Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear announced a new distribution facility in Midway for Lakeshore Learning Materials LLC, a developer of educational materials and classroom furniture and supplies, creating 40 full-time jobs with a $27.3 million investment.
“I am excited to announce Kentucky’s expanding partnership with Lakeshore Learning Materials,” said Gov. Beshear. “The company has already created 338 jobs for Kentuckians and will create 40 new positions in the coming months. I want to thank Lakeshore’s leaders for their investment in the commonwealth and this welcome addition to the Midway community.”
Lakeshore Learning will construct a 360,000-square-foot distribution facility to add to its existing 1 million-square-foot network in Midway. The site is located on 14 acres near Georgetown Road in Woodford County. Work on the project is expected to begin in December of this year and be completed by December 2023.
“Lakeshore Learning values its partnership with the Commonwealth of Kentucky and the Midway community,” said Artin Ghazarian, chief distribution and logistics officer at Lakeshore Learning Materials. “We’re proud to continue to grow here and look forward to serving even more customers with this expansion.”
Founded in 1954, Lakeshore is a leading U.S. developer of educational materials and classroom furniture and supplies. In 68 years of business, the company has grown from a single retail store in Oakland, California, to a multimillion-dollar company with over 60 retail stores, a thriving e-commerce business, catalogs and a sales force with customers in every state and across the globe. Over the last decade, the business has continued to show consistent growth. To address the strains on the growing supply chain needs, Lakeshore Learning partnered with Kentucky state and local government in 2016 and 2019 to build distribution facilities totaling 1 million-square-feet in Midway.
Lakeshore Learning’s growth builds on the state’s strength in distribution and logistics, an industry that has announced more than 7,700 full-time jobs for Kentucky residents during the Beshear administration and roughly $2.2 billion in new investment.
Woodford County Judge/Executive James Kay congratulated and thanked Lakeshore Learning's leadership and their employees for the expansion.
“Lakeshore Learning has quickly become one of our best corporate citizens. We value their contribution, and we are blessed to work with them as a partner in our community,” Judge Kay said. “Woodford County continues to prove that we are the best place to do business in Kentucky. It’s a pleasure to work with Mayor Thurman to bring jobs and opportunity to Midway and Woodford County. We’re showing that working together with positive leadership gets results for our people.”
Midway Mayor Stacy Thurman noted her excitement for the project.
“Lakeshore Learning has proven to be a wonderful community partner as well as one of our largest employers,” said Mayor Stacy Thurman. “On behalf of the City of Midway, we are thrilled that they are expanding their facility, investing in our town and bringing more high-paying jobs to our region.”
Lakeshore Learning’s investment and planned job creation furthers recent economic momentum in the commonwealth, as the state builds back stronger from the effects of the pandemic.