SOMERSET, KY – A Utah-Based defense company has expanded into Kentucky and found a new home in Southeast Kentucky Economic Development Corp. (SKED)’s Enterprise Center.
Kenai Defense, a defense technology research and development firm, expanded operations into Pulaski County earlier this year by leasing space in the business incubator building at the Valley Oak Commerce Complex.
“Kenai Defense’s work in Pulaski County presently focuses on parts redistribution; however, we hope, someday, to have a manufacturing presence in the region. Our location in the Enterprise Center is providing the foothold we need to conduct business in eastern Kentucky and create jobs within the region. Kenai Defense is excited to be part of the business landscape in eastern Kentucky and to be an employer in the region.”
Joshua Riley, Kenai Defense Co-Founder
Kenai Defense serves as an intermediary for parts distribution between small parts vendors and large prime defense contractors. Kenai Defense also conducts research on nanomaterials for defense systems.
Currently, the company holds several research and development contracts with the U.S. Department of Defense focused on armoring technologies and nanomaterials.
“Kenai Defense CEO Jeremiah Riley and the Kenai Defense team have participated in SKED’s Supplier Education & Economic Development (SEED) Symposium for the past two years.”
SKED Executive Director Brett Traver said the symposium is often an introduction of Southern and Eastern Kentucky to defense contractors. Company founders recognize the region’s versatility and move their businesses here. Kenai Defense is the latest of those companies.
“Through the years, SKED, with the help of Congressman Hal Rogers and other partners, has invested in fiber infrastructure and buildings in Valley Oak, which has attracted business to the region,” Traver said. “We’re happy to have Kenai Defense join this work that moves the region forward.”
Kenai Defense launched with three employees and has since grown into a healthy small business that employs scientists and technicians from a variety of educational backgrounds. Since its beginning, Kenai Defense has collaborated with the U.S. Army, U.S. Air Force, and multiple universities to develop cutting-edge technologies that benefit the warfighter.
