Economy of Louisville, Kentucky

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Since it earliest days, the economy of Louisville, Kentucky, has been underpinned by the shipping and cargo industries. Today,

Shipping and logistics

The city's location at the Falls of the Ohio, and its unique position in the central United States (and other origins) to the mouth of the Mississippi River, the Gulf of Mexico, and beyond. The Louisville and Nashville Railroad was also an important link between the industrialized northern cities and the South.

Louisville's importance to the

Norton Healthcare is the second largest employer in the Louisville area, with over 20,000 employees, and a major health care provider throughout Greater Louisville and Southern Indiana.^{[citation needed]}

Product manufacturing: Automotive, home appliances, bourbon and more

Louisville is a significant center of manufacturing. Within the city's limits are two major

Craft beer is an increasingly profitable business for the city, home to over 14 locally owned breweries including Bluegrass Brewing Company and Falls City Brewing Company. In 2013 overall beer sales were reported to be down 2% from the previous year, whereas craft beer sales had risen 18%.^[8] To keep up the demand, Mayor Greg Fischer announced in 2015 plans to create "Lou Brew": a tour, similar to the Urban Bourbon Trail, that will highlight the local breweries and craft beer scene of Louisville to both natives and tourists.^[9]

High tech

Not typically known for high tech outside of the previously identified industries, Louisville in the 2010s has been at or near the forefront of some high-tech-related developments. In April 2017, Google Fiber confirmed that the city will be wired for its ultrafast network,^[10] though the company ultimately abandoned the plan.^[11] Meanwhile, since October 2016, AT&T Fiber has been building out its similar service in the city as well as neighboring counties in Indiana.^[12] Beyond networking, the city, through its public–private partnership called Code Louisville, recognized by President Barack Obama, is aiding area residents in the learning of software coding skills.^[13][14][15]

Independent businesses

Louisville prides itself in its large assortment of small, independent businesses and restaurants, some of which have become known for their ingenuity and creativity. In 1926 the

Louisville has connections to the entertainment industry. Several major motion pictures have also been filmed in or near Louisville, including Goldfinger, The Insider, Stripes, Lawn Dogs, Elizabethtown, Demolition Man, and Secretariat.^[17]

Also located in Louisville is a branch of the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis.

An other remarkable company in Louisville, Kentucky, is Omega National Products the largest manufacturer of mirror balls, which manufactured at times 90% of all mirror balls in the world [1].

Historical businesses

Louisville for a long time was also home to the Belknap Hardware and Manufacturing Company, at its peak one of the largest manufacturers and wholesale distributors of hardware in the United States, as well as Brown & Williamson, the third largest company in the tobacco industry before merging with R. J. Reynolds in 2004 to form the Reynolds American Company. Brands such as KOOL, Viceroy, Capri, Misty and Raleigh were introduced in Louisville. Brown & Williamson, one of the subjects of the tobacco industry scandals of the 1990s, was the focus of The Insider, a 1999 film shot around the Louisville area.

Notable companies, company divisions and organizations based in Louisville

See also

• Louisville Business First
  – Louisville's weekly business newspaper
• Greater Louisville Inc. – Formerly the Louisville Area Chamber of Commerce
• List of major employers in Louisville, Kentucky

References