Gov. Andy Beshear predicts recent economic development trips to Germany and Switzerland will bring more business investment to Kentucky
FRANKFORT, Ky. — Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear predicted Thursday that recent economic development trips to Germany and Switzerland will bring more business investment to the Bluegrass State.
The Democratic governor said Kentucky's delegation last week met with leaders of companies already established in the state and built relationships with other companies looking to invest in the United States. The response has been “overwhelmingly positive,” Beshear said at his weekly news conference.
“I know we left this trip with jobs retained, but one or two companies may have considered relocating elsewhere,” Beshear said. “But we also know that expansion and new locations are coming. Almost every meeting went exactly as we had hoped.”
This was Beshear's first overseas economic development trip as governor, but it likely won't be his last. The governor revealed that his team is working to arrange similar trips to Japan and South Korea.
Touting Kentucky's record pace of economic growth during his tenure has been a recurring theme for Mr. Beshear, who rose to national prominence after winning reelection last year in the Republican-leaning state. He typically begins his weekly news conferences by detailing the state's latest economic development projects.
Since Beshear took office, more than 1,000 private sector new location and expansion projects have been announced in Kentucky, totaling more than $30.6 billion and creating more than 52,700 jobs, Beshear's office said. It was announced on Thursday. Leaders in Kentucky's Republican-controlled Legislature say the rapid economic development is the result of pro-business policies enacted by lawmakers.
At last week's meeting, Beshear said he and his team made their pitch to leaders of more than 100 companies that employ more than 15,000 Kentuckians at 80 facilities across the state.
As part of his trip, Beshear visited more than 25 companies that employ tens of thousands of Kentuckians. Ten of the companies he visited have their North American headquarters in Kentucky.
Beshear said Germany is one of Europe's largest investors in Kentucky, with more than 90 companies operating in the state.
“Not only is it important for us to say 'thank you' to the German and Swiss businesses that employ so many Kentuckians, but we also meet them in their homes because they are creating jobs in our home,” the governor said. It’s important.”
Mr. Beshear would have been able to move overseas sooner had it not been for a series of crises that hit Kentucky during his first term, including the global pandemic, the tornadoes that devastated parts of western Kentucky, and the floods that inundated the eastern part of the state. He said he would have embarked on a journey of economic development.
The governor has emphasized the importance of American manufacturing amid global turmoil.
“It's part of our national security to build what America needs,” Beshear said at an event in Kentucky before leaving for a trip to Europe. “And in a time of global uncertainty where it seems like new conflicts are brewing every week or month, it is our duty to allow ourselves in this country to take care of ourselves. It’s very important for the future.”
