Mobile network operator company plans $15.5M investment, 486 full-time jobs in Louisville

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A mobile network operator company will soon bring hundreds of jobs to the Derby City.

Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear announced Thursday that Consumer Cellular Inc., a provider of cell phones, no-contract bands and accessories, will launch its first Kentucky operation in Louisville with a more than $15.5 million investment.

This move will create 486 full-time jobs, according to Beshear. And it helped Kentucky set a record for its highest year for new jobs and investment, with more than 17,000 new jobs created and more than $11 billion in investment announced in 2021, according to Beshear.

“I want to welcome Consumer Cellular to the commonwealth and thank its leaders for this commitment to Kentucky’s talented workforce,” Beshear said in a statement Thursday.

“We have seen economic growth throughout the state this year, and Louisville has been a major part of that success,” he said. “I look forward to this facility opening in the coming months and following the company’s growth in Kentucky.”

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Headquartered in Portland, Oregon, and founded in 1955, Consumer Cellular will be in an existing building on Triton Park Boulevard in Louisville. The jobs in the building, such as management and call center support positions, should come online in 2022.

Consumer Cellular CEO Ed Evans said in a statement Thursday that Kentucky “has everything we look for in a location,” including low cost of living, high quality of life and individuals who are “ready, willing and able to go to work.”

“I appreciate Gov. Beshear, Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer and everyone else who we have worked with to make this expansion possible,” Evans said. “They have fostered an economic atmosphere that will allow our company to grow, which made the decision to expand here even easier.”

To attract Consumer Cellular, the Kentucky Economic Development Finance Authority preliminarily approved Thursday a 10-year incentive agreement with the company under the Kentucky Business Investment program. The agreement can provide up to $5.5 million in tax incentives based on the company’s investment of $15.51 million, the 486 full-time job target and payment of an average hourly wage of $20 including benefits.

Consumer Cellular operates exclusively in the United States and employs more than 2,400 people across four locations in Arizona and Oregon.

Fischer said Thursday that “each new company announcement is another sign that our city is regaining the strong momentum it was experiencing prior to the pandemic.”

“In the first 11 months of this year, we have announced 48 projects creating 3,347 new jobs and investing $920 million in our city, and we are happy to add Consumer Cellular, which will bring with it a significant number of new jobs, to that list,” he said.

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Contact Ben Tobin at bjtobin@gannett.com and 502-377-5675 or follow on Twitter @Ben__Tobin.