News Articles
Green Metals, Inc, Annouces New Facility in Liberty
June 10, 2024
Press Release: June 10, 2024
Contact: Kevin Franklin – kfranklin@rcedc.com, 336-686-2134
Green Metals, Inc. Announces New Facility in Liberty
Liberty, NC – Green Metals, Inc. (GMI), has announced plans to build a facility for electric vehicle battery waste handling and recycling. The operation will support Toyota Battery Manufacturing North Carolina (TBMNC) in Liberty and will be located on the TBMNC campus. GMI will process dry battery material for offsite recycling, as well as handle and store other waste streams from TBMNC, including cardboard, plastic, and general waste, which will be compacted at the facility and sent offsite for recycling.
GMI’s projected capital investment over five years will total $19.8 million including both real property and machinery and equipment. The company will create 47 new jobs over that same five-year period. The company’s competitive wages and benefits package will offer an attractive option for job seekers.
Established in 1999, GMI is a Toyota Tsusho group company which provides customized industrial scrap/waste handling and recycling solutions; the company currently operates eight locations in the US. GMI’s detailed analysis of individual scrap generators enables the company to develop and implement tailored scrap recycling programs that ensure customers competitive pricing, prompt service, and maximum environmental protection.
“We join with our EDC team in welcoming another Toyota Tsusho project to Randolph County. Green Metals, Inc. will bring an important service to Toyota Battery in the form of a waste handling and recycling facility. The investment of almost twenty million dollars, bringing another 47 jobs to the area, will boost our economy and employment opportunities for our citizens,” said Darrell Frye, Chairman of the Randolph County Board of Commissioners. “This growth of the Megasite is made possible through the continued cooperation with Toyota, our EDC team, and our Randolph County staff. We welcome GMI and offer our assistance in any way needed.”
GMI will receive training support from the North Carolina Community College System which will be administered locally by Randolph Community College. The company has received additional support from the State in the form of a $60,000 Recycling Business Development Grant awarded by the NC Department of Environmental Quality. The grant will assist with the purchase of recycling equipment.
“At Green Metals, we are excited to bring our expertise in recycling and waste handling to North Carolina in support of the growing automotive battery industry,” said Dave Eisenacher, President, Green Metals, Inc. “We are grateful for the community’s support of this project, and we look forward to our future here in Randolph County.”
“We are excited to welcome GMI to our community,” stated Randolph County EDC president Kevin Franklin. “GMI will play a critical role in the EV battery ecosystem by ensuring safe and advanced waste processing, helping the company achieve its goal of ‘battery to battery recycling’ which benefits all of us.”
Support from the North Carolina Department of Commerce, the Economic Development Partnership of North Carolina, the North Carolina Community College System, Randolph Community College, and NCDEQ has been vital to FTBC’s announced investment and job creation.
The Randolph County Economic Development Corporation is a non-profit organization that works with industrial clients in the county. The EDC’s mission is to support a growing healthy economy so that local residents have diverse quality job opportunities through the attraction of new businesses to the area and the retention and expansion of existing business and industry. The EDC is a proud partner of the NC Carolina Core.
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Randolph County wins $450M Ross Dress for Less distribution center, 852 jobs
May 28, 2024
By David Hill – Reporter, Triad Business Journal
May 28, 2024
Ross Dress for Less won North Carolina economic-development incentives Tuesday for a distribution center in Randleman that would create 852 jobs over five years, and later confirmed it plans to build there.
The N.C. Economic Investment Committee approved a package of incentives worth up to $8.4 million for Ross, which wants to build a 1.7 million-square-foot distribution center at the I-74 Industrial Center developed by Greensboro’s Samet Corp.
In addition, Randleman and Randolph County approved an even larger package of incentives, offering $38.6 million over 15 years to lure Ross. The county will also convey 30 acres of county property valued at $1 million to Ross.
Ross' total expected investment was put at $450 million through the end of 2026. An economic-forecasting model used by the N.C. Department of Commerce forecasts the project will increase the state’s gross domestic product by $1.4 billion and net state revenue $19.7 million, with a return on investment generating $1.61 for every state dollar invested.
The total number of jobs of 852 includes 550 full-time jobs through third-party staffing not included in the calculation for the state incentive package. The average annual wages for the jobs would be $45,806, compared to Randolph County’s average of $45,801.
