Industry Of The Year
Media Room
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Click the graphic above to watch the news conference announcing Berry Plastics as the 2009 Industry of the Year. |
Since January 2008, South Central Kentucky has witnessed 19 new and expanding industry announcements with a reported capital investment of more than $64 million and 767 additional jobs when full employment is attained. The Chamber has participated in 13 of those 19 announcements, with an investment of $45 million and the creation of 753 jobs.
October is Industry Appreciation Month for South Central Kentucky—a celebratory month of events designed to recognize industries' key impact on economic growth in the region. The Chamber kicked off a month of celebration during a news conference, during which Chamber Board Chairman Todd Davis announced that Berry Plastics Corporation (Bowling Green location) is the 2009 Industry of the Year.
Berry Plastics, Bowling Green began operations in 1995 on a 24-acre tract of land in the South Industrial Park in Bowling Green. The state-of-the-art, climate-controlled facility, which currently employs 185 South Central Kentucky residents, covers 170,900 square feet and manufactures injection and compression molded plastic closures primarily for the food, beverage and distilled spirits industries. The Bowling Green plant produces nearly 4 billion closures annually, with sales in excess of $75 million every year.
Berry Plastics Corporation is headquartered in Evansville, Ind., and was originally established as Imperial Plastics in 1967. The company has since grown into a leading manufacturer of injection-molded plastic packaging, thermoformed products, flexible films and tapes, and coatings. Jack Berry, Sr. purchased Imperial Plastics in 1983 and soon changed the company's name to Berry Plastics. Four years later, Berry Plastics opened a second manufacturing facility in Henderson, Nev., and in 1988, acquired Gilbert Plastics of New Brunswick, N.J. Acquisitions have continued to be a part of Berry Plastics growth, with the company having acquired more than 20 other companies since the 1990s.
In 2006, Apollo Management L.P. and Graham Partners, Inc. purchased Berry Plastics Corporation, which currently has 68 United States locations, including its Bowling Green and Franklin, Ky., facilities, and other locations in Mexico, Canada, Belgium and China.
The corporation believes in playing an active role in plants' local communities, and the company and its employees are dedicated to serving local causes. Each quarter, Berry Plastics recognizes employee volunteers who donate their time and talent, without pay, to charitable organizations. These individuals are honored during Royalty Acknowledgement Days (RAD Days), and Berry Plastics donates $200 to the employees' designated charities. Some of the charities with which Berry Plastics is involved are
- The American Cancer Society
- March of Dimes Foundation
- St. Jude Children's Research Hospital
In addition to these charities, local Berry Plastics employees are involved in the Allen County Primary Center, the Bowling Green Independent School District and Warren County Public Schools.
Berry Plastics also works with local elementary schools to teach students the importance of conservation. Company representatives demonstrate how to reduce, reuse and recycle all types of materials, specifically plastic. The students then receive an activity/coloring book that was developed by Berry Plastics employees that explores reducing, reusing and recycling in more detail. Students and their teachers also tour the local Berry Plastics plant during this program.
