COLUMBUS, OH (WLIO) - One of the top Ohio stories for 2022 would be the announcement of the $20 billion investment of Intel but that could be just the start. In January of 2022, the semiconductor chip manufacturer announced their plan to build two plants in Licking County Ohio, just outside of Columbus, and with it create nearly 3,000 new jobs. In September, Intel broke ground for their facility. They are looking at making Ohio “The Silicon Heartland” with investments into the education sector to train the workforce needed for these high-tech jobs. But for Governor Mike DeWine, the Intel deal is more than an investment into the state.
“I said look if we get Intel, it is going to mean a lot of jobs but is also going to be a signal to every business in this country. If you are looking to move, if you are not happy where you are, or if you want to start a new business, you better at least look at Ohio,” says DeWine. “I am convinced that we are going to get, not our fair share, but we are going to get more than our fair share of companies that look at Ohio.”
The impact of Intel reached Allen County earlier in December when Chemtrade Logistic announced a $50 million expansion of their Cairo facility to increase production of extreme ultrapure sulphuric acid, which is needed to clean semiconductor chips during the production process. DeWine says those types of investments will continue throughout the state.
“I was on the phone the other day with a company and the owner of the company was telling me how happy he was about Intel and I said, why you? You are not Intel why do you care? He says I am supplier of a supplier of Intel and that is what we are seeing this ripple effect.”
Intel will start production at their Ohio facilities in 2025.
