LOUISVILLE, Ky. (January 14, 2020) – Greater Louisville Inc. is proud to present the prestigious Gold Cup to community champions Alice and Wade Houston at the upcoming Annual Meeting, presented by Baird, on Thurs., Jan. 23.

“Alice and Wade Houston are visionary leaders with legendary entrepreneurial spirits,” said Kent Oyler, president and CEO of GLI. “Their integrity and long-term commitment to Louisville’s business and civic communities make them worthy Gold Cup recipients and true community icons.”

“Alice and Wade Houston are wonderful examples of leaders who live out our core city values of lifelong learning, equity and compassion,” said Mayor Greg Fischer. “They show that in the businesses they’ve built to employ local residents in meaningful work, and in the way they constantly give back through their philanthropy and service. This power couple is an inspiration to us all.”

The first family business for Alice and Wade Houston was a joint venture that eventually became the largest minority-owned transportation company in North America. They would later focus on supply chain management. As the owners of HJI Supply Chain Solutions, the Houstons continue their long history of owning successful family businesses over the past 30 years while contributing philanthropically with their time, talent and investment.

Community service is woven into the fabric of who the Houstons are. Growing up as a coach’s daughter taught Alice Houston the importance of teamwork and community responsibility to give back, show up and volunteer. The Houstons are currently leading the fundraising campaign for the development of the Louisville Urban League’s west Louisville indoor track facility and sports complex, which they recently pledged $500,000 as the first major gift to the development.

In addition to serving on numerous leadership boards throughout the region, Alice Houston is a past chair of GLI’s Board of Directors, a current director of the GLI Foundation board and a former board member for the National Urban League. Wade Houston and Junior Bridgeman founded the Houston-Bridgeman scholarship program at the University of Louisville. Amongst his many civic endeavors, legendary coach Wade Houston serves on the board of the Allan Houston Legacy Foundation, which fosters healthy and productive relationships between fathers and sons, and mentors and mentees.

Created in 1969, Greater Louisville Inc.’s most prestigious award has been bestowed only 23 times.  The Gold Cup Award identifies, recognizes and encourages individual action and leadership in making the Greater Louisville area a better place to live and work.  And, unlike some awards, the Gold Cup is not automatically presented each year, but is awarded periodically in recognition of truly extraordinary contributions.  Previous Gold Cup recipients provide guidance throughout the selection process and have confirmed your nomination.

The Greater Louisville Inc. Annual Meeting, presented by Baird, will be held on Thurs., Jan, 23 at 6 p.m. at the Kentucky International Convention Center located at 221 S. Fourth Street in Louisville.

Delivering this year’s keynote will be Henry Timms, co-author of the international best seller New Power: How Anyone Can Persuade, Mobilize and Succeed in our Chaotic, Connected Age. In his high-energy presentation, Timms will explain how the technological revolution has made possible surging new forms of civic, social and business power that operate quite differently from the leadership models of our past and present – models we must better understand to drive success across greater Louisville.

 

 

 

 

Past Gold Cup winners include:

Archibald P. Cochran          1969               Frank B. Hower Jr.               1993

Barry Bingham Sr.               1973               Malcolm B. Chancey Jr.      1994

Wilson W. Wyatt Sr.             1974               Michael N. Harreld               1996

John H. Hardwick                1976               Owsley Brown Frazier         1999

Maurice D. S. Johnson       1979               C. Edward Glasscock          2003

Baylor Landrum Jr.              1981               William M. Street                  2004

Henry V. Heuser Sr.             1983               Joan Riehm                          2007

Gordon B. Davidson           1989               Christy & Owsley Brown     2009

Thomas C. Simons              1990               Daniel C. Ulmer Jr.               2011

David Grissom 1990                                    Sam Swope                          2014

David A. Jones                     1991               Bill Samuels Jr.                     2017

Junior Bridgeman                2018

Members of the media are welcome to attend and cover Annual Meeting, but must register in advance by emailing Marketing and Communications Director Ameerah Palacios at apalacios@greaterlouisville.com.

Annual Meeting is open to the public as well. To register, visit www.greaterlouisville.com/events.

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Media Contacts:

Ameerah Palacios, Greater Louisville Inc., (502) 625-0069, apalacios@greaterlouisville.com

Jordan Noble, Greater Louisville Inc., (502) 625-0054, jnoble@greaterlouisville.com

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About Greater Louisville Inc.

Greater Louisville Inc. (GLI) - the Metro Chamber of Commerce is focused on growing the regional economy. As the region’s largest convener of business leadership, GLI leads economic and global outreach strategies focused on business attraction, nurtures the entrepreneurial eco-system, and champions the development of the community’s talent base. As the voice of Greater Louisville’s business community, GLI advocates for a pro-business environment and facilitates businesses’ engagement on issues that impact regional competitiveness. GLI is the 2019 national Chamber of the Year and is one of only three percent of chambers nationally certified with 5-star accreditation status by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, based on GLI’s dedicated policy efforts, effective operations, beneficial programs and overall positive community impact.  Learn about our investor benefits and connect with us on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn using @GLIchamber or visit www.greaterlouisville.com.