State Representative Jim Buchy
Jobs at the Greenville Whirlpool Plant

Last month, I was so excited to be joined by Senator Keith Faber and Governor John Kasich in Greenville to announce the expansion of the Greenville Whirlpool Plant.

The Greenville Plant is truly a success story. The plant has been producing high quality stand mixers for as long as I have been alive, and longer. Recently, Whirlpool has even decided to begin producing hand mixers at the facility. These hand mixers were previously produced in a foreign country, but Whirlpool has seen the effectiveness of the plant, and has chosen to invest in the long term future of the plant, as well as Greenville.

The expansion of the plant will result in both a physical expansion, and an increase in the workforce. The $40 million capital investment will bring the facility from 260,000 square feet to 460,000, and will add 400 new jobs, bringing the total number of employees at the plant to 1,400. This will make Whirlpool the largest employer in Darke County.

These new jobs will help to bring more hardworking residents of Darke County and the rest of west central Ohio into the labor force and help provide a better standard of living for many western Ohio families.

While the addition of jobs is a victory in itself, it is important that we have well trained individuals who are ready to step into these positions. It is for this reason that Senator Faber and I are working hard to bring career training facilities to western Ohio.

These facilities are of great importance because they will give residents of western Ohio the opportunity to learn advanced manufacturing skills, making them attractive to employers like Whirlpool. Making these facilities accessible and affordable is a priority as I work to increase the number of working Ohioans and decrease the unemployment rate in western Ohio.

Large companies like Whirlpool find western Ohio attractive because of its workforce. By investing dollars in advanced manufacturing training programs, we will continue to attract businesses to our part of the state.

This Whirlpool expansion in Greenville is a prime example of the economic trajectory of the state of Ohio. By lowering the cost of doing business, we are bringing jobs to Ohio, and new businesses are putting more of our residents to work. Here in Ohio, we’re on the right track.

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