General Motors Co. will add a second shift and more than 400 new employees at its Bowling Green Assembly Plant in preparation to build the next-generation Chevrolet Corvette later this year. The new jobs will push the Warren County plant’s total employment in beyond 1,300.
“The Corvette’s iconic status owes so much to the men and women of Bowling Green, where it has been built exclusively for almost 40 years,” said General Motors Co. Chairman and CEO Mary Barra. “This is the workforce that can deliver a next generation Corvette worthy of both its historic past and an equally exciting future, and today’s announcement gets us one step closer to its reveal on July 18.”
Since 2011, GM has invested more than $900 million into Bowling Green plant upgrades. Recent projects included a new body shop, increased engine-building capacity, a new paint shop and addition of a Performance Build Center.
“What a great day for Kentucky! I often speak about how we are the engineering and manufacturing hub of America. Today, we’re wearing that title more boldly than ever,” said Gov. Matt Bevin. “These new workers, together with the plant’s current employees, will not only build the iconic Corvette and carry forward the nearly 40-year marriage between Corvette and Kentucky, but will also be members of the team that launches the technical tour-de-force, eighth-generation car off the production line and onto the global stage. Our commonwealth is incredibly proud to be the home of the Corvette. We are grateful to Mary Barra and GM for the relationship we share, and for this strong vote of confidence in Kentucky’s future.”
GM began building Corvettes at the Bowling Green plant in 1981. The facility has remained the exclusive home of the Corvette ever since. To date, its employees have produced more than 1 million Corvettes. The plant includes the largest solar array of any automaker in Kentucky, and its annual economic impact exceeds $76 million in state wages and $15 million in income tax.
The Corvette is the world’s longest-running, continuously produced passenger car, with more than 1.6 million units produced since 1954 and international recognition as America’s sports car.
“The Corvette has been a major symbol of Bowling Green’s heritage,” said Bowling Green Mayor Bruce Wilkerson. “We are very excited about this announcement and the number of jobs GM is creating. I am so proud to be part of such a growing local economy; GM has been an integral part of our success over the years.”
GM has an incentive agreement from June 2016 when the Kentucky Economic Development Finance Authority (KEDFA) preliminarily approved the company for up to $3 million in tax incentives through the Kentucky Business Investment program. The performance-based incentive allows a company to keep a portion of the new tax revenue it generates over the agreement term through corporate income tax credits and wage assessments by meeting job and investment targets.
“The General Motors Corvette Assembly Plant in Bowling Green is a tremendous asset to the region,” said Bowling Green Area Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Ron Bunch. “They are an integral part of our commonwealths thriving economy, we are excited about the job growth and look forward to their many more years of success in our community.”
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