Gov. Andy Beshear, along with local elected and economic development officials, helped break ground Tuesday on a new facility at Hopkinsville’s U.S. Smokeless Tobacco Co. plant in the South Park industrial complex.
When the expansion is completed off Fort Campbell Boulevard near the Walmart Distribution Center, it will create 200 new jobs. Beshear’s office had announced plans for the new facility in May.
“Today’s groundbreaking event is an exciting next step for not only U.S. Smokeless Tobacco Co., but also for the community and families of Christian County,” Beshear said, according to a press release his office provided after the event. “These 200 job opportunities will provide a substantial economic boost to the region, and I appreciate USSTC’s leaders for their belief in the commonwealth and our people. I look forward to the company’s continued success here in our New Kentucky Home.”
U.S. Smokeless, a subsidiary of Altria Group Inc., currently employs approximately 90 full-time and 250 seasonal workers in Hopkinsville, according to the company’s website. The facility processes dark-fired tobacco leaves for brands such as Copenhagen and Skoal.
“This is more than a new building. It is a statement of confidence in the people of this region and in the future we build together,” Michael Brace, president and CEO of U.S. Smokeless Tobacco, said, according to the press release. “When completed, this facility will strengthen our Hopkinsville campus with modern manufacturing capabilities, create more than 200 new Kentucky jobs and approximately double our Kentucky workforce.”
Officials said the expansion is a $250 million investment in a “modern, flexible and efficient manufacturing facility” and new machinery and equipment.
Also participating in the groundbreaking event were Christian County Judge-Executive Jerry Gilliam, Mayor James R. Knight, Carter Hendricks, executive director of the South Western Kentucky Economic Development Council, and Heidi Smith, vice president of economic development for the Tennessee Valley Authority.
Jennifer P. Brown is co-founder, publisher and editor of Hoptown Chronicle. You can reach her at editor@hoptownchronicle.org. Brown was a reporter and editor at the Kentucky New Era, where she worked for 30 years. She is a co-chair of the national advisory board to the Institute for Rural Journalism and Community Issues, governing board past president for the Kentucky Historical Society, and co-founder of the Kentucky Open Government Coalition. She serves on the Hopkinsville History Foundation's board.
