HARDINSBURG, Ky. (WDRB) -- State and local leaders gathered in Breckinridge County on Tuesday to ceremoniously break ground on a new manufacturing facility.

Atlas Machine and Supply Inc. broke ground on its $3.5 million project, which calls for a 32,500-square-foot facility in Hardinsburg.

"Today is the biggest jobs announcement in Breckinridge County at least in my lifetime," Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear said. "What we're seeing is companies here in Kentucky and across the world know that if they invest in us, we will not let them down.” 

Over the next 15 years, it's slated to bring 78 jobs to the area, ultimately surging Atlas' Breckinridge County's workforce to 100 people. 

"We haven't had a project this large come in in many years, since the late-90s," said Meredith Dubree, executive director of Breckinridge County United Economic Development. "So I think this says to people in Breckinridge County we are capable of recruiting these big projects. We are capable of bringing in these large employers and having more jobs here at home."

Atlas was founded in the Jefferson Riverport in Louisville in 1907 as an elevator design and manufacturing company. Today, its focus lies on designing, repairing and remanufacturing large-scale machinery.

"This is a day I've been dreaming about for at least 10 years," said Richie Gimmel, the president of Atlas. "We are a Kentucky business. We've always been a Kentucky business."

Atlas Groundbreaking

Atlas Machine and Supply Inc. broke ground on its $3.5 million project, which calls for a 32,500-square-foot facility in Hardinsburg. Oct. 25, 2022. (WDRB Photo)

 

The facility will be the first piece of construction of a new 45-acre section developed in the Breckinridge County Industrial Park. It will serve as headquarters for Atlas' Field Machining Division, performing on-site industrial repairs for manufacturers nationwide.

"Like a lot of rural communities, Breckenridge County has had a lack of growth for a really long time," Dubree said. "... Most the people who work here work for the school system or for the local government or for the hospital. And so to see another major private employer invest in the community, it's game-changing."

When completed, the new headquarters will replace a smaller Atlas location in nearby Harned, Kentucky. And even before construction begins, there are thoughts of expansion in the future at the Hardinsburg site.

"We bought 10 acres (but) we don't need nearly that much space to build that facility," Gimmel said. "And I think you'll see this will be a partnership that continues to deepen and grow through further investment, Lord willing, in the years to come."

Atlas hopes to have the facility open in 2023. For more information on Atlas Machine and Supply Inc., click here.

Copyright 2022 WDRB Media. All Rights Reserved.