LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Louisville's largest employer announced plans Monday to expand its presence in Kentuckiana.
At an announcement, set in front of UPS's currently under-construction airplane hangar at Louisville Muhammad Ali Metropolitan Airport, the company said it plans to invest $330 million in Jefferson and Bullitt Counties.
UPS plans to build two new healthcare warehouses, to distribute medical supplies and pharmaceuticals. They'll be one million square feet each, and are expected to bring in about 435 new jobs.
“When we think about Louisville, this is a world class supply chain and it really is connecting the globe for us,” Nando Cesarone, UPS executive vice president and president U.S., said. “There is rapid growth in e-commerce and our healthcare industries, and we want to make sure we bring the best jobs and the best careers here."
UPS also announced plans to expand its aviation training center, adding new flight simulators in a $78 million investment set for completion in late 2023.
The new airport hangar, first announced in 2018, is set for completion in 2023 as well, and was a $220 million investment.
Governor Andy Beshear praised UPS for its work in the Commonwealth, where the company has invested more than a billion dollars in capital projects since 2018.
Beshear said the new economic developments will encourage young people to build their lives in Kentucky, rather than leave for other states.
"These are going to be some of the best paying jobs in America and what that means is dignity for a person, a way to provide for a family and also a bright future for all of our kids right here," Beshear said. "We’re tired of our kids going other places, we’re going to attract other places' kids."
Senate President Robert Stivers (R-D25) and House Speaker David Osborne (R-D59) also spoke at the event Monday, crediting pro-business policies and tax programs from state lawmakers as drivers of development.
Asked about how UPS plans to fill the jobs created by the project, Beshear noted UPS's pay rates and incentives like tuition assistance.
"It’s that type of innovation that draws people here, but it’s jobs that pay that bring talent and make sure talent continues to come," he said. "If you go back to March 2020 knowing we have so many jobs and we have to fill them is a challenge we would’ve prayed for and we’re going to meet that challenge."
UPS currently has more than 30,000 employees throughout the Commonwealth.
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