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I'm wheels up from Austin as you read this, coming home with a notebook full of ideas from a new media conference on making digital media work harder for our businesses and community.

Here's why I prioritize finding the next thing before it becomes the obvious thing: this was only year two of this event. 300 people last year, 550 this year, no big companies have found it yet. You get speakers on the come up who actually share in a room that size. I told the organizer on my way out he can break 1,000 next year.

Before we get into this week's edition, if you have Wednesday lunch free, get to Amplify's Venture Connectors at the Science Center. David Horne and his dad are telling the story of their 40+ year family business. You may have caught our story on them last October. The crowd and the backstory are both worth your time.

Hot job 💼: President at Denton Floyd ($250K-$350K). Lead strategy, operations, and growth for one of Louisville's most active real estate development and construction firms. Executive role driving vision, team performance, and business outcomes across the organization.

📈 Number: 14 is the number of lucky seats inside Oma, the new omakase restaurant from the team behind Hammerheads. Two seatings a night, three nights a week, 8 to 10 courses. Get on the list.

As always, I appreciate you reading. 👊

-Todd

Six local stories worth diving into this week

📦 Louisville's UPS Hub Overtakes FedEx as World's Largest A new report shows Worldport has dethroned Memphis to claim the top spot in express air cargo.

⚡️ Louisville's UPS hub just passed Memphis as the world's largest express air cargo hub. Share this one. The world needs to know.

🤝 GLI and LEDA Merge to Form One Louisville Two of the region's biggest economic development players are combining into a single organization starting next month.

⚡️ Our two largest business organizations are merging back together. Congrats to Trevor Pawl on the CEO role.

❤️ Local Restaurant Named One of America's Most Romantic Spots A Louisville staple made a national list of date-night destinations worth traveling for.

⚡️ Have you heard of M. Peppers? Another overlooked great spot getting the national shine.

🎨 NuLu Named a Top 10 Arts District in America The neighborhood moved up to #7 on USA Today's annual list, continuing its climb in national recognition.

⚡️ Nice to see NuLu getting national recognition.

🏇 Churchill Downs Posts Record Fourth Quarter Results The company extended its winning streak to nine consecutive years of record revenue.

⚡️ People love to gamble. CDI just posted its ninth straight year of record revenue.

🥃 Three Bourbon Brands Beating the Industry Trend While bourbon faces headwinds, a few local distilleries are bucking the slowdown. (Warning: 💰️wall)

⚡️ Good to see some bourbon brands putting up strong numbers.

The Bourbon Classic Taste is an overlooked (but BIG event) going on now through Saturday. Rare pours, master distillers, and featured restaurant bites fill the floor of the Kentucky International Convention Center. It's part tasting, part education, part networking, with a very good excuse to try bourbon you'd never find on a shelf.

Since 2013, the Bourbon Classic has landed on Travel & Leisure's list of best cocktail festivals in the country, and the Taste session is the crown jewel. Grab your tickets here.

⚡️ Spark Take: Three hours, master distillers, rare pours, and good food. There are worse ways to spend a Saturday night.

Birthday love for some local standouts

Lance Dooley – Brand Consultant & Co-founder of Taylor Lee Comfort
Nick Jacoby – Consultant & Real Estate
Robert Kaphammer – President at Ad Cucìna
Cynthia Lee – Cynlee Sales & Director of Community Engagement at Amplify
Lisa Pinkston – Athletic Director at Assumption High School & Founder of Softball Preps

Gustavo's, Havana Rumba, Mayan Cafe, Meesh Meesh and Pine Room.

Beckley Park, Kentucky Derby Museum, Louisville Slugger Museum, Muhammad Ali Center, Norton Commons and Watch Hill Proper.

Anchal Project, ECHO, Family Scholar House, Gildas Club, Whitney Strong and Young Life Youth Program.

Reply to this email if you’d like to come to our live event and rediscover our city and meet our great people.

The Louisville Kings are bringing professional football back to Louisville in a bigger way than ever before, and March 27 is the night this city gets to say it was there from the very beginning. Grab your tickets before history fills up Lynn Family Stadium at 8:00 PM.

Analytics Client Coverage Sales Specialist at MCSI Inc ($120K–$165K). Drive client relationships and sales strategy for analytics solutions. Client-facing role requiring financial acumen and the ability to translate complex data products into business value.

Environmental Laboratory Manager at Louisville MSD ($93.3K–$148K). Oversee environmental lab operations, staff, and compliance for Louisville's Metropolitan Sewer District. Leadership role managing testing, reporting, and regulatory standards.

Special Agent: Accounting/Finance Background at Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) ($103K–$133K). Apply financial expertise to federal investigations across fraud, public corruption, and national security. Competitive federal benefits and career advancement in law enforcement.

QA QC Manager – Heavy Civil at Peterson Consulting Group ($140K–$190K). Lead quality assurance and control programs across heavy civil construction projects. Requires experience managing QA/QC processes on large-scale infrastructure work.

Electrical Project Engineer at DSJ Global ($98K–$120K). Manage electrical engineering deliverables across project planning, design coordination, and execution. Strong fit for engineers looking to step into a project leadership track.

We found the fun, so you don’t have to.

🥣 The 13th Gravy Cup
9:00 AM @ Louisville Slugger Field (West Hall of Fame)
30+ chefs compete in the world's largest biscuits and gravy competition. All proceeds benefit Boys & Girls Haven. $35 admission.

🎤 Preacher Lawson Comedy Show
7:00 PM @ Louisville Comedy Club
The America's Got Talent standout brings his high-energy stand-up to Louisville for one night. Tickets start at $97.

⚾ University of Louisville Baseball vs. Central Michigan
1:00 PM @ Jim Patterson Stadium
Cards baseball is back at one of the best college ballparks in the country. Free admission.

🎶 Music for a Purpose Presents Kevin Harris
3:00 PM @ Kentucky Opera
Live music in a stunning venue supporting the Louisville Urban League. Free to attend.