LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Two businesses are expanding in the Louisville area, generating jobs for Kentucky residents. Bigelow Tea Co. and affordable-housing developer LDG Multifamily are relocating and expanding in the area, Gov. Andy Beshear announced Thursday.

Bigelow Tea Co. plans to relocate and expand in Jeffersontown with a $53 million investment that is expected to create 31 jobs, according to a release from the governor's office.

Bigelow will construct a new, 334,000 square-foot operation across two phases on Blankenbaker road. Operations are currently located in an 85,000 square-foot facility on Constant Comment Place. Company leaders anticipate construction will begin in spring 2022 with the facility operational by summer 2024.

Jobs created through the project include mechanics, general production workers and maintenance supervisors, the release said.

“The Bigelow family and all our team members are proud of our plan to build a state-of-the-art facility in Louisville,” said Bigelow Tea President and CEO Cindi Bigelow. “Over the next few years, we will be committing over $50 million to create an extraordinary plant that will take us forward for decades to come. We would like to thank the Commonwealth of Kentucky, City of Louisville, and the City of Jeffersontown for providing the support necessary to help us finalize the purchase of a 20-acre property near our existing facility that has operated in Jeffersontown for almost 30 years. This is a very exciting time for our family business.”

The Kentucky Economic Development Finance Authority (KEDFA) Thursday preliminarily approved a 10-year incentive agreement with the company under the Kentucky Business Investment program. The agreement can provide up to $500,000 in tax incentives based on the company’s $53 million investment and annual targets of:

• Creation and maintenance of 31 Kentucky-resident, full-time jobs across 10 years; and
• Paying an average hourly wage of $28.15 including benefits across those jobs.

KEDFA also approved Bigelow for up to $900,000 in tax incentives through the Kentucky Enterprise Initiative Act (KEIA). KEIA allows approved companies to recoup Kentucky sales and use tax on construction costs, building fixtures, equipment used in research and development and electronic processing.

The company can be eligible to keep a portion of the new tax revenue it generates by meeting its annual targets over the agreement term. The company may claim eligible incentives against its income tax liability and/or wage assessments.

Bigelow can receive resources from the Kentucky Skills Network, where companies can receive no-cost recruitment and job placement services, reduced-cost customized training and job training.

LDG Multifamily will expand its Louisville operations with an up to $10.75 million investment to purchase and renovate a new headquarters, projected to create 50 jobs.

According to the governor's office, LDG is working to secure a new headquarters space within Jefferson County after outgrowing its existing headquarters on South 4th Street. The larger space will house existing staff plus 50 new employees over the next 10 years. Those roles consist mostly of professional and support roles with an average salary of $85,000. LDG leadership expects to move into its new headquarters by June 2022.

“Our decision to keep our headquarters in Louisville and expand our local workforce reflects our long-term goal of remaining a Louisville-based organization and our belief that leaders in this community are committed to developing innovative solutions to address the need for more affordable housing,” said Mark Lechner, co-founder and co-principal of LDG. “LDG Multifamily was founded in Louisville, and we are proud of our strong roots within this community. We appreciate the support Gov. Beshear, Mayor Fischer and the Commonwealth of Kentucky have provided and look forward to expanding our presence in our hometown.”

LDG has created nearly 20,000 units of affordable housing in seven states, including almost 4,000 units in Kentucky, the release stated. LDG has employees in Louisville; Austin, Texas; Nashville, Tennessee and Atlanta.

KEDFA Thursday preliminarily approved a 10-year incentive agreement with the company under the Kentucky Business Investment program. The agreement can provide up to $1 million in tax incentives based on the company’s $10.75 million investment and annual targets of:

• Creation and maintenance of 50 Kentucky-resident, full-time jobs across 10 years; and
• Paying an average hourly wage of $49 including benefits across those jobs.

The company can be eligible to keep a portion of the new tax revenue it generates by meeting its annual targets over the agreement term. The company may claim eligible incentives against its income tax liability and/or wage assessments.

LDG can receive resources from the Kentucky Skills Network, where companies can receive no-cost recruitment and job placement services, reduced-cost customized training and job training incentives.