Brown-Forman sale, battery plant layoffs, Wawa debut headline Louisville area business news of 2025

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- From restaurants and bars opening and closing to major company shifts, 2025 was a big year for business in the Louisville area.

Below is the list of the top 10 business stories of the year.

Brown-Forman makes cuts, sells cooperage

In January, Louisville-based Brown-Forman announced a corporate restructuring that would cut 12% of its global workforce of 5,400 employees.

The spirits company closed its barrel-making operation in Louisville in April. The closure of the cooperage left 210 workers out of a job. The company said the closure saves about $70 million to $80 million a year.

Before closing, the cooperage, which opened in 1945, produced about 2,000 barrels a day.

The sale of the cooperage was finalized May 1. The 16-acre site on MacLean Avenue was bought by Lebanon, Missouri-based Independent Stave Co. for $13.66 million. In June, the company said it had no plans of reopening the barrel operation. A spokesperson said the property would be sold "at a later date."

Brown-Forman, parent company of Old Forester, Woodford Reserve and Jack Daniel’s, operates in 170 countries and employs about 5,000 people worldwide. It has been based in Louisville for 155 years and is the fifth-largest public company in the city, with $4.18 billion in revenue last fiscal year. In January, a company spokesperson said Brown-Forman employed about 1,100 people in Louisville at the time.

Kentucky battery plant employees laid off as Ford pivots away from EV business

BlueOval SK announced on Dec. 15 it will lay off all 1,600 workers at its battery manufacturing facility in Glendale as Ford continues to scale back its electric vehicle strategy.

The Glendale plant is part of BlueOval SK, a joint venture between Ford Motor Company and South Korea–based battery maker SK On.

The project was announced in 2021 as a cornerstone of Kentucky's push into EV manufacturing, backed by billions of dollars in private investment and hundreds of millions in state incentives.

In a recorded message to employees, BlueOval SK CEO Michael Adams confirmed the layoffs, saying the company is eliminating all Kentucky-based positions as it shifts away from EV battery production.

Ford said it plans to retool the Glendale facility and eventually hire 2,100 workers, though the company has not provided a timeline for when those jobs would become available or whether current employees would be prioritized.

Ford said it will take a $19.5 billion hit to profits as it pulls back from its EV business, citing slower-than-expected consumer demand and higher production costs.

Ford debuts new Expedition, announces new EV platform and pickup at LAP and boosts truck production

It was a big year for Ford, which unveiled the new 2025 Expedition at the Kentucky Truck Plant in Louisville in April. The SUV's debut came after the company invested millions of dollars into the plant amid concerns over the state of the economy and rising prices.

More news came from the automaker in August, when the company announced the Louisville Assembly Plant will serve as the launch site for a new generation of electric vehicles built on the company's Universal EV Platform. Called the Ford Universal EV Production System, the streamlined, software-driven approach to vehicle assembly is designed to boost efficiency, safety and quality.

The first product off the line will be a midsize, four-door electric pickup, expected to reach customers in 2027 with a targeted starting price of about $30,000. Ford has not shown the design of the new model.

Declining sales of the Escape SUV in recent years led to concerns about LAP's future. But in 2023, Ford committed to building an "all new" electric vehicle at the Louisville plant once the gas-powered Escape reaches the end of its life cycle this year.

In late October, Ford announced it would be putting its production pedal to the metal in 2026, with plans to roll 50,000 more F-150 and F-Series Super Duty trucks off the assembly line. The announcement came as the automaker tried to recover from unexpected production losses this year after a recent fire at Novelis, its major aluminum supplier. Production at some plants was temporarily halted because of the fire.

The move will add 900 new jobs in Michigan and 100 in Louisville at the Kentucky Truck Plant. Ford said it will add a third crew in Michigan and additional employees at the KTP to speed up production.

The goal is to produce 5,000 more trucks per year.

The announcement comes weeks after Ford announced it would be expanding its Louisville operations with a $41 million land purchase near the KTP on Chamberlain Lane, near the Gene Snyder Freeway.

The Michigan-based company purchased more than 65 acres of land that sits adjacent to the existing plant from Cincinnati-based Nine Five.

It wasn't immediately clear Monday what Ford plans on doing with the land. In 2023, Ford announced a $1.95 billion investment in its two Louisville facilities as part of a deal reached with the UAW that followed a 41-day strike across several plants, including two weeks of striking at KTP in Louisville.

Humana lists iconic downtown Louisville headquarters for sale

In February, Humana — Kentucky's only Fortune 500 company — announced plans to list its iconic 27-story headquarters at 500 W. Main St. in downtown Louisville for sale.

