March 1, 2018: Lead battery manufacturer East Penn announced the opening of a facility on February 7 in Oelwein, Iowa that will fill, form, finish and distribute lead-acid batteries.

East Penn chief operating officer Bob Flicker had announced the new $70 million facility in November 2015, when $3.1 million in tax credits from the Iowa Economic Development Authority and $1.75 million in loans were also pledged.

The site has been built on 40 acres to the south east of Oelwein 10 years after distribution operations began there.

Flicker cut the ribbon with Iowa governor Kim Reynolds and other officials.

Last month East Penn was named the Most Valuable Supplier by the Material Handling Equipment Distributors Association for the third successive year.