Gov. Beshear Joins GE Appliances To Announce First-Ever Water Filter Manufacturing Operation at Global Headquarters in Louisville

Project part of previously announced $3 billion investment in U.S. manufacturing

FRANKFORT, Ky. (Jan. 29, 2026) - Yesterday, Gov. Andy Beshear joined local officials and leadership from GE Appliances to announce the company's first-ever, in-house water filter manufacturing operation at Appliance Park in Louisville, the company's global corporate headquarters. The new line will create 30 new jobs with the potential to expand further with additional water filter manufacturing lines.

The announcement represents another major project stemming from GE Appliances' ongoing $3 billion investment in U.S. manufacturing over five years.

"GE Appliances is making a game-changing investment in American manufacturing while setting up Kentucky to lead the way on this exciting new chapter," said Gov. Beshear. "I'm proud that Kevin Nolan and the entire GE Appliances team trust Louisville's Appliance Park to successfully launch the company's first-ever water filter manufacturing operation - and I know we'll deliver great results. This $3 billion U.S. commitment is creating 800 new jobs for Kentuckians, and I am thankful to this iconic company for their continued commitment to our commonwealth and our workforce."

The state-of-the-art water filter manufacturing line is the first of its kind for GE Appliances, and the investment brings production of high-demand refrigerator water filters to Appliance Park for the first time. By designing, testing and manufacturing water filters all under one roof, GE Appliances further strengthens quality, supply chain resiliency and its ability to protect consumers from counterfeit products.

The highly automated line produces a filter in seconds and is supported by a skilled workforce, including control technicians, maintenance specialists and quality professionals who oversee performance, data integrity and continuous improvement. The operation will run on three shifts and was designed with lean manufacturing principles, ergonomics and energy efficiency in mind, including a conditioned manufacturing space, optimized material flow and reduced packaging materials.

"This investment is exactly what advanced manufacturing should look like in America," said Bill Good, vice president of manufacturing for GE Appliances. "We're combining cutting-edge automation, digital tools and highly skilled teams to build a manufacturing operation that raises the bar on quality, efficiency and traceability. This new line is another proof point of how we are putting our $3 billion U.S. investment commitment to work."

"Water quality is a concern for close to two-thirds of U.S. consumers, which is why GE Appliances has invested millions of dollars in our ice, water and filtration research and testing labs here in Kentucky," said James Downey, senior director of water filtration for GE Appliances. "That commitment to quality starts with a talented research and development team and world-class laboratories, and now our new multimillion-dollar water filter line and highly skilled manufacturing team. We now own the entire process and give consumers greater confidence they're getting the genuine, certified filters they expect from us."

Headquartered in Louisville, Kentucky, GE Appliances is a leading U.S. manufacturer of home appliances with 15,500 team members nationwide. The company's operations support nearly 98,000 additional American jobs and represent an investment of more than $3.5 billion since 2016.

"This announcement further cements Louisville as the home for advanced manufacturing," said Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg. "It's incredible when new and existing businesses, like GE Appliances, continue to invest and grow in Louisville because of our geographic location, logistics capabilities, and tremendous workforce. This is the latest in many wins for Louisville and GE Appliances."

GE Appliances' investment and job creation furthers what has been the best six-year period for economic growth in state history.

Since the beginning of his administration, Gov. Beshear has announced more than 1,300 private-sector new-location and expansion projects totaling over $45 billion in announced investments, creating more than 68,000 jobs. This is the highest investment figure secured during the tenure of any governor in the commonwealth's history and $24 billion more than the next highest total.

Gov. Beshear has announced some of the largest economic development projects in state history, which have solidified Kentucky as the battery capital of the United States: AESC's $2 billion, 2,000-job gigafactory project in Warren County; Ford Motor Co.'s $2 billion, 2,200-job commitment in Louisville, as well as its $2 billion, 2,100-job project at the Kentucky 1 plant in Hardin County; Shelbyville Battery Manufacturing's $712 million investment, creating 1,572 jobs in Shelby County; and Toyota's $1.3 billion investment in Scott County, among others.

The Governor's administration also secured the largest General Fund budget surplus and Rainy Day Fund. In 2023, Kentucky recorded over 2 million jobs filled for the first time ever and has stayed above that number ever since.

Kentucky also secured rating increases from major credit rating agencies Fitch Ratings, S&P Global Ratings and Moody's Investors Service.

Last year, Site Selection magazine ranked Kentucky in the top five nationally and second in the South Central region for economic development projects per capita in its 2024 Governor's Cup rankings. Site Selection also placed Kentucky second in the South Central region and No. 6 nationally in its 2025 Prosperity Cup ranking, which recognizes state-level economic development agencies for their success in landing capital investment projects.

Gov. Beshear also announced a new initiative, called New Kentucky Home, to increase economic investment, attain and attract talent, and increase tourism across the state.

For more information on GE Appliances, visit GEAppliancesCo.com.

A detailed community profile for Jefferson County can be viewed here.

Information on Kentucky's economic development efforts and programs is available at NewKentuckyHome.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.

Read about other key updates, actions and information from Gov. Beshear and his administration at governor.ky.gov and the Governor's official social media accounts Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.

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