Governor Andy Beshear announced Thursday that he and first lady Britainy 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 further Kentucky’s presence in the region and spur job growth for Kentuckians.
“New jobs mean more opportunities for Kentucky families to pay the bills and live good lives, 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 a great opportunity to connect with leaders of existing Kentucky businesses, companies we want to see invest, and trade organizations as we continue to show the world there’s no better place to do business than our New Kentucky Home.”
The delegation is expected to meet with more than 45 companies during the weeklong trip, 16 of which have existing facilities in Kentucky that employ approximately 4,000 people statewide. Collectively, the companies have active projects with the potential to bring up to 2,900 full-time jobs and over $3.5 billion in investment to Kentucky, in addition to future growth opportunities.
The Governor will also meet with trade officials in the U.K. and France, which are Kentucky’s second- and third-largest export markets, respectively, with more than $9.7 billion worth of goods exported to the two countries in 2024.
Economic Development Cabinet Secretary Jeff Noel, who will join Beshear on the trip, says it’s important to build upon existing relationships to secure future wins for Kentucky.
“We are fortunate to have a strong and diverse group of international companies here in Kentucky, and this is a great chance to build on that foundation and further those relationships to bring even more great jobs to our state. I look forward to joining the Governor on this critical mission, and I’m excited to see what new opportunities arise following these discussions with innovative and growth-minded companies.”
Kentucky has over 530 internationally owned operations that employ more than 115,000 people statewide. European-owned companies employ over 40,000 people at 238 facilities in Kentucky and represent 17 countries. The commonwealth is home to 26 U.K.-based companies that employ over 2,700 people, 40 French-owned businesses that employ over 5,600 workers, and eight Irish-owned operations that employ nearly 1,000 Kentuckians.
