FORT WAYNE, Ind. (NETWORK INDIANA): Despite many of the geopolitical tensions and economic uncertainty brought on by the UAW strike, the fact that Stellantis is planning to build a second EV battery plant in Kokomo is a big win for Indiana.
That’s according to Secretary of Commerce Dan Rosenberg, who tells Inside Indiana Business the decision by Stellantis is indicative of a push by many companies to steer clear of the coastal cities and look more inward for talent.
“We are still on very historic pace. The pipeline is robust,” Rosenberg said of economic growth lately in Indiana. “Again, with all the geopolitical tensions, the re-shoring modernization, the business capital isn’t looking to go to the coast, but we (Indiana) have a stable business environment.”
Rosenberg was a guest speaker at the Engage Indiana Series, which brought key business leaders in northwest Indiana together over the weekend to talk about the state of Indiana’s business climate.
Many other speakers spoke about how investments in the state, such as Stellantis, will help keep Hoosiers living in Indiana and want to work for companies they want to work for.
“We have the workforce, we have the communities, the educational institutions, so the state of the economy is strong and we will continue to lean into that through the rest of Gov. Holcomb’s term,” Rosenberg said.
The investment by Stellantis was announced a week before the company announced it would be laying off 700 more workers at its current plant in Kokomo. That now has over 1,300 Hoosiers without a job for the time being because of the UAW strike.
