WOODINVILLE, Wash., Oct. 24, 2023 — Group14 Technologies today announced the appointment of Don Kersey as plant manager at its second commercial U.S. Battery Active Materials factory (BAM-2), which is located in Moses Lake, WA. As plant manager, Kersey will oversee all Moses Lake operations across the manufacturing, engineering and maintenance teams at BAM-2, which is currently on track to finish construction in 2024 and expected to be the world’s largest factory for advanced silicon battery materials.
Since Group14 first announced its intent to build its BAM-2 factory in Moses Lake earlier in the year, it has erected the five-story structure of the factory’s first module and begun to lay the foundation for its second module. Located on Group14’s one-million-square-foot land parcel in Moses Lake, BAM-2 is expected to produce and ship 4,000 tons of Group14’s silicon battery material per year to meet the demand required by its automotive and consumer electronics customers — which is anticipated to bring hundreds of new jobs across manufacturing, engineering and more to start.
“Longtime residents who live and work in Moses Lake have been looking forward to the promise of growth in our city for years and years. Thanks to companies like Group14 that are building factories and creating new jobs, I see it actually happening now,” said Don Kersey, who was born and raised in Moses Lake. “I am ready to go back to my roots in manufacturing and lucky to be able to do so at Group14 — a company that is not only bringing innovation to Moses Lake but genuinely is invested in its community.”
Throughout his decades-long career, Kersey led the establishment of new manufacturing processes, assisting in all phases of construction and launch. Before he accepted his role as the plant and lab manager at global manufacturer of mobility components Joyson Safety Systems (formerly known as Takata), Kersey sought a deeper understanding of the roles at the factory, spending approximately two years working day and graveyard shifts in every role from a line technician to a maintenance technician to a production associate. Prior to joining Group14, he also served as Executive Director at the Port of Moses Lake.
“During his time in leadership roles at key institutions in Moses Lake, Don has built a stellar reputation and successful career helping companies scale,” said Eric Robinson, COO at Group14 Technologies. “With longstanding roots in the Moses Lake community, values that mirror Group14’s and well-rounded knowledge of how to run large, complex projects, he is already proving an indispensable part of our growing team here in Washington state.”
Kersey will continue to serve as a board member at the Grant County Economic Development Council and the Moses Lake Chamber of Commerce, and has held past board seats at the Columbia Basin Cancer Foundation and the Boys & Girls Club of the Columbia Basin.
