L.B. Schmidt & Associates, LLC, is a full-service, international consulting firm located in Louisville, KY. The firm was founded in 2004 by Luke Schmidt and broadly focuses on economic development, public affairs and strategic planning. The firm has a stellar list of past and present clients which extends from San Diego to Boston and overseas. The firm has successfully developed, implemented and managed projects across the U.S. and in Europe.
Luke B. Schmidt
Luke Schmidt is the President of L.B. Schmidt & Associates, LLC. Following is a sample of the types of consulting projects Luke has led in the U.S. and Europe:
- Commercial air service development projects for airports in Connecticut, Kentucky and Texas
- Community visioning process for Kentucky county (established 24 strategic goals)
- Environmental producer responsibility market development projects in Europe
- Feasibility study for new hotel and convention center
- Feasibility study for North American new technology introduction for Italian chemical company
- Industry coalition initiative to allow wine sales in grocery stores in Kentucky
- Legislative research for Connecticut-based consumer products company
- Legislative strategy for new product introduction for Ohio-based consumer products company
- Strategic plans for organizations in Georgia, North Carolina and Virginia
- Unified (merged) government feasibility studies for multiple Kentucky counties
As an example, while working collaboratively with client Louisville Regional Airlift Development (LRAD), Luke led community efforts to develop new nonstop commercial airline service from Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport (SDF) to Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) – the most underserved non-nonstop route from SDF. This initiative included extensive market research, raising over $3 million from private and public sources to be used as a minimum revenue guarantee to support the new route, and recruiting the service by working with route expansion executives at the four largest U.S. airlines. The new American Airlines service started in April 2019.
Prior to starting his consulting firm, Luke served for 17 years as the first President/COO of the National Association for PET Container Resources (an international plastics industry trade association) in Charlotte, NC; Vice President of Marketing of the Coca-Cola Bottling Company of Elizabethtown (KY); and Distribution Project Manager for Coca-Cola USA in Atlanta, GA.
Luke has been a lobbyist since 1980 and has represented employers and clients on a variety of issues before state legislators in 17 states, Congress, and numerous city councils and county commissions across the country. Luke has conducted hundreds of interviews on behalf of clients and organizations with media outlets such as USA Today, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, The New York Times, CNN, major daily newspapers and trade magazines, and radio and television stations nationwide.
Luke currently serves as a director of the Knox Regional Development Alliance, director of 21st Century Parks (the largest new parks system in North America), director of Louisville Regional Airlift Development (LRAD), and president and director of the Rotary Club of Louisville (the 14th largest Rotary Club in the world, out of 36,000 clubs).
Luke is a past or present member of 11 boards and 19 industry committees, organizations, state and local commissions. Luke is a 1977 graduate of Southern Methodist University in Dallas, TX, and holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration. Luke lives with his wife, Sharon, and their golden retriever in the Louisville suburb of Prospect, where he served two terms on the Prospect City Council. Luke and Sharon are the parents of two grown children.