Chambers in Action: Youngstown/Warren Chamber Leading out in Support of EV Manufacturing

Written By Chambers for Innovation

Part 1: Youngstown/Warren Regional Chamber Rolls Up Sleeves to Help EV Pickup Truck Company Set Up Facility and Supply Chain
A major electric vehicle manufacturer is poised to start operations in Ohio’s Mahoning Valley, and the Youngstown/Warren Regional Chamber (Regional Chamber) is playing a central role in it all, actively helping to line up facility and supply chain companies.

After General Motors closed its longtime Lordstown assembly plant for the Chevy Cruze in March 2019, the Regional Chamber looked to help businesses and employees throughout the region replace lost business and work. When startup electric truck maker Lordstown Motors Corp. bought GM’s 6.2 million square foot shuttered plant to get it ready by the end of 2020 for production of an all-electric pickup named Endurance, in honor of the region’s grit, the Regional Chamber sprang into action.

For Sarah Boyarko, Chief Operating Officer & Senior Vice President, Economic Development for the Youngstown/Warren Regional Chamber, supporting significant economic development projects in the community is always a priority for the Regional Chamber.
“ For Lordstown Motors, within a very brief timeframe, we were presented with the possibility of the company coming into that former GM facility,” said Boyarko. “They have been very open to using all of the local resources available to support their business. We provide that one stop shop and we are excited to engage in an effort that is a blend of both clean and advanced technology that could bring back hundreds of manufacturing jobs to the Mahoning Valley.” 

“One such resource is to have the Regional Chamber host procurement events which have been a huge success in supporting companies already located in our market and those that are new, most recently Lordstown Motors,” said Boyarko. “We were able to push out this event to our region and also to national and global audiences.”

The Regional Chamber partnered with the company to host two separate procurement events. The first event was for companies that had an interest in being a facility supplier (contractors, office equipment, service providers, etc.) and the second for companies interested in becoming a vehicle parts supplier for the Endurance. Combined, there were over 800 individuals in attendance from nearly 500 companies located in 20 states and 3 countries.

These events helped both Lordstown Motors and suppliers throughout the region, some impacted by GM’s closure.

What transportation sector opportunity is next for the Mahoning Valley and the Regional Chamber? 

“We're actively working with our regional partners to create a smart logistics hub to address immediate and long-term industry needs. Such investments would include an intermodal rail connection; installation of an electric autonomous truck circulator route; the consolidation of the current split interchange configuration along the Ohio Turnpike at Lordstown; a transfer yard for trailers; and the installation of ‘Smart Logistics’ along State Route 45 to enable wireless communication with on-board units, charging of electric trucks and collecting and disseminating freight performance to logistic providers,” said Boyarko.
Photo Above: Sarah Boyarko, Chief Operating Officer & Senior Vice President, Economic Development for the Youngstown/Warren Regional Chamber.
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Part 2: Youngstown/Warren Regional Chamber Supports Ultium as they Move Forward with $2.3 Billion Electric Battery Plant
Both the region’s skilled workforce and an industrial site with rail and highway access played into a recent decision by GM and LG Chem to form a joint venture, Ultium Cells LLC, to build an electric vehicle battery cell manufacturing plant in Lordstown, Ohio, according to Sarah Boyarko, Chief Operating Officer at the Youngstown/Warren Regional Chamber.

GM has said its joint venture will create more than 1,100 jobs at a state-of-the-art plant intended to reduce battery costs to industry-leading levels and “positions Northeast Ohio and the Mahoning Valley as a major hub for technology and electric vehicle manufacturing.”

“With General Motors calling Lordstown home for more than 50 years, there are a significant number of service providers and suppliers located in the region that supported their former assembly plant. Those companies are now looking at how they can become part of the electric vehicle supply chain to work with Lordstown Motors, Ultium, and any other related companies that may locate in our market,” said Boyarko.

The plant is expected to break ground in 2020.
The Youngstown/Warren Regional Chamber is a private, nonprofit economic development organization serving Mahoning and Trumbull counties in northeast Ohio. In this role, the Regional Chamber supports local expansion, attraction of new investment and job creation in the two-county area by providing services such as site selection, customized research and program coordination. The Regional Chamber is currently managing nearly $4.2 billion of pending investment that is expected to be announced over the next 12 to 24 months. For more information, visit regionalchamber.com
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Supportive Op-Ed by Senator Michael Rulli (R): Development of Electric Vehicles
in Ohio Needs Jolt
Senator Michael Rulli, a first term Republican senator from the Mahoning Valley area, published an op-ed in the Vindicator this past Sunday supporting the EV potential of the Mahoning Valley and Ohio in general. Read the full article here.

Note: Neither Chambers for Innovation and Clean Energy nor the Regional Chamber have taken a position on the legislation proposed by Sen. Rulli, but both organizations will monitor it and evaluate as the bill progresses.
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More EV Charging Stations Appear in Communities Across Ohio
Main street business are bread-and-butter members for Ohio chambers of commerce, and more of them across the Buckeye State are gaining access to electric vehicle (EV) charging stations that can serve customers, attract visitors, and prepare business districts for an increasing number of EV-motorists expected in coming years.

A sampling of main street EV charging station announcement include:
  • The City of Canton (Stark County) approved plans to install four Level 3 (480 volt) fast-charging stations; 
  • The City of Delaware (Delaware County), installed two Level 2 (220 volt) charging stations; 
  • The Village of Sunbury (Delaware County) likewise approved plans to install an EV charging station, intended to attract visitors to its downtown; and
  • The City of Lakewood, announced plans to pay for installation of its third EV charger in partnership with a business who paid for the equipment.

Many of these charging stations were funded by grants from Ohio-based American Electric Power . 

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Want to Learn More and Be Engaged in the Ohio EV Industry?
Several recent and upcoming free webinars may be joined (or reviewed) by chamber leaders to learn more about EVs and EV infrastructure. These are hosted by Clean Fuels Ohio, an organization that helps companies and cities implement advanced fuel solutions and vehicle technologies:
  • Charging in the Workplace with Blink Charging (Recording): Clean Fuels Ohio presented on future projections for the charging market and why investing in workplace charging is good for businesses. (Presented on May 7, 2020; video recording available soon.)
  • Why Electrify Your Fleet with EVunited and Chargepoint (Recording): Clean Fuels Ohio presented factors for fleets to analyze when considering adoption of EVs. (Presented on May 12, 2020; video recording available soon.)
  • Upcoming Webinar- Electric Vehicle Supply Equipment (EVSE) Best Practices and Infrastructure Funding (Upcoming Webinar): This webinar will be held on May 28 at 11 a.m. and is specifically designed for potential site-hosts. Topics covered will include charging best practices for existing and prospective site-hosts and how to take advantage of funding sources for EVSE infrastructure. Register Here

To sign up or learn more about these webinars, contact Rachel Ellenberger, Business Development & Communications Manager at Clean Fuels Ohio, rachel@cleanfuelsohio.org or at 614.884.7336 ext. 310.

To learn more about how EVs are creating jobs in Ohio, saving corporations on fleet expenses, or how your chamber can be more engaged in EV advocacy, please contact Tom Bullock at tom@chambersforinnovation.com or 440.554.7203 .
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