Local and state officials welcome Lion Electric Company to Will County

Innovative manufacturer of electric school buses to build first U.S. plant in Joliet

Governor J.B. Pritzker was in Will County today to join local and state officials in welcoming Lion Electric Company to Clarius Park Joliet. The innovative manufacturer of electric vehicles, including school buses, is moving into a 906,000+ square feet speculative building and finish construction to meet its needs. This plant will be the company’s first plant in the United States.

“Will County is the best place to be for manufacturing,” Pritzker said. “Will County is the distribution hub of the world. Lion Electric looked at lots of locations in several states and we are so proud they chose Illinois.”

The state of the art production facility in anticipated to create 700 jobs and a capital investment of $130 million in the local economy. At its peak, it is expected to produce more than 10,000 electric vehicles annually. This facility marks the company’s plans to expand production in the U.S. and increase buyer appeal with “Made in America” branding.

“We are proud to welcome Lion Electric to Will County,” said County Executive Jennifer Bertino-Tarrant. “Will County is recognized for our strategic location, skilled workforce, and business friendly communities. This is a tremendous opportunity for Will County and the State of Illinois to be part of this new and growing clean energy alternatives market in transportation.”

Lion Electric Company is based in Canada and currently has 465 employees. Lion has an active product development pipeline and expects to launch eight new mid-range trucks and bus models over the next few years with the belief that transitioning to all-electric vehicles will improve the environment and overall quality of life.

“The [Will County] facility will be one of our company’s largest and will be the manufacturing, as well as research and development, hub of medium and heavy-duty trucks,” said Marc Bernard, CEO and Founder of Lion Electric Company. “Lion has always been dedicated to the U.S. market, and our commitment to be close to our customers is one of the core values we have as a company.”

Will County officials welcome Lion Electric Company to Joliet (from left to right) – Will County Board Minority Leader Mike Fricilone (Homer Glen), Board Speaker Mimi Cowan (Naperville), County Executive Jennifer Bertino-Tarrant, and Board Member Joe VanDuyne (Wilmington) joined Governor J.B. Pritzker today as he announced Lion Electric Company will be opening a manufacturing and research and development site in the Clarius Park in Joliet. The facility will create 700 jobs and will produce electric school buses.

(from left to right) - U.S. Congressman Bill Foster (11th District); Marc Bernard, CEO and Founder of Lion Electric Company; Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker; Doug Pryor, Vice President of Economic Development for the Will County Center for Economic Development.; State Senator John Connor (43rd District); Will County Executive Jennifer Bertino-Tarrant, Joliet Mayor Bob O’dekirk; Channahon Mayor Missey Schumacher; and Joliet City Councilwoman Jan Quillman joined together to welcome Lion Electric’s first U.S. manufacturing and research and development facility. The facility will be located in the Clarius Park in Joliet and will produce electric school buses.