What's being called the largest investment in this region of Kentucky in more than a quarter-century is expected to become a MAJOR employer in the area.

On Thursday, Governor Andy Beshear, together with Lieutenant Governor Jacqueline Coleman announced the construction of a paper mill in Henderson County by Pratt Paper LLC, a Georgia-based company well-known for operating modern and cost-effect recycled paper mills in its home state as well as in New York, Indiana, Louisiana, and Ohio.

The $400-million project is expected to bring 321 good jobs to our neck of the woods over the next five years.

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The new 450,000 square foot paper mill will be comprised of two facilities and will be built on 1.15 million square feet of land on Highway 425 in Henderson County. Additionally, investments in the future should lead to the construction of a third facility--a 700,000 square foot production plant that will be designated for the manufacture of corrugated packing sheets and boxes. This would include pizza boxes and packaging for big box stores.

Pratt Industries has been in operation for over three decades and employs a workforce of more than 10,000 in nearly 30 states.

The need for shipping supplies such as those produced by Pratt Industries and Pratt Paper, specifically, escalated sharply in 2020 due to a pandemic-fueled uptick in online ordering.

This announcement pairs well with Kentucky's strong fiscal picture, illustrated by a general surplus north of $1.1 billion at the end of the 2021 fiscal year.

It is anticipated that construction on the massive project will begin in March of 2022 with completion expected sometime in the fall of 2023.

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