B & K Wood Products to expand in Madisonville

Family-owned commercial firewood producer to add production space, 39 new jobs

FRANKFORT, Ky. (July 9, 2014) –B & K Wood Products plans to expand its operations in Hopkins County. It will create 39 jobs and invest $1.2 million to open a new facility for production, offices and storage.

“Here’s another perfect example of a family-owned business growing right here in the commonwealth,” said Gov. Steve Beshear. “We’re thrilled to see B & K Wood Products expand its footprint in western Kentucky and create dozens of full-time jobs. I want to thank the company for its continued investment.”

B & K Wood Products plans to purchase the 192,000-s.f. industrial building at 200 Commerce Drive in Madisonville. The new space will allow the company to manufacture and store product to fulfill commercial firewood orders from companies like Kroger, Walmart, Lowe’s, Home Depot, Tractor Supply, Dollar General and others.

“B & K Wood Products is quickly becoming America’s largest producer of commercial firewood,” said Jordan Baize, general manager of B & K Wood Products. “In an effort to make a product of unquestionable quality and to have the yearly production capability needed to fulfill such large orders placed by some of America’s largest retail establishments, a new facility is desperately needed.”

B & K Wood Products produces a wealth of wood products, including firewood, cross ties, crane mats, mulch and more. The company was founded by Jordan Baize’s great-grandfather in the western coalfield and Pennyrile regions of Kentucky in 1955. Today, B & K Wood Products operates on a 40-acre campus in Madisonville with more than 130 employees.

The Kentucky Economic Development Finance Authority preliminarily approved the company for tax incentives up to $400,000 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.

Hopkins County has also been certified by the Kentucky Workforce Investment Board as a Certified Work Ready in Progress Community. The certification is an assurance to business and industry that the community is committed to providing the highly skilled workforce required in today’s competitive global economy.