A Team Effort: Bringing Intel to Ohio

J.P. Nauseef
JobsOhio

Intel’s announcement to partner with Ohio to expand its chip manufacturing operations in Ohio’s Licking County is a tremendous victory for the United States. Semiconductors are a brand-new vital industry to our state and will supercharge Ohio’s economy.

The megaproject will make Ohio a magnet to attract business and retain and attract talent from across the globe, as Ohio will be rightfully viewed as the center for the most advanced and complex manufacturing in the world.

Ohio won the largest economic deal in our history by doing what we have always done well: Working together and collaborating toward a common goal. Starting with strong leadership from the DeWine/Husted Administration, through collaboration amongst the JobsOhio team and its Regional Network Partners across the state, critical support from the New Albany Company, Licking County and surrounding Central Ohio communities and Ohio’s bipartisan Congressional Delegation, and our state’s leading business chambers and trade associations – Intel is in Ohio. Truly a team effort!

Ohio has made a point to create a favorable business climate. It has structured its economic development efforts to allow the state to be nimble, act quickly, and do what is necessary to compete with other states to attract new businesses and talent– and this project HAD to move at the speed of business.

Within one week, JobsOhio scoured the entire state – and each region that met basic demographic criteria had the opportunity to identify a site that met Intel’s unique requirements. Team Ohio ultimately responded to Intel with a recommendation that would become the future home of the most advanced semiconductor chip manufacturing operation in the world. Thanks to the passion and advocacy of local elected leaders and economic development professionals coupled with the structure and experience of our network, the team had the ability to move at the speed of business and anticipate the needs of Intel.

Intel’s investment is good for the entire state and will catalyze other investments upstream and downstream, like what’s happened in other areas with semiconductor manufacturing facilities worldwide. This is why it is mission-critical for our economic development partners throughout the state to ensure that sites and communities are ready for the influx of businesses and suppliers looking for space in Ohio.

Phase 1 of Intel’s 4-phase plan will include an initial capital investment of more than $20 billion to build two chip manufacturing facilities (FABs) will generate more than 20,000 jobs, including:

• • 3,000 Intel jobs earning an average of $135,000 per year (plus benefits)
  • 7,000 construction jobs over the course of the build
  • Tens of thousands of additional support jobs, including electricians, engineers, supplier jobs, and jobs in restaurants, healthcare, housing, entertainment, and more.

Access to a talent pipeline is essential for Intel’s initial investment, which is why, in collaboration with the DeWine/Husted Administration, JobsOhio, and key stakeholders, Intel has indicated its plans to make significant investments over the next decade in partnership with Ohio universities, community colleges, and the U.S. National Science Foundation. These partnerships will span a range of activities, from collaborative research projects to semiconductor-specific curricula for associate and undergraduate degree programs.

Ohio now realizes its Generational Opportunity that could only have been achieved through the dedication and vision of so many around the state for a common goal that will have far-reaching impacts for years to come. This is the start – a sea change – to what we always knew Ohio could achieve. The best is yet to come…