1. Boeing To Relocate Missile Defense Headquarters to Huntsville
Governor Bob Riley Governor Bob Riley greeted the announcement by Boeing that the company is relocating the headquarters of its Missile Defense Systems division from northern Virginia to Huntsville with praise for Boeing and Alabama’s workers.
The company is the largest aerospace company in Alabama and one of the state’s largest employers. Current Boeing operations in Huntsville include the Ground-based Midcourse Defense program, which contributed more than $700 million to Alabama’s economy and supported nearly 5,600 jobs in 2007, according to a study done by the University of Alabama’s Center for Business and Economic Research.
2. Honda Celebrates 10th Year Since Announcing Alabama Plant
Ten years ago, the property that now houses Honda Manufacturing of Alabama was overgrown farm land. Today its home to a plant that can produce 300,000 vehicles and engines a year.
On May 6, 1999, Honda announced it would make the site in the small Alabama town of Lincoln its home, a move that would give Alabama thousands of high-paying jobs and created a housing boom.
3. A T& T Locates Regional Headquarters in Birmingham and 300 Jobs
Telecommunications giant AT&T Inc. is establishing a regional headquarters operation in Birmingham for a fast-growing division, and hiring 300 workers for a call center at the same site.
The new jobs are at a telecom sales center for AT&T Advertising Solutions, which produces the Real Yellow Pages directory. Annual salaries start at $37,500 and average more than $50,000, including bonuses, the company said.
4. New Training Program Aimed at Advanced Manufacturing Launched
The Tennessee Valley "Dream it, Do it" initiative, officially launched this month for a 23-county area in North Alabama and southern Tennessee, is the first "Dream it, Do it" campaign in the Southeast and the first two-state effort.
"The goal is to get the word out" about challenging, well-paying manufacturing jobs available in the region, said Boles. "The highest-paying jobs in the industrial sector are in manufacturing."
The DIDI campaign encourages students to take more science, technology, engineering and math courses to be prepared for manufacturing jobs.
5. Huntsville Ranked No. 1 One on Kiplinger’s “10 Best Cities of 2009”
Huntsville ranks No. 1 in Kiplinger's Personal Finance's "10 Best Cities of 2009.”The magazine selected "boomtowns offering solid employment opportunities and the talent to create new, well-paying positions."
The Best Cities list appears in the July issue of Kiplinger's, which will be on the newsstands June 9.
6. MBTech Expands Presence in Alabama
MBtech, a German engineering and consulting company with offices worldwide, has opened its third U.S. office in Tuscaloosa. A sister company to Mercedes-Benz, MBtech has its roots in serving the automotive industry. But its expertise and customers go beyond the automotive manufacturers and their suppliers, said Wolfgang Kneer, MBtech vice president for manufacturing engineering and chief of the new office at 611 Helen Keller Blvd.
He said the consulting and engineering solutions that the company has developed can be used in other industries.
7. $90 Million Contract Big Win for Dynetics, Huntsville Area
Huntsville-based Dynetics has won a nearly $90 million, multiyear contract by the Missile and Space Intelligence Center at Redstone Arsenal.
The five-year, $88.9 million contract calls for the analysis, testing and evaluation of the technology needed to counter defensive missile systems.
8. Hyundai Wins National Consumer Award
Korean automaker Hyundai, which builds vehicles at a Montgomery plant, won Rising Star honors in AutoPacific’s annual Vehicle Satisfaction Awards.
Hyundai's Sonata, built in Alabama, won a Vehicle Satisfaction Award from researcher AutoPacific.
Brand satisfaction among Hyundai buyers jumped 11 positions this year, more than any other manufacturer in the survey, the California-based market researcher said. Hyundai scored higher in 40 of 48 rating categories in 2009 than in 2008. One of Hyundai's Alabama-built vehicles, the Sonata sedan, also won a Vehicle Satisfaction Award in the premium mid-size car category.
9. Wood Products Company Expands in Monroe County
Martin Cos. LLC will spend $5 million to expand its Rocky Creek Lumber Co. in Mexia, near Monroeville, adding up to 20 jobs to the current 80.
The expansion comes at a time when many sawmills are closing because of the nation's deeply depressed new housing market, and a resulting low demand for lumber. Also known as RoyOMartin, the Alexandria, La.,-based company believes the expansion will increase efficiency and allow it to capture growth when the lumber market recovers.
10. Defense Manufacturer, Smith Machines, Opens Facilities in Tuscaloosa
Smith Machine LLC, celebrated the opening of its second plant in Tuscaloosa last week. The company operates two modern plants in the Cottondale Industrial Park, with its newest plant devoted to making high-precision components for sophisticated gun mounts that are saving soldiers’ lives in Iraq and Afghanistan.
The company has added 50 people to its workforce with the opening of the second plant. It now employs about 75 people at its two plants. The new plant will make about 100 different parts for the CROWS and will produce a total of about 150,000 precision parts per year for the project.