September 19, 2022 11:29am
Two years of accelerated growth: Greater Louisville Inc. reflects on successes of NOW Louisville plan
Louisville, Ky. (September 19, 2022) – On the two-year anniversary of the launch of its five-year strategic plan, NOW Louisville, Greater Louisville Inc. celebrated the major accomplishments and successes that have come from the forward-thinking plan for accelerated growth. Through the plan, GLI created six pillars to guide the work: innovation, startups, clusters, talent, inclusion, and connectivity and mobility. Over the last two years, 110 companies and 35 individuals with a local presence have invested to fund the core initiatives of the plan.
“I have been inspired by the response from the business community to NOW Louisville. Not only have we seen tremendous financial support, but many business leaders have offered their input and guidance as we have activated various parts of the plan,” said Sarah Davasher-Wisdom, president and CEO of GLI. “I want to thank every individual or organization who has invested in the plan and I look forward to continuing this collaboration as we achieve even more success in the years ahead.”
The plan includes action items and metrics through 2025 to steadily make progress toward the end goal. Key accomplishments to date include:
- Advocated for and passed state tax reform to reduce and eventually eliminate Kentucky’s income tax.
- Developed and launched the Power to Prosper Minority Business Accelerator which has now helped 25 businesses scale.
- Grew Live in Lou’s social media followers by more than 55% to attract talent to the region. Also leveraged Live in Lou to launch campaigns to help private employers attract out-of-market talent for their in-demand jobs.
- Advocated for a variety of state public policies which totaled over $1.87 billion in economic impact.
- Facilitated over 100 connections between minority-owned businesses and GLI investors for potential contracting opportunities.
- Created, launched, and hosted three cohorts of ‘Finding You in Lou’ to retain summer interns in Louisville post-graduation.
- In coordination with partners like Amplify and Render Capital, GLI has helped to steadily increase startup capital each year, by connecting over 180 startups to our regional corporations and businesses for contracting purposes.
- Created and convened a subcommittee to prepare the region for the nearly 9,000 advanced manufacturing jobs coming in the next several years and collaborated with the Commonwealth of Kentucky.
- Launched a unified marketing effort in collaboration with Louisville Forward, Louisville Tourism, and One Southern Indiana to use the same messaging and images to sell the region.
- Built a partnership with GE Appliances, a Haier company, to identify and recruit diverse suppliers for contracting opportunities.
A full report of progress in 2022 is available here.
“Over the last two years, NOW Louisville has been an important North Star to not only help our region through short-term economic recovery but also to help us achieve long-term economic growth,” said Purna Veer, chair of the GLI board of directors and founder of V-Soft Consulting. “I am proud of all that the GLI team has accomplished and know even more great things are still to come from the plan. I encourage anyone who is passionate about making our region the best it can be to consider investing in the plan.”
While a majority of the plan is funded, the GLI team is still working to secure the remaining funding needed to bring all aspects of the plan to fruition. Learn more about NOW Louisville and see a list of all contributing funders here.
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