Gov. Beshear To Lead Foreign Trade and Investment Mission To Further Economic Growth, Job Creation in Kentucky

Team Kentucky delegation to meet with existing and prospective companies in United Kingdom, France and Ireland

FRANKFORT, Ky. (Oct. 9, 2025) - Gov. Andy Beshear, First Lady Britainy Beshear and other members of Team Kentucky will travel next week to the United Kingdom, France and Ireland to meet with business leaders and trade officials to further Kentucky's presence in the region and spur job growth for Kentuckians.

The visit provides an opportunity to build on the Governor's record-breaking tenure, which includes the highest private-sector investment figure for any administration in state history.

"New jobs mean more opportunities for Kentucky families to pay the bills and live good lives, which is why my administration has worked hard to secure new investment - including foreign investment, which is essential to our success," Gov. Beshear said. "This visit provides us a great opportunity to connect with leaders of existing Kentucky businesses, companies we want to see invest, and trade organizations as we continue to show the world there's no better place to do business than our New Kentucky Home."

The delegation from Team Kentucky will meet with more than 45 companies during the weeklong trip, 16 of which are in existing industries in the commonwealth that currently employ approximately 4,000 people statewide. Collectively, the companies have active projects with the potential to bring up to 2,900 full-time jobs and over $3.5 billion in investment to the state, in addition to future growth opportunities. The Governor will also meet with trade officials in the U.K. and France, which are Kentucky's second- and third-largest export markets, respectively, with more than $9.7 billion worth of goods exported to the two countries in 2024.

Cabinet for Economic Development Secretary Jeff Noel, who will join Gov. Beshear on the trip, noted the importance of building on existing relationships to secure future wins for Kentucky: "We are fortunate to have a strong and diverse group of international companies here in Kentucky, and this is a great chance to build on that foundation and further those relationships to bring even more great jobs to our state. I look forward to joining the Governor on this critical mission, and I'm excited to see what new opportunities arise following these discussions with innovative and growth-minded companies."

Kentucky has over 530 internationally owned operations that employ more than 115,000 people statewide. European-owned companies employ over 40,000 people at 238 facilities in Kentucky and represent 17 countries. The commonwealth is home to 26 U.K.-based companies that employ over 2,700 people, 40 French-owned businesses that employ over 5,600 workers, and eight Irish-owned operations that employ nearly 1,000 Kentuckians.

Gov. Beshear's foreign trade mission builds 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 $43 billion in announced investments, creating more than 63,200 jobs. This is the highest investment figure secured during the tenure of any governor in the commonwealth's history and $20 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 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.

Information on Kentucky's economic development efforts and programs is available at NewKentuckyHome.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.