LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Downtown Louisville is beginning to see a resurgence in activity as businesses and their employees return to work in person.
“In 2021, we started seeing downtown come alive again, and that trend is continuing," Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer said. "Every month, we are seeing increased activity – with workers coming back in the office, with our arts and culture venues hosting events, and with visitors taking advantage of our museums, bourbon tours and other attractions.”
Fischer said that Louisville Metro Government, Baird, Fifth-Third Bank and PNC Bank employees returned to work in 2021.
Another major employer, Humana, announced its employees would soon be returning to downtown Louisville in mid-March.
"Downtowns across America have been struggling in the wake of the pandemic," Fischer said. "But because of the actions that we've been taking, and because of the commitment of our great business partners to downtown, we're seeing that momentum and that energy return."
The Mayor said the return of office workers is especially critical to the success of small businesses across Louisville.
Tawana Bain, founder and CEO of TBAIN & Co., said that small businesses need office workers back in the workplace and on the streets to support small businesses, especially the city's Black and Black woman-owned businesses.
“Small businesses are the hum and soul of communities like Louisville, lifting up the entire city by creating jobs and adding to the fabric of what makes Louisville unique,” Bain said.
Fischer thanked the community and businesses who invested in Louisville despite the pandemic.
He said last year millions were invested in expansion projects and the city welcomed multiple new businesses, including four new downtown hotels and 30 new retail businesses.
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