Gov. Matt Bevin has announced that Wright-Mix Material Solutions LLC will invest $8.5 million in a production facility at the river port in Wurtland, creating 130 full-time jobs.
“By expanding into a new location in Greenup County, Wright-Mix will grow its parent company’s home-state economic impact and employment while reaching new customers across Kentucky’s borders,” Gov. Bevin said.
“This project showcases many of the advantages the commonwealth offers to manufacturers – a central location, outstanding shipping and logistics infrastructure and the availability of raw materials and talent. I congratulate Wright-Mix and look forward to their success,” added Gov. Bevin.
Wright-Mix will renovate an existing building at the Greenup/Boyd Riverport at Wurtland, increasing its size to 80,000 square feet and preparing it for fully automated toll blending and bagging operations. The company also will build storage facilities to house raw materials and finished products. Work is scheduled to begin in August and the facility could start operations by January.
“We feel the location fits our distribution needs and the 50-acre size of this property will allow us to grow our multiple companies going forward,” said Shannon Wright, president and CEO. “I would like to personally extend my thanks to all the people on my team, the state and local authorities who worked diligently over the past few months putting this together. We feel truly blessed to be a part of this wonderful community and look forward to many years of serving it.”
Wright-Mix will receive raw materials via barge, rail and truck and ship its finished products by truck and train. Company owners noted access to the Ohio River and to rail service as determining factors in the decision to locate in Greenup County. A nearby quarry also played an important role in the site selection process.
Brothers Shannon and Kendall Wright founded Wright Concrete & Construction Inc. in 1998 in Pikeville and grew their portfolio of more than 20 companies. They established Wright-Mix in 2011.
Wright-Mix uses state-of-the-art blending equipment and robotics to provide customers with a variety of products including liquid based chemicals, non-shrink grouts, thin-skin liners, gunite, shotcrete and cement-based products in addition to a multitude of others.
The company packages its products in bags, super sacks, buckets and a variety of other options specific to customers’ needs. Wright-Mix currently ships throughout the US, Canada, Mexico, Bahamas, Australia and South Africa. Its products are used in construction, mining, tunneling, drilling and other industries.
Sen. Robin Webb, of Grayson, said the arrival of Wright-Mix is the latest sign of the region’s progress.
“We welcome Wright-Mix Material Solutions to Northeast Kentucky, and see this as another positive economic indicator for our region,” Sen. Webb said. “Our highly skilled and dedicated workforce is a great fit to the industry and I applaud the combined efforts of all who assisted and enabled this success story.”
Rep. Danny Bentley, of Russell, said the region welcomes the job creation associated with the project.
“I applaud Wright-Mix for recognizing all the potential Greenup County has to offer for manufacturing businesses. I am thrilled to see 130 new jobs coming back to an area decimated by job loss in the last decade. Thanks to newly implemented pro-growth policies in state and national government, Greenup County is poised for a comeback. I know this is just the beginning of an eastern Kentucky resurgence.”
Greenup County Judge-Executive Robert Carpenter said Wright-Mix will be a good fit for the community’s workforce.
“Wright-Mix will be a great company in Greenup County. This project is the beginning of a partnership with Wright and the people of Greenup County. We are proud to welcome them to their new home,” Judge-Executive Carpenter said.
Wurtland Mayor Donna Hayes said welcomed the company.
“The City of Wurtland is extremely excited that Wright-Mix has made the choice of Wurtland for its home,” she said. “Every job announced in the region is important to us all.”
To encourage the investment and job growth in the community, the Kentucky Economic Development Finance Authority (KEDFA) in June preliminarily approved the company for tax incentives up to $1.5 million 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, Wright-Mix 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 year 2016, the Kentucky Skills Network provided training for nearly 95,000 Kentuckians and 5,000 companies from a variety of industry sectors.
For more information on Wright-Mix Material Solutions, visit http://www.wrightconcrete.com
(story provided by Office of the Governor of Kentucky)
