Jason Lyvers

Museum Plaza is over

jasonlyvers — Tue, 02 Aug 2011 01:24:32 +0000

Today, it was announced that Museum Plaza isn’t going to be built. That’s nearly a direct quote. The sad thing is that these types of projects are so hard to come by. Costs were reported to have reached $500M. It’s hard to guess how many jobs would have been created. University of Louisville’s Fine Arts program will need a new home. The big loss though is that these are once-every-20-year projects, it will likely be a while before Louisville gets another crack at something so impressive. Will the space get filled? Sure – a lot of improvements to that area have already happened since the project was first announced. Hopefully – the financing that eluded Museum Plaza will materialize for the next great project and help Louisville round out it’s waterfront.

Louisville’s Brain Gain

jasonlyvers — Sat, 30 Jul 2011 18:50:12 +0000

Just a few weeks ago I wrote about how Louisville might be closing the gap against some of our regional peers. Now, it looks like US Census data is throwing some support to part of my argument. I couldn’t be happier to see some progress. The future of Louisville needs a solid foundation, and you professionals are a key element. Unfortunately, the same data that shows growth in Louisville also shows faster growth in Indianapolis and Cincinnati. It’s ok – we knew that fighting for talent was going to be a long journey, we just need to renew the fight. Louisville has a lot to be proud of, most of which has nothing to do with the first Saturday in May. We have all of the things that young professional look for – now we just need to close the deal.

Louisville’s ‘brain gain’: Reversing a trend, number of better-educated young adults is on the rise

http://www.courier-journal.com/article/20110728/BUSINESS/307280079/Louisville-s-brain-gain-Reversing-trend-number-better-educated-young-adults-rise?odyssey=tab|topnews|text|Home

Louisville is moving the brain drain needle

jasonlyvers — Tue, 12 Jul 2011 19:05:40 +0000

Louisville’s struggle against brain drain was a frequent topic during the mid 2000s – see here, and here. There was a perception that our most talented young adults were leaving Louisville, often for college, and never coming back. As someone that did come back (I lived in Atlanta for a while), I was really intrigued to discover that Louisville is creeping up the charts in terms of mind-share. That’s my spin on it, at least.

When you compare the frequency of Google searches for Louisville and Indianapolis since 2004, Indianapolis has lead consistently. This isn’t surprising when you consider that Indianapolis’ MSA population is approximately 1.7 million, compared to Louisville’s 1.2 million. The same is true for Cincinnati, whose population is 2.1 million. What is interesting is that Louisville is getting closer to both cities over time.

Certainly, sports is a driver of search results, and Louisville’s successes in soccer, baseball, and basketball have made the news. Still, its hard to believe that searches for Louisville sports would drive the difference, especially when you consider that Louisville Basketball and Louisville Sluggers are likely offset by Indianapolis Colts, Cincinnati Bengals, and Cincinnati Reds. The Kentucky Derby doesn’t seem to be a signficant driver, considering that May’s results are no closer than other months. If not sports, what is causing the increasing interest in Louisville?

I think the answer is that Louisville, as a brand, is gaining ground on our regional neighbors. The revitalization of downtown, the history and fanfare of Derby, the outstanding attention Louisville’s local restaurants receive, and the community’s focus on retaining talent is finally paying off. Louisville has made outstanding progress, but the work is really just starting.

I haven’t noticed the same enthusiasm around the brain drain issue that I saw 5 years ago. Sure, efforts continue, but over time our focus as a community has shifted. As the economy begins to rebound, attracting and retaining top talent while continuing all of our other initiatives is critical. We can continue to close the gap, but we need to build upon a strong foundation of talent.

Continuous Improvement

jasonlyvers — Thu, 07 Jul 2011 15:58:03 +0000

I have been fortunate to wear a lot of hats over my career. Six Sigma Process Consultant, Product Manager, Sales Manager, and Technical Analyst to name a few. I enjoy learning new things, and I love to reach in to my professional bag of tricks to find creative solutions to difficult problems. Even better, I have developed a strong network of professional problem solvers along the way, so I have access to expertise in a number of fields.

I have also been fortunate to spend nearly all of my adult life in Louisville, Kentucky. I love this city. We have great parks, beautiful neighborhoods, and incredibly enthusiastic residents that are passionate about supporting local businesses. This city has a history, and people from Louisville are passionate about it. Every year our community gets better. I think our business community is an important part of Louisville’s continuous improvement.

I am looking for Louisville businesses that want to get better. Whether its process improvement, launching or managing a product or service, solving a technical problem, or just a fresh perspective – I can help. Contact me today to discuss how I can help your business improve.

I’d like you to meet…

jasonlyvers — Fri, 01 Jul 2011 19:01:28 +0000

I’m Jason Lyvers, and I live, work, and play in Louisville, Kentucky. I’m a huge web/media/technology geek, I love local restaurants, and I’m using this for more work. I have lots of work now, but I really enjoy taking business problems apart and solving them – and I’d like an opportunity to do it more often. I love data, but I especially love using it to make businesses run better. I enjoy talking to people – it’s where I learn the most about an organization, and it helps me understand all of the dots and how they are connected.

When I’m not working, I’m spending time with my family. I have a awesome wife of 9 years, and 2 children who love dinosaurs and princesses.