The Kiwanis Club of Hopkinsville heard an update on the South Western Kentucky Economic Development Council at Thursday’s meeting, about where they stand currently and what the plans for the future are.
Executive Director Carter Hendricks says, as with everything these days, the EDC has had to adjust to how they do things and learn to work in a COVID-19 world. He says currently, industries in Hopkinsville are starting to recover from the impact of the pandemic, and there are 21 industries that represent 11 different foreign countries.
That means the remaining industries are American owned and a few are even locally owned. Hendricks says they’re continuing to develop land to entice potential new industries to the area.
He says as they move forward into the future, they’ll be visiting with existing industries, participating in forums at the state and local level to advocate for the area, and pushing that this area is one truly worth investing in.
The EDC is looking to attract all types of industry, but the ones they’re focusing on are agricultural, aerospace and defense, automotive, data centers and distribution. Hendricks also highlight that many local companies are hiring, including Continental Mills, DENSO, Comefri, Metalsa, Elk Brand, Douglass Auto Tech, Freudenberg, Halcyon Thruput, Huhtamaki, Martinrea, Pregis, Riken, TRAD and Vertical Wellness.