Ultra
C
ell by the numbers
14 employees when closed
360 employees promised when opened
$200,000 given by Dayton for UltraCell to create 150 jobs by the end of the year and invest $1.4 million in the area
DAYTON — UltraCell Corp.’s decision to close its Dayton fuel cell manufacturing operations in favor of consolidating in California is a disappointment but won’t stop the region’s technology development, local industry watchers said Monday, Aug. 16.
UltraCell surprised state development officials last week when it informed them of plans to shut down production in Dayton, effective Friday, Aug. 13. The California-based company fell far short of its promised employment in Dayton this year and may have to repay the state and city hundreds of thousands of dollars in economic assistance.
UltraCell’s retrenchment illustrates the risk that high-tech companies face in trying to gear up production for developing markets, officials at the Dayton Development Coalition and the Ohio Department of Development said.
“A lot of that risk has to do with the timing of market acceptance,” said Jim Leftwich, the coalition’s president and chief executive officer. “That’s a risk that every high-tech company has to deal with.” The Dayton region will push ahead with its long-term goals of developing advanced materials, aerospace research and other high-tech industries, Leftwich said.
Keith Scott, UltraCell’s chief executive, informed the state Development Department on Tuesday, Aug. 10, of the decision to consolidate operations in California. Scott didn’t return telephone calls Monday from the Dayton Daily News.
UltraCell was recruited to Dayton with much fanfare in 2006. It began operations in 2007 at a leased plant at Dayton International Airport.
Ohio is assessing how much of at least $2 million in technology-supporting Third Frontier grant money UltraCell may be asked to repay now that it has shut down in Ohio, said John Griffin, a state development official. The company also received workforce development funding.
Dayton gave UltraCell a $200,000 grant in 2007. The city will pursue the return of that money, said Shelley Dickstein, assistant city manager for strategic development.
Some of Ohio’s money supported UltraCell’s local R&D partners, the University of Dayton Research Institute and Miamisburg-based Mound Technical Solutions Inc., and the state won’t disturb that funding, Griffin said.
In December 2009, the Air Force Research Laboratory awarded UltraCell a $3 million contract to develop portable fuel cells as power sources for battlefield troops.
Contact this reporter at (937) 225-2242 or jnolan@
DaytonDailyNews.com.
About the Author