This is such a momentous groundbreaking ceremony.

Before I get started on my remark, I want to thank Secretary of Commerce and all for being here.

I can’t tell you how open this administration has been to myself, my administration in these a few short weeks that I’ve been here with/in the access that we’ve had when I traveled to Washington D.C and also the secretary’s commitment to being here today to honor this great event. We are honored to have you, Mr. Secretary.

Congressman Doug Collins is no stranger to this area, doing a great job representing the Ninth Congressional District. Even though I live in the Hamptons, believe it or not, I’m one of the Congressman’s constituents. So we’re holding him accountable and making sure that his help and support right events like this today. Doug, we appreciate your work in Washington D.C.

I’m very honored, especially during the last two weeks of the legislative session to have Lieutenant Governor Geoff Duncan with us today. Thank you for being here, Lieutenant Governor, that shows the commitment not only from the executive branch but from the legislative branch for the support that we had for SK Innovation in this project.

I also want to thank Mr. Yoon and Mr. Kim for their commitment to continue this business in our great State. We’re very humbled and honored by all the opportunities that you have given us in here in Georgia. And we’re truly committed to working with you not only today but through the future of this project, and as your company’s growth and additional jobs that you’ll create in the future, we look forward to working with you.

As mentioned by Mr. Yoon, I want to thank all those leaders that are here in Jackson County, many of my neighbors, and friends, the chairman, the Mayor, the Focus on Economic development team, industry partners and just (the) citizens in general. This is a great community I know at firsthand as a small business owner here, it is no surprise that Mr. Yoon said the good things that he just did about your local government and all it worked hard to make this project happen, so thank you all very much for your commitment.

I also want to thank Mr. Pat Wilson, his team, which is the Georgia Department of Economic Development. You may know this but we have the number one department of Economic Development in the country and that is going to stay that way under the Kennedy administration so Pat, your team, per all those are here, thank you so much for what you do every day.

We are here to celebrate SK Battery America’s commitment to Jackson County and our State. It is not only an exciting day for all of us here but it’s an exciting day for all hardworking Georgians that are out there with the opportunities that they will see in the future.

As you know last November then Lt. Governor Nathan Deal and I met with the executives from SK and discussed the company’s plans here in Jackson County. This project amounts to one of the largest single investments in job-creating initiatives in our state’s history, with roughly 2,000 jobs in a capital injection of 1.7 billion dollars. But this project is not limited to economic opportunity for hard-working Georgians in our state, and I believe that we will see that in the future.

In January, SK Innovation also announced plans to invest in education, which, as you know, is vital – a vital component to the future success of working Georgia families and workforce development not only in this area and in our State. SK Innovation pledged to donate 60,000 dollars to Commerce City schools to support state programs for all grade loans, and they have pledged another 60,000 dollars to the Empower College and Career Center, a Charter High School in Jacksonville, which is scheduled to begin operations in 2021. This is an incredible commitment that they are making in our local community here. We thank you for that.

The Empower College and Career Center will be matched by the Jackson County Development Authority for grant funding. We are humbled by this company’s investments in our students, our workers, and our state’s future.

State Economic Development officials also a number of suppliers to follow SK’s lead meaning long-lasting, positive effects for this community and surrounding regions. My colleagues and I look forward to many years of collaboration as we work with SK Innovation officials to ensure that our best days are ahead. And we thank them again for their strong leadership on this project. This is truly a remarkable and historic day in Georgia. I want to thank you all for joining us to ensure that Georgia continues to be the best state in the nation to live, work, and raise our families.

I’m again so very honored that Secretary Ross will bring his remarks today. It’s very impressive that he has taken time out of his busy schedule to be with us in Georgia, so thank you, Mr. Secretary. Thank you all for being here.

Thank you. Right here in.