Kentucky Governor Matt Bevin along with local leaders gathered Wednesday (3/27) in the lobby of the Meade County College and Career Center for a historic announcement of a new major industry to locate in Brandenburg.
Executives of Nucor Incorporated announced plans to construct a new $1.35 Billion steel plate mill in the Buttermilk Falls Industrial Park. The new facility will employee 400 full time positions at an average annual salary of $72,000. The 1.5 million-square-foot facility will sit on 900 acres and will have production capacity of 1.2 million tons per year. The steel mill will enhance Nucor’s ability to serve customers throughout the region and meet needs for the company’s customers nationwide. Nucor executives anticipate construction will begin by year-end with the facility opening by 2022. The project could create as many as 2,000 construction jobs.
Wednesday’s announcement comes just six months after the company announced a $650 million, 70-job phase II expansion at Nucor Steel Gallatin, a mill producing flat-rolled coils in Ghent. That project promises to nearly double the mill’s annual capacity to approximately 3 million tons. Nucor’s now will have two steel mills and 16 other locations across the state.
The Nucor announcement means a possible revival in a rural community that has became a bedroom community to regional manufacturing jobs. Brandenburg Mayor Ronnie Joyner pointed to the economic benefits of what will become a generations-long partnership. “We’ve worked hard to make Brandenburg an outstanding and desirable place to live and work – and to attract new businesses to the community. This announcement is proof our efforts were well placed and it promises to bring additional economic vibrancy and momentum for years to come,” Joyner said.
David Pace, Meade County-Brandenburg Economic Development chairman, said “The mill’s announcement further underscores the years of foresight and preparation by our board, city and county leaders, utility partners and the Kentucky Cabinet for Economic Development. Collectively we’ve worked to establish Buttermilk Falls Industrial Park and advance it over the years with infrastructure, utilities and due diligence that made it desirable for a great partner like Nucor.”
Meade County Judge-Executive Gerry Lynn said “today’s announcement by Nucor will reverberate across Meade County and the region for decades into the future by making Meade County additionally attractive for related steel and shipping businesses and other manufacturing and service companies.”
During the public announcement, John Ferriola, chairman, CEO and president of Nucor, presented Meade County Schools Superintendent John Millay a check in the amount of $100,000 to be used to invest in the future of the district and future workforce. After the announcement, reporters asked Governor Bevin and Ferriola about the importance of national policy on the industry and the project. During the interview Governor Beavin, received a phone call from President Donald Trump congratulating the community on the announcement and reinforced the importance of manufacturing jobs to the national economy and infrastructure.
Nucor executives anticipate construction will begin by year-end with the facility opening by 2022. Including Nucor’s Brandenburg mill, Kentucky’s manufacturing, service and technology sectors, companies have announced more than $19.4 billion in investments, which are creating 51,000-plus full-time jobs.
You may watch video of the complete announcement in our “On Demand” section.
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