JEFFERSONVILLE — Thursday, April 18 marked the grand opening of the Ohio Means Jobs Recruitment & Training Center, located at Destination Outlets.

The center will help Honda and LG Energy Solution hire 2,200 employees for the new lithium-ion battery plant under construction in Jeffersonville, according to ODJFS Director Matt Damschroder.

Since its recent opening, the Outlet Recruitment Center has been dedicated to facilitating job placements and providing essential training initiatives. The center has already made substantial progress by establishing valuable connections and implementing key elements to support its mission.

During the ceremony on Thursday, Faye Williamson, director of Fayette County Job and Family Services, gave opening remarks. She thanked Honda, the JFS staff, the Greater Ohio Workforce Board, Workforce Services Unlimited, and Destination Outlets for helping get the center up and running.

Bob Peterson, State Representative for the 91st Ohio House District, spoke next.

“I live about four miles down the road past Bob Evans, so I have watched this place grow and have had the opportunity to be a little piece of it. This center will help people find the jobs for their future. It says Ohio Means Jobs, I really think that this is an opportunity to improve a life. If you don’t have a job, finding a job is the ticket to success, and that’s what they do here. That’s what they are going to make happen.

“What is so exciting about what is happening in Fayette County is that the opportunity to improve a life is there for us. You don’t have to travel to Columbus, Dayton or Cincinnati, the opportunities are right here where we live. I’m excited about the future of Fayette County.”

Damschroder was the next to share remarks.

“Over the last number of years, when you would talk to people around the country about economic development, the number one question used to be — Where is the land that we can develop? Where are utilities? What’s the infrastructure and logistics around transporting our product? Now, the number one question is — What is my workforce going to be?

“We are proud at the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services to partner with our counties, the county JFS’, the county Ohio Means Jobs centers, and all of our workforce investment boards across the state to make sure we are doing the best we can, maximizing our federal and state dollars to build a workforce that Ohio needs not just for today, but for the future.

“Governor DeWine always talks about wanting to make Ohio a great place to have a job and raise a family. Places like this, the jobs that are coming to this community because of the tremendous investment not only in the private sector, but also the public sector as well, is going to make sure that that comes true for thousands and thousands of families. It’s not just in this community, but in the surrounding communities as well over the long term.”

Jim Garland, Fayette County Commissioner, followed with some comments.

”Dan Dean and Tony Anderson, the other two commissioners and I, are excited about the opening of this center. It will be a great asset to our community. I want to take this opportunity to thank everyone that has worked so hard to get this new center open. I think it is a great location for the recruitment and training center, and the space looks very nice.”

Robert Lee, CEO of LG Battery Company, was the final guest speaker.

”I just wanted to give you a quick introduction to the LG Honda joint venture that we are building. We are building a facility that will support 40 gigawatt hour capacity, which means about 500,000 electric vehicles. It’s a substantial amount of people, a substantial amount of economic activity that will most importantly support about 2,500 employees when we are up and running. Honda has been an integral part of central Ohio, and we want to continue that tradition to be a part of the community and support the community. The fact that those 2,500 people can build their livelihoods, educate their children, go on vacation and grow with a company is something that we take very seriously. At the end of the day, it’s about getting good people for us to be successful.”

He closed by encouraging the audience to invest in Honda electric vehicles.

“It’s not only good for humanity from a sustainability point of view, but it is great for this community to support the products that are manufactured here. Electric cars accelerate much faster than gas-powered cars as well, so please go out there and buy electric vehicles to help the community.”

A ribbon cutting ceremony came next, followed by a tour of the center that included refreshments, pizza and snacks, which were provided by Launch Entertainment.