COVINGTON, KY - Westpack, a Russian-based bottle decorating and packaging company is planning to establish manufacturing operations in the city, Lt. Gov. Jerry Abramson has announced.

The project will create 63 new, full-time jobs and will represent a $4.49 million investment in the state. The Covington location will located be at a 126,000 square foot facility on West 43rd St. in the Latonia neighborhood. Gov. Steve Beshear welcomed Westpack to Kentucky and praised the firm's arrival. “We're especially proud that a company from Russia has chosen Kentucky to do business, a testament to the ideal logistics and strategic location here,” Beshear says. Direct foreign investment in Kentucky has been growing and the state is now home to about 420 companies from 30 countries, which employ around 80,000 people. “Westpack is in the business of grabbing attention and they certainly are turning heads here, choosing Northern Kentucky over anywhere in theworld,” Abramson says. Westpack is an expansion of UniPack Group, a glass container decorating and packaging company serving the alcohol beverage industry since 1995. In addition, the facility will be able to provide short-run decorations for special events and promotions. “With decoration plants in Russia and Europe, expanding into the U.S. market was a natural next step,” said Westpack Managing Director Simon Mnoyan. “And selecting the right state for our production was a function of customer logistics, business operating costs and quality of life." To encourage the investment and job creation in Covington, the Kentucky Economic Development Finance Authority preliminarily approved the company for tax incentives up to $1.5 million through the Kentucky Business Investment program. The program lets a company keep a part of its investment over the term of the agreement through corporate income tax credits and wage assessments by meeting job and investment targets. “We are told that large companies, especially international companies, look for places that are known for their diversity and inclusiveness when establishing new locations,” Covington Mayor Sherry Carran says. “Covington is gaining a reputation for those very desired characteristics." “We are pleased to welcome Westpack to Northern Kentucky and look forward to the contribution this international company will make to the local economy in job creation and capital investment,” said Steve Arlinghaus, Kenton County judge-executive and member of the Northern Kentucky Tri-County Economic Development Corp. Executive Committee.