Kentucky Industrial Renaissance
+3.0%
since Oct 3
The idea
I think Kentucky is becoming a true hub of the US industrial rebuild, from air-freight gateways to the EV and auto corridor to new metals capacity and the power and construction work behind it all. Since there is no clean pure-play way to buy the state, I built a basket of national industrial, logistics, metals, energy, and construction names whose biggest growth bets sit there, anchored by Lexington-based Valvoline. It stays broad across sectors rather than betting on any single company, keeps a small cash buffer, and is meant to be held for years as this buildout plays out.
What it owns
- Ford, Toyota, and GM operate some of their largest North American plants in Kentucky, and new battery manufacturing campuses represent the state's biggest industrial projects ever. · Ford Motor CompanyFord's BlueOval SK battery campus in Glendale is Kentucky's largest industrial project on record and central to the state's manufacturing renaissance., Toyota Motor CorporationToyota's Georgetown plant is the company's largest factory worldwide and keeps receiving investment for new models and electric vehicle production., General MotorsGeneral Motors produces every Corvette at its Bowling Green plant and has been expanding capacity in the state., Dana IncorporatedDana supplies drivetrains and electric vehicle components to Kentucky's auto manufacturers, earning more as those plants increase production.25%
- Louisville and Northern Kentucky host major freight hubs that position the state as the distribution crossroads for American manufacturing and e-commerce. · United Parcel ServiceUPS operates its largest package-sorting hub on the planet in Louisville, making the company's growth tied directly to freight volumes through Kentucky., CSX CorporationCSX operates the rail lines moving coal, steel, and auto parts across Kentucky, with freight volumes tied to the state's industrial activity., Amazon.comAmazon's primary air cargo hub at CVG in Northern Kentucky serves as the center of the company's delivery network across the region.21%
- The state's factories depend on reliable electricity and fuel from regional suppliers that serve Kentucky's industrial grid. · PPL CorporationPPL owns Kentucky Utilities and Louisville Gas & Electric, supplying power to every new plant built across the state., Marathon PetroleumMarathon's Catlettsburg refinery is one of Kentucky's largest industrial sites and supplies fuel to regional trucks, trains, and factories., Alliance Resource PartnersAlliance mines coal in Kentucky that powers a portion of the regional grid serving the state's new factories during the industrial buildout.15%
- New steel and aluminum capacity in Kentucky supplies the auto plants and battery campuses being built throughout the state. · Nucor CorporationNucor's Brandenburg plate mill supplies steel to American infrastructure and manufacturing, running at full capacity if the industrial rebuild succeeds., Vulcan MaterialsVulcan Materials supplies crushed stone and gravel for every new factory, road, and battery campus built in the region., Century AluminumCentury Aluminum operates smelters in Hawesville and Sebree, some of the last primary aluminum capacity in the country and located in Kentucky.15%
- Contractors and materials suppliers are paid during the construction phase of new factories, battery plants, and infrastructure projects. · EMCOR GroupEMCOR performs electrical and mechanical systems work on major industrial projects, including battery plants and advanced factories under construction., Comfort Systems USAComfort Systems installs mechanical and electrical systems in new battery plants and semiconductor facilities, the exact projects driving Kentucky's buildout., Martin Marietta MaterialsMartin Marietta supplies aggregates and cement for the roads and manufacturing plants the industrial rebuild requires across and around Kentucky.11%
- Valvoline is based in Lexington and operates a quick-lube service network that grows with vehicle miles driven across the country. · Valvoline Inc.Valvoline operates from Lexington and expands its quick-lube service network as vehicle miles driven on Kentucky roads and nationwide increase.5%
- Cash8%