Health care technology provider adds to recent wave of job creation in the commonwealth

OFFICE OF GOV. ANDY BESHEAR

News release

On Sept. 30, Gov. Andy Beshear congratulated Community Wellness Technology Inc., a provider of remote patient monitoring and clinical health coaching services for the health care industry, on the company’s $3 million investment — with plans to invest up to $15 million — to establish a new facility in Boyle County, a project that will create 445 well-paying jobs across the coming years.

“Kentucky’s economy is roaring ahead this week, and Community Wellness is the latest example of a company creating a significant number of quality job opportunities for Kentuckians,” Gov. Beshear said. “This is a company creating great jobs while also providing accessible health care to Kentucky residents. I want to welcome Community Wellness to Team Kentucky and congratulate everyone in Danville and the surrounding region who will benefit from this great company locating in Central Kentucky.”

Community Wellness recently leased a 22,000-plus-square-foot facility on Lebanon Road in Danville. The operation will develop comprehensive and fully integrated remote patient monitoring and behavioral health services for COVID-19 patients, those managing chronic conditions and other health care-related uses. The facility also will serve as a training center for the company’s employees. Community Wellness already has begun hiring efforts, with the facility expected to be operational in the coming weeks. Positions among the nearly 450 jobs created by the project include clinical health coaches, patient support staff and IT roles.

“Establishing this facility in Danville, Kentucky, accelerates our capacity to deliver lifesaving telehealth and remote patient monitoring to Kentuckians,” said Zoe Fields, CEO of Community Wellness. “I am delighted to be working in Kentucky to create new employment opportunities through our telemedicine programs, building stronger, healthier communities throughout the state and region.”

Established in California in 2019, Community Wellness provides telehealth and remote patient monitoring services to patients with congestive heart failure, chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder, diabetes, hypertension and obesity. The company also provides behavioral health products for medication adherence, chronic condition management and preventive health measures using technology and personalized coaching to reduce emergency room visits and hospital readmissions.

Community Wellness joins more than 200 health care-related technology, service and manufacturing facilities in Kentucky, which employ over 37,000 residents. The industry includes headquarters operations, pharmaceutical makers, medical equipment design and production, medical device manufacturers and health care product distributors.

Boyle County Judge/Executive Howard Hunt welcomed the company to Central Kentucky.

“We are very excited that Community Wellness has chosen to invest in Boyle County,” Judge/Executive Hunt said. “We welcome this new industry and look forward to its growth.”

Danville Mayor Mike Perros said Community Wellness adds to the trend of strong employers locating in the area.

“Danville has had the good fortune of attracting very high-quality companies,” Mayor Perros said. “A large part of that is their recognition of the quality of our community, making this a relationship of mutual benefit. That is as it should be! We look forward to a long and lasting time together.”

Develop Danville’s Josh Gooch said the company will be an ideal fit for the local business community.

“The Danville-Boyle County community strives to maintain excellence in medicine.  Community Wellness will join our local providers to serve as a hub for medical care in Central Kentucky,” Gooch said. “Through their creation of high-quality employment opportunities, Community Wellness will have an immeasurable positive impact on our diverse economy.”

Community Wellness’ investment and planned job creation furthers recent economic momentum in the commonwealth, as the state builds back stronger in response to the effects of the pandemic.

This week Gov. Beshear, Ford Motor Co. Executive Chair Bill Ford, CEO Jim Farley and Dong-Seob Jee, president of SK Innovation’s battery business, announced the single largest economic development project in the history of the commonwealth on Monday, celebrating a transformative $5.8 billion investment that will create 5,000 jobs and places Kentucky at the forefront of the automotive industry’s future.

This year alone, the governor has announced over $8.7 billion in total planned investment and 11,700 full-time jobs in private sector new-location and expansion projects across the coming years. Through July, Kentucky’s average incentivized hourly wage was $23.47 before benefits, a 6.2% increase over the previous year.

In July, thanks to strong fiscal management by the Beshear administration, the state budget office reported the commonwealth ended the 2021 fiscal year with a general fund surplus of over $1.1 billion – the highest ever in the commonwealth – and a 10.9% increase in general fund receipts to $12.8 billion.

In May, Moody’s Analytics published a positive economic outlook for Kentucky, noting mass vaccination as the driving force behind a sustained recovery in consumer services. The state’s recovery, Moody’s said, benefited from earlier reopening efforts and increased demand for manufactured goods over services. The report also found Kentucky’s manufacturing industry outperformed the nation’s since the national downturn last year.

Fitch Ratings in May improved the state’s financial outlook to stable, reflecting the commonwealth’s solid economic recovery. The state’s April sales tax receipts set an all-time monthly record at $486.5 million, as did vehicle usage tax receipts at over $64 million.

In March, Site Selection magazine’s annual Governor’s Cup rankings for 2020 positioned Kentucky atop the South Central region, and third nationally, for qualifying projects per capita. The commonwealth also placed seventh overall in total projects, the highest of any state with a population under 5 million. Site Selection also recently placed Kentucky in a tie for fifth in its 2021 Prosperity Cup rankings, positioning the state among the national leaders for business climate.

To encourage investment and job growth in the community, the Kentucky Economic Development Finance Authority (KEDFA) today preliminarily approved a 10-year incentive agreement with the company under the Kentucky Business Investment program. The performance-based agreement can provide up to $2 million in tax incentives based on the company’s investment of $3 million and annual targets of:

• Creation and maintenance of 445 Kentucky-resident, full-time jobs across 10 years, and:

• Paying an average hourly wage of $35.83 including benefits across those jobs.

By meeting its annual targets over the agreement term, the company can be eligible to keep a portion of the new tax revenue it generates. The company may claim eligible incentives against its income tax liability and/or wage assessments.

In addition, Community Wellness can receive resources from the Kentucky Skills Network. Through the Kentucky Skills Network, companies can receive no-cost recruitment and job placement services, reduced-cost customized training and job training incentives.

For more information on Community Wellness Technology, visit CommunityWellness.com.

A detailed community profile for Boyle County can be viewed here.

Information on Kentucky’s economic development efforts and programs is available at CED.ky.gov. Fans of the Cabinet for Economic Development can also join the discussion at facebook.com/CEDkygov, on Twitter @CEDkygov and LinkedIn.

Read about other key updates, actions and information from Gov. Beshear and his administration at governor.ky.gov, kycovid19.ky.gov and the Governor’s official social media accounts Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.