COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) — Anheuser-Busch celebrated a new $300 million national investment at its Columbus brewery on Monday.

The investment will expand the company’s technical training, with the company’s first regional excellence center in Columbus. 

“Anheuser-Busch has been here for almost 60 years,” Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine said. “They’ve been making beer here, and that continues, how they do it continues to evolve, and the technology continues to advance, and we want Ohio workers to advance at the same time.”

Officials said the new national investment by Anheuser-Busch will have a major impact on advancing technology and building up the workforce. CEO Brendan Whitworth explained the program is modeled after the technical excellence center in St. Louis, supporting over 1,200 employees.  

“We will open our doors beyond our own workforce, inviting local trade schools to leverage our capabilities and our curriculum so that together we can build an even stronger pipeline of qualified and talented workers to strengthen the American manufacturing sector,” Whitworth said.

The new center will also be training the existing workforce, hoping to upskill its entire regional technical workforce over the next three years. 

“The more business can be entwined and work with our schools, the better it is,” DeWine said. “Better for us is better for the, for the business, better for the young people that are being trained.”

Officials also said the new excellence center will help support military veterans find opportunities in manufacturing.