LORDSTOWN — Fresh off announcing FirstEnergy’s intent to buy 250 of its battery-powered Endurance pickup truck, Lordstown Motors Corp. said it will open the production plant to engage local public officials and let them tour the former General Motors facility.

The event March 5 is in partnership with the Youngstown Warren Regional Chamber, much like events in January and February to connect the automaker with local, regional and national automotive and facility suppliers.

“This is really a unique opportunity that Lordstown Motors is offering, to get inside that facility and have that one-on-one conversation around what the future holds, not only with Lordstown Motors, but the potential of the suppliers and providers that could also be working with that facility,” said Sarah Boyarko, chief operating officer for the chamber.

“I think the company has an interest in making sure they are talking with the right people, informing the right people and giving them the one-on-one and up close, personal perspective of what Lordstown Motors will be doing at the former GM facility,” Boyarko said.

The event includes time for networking, a walking tour of the plant and Q&A session with the automaker’s senior team. Also scheduled is an optional golf cart tour of the 6.2 million-square-foot plant.

The company’s announcement Wednesday comes on the heels of Tuesday’s reveal it has a letter of intent with Akron-based FirstEnergy to buy 250 of the electric trucks for its fleet.

Lordstown Motors is sitting on about 6,000 preorders in a transfer agreement with Cincinnati-based Workhorse Group for its commercial pickup truck. The agreement is part of a partnership between the companies that lets Lordstown Motors use Workhorse technology to produce the Endurance in exchange for Workhorse holding 10 percent of Lordstown Motors.

The company has another few hundred preorders for the Endurance through its website since late November when it opened ordering to the public, said John LaFleur, its chief operating officer, at the procurement event in January.

The purpose of those events was to ensure a smooth transition into the facility and production of the vehicle by introducing Lordstown Motors to the suppliers. More than 800 people attended the events combined.

“The result of those events is the company is now bringing the appropriate parties to the table to talk about their specific needs, whether that is utility upgrades, retooling … a whole variety of things happening inside the plant,” Boyarko said.

The Endurance, priced at $52,000 before tax credits, will be publicly revealed at the North American International Auto Show in June in Detroit.

rselak@tribtoday.com