Business hopes to hire 120 employees more in 5-10 years
FRANKFORT, Ky. (Aug. 6, 2015) — Two Kentucky entrepreneurs are set to launch a new glass tempering business.
Gov. Steve Beshear and Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer today announced 310 Tempering is planning to open a facility in Jeffersontown.
Initially, 310 Tempering is a startup company creating 30 jobs. Within the next five to 10 years, the company plans to hire an additional 120 employees. The company will invest nearly $6 million in the project.
“In celebration of the entrepreneurial spirit of the commonwealth, we congratulate 310 Tempering,” Beshear said. “Being an entrepreneur means pursuing your dream to make a difference. That is why we have worked so hard to grow the entrepreneurial environment here in Kentucky. This announcement is another example of how that work is helping real companies succeed.”
Kentucky ranks fourth in the country for its ability to create businesses, according to the State Entrepreneurship Index and Thumbtack.com gave the commonwealth an “A” rating for small business friendliness.
“It’s always exciting when a local startup company chooses to expand its business where it first began,” Fischer said. “We are proud that 310 Tempering is not only creating new jobs and investing in Jeffersontown but also increasing Louisville’s status as a leading city for manufacturing.”
310 Tempering will purchase an existing facility in the Bluegrass Industrial Park in Jeffersontown to house its operations. The investment also will include high-end tempering equipment that will allow the company to design and fabricate custom glass projects to a variety of business sectors, including shower doors, glass railings, interior office partitions and storefront entrances.
In mid-April, Greg Abrams and Chris Murphy, veterans of the shower door and glass manufacturing industry, decided to start 310 Tempering to meet market demand for high-quality tempered glass.
“We are very appreciative and excited to be starting 310 in our home city of Louisville,” said Abrams, CEO and president of 310 Tempering. “Chris and I have formed a lot of great relationships over the years and are anxious to get back to work in this prospering community. With demand for custom fabricated tempered glass as high as ever, we feel we can build something that will provide numerous opportunities for those willing to take it.”
According to Abrams, 310 Tempering will be one of only three tempering companies in a 50-mile radius and will be specializing in custom orders with precise fabrication needs. Because several steps in the tempering process require highly-skilled employees, Abrams and Murphy are designing a team leader program to train employees who have little or no glass experience, but who have a good work ethic and are eager to learn.
The company will begin hiring employees in September and plans to begin production later this fall.
To encourage the investment and job growth in the community, the Kentucky Economic Development Finance Authority (KEDFA) preliminarily approved the company for tax incentives up to $1.5 million through the Kentucky Business Investment program. The performance-based incentive allows a company to keep a portion of its investment over the term of the agreement through corporate income tax credits and wage assessments by meeting job and investment targets.
In addition, 310 Tempering is eligible to receive resources from the Kentucky Skills Network. Through the Kentucky Skills Network, companies are eligible to receive no-cost recruitment and job placement services, reduced-cost customized training and job training incentives. Last year, the Kentucky Skills Network trained more than 84,000 employees from more than 4,100 Kentucky companies.
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