GSI Commerce held the grand opening of the company's new customization facility in Louisville. Kentucky Gov. Steve Beshear and Louisville Mayor Jerry Abramson on Monday joined NFL Hall of Famer Anthony Munoz and officials from GSI Commerce at the event. The new center, which will be located at 9205 National Turnpike, will create more than 800 seasonal jobs in Louisville this holiday season.
The company will also expand seasonal employment by more than 1,900 people at its three other Kentucky facilities, located in Louisville, Richwood and Shepherdsville. The expansion brings total Kentucky GSI Commerce full-time and seasonal employment to more than 3,000.
“The ramp up for seasonal employment at GSI Commerce will provide a significant boost to the economy this Thanksgiving and Christmas season, creating nearly 2,800 job opportunities for Kentucky families,” said Gov. Beshear in statement. “This new customization facility will be an important factor in the company's continued growth and success in Kentucky.”
The company's newest 87,000 square-foot center will customize apparel such as jerseys, T-shirts and fleeces for clients such as the NFL, NASCAR and NBA.
“We've been a proud member of Louisville's business community and partner with the Commonwealth of Kentucky for the past 10 years and look forward to our ongoing relationship,” said Robert Wuesthoff, executive vice president of global operations, GSI Commerce. “Customized sports apparel is one of most popular items with online shoppers and we believe this facility and Louisville is a great place to locate an important and growing aspect of our business.”
In 2009, GSI customized more than 480,000 apparel items and processed more than 24 million orders. The company is a significant partner and customer of UPS, which is a catalyst for luring companies to either locate or expand their operations in the state.
“The expansion of GSI Commerce is not only a welcome boost to our overall economy, it will help put money in the pocket of hundreds of our citizens this holiday season,” said Mayor Abramson. “It is also further proof of the significant role that UPS and its WorldPort global shipping hub play in attracting and developing business in our region.”
“I am proud to join Governor Beshear and Mayor Abramson to celebrate this new facility, which is another sign of success for our community-wide effort to make Louisville a great place for businesses to grow and create jobs,” said Congressman John Yarmuth (KY-3).
“Today's announcement is another important development in Louisville's growing distribution and logistics industry,” said Joe Reagan, president and CEO of Greater Louisville Inc. “GSI Commerce is a valuable asset to our region, employing hundreds of our citizens and strategically leveraging our UPS ground and air networks. We welcome this expansion, and look forward to continuing our region's growth in this critical area.”
