A new medical manufacturing facility aims to fill a nationwide need for jobs and personal protective equipment amidst the COVID-19 pandemic.
Veteran-led U.S. Medical Glove Co. LLC opened in Paris, Kentucky in October and will bring 192 full-time, high-tech jobs to Bourbon County to produce more than an estimated 1 billion medical-grade gloves. With a nearly $32.5 million investment, company leaders aim to create quality, well-paying jobs for other veterans.
The medical-grade gloves called Liberty Gloves will be created with a latex-based nitrile sourced from Louisville-based Zeon Chemicalsand will be entirely American-made. The company plans to transition packaging to plant-based materials, which would also allow them to produce a biodegradable product and ease environmental concerns. Liberty Gloves will begin manufacturing in the first half of 2021.
A glove “made for America by Americans” is the mission, retired Maj. Gen. Michael Davidson and CEO of U.S. Medical Glove Co. LLC said.
The company joins more than 200 healthcare-related manufacturing facilities, which employ over 37,000 Kentuckians, according to the Kentucky Cabinet for Economic Development. The industry includes: headquarters operations, pharmaceutical makers, medical equipment design and production, medical device manufacturers and health care product distributors.
“It is with great excitement and anticipation as we welcome U.S. Medical Glove Co. to Paris/Bourbon County,” Paris Mayor John Plummer said. “This will create additional job opportunities for our current residents and furthermore give our youth another reason to stay in Paris and raise their families.”
