Project moves ‘heart of the unit’ production to Kentucky

FRANKFORT, Ky – On Feb 1st, Governor Andy Beshear announced an expansion in Hopkinsville for White Drive Motors & Steering, a manufacturer of orbital motors and hydraulic steering units. The company will expand its presence in Kentucky with an addition to its 124,000-square-foot facility in Christian County, creating 25 full-time jobs with a nearly $16 million investment.

“White Drive Motors & Steering is a great example of a company fully committed to serving its community and the commonwealth,” said Gov. Beshear. “Kentucky is experiencing its best two-year period for economic development growth in state history because companies like White Drive Motors & Steering continue to believe in our workforce and resources. I want to thank the company’s leadership and am excited to see this expansion to their Hopkinsville facility bring even greater success.”

The project is moving production of the gearset, known as “the heart of the unit,” to Kentucky, transferring the company’s intended production operations from Parchim, Germany, to Bill Bryan Boulevard in Hopkinsville. The project includes a nearly 13,000-square-foot expansion to the existing 124,000-square-foot Christian County facility.  

“We are thrilled to announce that we plan to expand our Hopkinsville facility at White, which will bring in jobs and create economic growth for the local area,” said White Senior Director of Operations Shawn Snyder. “We are confident this project will be a major success and look forward to receiving support from the state and local governments. This expansion is an exciting part of our vision of providing excellent products, services and opportunities for the people of the local community and customers around the world. We believe in fostering a vibrant community and investment in the area’s future development. Together, we can make tremendous strides toward improving economic prosperity for everyone involved.” 

White is a member of the Interpump Group, a global business specializing in hydraulic fluid power and high-pressure pumps. White itself manufactures hydraulic steering units and orbital motors, primarily used in agricultural, construction and material handling applications. 

The new location adds to Kentucky’s thriving manufacturing sector, which includes more than 5,000 facilities and employs over 250,000 people statewide. Administration-to-date, more than 550 new location and expansion projects within the industry are expected to create nearly 26,000 full-time jobs with over $18.6 billion in new investments.? 

Christian County Judge/Executive Jerry Gilliam noted the county’s excitement for the expansion.  

“White Drive Motors & Steering is an incredible corporate partner and we’re honored that they’ve chosen our community for their expansion project,” said Judge Gilliam.?“This is further testament that Christian County is a great place to do business with our low cost of living and even lower taxes.” 

Hopkinsville Mayor James R. Knight showed support for White’s continued growth.  

“The City of Hopkinsville is always excited to support our existing industries and their continued growth and success,” said Mayor Knight. “We value White Drive’s investment in our community and are thrilled that the company is re-investing, creating new jobs and solidifying their commitment to Hopkinsville, Christian County and Southwestern Kentucky.”

South Western Kentucky Economic Development Council Director Carter Hendricks noted the additional 25 full-time jobs being created by the expansion.

“We are thrilled White Drive Motors & Steering is expanding their Hopkinsville location with a 10,000-square-foot expansion and adding 25 incredible jobs,” said Hendricks. “Thanks to the company’s leadership and the support of the Kentucky Cabinet for Economic Development, local governments and regional partners, our region will enjoy another significant investment and more transformative career opportunities. We look forward to supporting the company’s expansion and continued growth in South Western Kentucky.”

White’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.

Since the beginning of his administration, Gov. Beshear has announced the creation of more than 43,000 full-time jobs and 828 private-sector new-location and expansion projects totaling $24.5 billion in announced investments.

With the books closed on 2022, the Governor has now secured the best two-year period in state history for economic growth.

In 2021, 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.

That momentum continued strongly into 2022 with 248 new-location and expansion announcements totaling 16,000 full-time jobs behind nearly $10.5 billion in new investment.

The robust job creation has been accompanied by rising wages across the commonwealth. The average incentivized hourly wage in 2022 was $26.78 before benefits, the second-highest mark since 2010 and an 11.5% increase over the previous year.

Gov. Beshear also announced the two largest economic development projects in state history. In September 2021, Gov. Beshear and leaders from Ford Motor Co. and SK Innovation celebrated a transformative $5.8 billion investment that will create 5,000 jobs in Hardin County. And in April 2022, the Governor was joined by leadership at Envision AESC to announce a $2 billion investment that will create 2,000 jobs in Warren County. These announcements solidify Kentucky as the EV battery production capital of the United States.

Kentucky’s success has been noted by both S&P Global Ratings and Fitch Ratings, which have upgraded the state’s financial outlook to positive in recognition of the commonwealth’s surging economy. In addition, Site Selection magazine placed Kentucky at 6th in its annual Prosperity Cup rankings for 2022, which recognizes state-level economic success based on capital investments.

Gov. Beshear’s administration is projected to post the four highest years of budget surpluses in Kentucky history, and the state’s rainy day fund has a record balance of $2.7 billion.

To encourage 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 $475,000 in tax incentives based on the company’s investment of at least $10.19 million and annual targets of:

• Creation and maintenance of 25 Kentucky-resident, full-time jobs across 15 years; and 
• Paying an average hourly wage of $34 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, White 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 White Drive Motors & Steering, visit WhiteDriveProducts.com.

A detailed community profile for Christian 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.