Kentucky company where eight people died in December 2021 tornado plans to expand
The company where eight people died last December when a tornado demolished its candle factory in Mayfield plans a major expansion, Gov. Andy Beshear’s office announced Thursday.
The project at Mayfield Consumer Products (MCP) is projected to create hundreds of jobs, the release said.
The company did not rebuild the Mayfield plant after the disaster, shifting operations to an industrial park a few miles away at Hickory. The industrial park is in Graves County.
The company has started construction on a 40,000-square-foot expansion, but Thursday announced plans for an additional 63,000-square-foot project at a cost of $31 million, Beshear’s office said.
MCP, which makes candles and home-fragrance products for companies such as Bath & Body Works, has 160 employees. It had about 500 before the Dec. 10 tornado destroyed its Mayfield plant.
With the expansion, the company eventually will employ more than 500 people, according to the release.
Beshear and local officials lauded the significance of the planned project for continuing efforts to recover from the deadly tornadoes that hit Mayfield, Dawson Springs, Bowling Green and other communities in Western Kentucky on Dec. 10 and 11.
“After the devastation we encountered last December, it is uplifting to see progress move forward,” said Graves County Judge-Executive Jesse Perry. “The capital investment and new jobs in our community is a strong boost to the rebuilding process.”
The state approved Mayfield Consumer Products for up to $100,000 in tax incentives in April for its expansion.
There were about 110 people at the old Mayfield Consumer Products factory in Mayfield the evening of Dec. 10 when a powerful tornado hit the city, flattening the building and a big swath of the city.
There were a number of injuries at the candle factory in addition to the deaths.
Some workers charged in a lawsuit that supervisors ordered workers to stay on the job or be fired, despite the threat of tornadoes.
A company spokesman denied the allegations when the lawsuit was filed soon after the disaster, saying employees were free to leave without fear of retaliation.
