Sidney and Shelby County attract Ohio’s largest initial foreign investment

According to the Ohio Manufacturer’s Association, the Great Miami Riverway is home to more than 2,500 manufacturing companies. Sidney and Shelby County have more manufacturing jobs per capita than any other county in the state of Ohio. Those job numbers just grew significantly with the recent addition of 1,200 new jobs at a new SEMCORP Advanced Materials Group facility in Sidney this year. The plant will manufacture separator film, a key component of electric batteries.

SEMCORP, with an annual payroll of $73 million, is the global leader in separator film for lithium-ion batteries. Jim Hill, Executive Director of the Sidney-Shelby County Economic Development Partnership, believes that one of the major factors for SEMCORP choosing the 225-acre site was the site certification status from JobsOhio.

“Companies who look for industrial land to build manufacturing facilities want to make sure the site can handle everything from power needs to water and sewer infrastructure,” he said. “This site was ready to go. This enabled SEMCORP to feel comfortable that their desired speed-to-market would fit their timeline.” Said Hill.

The timing of preparing and marketing the site lined up with the national and statewide trends of the battery demand for the growing Electric Vehicle (EV) industry.

“SEMCORP’s advanced battery separator film will help propel Ohio to the forefront of the electric vehicle industry,” said J.P. Nauseef, JobsOhio president and CEO. “Our team of professionals, including the Dayton Development Coalition, the Sidney-Shelby Economic Partnership, the City of Sidney and Shelby County, worked tirelessly to demonstrate why Ohio is the best location for this investment."

The mission of the Great Miami Riverway is to help our communities grow and thrive. As we connect communities to the river, add miles to the regional trail system, support the creation of new public parks and greenspaces, we make our communities more livable, and better able to attract employers.