Moxietalk With Kirt Jacobs

Wes Henderson co-created Angel’s Envy craft bourbon. Henderson co-founded Louisville Distilling Company with his father Lincoln. He, his father, and his son Kyle, developed Angel’s Envy, the craft bourbon that spends its final six months of aging in used port wine barrels. In 2012, their bourbon earned the highest ever rating for bourbon from Wine Enthusiast magazine. (Side note: His father helped develop Woodford Reserve® for Brown-Forman.) Prior to Louisville Distilling, Henderson served as CEO for Master Distiller Select LLC, and was responsible for distilled spirits consulting services. Before that, he was the president and CEO of Conecuh Ridge Distillery – a brand that enjoyed favorable mainstream recognition. Henderson received his education from the College of Aeronautics at the Florida Institute of Technology. He resides in Louisville, Ky. with his wife Julie, and has six sons. Two of his sons work with Wes at Angel’s Envy, setting the stage for the third Henderson generation to carry on the Angel’s E

A passion for wellness fuels Carlos Rivas. Rivas is a highly regarded health and wellness expert by the medical community for his creation of disease prevention programs. He is a highly sought after presenter and health and wellness consultant, and is recognized as one of the top health and wellness coaches in the country. He has helped many corporations, teams, and individuals reach their optimal level of health and well-being through outcome based programs. He is the fitness and well-being expert for WDRB Fox 41 and TOPS magazine. Rivas is developing an app called Head Coach, designed to help you become a better version of yourself. Rivas holds a (1995) B.S. in Exercise Science and Sports Medicine, (1996) Health Promotion and Counseling from the University of Louisville, and an M.S. in Exercise Physiology (1999) also from the University of Louisville. Carlos holds numerous certifications including: American College of Sports Medicine: Certified Personal Trainer since 1995, National Strength and Conditioning

Dr. Brad Calobrace is a leader in the field of cosmetic breast surgery. Considered an authority in the field of cosmetic breast surgery, Calobrace has a thriving cosmetic surgery practice in Louisville, Ky. He performs over 400 breast surgeries per year. He has participated in multiple FDA clinical breast studies and has been a consultant and speaker for contoured cohesive gel implant manufacturers, Allergan, Mentor, and Sientra. He performs approximately 1,000 major cosmetic procedures each year – including facial surgery, body contouring, breast surgery, hair transplantation and post-bariatric rejuvenation. Calobrace lectures extensively in the U.S. and internationally. He is an American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (ASAPS) visiting professor and has performed live surgeries at several Atlanta Breast Symposiums. He has also published extensively on the subject of aesthetic breast surgery. Calobrace has dual clinical faculty appointments with the Department of Plastic Surgery, at the University of L

Robbie Bartlett’s signature voice spans R&B, soul, and jazz. Bartlett and her band have opened shows for Frank Sinatra, Tom Jones, Sheryl Crow, The Righteous Brothers, and many others. David Crosby and Graham Nash specifically asked for her to perform before and after their concert. The legendary B. B. King once sent word back through his daughter, Shirley King, “Who is that? I like her voice,” after hearing Robbie sing with her band. She is an accomplished vocalist, bandleader, composer, and performer. Bartlett recently finished her first movie score “The Gift of Your Love” with Travis Myles who wrote the movie and lyrics to the title song. Bartlett wrote the score for the title song, recorded, played piano, and sang. Bartlett started singing at age four, and developed a strong foundation in R&B and jazz. Her warm smoky alto voice is heard regularly at popular Louisville area nightclubs, where she has performed since 1982. Styles include “Respect” by Aretha Franklin, “Good Morning Heartache” by Billi

For 20 years, Mike Berry has been at the helm of the Kentucky Derby Festival (KDF), one of the nation’s largest and most notable civic celebrations. The festival spans the two weeks leading up to the Kentucky Derby. Berry oversees the planning and production of nearly 70 events on the official schedule. The festival attracts an estimated 1.5 million people to the area each year. Berry built his career at the festival and is now the longest-serving president and CEO in the history of the organization. He began his KDF career in 1986 as an event coordinator. He rose to director of marketing and communications and vice president/managing director prior to his current position as president and CEO His first involvement with the festival came as administrative assistant to then Kentucky governor, Martha Layne Collins. Berry served as the governor’s appointment to the Derby Festival board from 1984-86. During his Frankfort tenure, Berry coordinated special projects including the Kentucky Derby Breakfast, Governor’s

