JOHNSTOWN, Ohio (WCMH) — Construction at the Intel site in Licking County has been going on since 2022, but that project and the company have run into challenges since that work began.

As coffee is brewed a few miles from the site at Leonard’s Coffee Roasting Co., so are questions about the tech giant’s project.  

“I guess my biggest question would be how much further is this going to push everything out,” Leonard’s owner Zachary Leonard said about a report from Bloomberg News which said Intel is planning to cut more than 20% of its workforce this week. “The question would be how much of that 20% affects this job site here in Johnstown.” 

Leonard’s shop is in downtown Johnstown. The site for the $20 billion computer chip plant is nearby in New Albany. Leonard said he regularly has customers from the site. 

“They’re still working on it, they’re still building it, so we get a little bit of that business, But maybe not as much as I thought we were going to,” Leonard said. “Had they been further along, we’d be expecting more workers to be in town.” 

The completion date for Intel’s Ohio project has been delayed a couple of times. The company laid off 15% of its workforce last summer.

Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine was asked about the project and the report.  

“I don’t have any information you don’t have on that particular point,” DeWine said. “I’ll just repeat what I’ve said is that they’ve put now close to $8 billion into the ground and there’s going to be chips that are going to be made there. I will guarantee you that.” 

Leonard said he is also confident the project will eventually be finished. 

“I was definitely thinking it was going to happen sooner,” he said. “However, I’m cool with it, you know, we’re just going to roll with the punches.” 

NBC4 reached out to Intel to confirm the report and ask how layoffs would affect the Ohio project. A company spokesperson said Intel is not commenting at this time.  

The company’s latest earnings report is set to be released Thursday.