Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear highlighted continued growth in Kentucky’s vast manufacturing sector as Big Rapids Products plans to extend its Montgomery County presence with a $4.5 million expansion that will create 44 additional full-time jobs.
“Our economy continues to see momentum, and manufacturers like Big Rapids Products play an important role in that,” said Gov. Beshear. “This is a great day for Montgomery County and the residents of Mt. Sterling. I want to thank the company’s leadership for their continued support and look forward to seeing years of future success here in the commonwealth.”
Due to the increased demands of its customer base, Big Rapids Products will expand the footprint of its Mt. Sterling facility at 310 Flint Drive to add extensive machinery and equipment that will grow the operation’s production capacity.
“Big Rapids Products does mostly stamp and assembly for automotive products, and we are branching out into solar field hardware, appliance hardware and various other stampings for the agricultural industries,” said Josh Siple, vice president of operations at Big Rapids Products. “The updates at Flint will be used to manufacture, warehouse and ship. Big Rapids enjoys being in the Mt. Sterling location. It’s a good, centralized location, and we do not want to move. As long as we can keep making products, we want to be here.”
Founded in 1977 in Michigan, Big Rapids Products supplies metal stampings and assemblies with three facilities in Big Rapids, Michigan, and two facilities in Mt. Sterling, Kentucky. The company produces components for the automotive industry and the appliance manufacturing sector, as well as solar, aerospace, agricultural and food service sectors. In Mt. Sterling, Big Rapids Products currently employs 50 full-time equivalents between its locations at 102 Adena Drive and 310 Flint Drive.
This expansion adds to Kentucky’s significant manufacturing sector, which administration-to-date has seen more than 580 private-sector new-location or expansion projects commit to invest nearly $22 billion and create more than 29,400 full-time jobs.
Montgomery County Judge/Executive Chris Haddix spoke on the positive business climate in the county.
“We are continuing to see companies like Big Rapids wanting to expand and invest in Montgomery County,” said Judge Haddix. “I think it reflects what a positive business climate our city and county are creating. We are open for business in Montgomery County and excited about Big Rapids Products investment in opportunities for our local citizens.”
Mt. Sterling Mayor Al Botts mentioned the job creation and opportunities the expansion will bring.
“Big Rapids is a proud company with a good track record of providing quality jobs and opportunities for their workforce,” Mayor Botts said. “We are excited to hear of their desire to expand operations here. In these challenging times, we are incredibly pleased to see a company that wishes to grow with us, and we are very excited to see them do so. An investment from the state of Kentucky will allow this project to become a reality and provide a tremendous boost for our local economy.”
Mt. Sterling – Montgomery County Industrial Authority and Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Jason Rainey spoke on how important this investment is to the community.
“We are excited to have Big Rapids continuing to invest in its Mt. Sterling operations,” said Rainey. “Big Rapids is an important local employer, and we are pleased we are going to have more job opportunities in our community for our citizens. These new jobs will be over $27 an hour including related benefits. We appreciate the support of the executive branch and the Cabinet for Economic Development, and the Kentucky Economic Development Finance Authority (KEDFA) board recently approving tax incentives for this investment in Montgomery County.”
Big Rapids Products’ investment and job creation furthers recent economic momentum in the commonwealth, as the state builds back stronger from the effects of the pandemic.