Technology entrepreneur Stacy Griggs is a high energy executive with strong leadership skills. Griggs leads the day-to-day operations at El Toro, one of the fastest growing AdTech companies in the U.S. The company focuses on hyper-accurate targeting of digital advertising via IP addresses. He is one of the creators of El Toro’s patent for IP Targeting, along with five other pending patents. He has a roster of previous successes in technology. Inc. magazine recognized three previous firms led by Griggs on the Inc. 500 list as the fastest growing privately held companies in the U.S. He held executive spots in Cbeyond, a publicly traded cloud communications company (Nasdaq: CBEY) and AlignCloud and held a series of positions at Hosting.com, including chief sales officer, chief service officer and general manager for their flagship Delaware Data Center. Griggs and his business partner David Stadler were selected as the 2016 Ernst & Young Emerging Entrepreneurs of the Year for the Ohio Valley. Also in 2016, El

Creativity, curiosity and discipline define Delanor Manson’s accomplishments across many fields. Jewelry designer, businesswoman, nurse and Navy captain all describe successful careers mastered by Manson. With degrees in nursing and healthcare management, she has been at the forefront of innovative medical initiatives in both patient care and complex administrative issues. Achieving the rank of U.S. Navy captain, Manson applied her nursing education to positions in the U.S, Japan, Great Britain, Germany, Italy and Puerto Rico. As the associate vice president of research and design for Hosparus Inc., she was involved in the complex interplay of strategic planning, project design, and management. In 2008, Manson founded the Koi Gallery at the Galt House Hotel to exhibit and sell jewelry she designed. The gallery currently showcases paintings, sculptures and other pieces created by local, regional and national artisans. About one fifth of the artists showcased in the gallery are emerging artists. This has garner

Peng Looi followed his heart and became a world-class chef. Owner of two successful restaurants, guest chef at the prestigious James Beard House, and recipient of countless awards, Looi traded engineering for cooking and has never looked back. In 1987, Looi opened his first award-winning restaurant, August Moon Chinese Bistro, which features contemporary Chinese cuisine with South East Asian influences that reflect his Malaysian home. In 1994 came the upscale casual Asiatique, serving Looi’s own unique and artful interpretation of East-West Pacific Rim cuisine. Local and regional food critics have quoted his creations as “works of edible art.” Looi hails from Ipoh, Malaysia, where he learned his first lessons in cooking and became familiar with the foods of many different cultures. At age 17, he left for Manchester, England to continue his schooling. In 1981, Looi came to the United States and earned his degree in civil engineering. However, he realized his heart was with cooking, not engineering, during his

The desire to serve her community and have a greater impact on more people fuels Theresa Reno-Weber to excel. Recently named president and CEO of Metro United Way, which serves counties across Kentucky and southern Indiana, Reno-Weber has a wealth of experience in private and public sectors. She most recently served Louisville Metro Government where she oversaw the Office of Performance Improvement and Innovation (OPI2), the Department of Information Technology, and the Department of Human Resources. At Louisville Metro Government, Reno-Weber led the launch of Louisville’s internationally recognized LouieStat program, which provides data to track, analyze and manage city government transparently and effectively. In 2015, Government Technology magazine named her one of the Top 25 Doers, Dreamers & Drivers. In 2016, she received the Best of Kentucky Visionary award. In the private sector, Reno-Weber worked as a consultant with McKinsey & Company. She has spoken both internationally and nationally on s

A passion for life drives Kinsey Morrison to make a difference. Morrison had survived three different life-threatening illnesses by the age of 15. Today, she is a senior at Stanford University in California, studying international relations and Spanish, and dreaming of being a Supreme Court Justice. She is also training for a half marathon and spending 10 weeks in South Africa through a study abroad program. In 2015, Morrison spoke at the United States Supreme Court, advocating for marriage equality for her two moms in Kentucky. Not surprisingly, she is writing an honors thesis on public policy and immigration She says the most important thing to her is helping unite people across the Commonwealth of Kentucky and the nation, as well as teaching people how to truly be alive while they’re living, since none of us ever know how much time we have. Morrison has spoken to more than 25,000 people, raising over $600,000 for the health charities that saved her life. After the 2016 presidential election, Morrison found

