13abc.com: Toledo Breaking News, Weather and SportsToledo company will create over 100 new jobs in 2012

Toledo company will create over 100 new jobs in 2012

 A Toledo company is about to get a lot bigger and the expansion could mean dozens of  new jobs. Buckeye Silicon makes a raw material that's used to make solar cells. The company moved to Toledo from California. Leaders say they looked at setting up operations in a number of different states, but in the end Northwest Ohio won out.
    

Buckeye Silicon Executive Vice President Mark Erickson says there could be more than 100 new jobs created in the next 12 months, "We take something no one wants and turn it into something everyone wants." Erickson says Buckeye Silicon takes a raw material that's a waste product from the phosphorous mining industry and uses it to make solar cells, "We make the basic raw material that feeds the entire solar chain. They need our material to make solar cells and change the sun's energy into electricity."

That work is going to be creating a lot of work in the months ahead. Right now the company has nine employees here in Toledo, "We now are going to be expanding at least twenty times larger during 2012 and brining many jobs into the area up to 120."

 The company looked at locating in North Carolina, New York Arizona, California and Toledo, "Based upon the long history of alternative energy we felt there were many elements here that would work well and allow us to grow and prosper here in Toledo,Ohio." The Regional Growth Partnership is one of the organizations that helped get the company up and running in Northwest Ohio. Doug Born is the Vice President of the RGP, "We have worked through our technology division which is Rocket Ventures, to provide early seed money and management assistance. As the company continues to grow there is an opportunity for jobs and investment tomorrow."

 Buckeye Silicon will be hiring everything from equipment managers to engineers. Company leaders say their work here could attract other businesses to the area which in turn would create even more jobs. 

Buckeye Silicon leaders are now looking at various sites around Toledo for the expansion next year and they want to make sure they get a big enough piece of property so they can expand again if necessary.