One Louisville’s GLIDE trip is heading to Raleigh-Durham
Louisville, Ky. (May 5, 2026) – One Louisville announced that the destination of its Greater Louisville Idea Development Expedition (GLIDE) will be Raleigh-Durham, North Carolina. The 26th annual GLIDE trip will take attendees to the nation’s “research triangle” to study Raleigh-Durham’s success in population growth, educational attainment, and sports entertainment.
Started in the 1980’s, GLIDE is an annual leadership trip that takes top business, community, and elected leaders to another city to glean new ideas and best practices. GLIDE Raleigh-Durham will focus on how the Raleigh metro area has achieved nearly four times the national population growth rate over the last five years, and created one of the most competitive talent pools in the southeastern U.S. This will be the first GLIDE trip to Raleigh-Durham, but the third time Louisville business leaders have visited North Carolina. GLIDE previously visited Charlotte, North Carolina in 1991 and 2014.
“GLIDE is more than a city tour; it is a working trip that brings top leaders together to explore and solve our region’s most pressing opportunities and issues,” said Matt Thornton, Chair of the One Louisville Board of Directors and Principal of Thornton Capital. “I am looking forward to learning more about Raleigh-Durham’s recent economic success and working with my peers to replicate those strategies when we return home.”
Recent GLIDE trips have focused on a range of topics surrounding economic development and explored different parts of the U.S. The most recent destinations include Milwaukee, San Antonio, Boston, Jacksonville, Indianapolis, San Francisco, and Nashville.
“Louisville is on a hot streak of economic wins, but we are still looking for ways to accelerate our population growth, leverage our R1 universities’ research and development capabilities, and build on our rising sports culture. That’s why Raleigh-Durham is the perfect fit for this year’s GLIDE trip and will help drum up innovative solutions to capitalize on the momentum we’ve had in recent years,” said Trevor Pawl, CEO of One Louisville.
GLIDE Raleigh-Durham will be hosted October 21 – 23 and feature new programming and exclusive experiences. Registration is now open exclusively to One Louisville board members and top investors.
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About One Louisville
One Louisville is the regional chamber of commerce and official economic development organization driving business attraction, expansion, and innovation across the Louisville region. Formed in 2026 by combining Greater Louisville Inc. and the Louisville Economic Development Alliance, One Louisville is a 501(c)(6) nonprofit that offers a full suite of economic development, talent attraction, advocacy, and traditional chamber services. One Louisville’s mission is to make the Louisville region the best place in America to build a business, a career, and a fulfilling life. Learn more at OneLouisville.org.