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Company growing Pulaski County presence to meet increased customer demand
FRANKFORT, KY - On Oct. 23, 2024, Gov. Andy Beshear highlighted continued growth in Kentucky’s vast manufacturing sector as Ridgenet Network Group LLC – a manufacturer of equipment for emergency vehicles and other components used in law enforcement, fire and EMS – plans to expand its Pulaski County presence with a $1.2 million expansion that will create 20 additional full-time jobs.
“Our economy continues to see tremendous momentum, and manufacturers like Ridgenet Network Group play a specific and important role in that,” said Gov. Beshear. “This expansion is a great announcement for Pulaski County and the Science Hill community. I want to thank the company’s leadership for their continued support and look forward to seeing years of their future success here in the commonwealth.”
The new facility will allow Ridgenet to triple its production of upfitted vehicles and quadruple its warehouse space, increasing the amount of goods it can distribute. The extra space will allow for additional services to be provided, ultimately creating 20 new full-time jobs for Kentuckians.
“We saw a need for emergency upfit services in this area, so we took a chance, started a small company based in our hometown and grew it into what it is today,” said Ridgenet Network Group CEO Eric Wilson. “We strive to serve those who serve every day, providing quality products and unmatched customer service. Being that we are both first responders, my brother and I know firsthand how crucial the services we provide are and how they affect the safety of emergency services. This expansion will allow us to expand our footprint, increase the quality of our builds and allow for additional services to be added.”
“This expansion is so much more than just a new facility,” said Ridgenet Network Group CFO and spokesperson Alex Wilson. “Our company started as a dream right here in Science Hill on this very farm that our family has called home for over 50 years. It’s a great honor of my brother and I to not only be expanding but to do so where it all began, at home. What started as just two brothers working is a small garage late at night and on weekends has turned into several locations with dozens of employees who work so hard each day to provide top-quality services and products to agencies all over the country.”
Founded in 2011 by brothers Alex and Eric Wilson, Ridgenet Network Group started as an internet service provider to the Science Hill community. The company has now expanded its network, as well as acquired more than a dozen cell towers in several surrounding counties. In 2019, Ridgenet saw a need for the production of emergency vehicles and other components used in law enforcement, fire and EMS. The company formed Ridgenet Public Safety in 2020 with the purpose of building quality vehicles at an affordable price for agencies.
Today, Ridgenet and its subsidiaries serve as one of the largest upfitting and public safety companies in the United States, building over 1,000 vehicles per year for agencies across the country, fitting existing vehicles with equipment such as lighting, prisoner transport cages/detainment, sirens, fire apparatuses, bullet proof tints, winches, spike strips, radars and lidar, computer systems, evidence collection systems, mobility solutions and two-way radio communication systems. The company designs and installs 911 centers, countywide two-way radios systems and microwave link solutions for counties and government agencies. Ridgenet also subleases its cell tower spaces to many government agencies, as well as to the private sectors for mission critical communications.
Pulaski County Judge/Executive Marshall Todd said state funding made the project possible: “Pulaski County government would like to extend a big congratulations to Ridgenet on its recent awarding of incentives from the Kentucky Cabinet for Economic Development. Ridgenet is a company that has shown, time and again, the spirit of economic development here in Pulaski County. They cover everything from emergency vehicle upfitting to mission critical radio communications and we are glad they are located here locally. When one business does well, we all do well, and we thank the Cabinet for Economic Development for the awarding of these funds to Ridgenet for their new expansion.”
Science Hill Mayor Mike Hall mentioned the impact of Ridgenet on the community: “As mayor of Science Hill, I would like to congratulate Eric and Alex Wilson on the expansion to their new facility and am thankful to have them in our community. They went above and beyond to help us in the city with all they do with our IT and police department. We realize they had the opportunity to locate in other cities, however, they chose to stay close to their roots. We are thankful they stayed in the Science Hill community. It’s been a big plus for the economy and the city having them located here. We also appreciate all the community work they do here in the city and county. Again, congratulations Alex and Eric on your success.”
Chris Girdler, president and CEO of SPEDA, congratulated the company on the expansion: “Eric and Alex Wilson are a great example of a homegrown success story, and it is very exciting to see them expand their operations in Pulaski County. They carry with them an incredible entrepreneurial spirit in all they do, as well as have a strong history in their charitable giving to our community that we all hold dear. Ridgenet's new expansion is very exciting, and we are cheering on the Ridgenet team for much more future success.”
Ridgenet’s investment and job creation build on the best four-year period for economic growth in state history.
Since the beginning of his administration, Gov. Beshear has announced more than 1,000 private-sector new-location and expansion projects totaling over $32.8 billion in announced investments, creating more than 55,000 jobs. This is the highest investment figure secured during the tenure of any governor in the commonwealth’s history.
The robust job creation has been accompanied by rising wages across the commonwealth. The average incentivized hourly wage in 2022 and 2023 topped $26 in consecutive years for the first time.
Gov. Beshear has announced some of the largest economic development projects in state history, which have solidified Kentucky as the electric vehicle battery production capital of the United States: Ford Motor Co. and SK On’s transformative $5.8 billion, 5,000-job BlueOval SK Battery Park in Hardin County; AESC’s $2 billion, 2,000-job gigafactory project in Warren County; Toyota’s $1.3 billion investment in Scott County; and INFAC North America’s $53 million investment in Taylor County, among others.
The Governor’s administration also secured the largest General Fund budget surplus and Rainy Day Fund, as well as the most jobs filled in state history. Last year, Kentucky set the record for the longest period with the lowest unemployment rates in state history.
Kentucky also secured rating increases from major credit rating agencies Fitch Ratings, S&P Global Ratings and Moody’s Investors Service.
In March, Site Selection magazine ranked Kentucky third nationally and first in the South Central region for economic development projects per capita in its 2023 Governor’s Cup rankings. In April, Site Selection placed Kentucky second in the South Central region and in the top 10 nationally in its 2024 Prosperity Cup ranking, which recognizes state-level economic development agencies for their success in landing capital investment projects.
Gov. Beshear announced a “Supply Kentucky” initiative with the goal of boosting job growth, reducing costs and providing more security in the supply chains of our Kentucky companies.
To encourage investment and job growth in the community, the Kentucky Economic Development Finance Authority (KEDFA) last month preliminarily approved a 15-year incentive agreement with the company under the Kentucky Business Investment program. The performance-based agreement can provide up to $375,000 in tax incentives based on the company’s investment of $1.188 million and annual targets of:
- Creation and maintenance of 20 Kentucky-resident, full-time jobs across 15 years; and
- Paying an average hourly wage of $20 including benefits across those jobs.
By meeting its annual targets over the agreement term, the company can be eligible to keep a portion of the new tax revenue it generates. The company may claim eligible incentives against its income tax liability and/or wage assessments.
In addition, Ridgenet can receive resources from Kentucky’s workforce service providers. Those include no-cost recruitment and job placement services, reduced-cost customized training and job-training incentives.
For more information on Ridgenet Network Group, visit Ridgenet.us.
A detailed community profile for Pulaski County can be viewed here.
Information on Kentucky’s economic development efforts and programs is available at CED.ky.gov. Fans of the Cabinet for Economic Development can also join the discussion at facebook.com/CEDkygov, on Twitter @CEDkygov, Instagram @CEDkygov and LinkedIn.