LORDSTOWN — As Lordstown Motors Corp. continues to ready itself and its assembly plant to produce the battery-powered Endurance pickup truck, the Youngstown Warren Regional Chamber is partnering with the electric vehicle company to link it to factory and automotive suppliers.
Two procurement meetings are scheduled for Jan. 29 and Feb. 4 at Stambaugh Auditorium in Youngstown.
At the events, Lordstown Motors executives will give a company overview and highlight opportunities for business to “start moving forward with those relationships they will be building as part of our business community,” said Lauren Johnson, 422 Corridor and business development manager for the chamber.
“We have been having ongoing conversations with the company for quite a while now, and they have really been excited to connect with a lot of the local service providers,” Johnson said.
The facility-supplier procurement event is Jan. 29. The automotive-supplier event is Feb. 4. Both are 8 to 10 a.m. and cost $15 for chamber members and $25 for nonmembers.
Attendees are encouraged to register for the event that most closely aligns with their service area. Registration is available on the chamber’s website, www.regional chamber.com, by clicking on Events.
Upon registering, companies will be asked to complete a procurement form detailing their capabilities and experience. The information will be compiled and provided to Lordstown Motors to reference during the procurement process.
“We look forward to connecting and working with regional and national suppliers as we transform the Lordstown’s Mahoning Valley into ‘Voltage Valley,’” John LaFleur, Lordstown Motors’ chief operating officer, said.
Lordstown Motors purchased the 6.2 million-square-foot former General Motors assembly plant in Lordstown for $20 million November with the goal to repurpose it and ready it for production by the end of 2020.
Company officials have said initially the plant will employ about 400 workers, but that could go as high as 5,000 on three shifts at full production. Company founder and CEO Steve Burns has said he wants the workforce to be represented by United Auto Workers, which represented autoworkers when the facility was producing GM vehicles.
U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, is working to facilitate a meeting between the UAW and Burns, but the timing is still being worked out.
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