Gov. Beshear: GE Appliances, IUE-CWA Establish Louisville Plant as Largest Home Appliance Manufacturing Site in US With $1 Billion Investment

Investment reinforces company's long-term commitment to manufacturing in Kentucky

FRANKFORT, Ky. (Sept. 2, 2026) - Today, Gov. Andy Beshear celebrated a game-changing $1 billion investment from GE Appliances and IUE-CWA that establishes Louisville's Appliance Park as the largest home appliance manufacturing site in the United States. The announcement highlights the company's long-term commitment to manufacturing in Kentucky as it expands production and continues to support good jobs for Kentuckians.

"Kentucky has established itself as an economic leader, and now with the investment and support of GE Appliances and IUE-CWA, Louisville's Appliance Park is officially the largest home appliance manufacturing site in America," said Gov. Beshear. "This is an incredible announcement. Kentucky is a state where being pro-business and pro-union is a win for everyone. I want to thank Kevin Nolan and the entire GE Appliances team, as well as Carl Kennebrew and all our hardworking union members, for their commitment to Kentucky, our workforce and American manufacturing."

The joint release from GE Appliances and IUE-CWA states that as part of the investment, the leading U.S. manufacturer will:

• Invest more than $400 million to transform Building 5 into a high-output manufacturing operation for dryers, bringing production from Mexico to Kentucky.
• Invest approximately $112 million in Building 1 to add new equipment and redesign existing washer and dryer platforms.
• Continue its previously announced $490 million investment in Building 2 to produce frontload washers and combination washer/dryers that begin production in 2027.

"Investment in American manufacturing is critical to our economy and our communities," said IUE-CWA President Carl Kennebrew. "Our union members are proud to manufacture American-made GE appliances in Louisville, and this new investment will ensure that our members keep delivering these high-quality products to American consumers for years to come."

"We're making major investments to continue modernizing Appliance Park and bring more production to our global headquarters in Louisville," said Kevin Nolan, president and CEO of GE Appliances. "Bringing our laundry and dishwasher manufacturing together gives us a real competitive advantage, with new synergies across our cleaning products and closer connections between the people who design, engineer and build them. That combination allows us to move faster, accelerate innovation and continue strengthening our industry-leading U.S. manufacturing business."

Today's announcement builds on GE Appliances' commitment to strengthen the company's U.S. manufacturing footprint and expand its supply chain. Over the past year, the Governor has joined the long-time Team Kentucky partner to celebrate milestones that include:

• The June 2025 investment of $490 million at Appliance Park in Louisville, creating 800 full-time jobs;
• The August 2025 commitment of $3 billion to its U.S. manufacturing operations over five years;
• The November 2025 award of $40 million to four plastics suppliers across Kentucky to boost laundry manufacturing; and
• The January 2026 announcement of the company's first-ever, in-house water-filter manufacturing operation at Appliance Park and the creation of 30 new jobs.

GE Appliances began production at Appliance Park in 1953. The campus sits on 750 acres in southern Jefferson County, serves as the company's global 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 six-year period for economic growth in state history.

Since the beginning of his administration, Gov. Beshear has announced more than 1,300 private-sector new-location and expansion projects totaling over $50.7 billion in announced investments, creating more than 70,000 jobs. This is the highest investment figure secured during the tenure of any governor in the commonwealth's history and $29 billion more than the next highest total.

Gov. Beshear has announced some of the largest economic development projects in state history, which have solidified Kentucky as the battery capital of the United States: AESC's $2 billion, 2,000-job gigafactory project in Warren County; Ford Motor Co.'s $2 billion, 2,200-job commitment in Louisville, as well as its $2 billion, 2,100-job project at the Kentucky 1 plant in Hardin County; Shelbyville Battery Manufacturing's $712 million investment, creating 1,572 jobs in Shelby County; and Toyota's $1.3 billion investment in Scott County, among others.

The Governor announced Kentucky once again set an all-time record for products shipped globally, with $51.6 billion in exports in 2025, representing a 7.65% increase over 2024.

Unemployment rates fell in all 120 counties between December 2024 and December 2025.

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.

In addition, Kentucky has 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 2025 Governor's Cup rankings. In June, Area Development magazine awarded the commonwealth a Silver Shovel designation in its 2025 Shovel Awards, which highlight states for attracting high-value investment projects that will create a significant number of new jobs in their communities.

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.