Lieutenant Governor Jerry Abramson joined local and company officials to announce Westpack, a bottle decorating and packaging company based in Russia, plans to establish manufacturing operations in Covington. The project will create 63 new, full-time jobs and will represent a $4.49 million investment in the Commonwealth.
Governor Steve Beshear welcomed Westpack to Kentucky and applauded the announcement.
“The Commonwealth is thrilled to partner with Westpack to see the creation of more than 60 jobs and an investment of nearly $4.5 million,” said Gov. Beshear. “We’re especially proud that a company from Russia has chosen Kentucky to do business, a testament to the ideal logistics and strategic location here in the Commonwealth.”
Kentucky’s foreign direct investment continues to grow, with approximately 420 internationally based companies from 30 nations in the Commonwealth, employing nearly 80,000 people.
“Westpack is in the business of grabbing attention, and they certainly are turning heads here, choosing northern Kentucky over anywhere in the world,” said Lt. Gov. Abramson. “This is a tremendous day for this area and the Commonwealth as a whole, showing Kentucky makes a perfect home for major companies from across the globe.”
Westpack is a new expansion of UniPack Group, a full service glass container decorating and packaging company serving the alcohol beverage industry since 1995. The Covington location will be at a 126,000-square-foot facility on West 43rd Street. In addition to bottle decorating and packaging, the facility will be sufficiently machined and equipped to provide short-run decorations for special events and promotions.
“With decoration plants in Russia and Europe, expanding into the U.S. market was a natural next step,” said Westpack Managing Director Simon Mnoyan. “And selecting the right state for our production was a function of customer logistics, business operating costs and quality of life. The Commonwealth of Kentucky provided and met all three requirements for our expansion. We would like to express our gratitude to the Commonwealth and the city of Covington for guidance and support in our endeavor.”
To encourage the investment and job creation in Covington, the Kentucky Economic Development Finance Authority preliminarily approved the company for tax incentives up to $1.5 million through the Kentucky Business Investment program. The performance-based incentive allows a company to keep a portion of its investment over the term of the agreement through corporate income tax credits and wage assessments by meeting job and investment targets.
“I am thrilled that northern Kentucky has a great reputation for a hard-working workforce and high quality of life, not only nationally but internationally,” said Sen. Chris McDaniel, of Latonia. “I welcome Westpack and look forward to working with our next community partner.”
“I welcome Westpack as the newest member of our business community and the jobs that will be established from the opening of its Covington operations,” said Rep. Diane St. Onge, of Lakeside Park. “Our northern Kentucky region has seen positive economic growth in recent months due in large measure to a responsive and committed business environment, which provides quality workers and quality of life. Westpack’s presence is a testimony to this. We look forward to continuing to provide this outstanding business climate to draw other enterprises to our region as well.”
“We are told that large companies, especially international companies, look for places that are known for their diversity and inclusiveness when establishing new locations,” said Covington Mayor Sherry Carran. “Covington is gaining a reputation for those very desired characteristics, and I believe it is why Westpack chose Covington for its new manufacturing plant. Westpack locating here is a boost to the momentum we have been experiencing and a boost to our Latonia neighborhood. We are honored to welcome Westpack to Covington.”
“We are pleased to welcome Westpack to northern Kentucky and look forward to the contribution this international company will make to the local economy in job creation and capital investment,” said Steve Arlinghaus, Kenton County judge-executive and member of the Northern Kentucky Tri-County Economic Development Corporation Executive Committee. “We thank Westpack for its investment in the northern Kentucky community.”
For more information on Westpack, visit www.west-pack.com.
Information on Kentucky’s economic development efforts and programs is available at www.ThinkKentucky.com. Fans of the Cabinet for Economic Development can also join the discussion on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/ThinkKentucky or follow on Twitter at www.Twitter.com/ThinkKentucky.
A detailed community profile for Northern Kentucky can be viewed at http://www.thinkkentucky.com/edis/cmnty/index.aspx?cw=049.
The Kentucky Cabinet for Economic Development is the primary state agency in Kentucky responsible for creating new jobs and new investment in the state. New business investment in Kentucky in 2012 totaled nearly $2.7 billion with the creation of more than 14,000 new jobs. Information on available development sites, workforce training,incentive programs, community profiles, small business development and other resources is available at www.ThinkKentucky.com.
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