Company bringing 350 full-time jobs to west Louisville aims to hire from 9 key surrounding neighborhoods

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Pretzel manufacturer Stellar Snacks announced Tuesday its plan to bring 350 full-time new jobs to west Louisville over the course of the next 10 years. And the company's co-founders said they're committed to making sure those roles are filled by people living in the area.

The west Louisville facility is 434,000 square feet at 1391 Dixie Highway, just south of Wilson Avenue. Construction is set to begin in March 2024 with production starting in September 2024, though Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear's office said the project is contingent upon the final approval of state tax incentives.

Those incentives may include support for rail access and added benefits for hiring people who live in the nine neighborhoods of the West End Opportunity area, Beshear's office said.

While it's still unclear exactly how many openings are going to be offered with Stellar Snacks right out of the gate, west Louisville residents said there won't be any shortage of folks here in the area lining up to fill them.

"In the west end, you can't go on hope," said Jonathan House, who told WDRB he's lived in the Algonquin neighborhood 47 years. "You've got to show me. We've been neglected so long. You've got to come forward and just do it."

Stellar Snacks will hold a job fair D ec. 16 in Louisville, and hiring is set to begin in March 2024.

"We are providing incentives, and the company is providing incentives to hire more individuals from these neighborhoods," Beshear said during a news conference Tuesday.

The jobs created at the Louisville facility will have an average hourly wage of $30.20. The jobs, Beshear's office said, will consist of:

Pretzel-makers, including master pretzel-maker and apprentice roles
Production team members
Engineering and maintenance managers
Mechanics
Technicians
Receptionists
Human resources assistants

"All your jobs that are down here don't really pay good money to where a person can survive without working more than one job. That's a career and that's what they need," House said. "Make them do more positive things, go to work, make them want something more to life than what the streets have to offer."

Co-founded in 2019 by mother/daughter duo Elisabeth and Gina Galvin, Stellar Snacks makes pretzels and roasted nuts "from scratch," according to the company's website. The first female-owned pretzel manufacturer in the United States, Beshear's office said in a news release Tuesday, it has two plants in northern Nevada, employing more than 170 people.

LaMon Dawson said higher-paying jobs, like those being offered at Stellar Snacks, would entice more locals to support businesses in the area, like Big Momma's Soul Kitchen. *(WDRB Photo)*

"You're coming in at a non-union job and making $30 an hour," LaMon Dawson, who said he's lived in west Louisville for 44 years, said Wednesday. "And it's not in the east end, so you're not having to drive an hour or 35 hours to get there. That's amazing. That's truly amazing."

Exactly what incentives will be offered for local hires is still unclear, but Dawson said a tax incentive — or something related to health care — could go a long way. Ultimately, he said it'll be up to the community to make sure they show up when hiring begins in March.

"We, as individuals that may live in this area, need to put ourselves and prioritize ourselves to make ourselves eligible to be hired," he said. "If there is a drug screening — which more organizations require drug screening — be able to pass that."

Stellar Snacks plans to start production in September 2024.

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