Ross Dress for Less retail jobs in the state would not be included in the incentive. Ross has eight stores in the Triad, with two locations each in Winston-Salem and Greensboro plus single stores in High Point, Asheboro, Clemmons and Burlington. Ross also has seven stores in the Triangle, three in the Charlotte metro area and one in Sanford.
The N.C. Economic Investment Committee didn't identify a site, but Randolph County Economic Development Corp. President Kevin Franklin identified it as the I-74 Industrial Center.
According to RCEDC, approximately 170 acres are under an options agreement with Samet Corp., which worked with the agency to secure more acreage for the planned 330-acre site from adjacent property owners.
The Randleman site was competing with a finalist in Laurens County, South Carolina, where a package of state and local incentive grants were also offered, according to staff of the N.C. Department of Commerce.
According to RCEDC, a deciding factor for Ross Stores was a labor analysis by consultant J.M. Mullis that found the Triad has the necessary labor market.
The RCEDC quoted Ross Stores Executive Vice President of Supply Chain Rob Kummerer:
“We are excited about the opportunity to build out a new distribution facility in North Carolina to support our growth initiatives over the long term. We value the collaboration of the many state and local leaders, including the Economic Development Partnership of North Carolina, Department of Commerce, and the officials in the city of Randleman and Randolph County who have been instrumental in bringing these plans to fruition.”
Ross Dress for Less is part of Ross Stores Inc., headquartered in the east San Francisco Bay area of California with 2023 revenues of $20.4 billion. It describes Ross Dress for Less as the largest off-price apparel and home fashion chain in the United States with 1,764 stores and 345 dd’s Discounts stores. In its most recent annual report, the company said it believes Ross Dress for Less can expand to 2,900 sites and dd’s Discounts to 700.
Source: Triad Business Journal
Japan Prime Minister to visit Toyota site
April 12, 2024
GUILFORD COUNTY, N.C. (WGHP) — The Piedmont Triad will treat Japanese Prime Minister Kishida Fumio to some southern hospitality during his Friday morning visit to the two major facilities owned by Japanese companies.
The HondaJet world headquarters, which the company revealed would be coming to Greensboro in 2007, handles development, production, customer services and sales for HondaJet. The company has had multiple expansion projects over the years, including the opening of a new production facility wing in 2021.
The Toyota battery manufacturing megasite, announced for Liberty in 2021, will make lithium-ion batteries for Toyota’s hybrid-electric vehicles and batteries for Toyota’s line of fully electric vehicles. The 1,800-acre site will create thousands of jobs with $13.9 billion invested in the project.
Kevin Franklin, president of the Randolph County Economic Development Corporation, said this visit is historic for Randolph County.
“These things just don’t happen every day here in our community,” Franklin said. “And so to have him in our community visiting the site and recognizing the impact that Toyota’s having in our community is fantastic.”
Source: Fox 8
Toyota investing $2 million in STEM education
April 11, 2024
Apr 10, 2024
by Larry Penkava
LIBERTY — Toyota Battery Manufacturing North Carolina has yet to open but is investing $2 million in public schools in the Randolph County School System and Guilford County Schools.
In an invitation-only meeting at the Liberty Showcase Theater, Sean Suggs, president of TBMNC, introduced a program called Driving Possibilities. North Carolina will be the seventh location to have the program launched.
Suggs said Driving Possibilities is student-centered with a concentration on STEM careers, or science, technology, engineering and math. “The focus is on getting young people prepared for careers,” he said.
“STEM education is really important,” Suggs said. “There will be 3.5 million STEM jobs in the US in the next decade. What Driving Possibilities is all about is a promise to young people, outstanding opportunities for all, investing in people.”
Suggs reminded the audience that Toyota is investing more than $13 billion in the battery plant and creating 5,000 jobs. “The future is extremely bright,” he said. “Students are our future. We’re walking the walk when it comes to community give-back.”
Congresswoman Kathy Manning stressed the importance of Toyota’s investment here and the importance of young people being able to have good-paying jobs.
Driving Possibilities, she said, “is not just education but helping with the problems students face. The $2 million investment is the initial (phase) and will do a lot for Randolph County and Guilford County schools.”
The program is for preK-12, Manning said. “You can’t wait until they're 12th graders to explore their academic interests and prepare for well-paid careers.”
Phil Berger, leader of the NC Senate, called Driving Possibilities “another step in the transformation of central North Carolina. Toyota is going the extra mile for students, employers and the local economy.
