The South Western Kentucky Economic Development Council has announced continued state support for industrial growth across the region through the Kentucky Product Development Initiative.
A new grant, its value not disclosed, has been awarded for the John E. Walton Business Park in Elkton and Todd County, which will fund due diligence on an additional 119 acres recently optioned for expansion.
The park currently includes 24 acres already owned by local authorities, and is fully equipped with utilities and zoning for industrial use. Previous rounds of funding helped secure the original property and improve infrastructure, including road access and signage.
SWK EDC Associate Director Sharon Butts said the state’s ongoing investment is critical to the region’s economic success, and that the impact of KPDI is already visible in the tri-county region.
For instance, a $400,000 grant in 2021 helped construct a 100,000-square-foot speculative building in Hopkinsville’s Commerce Park. That building has since been sold to Kitchen Food Company, an Australian firm establishing its first North American facility. The $69 million investment is expected to create more than 900 jobs.
Additional grants supported development at the Interstate 24 Business Park in Cadiz, including $950,000 combined across 2022 and 2023 to help build a spec building and install a wastewater pump station.
Carter Hendricks, SWK EDC’s executive director, noted that since 2021, the organization has secured more than $2 million in KPDI grants, and that the region finds itself positioned to win future company investments.
South Western Kentucky still has nearly 2,000 acres of industrial real estate available.
