Written by Tom Latic
Kentucky today

Gov. Andy Beshear announced Thursday that he and First Lady Brittany Beshear will lead a delegation on an economic development mission to Europe next week.

They will travel to the United Kingdom, France and Ireland to meet with business leaders and trade officials to strengthen Kentucky’s presence in the region and stimulate job growth for Kentuckians.

“New jobs mean more opportunities for Kentucky families to pay bills and live well, which is why my administration has worked hard to secure new investment – ​​including foreign investment, which is essential to our success,” Beshear said. “This visit provides us with a great opportunity to connect with existing Kentucky corporate leaders, companies we would like to see invest, and trade organizations as we continue to show the world that there is no better place to do business than our new home in Kentucky.”

The delegation is expected to meet with more than 45 companies during the week-long trip, 16 of which have existing facilities in Kentucky that employ about 4,000 people statewide. Collectively, the companies have active projects that have the potential to bring up to 2,900 full-time jobs and more than $3.5 billion in investment to Kentucky, as well as future growth opportunities.

The governor will also meet with trade officials from the United Kingdom and France, Kentucky’s second and third largest export markets, respectively, with goods exported to the two countries worth $9.7 billion in 2024.

Cabinet Secretary for Economic Development Jeff Noel, who will join Beshear on the trip, says it’s important to build on existing relationships to secure future victories for Kentucky.

“We are fortunate to have a strong, diverse group of world-class companies here in Kentucky, and this is a great opportunity to build on that foundation and strengthen those relationships to bring more great jobs to our state. I look forward to joining the Governor in this critical mission, and I am excited to see the new opportunities that emerge from these discussions with innovative, growth-oriented companies.”

Kentucky has more than 530 internationally owned operations employing more than 115,000 people statewide. The European-owned companies employ more than 40,000 people at 238 facilities in Kentucky and represent 17 countries. The Commonwealth is home to 26 UK-based companies employing more than 2,700 people, 40 French-owned companies employing more than 5,600 workers, and eight Irish-owned operations employing nearly 1,000 Kentuckians.