Gov. Andy Beshear joined local officials Tuesday afternoon to celebrate the new Big Rivers Electric Corporation headquarters along with the future transmission operations center the company is building in Owensboro. They also touted the economic impact the company will make in Owensboro.
The new headquarters is located at 710 West 2nd Street and was constructed during a 15-month project. It replaced the cooperative’s Henderson complex, first built in 1961.
The 47,000-square-foot facility consists of four stories and is approximately 25% smaller than Big Rivers’ former headquarters. Some employees will move into the transmission operations center planned to be built near the intersection of the bypass and U.S. 60 West.
The new headquarters opened earlier this year, but the ribbon cutting was held Tuesday.
Beshear said the project continues the success that Western Kentucky has been experiencing.
“This $10.8 million, four-story headquarters will be the office for over 100 employees and even better, it’s going to have an annual impact of over $100 million in this region,” Beshear said. “Owensboro is booming and so is Kentucky, this community is helping the entire state find success.”
While this project is a lateral transfer from Henderson to Owensboro, Beshear said the moment is large for both communities as Owensboro benefits in job creation while Henderson is experiencing economic growth with other developments.
“What it means is the net for this region has significantly more jobs and the modern types of infrastructure that’s going to help this company provide its services at a better cost to the consumer,” Beshear said.
Mayor Tom Watson and Judge-Executive Charlie Castlen also spoke about the economic success this project will bring to the city.
