KOKOMO, Ind. — The City of Firsts will soon add another notch under its name.
Kokomo is preparing to welcome the state's first electric vehicle battery manufacturing facility.
"The early history of Kokomo certainly established us in the automotive industry," said Lori Dukes, president and CEO of the Greater Kokomo Economic Development Alliance. "We know, through this joint venture, that it is going to cement us as a global leader in the automotive industry."
StarPlus Energy, a joint venture between Stellantis N.V. and Samsung SDI, is expected to open in 2025.
Stellantis is already established in Howard County. Samsung, however, now joins a list of about a dozen South Korean-owned companies in Indiana.
"It is going to transform the Kokomo area as a whole," said Seung-Kyung Kim, director of the Institute for Korean Studies at Indiana University Bloomington.
The institute opened in 2015, after a longstanding tradition of Korean culture education at the university since 1962.
"The Midwest region is getting a lot more attention," Kim said, "and IU is established as one of the very important hubs in the area."
The city of Kokomo is now working with the institute to welcome Korean employees and their families to Howard County. Kim said the goal is for both cultures to better understand the other.
"How does Korean corporate culture work?" Kim asked. "From a Korean perspective, how do we work with American workers here? They will be working together side by side."
Project leaders say there will be roughly 1,400 jobs initially up for grabs at StarPlus Energy. City leaders say most of those will be filled by Hoosiers. Some, however, will be adopted Hoosiers from South Korea.
"We are truly writing the next chapter of this community's history with this joint venture," Dukes said. "So we want to take advantage of every opportunity to put our best foot forward and to have a great experience."
Kokomo recently hosted its inaugural Korean Culture Integration event. Kim presented lessons on Korean corporate culture and customs, with more than 200 people showing up for the event.
"I did not expect that at all," Kim said.
Moving forward, Kim said IU Bloomington will work with IU Kokomo to provide resources. The university also plans to offer Korean language classes to future employees at StarPlus Energy.
Plus, Kim said she will work with the city of Kokomo to educate locals on everyday Korean culture.
For example, Korean employees are less likely to use someone's first name in the workplace. Instead, Kim said workers will often refer to others by their position title, like "chairman" or "secretary."
Another difference comes when employees clock out for the day. Kim said Americans tend to go home to be with family, while Korean workers tend to spend more informal time with coworkers getting dinner or drinks.
"A company culture is important," Kim said. "We need to work together. We need to build a network. That kind of informal gathering, many times, makes things happen."
Despite the differences, Kim said business owners in Kokomo are already asking all the right questions.
"'How can we find out?'" Kim asked. "'How can we learn? What can we do to help people who will be coming here?'"
As international business rolls into town, Kim said the tax breaks and land capacity make Indiana an ideal landing spot for companies like Samsung.
"What that means is Indiana, as a whole state, can benefit from this kind of joint venture," Kim said.
Plus, Dukes said it's not just about increased employment. The move also benefits local housing, education, transportation and business.
"It is not just a one-time deal that's happening now," Kim said. "It is going to continue, and we will see continuing collaboration from the university and the corporations, and of course, the state."
As for IU's contribution, Kim said the university expects to produce education employees who are already trained in Korean language and culture through the Institute for Korean Studies.
"We want to retain excellent people who are trained well in Indiana," Kim said.
Construction on the StarPlus Energy facility started in 2022, according to Dukes, with a goal to start production at StarPlus Energy in 2025.
Even in 2023, however, Kim said Kokomo is ready.
"They are ready," Kim said, "and they are willing to learn. They want to do whatever in their capacity and in their position to help establish that this joint venture goes successfully in Kokomo."