For immediate release

Winner named of Spring 2015 Yum! IGNITES Louisville Challenge

Louisville, Kentucky (April 16, 2015) – The 13^th class of the Leadership Louisville Center’s Ignite Louisville program graduated on April 15th as a panel of esteemed judges representing the best in Louisville leadership heard presentations from the six Ignite Louisville teams to select the winner for the Spring 2015 Yum! IGNITES Louisville Challenge. The team working with Fund for the Arts to re-launch their an arts ambassador program for next generation talent called NeXt!, was selected as winner of the challenge and will receive the $1,500 prize. YUM! Brands Foundation surprised the winning team with an additional $2,500 contribution as well as awarding each of the remaining teams with $700 for their nonprofit agencies.

Presented by Norton Healthcare, Ignite Louisville is a seven-month program that grows young professionals by developing the key components of leadership. The Yum! IGNITES Louisville Challenge is an opportunity for teams from the Leadership Louisville Center’s Ignite Louisville program to undertake a project for a local nonprofit, gaining experience in community leadership, board involvement and teamwork.  Since its inception in 2004, Ignite Louisville participants have worked with over 80 area nonprofits to plan, execute and sustain new strategies for success. Participating nonprofits benefit from the expertise and energy of the teams, which each invest hundreds of hours with their nonprofit agency as they compete for donations made possible by the YUM! Brands Foundation. The graduating class invested over 4,000 hours in their partner organizations, averaging about 700 hours per team. The average value of each team’s work is about $22,000.

The graduation concluded with a reception sponsored by Northwestern Mutual and Stites & Harbison PLLC celebrating the outcomes of the class.

Yum! IGNITES Louisville Challenge winner:

Winning team & agency:  Fund for the Arts, NeXt! program – working with Team “The Differentia8tors”

David Bryant, David Bryant Law, PLLC; Sytisha Claycomb, Louisville Metro Government; Erica Gabbard, University of Louisville, College of Business; James Strange, III, Advanced Electrical Systems, Inc.; Shane Uttich, Falls City Beer; Jill Wilcox, PNC Corporate and Institutional Bank; Erika Williams, Pretty Incredible Communications; and Kevin Zinser, Deloitte Tax LLP.

The Differentia8tors team analyzed, restructured, and re-launched the NeXt program, part of the Fund for the Arts. They used surveys and focus groups to assess the current program, and after defining the issues, they addressed them through a comprehensive program overhaul. The new program includes a sustainable budget, more intensive program content, the addition of a Cultural Partner Improvement project, and a selective NeXt Generation Board to keep alumni engaged upon graduation. To aid in supporting the more robust program, the team created an internship position that was approved for academic credit through University of Louisville. They then designed a new logo and tagline which they used in a new brochure, website, and all program materials, and promoted via social advertising. To launch the new program, they secured over $3,500 in sponsorships and in-kind donations and planned a launch party for over 125 people.

Additional nonprofits for the Yum! IGNITES Louisville Challenge and Ignite Louisville teams are: 

Louisville Public Media – working with Team “Phosphorus”

Paul Bolton, Spalding University; Jody Duncan, Emergency Management Agency/MetroSafe;

Katrina Gallagher, Louisville Convention & Visitors Bureau; Andrew Settle, Leukemia & Lymphoma Society; Erin Spalding, Doe-Anderson; Nate Weismiller, Linebach Funkhouser, Inc.; Kristie Wetterer, Stites & Harbison PLLC; and Stuart Wilson, LG&E and KU Energy, LLC.

To better serve the community, Louisville Public Media (LPM) had established a goal at the beginning of the project to increase revenues by 25% over three years.  Based on information gathered through management interviews, employee surveys, and independent research, Team Phosphorous made several recommendations to help LPM achieve this goal.  Most notably, the team recommended several protocols to improve internal communications and inspired a renewed emphasis on strategic planning as a means of clarifying roles and ensuring that employees are working toward common goals.  To spearhead these initiatives and support the infrastructure needed to meet their goals, LPM acted on the team’s recommendation to hire a Chief Operating Officer and they are currently reviewing applications for this position.

The Morton Center – working with Team “GeneratioNext”

Bryan Armstrong, Bryan Armstrong Law; Joshua Barrick, PNC Bank; Scot Corson, Freedom Metals, Inc.; Jason Howard, Norton Healthcare; Jon’a Joiner, Yum! Brands, Inc.; Tiffany Koller, LG&E and KU Energy, LLC; and Megan Reid, Humana Inc.

Team GeneratioNext’s primary objective was to promote awareness of the Morton Center, focusing on three specific areas: fundraising, branding, and volunteering. Their efforts resulted in over 250,000 additional impressions throughout the Louisville community. They identified 43 first-time donors and partnered with six new corporate sponsors. They also raised $16,800 through new, sustainable funding sources and secured donations for 99% of the expenses for the Family Festival event they created. The team connected the Morton Center with a digital agency that ultimately built their new website, resulting in nearly 3,000 new users (a 76% increase since November 2014). Branding and marketing efforts resulted in 11,485 views, re-tweets, likes, and shares, which successfully established a new social media platform and increased volunteers from 1 to 50. GeneratioNext made a two-year commitment to stay involved with the Morton Center and two group members were nominated by the CEO to serve on the Board.

Neighborhood House – working with Team “Risky Business”

David Haney, Gwin Steinmetz & Baird PLLC; Joseph Mandlehr, Stoll Keenon Ogden PLLC; Ebony O’Rea, Making Changes, LLC; Colleen Payne, Spina Bifida Association of Kentucky; Audra Rankin, University of Louisville School of Nursing; Brett Stilwell, Jibby’s, Inc.; and Olivia Webb, Brown-Forman Corporation.

