that have nothing to do with being a top player.

“Rather than our program focusing on only top competitive players from League of Legends and other games, we strive to reach a broader audience,” Price said. “A large component of this is to use our student’s widely held passion for gaming to notice other interests that they can tap into as potential career paths within the esports industry as well.”

While other universities are beginning to get competitive with their esports programs, Price says he doesn’t foresee that happen-

ing with UK in the near future.

However, UK’s esports partner, Gen.G, has just announced plans to relocate its Shanghai Tigers team, which competes in the NBA 2K League, to campus, making it the first professional esports franchise to call Lexington home.

UK is primarily focused on hosting its own gaming tournaments, such as the UK Esports Invitational held in March that included eight other SEC member schools, as well as discussion panels like “Cornerstone Commentary,” a virtual speaker series with CEOs, players, developers and other gaming industry figures.

Another step in introducing students to alternative career paths in the industry is UK’s newly announced study abroad program in Seoul, South Korea. A partnership between Gen.G, International Studies Abroad, Hanyang Uni-

versity and Korea University, the four-week experience beginning this summer will give students an up-close look at the gaming and esports industries from one of the most crazed and advanced video game markets in the world.

The trailblazing program looks to further cement UK as a leader in esports within the American collegiate landscape.

“This is a great opportunity for our students to take some great academic courses in addition to getting a behind the scenes look at the esports industry in the place it all began,” said Miko McFarland, executive director of Education Abroad & Exchanges at UK’s International Center. “We’re very fortunate to have a partner like Gen.G that can provide our students with such unique opportunities to learn about the potential career paths within esports.” BL

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Widespread Staffing Shortages Hit Home Local restaurants struggle to find enough employees to meet growing demand

BY SHANNON CLINTON CONTRIBUTING WRITER

H

eather Trump spent part of a recent morning typing a letter to officials in Sullivan University’s culinary program asking if they had students seeking night work or management roles.

For the past eight months, Trump, coowner of two Lexington Shamrocks Bar & Grille locations in addition the Cellar Bar & Grille, has tried various tactics toward fully staffing her restaurants, including posting ads on online job board Indeed, in University of Kentucky’s student newspaper, Kentucky Kernel; on social media; and anywhere else she can think of.

But mostly she remains frustrated.

“I would say out of 50 applications a week, maybe one is for a cook and they TRUMP don’t return phone calls, or we set up interviews and they just don’t show up,” she said.

Staffing servers and bartenders is manageable, she said, but management and backof-house positions like cooks and dishwashers are scarce. The Cellar has discontinued its lunch service to keep existing employees from working too much overtime. About 24 positions were available among all three restaurants as of early May. Trump’s experiences are echoed among

BLX_June21_20pp.indd 13

other restaurant owners/operators, as widespread staffing shortages have hit restaurants hard in an already trying year.

Cole Arimes, executive chef/owner of Coles 735 Main and Epping’s on Eastside, said he sorely needs bakers, servers and cooks.

With so many looking to hire both in and out of the restaurant realm, Arimes said job seekers can basically pick and choose, even if they have little experience or are switching from another career.

For others, it’s just not feasible right now.

“I think with the pandemic, on top of it is childcare, and you have a lot of parents who normally would work if their kids ARIMES were in school,” he said.

After restaurant restrictions relaxed in the months following mandated closures in spring of 2020, he said 95 percent of employees returned to both restaurants. Epping’s had to close again at the end of 2020 because business levels just weren’t there, he said, but it’s since reopened.

Arimes said he tries to stand out from other prospective employers by offering better work-life balance, with a predictable, reasonable schedule and health benefits.

Parkette Drive-In co-owner Randy Kaplan says he’s fortunate to have flexible employees willing to cover shifts as needed.

He’s also glad that his restaurant already had an outdoor drive-in dining format.

“People were comfortable eating in their cars because they could social distance,” he said.

But he has about 22 employees when usually this time of year there are 30.

“I’m paying more overtime than I have been in probably forever,” he said.

Kaplan said people who genuinely need unemployment should be able to receive

it through the existing system, but he said sometimes the system itself becomes a disincentive to work.

To attract and retain good employees, he said some restaurants are offering higher wages, but that can put a financial pinch on owners as restaurants typically operate on slim margins. Many owners and operators, including those we spoke with for this article, say it’s also difficult to compete with subsidized unemployment benefits, which are designed to provide relief for workers impacted by the pandemic.

