JS Link America, a U.S.-owned subsidiary of JS Link, will invest $223 million to create a rare-earth permanent magnet facility in Columbus. The facility is expected to have a production capacity of 3,000 tons, according to the news release.
These rare-earth magnets are critical components of an array of industries including automobiles, wind turbines, elevators, home appliances and more.
The company is bringing 524 jobs to Columbus. Selvin Hollingsworth, chairman of the Development Authority of Columbus, described the jobs as “high paying,” with an average salary of $89,000 per year. The company will be hiring for engineering, production, construction, administrative and management roles, according to the news release.
“On behalf of Choose Columbus and the economic development team, we are proud to have JS Link join our corporate community,” Hollingworth said in the news release. “This location will have a large impact on our entire regional economy, and we look forward to helping them establish and grow their U.S. presence in Columbus.”
Founded in 2000, JS Link is a Korean biotechnology company specializing in research and development. The facility will be in a 130,000-square-foot building at the Muscogee Technology Park. Operations are expected to begin in late 2027.
This announcement is the first economic development announcement from ChooseColumbus, a standalone organization focused on job creation, capital investment and business recruitment in the Chattahooche Valley. Missy Kendrick was named as the inaugural president and CEO earlier this year.
“It takes the whole community working together to showcase what the community has to offer to a new business or a new manufacturing facility,” Kendrick said. “It takes the whole water works department. It takes the city commission and council. It takes all of us working together to make this project happen.”
JS Link America’s expected impact on Columbus: A ‘perfect fit’
Officials described JS Link’s arrival in Columbus as a “perfect fit” for the greater Chattahooche Valley.
Pace Halter, chairman of Columbus 2025, an economic development plan developed by the Regional Prosperity Initiative Inc., told the Ledger-Enquirer that JS Link’s arrival is “checking a lot of boxes” for the greater economic vision in Columbus.
“The majority of that plan, in one way or another, is centered around development,” Halter said. “Economic development creates investment. It creates jobs, and jobs employ our community. (The jobs) will allow people to pull themselves up if they are below the poverty line. … It is about how we make our region more prosperous, and creating jobs, this number of jobs that are high paying, is a perfect fit for that.”
Halter also outlined how JS Link fits in with the manufacturing industry in Columbus. Beginning in 1828, Columbus became known as a textile hub powered by the Chattahoochee River. It was one of the South’s largest industrial complexes, stretching back to the 19th century. JS Link’s investment in Columbus is reminiscent of that rich history, Halter said.
“This is a nice addition to the ongoing manufacturing industry that has existed for decades, even arguably centuries, in Columbus,” Halter said. “This is a wonderful city for manufacturing. We’re built for it.”
Columbus’ history of manufacturing was a part of the pitch to get JS Link to set up their facility in the city. The workforce and greater region’s community were the other selling points, according to Hollingsworth.
“One of our big secrets here is that we’ve got Fort Benning,” Hollingsworth said. “You’re talking about people that are leaders, that are the best of the best, and you’re adding that type of talent to the local market every day.”
Hollingsworth also emphasized that these job opportunities fill local and national needs. He expressed hope for this opportunity to bring a “great season” of other major companies to Columbus.
“In any community, you’re as strong as your middle class, and these will be very good jobs for our middle class,” Hollingsworth said. “This is the perfect storm for that. …These jobs are also competitive across the state and across the nation, so we’ll be able to fill needs here in Columbus, but we can also draw nationally with these jobs. One of the things that really excites us is the opportunity to really bring in other people from other locations to add to the fabric of Columbus.”
Columbus Mayor Skip Henderson echoed those sentiments.
“These are the kind of jobs we need in Columbus,” Henderson told the Ledger-Enquirer. “We want to make sure that, if somebody is employed, they are employed to the point where they can afford that mortgage plan or the car payment. And to have over 500 jobs making an average of $89,000 is significant.”
