CafePress, an e-commerce company that specializes in customized items such as T-shirts, posters, mugs and gift items, plans to move its global headquarters from San Mateo, Calif., to Louisville, where it already operates a 140,000-s.f. fulfillment center in southwest Jefferson County that employs some 300 workers.
CafePress is investing $16.5 million to add another 185,00 s.f. to its existing operation to accommodate the expansion. The project is expected to create 592 new full-time jobs over the next 10 years.
To encourage the expansion and headquarters relocation in Louisville, the Kentucky Economic Development Finance Authority has preliminarily approved CafePress for tax incentives of up to $10 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.
Founded in 1999, CafePress Inc. has grown to encompass a portfolio of e-commerce websites that includes CafePress.com, CanvasOnDemand.com, GreatBigCanvas.com, Imagekind.com, InvitationBox.com and Logosportswear.com. The company has had a presence in Louisville since 2005, when CEO Bob Marino joined the local team and helped build the flagship plant.
While a number of companies such as Zappos and Best Buy have fulfillment centers in Louisville, CafePress is the first to move its headquarters to the city. The company expects to eventually have 25 to 45 employees at its Louisville headquarters.
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