Groundbreaking held for a new Warren County aluminum can production facility

BOWLING GREEN Ky.-A big moment for the city of Bowling Green and Warren County. Friday, a crowd gathered to commemorate the groundbreaking of a Crown Holdings beverage can production facility in Warren County. Before the groundbreaking, city and county officials gave speeches on the big moment. Included in the lineup was Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear.

“This is the very first economic development project that both came in during my administration, and that we’re here announcing today. I’m pretty excited about that,” Beshear said.

The $147 million facility will provide 126 jobs for Kentucky residents, something Beshear said he’s thrilled about.

“This is an amazing company creating jobs that you can raise a family on, paying great benefits, creating a $147 million facility, it’s going to change the lives of over 100 families,” Beshear said.

After the speeches were given, everyone went outside for the groundbreaking where the facility will be houses. Officials with Crown Holdings said this is a prime location to set up.

“We looked at three different states in this area across 21 sites. The number 1 priority was the availability of skilled workforce, and we typically will also look for a community of this size,” said Executive Vice President and chief operating officer of Crown Holdings global Jerry Gifford.

Vice president of global sustainability and regulatory affairs of Crown Holdings John Rost said the environmental impact of aluminum cans is a plus.

“Aluminum is infinitely recyclable. It can be recycled over and over again. The cans you’re using today can be a can again thousands of times over,” Rost said.

In the end, with a new facility and new outlets for Kentucky workers entering the mix, Beshear said it’s a big win not just for Bowling Green, but the commonwealth as a whole.

“What we talk about as team Kentucky is happening. It’s happening here in Bowling Green and all over the state. Where people put their differences aside, they leave their partisanship at home, and they come together to do good things for their people,” Beshear said.

Crown executives plan to open the 327,000 square foot facility in spring 2021.