For many, Yum Brands' decision to relocate its headquarters within Louisville, Kentucky, might be considered a tasty treat.
The KFC, Pizza Hut and Taco Bell owner signed a 10‑year lease at the landmark PNC Tower, with plans to relocate its global headquarters from its longtime Gardiner Lane campus into Louisville’s downtown. The move was seen as impactful not only as bringing a premier corporate tenant into one of the city's tallest Class A towers but also for delivering a strong endorsement of downtown's economic future.
In the process, the company donated its former campus to Jefferson County Public Schools.
About the project: As part of the lease, the company is investing $12 million to renovate five stories at PNC Tower — floors eight to 12 totaling 74,355 square feet. The changes include a newly constructed internal stairwell and modernized workspace layouts.
The relocation at the building owned by BancFirst will bring 500 to 550 employees into downtown Louisville, supporting local businesses and fueling the city's post‑pandemic recovery. Louisville leaders praised the move as a major milestone in restoring vibrancy to the urban core and reinforcing the city's ability to retain major corporate employers despite national office‑market headwinds.
In recognition of its transformative role, the Yum Brands lease was chosen by an independent panel of industry professionals within the Louisville market as the winner of a 2025 CoStar Impact Award.
What the judges said: "Downtown high-rise office is the sector that is struggling above all else," said Harrison Glauber, an agent with the Grisanti Group Commercial Real Estate. "Seeing such a large vacancy absorbed by a hometown brand is extremely important." The lease "reinvigorates people's confidence in downtown Louisville," said Kezia Ramsey, senior executive officer at Monticello Bank. Victoria Saunders, research analyst at Cushman & Wakefield | Commercial Kentucky, called Yum Brands' deal a "significant-sized lease for office" and the "largest investment of all the nominations."
They made it happen: Michael Somervell, first vice president at CBRE represented the tenant, and Doug Owen, senior vice president at JLL, represented the landlord.
CoStar Market Manager Darius Anderson contributed to the article.