The Innovation Media Tour was hosted by Nucleus: Kentucky’s Innovation Center and the Kentucky Cabinet for Economic Development as part of the IdeaFestival going on in Louisville this week. The guests, which included writers from Site Selection, Scientific American and other media outlets, got a look at The Nucleus, the first new building developed on the Nichols Campus, and heard one-minute elevator pitches from selected tenants. They also were treated to a rooftop reception with bourbon and desserts created by Chad Welch, director of culinary development for Atria Senior Living.
Atria, a Louisville-based provider of upscale senior housing, will be the anchor tenant of The Nucleus when it moves to the building at 300 E. Market St. in December.
Atria CEO John Moore told the journalists that his company had been pondering a relocation to a site outside of Louisville but reconsidered.
“Part of the reason is this building and everything that is going on here,” he said.
In addition to having its corporate offices at The Nucleus, Atria plans training and event space, a test kitchen and a print shop on the first floor of the building. The company also is joining together with other locally-based senior services providers to bring ElderServe, a nonprofit agency serving seniors, to The Nucleus.
Nucleus CEO Vickie Yates Brown told the guests that Atria is a huge addition to the Nichols Campus, which is being developed as a hub for companies working in Louisville’s aging care sector, as well as space for innovation and technology firms and University of Louisville research offices.