Braidy Industries putting corporate headquarters in downtown Ashland

ASHLAND Braidy Industries will open its corporate headquarters in downtown Ashland, city commissioner Amanda Clark said Thursday.

Braidy announced last month it plans to build a $1.3-billion aluminum mill in nearby South Shore, providing 550 high-paying jobs in the region. The company wanted to locate its corporate offices near the mill, and chose downtown Ashland after touring properties with the Ashland Alliance throughout Boyd and Greenup County.

Clark, who is also the vice president of the Alliance, said the company was not ready to announce the precise location of its new headquarters.

The company will send 12 corporate workers to the headquarters in June, Clark said. She said Braidy plans to have about 68 employees in the headquarters by the time the mill opens, which is scheduled for 2020.

“Having talked to them over and over again, they want to do business locally, they want to have their people here participating in the community,” said Clark, “and I think that’s a win for everybody.”

The new aluminum mill will produce sheet and plate for the automotive and aerospace industries, as well as the U.S. Department of Defense, Braidy officials said.

The facility will be about 2.5-million square feet, under roof, atop 380 acres of riverfront property just outside South Shore city limits.

The Ashland Area vanquished 23 other potential landing spots in courting Braidy to the region. CEO Craig Bouchard said the company picked South Shore based largely on its easy access to waterways and highways, proximity to major auto manufacturers and its strong workforce, CEO Craig Bouchard said.

Braidy is partnering with the Ashland Community and Technical College and the Kentucky Community and Technical College System to develop curriculums to train regional workers for the advanced manufacturing jobs.

The education programs for Braidy will include associate degrees in material sciences and advanced manufacturing.

ACTC has not announced when the programs will be ready for enrollees. Bouchard previously told The Daily Independent the company has “two years to make them (the new workers) ready.”

He said prospective workers who intern with the company and graduate through the new programs with at least a B average and “the right work ethic,” would be hired.

A day after the mill was announced, Clark said a Braidy representative told her the company had already received hundreds of job applications through its website.

(606) 326-2651 |

aadkins@dailyindependent.com