Sila Hires New HR Manager in Moses Lake

MOSES LAKE, Wash.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sila, a next-generation battery materials company, recently announced Erika Belmontes as its new HR Manager at its Moses Lake plant. Erika has over a decade of HR experience in employee relations, organizational design, and learning and development with heavy emphasis in production manufacturing.

Prior to her new role, Belmontes worked in various HR departments at local Washington companies including Grant County Public Utility District, Tree Top, Inc., Mission Vista, and Lamb Weston. In her previous roles, she developed, directed, and managed various HR functions while aligning business objectives with people strategies, programs, processes, and tactics across various functions and geographies.

“We’re at a really exciting time in the build-out of Sila Moses Lake. We’re hiring rapidly, engaging with the local community, and ensuring we’re on track to start our first commercial production of our Titan Silicon^TM anode by 2025,” said Rosendo Alvarado, Sila Moses Lake Plant Manager. “Erika’s background in providing exceptional employee experiences and building programs, policies, and practices to cultivate a positive work environment, is crucial for us as we continue to staff up and provide the best workplace possible for our employees in Moses Lake.”

At Sila, Belmontes will be responsible for aligning business objectives with employees and management, and partnering with the Moses Lake community on local initiatives such as the education program with Big Bend Community College and Columbia Basin Technical Skills Center. She’ll work closely with Sila headquarters on learning and development, recruiting and staffing, HR services, and employee relations.

“As a local Washington native, I was immediately drawn to the importance that Sila placed on engaging with the Moses Lake community,” said Belmontes. “I’m excited to join this team and help foster an inclusive and empowering workplace environment where every employee feels inspired to contribute to our mission.”

She is currently finishing her MBA through Gonzaga University and achieved SHRM-SCP in July of 2023.

About Sila

Founded in 2011, Sila is a next-generation battery materials company with the mission to power the world’s transition to clean energy. Sila shipped the world’s first commercially available silicon anode for lithium-ion batteries in 2021, and has since enabled battery performance enhancements in multiple consumer electronics devices. Sila’s Titan Silicon anode will next power electric vehicles, including an upcoming version of the Mercedes-Benz G-Class and will be used within Panasonic Energy’s next-generation lithium-ion batteries, which will also serve the automotive industry. Committed to American leadership in clean energy production, Sila is scaling its technology at its manufacturing facility in Moses Lake, Washington. Major financial investors include 8VC, Bessemer Venture Partners, Canada Pension Plan Investment Board, Coatue, Matrix Partners, Sutter Hill Ventures, and funds and accounts advised by T. Rowe Price Associates, Inc.