Kentucky recognizes metals industry impact

The Metals Innovation Initiative (MI2), a Bowling Green, Kentucky-based nonprofit dedicated to advancing innovation for the state’s metals industry, hosted a Metals Executive Roundtable June 30 in Frankfort, Kentucky, sharing research from a forthcoming study on the metal industry’s economic impact in the state.

Kentucky’s metals industry consistently contributes nearly $38 billion in annual economic output while directly employing more than 36,000 Kentuckians across 1,000 metals facilities and ultimately affecting approximately 96,000 jobs in the state, MI2 says. Over the past decade, Kentucky’s primary metals manufacturing employment has grown at a rate of 1.7 percent annually, while nationally primary metals manufacturing employment has been receding. Kentucky now has the highest primary metals jobs growth in the U.S. Furthermore, for every metals job in Kentucky, two to five additional jobs are supported across transportation, logistics and services, the group adds.

“Strengthening our metals sector has been a priority for Team Kentucky, and the industry continues to thrive, thanks to the support of the Metals Innovation Initiative and partners statewide coming together to drive the sector forward,” Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear said during the event. “In fact, our state has seen more recent primary metals job growth than anywhere else in the country. That’s a testament to the hard work of everyone who has positioned the industry for continued success. I’m proud of what we’ve achieved since the start of my administration, and I’m excited to see what the future holds.”

Twenty executives from the metals manufacturing industry attended the roundtable, along with state officials, including Beshear, Economic Development Secretary Jeff Noel, Education and Labor Secretary Jamie Link and Energy and Environment Secretary Rebecca Goodman. The conversation centered on the initial findings from a forthcoming economic impact study for Kentucky’s metals manufacturing industry, as well as a review of MI2’s current and upcoming initiatives, which include addressing needs in talent and workforce development, enhancing approaches to career pathways, supporting underemployed communities across the state, promoting and increasing metals recycling, finding ways to bring more scrap metal into the industry’s supply chain and planning long-term strategies for addressing the metals industry’s energy needs.

Multiple globally significant metals companies are headquartered in Kentucky, and the commonwealth is home to several international metals manufacturing companies’ U.S. headquarters and manufacturing facilities, including Logan Aluminum, Novelis, Tri-Arrows Aluminum, North American Stainless and Wieland. The metals sector significantly contributes to Kentucky's status as a national leader in attracting foreign direct investment. In 2024 alone, Kentucky-made metals generated $2.5 billion in exports, MI2 says.

“Kentucky’s metals manufacturing outperforms the nation, delivering high-wage jobs, strong regional economic growth and critical support for the national supply chain,” Mike Buckentin, MI2 CEO, said. “Our sector provides a crucial foundation for Kentucky’s industrial sector–and a critical lever for future development.”

The full metals impact study, conducted in partnership with the University of Kentucky Gatton College of Business and Economics Center for Business and Economic Research, will be released this fall.