KORE Power Announces Hirings for Senior Team at Buckeye Gigafactory

KORE Power, a leading U.S.-based developer and manufacturer of battery cell technology, has announced the hiring of several members of the team that will run the day-to-day operations at its KOREPlex lithium-ion battery cell production gigafactory. The KOREPlex is expected to begin construction later this year and will employ 3,000 people when it reaches full production.

“We have assembled a team that will define the KOREPlex’s workplace culture and will allow us to attract and keep employees,” said Lindsay Gorrill, KORE Power’s Co-Founder and CEO.

Randy Cowder, Senior Vice President of Manufacturing, said the team brings unsurpassed lithium-ion cell manufacturing experience that will allow them to train the next generation of battery manufacturing workers.

“Besides some of the obvious qualities like battery manufacturing, management, safety, and quality experience, I wanted to assemble a team that understands the importance of people.”
he said. “This team has a strong desire to develop and grow their people, which will help us become the employer of choice in the Buckeye/Phoenix area and help build a diverse and inclusive domestic battery industry.”

KOREPlex hires include:

Bill Mervine, Director of Plant Engineering

Mervine has 15 years of experience in various engineering roles including eight years of quality engineering/management experience and seven years of manufacturing and operations experience. He was responsible for all production equipment for the manufacturing of lithium-ion batteries at Panasonic in Nevada.

Monique Qiu, Senior Quality Control Engineer

Qiu offers six years of quality and industrial engineering experience, including most recently working as a Quality Control Engineer at the Tesla / Panasonic factory in Nevada.

Nolan Box, Director of Manufacturing

Box spent the last five years at the Tesla/Panasonic battery factory in Nevada as a Senior Production Manager, where he oversaw Panasonic’s recycling program, Hoshin process, and all scrap and quality defects. He also ran the Formation and Visual Inspection departments during start-up and product introductions.

Brenda Barrios, Production Manager

Barrios also comes from the Tesla/Panasonic battery factory in Nevada where she spent four years as the Production Manager for the Assembly department, the biggest department at Panasonic. Additionally, she oversaw the entire safety program for her department and reduced recordable incidents by 65%.

Cowder said he was able to attract top talent because the KOREPlex offers a unique opportunity.

“Giving employees an opportunity to be part of the KOREPLex – the first lithium-ion battery manufacturing facility owned by a US company and making US-owned IP – is a great honor,” he said. “Since we are building the company and the facility, our team members can help create the culture, and we are aligned from the top down. We want our employees to have careers, not just jobs, and to provide opportunity and access to the battery industry. Our goal is to keep our employees challenged, give them a voice, and provide them every opportunity to move up in the company.”