LAWRENCE COUNTY, OH (WOWK) – An empty piece of land off of old US-52 in the Hanging Rock area of Lawrence County, Ohio, is expected to become a place for opportunity.

Johnson Qin is the CEO of Capchem Technology USA, a company headquartered in China. On Thursday, Qin met with local leaders to discuss their latest project.

The company signed plans to invest $120 million to build a manufacturing facility that will create lithium-ion electrolytes which are key components in cell phone batteries and electric vehicles.

Once complete, this will be the second facility Capchem has brought to the U.S. The prospect of new jobs, including 60 positions inside the facility, is bringing energy to people who said jobs are desperately needed in this community.

“That’s a good thing because we need the jobs,” Lawrence County resident Bill Jones said Thursday afternoon.

Marvin Rucker, who also lives in Lawrence County, told 13 News, “I’m proud of what they’re doing. I’m tickled to death at this. They’re bringing in a new industry and we need it.”

The company hopes to have the new facility operational by 2025.