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During the Tech Jam expo on Saturday, battery storage company Kore Power wanted those who stopped at its table to know one thing: Change is coming.
Kore Power, which is based in Idaho and has a large office in Waterbury, is “looking to significantly increase next year” from its current 90 employees, said Laurie Flaherty, Kore’s senior human resources business partner, from behind her Tech Jam table at Hula, a Burlington technology innovation campus. That increase will almost double Kore’s workforce in Waterbury by adding 89 jobs in areas such as warehouse, logistics, and operations management.
The company specializes in large battery production and clean energy storage systems at the commercial level. Its clients include developers of renewable solar and wind energy. Its power storage units help businesses cut costs by allowing them to refrain from using electricity during their peak hours.
On a rainy fall Saturday, Tech Jam brought out student robotics builders, hopeful internship seekers and job hunters to visit with the companies that gathered to tell those attendees what they have to offer. If tech’s your jam, it was the place to be.
For Kore employees, it was the place to entice potential candidates to fill its open jobs. David Allard, 51, has worked in healthcare technology for most of his career, he said after talking to the Kore team.
“I’m open to something outside of healthcare,” Allard said, though he added he wasn’t dissatisfied with his current position. Kore’s renewable energy technology interested him, but the company’s expansion plans caught his attention even more.
“The growth opportunity seems interesting,” Allard said. “I think there’s excitement around that.”
Kore’s progression is the result of a shift in product sourcing. Kore now gets its batteries from China but is building a new Arizona manufacturing facility, KorePlex, that will meet all of the company’s battery needs, said John Green, production lead at the company’s solutions division office in Waterbury. Kore expects to have KorePlex producing batteries by the end of 2024, Green said.
Larry Brand, vice president of operations in Waterbury, said the company is also converting from a model of clients requesting custom orders on demand to a production line for its storage units. Brand said the company expects to boost its manufacturing volume by 3,400 percent. The line will build smaller blocks and assemble them in the field, which also allows for the production of more units, Brand said.
Reid Swartz, 30, works at Dartmouth College and came to Tech Jam to explore new opportunities with local companies. Kore’s focus on clean energy, along with its presence in Vermont, piqued his curiosity in the company after reading its profile, he said while he moved through the bustling Tech Jam crowd.
Jacky Zhang, a junior computer science major at Champlain College, had a similar interest in internship opportunities in Waterbury. He heard about the company from the college’s president at a career fair and wanted to see the battery maker for himself.
“I’m a big fan of supporting local businesses,” Zhang said when he stopped at Kore’s table.
Green joined Kore Power only four months ago. “Everything’s always exciting,” he said of the atmosphere in Waterbury.
The tech jargon swirled at the jam-packed expo, an annual event presented by Burlington newspaper Seven Days. Kore Power was among the sponsors. But behind the robots and science-laden pamphlets was a simpler goal than the technology itself, from Green’s point of view.
“I love the community and that what we’re doing is going to make a difference,” he said. “We’re going to make the world a better place.