By DAVID E. MALLOY
The Herald-Dispatch
WURTLAND, Ky. — Wright-Mix Material Solutions will create 130 jobs in Greenup County as part of a concrete company’s $8.5 million investment, according to Gov. Matt Bevin.
The company, with operations in West Virginia and Eastern Kentucky, will locate at a former dye plant at the river port in Wurtland, according to a news release.
Wright-Mix will make cement-based products and related materials at an existing building at the Greenup/Boyd Riverport, increasing the facility’s size to 80,000 square feet and preparing it for fully automated toll blending and bagging operations, according to the release.
“There’s renewed interest in Northeast Kentucky and the Tri-State,” said Tim Gibbs, Ashland Alliance president and chief executive officer.
The alliance is the chamber group representing Boyd and Greenup counties.
“It’s great momentum for the area,” Gibbs said. “This is the result of a lot of people working together.”
Wright-Mix is expanding and growing, Gibbs said.
“We’re happy to have them in Greenup County,” Gibbs added.
Work is scheduled to begin on the project next month and it could begin operations by January, according to the release.
The company also will build storage facilities to house raw materials and finished products.
“We feel the location fits our distribution needs and the 50-acre size of this property will allow us to grow our multiple companies going forward,” said Shannon Wright, the company’s president and chief executive officer.
The company will receive raw materials via barge along the Ohio River and via trucks and ship its finished product by truck and train. A nearby quarry also played an important role in the site selection process.
Kendall Wright and his brother, Shannon, founded Wright Concrete & Construction in 1988 in Pikeville, Kentucky. Their company has added about 20 other companies since then and established Wright-Mix in 2011.
The company ships to customers in the United States, Canada, Mexico, the Bahamas, Australia and South Africa. Its products are used in construction, mining, tunneling, drilling and other industries, according to the release.
Wright-Mix uses blending equipment and robotics to provide customers with a variety of products, including liquid-based chemicals, non-shrink grouts, thin-skin liners, gunite, shotcrete and cement-based products, according to the release.
The Kentucky Economic Development Finance Authority last month preliminarily approved the company for tax incentives up to $1.5 million.
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