Louisville mayor spent $180,000 to entertain enterprise leaders for the duration of Derby

The price tag tag incorporates hotel rooms, transportation and meals and beverages for a handful of executives from Bezos Academy, LinkedIn and other organizations. Tickets to the Derby at Churchill Downs have been the biggest single expense, coming out to just more than $80,000.

Greenberg’s spokesperson Kevin Trager mentioned in a statement that the Derby permits the city’s financial improvement group to showcase “the greatest of Louisville.”

“We are confident that soon after seeing all our city has to provide and meeting members of our incredible neighborhood this exclusive financial improvement chance will lead to the continued development and strengthening of our economy,” Trager mentioned final week.

Greenberg and his wife also hosted a brunch on Derby Day attended by various hundred men and women, according to Trager. The invite list was a who’s who of neighborhood leaders and city officials such as Metro Council members, members of the Brown and Bingham households and “mayor’s workplace employees, spouses, young children, loved ones members, and pals,” records show. Greenberg spent $15,748 on meals from Mayan Cafe and $three,417 on flowers, napkins and linens.

The all round expense of Greenberg’s Derby hosting was greater than final year, when Mayor Greg Fischer spent about $140,000.

The guest list

As opposed to Fischer, Greenberg publicly released his guest list ahead of Kentucky’s premier horse racing occasion. The Fischer administration refused to recognize his Derby guests all through his 12-year term, arguing it would have a adverse influence on the city’s capacity to recruit new organizations. Metro Council voted in 2018 to enable the Louisville mayor to maintain their Derby guests secret.

On May well two, Greenberg announced seven executives across various industries accepted Louisville’s Derby invite. 3 guests had donated to his current principal and basic election campaigns.

Campaign finance records showed Valerie Bruce, the basic manager of BBC Studios – Los Angeles, contributed $four,000 to Greenberg’s campaigns. Dan Roth, who’s the vice president and editor-in-chief of Linkedin, gave $three,000 to Greenberg among his two campaigns. Roth’s wife Lisa, who was also a single of Greenberg’s guests, donated $four,000. Dan Roth grew up in Louisville and, along with his siblings, not too long ago created a donation to the renovation project at the Trager Loved ones Jewish Neighborhood Center.

Other executives who attended Derby as Greenberg’s guests have been:

• Mike George, President of Bezos Academy, and spouse Beth
• Rob Mills, Vice President of Unscripted and Option Entertainment for Walt Disney Tv
• Donna Orender, CEO of Orender Limitless and former president of the WNBA, and spouse M.G.
• T.J. Rodgers, founder of Cypress Semiconductor Corporation, and spouse Valeta
• Ryan Roslansky, CEO of LinkedIn, and spouse Leigh

Greeberg’s workplace did not say why they chose to invite these guests, but several operate in industries that have develop into a priority for nearby and state leaders.

For instance, Fischer announced final December that the lengthy-vacant Louisville Gardens developing downtown would be renovated into soundstages for film, tv, music and digital production. The developers, River City Entertainment Group, LLC, are hoping to get incentives from the state to enable cover some building charges. Greenberg’s workplace mentioned Thursday cleanup operate at the Gardens will start subsequent month.

In 2021, the Kentucky Basic Assembly revived the state’s film tax credit plan in order to incentivize film organizations to shoot right here. The BBC Studios’ L.A. arm has created shows like “Dancing with the Stars” and “Top Gear America.” Mills, meanwhile, oversees the creation and production of reality tv for the Disney, ABC and Hulu brands.

Mike George, president of Bezos Academy, was in town in March to announce its 1st tuition-cost-free preschool in Kentucky. Anticipated to open in 2025, the Montessori-style pre-Kindergarten plan will be situated adjacent to Jefferson Green and Jefferson’s Landing, reasonably priced housing developments in Okolona.

Whilst on the campaign trail, Greenberg promised to make universal access to preschool a reality in Louisville.

Donna Orender’s look on Greeberg’s Derby guest list could be associated to the lengthy-standing efforts by fans and deep-pocketed neighborhood leaders to bring a qualified basketball group to Louisville. The city hasn’t had a qualified basketball group given that the Kentucky Colonels folded in the mid-1970s.

There’s no publicly readily available data about plans LinkedIn may have for Louisville or city efforts to attract the enterprise, and Trager did not right away respond to a query about this.

It wouldn’t be Greenberg’s 1st foray into the tech planet: LEO Weekly obtained emails in February displaying his administration is attempting to lure YouTube creators Dude Excellent to find a proposed $one hundred million theme park right here.