Louisville is home to a few world-famous businesses: Hillerich & Bradsby, makers of the Louisville Slugger, Churchill Downs, home of the Kentucky Derby and the world-famous KFC. But our city is also home to many other major employers, including Brown-Forman Corporation, Humana, Kindred Healthcare, Norton Healthcare, Yum! Brands and UPS. Ford Motor Company has two major plants in Louisville, and GE Appliances (a subsidiary of Haier) has a major home-appliance assembly plant.
Bourbon is big business in Louisville, which is home to major distillers Brown-Forman and Heaven Hill, among others. In recent years, a major tourism boom has grown up around the Kentucky Bourbon Trail and Louisville’s “Urban Bourbon Trail,” which feature distillery tours and tastings for bourbon enthusiasts at distilleries like Jim Beam, Bulleit, Old Forester, Evan Williams and Angel’s Envy. This economic boom extends far beyond the bourbon business itself, bringing economic development that includes hotels, restaurants and supporting businesses, and employment opportunities for Bellarmine grads.
Another major employer of Bellarmine alumni is the healthcare industry. The city has been at the center of breakthrough advances in hand transplants and cancer treatments, and is emerging as a leader in physical therapy and geriatric care. Students and alumni of Bellarmine’s College of Health Professions are in high demand at the hospitals, research facilities and ancillary businesses that support these industries.
There’s also a zeal for small business in the Metro Louisville area. Tens of thousands of small businesses call Louisville home. Graduates of Bellarmine’s MBA and other programs have often led the way in this entrepreneurship.
Thanks to this mixture of revered brands like Louisville Slugger and Churchill Downs, major corporations like Humana and Brown-Forman, and a robust tourism and small-business climate, Louisville has been getting so many accolades.