ASHLAND, KY – Following the creation of 200 jobs at the newly-opened Marriott Delta Hotel in downtown Ashland near Braidy Industries, Inc.‘s headquarters, Braidy has announced that 15 graduates from the company’s Ashland Community & Technical College Advanced Integrated Technologies (AIT) program will be hired to full-time positions at Braidy subsidiaries NanoAl and Veloxint. Each of these positions will pay base salaries of $65,000 per year, an increase of 45% relative to the average employee income in Kentucky.
Massachusetts Institute of Technology-incubated Veloxint provides high performance products and parts using novel nanocrystalline metal alloys and fundamental science, resulting in performance improvements two to five times better than current metals. Northwestern University-incubated NanoAl produces pioneering aluminum superalloys using advanced materials and nanotechnology research to develop products that offer improved strength, toughness, high temperature strength, creep resistance, electrical conductivity and manufacturability.
Veloxint and NanoAl are locating their manufacturing operations at the EastPark Industrial Center adjacent to the Braidy Atlas mill site. The first five graduates will first travel to Boston, MA for several months where they will receive specialized training in powder metallurgy at Veloxint Headquarters.
“Our Advanced Integrated Technologies Program at ACTC has proven to be an outstanding cultivator of the next generation of skilled labor in Appalachia,” said Craig Bouchard, CEO of Braidy. “Braidy is committed to economic prosperity in the great city of Ashland and surrounding counties, which is only possible if we educate, train and empower our youth and then support their achievements with well-paying jobs when they graduate.”
Dr. Jay Box, President of The Kentucky Community and Technical College System (KCTCS), added, “The KCTCS and Braidy Industries partnership to create the Advanced Integrated Technologies Program at Ashland Community and Technical College is an excellent example of a public-private workforce initiative that will impact many lives in Eastern Kentucky. The first cohort of students will be graduating soon and will be fully prepared with world-class advanced manufacturing skills to assume the high paying positions that Braidy will have to offer.”
“The strong partnership between Braidy Industries and ACTC is already creating a ripple effect in the Ashland region as the next generation of skilled workers graduate, ready to fill open positions in their community,” said Governor Matt Bevin. “We are proud of the ACTC graduates for filling these high-demand jobs within Braidy’s subsidiaries, and we look forward to watching them grow along with these exciting companies.”
Braidy recently announced the publishing of a second economic impact report estimating that the Company will catalyze $238.3 million in economic growth in West Virginia and $153.0 million in Ohio. Braidy Atlas mill will be the first new mill of its kind in the U.S. in more than 37 years and create 1,500 construction jobs, 650 new permanent advanced manufacturing jobs and approximately 3,600 additional jobs in the surrounding communities in Appalachia.
About Braidy Industries, Inc.
Braidy Industries, Inc. was formed to lead a national transformation in the manufacture and use of efficient, eco-friendly metal alloys that are lighter and stronger than metals currently in commercial use. The Company’s first project, the construction of Braidy Atlas aluminum rolling mill, a state-of-the-art low-emissions greenfield manufacturing facility at EastPark Industrial Center in Ashland, Kentucky, will position the Company as the low-cost provider of 300,000 annual tons of production-ready series 3000, 5000 and 6000 aluminum sheet for the automotive and beverage can industries. Braidy’s subsidiary, Veloxint Corporation, is an MIT-incubated lightweighting solutions company that is manufacturing parts with a novel nanocrystalline technology. Braidy’s newest subsidiary, NanoAl LLC is a world leader in the science of nanocrystalline technology applied to aluminum. For more information, visit www.braidyindustries.com.