Source: https://www.ledger-enquirer.com/news/business/article311954855.html#storylink=cpy
JS Link America, a U.S.-owned subsidiary of JS Link, will invest $223 million to create a rare-earth permanent magnet facility in Columbus. The facility is expected to have a production capacity of 3,000 tons, according to the news release.
These rare-earth magnets are critical components of an array of industries including automobiles, wind turbines, elevators, home appliances and more.
The company is bringing 524 jobs to Columbus. Selvin Hollingsworth, chairman of the Development Authority of Columbus, described the jobs as “high paying,” with an average salary of $89,000 per year. The company will be hiring for engineering, production, construction, administrative and management roles, according to the news release.
“On behalf of Choose Columbus and the economic development team, we are proud to have JS Link join our corporate community,” Hollingworth said in the news release. “This location will have a large impact on our entire regional economy, and we look forward to helping them establish and grow their U.S. presence in Columbus.”
Founded in 2000, JS Link is a Korean biotechnology company specializing in research and development. The facility will be in a 130,000-square-foot building at the Muscogee Technology Park. Operations are expected to begin in late 2027.
This announcement is the first economic development announcement from ChooseColumbus, a standalone organization focused on job creation, capital investment and business recruitment in the Chattahooche Valley. Missy Kendrick was named as the inaugural president and CEO earlier this year.
“It takes the whole community working together to showcase what the community has to offer to a new business or a new manufacturing facility,” Kendrick said. “It takes the whole water works department. It takes the city commission and council. It takes all of us working together to make this project happen.”
JS Link America’s expected impact on Columbus: A ‘perfect fit’
Officials described JS Link’s arrival in Columbus as a “perfect fit” for the greater Chattahooche Valley.
Pace Halter, chairman of Columbus 2025, an economic development plan developed by the Regional Prosperity Initiative Inc., told the Ledger-Enquirer that JS Link’s arrival is “checking a lot of boxes” for the greater economic vision in Columbus.
“The majority of that plan, in one way or another, is centered around development,” Halter said. “Economic development creates investment. It creates jobs, and jobs employ our community. (The jobs) will allow people to pull themselves up if they are below the poverty line. … It is about how we make our region more prosperous, and creating jobs, this number of jobs that are high paying, is a perfect fit for that.”
Halter also outlined how JS Link fits in with the manufacturing industry in Columbus. Beginning in 1828, Columbus became known as a textile hub powered by the Chattahoochee River. It was one of the South’s largest industrial complexes, stretching back to the 19th century. JS Link’s investment in Columbus is reminiscent of that rich history, Halter said.
“This is a nice addition to the ongoing manufacturing industry that has existed for decades, even arguably centuries, in Columbus,” Halter said. “This is a wonderful city for manufacturing. We’re built for it.”
Columbus’ history of manufacturing was a part of the pitch to get JS Link to set up their facility in the city. The workforce and greater region’s community were the other selling points, according to Hollingsworth.
“One of our big secrets here is that we’ve got Fort Benning,” Hollingsworth said. “You’re talking about people that are leaders, that are the best of the best, and you’re adding that type of talent to the local market every day.”
Hollingsworth also emphasized that these job opportunities fill local and national needs. He expressed hope for this opportunity to bring a “great season” of other major companies to Columbus.
“In any community, you’re as strong as your middle class, and these will be very good jobs for our middle class,” Hollingsworth said. “This is the perfect storm for that. …These jobs are also competitive across the state and across the nation, so we’ll be able to fill needs here in Columbus, but we can also draw nationally with these jobs. One of the things that really excites us is the opportunity to really bring in other people from other locations to add to the fabric of Columbus.”
Columbus Mayor Skip Henderson echoed those sentiments.
“These are the kind of jobs we need in Columbus,” Henderson told the Ledger-Enquirer. “We want to make sure that, if somebody is employed, they are employed to the point where they can afford that mortgage plan or the car payment. And to have over 500 jobs making an average of $89,000 is significant.”
Source: https://www.ledger-enquirer.com/news/business/article311954855.html#storylink=cpy