MACKINAC ISLAND, MI – Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer invited Our Next Energy (ONE) Chief Executive Officer Mujeeb Ijaz and Chief Strategy Officer Deeana Ahmed to join her and legislative leaders to introduce a new plan aimed at keeping economic projects in the state. The ‘Make it in Michigan’ plan, unveiled at the Mackinac Policy Conference, will invest in a number of programs so the state can remain a center for advanced manufacturing, R&D, clean tech and electric vehicles. ONE was the only business asked to speak at the press conference. The company’s leaders reinforced the need to create workforce development programs to prepare Michigan’s labor force for opportunities in emerging markets like battery cell manufacturing. ONE will hire more than 2,100 skilled workers for its ONE Circle battery cell factory in Van Buren Township, MI, opening in 2024.Headquartered in Novi, Michigan, ONE is on a mission to overcoming the barriers to electrification and transforming the energy storage industry with offices in Michigan and California. Product offerings include the lithium-phosphate iron (LFP) batteries, Aries I and Aries II, and the recently announced Aries Grid, utility-scale battery system that can serve as long-duration energy storage.

“What we’re finding is that the employees coming to ONE want to boldly go after that goal with us,” ONE CEO Mujeeb Ijaz said. “They’re really on a trajectory with us trying to change the future.”

To determine the list, Forbes partnered with market research company Statista to evaluate 2,600 companies. To be considered companies must be based in the U.S., employ at least 50 people, and founded between 2013 and 2020. Companies ranked on Forbes’ annual America's Best Startup Employers List  were evaluated by three criteria: employer reputation, employee satisfaction and growth. Out of all the companies evaluated in the U.S., 500 employers earned this distinction.

Forbes points out how all employees, not just engineers, are welcomed and encouraged in laboraties where they can see the product, share ideas and learn.

“People can have influence at any time, at any level,” Ijaz said. “There’s not really a bureaucracy.”