The company vacated the building in 2024 in a cost-cutting move. The company said at the time it no longer needed the building as it embraced hybrid and remote work amid the COVID-19 pandemic. It is consolidating its Louisville headquarters to its Waterside-Clocktower campus on the east side of downtown.

In December, it was reported that local developer Poe Cos. is in the planning stages of converting the building into a 1,000-room hotel.

Business First reported in April that Poe Cos. had been planning to build an entirely new 1,000-room hotel at the former Museum Plaza site, which is on River Road just west of the Muhammad Ali Center at Seventh Street.

The tower has a strategic location on West Main Street near the Belvedere, Museum Row and the KFC Yum! Center.

According to sources close to the project, the new vision for the Humana Tower would use the existing structure, but also construct an additional tower near where Vincenzo's Restaurant is located.

The proposal would create Louisville's second-largest hotel behind The Galt House, which has 1,310 rooms.

The pink granite tower at 500 West Main Street designed by the late, renowned architect Michael Graves, has been a symbol of Humana's homegrown roots since it was built about 40 years ago under the direction of the late Humana co-founder David A. Jones, a lifelong resident and champion of the city.

Humana for decades has been the largest office tenant in downtown Louisville, but it's vacated 800,000 square feet of leased office space in the Central Business District, commercial agents have estimated. In 2022, it donated an entire office building the University of Louisville.

Yum! Brands announces relocation from Louisville to Texas

Yum! Brands announced in February it would be relocating its KFC headquarters from Louisville to Plano, Texas, where it will combine operations with the Pizza Hut brand — a move costing the company $7 million.

About 100 corporate positions are being affected, with the relocations expected to happen over the next six months. The company said another 90 remote employees would be relocated over 18 months. It is unknown how many employees opted out of relocating.

Yum! Brands and the KFC Foundation will still have corporate offices in Louisville while Taco Bell and Habit Burger & Grill will remain in Irvine, California.

Yum! is Louisville's third-largest public company doing about $7 billion annually in revenue.

The company donated its former Louisville headquarters to Jefferson County Public Schools, which plans to move its Central Office to the campus on Gardiner Lane, just off Interstate 264.

Wawa enters Kentuckiana

The East coast convenience store and gas station chain Wawa made its debut in the Louisville area this year, opening its first regional store in Clarksville in May.

The Clarksville store was the second Wawa to open in the Hoosier state, with the first opening May 15 in Daleville. Another location is open in Indianapolis.

The company also plans to open a location in Sellersburg at the intersection of State Road 60 and Appleleaf Lane.

The Jeffersonville Drainage Board on Dec. 16 approved plans for another Wawa, this one in Jeffersonville. The location is planned for the intersection of State Route 62 and Gottbrath Parkway, near the Xscape 12 Jeffersonville movie theatre. Plans call for a "fly-through," with a pickup window and eight fuel pumps.

In late July, the chain opened its first Kentucky location on Preston Crossing Boulevard near Okolona in Louisville.

Louisville's second location opened in September on Bardstown Road, just south of Fegenbush Lane.

Wawa is expanding from the east coast, where it is known for its cheap eats, hoagies, smoothies, coffee and friendly staff.

In September 2023, the chain announced several future locations in the Kentuckiana region. It said last year it plans to open about 40 stores over the next 8-10 years.

Redevelopment plans for Mid City Mall

After being put on the market last year, potential redevelopment plans were unveiled this summer for Louisville's Mid City Mall.

An online project description included the construction of a grocery store and six standalone retail buildings on the property, according to a zoning certification filing made with Louisville Metro Planning and Design.

Located on Bardstown Road, the 11-acre site has long served as a neighborhood hub with a mix of retail, a library and community-focused services.

The proposed grocery store would be 54,000 square feet while the six retail buildings would be 53,000 square feet.

The filing was made by Duluth, Georgia, attorney Christian Olteanu of Gaskins LeCraw Inc.

The community has been rallying to save the Baxter Avenue Theatres at Mid City Mall as its owners plan to close it Dec. 31.

Kentucky's first medical cannabis dispensary opens

The first medical cannabis dispensary in Kentucky opened in mid-December.

The Post Dispensary in Beaver Dam, which is in Ohio County, held a soft opening Dec. 13.

It's the state's first fully-approved and licensed medical dispensary. All medical marijuana sold in Kentucky must be grown and processed in the state.

While Medical cannabis has been legal in the state for nearly a year, the dispensary's opening marked the first time patients were able to get it.

But just days after opening, The Post had to temporarily close after it sold out of product. Since its opening, the dispensary drew heavy demand from patients across the state, some driving for hours and waiting in line as early as 5 a.m.

