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FRANKFORT, Ky. (June 26, 2025) – Today, Gov. Andy Beshear shared great economic development news, including a major investment from GE Appliances, and named the company as this week’s Team Kentucky All-Star. The Governor also provided an update on funding to improve county bridges, online predator arrests and severe weather recovery.
Economic Development
Gov. Beshear announced a major investment from one of the state’s most prominent employers. GE Appliances, a Haier company, will invest $490 million and create an additional 800 full-time jobs at its global corporate headquarters at Appliance Park in Jefferson County. Kevin Nolan, president and CEO at GE Appliances, and Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg joined the Team Kentucky Update to talk about this exciting announcement.
The Governor featured further food and beverage manufacturing growth in Kentucky as Tyson Foods announced a nearly $23.5 million investment in an expansion and modernization of its Henderson County facility that will support retention of over 1,100 jobs.
Gov. Beshear highlighted new momentum within the state’s plastics and manufacturing sectors as Canadian-based E. Hofmann Packaging will be locating its first U.S. operation in Hopkins County, a $43 million investment creating 164 quality Kentucky jobs.
The Governor reported continued investment within the state’s advanced manufacturing industry as ValorFlex Packaging of Kentucky will establish an advanced manufacturing facility in Bowling Green with a $23.4 million investment, creating 82 quality Kentucky jobs.
Gov. Beshear announced yet another investment and job growth in the state’s manufacturing sector as Brewco Saw Systems will expand its current operation in Muhlenberg County with a $1.2 million investment, creating 20 new, quality jobs, more than doubling the company’s total Kentucky employment to 37.
Finally, the Governor highlighted that Piramal Pharma Solutions, a global pharmaceutical company, recently broke ground on its Fayette County expansion. Stuart Needleman, chief commercial officer at Piramal Pharma Solutions, joined the news conference to talk about the exciting announcement.
Since the beginning of his administration, Gov. Beshear has announced nearly 1,200 private-sector new-location and expansion projects totaling roughly $36 billion in announced investments, creating close to 62,000 jobs.
County Bridge Improvement Projects
Gov. Beshear announced the latest round of funding recipients from the County and City Bridge Improvement Program, awarding $6.5 million for 13 critical bridge projects across 12 Kentucky counties and the city of Hardin. The funding will repair, replace or preserve bridges to improve safety, extend their lifespan and maintain important community links for Kentuckians. Click here for a full list of awarded projects.
Online Predator Arrests
The Governor announced that the Kentucky State Police Electronic Crime Branch recently took part in a national operation aimed at protecting children from online exploitation, which resulted in the arrest of 16 perpetrators across the commonwealth, bringing the number of predators arrested since 2019 to 325.
Operation Safe Online Summer, which was conducted throughout April by all 50 states, was coordinated by the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force. Lt. Mike Bowling, commander of KSP’s Electronic Crime Branch, joined the Team Kentucky Update and emphasized the importance of collaboration and prevention in fighting online child exploitation.
Severe Weather Recovery
Gov. Beshear provided an update on severe weather recovery in the commonwealth. For the May 16-17 severe weather and tornadoes: Click here for a list of Disaster Recovery Centers open to those affected and click here for a fact sheet on how to apply for Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) assistance. Since the commonwealth received approval, FEMA has disbursed over $2 million in assistance. The deadline to apply for disaster assistance is July 23, 2025.
For the May event, 28 households are being housed in travel trailers at Levi Jackson Wilderness Road Park, eight households are being sheltered in hotels and 47 households have transitioned out of the Commonwealth Sheltering Program.
The contractor hired by Laurel County has collected more than 27,300 cubic yards of debris for disposal. The city of London is handling its own debris removal within city-maintained properties.
For February severe weather, more than $49 million in Individual and Households Assistance has been disbursed. The deadline to apply was May 25, 2025. For the April floods, so far, more than $24 million in federal assistance has been disbursed. The deadline to apply has been extended to July 25, 2025. Click here to view the hours and locations of the Disaster Recovery Centers for both February’s and April’s floods.
The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet continues to repair roads following April flooding. Currently, there are 13 road closures, mainly from mud and rockslides, and three closed bridges. So far, crews have assessed at least 300 other damage locations on state highways, with initial repair estimates exceeding $21.5 million.
Kentucky State Parks is sheltering 131 people at four state parks related to February’s and April’s floods. Jenny Wiley campground is sheltering 158 people, occupying 52 travel trailers.
The Governor also gave Kentuckians an update on upcoming weather, as a heat advisory remains in effect for the entire commonwealth through Friday evening. Isolated showers, thunderstorms and flash flooding are also possible. The Governor urged Kentuckians to stay cool and remain weather aware.
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