For five years, the massive building at 120 Donnelley Drive in Glasgow sat quiet. The R.R. Donnelley printing operation that once employed hundreds of Barren County workers had closed in 2020, leaving 211 acres and more than 764,000 square feet of industrial space sitting idle on the edge of the city — a daily reminder of what had been lost.
That chapter is over. And the new one is bigger than almost anyone expected.
What Tate Is Building in Glasgow
Tate Inc., a global leader in data center infrastructure solutions and a subsidiary of Ireland-based Kingspan Group PLC, has acquired the property and is transforming it into its largest manufacturing facility anywhere in the world. Not just in North America — in the world.
The company manufactures high-performance thermal management and airflow systems — the raised floors, cooling racks, and precision airflow components that modern data centers depend on to stay operational. As data center construction booms across the Southeast and Midwest, demand for exactly what Tate makes has exploded. Glasgow is now positioned at the center of that supply chain.
“This will be the biggest facility for Tate globally,” said Brad Campbell, Tate Inc. vice president of engineering, at the February announcement event. “Each time we’ve stepped up to a larger facility, so a lot of pressure to deliver on that facility and have it run effectively and efficiently — but we’re excited.”
The Numbers
The investment totals $76 million. The facility spans 764,000 square feet on a 211-acre site. Four hundred full-time manufacturing jobs are being created, with public records indicating an average hourly wage of $35 — well above regional averages. The Glasgow City Council approved up to $85 million in industrial revenue bonds to support the project. Hiring began in late January 2026 and is ongoing.
Governor Andy Beshear, who traveled to Kingspan Group’s headquarters in Ireland to help secure the deal and celebrated the announcement with Glasgow officials in February, called it a generational win. “This is one of those massive game changers where you know that future generations are going to be better off because of this big win,” Beshear said at the TJ Samson Pavilion announcement. “And everybody was a part of it.”
Glasgow Mayor Henry Royse called it “a once-in-a-generation milestone” and the largest economic development investment in the city in roughly two decades. Barren County Economic Development Authority CEO Maureen Carpenter, who was present when Tate CEO Daniel Kennedy signed the acquisition paperwork, said simply: “We couldn’t be more thrilled.”
Why It Matters Beyond Glasgow
Four hundred manufacturing jobs at $35 an hour does not stay inside Glasgow city limits. It ripples. More paychecks mean more spending at local businesses in Glasgow, Horse Cave, Cave City, Scottsville, and beyond. It means more demand for housing, more pressure on schools to grow, and more confidence for other businesses considering a move to South Central Kentucky.
For a region that watched that Donnelley building go dark and wondered what would come next, the answer has arrived. The machines are being landed. The engineers are being hired. The operators and welders are coming to work.
South Central Kentucky is open for business.