A passion for service fuels Jerry Abramson. Abramson’s career spans decades of serving the public – from local and state levels to the White House. His passion for making a difference now focuses on educating future generations. As the executive in residence at Bellarmine University, Abramson is developing a new institute for local and state government leadership, which will train elected officials from across the nation. In addition, he teaches undergraduate courses in leadership and community development. He served as deputy assistant to the president and director of intergovernmental affairs from November 2014 to January 2017. In this role, he oversaw the Obama administration’s domestic agenda with state, city, county and tribal elected officials across the country. As lieutenant governor of Kentucky, alongside Governor Steve Beshear from 2011 to 2014, he chaired the Governor’s Blue Ribbon Commission on Tax Reform in 2012 and focused his efforts on education and economic development. Prior to entering stat

Tom Cottingham is a serial entrepreneur who builds successful publishing companies in the digital age. As CEO of Insider Louisville, Cottingham leads his team to deliver news in the world of smart phones, tablets and other emerging platforms in which traditional media may struggle. As he describes it: “Our mission is to deliver useful, engaging information about critical issues. We tell stories, tell them sharply, and in a way that respects the intelligence of our audience.” With a motivation of creating jobs to fuel him, Cottingham has a long track record of creating successful publishing companies in the midst of technology changes. As a lead investor and founding partner in successful start-ups, his roster includes hits like TechRepublic and NarrowCast Group LLC, publisher of ITBusinessEdge. TechRepublic sold to Gartner and ITBusinessEdge to Quinstreet Enterprise. In the early days of tech, he co-founded The Cobb Group as one of the first desktop publishing firms in the country. That company sold to Ziff D

Abby Drane leads Uspiritus, whose mission is healing the hearts and minds of vulnerable youth and their families. A career professional administrator in the field of behavioral sciences, Drane re-joined Uspiritus as the president/CEO by unanimous vote in 2014. A twenty-five year veteran in the field, she previously served Uspiritus as CFO before moving to Seven Counties Services as VP of finance and CFO. Having moved fourteen times during her childhood, Drane has an innate passion for helping children who may not be able to help themselves. This fuels a true passion for excellent service to children and families in need. She is a skilled coach, teacher, team builder and leader who brings the tools and drive to help Uspiritus go from good to great. A licensed CPA, Drane received her M.B.A. from Western Kentucky University and a bachelor’s degree in accounting and business management from Central Missouri State University. She has also served as an accounting instructor at Sullivan College of Business in Fort K

Episode 197. Terry Forcht – Founder, Chairman and CEO, Forcht Group of Kentucky Terry Forcht is a leading Kentucky entrepreneur and investor and the founder of Forcht Group of Kentucky. A lawyer by training, Forcht began a law practice in Corbin, Ky. after serving as the chairman of the commerce department at Cumberland College (now University of the Cumberlands). In 1972, he purchased the first building block of his future company – Hillcrest Nursing Home. Today, 1st Corbin Long Term Care owns nine health and rehab centers. In the same year, he was appointed to the board of directors of Corbin Deposit Bank & Trust Company. Forcht and other investors later founded Tri-County National Bank with $1.5 million in assets. That bank now has 30 locations and manages over $1 billion in assets. Forcht has also invested heavily in media. His holdings include newspapers and broadcasters (TV and radio). Forcht Group also invested in such diverse holdings as a pharmacy and diagnostic lab, retail furniture and gift sho

Ian Derrer leads the Kentucky Opera, fueled by a lifelong love of opera. He became the fifth general director in Kentucky Opera history in 2006 and leads the organization in their mission to entertain and educate a broad and diverse audience by producing opera of the highest quality. Derrer joined the organization after serving in his previous role as artistic administrator and a member of the senior management team of the Dallas Opera. Bitten by the opera bug as a young child, Derrer has worked with opera companies throughout the U.S. and in Italy. His experience from serving operas in Dallas, New York, Santa Fe and Charlotte has given him an opportunity to learn from leading general directors in the field. Their lessons on fundraising, audience development, branding, and community involvement give him a unique advantage. Derrer’s prior experience includes working as a scheduling coordinator for the International Institute of Vocal Arts in Chiari, Italy. He also interned at Columbia Artists Management, Inc.

