United States Building Tender

A startup manufacturer of building components is making its home in Kentucky as today Gov. Andy Beshear announced SteelBlue Building Components LLC will locate in Frankfort creating 146 well-paying jobs with a nearly 17.7 million investment.I want to welcome SteelBlue Building Components to Kentucky and the Frankfort community Gov. Beshear said. Our states diverse manufacturing base is one of our greatest strengths and this new company will be an ideal fit as we continue to grow and create quality jobs for Kentucky residents. Im thrilled to see SteelBlue breathe new life into an existing facility in Frankfort and I cant wait to see the operation up and running in the near future.SteelBlue will locate in the existing 55000-square-foot former Genesco shoe manufacturing facility on Hickory Drive in Frankfort. The facility will operate as the companys primary manufacturing location of building components for the commercial construction industry. Company leaders noted the regions central location within the U.S. market and access to key transportation components as major factors in the decision to locate in Franklin County. Jobs created at the facility will include machine operators shipping personnel and various leadership and management positions. Work on the project is scheduled to begin in January and be completed by the end of 2022.We are excited about the opportunity to locate our companys primary manufacturing facility in Franklin County Kentucky said Rich Saginaw president and CEO of SteelBlue. Frankfort and the local workforce give us great optimism about the ability to accelerate our growth. Further we are equally excited about the use of Kentuckys logistics footprint to deliver exceptional customer service across the country. We would also like to thank the Governors Office the Kentucky Cabinet for Economic Development and Kentucky Capital Development Corp. for all of their assistance in making this opportunity a reality.SteelBlue was formed in October 2021 by Rich Saginaw and Gary Brunette who bring with them 50-plus years of combined experience within the building materials sector. In addition to building components the startup company plans to produce additional commercial products that will add structural integrity to new projects and retrofitted commercial buildings.SteelBlue adds to Kentuckys manufacturing presence which includes nearly 5000 facilities that employ more than 250000 people across the state.Franklin County JudgeExecutive Huston Wells said the project will help build the regions reputation within the manufacturing sector.Companies like SteelBlue Building Components continue to invest in Frankfort because of our central location excellent transportation system world-class business climate and exceptional workforce JudgeExecutive Wells said. This 17.7 million investment will bring countless opportunities for local families and will play a major role in Frankforts continued success in job growth and talent development in the manufacturing sector.Frankfort Mayor Layne Wilkerson said the project will have a positive impact within the community.SteelBlue Building Components will be a wonderful addition to our community and we welcome them with open arms. We share a recognition that Frankfort is a great place to invest and do business Mayor Wilkerson said. Not only will SteelBlue create well over 100 local jobs their nearly 18 million investment in the former Genesco shoe factory serves as a positive example of adaptive reuse within our city. Thanks to our partners in the Governors Office the Kentucky Cabinet for Economic Development and Kentucky Capital Development Corp. for helping guide this project to our community.Terri Bradshaw presidentCEO of Kentucky Capital Development Corp. looks forward to a successful partnership with SteelBlue.Leadership at SteelBlue has been phenomenal to work with throughout the development of this project Bradshaw said. This project will not only create 146 new jobs and renovate a building that has been empty for decades but will also bring a new entrepreneurial excitement to Frankfort. We are honored they chose Frankfort as their new home and we look forward to watching their dream come to fruition in our community.SteelBlues investment and planned job creation furthers recent economic momentum in the commonwealth as the state builds back stronger in response to the effects of the pandemic.This year the commonwealth has shattered every economic development record in the books. Year-to-date private-sector new-location and expansion announcements include a record 11 billion in total planned investment and commitments to create a record 17000 full-time jobs across the coming years. Through September Kentuckys average incentivized hourly wage for projects statewide is 24.15 before benefits a 10 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 Innovations 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 5000 jobs and places Kentucky at the forefront of the automotive industrys future.In July thanks to strong fiscal management by the Beshear administration the state budget office reported the commonwealth ended the 2021 fiscal year with a general fund surplus of over 1.1 billion the highest ever in the commonwealth and a 10.9 increase in general fund receipts to 12.8 billion.In May Moodys Analytics published a positive economic outlook for Kentucky noting mass vaccination as the driving force behind a sustained recovery in consumer services. The states recovery Moodys said benefited from earlier reopening efforts and increased demand for manufactured goods over services.