124,000-square-foot operation will be company’s third location in the commonwealth
FRANKFORT, Ky. (March 31, 2022) – Today, Gov. Andy Beshear noted the continued growth of Kentucky’s distribution and logistics sector, as he announced G&J Pepsi-Cola Bottlers Inc. will invest $8.9 million toward a new facility in Maysville, creating approximately 73 jobs with at least 45 of those positions allocated to Kentuckians.
“It’s no secret that Kentucky’s ideal geographic location continues to attract high-quality businesses and jobs to the commonwealth,” Gov. Beshear said. “This commitment by G&J Pepsi-Cola Bottlers is an incredible example of a company continuing to believe in Kentucky’s workforce and ability to deliver their product to customers quickly and efficiently. I want to thank the company’s leadership for its continued partnership and look forward to seeing their future success here.”
The investment will include a new 124,000-square-foot warehouse in Mason County that will run 12 routes daily and help facilitate 4.5 million cases of beverages across Kentucky and Ohio each year. The soft opening for the project is scheduled for October 2022 with the facility expected to be fully operational by January 2023.
“We are so excited about having a physical presence in the city of Maysville that will allow us to grow our business while creating additional jobs and investing in the local community,” said Tim Trant, G&J CEO. “Ultimately, we will be able to better serve our customers across Kentucky and Southeastern Ohio.”
G&J is the largest family-owned and operated Pepsi franchise bottler, employing more than 1,600 people across 13 locations in Kentucky and Ohio. G&J currently operates two Kentucky facilities in Lexington and Winchester. The company employs 371 full-time employees in the commonwealth.
G&J’s planned investment adds to a thriving logistics and distribution sector in the commonwealth. In 2021, companies within the sector announced more than 1,000 full-time, Kentucky-resident jobs across more than 30 facility expansion and new-location projects with $181.7 million in private-sector investment in the commonwealth.
Mason County Judge/Executive Owen McNeill shared his excitement and appreciation for G&J’s commitment to the community.
“Today is yet another success for Maysville and Mason County, Kentucky. We’re incredibly pleased G&J Pepsi has chosen Mason County for their new, updated operations,” Judge/Executive McNeill said. “This announcement and these jobs will have an incredibly positive impact on our region with an average wage of $23 before including benefits[M(1] . Today’s announcement provides additional evidence underscoring the positive momentum growing across our community. In the end, G&J was not only attracted to our advantageous location and world-class workforce, but also an unparalleled quality of life here in Maysville and Mason County.”
Maysville Mayor Debra Cotterill is equally as excited for the company’s long-term partnership and what it means moving forward.
“G&J Pepsi is a multi-state regional company that brings cutting-edge technology and innovation to our community. I am especially pleased to have an employer with a partnership business model that not only supports their brands and customers but also their employees and communities they serve,” Mayor Cotterill said. “This is one more exciting piece of the puzzle keeping Maysville and Mason County moving in an upward trajectory to solidify a strong economic future.”
G&J’s investment and planned job creation furthers recent economic momentum in the commonwealth, as the state builds back stronger from the effects of the pandemic.
Earlier this month, Site Selection magazine’s annual Governor’s Cup rankings for 2021 placed Kentucky atop the South Central region, and third nationally, for qualifying projects per capita.
Gov. Beshear recently announced that on Jan. 28, S&P Global Ratings revised Kentucky’s financial outlook to positive from stable and affirmed its “A-” credit rating. S&P cited a reduced reliance on one-time items to balance the budget and a higher balance in the state’s rainy-day fund as primary factors influencing the change.
That follows a 2021 during which the commonwealth shattered every economic development record in the books. Private-sector new-location and expansion announcements included a record $11.2 billion in total planned investment and commitments to create a record 18,000-plus full-time jobs across the coming years. Kentucky’s average incentivized hourly wage for projects statewide in 2021 was $24 before benefits, a 9.4% increase over the previous year.
In September, Gov. Beshear, Ford Motor Co. Executive Chair Bill Ford, CEO Jim Farley and Dong-Seob Jee, president of SK Innovation’s battery business, announced the single largest economic development project in the history of the commonwealth, celebrating a transformative $5.8 billion investment that will create 5,000 jobs and places Kentucky at the forefront of the automotive industry’s future.
Kentucky also saw an all-time, record-setting budget surplus in fiscal year 2021 and entered 2022 with an estimated $1.9 billion more than budgeted.
To encourage the investment and job growth in the community, the Kentucky Economic Development Finance Authority (KEDFA) on Thursday preliminarily approved a 15-year incentive agreement with the company under the Kentucky Business Investment program. The performance-based agreement can provide up to $1.125 million in tax incentives based on the company’s investment of $8.9 million and annual targets of:
- Creation and maintenance of 45 Kentucky-resident, full-time jobs across 15 years; and
- Paying an average hourly wage of $29.84 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, G&J Pepsi-Cola Bottling Inc. 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 G&J Pepsi-Cola Bottling Inc., visit GJPepsi.com.
A detailed community profile for Mason 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.
Read about other key updates, actions and information from Gov. Beshear and his administration at governor.ky.gov, kycovid19.ky.gov and the Governor’s official social media accounts Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.
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