The Kilgore family, and fellow coworkers of Bluegrass Lawn & Garden, know that running a business can present challenges both expected and unforeseen.
So, when it came to banking, Jim and Cindy Kilgore wanted somewhere that would be on top of anything that needed to be addressed, and shared their belief in supporting the community. Enter, River City Bank.
“We’ve never had a problem,” Jim Kilgore said. “We go in and do our deposits or whatever, if anything comes up, they notify me and are immediately on top of it.”
Established in March of 1983, Bluegrass Lawn & Garden got its start because Jim enjoyed helping people.
Even prior to their marriage 48 years ago, Jim told Cindy he was going to start a “small” lawnmower shop. If it wasn’t making it after five years, he said, he would quit it. Ten years after that benchmark, Jim said he finally felt like he got his head above water. Today, more than 40 years later, Bluegrass Lawn & Garden is regarded as one of the premier power equipment dealers in Louisville.
“Looking back at business today, it follows sort of like your life,” Jim said. “You’re born. You learn to eat, drink, go to bathroom on your own. You learn as you go. You grow up into what you do.”
Part of that growing up process involved finding the right bank for their business, and it led Jim to speak with a familiar face, River City Bank President David Hobbs, who he had known since college when David was cutting grass on the side.
“Before we went to River City (on February 1, 2004), we banked at another (community bank),” Jim said. “They got bought out and we didn’t get the same service.
“Anytime I’ve ever needed anything at River City, someone has been there to help me. They’ve always been there for me.”
River City Bank is celebrating its 40th anniversary of serving the Louisville and Southern Indiana communities in 2026. The anniversary has offered the bank an opportunity for reflection of all that has changed during that period, but also what has remained the same, including treating customers like friends and neighbors, because oftentimes they are.
Bluegrass Lawn and Garden is very familiar with the feeling themselves after having celebrated the same anniversary just three years ago. Like life, running a business, or operating a bank, the journey is never a linear path, but Jim knows what River City Bank is feeling during this special anniversary.
“You finally made it. You’ve done OK,” Jim said. “You’ve served your community well, and done a lot of the right things.”