- Camco Chemical broke ground on a new 130,000-square-foot warehouse and distribution center in Northern Kentucky.
- The family-owned manufacturer employs about 230 people and has invested nearly $55 million in its operations over the past decade.
- The project marks Camco’s third major expansion in recent years and will free up capacity at its primary manufacturing plant.
It was a family affair Thursday, as Camco Chemical CEO Adrian Hothem, flanked by relatives, celebrated the groundbreaking for the company’s sprawling new distribution center.
Hothem, standing in the afternoon heat, reflected on the origins of his family’s three-generation business. Camco began in a small mechanic’s garage in Fort Thomas and has since grown into a major Northern Kentucky manufacturer.
“Whether you’re an owner and family member, whether you’re part of our community that we’ve been involved with for more than 60 years, whether you’re an employee, this is a pretty special day,” Hothem said. “It’s a day that we’ve talked about for many, many years. It’s a day that was started when we purchased this building behind us, with the idea that one day there was an opportunity for us to continue to grow and expand.”
It’s modern production facility, located on Holton Drive at the confluence of the cities of Florence and Independence, manufactures, blends and packages bulk liquid and powder chemical products for industrial buyers. Camco also produces custom chemical products used in household and commercial cleaners, industrial sanitation products, and automotive and maintenance fluids, among other applications.
Hothem framed the project as a long-term investment in Camco’s continued growth. The new 130,000-square-foot warehouse and distribution center will help the company move products to customers more quickly while freeing up additional capacity at its primary manufacturing plant. The facility will become part of Camco’s broader Northern Kentucky campus.
Although Camco formally celebrated the groundbreaking Thursday, construction was already well underway, with the land for the forthcoming distribution facility already cleared by bulldozers and excavators.
Crescent Springs-based Furlong Building is overseeing construction, while Cincinnati-based ATA Architects designed the project. No timeline for the project’s completion has been reported.
BE NKY Growth Partnership CEO Lee Crume, who attended the groundbreaking, emphasized that Camco’s investment reflects positively on the broader perception of the Northern Kentucky economy. Camco operates roughly 700,000 square feet of space and employs about 230 people, with that number increasing approximately 20% over the past two years.
“Why do we do economic development? Why does a road matter? Because when you need things in a community, somebody has to pay for that, and as the tax base expands via building and people being employed, it makes the lift on the rest of us a little bit easier,” Crume said.
Camco has invested nearly $55 million in its operations over the past decade, with the current project marking the company’s third major expansion in the past few years. Most recently, the company acquired an 18-acre property at 7125 Industrial Road in Florence, formerly home to a now-shuttered 170,000-square-foot IRS facility.