“Manufacturing is not what it used to be,” Berger said. “We’ve got to make sure workers have the background with a proper education to build a qualified workforce.”
NC Rep. Neal Jackson said Toyota was “leading the way. Toyota believes this is something to invest in, but we need others to follow that example. We can make investments.”
Dr. Whitney Oakley, superintendent of Guilford County Schools, said, “When students thrive, we all thrive. We need a pipeline of workers. Toyota has a vision to invest in students to be better prepared for success. We look forward to the opportunities we will explore together.”
Dr. Stephen Gainey, superintendent of the Randolph County School System, thanked Toyota, saying the new program will “get kids ready for the future. It’s all about STEM in many ways. We have to develop STEM abilities in students.”
Later, Suggs talked about how the program will be implemented: “We’ll work with the school systems, counselors, teachers to see what their needs are and figure out how kids can be helped.” That includes providing food, health care and transportation — which Suggs called a holistic, wrap-around approach.
Gainey said he was excited about the opportunity to “expose children to what the future holds. We’ve been working with Toyota over the start date and final plans.”
In the early stages, Gainey said, “We can use the initiative as a feeder program, start at the elementary school in a feeder program. We don’t want to wait until high school, but let them figure out (beginning at a young age) what they want to do with their life.”
As for the relationship between Toyota and the school systems, Gainey said, “They’re embracing us and we’re embracing them. Toyota wants to be a part of the community. When they talk about children, that’s huge in my book.”
Source: Randolph Hub
FUJIHATSU & TOYOTSU Battery Components, North Carolina LLC (“FTBC”) Announces Production Operation in Liberty
February 26, 2024
Liberty, NC – FTBC, a newly-formed joint venture between Fujihatsu Tech America, Inc. and Toyota Tsusho America Inc., has announced a new production operation in Liberty to manufacture and sell prismatic aluminum cell cases and cell covers with discharge valves to meet the increasing demand for automotive batteries, particularly with the growing adoption of electrified vehicles (EVs) like hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs) and battery electric vehicles (BEVs). The manufacturing facility is scheduled to be completed this year, with mass production starting in 2025. The initial production volume is planned to be 2.7 million units/month increasing to 3.6 million units/month after January 2026. The new operation will support Toyota Battery Manufacturing North Carolina.
FTBC’s projected capital investment over five years will exceed $60 million in machinery and equipment, and the company will create at least 133 new jobs over that same five-year period. The company’s competitive wages and benefits package will offer an attractive option for job seekers.
“On behalf of the Randolph County Board of Commissioners I want to welcome FTBC to our County,” stated Darrell Frye, Chairman of the Randolph County Board of Commissioners. “The $60 million investment and 133 new jobs will further provide job opportunities for our citizens, especially for young families that will sustain our economy for years to come. The presence of FTBC is a further acknowledgement of the business-friendly attitude of Randolph County, our quality of life, and the work ethic of the Randolph County employee. We are pleased to add FTBC to our proud list of corporate citizens.”
FTBC was established in July of 2023 and the joint venture was publicly announced earlier this month. The new company is 60% owned by Fujihatsu Tech America, Inc., which will lend its technical expertise to the project, and 40% by Toyota Tsusho America Inc., which will provide administrative and operational support.
FTBC will receive training support from the North Carolina Community College System; the training will be administered locally by Randolph Community College.
“On behalf of FTBC, we are grateful for Randolph County’s and North Carolina’s warm welcome and support of this project,” said Marissa Baxter, FTBC Human Resources Manager. “We are excited to join Randolph County’s thriving business community and look forward to growing with the Piedmont Triad into the future.”
“We are excited to welcome another EV battery-related company to our community,” stated Randolph County EDC president Kevin Franklin. “FTBC will help to further diversify our industrial sector, and we are confident in their ability to thrive here in Randolph County.”
Support from the North Carolina Department of Commerce, the Economic Development Partnership of North Carolina, the North Carolina Community College System, and Randolph Community College has been vital to FTBC’s announced investment and job creation.
The Randolph County Economic Development Corporation is a non-profit organization that works with industrial clients in the county. The EDC’s mission is to support a growing healthy economy so that local residents have diverse quality job opportunities through the attraction of new businesses to the area and the retention and expansion of existing business and industry. The EDC is a proud partner of the NC Carolina Core.
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