1. ThyssenKrupp Expands Employment, Hires First Workers
CALVERT — ThyssenKrupp's carbon steel unit has hired the first of its hourly maintenance employees and is gearing up to hire about 1,000 hourly workers over the next 18 months.
"It's been a long process, and we're glad to reach the point where it's time to bring these new team members into the family," said Andy Ritter, vice president of human resources for the steel unit, one of two businesses planned at the German steelmaker's $4.65 billion complex.
The sister stainless business, which has 177 employees so far, hired the first of its maintenance personnel last year. ThyssenKrupp eventually expects to employ 2,700 people in Calvert.
2. Norfolk Southern Eyes Birmingham for Major Hub
Norfolk Southern is scouting sites in the Birmingham area to build a terminal as part of a rail corridor stretching from the Northeast to New Orleans. The project could mean thousands of new jobs and millions of dollars in investment for the area.
Norfolk is talking with state and local officials about the facility, seen as a key element in the company's $2 billion Crescent Corridor expansion. The company believes as many as 8,000 jobs could be created in the area as a distribution hub develops around the project.
"We are certainly looking in the Birmingham area for constructing a new terminal that will hopefully be part of a larger logistics hub," said Rudy Husband, spokesman for Norfolk Southern. "Intermodal terminals in and of themselves have some jobs, but the real job growth is the surrounding companies that are involved in logistics and distribution."
Ted vonCannon, president of the Metropolitan Development Board, said his organization has been working for nearly three years to land the intermodal terminal, where trucking containers would be loaded onto train cars.
"If we're fortunate enough to get the project, it could mean Birmingham will be a key point for moving goods in and out," vonCannon said. "It could be a great boon for our area."
3. GKN Growth Reaches 1,000 in Tallassee, Governor Honors Expansion
Governor Bob Riley once promised employees of GKN in Tallassee if the company ever reached 1,000 employees, he would throw them a barbeque lunch. Last week he fulfilled that promise with a special barbeque lunch for GKN’s 1,000 employees. The company, which manufactures primary structures for commercial and military aircraft, has grown from less than 500 employees in 2004 to 1,000 today at its Tallassee plant.
4. Governor Riley, State Delegation Overseas Seeking New Jobs
Gov. Bob Riley is leading a delegation to three continents during a 13-day period on an economic development trip designed to lure new jobs and expand Alabama's trade opportunities. Riley will meet with business and government leaders in France, Singapore and Australia during the trip, which began Friday.
"We're going to bring more jobs and business opportunities to our state at a time when our economy really needs it," Riley said. "During the past few years, Alabama has become a real player in the international economy. "Alabama has reached this level of success because we've worked hard to open new markets, attract new investments and build the partnerships that are necessary to expand Alabama's trade and strengthen our economy."
5. “Green Jobs” Growing Rapidly in Alabama
According to a recent study, so-called "green jobs" in Alabama grew faster than overall jobs between 1998 and 2007 - a statistic that may surprise a lot of people.
The Pew Charitable Trust, an independent nonprofit and nongovernmental organization, conducted the survey in every state and released its report "The Clean Energy Economy: Repowering Jobs, Businesses and Investments Across America."
Pew found that, between 1998 and 2007, the state's clean energy economy grew at a rate of 2.2 percent while overall jobs grew by 1.6 percent. In 2007, there were nearly 8,000 jobs in the state's clean energy economy, Pew said.
According to Pew, unlike previous studies of the so-called "green economy," it conducted a "hard count" of jobs, businesses and investments, as opposed to "estimates, multipliers or projections." And it found the jobs that are created are well-paying.
6. Alabama Wins National Award for New and Expanding Industries
Alabama's new and expanding industries during the last year have earned the state a "Silver Shovel" award from Area Development magazine. The national business magazine announced 11 winners of its annual awards.
Tennessee got the top award, the "Gold Shovel," for the most economic development during the last year. Alabama was one of 10 states that received "Silver Shovel" awards. Gov. Bob Riley said the large projects that Alabama landed in the last year included 1,000 jobs at Austal's shipbuilding facility in Mobile, 300 jobs at Brookwood Pharmaceuticals in Birmingham, and 150 jobs at Keystone Foods in Gadsden.
7. Forbes Names Mobile As One of Best Cities for Recession Recovery
Forbes Magazine has named Mobile as one of the best cities in America for recession recovery .The magazine said it named Mobile because the economy is diverse and the city has seen job growth in different areas. Forbes said it also considered other factors in its rankings. It cited Mobile's 8.5% unemployment rate.
The national average is 9.1%. Forbes also mentioned incomes and home prices.
8. Hyundai Shows Fastest Growth in U.S. Market
Hyundai-Kia Automotive Group is recording the fastest growth among foreign carmakers in the U.S. market, filling the vacuum left by the troubled ``Big Three'' automakers.
In the January-to-April period, General Motors (GM), Ford and Chrysler sold 1.77 million vehicles in total in the U.S. for a combined 44.7-percent share, down 3.6 percent year-on-year in the wake of the bankruptcy protection for GM and Chrysler, according to industry experts.
All foreign makers benefited from the decline, but none of them outperformed the Korean maker in the first four months of the year.
9. Auburn Automotive Supplier To Add 75 Jobs
Seohan Auto USA Corporation and Seohan-NTN Driveshaft USA Corporation have announced plans to expand production at their existing facility in the Auburn Industrial Park. Both companies jointly occupy a 240,000+ square foot facility. Once the new production lines are in place, Seohan officials anticipate adding about 75 employees in the next two years. The expansion represents an additional capital investment totaling approximately $16.5 million.
In June 2008, Seohan officials held the grand opening for their new Auburn facility. Both companies are Tier 1 automotive suppliers to Hyundai Motor Manufacturing Alabama and Kia Motors Manufacturing Georgia. The companies produce front axles and rear carrier assemblies for Hyundai's Sonata and SantaFe models and driveshaft assemblies for the SantaFe and KIA's next Sorento model. The expansion is necessary to accommodate additional production capacity for the new Kia plant.
10. Huntsville Company Wins National Small Business Award
Intuitive Research and Technology was recently named “Contractor of the Year” by the Small Business Administration at a special reception held in Washington, D.C.
Intuitive is an engineering firm that provides management, technical and engineering services to the Department of Defense and to commercial industry. The small disadvantaged and 8(a)-certified business has contracts ranging from small 8(a) contracts to contracts in excess of $140 million with multiple subcontractors.
"We are truly honored to be recognized by the SBA with this prestigious award," said Harold Brewer, president of Intuitive. "This award is a testament to the hard work and dedication of our talented employees and the support of our Army customers.