Gov. Beshear Joins Ford Motor Co.
To Announce Kentucky’s Third-Largest
Economic Development Project On Record,
a Nearly $2 Billion Commitment To Produce
an All-New Electric Vehicle, Secure 2,200 Jobs
at Louisville Assembly Plant
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (Aug. 11, 2025) – Today, Gov. Andy Beshear joined Ford Motor Co. CEO Jim Farley, other company executives and local officials to announce a monumental investment by one of Kentucky’s largest employers, a nearly $2 billion commitment that will introduce an innovative manufacturing process at the Louisville Assembly Plant (LAP) to serve as the platform for an all-new, yet to be unveiled, electric mid-size pickup truck. The project is the third-largest economic development project in Kentucky’s history, as four of the five largest private-sector investments have now been announced during the Beshear Administration.
“Today, Ford and Team Kentucky are introducing the world to the future of automotive production with nearly $2 billion being invested to transform the Louisville Assembly Plant, which will also secure 2,200 jobs for Kentuckians,” Gov. Beshear said. “This announcement not only represents one of the largest investments on record in our state, it also boosts Kentucky’s position at the center of EV-related innovation and solidifies Louisville Assembly Plant as an important part of Ford’s future. Thank you to Ford’s leaders for their continued faith in Kentucky and our incredible workforce. Ford and Kentucky have been a tremendous team for more than 100 years, and that partnership has never been stronger than it is today.”
Ford’s $1.9 billion investment will include new equipment and technology to upgrade and modernize the Louisville Assembly Plant to support future product development and secure 2,200 existing full-time jobs at the facility. This includes the introduction of a new production platform that represents a major manufacturing breakthrough with an “assembly tree” approach to increase efficiency, ergonomics and affordability. The new low-cost, scalable EV platform is expected to be completed by Q2 2027.
“We are grateful to the Kentucky Economic Development Finance Authority for its support as we build upon Ford’s proud legacy of investment in Kentucky,” said Tony Reinhart, Ford director of state and local government affairs. “We look forward to assembling another signature Ford vehicle in Kentucky to serve customers across the U.S. and beyond.”
Ford’s presence in Kentucky dates back to 1913 when the Model T first rolled off the production line in Louisville. In the 112 years since, the company has grown its presence in the commonwealth to employ nearly 12,000 people in addition to close to 6,000 retirees. Ford partners with 165 Kentucky-based suppliers, purchasing nearly $6 billion in products annually. According to an independent analysis by the Boston Consulting Group, the company supports approximately 120,000 direct and indirect jobs across Kentucky and contributes more than $11.8 billion in state GDP, including over 48,000 jobs in the Louisville region. Over the years, Ford has donated more than $6.7 million to local nonprofits, civic initiatives and educational programs.
“Ford has been part of the fabric of Louisville for more than a century, and this announcement is transformational for our city,” said Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg. “Ford’s decision to maintain a strong manufacturing presence here reaffirms that Louisville is the best place in America for manufacturing, we have momentum, and we look forward to building on this trusted partnership with Ford for generations to come.”
“Ford’s investment is a transformational win for Louisville and the future of mobility,” said Trevor Pawl, CEO of Louisville Economic Development Alliance. “Their bold vision, supported by the Kentucky Cabinet for Economic Development, puts our city at the forefront of the global transition to more affordable EVs.”
Ford’s latest investment builds on the best five-year period for economic growth in state history.
Since the beginning of his administration, Gov. Beshear has announced more than 1,200 private-sector new-location and expansion projects totaling over $39.5 billion in announced investments, creating more than 62,500 jobs. This is the highest investment figure secured during the tenure of any governor in the commonwealth’s history and $18 billion more than the next highest total.
The robust job creation has been accompanied by rising wages across the commonwealth. Since 2022, the average incentivized hourly wage has topped $26 in three consecutive years for the first time.
Gov. Beshear has announced some of the largest economic development projects in state history, which have solidified Kentucky as the electric vehicle battery production capital of the United States: Ford Motor Co. and SK On’s transformative $5.8 billion, 5,000-job BlueOval SK Battery Park in Hardin County; AESC’s $2 billion, 2,000-job gigafactory project in Warren County; Toyota’s $1.3 billion investment in Scott County; and Shelbyville Battery Manufacturing’s $712 million investment, creating 1,572 jobs in Shelby County, among others.
The Governor’s administration also secured the largest General Fund budget surplus and Rainy Day Fund. In 2023, Kentucky recorded over 2 million jobs filled for the first time ever and has stayed above that number ever since.
Kentucky also secured rating increases from major credit rating agencies Fitch Ratings, S&P Global Ratings and Moody’s Investors Service.