During its first week of operation, the dispensary sold roughly 1,000 eighth-ounce packages of medical marijuana flower before running out of inventory.

The Post expects to reopen in mid-January once more product becomes available from licensed cultivators.

To learn more about the rollout of medical marijuana in Kentucky and the Medical Cannabis Program, click here for the state's dashboard. It includes information and links to apply for a medical cannabis card, find a practitioner, find a dispensary once they open and more.

Apple bringing $2.5B investment to Harrodsburg, Kentucky

Apple announced in September it would be moving production of its iPhone and Apple Watch cover glass to Harrodsburg, Kentucky.

The $2.5 billion investment to expand manufacturing is a big deal for the area, which has seen few new job opportunities in recent years. Corning Chief Operating Officer Hal Nelson said the expansion will increase the plant’s workforce by 50%.

“Our intent is to add to our employment level from where we are today, so we will increase that by 50 percent. That process is already underway,” Nelson said. “That will be a combination of scientists, engineers, trades, and production workers — it runs the whole gamut as we increase capacity and capability of this facility.”

Currently, the plant employs around 350 people. The expansion is expected to add roughly 250 new jobs. Nelson himself started at this plant 30 years ago as a shift supervisor.

Apple CEO Tim Cook attended a press event making the announcement but was not available for questions. The company did provide video of Cook walking through Harrodsburg. He is no stranger to the plant, which has produced Apple products for 18 years.

The Harrodsburg facility will be entirely dedicated to producing cover glass for Apple, a transformation that will take time. The impact on the town, however, could last for decades.

GE expands US supply chain as production shifts to Kentucky from China

In August, GE announced plans to shift production of refrigerators, gas ranges and water heaters out of China and Mexico as part of a more than $3 billion investment to expand its U.S. operations in Kentucky, Georgia, Alabama, Tennessee and South Carolina.

The investment — the second-largest in the Louisville-based company's history — is expected to add more than 1,000 jobs while ramping up domestic production and modernizing plants in the next five years.

The majority of GE's appliance production is already in the U.S. and the shift means only that the company will transfer more work to its domestic plants.

The latest investment includes the June announcement that GE Appliances will pump $490 million into its Kentucky complex to produce a combo washer/dryer and a lineup of front load washers that are now made in China. In all, production of more than 15 models of front load washers will shift to the company’s Louisville complex — known as Appliance Park, it said.

Once its new plan is fully implemented, GE Appliances will have invested $6.5 billion across its 11 U.S. manufacturing plants and nationwide distribution network since 2016, it said.

In November, GE touted wide-ranging ripple effects from shifting production from China to Kentucky as it announced more than $150 million in new contracts awarded to U.S.-based suppliers.

The supplier contracts range in value from $330,000 to $41 million, span 10 states and cover crucial segments of the supplier chain for the appliance maker's washer and dryer production — from plastics and castings to steel and aluminum, the company said. The suppliers range in size from U.S. Steel to family-owned companies.

With the new contracts, GE Appliances said it is increasing domestic spending on suppliers by 3.3%.

Production is scheduled to begin in early 2027, it said, and will expand the total footprint devoted to clothes care production at Appliance Park to the equivalent of 33 football fields.

The $150 million-plus in new supplier contracts reflects the amount GE Appliances will spend each year for shipments of parts, components and raw materials to produce the washers and dryers, it said. Contract values could increase if sales of the washers and dryers grow, the company said.

GE Appliances said it spends $4.6 billion with more than 6,500 U.S. suppliers, a 69% increase in spending and a 58% rise in its number of suppliers since 2019. Its U.S. supply chain has grown for more than a decade, it said.

Toyota to invest $912 million into hybrid production, add jobs in Kentucky

In November, Toyota announced plans to invest $912 million to expand production of hybrid vehicles in the U.S., and it will mean more jobs in Kentucky.

The company said the investment will bring 252 new jobs across five manufacturing plants to increase hybrid capacity and bring hybrid-electric Corollas to its production lineup. The company said it's reinvesting in plants in West Virginia, Kentucky, Mississippi, Tennessee and Missouri.

Toyota's facility in Georgetown, Kentucky, is the automaker's largest plant in the world. The company plans to invest $204.4 million in the plant to install an all-new machining line for 4-cylinder hybrid-compatible engines, which would begin production in 2027 and add 82 new jobs. The powertrain facility in Georgetown can assemble up to 700,000 units annually. Toyota Kentucky employs nearly 10,000 team people. The company said it has invested more than $11 billion in the plant.

When making the announcement, Toyota said it currently assembles about 76% of the vehicles it sells in the U.S. at its North American manufacturing facilities. The automaker employs nearly 48,000 people in the U.S.