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Area Development - Site Selection, Facility Planning and Workforce Development

Rivian Expands Bullitt County, Kentucky, Operations

05/05/2023
American electric vehicle manufacturer Rivian plans to establish a remanufacturing facility in Bullitt County, Kentucky. The $10 million project is expected to create 218 jobs.

The investment will include improving and updating the company’s existing 326,000-square-foot facility in Shepherdsville to support the warranty, repair and service footprint of its EV trucks.

“We’re thrilled to be working with the State of Kentucky to help develop and expand Rivian’s first facility within the state," said Jimmy Knauf, Rivian’s executive vice president of facilities. “Our new site in Shepherdsville will support multiple business-critical functions for Rivian and help bring good-paying jobs and training for Kentuckians in the region.”

To encourage investment and job growth in the community, the Kentucky Economic Development Finance Authority (KEDFA) on Thursday preliminarily approved a 10-year incentive agreement with Rivian under the Kentucky Business Investment program. The performance-based agreement can provide tax incentives based on the company’s investment of $10 million and annual job and wage targets.

Additionally, KEDFA approved Rivian for tax incentives through the Kentucky Enterprise Initiative Act (KEIA). KEIA allows approved companies to recoup Kentucky sales and use tax on construction costs, building fixtures, equipment used in research and development and electronic processing.

“Kentucky’s manufacturing and EV industries have seen unprecedented growth recently,” noted Governor Andy Beshear. “Continued investment in our key industries is critical for our immediate and long-term economic success.

By meeting its annual targets over the agreement term, the company can be eligible to keep a portion of the new tax revenue it generates. The company may claim eligible incentives against its income tax liability and/or wage assessments.

In addition, Rivian can receive resources from Kentucky’s workforce service providers. Those include no-cost recruitment and job placement services, reduced-cost customized training and job-training incentives.

“We are thrilled to have Rivian choose to locate its high-paying remanufacturing Center of Excellence in its electric vehicle distribution facility in Shepherdsville,” added Bob Fouts, executive director of the Bullitt County Economic Development Authority. “We welcome them to our business community and will work closely with them to make their location a success.”

Founded in 2009, Rivian designs, develops, manufactures and supports electric trucks, SUVs and commercial vehicles, including the Rivian R1T pickup. The company employs over 14,000 people and operates its principal manufacturing facility in Normal, Illinois.

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