The day before Novonix, an Australian battery manufacturing company, went before the Chattanooga City Council to ask its members to support a $54 million net tax incentive deal, its leaders laid off about a fifth of its Chattanooga-area employees.
Such tax deals are typically granted by local governments in the interest of job creation and economic development.
Engineering, technician and operations roles were the primary target of the layoffs, Novonix Chief Financial Officer Robert Long said Tuesday, eight days after the layoffs. Company representatives in 2024 said Novonix employed about 100 people in the Chattanooga area.
The layoffs were split between the company’s Lookout Valley and Riverfront Parkway facilities, Long told council members Tuesday.