This team helped Neighborhood House tell its story outside the Portland Neighborhood.  They accomplished this by providing an organizational assessment, rebranding, and enhancement of the services offered at Neighborhood House.  The organizational assessment included a board survey and new board orientation materials.  The board survey identified the Resource Development Committee as an area needing improvement.  As a result, two members of the Ignite team will be staying on to serve on this committee after the Ignite Louisville program concludes.  The team worked on branding and marketing, which included a new logo and various marketing materials.  Utilizing their personal networks, they introduced Neighborhood House to new partnerships with University of Louisville and Greater Louisville Inc. that will offer additional resources such as mental health support and pathways to higher education for Neighborhood House participants.

Rauch, Inc. – working with Team “Trans4m”

Kate Butts, Delta Dental of Kentucky; Ted Gatlin, Unlimited Results; Liz Hack, Griffin Fundraising and Marketing; Kasey Mathes, Yum! Brands, Inc.; Matt Paynter, Humana Inc.; Kacey Roby, Kindred Healthcare; and Carson Stewart, Yum! Brands, Inc.

Team Trans4m worked with Rauch, Inc., an organization that serves over 1000 individuals with disabilities each year.  They helped connect the employment arm of the organization, Rauch Industries, to networks of over 25 potential customers to ensure continuous resources and potential customers.  They developed seven tools and templates based on industry best practices to save Rauch’s team valuable time and resources, and increase the likelihood of Rauch’s future sustainability.  The team also created a new logo for Rauch Industries, a new website and marketing pieces. Additionally, they created and put in place an internship with IU Southeast that will support new Marketing and Sales processes.  Trans4m engaged with over 220 past/current and potential customers for Rauch Industries and built the framework for a Board Ambassador Program to incentivize Rauch Board members in securing new referrals.

The Salvation Army Louisville – working with “The Dream Team”

Josh Abbott, Messer Construction Co.; Kellie Campbell, DMLO CPAs; Kim Dodson, Citizens Union Bank; Matthew Griffith, Louisville Water Company; Nima Kulkarni, Indus Law Firm, PLLC; Reylene Robinson, Uspiritus; and Jason Volz.

The Dream Team was challenged with implementing a sustainable young adult auxiliary group to The Salvation Army focusing on Jefferson, Oldham, Bullitt and Spencer counties.  The purpose of this group is to increase support and awareness of The Salvation Army through active engagement for many years to come. After considerable research, The Dream Team proposed the concept of Echelon to The Salvation Army Board of Directors.  Echelon was first founded in Dallas, TX and has been approved by the National Salvation Army Board of Directors as the National Charter for young adult auxiliary groups throughout the country.  The Salvation Army Board of Directors, Louisville, approved the concept of Echelon in March. The team planned and executed a launch party for Echelon in April, and the local young adult auxiliary now has 10 board members. To date the team has raised $4,235 in sponsorships and in-kind donations.

About Ignite Louisville:

Presented by Norton Healthcare, Ignite Louisville is a seven-month program that grows rising community leaders by developing the key components of leadership and graduates two classes per year. In addition to the core curriculum, the class participates in the Yum! IGNITES Louisville Challenge and takes on a project proposed by a local nonprofit to gain hands-on experience performing on a team and serving the community.  Each class learns cutting-edge leadership concepts from program partners including Norton Healthcare, Yum! Brands, Inc., Brown-Forman Corporation, Horseshoe Southern Indiana, Northwestern Mutual and the U.S. Army.  Ignite Louisville was founded by the Leadership Louisville Center in 2003 in partnership with the Young Professionals Association of Louisville (YPAL) and the Louisville Urban League Young Professionals (LULYP).

About the Yum! IGNITES Louisville Challenge:

The Yum! IGNITES Louisville Challenge is the service learning component of the Leadership Louisville Center’s Ignite Louisville program. Each year, several nonprofits are selected from a pool of over 50 nonprofit agencies to work with an Ignite Louisville team. At the end of each program, a winning team (or teams) receives funds for their partner organization.

Since its inception in 2004, Ignite Louisville participants have worked with over 75 area nonprofits to plan, execute and sustain new strategies for success.  The Ignite Louisville teams invest an average of over 500 hours in each of their partner organizations. In a recent survey, partner organizations stated that Ignite Louisville teams remarkably improved the productivity of operations, increased the organization’s outreach in the community and improved the strategic focus of the organization. The average value of each team’s work is over $35,000 in the most recent class and many Ignite Louisville graduates have joined the boards of directors of their adopted nonprofit, helping to accelerate a generational change in leadership. In 2013, Ignite Louisville’s challenge received a national award for “Excellence in Innovation” from the Association of Leadership Programs. In 2009, it was awarded the Center for Nonprofit Excellence’s Pyramid Award for the Art of Collaboration.

About the Leadership Louisville Center:

Created in 1979, the Leadership Louisville Center is the region’s most valuable resource for leadership development and civic engagement.  Its mission is to grow and connect a diverse network of leaders who serve as catalysts for a world-class community through dynamic programming and strong community connections.  Over 6,000 community leaders have graduated from the Center’s programs that include Leadership Louisville, Focus Louisville, Ignite Louisville, Bingham Fellows and Encore Louisville.  In 2011, the Leadership Louisville Center was recognized as one of the top seven community leadership programs in the U.S. in a benchmark study by the Center for Creative Leadership, the “gold standard” global provider of executive leadership education and research.  

For more information, contact:
Holly Prather
Vice President
Direct:  (502) 753-6503  Main: (502) 561-0458
hprather@leadershiplouisville.org