1. Toyota To Add 240 Jobs to Huntsville Workforce
The Toyota truck and SUV engine plant in Huntsville will start producing four-cylinder engines for Camry sedans and the RAV4 compact SUVs in the summer of 2011, plant executives announced Friday. That will boost the plant's capacity to 577,000 engines a year.
The new production line will mean "at least 240 new jobs," said Jim Bolte, plant president. The plant now has about 850 employees.
2. Economic Development Activity High Despite Lagging Economy
"We're seeing, at the state level, as much activity as we've seen in two years," said Neal Wade, director of the Alabama Development Office.
The state is trying to steer suppliers to the Volkswagen plant being built in Tennessee into northeast Alabama. Bill Taylor, president of the Economic Development Partnership of Alabama, said EDPA and ADO are working on initiatives targeting those companies."Economic development is not a broad brush anymore," Taylor said. "It's much more targeted."
Wade said Gov. Bob Riley has a busier economic development travel itinerary in 2010 than he has ever had.
3. Alabama Black Belt Adventures Promotes State’s Natural Resources
A new program called Alabama Black Belt Adventures has been tailored after the successful Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail and the Alabama Quail Trail.
The initiative currently has 22 hunting and/or fishing camps and lodges lined up to participate in the program with more expected to be added. The initiative not only promotes a wide variety of outdoors activities but also the many historical and cultural attractions available in the Black Belt
4. Madison County Named Second Best Place in U.S. To Grow Up
At a time when the Madison County community has received nearly unprecedented rankings and recognition for its job growth, technology creation, and quality of life, along comes yet another major media recognition for this community. U.S. News & World Report has named Madison the second best place in the country to grow up.
The report cites numerous outdoor activities that are available in Madison as well as its proximity to Huntsville and the U.S. Space & Rocket Center's Space Camp. The report also says that residents of Madison "tend to be well-paid and highly educated."
"Honors like this continue to validate what a wonderful community we live in," Mayor Paul Finley said. "The scoring criteria of low crime, strong schools, green space and fun activities describe Madison to a tee."
5. Auburn, University of Alabama Named in Top 50 U.S. Public Colleges
U.S. News & World Report's 2010 public college rankings listed Auburn University and the University of Alabama in the top 50 for public schools.Auburn rose six spots to No. 39 while the University of Alabama fell six positions to No. 43 in the public college rankings.
6. Vector Aerospace Signs Contract That Will Bring New Jobs
Vector Aerospace has announced the signing of a five-year, $15 million contract with the Brazilian Air Force to support the government’s fleet of BellH-1H helicopters.
Under the terms of the contract, Vector will provide in-country support for airframe inspection and repair services and logistics at a military facility located in Brazil, said Alan Fletcher, Vector’s vice president of operations.
“It also includes dynamic component repair and overhaul work for transmissions, gearboxes and hydraulics which will be carried out in Vector’s Bell Helicopter-approved repair and overhaul facility in Andalusia,” Fletcher said.
Those operations will create up to 10 new jobs locally for the business located in the South Alabama Regional Airport industrial park.
7. Southern Research Institute Selected for Advanced Cancer Research
Birmingham's Southern Research Institute has been selected as one of 11 organizations to work on an effort to accelerate the discovery and development of new cancer treatments.CEO Jack Secrist said Southern Research's record of producing cancer compounds led to the choice.
The National Cancer Institute is setting up the program, and Southern Research will establish one of the agency's five Comprehensive Chemical Biology Centers in Birmingham.
Southern Research has already discovered six Food and Drug Administration-approved drugs used in the treatment of cancer, and its scientists have evaluated half of all FDA-approved cancer drugs now available for patients.
8. Jefferson Metropolitan Industrial Park Gets AdvantageSite Designation
The Economic Development Partnership of Alabama has deemed Jefferson County's McCalla industrial park an AdvantageSite, making it the 10th in the state and the first one in the metro area to carry the designation.
That means Jefferson Metropolitan Park McCalla now has a gold star by its name when new companies come calling.
An AdvantageSite tag is meant to take away much of the guess work for a company looking to locate or expand in the state. Industrial sites earn the designation after an extensive process that verifies all types of information, from the ownership to environmental studies and zoning and other essentials.
9. BusinessWeek Ranks Mobile Real Estate One of Strongest Markets
Despite national headlines, home values are actually going up in some cities like Mobile, which was ranked 27th among the top 30 strongest markets nationwide in a new report by BusinessWeek magazine.
More than 25 percent of the homes in the Mobile market appreciated in the past year, according to the report.
10. Hyundai Scores High on Consumer Satisfaction Index
The Hyundai brand scored 85 on the latest American Consumer Satisfaction Index, the company's highest rating ever. Hyundai improved from last year's 83 and scored above the industry average of 84.The survey is conducted each year by the University of Michigan. Consumers are asked to rank satisfaction on a 100-point scale.