Dublin, Ohio-based City Barbecue and Catering is trying a fun, new companywide approach to lure in new employees — a BBQ hiring party. A two-day hirBERRY ing party in Lexington was held in early May with open interviews for five to eight positions in the chain’s two local restaurants for the busy summer months ahead, Chief People Officer Ronnie Berry said.

Participants were asked to dress casually, stop by and have a job interview on the spot, tour the restaurant, sample some barbecue, perhaps even get an offer and start the onboarding process, he said.

The party environment was designed to be more casual and welcoming to attract younger employees, with a faster transition time from applying to actually starting work.

“Our business is filled with young people,” he said. “Eighty percent of our staff is 16 to 30 years old, so by nature we’ve got a younger generation.”

Known for operating restaurants like Bella Notte, Bella Café and Grille and Smashing Tomato, Kuni Toyoda said while he appreciates his many longtime employees, “it has been very challenging to say the least” to find qualified new workers lately, particularly

kitchen staff.

“We provide the health insurance benefits with 75 percent company contributions and the other key benefits, however, I am further enhancing our employee benefits by rolling out retirement benefits starting very soon,” he said.

Toyoda doesn’t expect staffing difficulties to improve immediately but places faith in a human resource manager tasked with recruiting qualified workers.

A number of programs were unveiled to help struggling restaurants over the past year, including the Lee Initiative’s Restaurant Reboot Relief Program and Restaurant Workers Relief Program, the Team Kentucky Food and Beverage Relief Fund that distributed more than $37 million in federal pandemic relief money in the form of one-time grants, and the federal Paycheck Protection Program.

Kaplan, Trump and Arimes say they successfully applied for PPP funds last year to help meet payroll obligations.

“It’s not quite what we were out compared to the year before, but listen, it’s been amazing and it’s helped us tremendously,” Trump said. “Without it we couldn’t have stayed in business.”

Arimes said he’ll apply for any other available grant funding like the $28.6 billion Restaurant Revitalization Fund announced as part of the American Rescue Plan. Successful applicants can receive funding equal to their pandemic-related revenue losses up to $10 million per business and a maximum $5 million per physical location, according to an SBA press release.

For now, Trump said she’s trying to be patient and asks customers to do the same.

She’s offered existing employees signing bonuses if they refer new hires, but she says they’ve mostly come up empty-handed.

“We’re hopeful that when school lets out some more people are looking for employment, but who knows?” she said. BL

5/18/21 12:13 PM

Boutique Week L E X I N GTO N , K Y

JUNE 14-19, 2021 Shop at Lexington’s best boutiques during Lexington Boutique Week.

Participating boutiques will feature exclusive “deals and steals” throughout the week.

Support these fabulous local businesses and be entered in a grand prize drawing!

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For more information contact Smiley Pete Publishing at 859.266.6537 or advertise@smileypete.com

BLX_June21_20pp.indd 14

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JUNE 2021

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BizList

15

Please email questions regarding our BizLists to Sharon Metz at sharon.metz66@gmail.com.

Hotels Ranked by total number of guest rooms Rank

Facility Name Address, Phone Website

May 2021 Number of Guest Rooms

Number of Singles, Doubles, Kings, Suites *

Owner/ Management Company

General Manager

Year Opened

1

Lexington Griffin Gate Marriott Resort & Spa * 1800 Newtown Pike Lexington, KY 40511 (859) 231-5100 www.griffingatemarriott.com

409

Kings: 214 Doubles: 181 Suites: 14

Marriott International

Craig Sundell

1981

2

Hilton Lexington Downtown 369 W. Vine St. Lexington, KY 40507 (859) 231-9000 www.hiltonlexingtondowntown.com

369

King: 3 Singles: 182 Doubles: 174 Suites: 10

New Castle Hotels & Resorts

Alex Lugo

1982, renovated in 2020

3

Hyatt Regency Lexington 401 W. High St. Lexington, KY 40507 (859) 253-1234 www.lexington.hyatt.com

366

Kings: 173 Doubles: 187 Suites: 6

TPG Hotel and Resort

Ron van Haaren

1977

4

Clarion Hotel Lexington 1950 Newtown Pike Lexington, KY 40511 (859) 233-0512 www.clarionhotellex.com

287

Singles: 123 Doubles: 148 Suites: 4

JSK Investments, LLC

Worthie McGuire

1968

5

The Campbell Curio, A Collection by Hilton 1375 S. Broadway Lexington, KY 40504 (859) 255-4281 www.thecampbellhouse.com

