OLYMPIA, Wash. (AP) — Gov. Chris Gregoire is heading to Germany for meetings with executives at BMW and SGL Automotive.
Gregoire leaves Wednesday for a three-day trip. Gregoire says she was invited to speak at the groundbreaking of BMW’s new manufacturing facility in Leipzig, Germany on Friday. She says she’ll also meet with German Chancellor Angela Merkel during the trip.
This past summer, Gregoire and other officials broke ground on a carbon fiber plant at Moses Lake that will make parts for a BMW electric car. Plans were announced in April by SGL Automotive Carbon Fibers, a joint venture backed by BMW Group and SGL Group, a European carbon fiber maker. Gregoire says construction of the plant is expected to create 200 jobs, and that the facility will employ 80 people.
