Watch now: Eyes on Rivian for fueling Normal growth | Business

NORMAL — Rivian Automotive’s workforce has tripled over the past seven months, bringing a hotbed of activity to the area surrounding the sprawling electric vehicle factory on the outskirts of Normal.

Along West College Avenue, it also has restored something that’s gone mostly dormant ever since Mitsubishi Motors packed up in 2015: traffic.

“It’s most definitely a boost,” said Mark Risley, branch manager of Richards Building Supply, which sells windows, doors, vinyl siding and roofing a short distance from the plant. “You get a lot more notoriety when people are driving past, they see our sign, they see our trucks, they see our products. I think it’s definitely going to put us out there a little more.”

Starting with 650 employees in January, Rivian’s expansive campus now has more than 2,100 people on site, in addition to several hundred construction workers.

The electric vehicle startup, which has backers including Amazon and Ford, acquired the 2.6 million-square-foot Mitsubishi plant in 2017. The company is getting various state and local incentives for meeting employment benchmarks, with predictions that it could rival industry juggernaut Tesla. 

So far, the company is developing an all-electric sport-utility vehicle and pickup, as well as delivery vehicles for Amazon. The debut truck, which will start at $67,500, is set to launch in September. 

The added manpower has caused ripples through the area, with several nearby businesses reporting higher interest in location and services.

Summers Platt, 46, of Bloomington, who works at a company on West College Avenue, said she’s noticed the uptick. 

“I think any type of business coming in, especially a company the size of Rivian, bringing the type of business and job opportunities that are there, it think it’s good for any city,” said Platt.

Risley said employees getting off work used to coast out of the parking lot without any hassle, but now it may take a minute or two before getting onto the road.

But that’s not a bad thing, Risley said. 

“We appreciate having the additional traffic and we have definitely picked up a couple customers who probably wouldn’t have seen us before,” he said.

The buzz of activity is an about-face for the area around the plant, developed in the 1980s as a joint venture between Chrysler Corp. and Mitsubishi Motors Corp. As many as 3,000 worked there at the peak. Operations ceased in November 2015.  

Rivian, founded in 2009, bought the factory for $16 million as it was readying for production — and has been expanding the site and snapping up surrounding land ever since.

The company is leasing about 500,000 square feet at North Main Street and Kerrick Road. In April, it acquired 380 acres near the factory for future expansions.

The investments are also being credited with driving up demand for housing.  

But there have been setbacks. Various delays were tied to COVID-19. The launch of the pickup truck set for this summer was pushed to September on Friday. The company cited a global shortage of semi-conductors, an especially challenging hurdle for high-tech vehicles.

Rivian also is developing an electric vehicle charging network nationally, and there is growing interest in the field across the state. 

Lion Electric is building an electric vehicle plant in Joliet. The charging station company EVBox is building its American headquarters in Libertyville. Heartland Community College is developing a training academy on electric vehicles and energy storage.

Jim Chen, Rivian’s vice president of public policy, during the announcement of Heartland partnership said: “As the nation is preparing to lead in electric transportation, Illinois is setting an excellent example for other states on how to serve a motivated community who wants to be a part of this burgeoning sector.”

David Hruska, 67, has lived along West College Avenue for nearly 40 years and said the revival is exciting.

“We went through a spell of no traffic when Mitsubishi left,” Hruska said Tuesday afternoon, as he was outside mowing his lawn. “Now it’s back to the way it was.”

One concern Hruska has is repairing the crumbling West College Avenue. Temporary repairs have made driving down the road “literally night and day,” he said.

In anticipation of economic growth and development in the area, Normal is also moving forward on two major infrastructure projects, including a $9.35 million rehabilitation of the rapidly deteriorating West College Avenue.

The road, which intersects Rivian Motorway, provides access to commercial, industrial and residential properties. For years potholes and cracks have littered the street, a major concern for many employees going to and from work.

Nolan Kelly works as a technician at SCADAware Robotics on West College Avenue and said potholes have caused flat tires for employees.

Town crews “do come and fill them pretty often, it’s not like they neglect them, but they’re pretty deep and savage,” Kelly said.

Recently, several potholes along the road were filled as temporary fixes while the rehabilitation project is under design, said Town Engineer Ryan Otto. If approved by the Town Council, construction of the new road could begin in spring 2023 with completion in the fall.

A portion of that engineering work is studying the flow of traffic along West College Avenue, said Otto. For now, the goal is to continue doing enough work to keep the road serviceable until it is rebuilt, he said.

“The road has reached the end of its useful life,” said Otto. “While traffic certainly has an effect on it, weather and other factors contribute to the deterioration of the pavement.”

The council also approved a $60,000 contract with Crawford, Murphy & Tilly to engineer and design an estimated $1.1 million sanitary sewer expansion along West College Avenue.

Risley said investing in infrastructure will be key. He said Rivian is a game-changer and could anchor more growth. Businesses are moving in and empty warehouses spaces are full.

“I’m glad they’re there, I’m excited to see what’s coming out of there,” said Risley. “Rivian has definitely gotten people’s attention in this area.”