241

Singles: 85 Doubles: 144 Suites: 12

Musselman Hotels

Gary W. Byrd

1951/ upgrades completed 2020

6

Embassy Suites Lexington - UK/Coldstream 1801 Newtown Pike Lexington, KY 40511 (859) 455-5000 www.lexington.embassysuites.com

230

Singles: 161 Doubles: 69, All Suites

Atrium Hospitality

David Smith

1999

7

Lexington Marriott City Center 121 W. Vine St. Lexington, KY 40507 (859) 253-1000 www.LexingtonMarriottCityCenter.com

218

Singles: 148 Doubles: 65, All Suites

City Center Hotels

Barry Kuhnke

2019

8

Embassy Suites by Hilton * 245 Lexington Green Circle Lexington, KY 40503 (859) 271-4000 www.embassysuitesathilton.com

174

All Suites: 174

Quorum Hotels

Pam Avery

1987

9

Doubletree Suites * 2601 Richmond Road Lexington, KY 40509 (859) 268-0060 www.lexingtonsuites.doubletree.com

155

All Suites: 155

Hospitality Ventures Management Group

Mike Curd

1989

10

Ramada Conference Center * 2143 N. Broadway Lexington, KY 40505 (859) 299-1261 www.ramadainnlexky.com

145

Doubles, Kings, Handicapaccessible

JSM Management

NA

1967

11

Hyatt Place Lexington * 2001 Bryant Road Lexington, KY 40509 (859) 296-0091 www.hyattplacelexington.com

127

Singles: 86 Doubles: 41 Suites: 127, all rooms are executive suites

Starwood Capital, Hospitality Specialist Inc.

Brandon Spellman

2008

12

Hampton Inn I-75 * 2251 Elkhorn Road Lexington, KY 40505 (859) 299-2613 www.hamptoninn.com

125

Singles: 62 Doubles: 63 Pet Fee: $50

Crescent Hotels & Resorts

Vincent Lopriore

1988

Origin Hotel Lexington 4174 Rowan Lexington, KY 40504 859- 245-0400 www.originhotel.com

120

Singles: 47, Doubles: 20 Suites: 3

Thrash Development/ Charlestowne Hotels

Michael Russell

2019

14

Springhill Suites by Marriott 863 S. Broadway Lexington, KY 40504 (859) 225-1500 www.marroitt.com/lexsh

108

Singles: 61 Doubles: 47, All Suites

Crescent Hotels & Resorts

George Arthur

2004

15

Residence Inn Lexington Keeneland/Airport 3110 Wall St. Lexington, KY 40513 (859) 296-0460 www.marriott.com/lexkn

104

Singles: 82 Doubles: 22, All Suites

Starwood Capital Group (Owner), Aimbridge Hospitality (Management)

Adela Yohe

2010

16

Courtyard by Marriott Lexington Keeneland/Airport 3100 Wall St. Leington, KY 40513 (859) 224-0460 www.marriott.com/lexkn

103

Singles: 67 Doubles: 26 Suites: 10

Starwood Capital Group (Owner), Aimbridge Hospitality (Management)

Nathan Monfett

2012

17

Hilton Garden Inn Lexington 1973 Plaudit Place Lexington, KY 40509 (859) 543-8300 www.lexington.HGI.com

100

Singles: 58 Doubles: 42

Hospitality Specialist Inc.

Anne Garlick (GM), Vivian Gatlin (Assistant GM)

1999

18

Towne Place Suites 1790 Vendor Way Lexington, KY 40509 (859) 263-0018 www.marriott.com/lexts

99

All Suites

Intermountain Management

Bert Mullins

2016

13

Source: Business Lexington Questionnaire, facility representatives and websites. Footnote: * Previous published information, did not respond by deadline. Key: NA=Not available. In order to appear on the list, facilities had to be located in Fayette or a contiguous county.

Other facilities may have been eligible for the list but did not respond to requests for information.

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BizList

Please email questions regarding our BizLists to Sharon Metz at sharon.metz66@gmail.com.

Meeting & Convention Facilities Ranked by total square footage of function space

May 2021 Year Opened/ Last Upgrade

Facility Name Address Phone Website

Total Square Footage (sq. ft)

Largest Room (sq. ft.)

