Vehicles travel past the Allen Springs Industrial Park in Allen County on Thursday, Feb. 8, 2024. (Grace Ramey/grace.ramey@bgdailynews.com)

They can do it.

That is what Johnny Hobdy, executive director of the Allen County-Scottsville Industrial Development Authority, said he hopes potential business investors realize about his community.

Economic development in Allen County has increased in recent years in tandem with the rest of Southcentral Kentucky. Hobdy said Allen County’s recent economic growth has been seen in the Allen Springs Industrial Park. 

Halton, a manufacturer of ventilation systems, was the first company to build a facility in the park.

Hobdy said Halton already had a presence in Allen County, but the expansion into the park has helped it grow.

“It made it feasible for us to develop that park,” Hobdy said.

Hobdy said the park was expanded in June of 2022 after 130 acres were purchased. In January, the IDA announced a new development on 25 acres of that property.

The investment comes from Belmark Inc. Belmark, a manufacturer of pressure sensitive labels, flexible packaging and folding cartons, will open a new manufacturing plant in Allen County in 2026.

The $99 million, 156,000-square-foot facility is expected to create 159 jobs in Allen County over 10 years.

“This is a big project,” Hobdy said. “The growth and the opportunity, a lot of it will be determined by how we handle this project.”

Hobdy said the investment from Belmark is another example of Scottsville’s growth. However, Hobdy said there are some challenges present, especially when it comes to labor.

“Always, the question is your workforce,” Hobdy said. “That’s no different here than it is in Spokane, Washington, or Bowling Green, Kentucky. No matter where (industry) is located, that’s one of the first questions they ask.”

However, Hobdy said this is something residents of Allen County and Scottsville are “up for.”

On Jan. 11, 1815, Allen County was chartered, carved out of land taken from Barren and Warren counties. The county was named after John Allen, a colonel in the Kentucky Militia who was killed in action at the Battle of River Raisin during the War of 1812.

Allen County’s seat and largest city, Scottsville, was founded in 1816 and named for Gen. Charles Scott, Kentucky’s fourth governor and a veteran of the Revolution. The charter papers were signed by Gov. Isaac Shelby, who served as Kentucky’s first and fifth governor.

Scottsville and Allen County are perhaps best known as the home of Dollar General, a chain of stores that operates nearly 20,000 locations in the United States and Mexico.

Although the first store called Dollar General opened in Springfield, company founder Cal Turner Jr. opened J.L. Turner and Son, the store that would become Dollar General, in Scottsville with his father James Luther Turner in October 1939.

Allen County was home to Dollar General’s corporate headquarters until 1989, when the company moved its office to Goodlettsville, Tennessee.

Hobdy said Dollar General’s exit from Allen County, along with the closure of a General Electric facility in Allen County, were “a couple of hard licks” for the community.

“It takes a long time to build back up from those things,” Hobdy said. “It’s not something you overcome overnight, but I think we’re getting there.”

Susan Carter is the director of the Allen County Chamber of Commerce and manages tourism in Allen County. Carter said in October 2023, the Scottsville-Allen County Visitors Bureau was created.

Carter said attractions in Scottsville and Allen County include the restaurant Harper’s Catfish and the annual NorroFest event that celebrates the life and career of musician Norro Wilson, who was born in Allen County.

Dugas Park is another attraction in Allen County. Carter said the park is owned by a nonprofit, but the land was donated to the community from the Dugas family.

Carter said she believes Allen County and Scottsville are sometimes overlooked by those looking for travel destinations.

“I think we don’t realize what we have here,” Carter said. “People don’t look at the things that we have here as big deals, but they really are big deals.”

Allen County received $30,000 in federal funds in 2021 to promote tourism. Carter said with that money, the Visitors Bureau is advertising in Kentucky Living, developing brochures about Allen County and is developing a video to show what someone can do during a weekend trip to Scottsville.

“We want it to tell a story,” Carter said. “Hopefully, it’s going to tell stories that will help people come into Scottsville.”

Dennis Harper is in his second term as Allen County judge-executive. An Allen County native, he said the current economic growth in the county and the investment from Belmark, is “very exciting.”

“We have thousands of people leaving Allen County to go to work somewhere else,” Harper said. “This is going to offer at least 160 of those people an opportunity to stay.”

As more industry moves into the area, Harper said an effort is underway in Allen County School District to prepare students for life after graduation. Allen County Schools was the recipient of a federal grant to provide skills-based education for its students.

“Not every child needs to go to college or wants to go to college,” Harper said. “They want to go to work.”

The grant is part of the Perkins Innovation and Modernization, Career Connected High Schools grant program, and will provide $1,475,000 per year for five years to the district.

Harper said as the county continues to grow, there will be an increasing need for those with trade-skills such as electricians, plumbers and heavy equipment operators. Harper said the new classes will allow students to find well-paying employment without leaving Allen County.

“The service industry is going to grow here in Allen County, and we need people to start those businesses,” Harper said.

With all of the positive changes happening in Allen County, Harper said there have been some challenges.

Harper said the economic growth of Allen County since he was elected has had an impact on the community, especially with regard to land development.

Allen County is historically a farming community. Harper said as current farmers in the county begin to age and pass away, fewer of their family members are taking up farming full-time.

“The farmer passes away, the children don’t want it and they’re going to sell it and that’s how a lot of development is starting,” he said.

Harper said at the start of his political career, someone could buy property for around $4,000 an acre. Now, Harper said, that same property could be listed for $5,000 to $10,000 per acre, reaching up to $30,000 per acre in some areas of Allen County.

David Burch, the mayor of Scottsville, said Allen County is “always competing” against other communities in the region for economic investment. Burch said in the case of Bowling Green and Franklin, there are two things making those communities unique.

“One, they have the interstate and they also have rail,” Burch said. “That makes it very attractive to industry and families relocating.”

But Burch said Scottsville has “a lot to offer” for companies and individuals alike who are relocating there.

“We think it’s a great place to be,” Burch said. “We’re constantly looking at ways to publicize it.”

One of the publicity moves the city of Scottsville has enacted can be found online at Earthcam.com. On the top of the Carpenter-Dent Building, the oldest surviving building in downtown Scottsville, sits a camera providing a 24-hour live video feed of downtown.

Burch said efforts like this are helping to spread the word about Scottsville and Allen County.

“I want people to have a stake in it,” Burch said. “I want them to feel like they have a community.”