Hillerich & Bradsby Hillerich woodworking shop. J. F. Hillerich was uninterested in making bats; he saw the company future in stair railings, porch columns and swinging butter churns. In fact, for a brief time in the 1880s, he even turned away ball players. Bud, however, saw the potential in producing baseball bats, and the elder Hillerich eventually relented to his son. The bats were sold under the name "Falls City Slugger" until Bud Hillerich took over his father's company in , and the name "Louisville Slugger" was registered with the U.S. Patent Office. In , Honus Wagner signed a deal with the company,
Louisville Gas & Electric lighting which had been mandated in order to help prevent crime. In 1890 LG&E (Louisville Gas at this point) amended its charter to buy stock in electric companies and acquired Louisville Electric light. In 1913, Louisville Gas, Louisville Lighting, and Kentucky Heating merged to form Louisville Gas & Electric (LG&E). In 1990, LG&E reorganized itself as a holding company LG&E Energy Corporation. In 1998, LG&E Energy merged with the other major electric utility in Kentucky, Kentucky Utilities. In 2000, LG&E Energy was bought by British utility company Powergen. In 2002, Powergen was bought by the German company E.ON. In 2003,