Theatre Style Cap./ Classroom Style Cap./Banquet Cap./ Reception Cap.

1

Whitaker Bank Ballpark 207 Legends Lane Lexington, KY 40505 (859) 422-7867 www.lexingtonlegends.com

217,800

4,000

6,000/100/290/200

Andy Shea (President, CEO)

Baseball facility, full-service restaurant, executive boardroom, personal suites, outside chalets and covered areas and large parking lot

2001/ 2021

2

Central Bank Center 430 W. Vine St. Lexington, KY 40507 (859) 233-4567 www.centralbankcenter.com

160,000

100,000

7,000/4,000/4,500/3,000

Bill Owen

Attached to Rupp Arena, the all new facility will feature 100,000 sq. ft. of exhibit space, a 24,500 sq. ft. ballroom and 25,000 sq. ft. of meeting rooms.

1976/ current renovations completed by January, 2022

3

Keeneland Racecourse 4201 Versailles Road Lexington, KY 40510 (859) 288-4322 www.keeneland.com/events

80,000

10,000

700/600/550/2,500

Shannon Arvin

Thoroughbred race course, corporate events, weddings, and race meet entertaining facilities

1936/ 2020

4

903 Venues: The Grand Reserve 903 Manchester St. Lexington, KY 40508 (859) 608-6221 www.903venues.com

35,000

11,000

500/895/550/550

Jill Blakehorn

Historic red brick distillery walls create a charming Kentucky destination event venue, unique in Kentucky

2010/ 2021

5

The Thoroughbred Center * 3380 Paris Pike Lexington, KY 40511 (859) 293-1853 www.thethoroughbredcenter.com

28,000

10,000

920/500/500/500

Jim Pendergest

Thoroughbred training center, banquet and event facility, equine tourism attraction

1969/ 2016

5

Lexington Griffin Gate Marriott Resort & Spa 1800 Newtown Pike Lexington, KY 40511 (859) 231-5100 www.griffingatemarriott.com

28,000

9,750

1,000/500/800/1,200

Craig Sundell

220-acre resort, golf course and spa

1981/ 2016

7

The Campbell House Curio Collection by Hilton 1375 S. Broadway Lexington, KY 40504 (859) 255-4281 www.thecampbellhouse.com

25,000

6,800

480/185/300/640

Gary W. Byrd

Convention Hotel

1951/ 2020

8

The Carrick House 312 N. Limestone Lexington, KY 40507 (859) 255-0717 www.carrickhouse.com

24,000

9,000

650/500/475/600

Alissa Tibe

Historic banquet, event meeting and conference venue

2008/ 2018

9

Hyatt Regency Lexington 401 W. High St. Lexington, KY 40507 (859) 253-1234 www.lexington.hyatt.com

21,000

14,200

900/350/700/900

Ron van Haaren

Convention hotel

1977/ 2016

10

Kentucky Horse Park 4089 Iron Works Pike Lexington, KY 40511 (859) 259-4224 www.kyhorsepark.com

20,800

20,800

800/300/800/850

Nicole Rivera

Large exhibit hall with carpeted flooring and air-walls that can be closed to make three separate sections. Hall is equipped with new HVAC, metal halide lighting and a large projector and screen

2009/ 2019

11

Hilton Lexington Downtown * 369 W. Vine St. Lexington, KY 40507 (859) 231-9000 www.lexingtondowntown.hilton.com

17,500

6,850

1,000/450/680/1,000

Alex Lugo

Convention hotel

1982/ 2010

12

Winchester Opera House Ballroom 10 E. Lexington Ave. Winchester, KY 40391 (859) 745-6622 www.winchesteroperahouse.com

15,000

3,000

350/160/420/450

Vanessa Ziembroski

Historic venue, on-premise catering

2003/ 2015

12

Embassy Suites 1801 Newtown Pike Lexington, KY 40517 (859) 455-5000 www.lexington.embassysuites.com

15,000

8,065

1,000/500/550/1,000

David Smith

Upscale hotel

1999/ 2015

14

Clarion Hotel * 1950 Newtown Pike Lexington, KY 40511 (859) 233-0512 www.clarionhotellex.com

13,000

6,893

860/425/450/800

Don Thurman

Convention hotel

1969 Holiday Inn North/ 2010 Clarion Hotel

Rank

TIE

TIE

TIE

TIE

Top Facility Official

Facility Description

Source: Business Lexington questionnaire, company representatives, websites. Other facilities may have been eligible for the list but did not respond to requests for information/updates. Footnote: * Previous published information, did not respond by deadline Key: NA=Not available.

