State-of-the-art facility will be Safe Quality Food-certified and allow for future growth
FRANKFORT, Ky. (April 10, 2025) – Today, Gov. Andy Beshear congratulated Morris Packaging, a leading Minority Business Enterprise-certified manufacturer of flexible products, on plans to build a new $60.9 million production plant in Marion County, a project that will create 276 full-time jobs.
“I’d like to welcome Morris Packaging to Marion County and to their New Kentucky Home, as well as the 276 quality jobs the company will create with this investment,” said Gov. Beshear. “This is the latest company to recognize the value of locating in Kentucky and the many strengths our state offers to ensure businesses thrives. Morris Packaging will be a great addition to our sustainability efforts and to our manufacturing sector, which continues to diversify and grow.”
The more-than-100,000-square-foot facility in Lebanon will provide Morris Packaging with increased printing and bag converting capacity and provide a redundancy option to its customers across the United States. As a leader in sustainable packaging products, this state-of-the-art production plant will be Safe Quality Food-certified and allow the company room to grow in the future. Construction on the new facility in Lebanon is expected to be completed by October.
“We are beyond excited to start a new journey in Lebanon, Kentucky and become another well-respected member of the business community in town, as well as all surrounding cities and counties,” said Jim Bob Morris, owner and CEO of Morris Packaging. “As a privately held company, we treat our employees as family and provide a working environment and benefits package second to none. Sustainable flexible packaging is here to stay, and we look forward to welcoming many new team members to our extended family.”
Morris Packaging offers sustainable packaging solutions, warehousing, inventory management, logistics management, design and brand services across an array of industries including the pet and human food sectors. With its headquarters in Bloomington, Illinois, and production locations in Minnesota and Missouri, the company services customers nationwide.
Marion County Judge/Executive David Daugherty welcomed Morris Packaging to the area: “Today marks a milestone for our community as we welcome this new manufacturing project to Marion County. This investment and the creation of 276 new jobs demonstrate the confidence this company has in our workforce and the strength of our local economy. We look forward to a long and successful partnership with Morris Packaging.”
Lebanon Mayor Gary Crenshaw spoke on the impact of the project: “This is a significant opportunity for the city of Lebanon, and we are grateful for Morris Packaging’s decision to invest in our community. Their presence strengthens our industrial base, and we proudly welcome them as a valuable addition to our growing economy.”
Brooklyn Leep, Director of Marion County Economic Development showed excitement for the new facility: “This is a tremendous win for Marion County. The significant capital investment and 276 new jobs will have a lasting impact on our local economy, providing opportunities for our workforce and strengthening our community. This project is a testament to the pro-business environment here in Marion County, and we’re thrilled to welcome this company to our diverse industrial sector. We look forward to supporting Morris Packaging for years to come.”
Morris Packaging’s investment and job creation build on the best five-year period for economic growth in state history.
Since the beginning of his administration, Gov. Beshear has announced more than 1,100 private-sector new-location and expansion projects totaling over $35 billion in announced investments, creating more than 60,500 jobs. This is the highest investment figure secured during the tenure of any governor in the commonwealth’s history and $14 billion more than the next highest total.
The robust job creation has been accompanied by rising wages across the commonwealth. Since 2022, the average incentivized hourly wage has topped $26 in three consecutive years for the first time.
Gov. Beshear has announced some of the largest economic development projects in state history, which have solidified Kentucky as the electric vehicle battery production capital of the United States: Ford Motor Co. and SK On’s transformative $5.8 billion, 5,000-job BlueOval SK Battery Park in Hardin County; AESC’s $2 billion, 2,000-job gigafactory project in Warren County; Toyota’s $1.3 billion investment in Scott County; and Shelbyville Battery Manufacturing’s $712 million investment, creating 1,572 jobs in Shelby County, among others.
The Governor’s administration also secured the largest General Fund budget surplus and Rainy Day Fund. In 2023, Kentucky recorded over 2 million jobs filled for the first time ever and has stayed above that number ever since.
Kentucky also secured rating increases from major credit rating agencies Fitch Ratings, S&P Global Ratings and Moody’s Investors Service.
Site Selection magazine recently ranked Kentucky in the top five nationally and second in the South Central region for economic development projects per capita in its 2024 Governor’s Cup rankings. Last April, Site Selection placed Kentucky second in the South Central region and in the top 10 nationally in its 2024 Prosperity Cup ranking, which recognizes state-level economic development agencies for their success in landing capital investment projects.
Gov. Beshear also announced a new initiative, called New Kentucky Home, to increase economic investment, attain and attract talent, and increase tourism across the state.
To encourage investment and job growth in the community, the Kentucky Economic Development Finance Authority (KEDFA) last month preliminarily approved a 15-year incentive agreement with the company under the Kentucky Business Investment program. The performance-based agreement can provide up to $4.8 million in tax incentives based on the company’s investment of $60.85 million and annual targets of:
- Creation and maintenance of 276 Kentucky-resident, full-time jobs across 15 years; and
- Paying an average hourly wage of $30, including benefits, across those jobs.
By meeting its annual targets over the agreement term, the company can be eligible to keep a portion of the new tax revenue it generates. The company may claim eligible incentives against its income tax liability and/or wage assessments.
In addition, Morris Packaging can receive resources from Kentucky’s workforce service providers. Those include no-cost recruitment and job placement services, reduced-cost customized training and job-training incentives.
For more information on Morris Packaging, visit MorrisPkg.com.
A detailed community profile for Marion County can be viewed here.
Information on Kentucky’s economic development efforts and programs is available at CED.ky.gov. Fans of the Cabinet for Economic Development can also join the discussion at facebook.com/CEDkygov, on Twitter @CEDkygov, Instagram @CEDkygov and LinkedIn.
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