Donald E. Lassere leads the Muhammad Ali Center and fosters its mission of building and expanding on the Center’s educational programs, partnerships, and other outreach initiatives. He facilitated a comprehensive rebranding process and implemented a strategic plan that focused the Center on the three primary program areas of education, global citizenship, and gender equality. Lassere also launched the Muhammad Ali Global Humanitarian Awards, designed to inspire and encourage young people worldwide to become actively involved in social justice issues that impact their communities, countries and the world. Prior to joining the Muhammad Ali Center, Lassere served as senior vice president of programs at Scholarship America. In this role, he administered over 1,200 scholarships, tuition reimbursement and education assistance programs amounting to over $160 million annually. Previous to Scholarship America, Lassere spent over 20 years working at top tier organizations including Gallup Consulting, Enron Corporation,

Taylor Trusty loves building – be it business or digital properties. He is the guiding force for Blackstone Media, a web design and development agency with offices in Louisville, Ky. and New York City. He built and leads the company with an unconventional background. A self-proclaimed computer nerd, Trusty began computer programming at the age of 13, and was working at a web design company by 15. At the age of 16, he was a territory sales manager for Hewlett-Packard, before becoming the head of customer service and web master of a sports memorabilia e-commerce start-up. By the age of 20, he had co-founded and sold his own sports collectibles business and founded Blackstone Media. A voracious reader and popular speaker, Trusty credits a great deal of his success to actively pursuing and learning from remarkable mentors. This led to Trusty’s realization of his years-long dream to build a second office in New York. When he isn’t busy running Blackstone Media, Trusty can be found working off his cookie habit at a

James O’Connor is a former professional soccer player and is head coach of Louisville City FC. O’Connor is a former Orlando City player and coach who came to Louisville to coach the Louisville City team in 2014. In his first season with Orlando, the team broke almost every record in league history – scoring the most goals, conceding the fewest goals, and setting a new point record for the league. While at Orlando, O’Connor won the USL regular season championship and the USL championship. Prior to going to Orlando, O’Connor – who is Irish – played professionally in Ireland and England. He played for the English club Stoke City from 1996 – 2003. He later played for two other teams before joining Orlando. In all, he played in over 500 professional games and is one of the youngest persons to hold the UEFA Pro License – the highest coaching license in the world. He holds a number of licenses and certifications. O’Connor resides in Louisville with his wife Amy and their two children.

Conrad Bachmann’s career spans four decades and hundreds of roles. Bachmann’s desire to give back to his hometown community is at the heart of founding the Louisville International Film Festival. The annual festival attracts hundreds of films from all over the world each year, and the proceeds help fund film study in the Louisville community. Bachmann’s impressive career spans film, theatre and television. Beginning over forty years ago with an appearance on the “Dobie Gillis” series, he is known from television for recurring roles in “West Wing” (treasure secretary) and “General Hospital” (Judge Lawrence), among others. He has also worked with industry greats in film – including Tommy Lee Jones, Ben Kingsley, Samuel L. Jackson and Jack Palance. Co-starring in “Portrait of a Killer” with Jack Palance and Rod Steiger was a highlight of his career. In addition to acting, Bachmann took time out to be president/CEO of his own advertising and marketing firm. He designed and produced numerous commercials and indust

Amanda Duffy’s desire to break boundaries and her competitive spirit to succeed drive her every day. Named president of the Louisville City FC in November 2015, Duffy had previously served as the club’s VP of operations and general manager. In those roles, she saw the club reach the Eastern Conference Final and boast the league’s second highest average attendance. Her rapid promotions – she was promoted to GM in three months and named president within a year – are even more remarkable in a league where women as senior executives are rare. Duffy worked for almost eight seasons in various league management roles, which included strategic planning, league management, player registration and coordinating referee development and assignment to the league’s teams. As a player, Duffy held multiple school records at East Carolina University. She played three seasons after college in the Women’s League, the USL’s highest level of women’s soccer in the U.S. and Canada, winning one national championship and three divisio