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JUNE 2021

WWW.BUSINESSLEXINGTON.COM

17

BizLexQ&A

Rex Chapman The former Kentucky Wildcat opens up about his new podcasts and owning up to past mistakes

BY LIZ CAREY CONTRIBUTING WRITER

M

any Kentuckians remember Rex Chapman as a young basketball phenom at Owensboro’s Apollo High School, or the University of Kentucky guard who scored more than 1,000 points in his two years as a Wildcat, or his 12-year professional basketball career. And plenty know about his struggles with addiction and his fall from grace following a shoplifting charge.

Some may even know about his meteoric rebound as a social media superstar — the new “King of Twitter," as he says, followed by more than 1 million people (including the likes of Laura Dern, Jake Tapper and Jo Ann Jenkins, CEO of AARP).

Now, Chapman has another position to add to his career — podcaster. Since March, Chapman has released two podcasts: “The Rex Chapman Show with Josh Hopkins” and “Charges with Rex Chapman."

On Charges, Chapman talks to star athletes about their run-ins with the law. Drawing from his own history, Chapman lets guests tell their side of the story. In the first episode, which debuted May 4, Chapman talked with guest host Mike Rappaport about his career at UK, his time in the NBA, and what led up to his opioid addiction and 2015 shoplifting arrest.

In the Rex Chapman Show, Chapman and Hopkins talk about all things basketball with stars on and off the court. So far, guests have included Andy Richter, Shaquille O’Neal, Jane Lynch and Stephen Curry, to name a few.

Each episode of the Rex Chapman Show is like listening in on a chat between you and Josh, with guests. Do you have any favorite guests so far?

It’s really hard to say. I love the basketball ones, and we’ve had on Shaq and Stephen Curry. What I really enjoyed was when we had K.D. Lang on. I’m just amazed at

her talent but her brain… You know, Josh and I could have talked to her for three hours, and she would have been down for it because she loves basketball. We learned so much about her. You gain more respect for everybody that you talk to. It’s hard to say who’s a favorite so far. I’m just thrilled that we’re having on such great people. We’ve got Candace Parker coming on next week, and she’ll be our first lady basketball player, arguably, the best player ever, so I’m excited about that.

Anyone particular on your guest wish list? Oh man. You know, the crazy part is we haven’t had anybody that we’ve asked to come on yet to turn us down.

They’ve all just been like ‘yeah we’ll work it out. Let’s schedule it.’

It’s just been fantastic.

Let’s talk “Charges." Did that come about the same way, or was that something that you wanted to do since you started The Rex Chapman Show?

My buddy, Steve Nash called me up … and he said, ‘Hey, would you want to do this?’ When he explained it, I didn’t really grasp what he was talking about at first. But once I figured out what it was, I thought, ‘Oh man

"This is more storytelling, going back through the person’s childhood and letting these elite athletes tell their stories. Other than 10 or 15 minutes in the middle, it’s a lovefest.

I really try to love up these people who are willing to come on and talk about the lowest point in their lives."

REX CHAPMAN, ON THE CATHARTIC ASPECT OF HIS PODCAST, "CHARGES"

that’s really cool.’ And for whatever reason — maybe it has more to do with my sports career or my own trouble with the law — people have been very willing to come on and talk. So far, the episodes are pretty powerful and really interesting. We’ll have Metta World Peace, now Metta Sandiford-Artest, Lamar Odom, Ryan Leaf and Michael Vick. It’s just very intriguing — great stories about a terrible moment in their life that’s lived out publicly.

Is it hard for you to be out in public talking about the addiction and arrest all over again? Yeah, it is.

Over the last few weeks, I knew it was going to come out, and it hasn’t been on the forefront of people’s minds in a while, and I knew it was going to make me feel like s**t again… But I think the hard part about that is that it’s just always going to be there. No matter what, it’s never going to go away. My buddy David Helmers and I raised like $300,000 over the last year and gave it away to COVID relief and first responders. I put out a Tweet about it and somebody sent back ‘Yeah, you ***ing junkie. Who cares?’ There’s always going to be people that are never going to let you forget what you did.

