GREENVILLE, Ky. (June 13, 2025) – Today, Gov. Andy Beshear joined local officials and leaders from Biomass Engineering and Equipment (BE&E) – a maker of equipment for the agriculture, forest products and biomass sectors – as the company broke ground on a new $20 million facility in Muhlenberg County creating 250 quality Kentucky jobs.

“Kentucky’s manufacturing industry remains a key catalyst for our continued economic momentum and thriving economy,” said Gov. Beshear. “Today’s groundbreaking event is an exciting next step for not only BE&E, but for the community and families of Muhlenberg County. These 250 job opportunities will provide a substantial economic boost to the region, and I appreciate BE&E for their belief in the commonwealth and our people. I am excited to be here today and look forward to the company’s success here in our New Kentucky Home.”

BE&E’s new operation is located at Paradise Regional Industrial Park in Muhlenberg County, the first project to be established at the site. The new site includes updated equipment and increased operational space to meet growing consumer demand and will allow continued growth in sales, outreach into new industries and facilitate more in-house manufacturing and less outsourcing. BE&E’s investment will add 250 new jobs and push the company’s statewide employment to over 300.

The project also represents a major success for the Kentucky Product Development Initiative, the state’s site development initiative, as the Paradise Regional Industrial Park site was approved for $745,000 in state support in 2023.

“BE&E is a global company and as such can choose anywhere in the world as the most advantageous location to expand,” said Dane Floyd, CEO of Floyd Holdings. “Many factors go into such a major decision as this investment and all things considered, Greenville, Kentucky is the right choice. I am grateful to everyone involved; the dedicated employees, the local government, the community and Gov. Beshear’s office for making this decision so easy for us. We are proud to call Greenville, Kentucky, our new home.”

Biomass Engineering and Equipment (BE&E) was founded in 2011 to serve the rapidly growing biomass sector and now supplies machinery and support services to various industries, including animal feed, chemical production, biofuels and advanced recycling. The company is headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana, and operates two additional manufacturing facilities in Greenville, Kentucky, and Boise, Idaho. 

Muhlenberg County Judge/Executive Mack McGehee noted the economic impact the project will have on the area: “We are thrilled to welcome Biomass Engineering & Equipment to Paradise Park Regional Industrial Park. This groundbreaking marks not just the beginning of a new facility, but the start of new opportunities for our community – bringing good jobs, innovation and sustainable growth to Muhlenberg County. We’re proud to support forward-thinking industries like this that recognize the potential of our region and share in our vision for a stronger future.”

Ray Hagerman, executive director of Muhlenberg Economic Growth Alliance, is excited to welcome the company to the community: “We are thankful BE&E saw the strength of our workforce and are thrilled to have them in the community.”

BE&E’s investment and job creation build on the best five-year period for economic growth in state history.

Since the beginning of his administration, Gov. Beshear has announced more than 1,100 private-sector new-location and expansion projects totaling over $35 billion in announced investments, creating more than 61,000 jobs. This is the highest investment figure secured during the tenure of any governor in the commonwealth’s history and $14 billion more than the next highest total.

The robust job creation has been accompanied by rising wages across the commonwealth. Since 2022, the average incentivized hourly wage has topped $26 in three consecutive years for the first time.

Gov. Beshear has announced some of the largest economic development projects in state history, which have solidified Kentucky as the electric vehicle battery production capital of the United States: Ford Motor Co. and SK On’s transformative $5.8 billion, 5,000-job BlueOval SK Battery Park in Hardin County; AESC’s $2 billion, 2,000-job gigafactory project in Warren County; Toyota’s $1.3 billion investment in Scott County; and Shelbyville Battery Manufacturing’s $712 million investment, creating 1,572 jobs in Shelby County, among others.

The Governor’s administration also secured the largest General Fund budget surplus and Rainy Day Fund. In 2023, Kentucky recorded over 2 million jobs filled for the first time ever and has stayed above that number ever since.

Kentucky also secured rating increases from major credit rating agencies Fitch Ratings, S&P Global Ratings and Moody’s Investors Service.

Site Selection magazine ranked Kentucky in the top five nationally and second in the South Central region for economic development projects per capita in its 2024 Governor’s Cup rankings. Last April, Site Selection placed Kentucky second in the South Central region and in the top 10 nationally in its 2024 Prosperity Cup ranking, which recognizes state-level economic development agencies for their success in landing capital investment projects.

Gov. Beshear also announced a new initiative, called New Kentucky Home, to increase economic investment, attain and attract talent, and increase tourism across the state.

To encourage investment and job growth in the community, the Kentucky Economic Development Finance Authority (KEDFA) in December 2024 preliminarily approved incentive agreements with the company under the Kentucky Business Investment (KBI) program and Kentucky Enterprise Initiative Act (KEIA).

In addition, BE&E 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.

For more information on BE&E, visit beande.com.

A detailed community profile for Muhlenberg County can be viewed here.

Information on Kentucky’s economic development efforts and programs is available at NewKentuckyHome.ky.gov. Fans of the Cabinet for Economic Development can also join the discussion at facebook.com/CEDkygov, on Twitter @CEDkygov, Instagram @CEDkygov and LinkedIn.

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