Governor Steve Beshear recently unveiled the Kentucky Business One Stop – www.onestop.ky.gov, an interactive website designed to make every aspect of planning, starting, operating and expanding a business in Kentucky easier. The site currently offers businesses an entry point to access information on state services and requirements such as registering a new business, acquiring licenses and permits, filing and paying business taxes and much more.

Governor Steve Beshear welcomed Ford Motor Company President of the Americas Mark Fields during a recent visit to Louisville to celebrate the company's planned $1.2 billion investment in the state. The boost, which will create 3,100 total new jobs at the Louisville Assembly Plant (LAP), will make LAP the second-largest plant in Ford North Americas.

Earlier this month, Ford unveiled the new Escape, which will be made at LAP beginning this month. While Ford's plans represent the largest automotive project underway in the Commonwealth, several other auto-related manufacturers and suppliers also have location or expansion plans in the works. Since November 1, 2010, more than 70 motor vehicle-related companies have announced a new location or expansion in Kentucky. Those projects represent approximately 6,800 new jobs and a more than $1.7 billion investment.

The Kentucky China Trade Center, a part of the Kentucky Cabinet for Economic Development, was an exhibitor at the 2011 China Import and Export Fair in Guangzhou, China, in October. The event, which provides an excellent opportunity to foster trade between the Commonwealth and China, attracts an estimated 400,000 attendees and 22,000 exhibitors from China's manufacturing industries. The Kentucky China Trade Center, located in Beijing, assists Kentucky companies that want to export products and services into the Chinese market. The office also promotes Kentucky as a location for investment by Chinese businesses interested in globalizing existing or future operations that would create jobs and revenue for the Commonwealth.

We're pleased to announce:

Hitachi to establish hybrid electric vehicle battery production in Harrodsburg

Hitachi Automotive Systems Americas, Inc. has selected its Harrodsburg plant as the site of its North American lithium-ion battery packs production. The new manufacturing capability will create 60 new jobs and represents an approximate $12 million investment in the Commonwealth. Hitachi has announced a total of 335 new jobs and $154.5 million in investment in its two Kentucky locations since 2009.

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Propulsys to invest $9.5 million in
Hopkinsville headquarters

Propulsys will make a nearly $9.5 million investment in its Hopkinsville headquarters operation. The investment will facilitate necessary upgrades to its facility, improving product performance and allowing the company to retain its existing workforce of 207 people.

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Linamar expands in Northern Kentucky creating
138 new jobs

Linamar Corporation will make a significant investment in its Northern Kentucky operation. The company plans to purchase new equipment totaling $40.8 million and will more than double the size of its workforce, creating 138 new jobs.

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Fortis Manufacturing to establish first U.S. facility
in Glasgow

Canadian-based Beta Tech Inc. will locate its first U.S. manufacturing facility, Fortis Manufacturing, in Glasgow. The location will create 100 new jobs over the next several years and entail a $5.1 million investment.

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Carhartt reinvests in Hopkins County, adding
150 new jobs

Carhartt Inc., a manufacturer of premium workwear, will make a significant investment in its Hopkins County plant – more than $11 million with more possible in the future – to improve operational efficiencies and energy conservation. The investment will allow the company to retain its existing workforce of 550 Kentuckians and add more than 150 new employees.

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