BRANDENBURG, Ky. — A rural Kentucky community is cashing in on a gamble it made more than 15 years ago, after purchasing a massive plot of land along the Ohio River hoping to attract businesses and boost its workforce. But David Pace never dreamed Meade County would hit it this big.
Pace is the Chairman of Meade County - Brandenburg Economic Development. As part of the Industrial Authority back in 2006, he knew something had to give if the county wanted to compete with neighboring communities. So, the group took a leap of faith. It bought 550 acres of the Buttermilk Falls Industrial Park, from a chemical plant on site and began laying the groundwork.
"It took us ten years," Pace said.
The county put in all the utilities and sewer lines and worked with the Meade County School District to get students career-ready-certified by graduation. The high school's $19 million expansion of a college and career center made Meade County even more desirable. Everything was in place and then silence - until about 2 years ago.
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"When you look at Nucor, that was a homerun for us," Pace said. "The Cabinet for Economic Development, I remember when they came and asked us about the site, and I said, 'you're taking everything we have,' and they said, 'they are your future.'"
The sale was met with criticism from some farmers who used the Consolidated Grain and Barge Inc.’s elevator, which needed to shut down ahead of Nucor's arrival. Farmers were grateful for the high paying jobs on the way, but feared the higher cost they'd be paying to move their grain. Despite concerns, Nucor moved forward and broke ground in 2020.
Today, 800 acres are now bustling with development, in what's grown into a $1.7 billion investment.
"We're extremely proud to call Meade County home," Johnny Jacobs, the vice president and general manager for Nucor Steel, said. "Nucor is North America's largest recycler and largest steel products and manufacturer, 31,000 teammates, and over 300 operating divisions in the U.S., including what will become our newest steel plate facility [in Brandenburg]."
Jacobs says Brandenburg was the ideal location for its latest investment.
"The access to the Ohio River, infrastructure, as well as the talent we could bring to our team," Jacobs said. "We're bringing 400 careers, not jobs, but careers and these individuals are going to have wages better than they've had in years past and sustainability for years to come."
Nucor's presence has increased the county's median household income 18 percent since construction began, from $51,000 to more than $62,000.
"That's just growth you couldn't imagine would ever come," Pace said.
It's only expected to go up from there with the facility's more permanent positions.
"Their average wage is $75,000 plus benefits, and on top of that, [Nucor] expanded their ability to pay for students of workers to go to college, $4,000 a year for 4 years, times 31,000 employees. That's a massive investment," Pace said.
Since Nucor broke ground, three other steel companies have moved into Meade County, including Eddie Kane Steel, which Pace says pays $33 an hour, plus benefits.
The demand's paving the way for even more businesses.
"We're having to wait to get into a restaurant. We've never had that in Brandenburg before," Pace said. "Every one of our fast-food restaurants completely built new facilities and moved along our bypass, the biggest traffic site there is."
"For someone who's been here since 4th grade, you can see a substantial difference," Annie Hamilton Emond, the executive director of Meade County Chamber of Commerce and Tourism, said. "There weren't enough jobs for people, so they would go to Indiana, Elizabethtown, Hardinsburg, Louisville. Eighty percent of our population left every day, so to be able to retain our people and have them stay here is phenomenal for our community."
Not to mention a $6 million boost in tourism just last year.
"It's insane," Emond said.
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