Do you think it’s cathartic to be able to get their side of the story out there? I think part of it helps…

This is more storytelling, going back through the person’s childhood and letting these elite athletes tell their stories. Other than 10 or 15 minutes in the middle, it’s a lovefest. I really try to love up these people who are willing to come on and talk about the lowest point in their lives. Because I’m a fan, too. I remember when I was young, there was a guy who played football at Ohio State — Art Schlichter — he had the world by the tail, first round draft pick, everything. And he got swept up in a gambling thing and had a huge gambling addiction. He just flamed out, went to prison for a while. I remember as a kid being, like, ‘What?

Why did he do that? Why didn’t he just stop gambling?’ I wish I would have had something like this to listen to back then. BL

PHOTO FURNISHED

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JUNE 2021

WWW.BUSINESSLEXINGTON.COM

Who’sWho New Hires & Promotions Keeneland has announced that bloodstock adviser and consignor Tony Lacy will join the company as vice president of sales, and that longtime director of sales operations Geoffrey Russell will retire from his full-time position after 25 years with Keeneland, but will remain in a consulting role through 2021.

World Trade Center Kentucky president Sherry Mulkins has accepted the role of client development manager with Advantage Kentucky Alliance.

Cynthia Bruno has been named new principal at Dixie Elementary School.

Frost Brown Todd has promoted associates Jacinta Porter and Hamid Sheikh to member.

Wiser Strategies has hired Savannah Sullivan to serve as the firm’s marketing and PR coordinator and COVID-19 communications specialist.

Old National Bancorp has promoted Christin Fangmeyer to banking center manager of its downtown Lexington location.

EMPLOYMENT NEWS AND AWARDS IN OUR COMMUNITY

Lexington Clinic has welcomed board-certified physician Hamza Tantoush to Lexington Clinic Rheumatology.

Traditional Bank has announced the promotion of Jordan Parker of vice-president for client relationships.

The Big Ass Fans family is growing with the addition of worldrenowned businessman and television personality Jon Taffer (executive producer & host of Paramount Network’s “Bar Rescue” and chairman & CEO of Taffer Dynamics).

Architectural and engineering firm DLZ announced that Quentin Smith, PE, has joined the firm’s Kentucky team as a planning project manager.

CHI Saint Joseph Health has officially welcomed Anthony A. Houston as CHI Saint Joseph Health CEO, and president of Saint Joseph Hospital and Saint Joseph East.

Kudos Karen Hill, DNP, RN, NEA-BC, FACHE, FAAN, chief operating officer/chief nursing officer

LACY

RUSSELL

MULKINS

BRUNO

PORTER

SHEIKH

SULLIVAN

FANGMEYER

TANTOUSH

PARKER

TAFFER

SMITH

HOUSTON

HILL

at Baptist Health Lexington, has been presented the DAISY Lifetime Achievement Award.

The recognizes nurses who have devoted their life’s work to the compassionate care of others.

YMCA of Central Kentucky has named Commonwealth Credit Union as the recipient of the 2020 Community Impact Award honoring an organization that has left an indelible mark on

the YMCA of Central Kentucky through financial support and continued advocacy.

For the third time in the past four years, Commerce Lexington Inc. has been listed among the top economic development groups nationally by Site Selection Magazine. Organizations named to the list are presented with the Mac Conway Award for Excellence in Economic Development,

which recognizes economic development offices that were the most successful in attracting capital investment projects in 2020.

“The Lee and Hayley Show” continues to grow its footprint with the announcement of their show being added to the programming schedule of NBC affiliate WMGT in Macon, Georgia. BL

THIS IS AN ADVERTISEMENT

Five Strategies to Help Employers Bundle Health Benefits

By Tom Wiffler, CEO, UnitedHealthcare Specialty Benefits

W

ith COVID-19 making wellness a renewed priority for many people, employers may consider using the pandemic as an opportunity to re-evaluate how they approach health benefits. Developing and implementing a strategic, data-driven approach to health benefits is crucial, given medical care ranks as the second largest expense (behind salaries) for employers. Plus, encouraging a healthier workforce is vital to reducing absenteeism and presenteeism, both of which sap productivity and may make an employer less competitive.

That’s why more employers are opting for an integrated approach to health benefits, seeking to connect the dots among medical, pharmacy, vision, hearing, dental and disability care. By combining medical and specialty plans, employers may improve health outcomes and affordability, driven by improved identification and management of chronic conditions, increased engagement in clinical care programs and the use of data to create a simpler experience.