Earlier this year, Site Selection magazine ranked Kentucky in the top five nationally and second in the South Central region for economic development projects per capita in its 2024 Governor’s Cup rankings. Site Selection also placed Kentucky second in the South Central region and No. 6 nationally in its 2025 Prosperity Cup ranking, which recognizes state-level economic development agencies for their success in landing capital investment projects.
Gov. Beshear also announced a new initiative, called New Kentucky Home, to increase economic investment, attain and attract talent, and increase tourism across the state.
To encourage investment and job retention in the community, the Kentucky Economic Development Finance Authority (KEDFA) today approved a supplemental project to an existing Kentucky Jobs Retention Act (KJRA) program agreement with the company. The performance-based agreement can provide up to $550 million in cumulative tax incentives based on the company’s total cumulative investment of $5.55 billion-plus across the original and supplemental KJRA projects with an annual job target requirement of up to 12,000 over the term of the agreement.
By meeting its annual targets over the agreement term, the company can be eligible to keep a portion of the new tax revenue it generates. The company may claim eligible incentives against its income tax liability and/or wage assessments.
In addition, Ford can receive resources from Kentucky’s workforce service providers. Those include no-cost recruitment and job placement services, reduced-cost customized training and job-training incentives.
More information about Ford can be found here.
A detailed community profile for Jefferson County can be viewed here.
Information on Kentucky’s economic development efforts and programs is available at NewKentuckyHome.ky.gov. Fans of the Cabinet for Economic Development can also join the discussion at facebook.com/CEDkygov, on Twitter @CEDkygov, Instagram @CEDkygov and LinkedIn.
Read about other key updates, actions and information from Gov. Beshear and his administration at governor.ky.gov and the Governor’s official social media accounts Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.
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Gov. Beshear Provides Team Kentucky Update
FRANKFORT, Ky. (Aug. 13, 2025) – Today, Gov. Andy Beshear provided an update on economic development, high-ground communities in Eastern Kentucky, recovery housing for those struggling with addiction, funding for water infrastructure, efforts to combat lung cancer, Pre-K for All and the Kentucky State Fair. The Governor named Lori Farris, director of the Governor’s Office of Constituent Services, as this week’s Team Kentucky All-Star ahead of her retirement.
Economic Development
Monday, Gov. Beshear joined Ford Motor Co. CEO Jim Farley, other company executives and local officials to announce a monumental investment by one of Kentucky’s largest employers, a nearly $2 billion commitment that will introduce an innovative manufacturing process at the Louisville Assembly Plant to serve as the platform for an all-new, yet to be unveiled, electric mid-size pickup truck. The project is the third-largest economic development project in Kentucky’s history, with four of the five largest private-sector investments have now been announced during the Beshear administration.
Today, the Governor joined state and local officials, as well as leadership from GE Appliances, as the company celebrated a new $3 billion investment in its U.S. manufacturing operations over the next five years, highlighted by GE Appliances’ $490 million project at Louisville’s Appliance Park announced earlier this year.
High-Ground Communities
The Governor provided an update on progress being made at the eight high-ground sites in Eastern Kentucky that will eventually provide over 500 new affordable homes for flood survivors out of the flood plain.
The state recently awarded a $7.5 million contract to extend the access road and develop additional neighborhood streets at the Chestnut Ridge property in Knott County. New roads are expected to be completed late next year. In the western part of the site, sewer and water line work is nearly complete. Paving and sidewalk work should be complete in October. Chestnut Ridge will eventually be the site of 175 homes.
In July, Team Kentucky broke ground on the first three homes at New Hope Estates in Floyd County. It will be the site of 34 homes. In May, the Governor joined local leaders to celebrate the completion of the Cottages at Thompson Branch high-ground community, the site of 10 new homes. The first homes have been framed at the Skyview site in Perry County, which will have nearly 100 homes when complete.
“We’ve come a long way,” said Gov. Beshear. “What began as an ambitious idea – to build entire neighborhoods out of the flood plain – is now becoming a reality. We’re seeing families moving into homes, and we’re seeing healing happen in real time. This has been a team effort, and there’s still plenty of work to be done.”
Recovery Housing Program
The Governor announced over $2 million in awards from Kentucky’s Recovery Housing Program, including:
- $824,276 to The Haven Ministries in Louisville to build nine bedrooms for up to 18 Kentuckians battling addiction;
- $600,000 for the Fulton County Fiscal Court to convert a vacant building into a recovery housing facility; and
- $600,000 to the Thrive Community Coalition in Martin County to build four homes to be used as recovery housing.
Funding for Water Infrastructure
Gov. Beshear announced $5 million to improve water infrastructure in the city of Jackson. The funds include $4 million to upgrade the city’s water treatment plant, which suffered severe damage in flooding in 2021 and 2022. Additionally, the city will receive $1 million to build a new water storage tank to serve an apartment building for flood survivors. The awards come from Community Development Block Grant funds.
