The Martinrea Hopkinsville industrial plant on Frank Yost Lane will spend approximately $31 million to expand its facility and create 33 additional jobs, state and local officials said Tuesday.
The plant currently employs about 650 workers, said Carter Hendricks, executive director of the South Western Kentucky Economic Development Council.
The new jobs, paying an average of $28 an hour including benefits, must be created and maintained by Kentucky residents for 15 years, according to a news release from Gov. Andy Beshear’s office.
Martinrea will add 38,500 square feet to its existing facility of roughly 400,000 square feet. This will accommodate the added production of “lightweight, high-strength structural steel products for internal combustion engines and battery electric vehicles,” the release states.
The Hopkinsville plant makes suspension subframes and other automotive products for Ford, General Motors, Volkswagen, BMW and Nissan. It is a subsidiary of Martinrea International, based in Canada. The company was established in 2001 and has 57 facilities in 10 counties. The Hopkinsville plant, operated by Martinrea since 2006, has produced automative parts since 1999.
“Martinrea’s expansion is welcome news for our growing economy,” Mayor Wendell Lynch said in the release. “Martinrea is an exemplary corporate partner and its expansion represents the company’s ongoing commitment to the region and our residents. We are thankful to have the opportunity to support the company’s growth in Hopkinsville. We have no doubt that they’ll continue to succeed with our young, diverse and growing workforce.”
Hendricks said the expansion is the result of a team effort with cooperation from plant manager Brad Graves and officials from the Kentucky Cabinet for Economic Development and the Tennessee Valley Authority.
Christian County Judge-Executive Steve Tribble called the expansion a “cause for celebration” and said it shows that “we are an awesome region” to grow businesses.
Martinrea’s expansion is tied to an incentive agreement that the Kentucky Economic Development Finance Authority preliminarily approved Thursday. The company will receive up to $750,000 in tax incentives based on meeting the employment targets, according to the news release.
Jennifer P. Brown is co-founder, publisher and editor of Hoptown Chronicle. You can reach her at editor@hoptownchronicle.org. She spent 30 years as a reporter and editor at the Kentucky New Era. She is a co-chair of the national advisory board to the Institute for Rural Journalism and Community Issues, governing board president for the Kentucky Historical Society, and co-founder of the Kentucky Open Government Coalition.
