Biden visits Wolfspeed in Durham, making first stop of 3-week tour

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The moment the wheels of Air Force One hit the runway at Raleigh-Durham International Tuesday afternoon marked the start of President Joe Biden’s “Investing in America Tour.”

The tour is set to span three weeks and more than 20 states — and it is all kicking off in Durham.

After landing at RDU, the President traveled alongside Governor Roy Cooper to Wolfspeed, a manufacturer in Durham that produces 60 percent of the world’s silicon carbide materials.RELATED | President Biden’s Durham visit to highlight Triangle workforce development

Wolfspeed recently announced a $5 billion investment to build its North Carolina facility and create 1,800 new jobs with it, according to the White House. CBS 17 spoke with Wolfspeed CEO Gregg Lowe earlier this week to hear more about the visit.

“To say we’ve been doing a little bit of dusting and things like that would be the understatement of the year,” Lowe said of the preparations.

After receiving the call from the White House, Lowe said he believed the tour would be starting there because of the company’s growth and advancement in technology.

“The growth of this company is just explosive right now. We’re seeing the adoption of Silicon Carbide in electric vehicles, in solar farms, in inverters, and even in vacuum cleaners,” said Lowe.

  • President Biden is greeted at RDU by Governor Roy Cooper, Durham Mayor Elaine O’Neal and others ahead of his remarks at Wolfspeed in Durham. (Walter Dozier/CBS 17)
  • President Biden is greeted at RDU by Governor Roy Cooper, Durham Mayor Elaine O’Neal and others ahead of his remarks at Wolfspeed in Durham.

President Biden is greeted at RDU by Governor Roy Cooper, Durham Mayor Elaine O’Neal and others ahead of his remarks at Wolfspeed in Durham.

Joe Biden made remarks at the Wolfspeed facility in Durham along with Gov. Cooper, Durham Mayor Elaine O’Neal and others at the podium. After wrapping up his first stop of the tour, Biden is set to depart RDU.

Original Article Source: CBS17

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