A Year of Growth

A Message to Our Board

At Elizabethtown-Hardin County Industrial Foundation (EHCIF), we have the great honor of representing an economic powerhouse in the Bluegrass State. From manufacturing to defense to health care, Elizabethtown and Hardin County’s strong, diverse economy attracts incredible opportunities to our region.

We are thrilled to update you on a number of expansions that took place in 2019. Metalsa, the region’s largest employer in the manufacturing and automotive sectors, completed a major expansion that is expected to bring 250 new jobs to the region by the end of this year. Other companies that completed expansions include Altec, GossHall (Amazon), Phoenix Bearings and Summit Polymers.

One of the reasons the Elizabethtown area has experienced such impressive growth over the past year is our talented, motivated and well-trained workforce. Job creation and average income are on the rise. As employers expand their workforce, educators and training providers are rising to the challenge with innovative opportunities for students and adult workers to learn the skills and earn the certifications needed to thrive.

In 2019, partners in workforce development and education worked together to launch two exciting programs at Elizabethtown Community and Technical College (ECTC). Students are learning high-demand IT skills through the Greater Knox Coding Academy, and ECTC is now bringing training directly to employers via its new Mobile Training Unit. It is accomplishments like these that position the EHCIF to pursue opportunities like Kentucky’s Product Development Initiative grant. We invite you to learn more about EHCIF’s partnership with the City of Elizabethtown to secure grant funds for accelerated development within the T.J. Patterson Industrial Park.

A new decade brings new opportunities, and we couldn’t be more excited about the future. This is truly a great time to live and work in Elizabethtown and Hardin County. Thank you for your continued support and dedication to our community.

With Gratitude,

Rick Games, President & COO