Great companies need great people, and great people need great communities. Kentucky has worked hard to ensure we have all three. We found the way to create a brighter future by working together and by leading with our values of kindness and hard work. Now, we're looking at a new Kentucky, where good jobs and a good life are possible for everyone.
In an effort to build on Kentucky’s historic economic momentum and record-breaking tourism success, Governor Andy Beshear announced New Kentucky Home, a strategic initiative to further drive economic investment, attract and retain talent and increase tourism across the commonwealth.
New Kentucky Home is a comprehensive marketing initiative that serves as a reintroduction of Kentucky to the world, showcasing the state’s vibrant economy, natural beauty, cultural richness and welcoming communities.
The initiative combines economic development and tourism efforts, recognizing the crucial role quality of life plays in driving growth across the state. As part of the announcement, Governor Beshear unveiled a refreshed approach and a new website for the Cabinet for Economic Development.
“Kentucky isn’t just a place; it’s full of communities where people support each other, where businesses thrive and where families create good, full lives. Because here in Kentucky, business is fast, but the pace of life is just right – and that is something a lot of companies and families are looking for when choosing their new home,” said Governor Beshear. “Now is our time to reintroduce ourselves and invite the world to come and experience our New Kentucky Home, and this initiative will help us do that.”
Kentucky’s Recent Winning Streak
On Aug. 20, 2025, Governor Beshear highlighted an economic win streak for Kentucky, with more than $6.3 billion in new investment and more than 1,000 full-time jobs announced by four iconic companies in less than two weeks.
On Aug. 5, the Governor joined executives from General Matter to celebrate a major milestone in the company’s project toward establishing a $1.5 billion, 140-job uranium enrichment facility in McCracken County, which will be the largest economic development project in Western Kentucky history. The company recently signed a lease with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) for the former Paducah Gaseous Diffusion Plant. The lease signing paves the way for the company to seek the necessary permitting, licensing and contractual terms with the DOE to move the project forward.
The following day, Apple and Corning announced plans for a $2.5 billion investment in Corning’s Mercer County facility to produce 100 percent of the cover glass used in iPhones and Apple Watches. Leadership at Apple indicated the project will help increase Corning’s manufacturing and engineering workforce by 50 percent in Kentucky. The project is part of Apple’s broader commitment to invest more than $600 billion in the U.S. economy over the next four years.
On Aug. 11, Ford Motor Company announced a monumental project with a nearly $2 billion investment in its Louisville Assembly Plant to introduce an innovative manufacturing process that will serve as the platform for an all-new, yet to be revealed, electric mid-size pickup truck. The project also secures 2,200 jobs at the facility and introduces an “assembly tree” approach to the production process, which will increase efficiency, ergonomics and affordability. The new low-cost, scalable EV platform is scheduled for completion by Q2 2027.
And on Aug. 13, the Governor and executives from GE Appliances highlighted the $490 million investment at Appliance Park in Jefferson County that was announced in June. The expansion, which will create 800 full-time jobs, serves as the cornerstone of the company’s new $3 billion investment in its U.S. manufacturing operations. The nearly half-billion-dollar project at GE Appliances’ global corporate headquarters in Louisville furthers the operation’s role as the company’s primary location for research, product design, development and testing.
The Center of Success
A number of factors have aided the state’s recent growth and sustained economic momentum, including its central geographic location, unmatched logistics, low cost of doing business, skilled workforce and unsurpassed quality of life.
Kentucky’s central geographic location makes it ideal for manufacturing and distribution, as the state is within a day’s drive of two-thirds of the U.S. population. That centrality enables manufacturers to tap into the regional supply chain, while global air cargo hubs provide fast and reliable distribution overnight to anywhere in the world.
Kentucky’s logistics prowess centers around companies like UPS, DHL, Amazon and FedEx, each with a significant presence in the state. UPS houses both the planet’s largest automated package-handling facility, UPS Worldport, as well as its Centennial Ground Hub in Louisville, while FedEx operates several large ground hubs throughout the state. Meanwhile, DHL continues to grow its presence at Northern Kentucky’s CVG Airport, and the Amazon Air Hub is delivering more than 1.5 million packages a day.
Logistics companies benefit from the state’s second-to-none geographic location. Kentucky sits at the center of a 34-state distribution area in the Eastern United States, and its borders lie within a day’s drive of more than two-thirds of the nation’s population and manufacturing operations. This ideal geographic location puts Kentucky at the confluence of the Northeast, Midwest and South, giving it proximity to key populations and centers of international commerce. This is a fundamental reason the logistics and distribution industry has concentrated in the commonwealth.
Preparing for the Future
The commonwealth has also taken an aggressive approach to the speed-to-market demand, matching companies’ sense of urgency and expediting project timelines in a way many other states cannot with programs like the Kentucky Product Development Initiative (KPDI) and Build-Ready certification.
Through KPDI, the state enables companies to locate quickly in Kentucky while mitigating the risks and delays normally associated with the construction process. This unique program was launched in partnership between the Kentucky Cabinet for Economic Development and the Kentucky Association for Economic Development. It provides communities with state support for upgrades to sites and buildings across the commonwealth to ensure Kentucky remains a prime location for growing companies across all industry sectors. To date, Governor Beshear and the Kentucky General Assembly have approved up to $170 million in funding for the initiative.
The two rounds of the previous iteration of the initiative – the KPDI Program of 2022 – concluded earlier this year, with 90 projects statewide approved for more than $85 million in funding. Including local contributions, these projects are generating more than $512 million in investments in Kentucky’s sites and buildings portfolio.
KPDI is responsible for assistance for transformative site and infrastructure improvement projects, which include the development of Build-Ready sites. With a Build-Ready site, much of the work – aside from construction – has already been completed. That includes control of the land to be developed, archaeological, environmental and geotechnical studies performed, construction of a building pad, preliminary design work, approved site plan permits and necessary infrastructure in place. On a Build-Ready site, construction can begin immediately.
To date, 12 former Build-Ready-certified sites have been selected by companies for new location projects, allowing companies to bring their operations online in a cost-efficient manner while creating jobs for local Kentuckians.
Why Kentucky?
Kentucky offers a personalized approach to workforce recruiting and training assistance for new and existing employees. Last year alone, the state trained more than 95,000 people and supported more than 5,000 companies, thanks to the Bluegrass State Skills Corporation (BSSC). The most recent BSSC meeting in May concluded fiscal year 2025, and the BSSC board approved more than $9.5 million in training funds and credits for more than 30,600 trainees across 115 Kentucky facilities.
Kentucky’s commitment to bringing companies to market quickly, creating high-wage opportunities and improving infrastructure throughout the state is paying dividends, and the state sits in a good position to build a brighter future through these early successes.
Complementing Kentucky’s speed-to-market advantages are a host of other business-friendly elements, including highly developed logistics and distribution infrastructure and facilities. Kentucky continues to attract businesses that rely on multiple air, road, waterway and rail shipping options. These factors are a huge reason why the logistics and distribution industry and others such as manufacturing, automotive, metals and food, beverage and agritech are thriving in the commonwealth.
And with one of the lowest costs of living rates in the United States, dollars go further in Kentucky. Plus, life outside the office couldn’t be better than it is in Kentucky, with its state parks and recreation among the finest in the nation.
Kentucky knows how to attract and retain great talent. With vibrant communities, lower cost of living, great schools and more, the commonwealth’s families and businesses are both thriving.
Come see why life is better in a new Kentucky home! Visit newkentuckyhome.ky.gov to learn more. T&ID
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