FRANKFORT, Ky. (Feb. 24, 2022) – Kentucky businesses continue to reinvest and create jobs across the state, as today Gov. Andy Beshear announced Total Quality Logistics (TQL), one of the largest freight brokerage and third-party logistics firms in North America, will grow its presence in the commonwealth with expansions at three offices across Lexington, Louisville and unincorporated Boone County, resulting in up to 525 new full-time Kentucky-resident jobs.
“Kentucky’s economy continues to grow, and our logistics sector is a major reason for that success,” Gov. Beshear said. “These expansions by TQL are incredible news, as the commitments will push the company’s statewide employment to well over 1,000 people. I want to thank TQL’s leadership for their faith in the commonwealth to continue to help their company grow. TQL and Kentucky is clearly a partnership that works, and I look forward to our continued growth together for years to come.”
TQL has operated in Kentucky for more than a decade, opening its Louisville and Lexington offices in 2011 and its Boone County location in 2012. The company currently employs about 800 people in the commonwealth. The projects will support significant increased demand for the company’s transportation services. The Lexington location anticipates an increase of 300 full-time positions, with the Boone County and Louisville locations expecting to add 125 and 100 employees, respectively. New jobs created across the offices will include entry-level and senior roles across sales, customer service and operations.
“We have had a presence in the Commonwealth of Kentucky for over a decade,” said TQL President Kerry Byrne. “We appreciate the collaboration of state and local leaders of Lexington, Louisville and Northern Kentucky to help us grow to new heights and are committed to expansion in the state.”
Headquartered in Cincinnati, TQL was founded in 1997 and provides freight brokerage and third-party logistics services domestically and internationally. Annually, TQL arranges the movement of more than 3 million loads of freight across the U.S. and internationally through its comprehensive portfolio of logistics services and network of more than 130,000 carriers. TQL has offices in 26 states, employing over 8,000 people. TQL is experiencing significant growth, with a substantial increase in revenue and number of employees.
The company’s growth in the commonwealth further enhances Kentucky’s thriving logistics and distribution sector, which includes approximately 590 facilities that employ nearly 80,000 people statewide. Since the start of 2021, companies within the sector have invested over $250 million with plans to create more than 2,000 jobs.
Lexington Mayor Linda Gorton said the company has seen tremendous growth in the commonwealth.
“Total Quality Logistics has quite a success story to tell in Lexington and across Kentucky,” Mayor Gorton said. “The expansion of local companies has allowed Lexington to recover from the pandemic and get people back to work in good jobs. Our economy is strong and growing. Congratulations, Total Quality Logistics.”
Commerce Lexington President and CEO Bob Quick noted the advantages that help the region attract businesses like TQL.
“With Lexington’s central location, access to two major interstates, excellent transportation system and strong workforce, our region provides a logistics advantage for many companies,” Quick said. “This new announcement by Total Quality Logistics to expand its Lexington office by creating 300 well-paying jobs further strengthens our economy and strategically positions the business for success within its industry. Congratulations to Total Quality Logistics on this expansion, and we appreciate its investment and confidence in Central Kentucky.”
Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer said the project highlights the area’s logistics strength.
“Louisville’s international prowess as a logistics hub centrally located along the Ohio River makes it the ideal location for back-office logistics and supply chain support operations. Louisville knows how to move packages, parts and materials across the world in less than 24 hours and our business services sector is positioned perfectly to capitalize on the expected 30% growth in the logistics and supply chain industry over the next 10 years,” Mayor Fischer said. “We are thrilled that Total Quality Logistics is continuing to invest in their Downtown Louisville office, showcasing that Louisville not only knows how to get goods from point A to point B, but we know the business of logistics. Our community is eager to welcome the newest additions to our downtown workforce, and we thank TQL for their commitment to and growth in Louisville.”
Boone County Judge/Executive Gary Moore congratulated TQL on its incredible growth and welcomed the addition of well over 100 new jobs.
“With our ideal location, strong advanced manufacturing base and proximity to the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport (CVG), TQL’s addition of new jobs in Boone County makes sense,” Judge/Executive Moore said. “We welcome the 125 new supply chain management jobs and TQL’s expansion in Northern Kentucky.”
Northern Kentucky Tri-ED CEO Lee Crume noted TQL is a significant employer in the Cincinnati region and contributes to the growth of the supply chain management target cluster identified by EY in a recent report.
“According to the recent target industry analysis, supply chain management employment will grow 28% from 2020-2025 in Northern Kentucky,” Crume said. “TQL is an incredible corporate citizen in the Cincinnati region and we welcome their growth with the new, professional jobs they are creating in unincorporated Boone County.”
TQL’s investment and planned job creation furthers recent economic momentum in the commonwealth, as the state builds back stronger from the effects of the pandemic.
Gov. Beshear recently announced that on Jan. 28, S&P Global Ratings revised Kentucky’s financial outlook to positive from stable and affirmed its “A-” credit rating. S&P cited a reduced reliance on one-time items to balance the budget and a higher balance in the state’s rainy-day fund as primary factors influencing the change.
That follows a 2021 during which the commonwealth shattered every economic development record in the books. Private-sector new-location and expansion announcements included a record $11.2 billion in total planned investment and commitments to create a record 18,000-plus full-time jobs across the coming years. Kentucky’s average incentivized hourly wage for projects statewide in 2021 was $24 before benefits, a 9.4% increase over the previous year.
In September, Gov. Beshear, Ford Motor Co. Executive Chair Bill Ford, CEO Jim Farley and Dong-Seob Jee, president of SK Innovation’s battery business, announced the single largest economic development project in the history of the commonwealth, celebrating a transformative $5.8 billion investment that will create 5,000 jobs and places Kentucky at the forefront of the automotive industry’s future.
Kentucky also saw an all-time, record-setting budget surplus in fiscal year 2021 and enters 2022 with an estimated $1.9 billion more than budgeted.
To encourage investment and job growth in the communities, the Kentucky Economic Development Finance Authority (KEDFA) today preliminarily approved three 10-year incentive agreements with the company under the Kentucky Business Investment program. The performance-based agreements are based on the creation and retention of an aggregate 525 Kentucky-resident full-time jobs at the three locations over 10 years, along with annual wage and investment requirements.
In addition, TQL can receive resources from Kentucky’s workforce service providers. Those include no-cost recruitment and job placement services, reduced-cost customized training and job-training incentives.
For more information on Total Quality Logistics, visit TQL.com. For TQL job openings, visit TQLJobs.com.
See detailed community profiles for Fayette County, Jefferson County and Boone County.
Information on Kentucky’s economic development efforts and programs is available at CED.ky.gov. Fans of the Cabinet for Economic Development can also join the discussion at facebook.com/CEDkygov, on Twitter @CEDkygov, Instagram @CEDkygov and LinkedIn.
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