BOWLING GREEN, Ky.— The Bowling Green Area Chamber of Commerce honored 12 businesses Tuesday at its annual Targeted Business and Industry Awards in a virtual ceremony. CROWN Cork & Seal received the highest honor, the John B. Holland Business of the Year Award.
Each October, the chamber’s targeted businesses are recognized for their contribution to the community in conjunction with Targeted Business and Industry Appreciation Month. Bowling Green and Warren County have experienced great success in 2020, despite the numerous challenges, announcing $261.3 million in capital investment and over 226 new jobs year-to-date.
“Our targeted businesses, both existing and new, are what fuel the continued growth of our economy. Although we would much rather be celebrating with them in person, we are thankful that they are taking safety precautions to ensure the health in their facilities and that they still made time to join us on Zoom,” said Ron Bunch, president and CEO of the chamber. “It is a privilege to be able to support them every day and only fitting we honor the impact they’ve had through continuous capital investment, job creation, and community engagement here in South Central Kentucky.”
“Even though it was not our traditional way of celebrating, it was wonderful to be able to honor all of the contributions that our targeted businesses and industries bring to South Central Kentucky,” said Eric Walker, chairman of the 2020 Bowling Green Area Chamber of Commerce board of directors. “These companies employ thousands of people and invest millions of dollars in our area. This is our annual opportunity as a community to appreciate and recognize special achievements in our area. Our businesses have faced many uncertainties this year, so it was extra special being able to honor them, further proving Bowling Green is the very best place to work and live.”
The John B. Holland Business of the Year Award, named to honor Mr. Holland and his dedication to business success in the community, was awarded to Bowling Green newcomer, CROWN Cork & Seal. Each year, the chamber celebrates a business that stands out within the community for its overall impact.
This leader in metal packaging technology has been in operation since 1892, and the chamber was excited that CROWN selected Bowling Green for its new canned beverage plant last year. Not only does this award celebrate the new jobs the company is creating, it also recognizes all the effort that went into designing and building the brand new, state-of-the-art facility, the chamber said. In attendance to accept the award was Mark Ketcheson, president of CROWN Beverage Packaging.
The John B. Holland Business of the Year Award was sponsored by President’s Club Bronze Star Partner the Murphy Construction Group, which includes Scott, Murphy and Daniel, LLC, Scott & Murphy, Inc., and Hartz Contracting.
The chamber also presented awards to targeted businesses in five other categories: Newcomer; Business Expansion; Green to Gold; Business Innovation; and Healthcare Enterprise. It also recognized local impact stories amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. Bunch, Walker, and Warren County First District Magistrate Doug Gorman were recorded presenting the awards.
Newcomer Award – Sponsored by Luttrell Staffing Group, for companies that are new to South Central Kentucky and have announced a location in the region within the past 12 months.
Dollar GeneralÂ
Dollar General started in Scottsville, Ky., and is currently headquartered in nearby Goodlettsville, Tenn.. It is investing $26 million in a new 160,000-s.f. cold storage and distribution facility in the Kentucky Transpark. This location will create 65 new jobs. Dollar General is a major retail company with more than 16,000 stores in 46 states.
CROWN Cork & Seal
CROWN Cork & Seal USA is a subsidiary of Crown Holdings, Inc., one of the world’s largest packaging companies. It has begun construction on a $147 million, 327,000-s.f. facility in the Kentucky Transpark. Once complete, CROWN will employ 126 people at the new facility, which will manufacture aluminum cans at a rate of 1.3 billion cans per year, making this facility a key producer for the company.
Business Expansion Award – Sponsored by President’s Club Bronze Star Partner Tennessee Valley Authority, for South Central Kentucky businesses that expanded operations in 2019, investing capital and creating jobs.
CGS Machine & Tool
CGS Machine & Tool, Inc. is a parts producer for manufacturers. It is expecting to create 15 new full-time jobs and are investing $2.75 million in its Bowling Green facility. CGS plans to invest in upgrades to its operation in response to continued growth and its recently approved ISO certification.
Henkel
Henkel invested an additional $70 million in its Bowling Green facility to continue to grow leading brands such as: All, Purex, Persil, Sun laundry detergents, and Snuggle fabric softener and dryer sheets. The laundry and home care business unit is the cornerstone of Henkel’s success story and is expected to continue to grow.
Green to Gold Award – Sponsored by President’s Club Gold Star Partner Bowling Green Municipal Utilities, for companies that best exemplify “green” leadership as it pertains to the region’s goals to become a leader in this emerging field.
Performance Foodservice
Performance Foodservice is one of the largest foodservice distributors in the United States and provides a wide array of restaurant support services. It just completed the expansion of its cooler, freezer and chill dock, increasing the facility by 150%. The company converted from electric rooftop refrigeration to a state-of-the-art ammonia system. Through its investment of $2.7 million, they have realized a 60% reduction in their utility use.
Business Innovation Award – Sponsored by President’s Club Bronze Star Partner Stewart Richey Construction, for South Central Kentucky companies that – through product or process – best exemplify innovative leadership.
Trace Die Cast
Founded in Bowling Green, Trace Die Cast offers technology-driven high-pressure die casting solutions for the global automotive industry. The company focuses on aluminum castings designed for the engine, transmission, and driveline components. Trace Die Cast invested an additional $15 million and created 20 new jobs with the addition of new battery-tray assemblies for fully-hybrid electrical vehicles. These will be used in the Ford Escape, Ford Kuga (distributed in Europe), and the Ford Explorer and F-150.
Healthcare Enterprise Award – Sponsored by President’s Club Bronze Star Partner Vid Monster, for South Central Kentucky healthcare organizations that expanded operations in 2019, investing capital and creating new jobs for local residents.
Med Center Health
Med Center Health, South Central Kentucky’s largest integrated healthcare system with over 3,800 employees, invested approximately $198.9 million in capital this year. Additionally, the Medical Center at Bowling Green, which is the flagship hospital of Med Center Health, has received the Get with the Guidelines-Stroke Gold Plus and Target: Stroke Honor Roll Elite Plus Quality Awards from the American Heart Association and the American Stroke Association.
TriStar Greenview Regional Hospital
TriStar Greenview Regional Hospital is committed to providing the highest-quality health care to residents of Warren County and the Greater Bowling Green area. Its commitment was demonstrated this year by a $10 million investment towards capital improvements and the creation of 100 new jobs. Four years in a row, TriStar Greenview has earned the Patient Safety Excellence Award by Healthgrades.
Impact Stories – Sponsored by President’s Club Gold Star Partner Atmos Energy, for companies who have seized business opportunities presented by COVID-19 to impact their business and positively impacted our community.
Pink Lily
Pink Lily was recognized for its commercial impact. During COVID-19, it quickly reworked its clothing lineup to take advantage of the “work-from-home” market and exceeded sales expectations for 2020. It also donated 2,500 masks and care packages to local hospital employees.
Pan-Oston
Pan-Oston was recognized for its innovative impact through retooling its products to meet the new safety standards required for businesses due to the pandemic. Pan-Oston chose to face business adversity head-on and quickly designed and produced several protective barrier products to keep its existing and new customers operating safely throughout 2020.
Logan Aluminum
Logan Aluminum was recognized for its regional impact during COVID-19. As a critical infrastructure entity, Logan Aluminum continued to operate safely throughout the pandemic and found the time to generously donate much needed PPE to 17 different healthcare and public service entities across our region.
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