The Stanly News & Press - January 25, 2010
Congressman Larry Kissell (NC-08) announced Wednesday both a green business expansion and a grant for energy-efficient job training in the Eighth District with a company in Concord adding 209 new jobs and a grant to support education and job training in renewable energy targeted to benefit Scotland County.

“Our district needs good jobs, and training for future jobs,” Kissell said.

“I am pleased to announce that progress has been made on both fronts today. Today we take a major step forward in the advancement of green technology for our district and our state.

“The Department of Energy grant for Celgard and the Department of Labor grant for Scotland County will both advance the cause of energy-efficient technology and will help put our district in a competitive position to participate in the expanding Green Energy economy for years to come. Funding for this type of job creation and workforce training, coming home to our district, are examples of why I supported the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.”

North Carolina Gov. Bev Perdue and Secretary of Commerce Keith Crisco joined Kissell in Concord Wednesday morning to announce that Celgard, a lithium-ion battery manufacturer, will expand its Charlotte facility and build a new plant in Concord. The company will open the Cabarrus County plant to expand manufacturing capabilities for battery components used in electric vehicles.

“This region offers a skilled workforce and solid transportation infrastructure, and is in close proximity to several engineering universities and laboratories that offer great technical capabilities we can leverage,” Mitch Pulwer, vice president and general manager of Celgard, said.

“We are thankful for the support and guidance we have received from North Carolina’s elected officials, especially Congressman Kissell and his staff, during the grant process. The grant will enable us to accelerate our investments in production capacity and create jobs here in North Carolina as we prepare to meet the increasing demand of the Electric Drive Vehicle market.”

Kissell helped Celgard secure a $49 million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy through the American Recovery and Reinvest-ment Act. Celgard plans to use the $49 million as part of its $91 million investment in the expansion. Celgard will also benefit from a grant from the JDIG and One North Carolina Fund through the North Carolina Department of Commerce.

The United States Depart-ment of Labor has awarded the North Carolina Department of Com-merce’s Division of Workforce Development a State Energy Sector Partnership and Training grant.

The grant, authorized by the American Recovery and Reinvest-ment Act, supplies $5,976,512 to help train workers for the energy efficiency and renewable energy industries.

A portion of the grant is designated for Scotland County for workforce training. The grant funding will be divided between four distinct regions of the state, and the training initiatives will be specific to the area.

Each project will provide training that leads to industry-recognized certifications in energy efficient building, construction and retrofitting industries and energy efficiency assessment.