Lung Cancer Prevention
The Governor reported that Kentucky was the only state in the nation to earn a 100% score in a national assessment of state cancer plans run by GO2 for Lung Cancer. The assessment looks at what every state is doing to address lung cancer, using 10 key metrics.
“Our perfect score reflects our commitment to building Our Healthy Kentucky Home, as well as increasing access to cancer screenings,” said Gov. Beshear. “While we celebrate this news, we know there is still a lot of work to be done.”
Pre-K for All
The Governor provided an update on the Pre-K for All initiative, which aims to advance the commonwealth’s public education system and job growth. As part of the initiative, Team Kentucky has hosted four town halls, in Frankfort, Northern Kentucky, Bowling Green and Morehead, with one more coming up in Louisville at the Kentucky State Fair. The town halls provided an opportunity to hear directly from businesses, parents and community leaders about the need for pre-K for all Kentucky 4-year-olds. The Team Kentucky Pre-K for All Advisory Committee, comprising 28 leaders from across the commonwealth, has also held multiple meetings. In the two months since the launch of Pre-K for All, Kentuckians have sent over 21,000 emails to legislators.
“This isn’t political,” said Gov. Beshear. “The education of our kids, getting parents back to work, helping our businesses – there is nothing political about any of those things. This is how we move our state forward and ensure success for generations to come.”
For more information visit PreK4All.Ky.gov.
Kentucky State Fair
Tomorrow, Gov. Beshear will join state and local leaders for the opening ceremony of the Kentucky State Fair. The Governor encouraged Kentuckians to stop by the fair, which runs Aug. 14-24. This year’s theme, “All Things Kentucky, All in One Place,” celebrates how special the commonwealth is.
Team Kentucky All-Star
The Governor named Lori Farris, the director of the Governor’s Office of Constituent Services, as this week’s Team Kentucky All-Star ahead of her retirement. Farris has been a dedicated public servant in state government for nearly 40 years.
“Folks who work in the State Capitol know that every time you see Lori, she has a smile on her face, and that smile comes through the phone when people reach out to her for help,” said Gov. Beshear. “It has been an honor to serve alongside Lori. We wish her all the best in her well-deserved retirement.”
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Gov. Beshear To Join GE Appliances at Global
Corporate HQ in Louisville To Celebrate Commitment
to Kentucky’s Advanced Manufacturing Industry
Recently announced $490 million project at Appliance Park is the cornerstone of company’s new $3 billion investment in its U.S. manufacturing
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (Aug. 13, 2025) – Later today, Gov. Andy Beshear will join state and local officials, as well as leadership from GE Appliances, a Haier company, as the company celebrates a new $3 billion investment in its U.S. manufacturing operations over the next five years, highlighted by GE Appliances’ $490 million project at Louisville’s Appliance Park announced earlier this year.
“GE Appliances has established Kentucky as America’s destination for advanced manufacturing and job creation, and today’s news shows this iconic company’s unwavering belief in the commonwealth and the role we play in their success,” said Gov. Beshear. “This new investment highlights Kentucky’s ability to support world-class companies with a talented, skilled workforce and the resources needed to not just succeed, but thrive. The continued investment and support from GE Appliances in the Louisville community and across the commonwealth are important factors in our efforts to build a better Kentucky for the future.”
This $3 billion announcement marks the second-largest investment in GE Appliances’ history – surpassed only by the creation of the company’s global headquarters in Louisville in the early 1950s. Upon completion of this new initiative, GE Appliances will have invested $6.5 billion across its U.S. manufacturing plants and nationwide distribution network since 2016.
GE Appliances’ continued commitment to its advanced manufacturing sector further positions Kentucky at the forefront of America’s manufacturing resurgence. The company’s global HQ in Louisville will further serve as the central location for the research, product design, development and testing from this $3 billion investment. GE Appliances will rely on its 1,600 engineers working at the Kentucky facility to usher in the next phase of the company’s future, elevating the commonwealth’s position as a growing technology hub and ideal location for science, technology, engineering and mathematics careers.
“We’re making this commitment because we believe the future of manufacturing is in America and here in Kentucky,” said Kevin Nolan, CEO of GE Appliances. “Strong partnerships with government, higher education and the community give us the confidence to grow, innovate and build the workforce that will help fuel this state’s economy for years to come.”
In June of this year, the company announced the first phase of its nationwide manufacturing investment with a $490 million project at Appliance Park in Jefferson County, creating an additional 800 jobs to overhaul and redesign their front-load washer production lines. The investment represents one of the largest private-sector economic development projects during the administration, as one of only five projects with at least $450 million in investment and 800-plus jobs created.
“I am thrilled GE Appliances will continue to build the world’s best appliances at its global headquarters in Louisville,” said Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg. “This half-billion-dollar investment is a huge deal that will create 800 good, local jobs and secure GE Appliances’ growth in Louisville for the next generation.”
