Who is Kentucky Industrial Alliance LLC, and what does it want in Cave City?
Business records show Michael D. Jones, Jared W. Whitworth and Joseph R. Crist are all tied to Kentucky Industrial Alliance LLC.
CAVE CITY, Ky. — Kentucky Industrial Alliance LLC, the company behind a proposed 381-acre data center project now at the center of a lawsuit against Cave City, is a for-profit real estate entity that has assembled extensive land holdings across Barren County tied to the proposed development, according to court filings and property records.
The company is asking a judge to overturn Cave City’s 12-month moratorium on data center development, arguing its application should be reviewed under zoning rules in place when it was submitted.
The dispute stems from a series of zoning discussions this spring over how data centers should be regulated within city limits.
Brennan Crain
Business records show Michael D. Jones, Jared W. Whitworth and Joseph R. Crist are all tied to Kentucky Industrial Alliance LLC. The company was formed in May 2023 and originally listed its principal office at 145 Reasonover Drive in Franklin, Kentucky. Records show it later moved its listed address to a P.O. Box in Glasgow in September 2024.
The Franklin address is linked to a range of companies and commercial entities in state records, including the Franklin–Simpson Industrial Authority and multiple firms tied to staffing, industrial supply, leasing and equipment financing operations.
Jones and Whitworth also share involvement in other Kentucky LLCs, including K&M Land Investments LLC and K&M Developments LLC. Crist is listed in separate filings for a different set of companies, with no overlapping entities with the other two beyond Kentucky Industrial Alliance LLC.
Property records reviewed by Barrenside show Kentucky Industrial Alliance LLC owns more than a dozen parcels across Barren County, including large tracts along Doyle Avenue, Hughes Road, Peden Road, Dixie Highway South and Mammoth Cave Street. Several parcels exceed 100 acres, including a 223-acre tract on Peden Road and a 157-acre property on Doyle Avenue in Cave City.
Court filings and property records indicate the Doyle Avenue tract and additional nearby purchases form part of the footprint for the proposed 381-acre data center site referenced in the lawsuit.
The broader area is known as the Mid-South Industrial Park, located near Interstate 65, west of the CSX railroad and near Highway 90 and the Cracker Barrel interchange.
Cave City officials previously approved zoning changes in 2024 affecting the former Branstetter Farm. Kentucky Industrial Alliance LLC has said it planned to use the site for industrial and commercial development, including distribution, hospitality and retail projects.
The company also drew community attention in 2025 following a separate cemetery relocation effort tied to development activity in the same general corridor.
