Advanced Battery Manufacturer, EnerBlu, is Coming to East Kentucky

15 Dec 2017


One East Kentucky is proud to announce that EnerBlu is making its new home in East Kentucky. They will be investing $412 million and creating 975 jobs in the region. They will be bringing jobs to Kentucky from California, Europe, China, and Korea. “Our greatest asset in East Kentucky is the 10,000 available skilled workers coming out of the mining industry and looking for good jobs.  EnerBlu views this as a massive advantage for their new advanced manufacturing facility.  They will not need to compete for workers here, but have a pool of labor from which to immediately select the absolute best for their company.”

Bringing Jobs to East Kentucky  

EnerBlu has largely been manufacturing in China but now, their power storage batteries will be made in the USA.  This represents a significant investment in East Kentucky and creates incredible opportunities for the many skilled workers in our region. With an available workforce who has direct experience in power systems, engineering, and using advanced technologies, this is an ideal region for advanced manufacturing companies to locate. When a company requires a skilled workforce, East Kentucky can supply this human capital and do so quickly. This will allow EnerBlu’s one-million-square-foot facility in Pikeville to be fully staffed and operational by 2019.

East Kentucky Supports Business

One of the reasons EnerBlu decided to locate in East Kentucky is the incredible amount of support they received at all levels of government, and even by the university. The University of Pikeville is customizing a four-year engineering program based on the specific needs of the company. This partnership will ensure that EnerBlu has a constant supply of engineers from which to hire. “In East Kentucky, we are creative in how we solve business problems. If a business requires something to succeed, we will look for a way to meet that need” said Chuck Sexton, President & CEO of One East Kentucky.

Strategic Location

East Kentucky is strategically located and within a days’ drive of the majority of manufacturing within the United States. Since EnerBlu’s power storage batteries are used by the transportation, defense, and aerospace industries, this creates further opportunities for EnerBlu, as they continue to grow. “The One East Kentucky region is directly in the center of the new Transportation and Aerospace manufacturing corridor with one distinct advantage, over 10,000 available skilled workers from which Enerblu can choose.  Their investment proves our business case for other companies to take advantage of as well” said Sexton.

Time for Growth

With the economy growing, now is an excellent time for companies to expand within the United States. EnerBlu selecting East Kentucky for their expanding operations is strategic because it allows them to capitalize on market growth and to do so quickly. With an available skilled workforce ready to work, the company can immediately begin the hiring process and ensure that once their plant is built, they can become operational without delay. This, combined with $30 million in tax breaks, approved by the Kentucky Economic Development Finance Authority Board, made East Kentucky the right decision from an operational and economic perspective.

Other companies can take advantage of the many benefits of locating here. For more information, contact Chuck Sexton, President & CEO of One East Kentucky at 606-886-7333 or chuck@OneEastKY.com.