FRANKFORT, Ky. (Sept. 30, 2026) – Today, Gov. Andy Beshear highlighted further growth in the commonwealth’s manufacturing industry as Speed Kentucky LLC, a producer and distributor of utility task vehicles (UTV), announced plans to invest $1.47 million into a new facility in Owsley County, creating 60 new, full-time jobs. The project marks the largest investment and job creation announcement on record for Owsley County.
“Today we’re celebrating a major win for Owsley County, with Speed Kentucky announcing the largest investment on record for this community and the creation of 60 new, full-time jobs,” said Gov. Beshear. “I am proud to welcome this team to their New Kentucky Home and look forward to working with them as we bring this $1.47 million facility to life. Together, we’ll ensure success for this team, the Owsley County community and our leading manufacturing industry.”
The company will establish an operational footprint in the Eastern United States to conduct final assembly and distribution of Speed UTVs. As the company continues growing in the East, this facility will support distribution and final assembly of the Bandit, Diablo, El Jefe and Bambino models. Speed Kentucky is also developing a new enclosed, air-conditioned utility side-by-side, expected to arrive in late summer 2027. It’s designed for practical work in farming, construction, forestry, firefighting and municipal service.
“Speed Kentucky is excited to expand its presence and operations in the heart of Appalachia,” said Jimmy Lewis, cofounder of Speed Kentucky. “We are proud to call Owsley County, Kentucky, home and look forward to growing alongside this incredible community.”
“We’re excited to bring Speed UTV’s first Eastern U.S. operation to Kentucky and grateful to the state and local community for helping make this opportunity possible,” said Robby Gordon, world-renowned motorsports champion and cofounder of Speed Kentucky. “Kentucky’s strong outdoor and industrial communities make it a great place to grow this part of our business, including opportunities connected to the region’s coal and natural resource industries. I want to thank Jim Lewis and Erik Hubbard for their leadership and commitment to bringing this project to Speed UTV. Jim will lead the effort in Kentucky and is already building a local team. We appreciate the opportunity to work with the Commonwealth of Kentucky and the Owsley County community. We’re looking forward to creating jobs, serving customers across the East and growing the Speed UTV brand here.”
Speed Kentucky is a joint venture between Jimmy Lewis of London, Kentucky, and world-renowned motorsports champion Robby Gordon of Concord, North Carolina. The partnership between Lewis and Gordon developed after Lewis purchased a Speed UTV and traveled to North Carolina to take delivery of the vehicle. Recognizing a strong alignment between the Speed UTV brand and Kentucky’s growing powersports and off-road enthusiast market, Gordon accompanied Lewis to Kentucky to personally assess regional demand and explore local off-roading opportunities. Strong local cooperation, combined with state-level economic development incentives helped the partners establish their Eastern U.S. operations in Owsley County. The project represents the brand’s first major operational footprint outside its sole existing U.S. facility in Anaheim, California.
Senate President Robert Stivers commented on how the project will strengthen the region as a whole: “Southeastern Kentucky was built for this kind of partnership. This investment is about more than Owsley County. It strengthens a regional asset that will draw people from across Eastern Kentucky and neighboring states, bringing visitors, supporting local businesses and creating economic opportunities throughout this region.”
Rep. Chris Fugate showed his support for the project and spoke on the quality jobs it will create: “This is the kind of investment that can make a real difference in this community. These are 60 good, full-time jobs that will give people an opportunity to build a career close to home. I am proud to welcome Speed Kentucky and grateful they saw what we already know – that our people are hardworking, capable and ready to work.”
Owsley County Judge/Executive Zeke Little Jr. spoke on the impact the project will have on the county: “Speed Kentucky is a win for Owsley County. It will create jobs, strengthen our economy and provide new opportunities for our citizens. We are proud to welcome this investment made possible by successfully building strategic partnerships for the benefit of all citizens of the county.”
Booneville Mayor Nelson Bobrowski mentioned the community’s capability for growth: “This is a tremendous day for Booneville and all of Owsley County. The addition of Speed Kentucky brings new jobs, encourages future investment and sends a strong message that our community is ready for growth.”
Darrin Gay, chairman of the Booneville/Owsley County Industrial Authority, stated: “Today’s Kentucky Economic Development Finance Authority approval of an incentive package for Speed Kentucky is a significant victory for Owsley County. After more than 25 years of effort to recruit a business for our industrial park, we are excited about what this means for the future of our community and the people who call Owsley County home.”
Backroads of Appalachia, a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization that focuses on motorsports-related tourism, played a role in attracting the project to Kentucky.
Erik Hubbard, founder and executive director of Backroads of Appalachia, thanked the partners that made the project possible: “Backroads of Appalachia is honored to help bring economic development through motorsports to Eastern Kentucky. We are incredibly grateful to Robby Gordon for seeing what we see in this region and for his willingness to invest in its future. For generations, our communities helped power America through coal, and today we are working together to build the next chapter of opportunity. Speed Kentucky is proof that motorsports can be more than tourism – it can bring investment, manufacturing and good-paying jobs to our communities. We sincerely thank Gov. Andy Beshear, Senate President Robert Stivers, Rep. Chris Fugate, the Kentucky Cabinet for Economic Development and the officials and leadership of Owsley County who stayed focused on making this opportunity a reality.”
Speed Kentucky’s 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 nearly 1,400 private-sector new-location and expansion projects totaling over $54 billion in announced investments, creating more than 71,000 jobs. This is the highest investment figure secured during the tenure of any governor in the commonwealth’s history and $31 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’s position as a national leader in automotive and energy storage system battery production: Ford Motor Co.’s nearly $3 billion, 2,200-job commitments 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.
In February, the Governor announced Kentucky once again set an all-time record for products shipped globally, with $51.6 billion in exports in 2025, representing a 7.65% increase over 2024.
Unemployment rates fell in all 120 counties between December 2024 and December 2025.
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.
In addition, Kentucky has secured rating increases from major credit rating agencies Fitch Ratings, S&P Global Ratings and Moody’s Investors Service.
Earlier this 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 2025 Governor’s Cup rankings. In June, Area Development magazine awarded the commonwealth a Silver Shovel designation in its 2025 Shovel Awards, which highlight states for attracting high-value investment projects that will create a significant number of new jobs in their communities.
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.
To encourage investment and job growth in the community, the Kentucky Economic Development Finance Authority (KEDFA) in September preliminarily approved a 15-year incentive agreement with the company under the Kentucky Business Investment program. The performance-based agreement can provide up to $1.3 million in tax incentives based on the company’s investment of $1.47 million and annual targets of:
Additionally, KEDFA approved Speed Kentucky for up to $30,000 in tax incentives through the Kentucky Enterprise Initiative Act (KEIA). KEIA allows approved companies to recoup Kentucky sales and use tax on construction costs, building fixtures, equipment used in research and development and electronic processing.
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, Speed Kentucky 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.
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