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Area Development - Site Selection, Facility Planning and Workforce Development

Blackbird Manufacturing Upgrades Owensboro, Kentucky Plant

02/11/2019
Blackbird Manufacturing, a fabricator of stone countertop surfaces, will invest about $780,000 to upgrade its manufacturing plant in Owensboro, Kentucky. The company plans to create 20 jobs in the Daviess County area.

The company plans to upgrade its operating facility in Owensboro and purchase equipment to help the company reach new markets. According to state officials, because tariffs have inflated prices on overseas surface materials, primarily quartz, the company foresees increased sales and an opportunity to continue growing.

“Opportunities for manufacturing in the commonwealth continue to expand, and we are thrilled that Blackbird Manufacturing has been able to capitalize upon this strong momentum,” Governor Matt Bevin said. “Blackbird has been a valuable corporate contributor to the Owensboro community in recent years, and it is great to see the company leverage their success into continued growth. We are grateful for their new job creation and remain steadfastly committed to fostering an environment where Kentucky manufacturers can thrive for generations to come.”

“Blackbird Manufacturing is excited to be in a position for rapid growth in the coming years. Our company has focused on providing a domestic alternative to the common Chinese-imported stone surfacing used by commercial builders and developers. With the punitive duties placed on Chinese quartz surfaces by the USITC in November 2018; we are finally able to compete financially and are turning the increase in business into quality manufacturing jobs right here in Owensboro,” the company's CEO David Thomas said.

To encourage the investment and job growth in the community, the Kentucky Economic Development Finance Authority (KEDFA) on Thursday preliminarily approved the company for tax incentives up to $300,000 through the Kentucky Business Investment program. The performance-based incentive allows a company to keep a portion of its investment over the agreement term through corporate income tax credits and wage assessments by meeting job and investment targets. In addition, Blackbird Manufacturing can receive resources from the Kentucky Skills Network.

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