FRANKFORT, Ky. (May 31, 2018) – Gov. Matt Bevin today announced Crown Verity USA Inc., a manufacturer of outdoor commercial and residential cooking equipment, will locate in Bowling Green with a $3.6 million investment that will create 25 full-time jobs.
“Crown Verity has developed a strong reputation across its customer base in North America, and we are proud to welcome them to the commonwealth,” Gov. Bevin said. “A growing list of quality companies like Crown are choosing Kentucky for their US headquarters, capitalizing on our healthy business climate and distinct logistical advantages. We are grateful that Crown Verity USA has found a home in the commonwealth, and we wish the company much success in the years ahead.”
The company plans to build a 60,000-square-foot facility on a Build-Ready certified site in Bowling Green’s Kentucky Transpark. The facility, Crown Verity’s first in the US, will include space for production of grills and other cooking equipment as well as storage and distribution. The cooking equipment provider outgrew its existing operations in Canada, and its executives decided a Kentucky location would allow the company to better serve current and prospective customers. Crown Verity’s plans to distribute all its American-market products in Kentucky starting in 2019. Company officials noted availability of land, access to freeways and a strong labor pool as impacting factors in their decision to locate in Bowling Green.
“We are very excited about expanding our operations in Kentucky,” said Andy Incitti, president of Crown Verity. “The ability to provide added value to our customers and new opportunities for Bowling Green made the decision very easy. We felt welcomed from the first day we visited and look forward to contributing to our new community and family.”
Crown Verity USA Inc. is a subsidiary of Crown Verity Inc., a leading manufacturer of high-performing outdoor commercial and residential cooking equipment based in Brantford, Ontario, Canada. The company has served the American and Canadian foodservice, industrial and home markets since 1990.
Kentucky’s Build-Ready sites save companies time and expense by certifying that pre-construction requirements are already in place. All Build-Ready sites include a pad 50,000 square feet or greater – expandable to 100,000 square feet or more – and utilities that extend to the site’s edge. The designation also means necessary permits, including water, environmental, archeological, and geotechnical are on file, as well as preliminary building plans, cost estimates and schedule projections.
Sen. Mike Wilson, of Bowling Green, said the community welcomed the company with open arms.
“Crown Verity is an outstanding addition to the corporate community in Bowling Green,” Sen. Wilson said. “The company’s decision to locate in Kentucky demonstrates the ripe economic climate for competition both nationally and globally, and I offer my warmest welcome and look forward to Crown Verity’s success in our community.”
Rep. Jim DeCesare, of Bowling Green, said Crown Verity makes a great fit for the area.
“I am happy to welcome Crown Verity to Bowling Green,” Rep. DeCesare said. “Bowling Green has a very pro-business climate and I’m sure the members of the company will be very happy here.”
Bowling Green Mayor Bruce Wilkerson anticipates long-term success for Crown Verity in Kentucky.
“Congratulations to Crown Verity USA on this project and we wish them all the best as they work to grow their presence in the United States,” Mayor Wilkerson said. “We are excited they chose to locate here and look forward to their future in our community.”
Warren County Judge-Executive Mike Buchanon said the company will be a great fit in Bowling Green as they look to increase their presence in the US market.
“Crown Verity USA will be a great addition to the Kentucky Transpark and Warren County’s community,” Judge-Executive Buchanon said. “We welcome them and congratulate them on their first United States location that will allow them to better serve their North American customers.”
Ron Bunch, Bowling Green Area Chamber of Commerce president and CEO, said he expects this to be the beginning of a strong corporate-community relationship.
“Crown Verity has experienced tremendous market growth throughout North America, and Bowling Green is a great location for their logistics needs,” Bunch said. “We are pleased to welcome Crown Verity USA to southcentral Kentucky and look forward to working with them in the future.”
To encourage the investment and job growth in the community, the Kentucky Economic Development Finance Authority (KEDFA) in May preliminarily approved the company for tax incentives up to $300,000 through the Kentucky Business Investment program. The performance-based incentive allows a company to keep a portion of its investment over the agreement term through corporate income tax credits and wage assessments by meeting job and investment targets.
In addition, Crown Verity can receive resources from the Kentucky Skills Network. Through the Kentucky Skills Network, companies can receive no-cost recruitment and job placement services, reduced-cost customized training and job training incentives. In fiscal year 2017, the Kentucky Skills Network provided training for more than 120,000 Kentuckians and 5,700 companies from a variety of industry sectors.
For more information on Crown Verity, visit www.CrownVerity.com.
A detailed community profile for Warren County can be viewed here. For more information on the Build-Ready program, visit www.thinkkentucky.com/selectkentucky/buildready/.
Information on Kentucky’s economic development efforts and programs is available at ThinkKentucky.com.
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