Mahoning Valley - The efforts to bring something sustainable into the General Motors Lordstown plant began with an initiative called the Drive It Home campaign in November 2018. 

A collection of business and community leaders had banded together to try to stop GM from pulling out of the factory. 

"That was the original plan. And then about like a week later, General Motors put a whole bunch of plants across the country into what they called unallocated status," Guy Coviello, President of the Youngstown-Warren Regional Chamber, said.

On Nov. 26, 2018, GM announced it would stop producing new products at the plant.

In response to the news, the Drive It Home campaign shifted its focus to attract new investment for the 6.2 million square-foot plant.

After the GM plant shut down in 2019, the campaign coalition, which also included Sam Miller, President of Trumbull Industries, Ken Haidaris, President of Sunrise Entertainment, and Shea MacMillan, former Vice President of Economic Development for the Youngstown-Warren Regional Chamber, came together, determined not to let the story end there.

They rallied for support from state leaders and raised money to let companies know that Lordstown was open for business. In May 2022, Foxconn took over the plant.

"When Foxconn came, we felt we had the real deal now. They were much different than anybody we've worked with, and so we felt very confident that we found who was going to end up being the user of this plant," Coviello said. 

The coalition then kicked its support for Foxconn into high gear, traveling to different states across the country, such as California, Detroit, and Nevada, to support the company at trade shows and unveiling ceremonies.

"We built a local vendor list for them, contractors that could help them with their facility, as well as local manufacturers who might be able to be a part of their local supply chain," MacMillan said. 

Members of the community and business leaders in the Mahoning Valley ensured the company knew they had local support, from Foxconn Day with Warren City Schools to a night out at Robins Theater with a Foxconn executive, who attended a performance by Blues Traveler and special opener, Taiwan Troubadour, Chance Emerson.  Ken Haidaris stated that this night likely played a crucial role in securing the partnership.

"Seeing 1,000, 2,000, 3,000 people downtown, everybody's happy, it's a great story. All the restaurants and shops are full, and there was an energy. And nobody wants to go to a place where there's no energy. When there's energy, people feel that energy. So I think it didn't hurt. I think it really helped," Haidaris said. 

Sam Miller said the coalition wanted to welcome Foxconn and make them feel at home. 

"The community was absolutely ecstatic about having an employer and a company such as Foxconn select the Warren-Youngstown Mahoning Valley area." Miller said. 

The efforts displayed by the community and coalition members helped secure Foxconn's investment in Lordstown and bring in a new chapter of advanced manufacturing and technology for the Mahoning Valley.