Gov. Steve Beshear has announced that Lexington, KY-based CMSText LLC will expand its mobile marketing company. The expansion will drastically grow the company’s current employment base of 19, creating 135 new jobs. Additionally, the project will result in a capital investment of nearly $4.4 million in the Commonwealth.
“CMSText is an exciting, fast-growing company whose success in Lexington is leading to a more than 700 percent increase in its employment,” Gov. Beshear said. “These 135 new jobs and almost $4.4 million investment will have a positive impact on the community and are a great win for Kentucky.”
Text message marketing is quickly growing as an effective advertising tool for more and more businesses. CMSText provides message marketing services to a variety of industries, including customers in the restaurant and hospitality, medical and dental, real estate and automotive sectors. CMSText’s expansion will allow it to provide services to more regions of the country, as well as Canada.
“CMSText is proud to call central Kentucky home for our international headquarters,” said CMSText CEO Conrad R Carney II. “The growth in mobile communications is fueling our success and the need to expand our operations. The pool of qualified, well-educated job candidates available in Lexington is vital to maintaining our leadership position in the market.”
The Kentucky Economic Development Finance Authority preliminarily approved CMSText for tax incentives up to $2.5 million through the Kentucky Business Investment program. The performance-based incentive allows the company to keep a portion of its investment over the term of the agreement through corporate income tax credits and wage assessments by meeting job and investment targets.
“One of my favorite duties as mayor is announcing the expansion of a successful local business,” Lexington Mayor Jim Gray said. “Congratulations to CMSText!”
“Seeing CMStext.com make this investment is great news for our community, and it’s another step forward for our economy, especially for those families who will benefit,” said Rep. Ruth Ann Palumbo, of Lexington. “I’m certainly glad to see the company make this move and am glad the state can help.”
“This is great news for Lexington’s job seekers,” said Sen. Alice Forgy Kerr, of Lexington. “It is very important that we continue to give businesses the tools they need to thrive in Kentucky.”
“Commerce Lexington Inc. is thrilled that CMSText has chosen Lexington to expand their headquarters’ operations,” said Bob Quick, president and CEO of Commerce Lexington Inc. “CMSText is creating quality jobs for our citizen and we are pleased to be a part of their exciting announcement.”
