Mayor proclaims Elizabethtown is 'on fire' as massive developments flock to Hardin County

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Two massive developments are set to call Elizabethtown home as companies are increasingly drawn to Hardin County, Kentucky.

With work well underway on Ford's battery plant in Glendale, the investment is attracting other businesses to this area, particularly Elizabethtown.

"This place is on fire!" said Elizabethtown Mayor Jeff Gregory, adding that growth is not new to his city. "We have developers that have come in from all over the country that are buying land and they're wanting to invest in our community."

A $5.8 billion Ford battery plant down the road in Glendale is the latest industrial neighbor in the area.

"That's going to be about 6,000 construction workers over the coming years — 5000+ permanent employees," Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear said. "We've got to deliver. We've got to deliver on time. But, right now, I think we are on schedule."

It's not just the 5,000 jobs that the plant will provide. It's the support businesses and other companies it will attract to the area, with Elizabethtown as the prime location.

"We're going to see a lot more support companies for that big mothership factory down in Glendale and we're going to obviously benefit from that," Gregory said.

The two new companies set to announce Elizabethtown as home: Lotte Aluminum Materials, which will build components for the Ford plant, and another company named Kentucky Whiskey House.

For legal reasons, the locations, plans and other information about the companies aren't allowed to be released yet.

"We have a lot of different things that we do to make us more appealing to industry, and I think we've done it well," Gregory said.

That includes one supporting industry for the plant and another just drawn to the area. It's the tip of the iceberg for a community looking to capitalize on a monumental opportunity.

"The window is open, and we need to make sure we're taking advantage of everything that's coming our way," Gregory said.

Ford is expected to start production in Glendale in 2025.