Grand Promises and Lingering Silence
Invocations of revitalization echoed through the corridors of struggling municipalities in Georgia, Oklahoma, and Arkansas. Imola Automotive USA, a nascent startup based in Boca Raton, Florida, presented an ostensibly bold vision: the construction of six electric vehicle plants, the creation of 45,000 jobs, and the provision of an entry point into the burgeoning electric vehicle sector.
More than 18 months have elapsed since these optimistic declarations were made, yet not a single plot of land has seen the commencement of construction. Furthermore, Imola’s chief executive officer, whose expertise lies predominantly in television and athletic footwear rather than automotive production, has grown increasingly reticent.
Investigative efforts by Floodlight revealed no evidence of taxpayer losses in locations such as Fort Valley, Georgia; Langston, Oklahoma; or Pine Bluff, Arkansas, where Imola sought land, municipal financing, and various incentives. However, industry observers argue that the rush to attract electric vehicle employment opportunities has left economically disadvantaged towns susceptible to unfulfilled commitments.
Rodney Henry, the CEO of Imola, declined repeated interview requests. He communicated solely through a concise statement affirming the company’s ongoing dedication to its objectives, which reportedly involve collaboration with an Italian manufacturer of compact electric vehicles.
“Our schedule has been adjusted due to factors beyond our control,” Henry asserted. “We remain intensely focused on aligning our aspirations. Due to proprietary considerations and non-disclosure agreements, we cannot disclose specifics at this moment.”
This response starkly contrasts with earlier pronouncements. A press release from January 2024 claimed that Imola had already secured multiple sites across various states to establish half a dozen plants and generate a substantial number of jobs.
Experts question the viability of such ambitious promises from a newcomer without relevant experience in automotive manufacturing.
“It’s absurd,” remarked Greg LeRoy, CEO of Good Jobs First, a nonprofit dedicated to analyzing economic development projects. “Establishing large automotive plants necessitates considerable capital, extensive managerial acumen, and proficient engineering and marketing capabilities. Tesla achieved success, but it was not an overnight phenomenon.”
Langston, Fort Valley, and Pine Bluff are but a few towns caught up in the frenzy to secure electric vehicle establishments. Driven by federal policies like the Inflation Reduction Act, which unlocked billions for private investment and expanded governmental incentives, local authorities nationwide raced to attract lucrative manufacturing opportunities and participate in the expanding clean energy economy.
Since the enactment of the IRA in 2022, over 150 electric vehicle plants have been announced in the United States, according to E2, a bipartisan consortium advocating for environmentally sustainable economic development.
Nevertheless, this breakneck pace may be poised to decelerate. The recently instituted “One Big Beautiful Bill,” which retracts crucial federal tax credits and incentives for electric vehicles, is already inciting turmoil within the sector — potentially stalling or constricting ambitious projects that towns like Langston, Fort Valley, and Pine Bluff were counting on. E2 reports that this year has witnessed the cancellation of 14 EV-related plant proposals.
Unfulfilled Commitments Amidst Confusion
In the three communities where Imola touted significant investments, signs of construction remain conspicuously absent.
Langston, a modest town of 1,600, where over 35% of residents live below the poverty line, never witnessed the fruition of Imola’s ambitious plans.
A 2023 communication to the city council from former Imola chief operating officer Eric Pettus cited “multiple obstacles,” including difficulties in securing adequate land.
“For us to progress with the project, we request that the City of Langston convey any and all vacant properties in its possession,” Pettus stated.
City council member Magnus Scott reported that the company also sought municipal bonds to facilitate the construction of its facility.
However, before any land transfer or bond issuance took place, a representative from the company delivered unexpected news: the deal had been annulled. “Perhaps they encountered financial difficulties,” reflected Scott.
In a subsequent conversation, Pettus, now working as a consultant after leaving Imola, cited a nondisclosure agreement, precluding him from discussing the company’s future endeavors.
Fort Valley had initially endorsed Imola’s visionary plan for an EV plant employing 7,500 individuals. A year later, faced with inertia, the company returned with an entirely different proposal: a sophisticated lighting system for the town instead of an electric vehicle manufacturing facility.
One council member voiced skepticism.
“You expect us to endorse an agreement for 99 years without a car company in sight?” council member Laronda Eason questioned during a March 2025 meeting. “It feels like a bait-and-switch.”
Eason did not respond to communications seeking her views on Imola’s proposal.
In Pine Bluff, where the per capita income barely exceeded $21,000 last year, local officials initially expressed enthusiastic support. In an August 2024 letter to Henry, then-Mayor Shirley Washington pledged the city’s willingness to procure land, develop infrastructure, and issue industrial revenue bonds to realize Imola’s vision.
