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Beshear Working on Economic Development Connections During European Trip

Gov. Steve Beshear
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Gov. Steve Beshear

  Kentucky Gov. Steve Beshear is in Europe for an economic development trip.  Beshear is scheduled to speak this week at the International CAR-Symposium in Germany.  More than a thousand automobile executives gather for the yearly meeting. 

Kentucky World Trade Center President Ed Webb says the state's economic development team is very active.

"They're really, really working hard to get more businesses here in the state and open plants and more importantly grow the organic businesses that are already here; to increase employment, to expand the facilities," Webb said. "So again, view this trip as a good pure play in economic development."

Last year, nearly a third of all capital investments in Kentucky and 20 percent of new jobs in manufacturing, service, and technology came from foreign owned firms.  Webb says the state is already home to well over 150 European based operations.

"Iif you look at that number alone, the opportunity for more facilities to locate additional plants and more jobs in the state is intriguing," Webb said.

Beshear and his team will is also spending time in Sweden.

Stu Johnson is a reporter/producer at WEKU in Lexington, Kentucky.
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