Louisville's two major business development and workforce recruitment organizations are merging into one one Louisville.

That is our Kelsey start sits down with the new CEO of One Louisville to find out what it all means.

That is our story.

Focus for the business speaks.

Well, Trevor Paul is joining us here in our Louisville studio.

He's the new CEO of One Louisville, which is a merger of these two organizations, GLE, the Metro Chamber of Commerce, and the Louisville Economic Development Group leader.

So, so explain to our viewers what these two groups historically have done, where they overlap and what each is kind of bringing to the table in this new organization.

I'd love.

To.

And thanks for having me.

So, Greater Louisville Inc has been around for decades, and it is iconic.

It has been the vessel by which businesses from out of market invest in the Louisville.

It's been sort of a town square for small businesses and midsize businesses and policymakers to come together.

And Louisville Economic Development Alliance was started by Mayor Greenberg in 2024.

It's actually why I'm in Louisville.

I was in Detroit doing economic development up there, and I came down to run Leda.

And essentially our job was to be the economic development quarterback for, Jefferson County.

So if I focus on the ten county region.

We were very much focused on the city of Louisville.

Now, over the last year, we've seen historic levels of capital investment in the Louisville.

We saw $3 billion in net new capital investment.

That's more than the last two years combined.

And when you pair that with, our wages went up 24%, a 2800 jobs created.

We are really riding as well and not to mention big time headlines with, like, with what GE did with what Ford has done, Texas Roadhouse doubling down on Louisville.

So it felt, like a moment where we had these two organizations that weren't always working off the same metrics, had different boards.

If we combine them, then we could really accelerate, our ability to get out and get more companies, get more talent, into Louisville and really make these next few years special for our region.

So as these two groups are coming together, this officially, officially, merged on March 1st.

So you've been at it for just a short time.

Seven days.

Seven.

So, so how's it going so far?

And what have you all been able to identify or plan to identify as, sort of the new vision going forward for these two?

Well, the first thing and maybe this is a public service announcement, but if you're a chamber member, all of your services will move into the new organization.

Now, what's really cool is beyond being a chamber of commerce, now we have this economic development function.

We have an advocacy function.

We have a team up in Frankfort today that is working on various things around getting more money, downtown housing, workforce participation.

And then we also have our regional marketing.

So getting the word out about all the great things happening in Louisville.

That is essentially the set of pillars that one Louisville will be built upon.

And having those pillars in the same office, in the same meetings, I mean, that's going to create efficiencies, that's going to allow us to think bigger.

It's going to allow us to better align with the mayor and the business community and Metro Council and legislators.

I think at the end of the day, this is going to put our best foot forward.

So it sounds like Leda is kind of being folded into Gli in a way, because it is still a regional organization.

And how is that how you would describe it being changed as, as far as becoming the one chamber of Commerce?

So I would say that the two organizations, came together, and formed one versus Leda coming into the, you know, Greater Louisville, Inc., although we're still going to maintain the best of what a Chamber of Commerce provides, the best of what an advocacy policymaking team provides.

And then also, you know, many of the deals that were familiar with, the Louisville Economic Development Alliance or Leda had a chance to work.

So you're bringing that prowess and that energy into one entity.

So, we are, truly, it's a it's a merger of two organizations that are now one, it's not one going into the other one.

Louisville.

What?

Oh, what.

A great name.

Yes.

So, but it did come with cutting some positions.

Correct.

That also comes with a more streamlined budget.

So you're going to be operating at, a lower cost?

Yeah.

No.

You're right.

You know, one of the things that, we noticed is that there was, sometimes market confusion not only by customers, but by partners of where the front door was.

And there was some duplicative services.

And also to make this new organization work.

You had to break even or run a small surplus in year one.

And so there was it was a difficult process of sort of financial modeling, operational modeling to ensure that we could do that.

So we went through looked at programs that maybe weren't moving the needle like they used to.

And looked at where there were, you know, duplication of efforts.

And that ultimately led us to get to 32 people.

We went from 11 and, $11.5 million budget annually down to a $9 million budget.

But I don't think there's going to be any sort of, decline in service levels.

In fact, I think this allows us to optimize in a way that, allows for or creates the conditions for the next few years to do some pretty dynamic things, whether it's around the startup community, whether it's around infrastructure, whether it's around new incentive tools to attract new industries here.

The time is now.

I mean, Louisville is America's new frontier.

I'm convinced.

And this is this is going to be a vessel one Louisville to to really, show, show the world what we can do here.

Talk more about that funding, aspect.

This is a public and private partnership.

Correct.

Both sides have skin in the game.

That's how it should be, right?

Both sides impact our economy in a in a major way.

So, we will be receiving about a third of our budget from the public sector, and then the rest will come in from the business community.

And then we'll also have some revenue generating activities, like events and, and other things that you see in a chamber of commerce.

What's the main thing people are going to see the difference with this organization.

What do you think the biggest change is going to be?

I think we're going to try to do higher impact events.

I think we are going to be more proactive in the types of companies we talk to, the markets we try to activate.

You might see some companies or you're wondering, gosh, I didn't, but they're coming to Louisville.

I didn't think they'd have interest in Louisville because of maybe what they do.

But, you know, when you look at our formula right now, the, the formula that has allowed for things like, surgical gloves, invented here in America, hadn't been produced here, since the 1980s and now is being produced in America again for the first time in Louisville.

Wow.

These are these are things that we just have a formula for affordability.

Supply chain talent.

And I think that can apply across sectors.

So what you're going to see is I think some new industries popping up in the next few years.

All right.

Well there's so much we appreciate your time.

Thanks for having me.

And, easy walk right across the street here.

Here in new buildings in the PNC tower.

We appreciate your time.

Thanks for being here.

Renee, back to you.

Thanks so much, Kelsey.

The official launch of the One Louisville brand will happen at their annual meeting that's coming up on March 18th.