By Tom Latek
Kentucky Today
Three new economic development announcements from Gov. Andy Beshear this week translate into 1,700 new jobs coming to Kentucky.
One involved financial services provider ARGI Financial Group LLC, which will create 245 quality job opportunities in the years ahead with a $2.7 million investment.
With this investment, ARGI will grow its existing 54,000-square-foot location at High Wickham Place in Jefferson County by 10,000 square feet.
Governor Beshear
The expanded headquarters will create new management and back-office support opportunities in the coming years, in addition to its current staff of 152. Company leaders expect work on the expansion to be completed by 2023. ARGI also has offices in Bardstown, Bowling Green, Elizabethtown and Paducah, which employ 57 people.
The second announcement involved Tyson Foods, which is moving forward with plans for a $355 million manufacturing operation in south central Kentucky, which will create 450 full-time jobs.
“I am proud to announce one of the largest investments in Warren County’s history, and this is a community that has had no shortage of economic success in recent years,” Gov. Beshear said. “Tyson Foods has a longstanding presence in the Commonwealth, and its leaders’ vision for the future will make the company a great fit for Bowling Green and the surrounding region.”
The company will build a 400,000-square-foot manufacturing facility in the Kentucky Transpark for production of Jimmy Dean and Wright Brand bacon, which is known worldwide for its hand-trimmed and thick-cut real wood smoked bacon. Company leaders anticipate construction will be complete in late 2023.
The biggest announcement involved GE Appliances, a Haier company, which will add over 1,000 full-time jobs and invest $450 million over the next two years, as the company continues its commitment to Kentucky with upgrades at Appliance Park in Louisville, which currently has around 7,000 workers.
“GE Appliances continues to bring manufacturing back to the United States, creating jobs and economic growth,” said Kevin Nolan, the company president and CEO. “We want zero distance between us and the millions of families we serve with our products across America.”
Over the past five years, GE Appliances invested over $1.3 billion in its U.S. operations, creating more than 3,000 jobs, the majority of them in Kentucky.
The governor’s office says year-to-date, private-sector new-location and expansion announcements include over $10 billion in total planned investment and commitments to create 14,000 full-time jobs in the coming years. Through September, Kentucky’s average incentivized hourly wage is $24.15 before benefits, a 10% increase over the previous year.
