FRANKFORT, Ky. (Sept. 26, 2024) – Today, Gov. Andy Beshear announced the continued momentum of the state’s manufacturing industry as Camco Chemical Co., a custom manufacturer of products for the industrial, commercial and consumer goods industries, announced plans to expand its current operation along the border of Boone and Kenton counties, a $3 million investment that will create 30 new quality, Kentucky jobs.
“Kentucky’s strong economy would not be possible without deeply established businesses like Camco choosing to reinvest and expand here in the commonwealth,” said Gov. Beshear. “Camco has provided products and jobs for six decades, and I’m excited to see the company prosper long into the future.”
The project will see Camco upgrade its 586,000-square-foot facility located at 8150 Holton Drive. The building and equipment improvements will allow the company to increase manufacturing production to meet growing consumer and industry demand. The 30 full-time Kentucky resident jobs created from the project will include packaging production operators, material handlers, warehouse and fulfillment service associates as well as other supporting functions. These new positions will push the company’s total employment to over 200. Leaders at Camco expect to begin expansion activities, including engineering and equipment implementation and staffing, in Q4 2024 with the goal of full operation expansion by Q2 2025.
“The expansion of Camco’s liquid bottling capacity and capabilities for specialty products serving the commercial and consumer markets provides an exciting opportunity to meet demand by new and existing customers,” said Adrian Hothem, president and CEO of Camco. “From our beginnings in Fort Thomas to our current 40-acre campus straddling Boone and Kenton counties, we have always been proud of our Northern Kentucky roots and are excited to continue our growth in the region. For nearly 65 years, Camco has helped leading brands and product owners bring their products to the marketplace through its turn-key manufacturing and fulfillment service offering. The expansion of our capabilities and capacity allows Camco to deliver the best total value to our customer through breadth of services, multi-industry and market experience, flexibility and location.”
Founded in the 1960s in Northern Kentucky, Camco is a 100% family-owned company that provides premium chemical manufacturing and fulfillment expertise and services. In 1980, the company moved its operations to the Northern Kentucky Industrial Park in Florence and now, in its third generation of family involvement, Camco continues to focus on providing the flexibility, capability, services and expertise that leading chemical product owners and distributors need.
The company offers contract manufacturing chemical services and capabilities for a wide range of industries and markets, including food service, commercial laundry, household cleaners, agriculture chemicals, carpet and upholstery, surface disinfectants and sanitizers, automotive appearance and maintenance fluids and more.
Kenton County Judge/Executive Kris Knochelmann congratulated the company on its expansion: “Camco is a long-established Northern Kentucky company with a commitment to creating good jobs in our region. We’re glad to support their continued growth in Kenton County.”
Mayor Chris Reinersman thanked the Camco leadership team for choosing to expand in the area: “As Camco Chemical Co. has grown and is adding new capacity, we’re grateful the company continues to expand its production and invest in its facilities in Northern Kentucky to serve its growing customer base throughout the country.”
BE NKY Growth Partnership CEO Lee Crume noted that the region has a strong advanced manufacturing sector: “Camco Chemical Co. is a major contributor to our advanced manufacturing sector, which continues to drive our economy thanks to our strong workforce, education systems and the Cincinnati region’s geographic location in the United States.”
Camco’s investment and job creation build on the best four-year period for economic growth in state history.
Since the beginning of his administration, Gov. Beshear has announced more than 1,000 private-sector new-location and expansion projects totaling over $32.5 billion in announced investments, creating more than 55,000 jobs. This is the highest investment figure secured during the tenure of any governor in the commonwealth’s history.
The robust job creation has been accompanied by rising wages across the commonwealth. The average incentivized hourly wage in 2022 and 2023 topped $26 in 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; and INFAC North America’s $53 million investment in Taylor County, among others.
The Governor’s administration also secured the largest General Fund budget surplus and Rainy Day Fund, as well as the most jobs filled in state history. Last year, Kentucky set the record for the longest period with the lowest unemployment rates in state history.
Kentucky also secured rating increases from major credit rating agencies Fitch Ratings, S&P Global Ratings and Moody’s Investors Service.
In March, Site Selection magazine ranked Kentucky third nationally and first in the South Central region for economic development projects per capita in its 2023 Governor’s Cup rankings. In April, Site Selection placed Kentucky second in the South Central region and in the top 10 nationally in its 2024 Prosperity Cup ranking, which recognizes state-level economic development agencies for their success in landing capital investment projects.
Gov. Beshear announced a “Supply Kentucky” initiative with the goal of boosting job growth, reducing costs and providing more security in the supply chains of our Kentucky companies.
To encourage investment and job growth in the community, the Kentucky Economic Development Finance Authority (KEDFA) today preliminarily approved a 10-year incentive agreement with the company under the Kentucky Business Investment program. The performance-based agreement can provide up to $400,000 in tax incentives based on the company’s investment of $3 million and annual targets of:
- Creation and maintenance of 30 Kentucky-resident, full-time jobs across 10 years; and
- Paying an average hourly wage of $25, including benefits, across those jobs.
By meeting its annual targets over the agreement term, the company can be eligible to keep a portion of the new tax revenue it generates. The company may claim eligible incentives against its income tax liability and/or wage assessments.
In addition, Camco 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 Camco, visit camco-chem.com.
A detailed community profile for Boone County can be viewed here.
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