“This investment by GE Appliances reiterates their commitment to innovation and affirms Louisville as a hotspot for the next generation of American manufacturing,” said Trevor Pawl, CEO of the Louisville Economic Development Alliance. “We’re proud to support the company’s growth in collaboration with the Kentucky Cabinet for Economic Development as we work together to shape a resilient and vibrant economy.”
In 2021, GE announced a $450 million expansion, creating more than 1,000 full-time jobs to add two new dishwasher manufacturing lines, new top-load washer models and four-door refrigerator production. The investment positioned Appliance Park as the largest plant of its kind in the United States.
The company recently released its 2024 economic impact analysis, which reported that GE Appliances’ investments, supplier base, customers and payroll contributed $12.8 billion to Kentucky’s GDP last year. Additionally, GE Appliances spent $318 million with more than 480 Kentucky suppliers.
Louisville’s Appliance Park is GE Appliances’ largest manufacturing operation, with more than 6 million square feet for the production of washers, dryers, dishwashers and refrigerators.
GE Appliances began production at Appliance Park in 1953. The campus sits on 750 acres in southern Jefferson County and serves as the company’s headquarters, and includes marketing, sales and support functions. Appliance Park also houses the company’s technology and engineering center, industrial design, distribution center and warehouse operations. GE Appliances employs more than 8,000 people full-time at Appliance Park and a nearby call center.
GE Appliances’ investment and job creation build on the best five-year period for economic growth in state history.
Since the beginning of his administration, Gov. Beshear has announced more than 1,200 private-sector new-location and expansion projects totaling over $39 billion in announced investments, creating more than 62,500 jobs. This is the highest investment figure secured during the tenure of any governor in the commonwealth’s history and $18 billion more than the next highest total.
The robust job creation has been accompanied by rising wages across the commonwealth. Since 2022, the average incentivized hourly wage has topped $26 in three consecutive years for the first time.
Gov. Beshear has announced some of the largest economic development projects in state history, which have solidified Kentucky as the electric vehicle battery production capital of the United States: Ford Motor Co. and SK On’s transformative $5.8 billion, 5,000-job BlueOval SK Battery Park in Hardin County; AESC’s $2 billion, 2,000-job gigafactory project in Warren County; Toyota’s $1.3 billion investment in Scott County; Ford Motor Co.’s $2 billion, 2,200 job commitment in Louisville; and Shelbyville Battery Manufacturing’s $712 million investment, creating 1,572 jobs in Shelby County, among others.
The Governor’s administration also secured the largest General Fund budget surplus and Rainy Day Fund. In 2023, Kentucky recorded over 2 million jobs filled for the first time ever and has stayed above that number ever since.
Kentucky also secured rating increases from major credit rating agencies Fitch Ratings, S&P Global Ratings and Moody’s Investors Service.
Earlier this year, Site Selection magazine ranked Kentucky in the top five nationally and second in the South Central region for economic development projects per capita in its 2024 Governor’s Cup rankings. Site Selection also placed Kentucky second in the South Central region and No. 6 nationally in its 2025 Prosperity Cup ranking, which recognizes state-level economic development agencies for their success in landing capital investment projects.
Gov. Beshear also announced a new initiative, called New Kentucky Home, to increase economic investment, attain and attract talent, and increase tourism across the state.
For more information on GE Appliances and its impact, visit geappliancesco.com.
A detailed community profile for Jefferson County can be viewed here.
Information on Kentucky’s economic development efforts and programs is available at NewKentuckyHome.ky.gov. Fans of the Cabinet for Economic Development can also join the discussion at facebook.com/CEDkygov, on Twitter @CEDkygov, Instagram @CEDkygov and LinkedIn.
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Lt. Gov. Coleman Selected Chair-Elect of National Lieutenant Governors Association
FRANKFORT, Ky. (Aug. 12, 2025) - Kentucky Lt. Gov. Jacqueline Coleman was elected chair-elect of the 2025–2026 Executive Committee of the National Lieutenant Governors Association (NLGA) during its annual meeting.
While attending the annual meeting with a bipartisan group of lieutenant governors from across the country, Lt. Gov. Coleman participated in an exchange of policy ideas, best practices and camaraderie aimed at strengthening state and territorial governance.
“I’m grateful for the opportunity to serve as chair-elect and contribute Kentucky’s perspective to the important conversations ahead,” said Lt. Gov. Coleman. “It's a privilege to join fellow lieutenant governors in a spirit of bipartisan collaboration to tackle the challenges our states face.”
The NLGA was formed in 1962 as the nonpartisan, professional and educational association for the elected officials who are first in line of succession to the governors of the 50 states and five U.S. territories.
Per the bylaws of the NLGA, Lt. Gov. Coleman will serve as chair-elect until the next annual meeting, at which time she will become chair.
For more information on the NLGA, visit www.nlga.us.
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