FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
The Legacy Companies To Open Distribution Center in Paris, Kentucky
FRANKFORT, Ky. (June 26, 2018) – Gov. Matt Bevin today announced The Legacy Companies, a leading food service and consumer appliance company, will locate in an existing facility in Bourbon County with a nearly $6.7 million investment that will create 60 full-time jobs.
“Kentucky has an ever-increasing presence in the food and beverage sector, and The Legacy Companies will be a tremendous addition to the industry in our state,” Gov. Bevin said. “The jobs created through this investment will positively impact individual families, the Bourbon County community, and the surrounding Bluegrass region. We look forward to celebrating Legacy’s continued growth and success in the commonwealth.”
Legacy plans to locate in a 277,000-square-foot building on Cleveland Drive in Paris in response to organic growth and recent acquisitions. Since 2009, the company has grown from 75 employees to over 500 with sales in excess of $250million. The Kentucky location will allow the company to better serve a large percentage of its customers, as well as lower logistics costs and time to market. Legacy anticipates adding jobs immediately to the area upon purchase of the new facility which is expected to happen on Monday, July 2, 2018. The company anticipates the facility will be fully operational with three months of purchase.
“This move will help expand our capabilities and also allow us to be more centrally located for our existing customer base,” said Neal Asbury, CEO of The Legacy Companies. “This DC is an impactful asset that provides added opportunity for us to offer and deliver better customer service than ever before. As we settle in, we will be adding more people to the staff and we are excited about that too.”
Sen. Stephen West, of Paris, noted that the project reflects the potential of the local workforce.
“I would like to offer a warm welcome to The Legacy Companies as the company joins our community in Senate District 27,” Sen. West said. “This investment truly speaks volumes about the workforce climate in our region, and I know Paris and the surrounding communities looks forward to The Legacy Companies’ success in Bourbon County and beyond.”
Rep. Sannie Overly, of Paris, said the community has all the necessary tools to ensure the company’s success.
“I’m proud to welcome The Legacy Companies to our community and want to thank its leaders for investing here and creating these new jobs,” Rep. Overly said. “Having the company locate in an already-built structure makes this announcement even better, because that will make it easier to get its operations underway. This news is also further proof that we offer everything a thriving business could want.”
Paris Mayor Mike Thornton said it was a team effort to make the project a reality.
“The City of Paris is excited to continue partnering with the Kentucky Cabinet for Economic Development and Bourbon County Fiscal Court to announce another economic development opportunity for our community,” Mayor Thornton said. “It is a privilege to welcome The Legacy Companies to Paris, and Bourbon County, and our team at the City of Paris looks forward to helping them grow and build on their previous successes. The resources that Legacy brings to our community not only creates much needed employment opportunities for our residents but offers an exciting new concept for Paris. I am excited for the future growth of The Legacy Companies and welcome them as our next community partner.”
Bourbon County Judge-Executive Mike Williams said the arrival of The Legacy Companies will greatly benefit the local economy.
“The Bourbon County Fiscal Court is very happy to welcome The Legacy Companies to our county as our newest corporate citizen. We look forward to partnering with them to help our community grow and prosper,” Judge-Executive Williams said. “Great jobs are essential in our plans to encourage an entire generation to work and live in Bourbon County. The Legacy Companies provides yet another inspiration for those residents and their families. We’re excited that they will bring their prominence and expertise to our industrial park to enhance the growing reputation that our county has for world class food service industry stalwarts. We welcome The Legacy Companies with open arms and look forward to helping their transition to Bourbon County be as smooth and trouble free as possible.”
Gordon Wilson, executive director of the Paris-Bourbon County Economic Development Authority, said the community stands ready to ensure the success of its latest business venture.
“The Paris-Bourbon County Economic Development Authority (PBCEDA) is excited that The Legacy Companies has chosen Paris and Bourbon County as home for an expansion of their successful operations,” Wilson said. “This project will boost our local economy and provide new career opportunities for our talented workforce. Through collaboration and hard work, the PBCEDA, Kentucky Cabinet for Economic Development, Bourbon County Fiscal Court and the Paris City Commission provided The Legacy Companies the location, resources and incentives needed to ensure the success of their expansion. The PBCEDA is dedicated to providing The Legacy Companies and all our industrial companies with an ally that will promote a strong business climate and dedicated service.”
To encourage the investment and job growth in the community, the Kentucky Economic Development Finance Authority (KEDFA) in April preliminarily approved the company for tax incentives up to $600,000 through the Kentucky Business Investment program. The performance-based incentive allows a company to keep a portion of its investment over the agreement term through corporate income tax credits and wage assessments by meeting job and investment targets.
In addition, Legacy can receive resources from the Kentucky Skills Network. Through the Kentucky Skills Network, companies can receive no-cost recruitment and job placement services, reduced-cost customized training and job training incentives. In fiscal 2017, the Kentucky Skills Network provided training for more than 120,000 Kentuckians and 5,700 companies from a variety of industry sectors.
About The Legacy Companies
The Legacy Companies, a privately owned company with a strong track record of acquiring and growing companies, is a leading food service and consumer products company that designs, manufactures and markets, nationally and internationally, a diverse portfolio of products under world-class brands such as Back-to-Basics®, Bevles®, Blakeslee®, ChefsChoice®, EdgeCraft®, Excalibur®, General®, Greenfield WorldTrade, Kold-Draft®, Maxximum®, Nautilus®, Omega®, WestBend®, Yonanas® and Zeroll®. The Legacy Companies is headquartered in Fort Lauderdale, FL. More information can be found on the Web at www.TheLegacyCompanies.com.
A detailed community profile for Bourbon County can be viewed here.
Information on Kentucky’s economic development efforts and programs is available at www.ThinkKentucky.com. Fans of the Cabinet for Economic Development can also join the discussion on Facebook, follow on Twitter and watch the Cabinet’s “This is My Kentucky” video on YouTube.
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MEDIA CONTACT
Contact: Meagan Bradley
(954) 202.7419
MBradley@TheLegacyCompanies.com