Recently announced $490 million project at Appliance Park is the cornerstone of company’s new $3 billion investment in its U.S. manufacturing
Later today, Gov. Andy Beshear will join state and local officials, as well as leadership from GE Appliances, a Haier company, as the company celebrates a new $3 billion investment in its U.S. manufacturing operations over the next five years, highlighted by GE Appliances’ $490 million project at Louisville’s Appliance Park announced earlier this year.
“GE Appliances has established Kentucky as America’s destination for advanced manufacturing and job creation, and today’s news shows this iconic company’s unwavering belief in the commonwealth and the role we play in their success,” said Gov. Beshear. “This new investment highlights Kentucky’s ability to support world-class companies with a talented, skilled workforce and the resources needed to not just succeed, but thrive. The continued investment and support from GE Appliances in the Louisville community and across the commonwealth are important factors in our efforts to build a better Kentucky for the future.”
This $3 billion announcement marks the second-largest investment in GE Appliances’ history – surpassed only by the creation of the company’s global headquarters in Louisville in the early 1950s. Upon completion of this new initiative, GE Appliances will have invested $6.5 billion across its U.S. manufacturing plants and nationwide distribution network since 2016.
GE Appliances’ continued commitment to its advanced manufacturing sector further positions Kentucky at the forefront of America’s manufacturing resurgence. The company’s global HQ in Louisville will further serve as the central location for the research, product design, development and testing from this $3 billion investment. GE Appliances will rely on its 1,600 engineers working at the Kentucky facility to usher in the next phase of the company’s future, elevating the commonwealth’s position as a growing technology hub and ideal location for science, technology, engineering and mathematics careers.
“We’re making this commitment because we believe the future of manufacturing is in America and here in Kentucky,” said Kevin Nolan, CEO of GE Appliances. “Strong partnerships with government, higher education and the community give us the confidence to grow, innovate and build the workforce that will help fuel this state’s economy for years to come.”
In June of this year, the company announced the first phase of its nationwide manufacturing investment with a $490 million project at Appliance Park in Jefferson County, creating an additional 800 jobs to overhaul and redesign their front-load washer production lines. The investment represents one of the largest private-sector economic development projects during the administration, as one of only five projects with at least $450 million in investment and 800-plus jobs created.
“I am thrilled GE Appliances will continue to build the world’s best appliances at its global headquarters in Louisville,” said Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg. “This half-billion-dollar investment is a huge deal that will create 800 good, local jobs and secure GE Appliances’ growth in Louisville for the next generation.”
“This investment by GE Appliances reiterates their commitment to innovation and affirms Louisville as a hotspot for the next generation of American manufacturing,” said Trevor Pawl, CEO of the Louisville Economic Development Alliance. “We’re proud to support the company’s growth in collaboration with the Kentucky Cabinet for Economic Development as we work together to shape a resilient and vibrant economy.”
In 2021, GE announced a $450 million expansion, creating more than 1,000 full-time jobs to add two new dishwasher manufacturing lines, new top-load washer models and four-door refrigerator production. The investment positioned Appliance Park as the largest plant of its kind in the United States.
The company recently released its 2024 economic impact analysis, which reported that GE Appliances’ investments, supplier base, customers and payroll contributed $12.8 billion to Kentucky’s GDP last year. Additionally, GE Appliances spent $318 million with more than 480 Kentucky suppliers.
Louisville’s Appliance Park is GE Appliances’ largest manufacturing operation, with more than 6 million square feet for the production of washers, dryers, dishwashers and refrigerators.
GE Appliances began production at Appliance Park in 1953. The campus sits on 750 acres in southern Jefferson County and serves as the company’s headquarters, and includes marketing, sales and support functions. Appliance Park also houses the company’s technology and engineering center, industrial design, distribution center and warehouse operations. GE Appliances employs more than 8,000 people full-time at Appliance Park and a nearby call center.
GE Appliances’ investment and job creation build on the best five-year period for economic growth in state history.
Since the beginning of his administration, Gov. Beshear has announced more than 1,200 private-sector new-location and expansion projects totaling over $39 billion in announced investments, creating more than 62,500 jobs. This is the highest investment figure secured during the tenure of any governor in the commonwealth’s history and $18 billion more than the next highest total.
The robust job creation has been accompanied by rising wages across the commonwealth. Since 2022, the average incentivized hourly wage has topped $26 in three consecutive years for the first time.
Gov. Beshear has announced some of the largest economic development projects in state history, which have solidified Kentucky as the electric vehicle battery production capital of the United States: Ford Motor Co. and SK On’s transformative $5.8 billion, 5,000-job BlueOval SK Battery Park in Hardin County; AESC’s $2 billion, 2,000-job gigafactory project in Warren County; Toyota’s $1.3 billion investment in Scott County; Ford Motor Co.’s $2 billion, 2,200 job commitment in Louisville; and Shelbyville Battery Manufacturing’s $712 million investment, creating 1,572 jobs in Shelby County, among others.
The Governor’s administration also secured the largest General Fund budget surplus and Rainy Day Fund. In 2023, Kentucky recorded over 2 million jobs filled for the first time ever and has stayed above that number ever since.
Kentucky also secured rating increases from major credit rating agencies Fitch Ratings, S&P Global Ratings and Moody’s Investors Service.
Earlier this year, Site Selection magazine ranked Kentucky in the top five nationally and second in the South Central region for economic development projects per capita in its 2024 Governor’s Cup rankings. Site Selection also placed Kentucky second in the South Central region and No. 6 nationally in its 2025 Prosperity Cup ranking, which recognizes state-level economic development agencies for their success in landing capital investment projects.
Gov. Beshear also announced a new initiative, called New Kentucky Home, to increase economic investment, attain and attract talent, and increase tourism across the state.