Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear congratulated DAS Cos. Inc., a distributor of automotive supplies, travel gear and mobile electronics, on the announcement of the company’s new distribution center in Simpson County, which is creating 100 full-time jobs with a $15 million investment.
“Kentucky is a hub for the distribution and logistics industry, thanks to our ideal geographic location, skilled workforce and strong infrastructure,” Gov. Beshear said. “Our state’s continued growth will rely on the continued success of distributors across the commonwealth, such as DAS. I want to thank the company’s leaders for locating this project in Franklin and creating 100 quality job opportunities for our residents.”
Leaders at DAS recently acquired a 105,000-square-foot facility in the Henderson Interstate Industrial Park that will be expanded to 200,000 square feet to distribute products to convenient stores, travel centers and electronics and specialty retailers. The new location also will support a licensing agreement between the company and Cummins Inc. to distribute a variety of new-to-market products and allow DAS to build out its e-commerce strategy.
“The Franklin location is a perfect fit for us, as it helps ensure that we will continue to be the best-in-class solution for our growing customer base and the logistical leader within the industry in transit times and fill rates,” said David Abel, president and CEO of DAS.
DAS, a full-service marketing and supply chain portfolio company, distributes more than 12,000 products, with over 800,000 square feet of warehouse space across operations in four states. The company designs, imports and distributes truck and automotive supplies, travel gear and mobile electronics through a series of partnerships, which include travel centers, convenience stores, heavy duty trucking, electronics and specialty retailers.
The investment in Simpson County builds on Kentucky’s strength in the distribution and logistics industry. Since the start of the Beshear administration, companies within the sector announced more than 5,600 full-time, Kentucky-resident jobs across more than 90 facility expansion and new-location projects with $605 million in private-sector investment in the commonwealth.
Simpson County Judge/Executive Mason Barnes said the company adds to the recent success in the region.
“Franklin and Simpson County has a lot of momentum going right now when it comes to company locations,” Judge Barnes said. “The Henderson Interstate Industrial Park just off of Interstate 65 in Simpson County is now home to several great companies and DAS is certainly a welcomed addition. This Pennsylvania company will be a big plus for our area.”
Franklin Mayor Larry Dixon lauded the company for its investment and job creation.
“The location of DAS to Franklin was a great win for the community. My understanding is that the new Franklin facility will help service the Southeast area of the country for DAS,” Mayor Dixon said. “We are excited about the jobs they are bringing to Franklin as well as the investment they are making in our community.”
Gary Broady, chairman of the Franklin Simpson Industrial Authority, highlighted the partnerships needed to secure the project.
“Our association with the Kentucky Cabinet for Economic Development has really been a great partnership. The cabinet played a vital role in helping us secure DAS as well as other companies to the park,” Broady said. “There is over a million square feet of industrial and distribution facilities either existing or being built in the Henderson Industrial Park. We welcome DAS and appreciate their decision to locate in Franklin.”
The investment and planned job creation by DAS furthers recent economic momentum in the commonwealth, as the state builds back stronger from the effects of the pandemic.
In 2021, the commonwealth shattered every economic development record in the books. Private-sector new-location and expansion announcements included a record $11.2 billion in total planned investment and commitments to create a record 18,000-plus full-time jobs across the coming years. Kentucky’s average incentivized hourly wage for projects statewide in 2021 was $24 before benefits, a 9.4% increase over the previous year.
In the past year, the Beshear administration announced the two largest economic development projects in state history. In September 2021, Gov. Beshear and leaders from Ford Motor Co. and SK Innovation celebrated a transformative $5.8 billion investment that will create 5,000 jobs in Hardin County. And in April of this year, the Governor was joined by leadership at Envision AESC to announce a $2 billion investment that will create 2,000 jobs in Warren County. These announcements solidify Kentucky as the EV battery production capital of the United States.
The economic momentum has carried strongly into 2022, with both S&P Global Ratings and Fitch Ratings upgrading Kentucky’s financial outlook to positive in recognition of the commonwealth’s surging economy.