While employees are now using their 2021 benefits, employers in Kentucky are making health benefit decisions for 2022. Here are five strategies to consider related to integration: Support Whole-Person Health. Many employees value specialty benefits, such as vision, dental, hearing and financial protection plans, and employers can offer them with little or no additional cost. In fact, a recent UnitedHealthcare survey found that 84% of employees said having vision and dental benefits is “important.” With growing evidence of a link between overall health and oral, eye and hearing health and disability and absence care,

1 2 3

including in connection to various chronic medical conditions, offering specialty benefits may help encourage whole-person health for employees.

Bundle and Save. Just like with bundled home TV, internet and phone packages, some health care companies are enabling employers to integrate medical benefits with specialty plans. These bundled benefit programs enable employers to save up to 4%* on medical plan premiums, while simplifying the administrative process, including a single invoice for payment and a single website login for employees. Rather than having medical, dental, vision and financial coverages administered on different platforms, a bundled approach may enable employers to save time and money.

Leverage Big Data and Clinical Insights. One of the key advantages of an integrated approach is the ability to leverage big data. Employers with integrated benefits can better analyze and understand health data, providing an analytics-driven roadmap to implement clinical management and employee-engagement programs. For instance, to help support people with diabetes and periodontal disease, an integrated approach can cross-check dental and medical health claim data to determine if employees have missed recommended periodontal treatments or cleanings. Case managers then follow up to help schedule dental treatments or cleanings, which have been shown to reduce inflammation and improve diabetes management.

Make the Most of Medications. Specialty medications are used by a small percentage of the population, but treatments are often costly. Using an integrated approach to managing specialty conditions may make it easier for employers to improve health

outcomes and reduce costs with the use of care teams. Support teams, including health advocates, physicians, nurses and pharmacists, may be able to leverage integrated data systems to provide employees with clinical assistance and guidance. This may include sharing information with employees about their treatment options, notifying doctors when a prescription is abandoned at the pharmacy, sending proactive refill reminders and alerting prescribers to potential drug safety issues.

Focus on Behavioral Health. COVID-19 is prompting many people to spend much more time at home, which may contribute to behavioral health issues, including depression, anxiety and substance abuse. In fact, 4 in 10 adults reported symptoms of anxiety or depression during COVID-19, potentially contributing to issues such as suicide or drug overdoses. Integrating medical and behavioral benefits may create opportunities to diagnose and intervene earlier for high-risk employees, leading to over $1,000 in medical savings.

CEO, UnitedHealthcare Specialty Benefits

Adopting an integrated approach to benefits may help maximize the effectiveness of an employer’s health care dollars, while encouraging the health of employees. Employers that combine specialty and medical benefits may be able to reduce turnover, increase productivity and help build a culture of health. * Potential savings include impact from an integrated approach and uBundle, which applies only to firstyear medical premiums for employers with 51-100 employees; savings through uBundle continue as long as the program is in effect for employers with 101 to 2,999 employees, as long as the qualifying benefits remain in-force. uBundle is not available in all states.

Review of the impact of the UnitedHealthcare integrated approach on Key and National Account customers, 2018 OptumRx commercial clients, calendar year 2018 data. Note: Average ingredient cost can have wide variation based on drug mix within a specific population.

Optum CSG Healthcare Analytics; Ly, August 9, 2018.

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Tom Wiffler

For more information on bundling employee health benefits visit: www.uhc.com/employer

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Ray Daniels, entrepreneur, philanthropist and president of the Ed Brown Society Dr. Tiffany Daniels, D.C., MCS-P, BGCF board of directors and co-chair, Lexington Black Prosperity Initiative

SIMPLIFY YOUR GIVING. EASY. COST EFFECTIVE. REWARDING. Ray and Tiffany Daniels use a donor advised fund at BGCF to manage and organize their personal giving.

Establish your own charitable fund at the Community Foundation today.

You’ll be amazed at how simple it can be!

Call us at 859.225.3343.

bgcf.org

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

5/18/21 12:13 PM

Your business is always on.

Your internet should be too.

With AT&T Internet for Business, you get fast, highly reliable internet that’s made for business. It features Internet Backup, so even if the power goes out, our wireless network automatically keeps you connected.

Go to att.com/BizInternet or call 855-432-1500 to learn more.

Ranked #1 Highest in Customer Satisfaction by J.D. Power among Small/Medium Business Wireline Service For J.D. Power 2020 award information, visit jdpower.com/awards

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