“With an anticipated workforce exceeding 8,000 jobs,” Washington asserted, “we firmly believe this investment will herald a pivotal transformation for our community.”
Nonetheless, a year down the line, the initiative remained stagnant. “We never got off the ground with that,” Washington lamented during a brief phone conversation.
LeRoy characterized Imola’s approach as a troubling trend.
“This serves as an illustration of how the fervor among governors and mayors to secure the next big breakthrough has led to insufficient vetting,” he remarked regarding the economically distressed communities approached by Imola.
Such locales, he posited, are “easy targets. They’re desperate.”
Visionary Proposals, Elusive Outcomes
Henry, who resides in Florida, boasts a background in television production and the founding of Protégé, a footwear brand. His IMDb profile claims that Protégé contributed one million pairs of shoes to various African nations.
Yet, despite proclamations of partnerships and commitments to high-paying jobs, his electric vehicle enterprise has yet to exhibit any palpable advancement.
Floodlight discovered that Imola’s website — named after the Italian city housing Tazzari EVs — can no longer be accessed without a password. A perusal of the Tazzari website found no references to plants in the United States. However, an archived version of Imola’s site alluded to its compact vehicles “coming soon to America.”
In early 2024, Imola Automotive USA announced a partnership with the Tazzari Group, known for its electric microcars. These vehicles, however, lack the capability for highway travel, as the maximum speed of the Opensky Sport model is approximately 56 miles per hour.
Tazzari did not respond to inquiries submitted by a Floodlight reporter.
Henry indicated that the company preferred Langston and Fort Valley due to their proximity to institutions of higher learning.
“Both locations are ideal,” he proclaimed in the January 2024 press release, “as their closeness to educational facilities will present career opportunities in the rapidly evolving EV Technology and Innovation Industry.”
Many local officials in Fort Valley, Langston, and Pine Bluff did not respond to solicitations for interviews. A limited number of documents were provided in response to Floodlight’s public records requests.
However, it is evident from the scant records that Imola’s promises instilled hope within these communities.
Langston Mayor Michael Boyles described the proposal as “transformative” in a January 2024 press release.
As time progressed, some local leaders began to question the feasibility of the details.
Erica Johnson, a real estate agent and former member of Langston’s economic development commission, noted discrepancies in aspects of the plan. For instance, how would the company house over 1,000 workers in such a diminutive town? And how could they construct a facility without access to utilities or water?
Her skepticism deepened upon learning that Imola sought to secure land agreements without surrendering any earnest money.
“My instinct was that something wasn’t quite right,” she reflected. “Yet I believe the hope for our community partially overshadowed the need to carefully consider the situation.”
Ultimately, that anticipation did not materialize.
“It was disheartening,” Johnson admitted. “We could have devoted our energies and resources to more tangible initiatives.”
Hope Amidst Disappointment
Some inhabitants of Fort Valley continue to harbor optimism.
Mayor Jeffery Lundy articulated, early last year, that attracting a company like Imola Automotive USA was “a priority for my administration.” Local officials shared a collective eagerness for the economic elevation the facility could provide.
At that juncture, Imola claimed it would break ground on a 195-acre site by the third quarter of 2024 and commence operations within 20 months, according to a report in the Macon Telegraph.
During a town hall meeting in February 2024, representatives from Imola assured residents that the plant would offer an average salary of $45 per hour. The community buzzed with enthusiasm, with one eager prospective employee exclaiming, “Apply to me!”
Pettus informed a local television station that most positions would only require a high school diploma.
In early 2024, Fort Valley facilitated land rezoning to accommodate the facility, receiving the city council’s endorsement. Yet, more than 15 months later, there remains no indication of construction plans.
Council members were informed that Georgia Power could not meet the energy demands of the electric vehicle endeavor, according to documents from the March 2025 meeting. A representative from Georgia Power indicated, while the utility does not comment on specific economic development projects, “We are prepared and ready to meet the energy needs of any new customer.”
Makita Driver, one of the enthusiastic Facebook commenters regarding the proposed plant, noted that she would have undoubtedly applied for a position — had the facility ever been realized.
“The salary was truly appealing,” she remarked.
As a medical assistant, Driver professed she currently earns significantly less than what Imola had promised. Ultimately, however, she came to terms with the likelihood that these commitments were overly optimistic.
“Who genuinely earns such a salary as a starting wage?” she pondered.
In a brief conversation with Floodlight on July 11, Mayor Lundy confirmed he remains in communication with Henry.
“We await that groundbreaking with palpable anticipation,” Lundy conveyed.
Source link: Griffindailynews.com.
