The Economy

Solar Manufacturer to Establish Office in Austin, Texas

Nov. 24, 2010

Expansion will create 450 jobs in the region.

SunPower Corp., a San Jose, Calif.-based manufacturer of solar products, recently announced that the company has received a $2.5 million investment from the Texas Enterprise Fund (TEF) to establish a new office site in Austin, Texas.

The expansion will create 450 jobs in the region over the next four years, according to SunPower.

"We applaud Gov. [Rick] Perry, Mayor [Lee] Leffingwell and state and city officials, who are aggressively working to offer SunPower economic incentives to expand our operations to Austin and create hundreds of jobs," said SunPower CEO Tom Werner. "Texas has great potential to become a significant solar market. If policies creating a stable solar market across Texas are enacted, this commitment by SunPower could be the start of significantly more investment and job creation in the state by the rapidly growing solar industry."

In addition to the solar market potential in Texas and incentives offered by the state and city, SunPower cited Austin's workforce, semiconductor industry expertise and strong academic institutions as factors that influenced the selection.

The Austin facility will house marketing, legal and finance operations, according to the company.

About the Author

Josh Cable | Former Senior Editor

Former Senior Editor Josh Cable covered innovation issues -- including trends and best practices in R&D, process improvement and product development. He also reported on the best practices of the most successful companies and executives in the world of transportation manufacturing, which encompasses the aerospace, automotive, rail and shipbuilding sectors.

Josh also led the IndustryWeek Manufacturing Hall of Fame, IW’s annual tribute to the most influential executives and thought leaders in U.S. manufacturing history.

Before joining IndustryWeek, Josh was the editor-in-chief of Penton Media’s Government Product News and Government Procurement. He also was an award-winning beat reporter for several small newspapers in Northeast Ohio.

Josh received his BFA in creative writing from Bowling Green University, and continued his professional development through course-work at Ohio University and Cuyahoga Community College.

A lifelong resident of the Buckeye State, Josh currently lives in the Tremont neighborhood of Cleveland. When the weather cooperates, you’ll find him riding his bike to work, exercising his green thumb in the backyard or playing ultimate Frisbee.