1. Mercedes To Move Some of C-Class Production to Alabama
TUSCALOOSA- Mercedes-Benz’ decision to move some of its C-Class automobile production to its Vance factory in 2014 will not only create 1,000 jobs, but it also helps secure the future of the automotive industry in West Alabama, experts say.
Dieter Zetsche, chairman of Daimler AG and head of its subsidiary, Mercedes-Benz Cars, said in Germany that the decision “is essential for strategic and operational reasons, and helps the company to remain competitive and to fully utilize future growth opportunities.” The C-Class is Mercedes’ most popular vehicle in the United States.
A $290 million, 225,000-square-foot addition to the Vance plant’s body shop was also announced in 2009, is under construction, and is expected to be finished in October 2011.
Also in 2009, the company celebrated as the one millionth Alabama-built M-Class sport utility vehicle rolled off the automaker’s assembly line in Vance, a significant milestone for the vehicle that birthed the state’s auto industry.
2. Incentives Expanded To Attract R&D, Financial & High-tech Jobs
MONTGOMERY – Governor Bob Riley signed a law in 2009 that is helping the state recruit new jobs. The bill has improved the state’s ability to compete for higher-paying jobs in some of the key growth industries.
With the law, economic developers are using incentives to attract corporate headquarters, high-tech research and development facilities, and jobs in the newly emerging “green” economy.
“I believe that years from now, we will look back on this moment and realize that this new law played a critically important role in Alabama’s economic renewal,” Governor Riley said.
3. Auto Industry Creates Nearly 5,000 Jobs in Alabama in 2009
Thirty-one auto and auto supplier plants created 4,709 jobs in Alabama in 2009. These new and expanding companies invested $2,044,776,500 in the state’s economy, according to ADO preliminary new & expanding industry reports.
A few of the year’s supplier announcements included Faurecia North America, which announced plans to locate a $15 million plant in Tuscaloosa to supply parts for a Mercedes-Benz upcoming vehicle platform. The new company will hire 195 people for the project. In Chambers County, Commercial Spring & Tool Co. announced plans to build a metal stamping plant and will hire 75 people.
In Limestone County, American Leakless will open a gasket plant and hire 40 people. In Lee County, Seohan NTN Driveshaft USA Corp. announced plans to expand and hire 75 employees and Cumberland Plastic Systems LLC announced a $2 million expansion that will mean 51 new employees for the plastic auto components maker.
In Madison County, Ridgeview Industries Inc. announced plans to invest $12 million into its auto stamping plant and hire 30 new employees.
4. Wise Celebrates $1.5 Billion Impact, Multi-million Dollar Contract Win
A catered party commemorated Wise Alloys’ 10th year in the Shoals in 2009 but it’s the hard numbers of Wise’s impact on the local economy that are most impressive.
In the past 10 years, the company has had a $1.5 billion impact in the Shoals, including $19 million in local and state taxes and $775 million in payroll, according to David D’Addario, chairman and CEO of Wise Metals Group.
Plus, with a “multi-billion, multi-year contract” with Anheuser-Busch InBev, the world’s largest beer manufacturer, set to start in January, most of the officials, workers and attendees at the party had more reasons to smile.
“We recently hired over 100 new employees at a time when jobs are really needed,” Phil Tays, executive vice president and plant manager, told the audience.
5. Alabama Joins Alliance That Could Bring Thousands of Jobs
BAY MINETTE – Gov. Bob Riley, Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour, and Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal announced the launch of The Aerospace Alliance, an organization that will establish the Gulf Coast and surrounding region as a world class aerospace, space and aviation corridor. Florida is also supporting the Alliance.
The members of The Aerospace Alliance include business leaders, economic development professionals and government officials. By promoting their common assets and the region’s long-standing tradition of excellence in the aerospace industry, participating states and organizations will seize opportunities to grow the sector, attracting more jobs and suppliers to the region. Members will advocate for policies, programs and specific aerospace projects on the local, state and national level.
The Gulf Coast region is already home to some of the world’s most advanced aerospace installations, a number of key NASA facilities and numerous military installations critical to the Department of Defense flight missions and training. The region is centrally located to markets across the United States and offers access to global markets via numerous air and deep water ports.
The first priority of The Aerospace Alliance is to help secure the KC-45 aerial tanker program for the region. If the KC-45 aircraft is selected, the tankers will be assembled in Mobile, Alabama, bringing 48,000 direct and indirect jobs to the country, and thousands of direct and indirect jobs to the region.
While the KC-45 is the first priority for The Aerospace Alliance, it is not the only one. Mississippi, Alabama, Louisiana and Florida are currently home to manufacturers of helicopters, missile defense systems, composite aircraft structures, engine components and many R &D firms. The Aerospace Alliance will collaborate in working towards growing these aerospace, aviation, space and defense industries in the region.
6. Software Development Firm To Bring 300 Jobs to Troy
CGI Group Inc., a company that provides information technology and business process services, will bring 300 new jobs to Pike County. The new center, a software development and testing facility, will be located in Troy and should open in January of 2010.
“Alabama is honored to welcome CGI and proud that the company has chosen our state for this new high-tech facility. The hundreds of new jobs coming here will mean more opportunities and brighter futures for so many Alabama families,” said Governor Riley. “When I signed our new economic incentives law in May, I said it would help us take our economic development efforts to a higher level and allow us to compete for jobs in the technology industry. Now we’re seeing that new law is working to strengthen our economy.”
Founded in 1976, CGI Group Inc. is one of the largest independent information technologies and business process services firms in the world, employing approximately 26,000 professionals in more than 100 offices across 16 countries. With its U.S. headquarters in Fairfax, VA, CGI provides end-to-end services to clients worldwide in the government, financial services, healthcare, and telecommunications industries.
“The criteria used by CGI for site selection pointed to Troy, Alabama, as the perfect location,” said Troy University Chancellor Jack Hawkins. “The partnership between CGI, Troy University and Troy, Alabama, is a ‘match made in heaven’ and will facilitate growth and progress for each of the partners. We are excited by the opportunities created by the presence of CGI.”
7. Growing Life Sciences Sector Brings Jobs, Contracts to Alabama
Alabama’s growing life sciences and biotechnology sectors brought thousands of jobs and millions of dollars in contracts in 2009.
In August, Birmingham’s Southern Research Institute was 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.
In April, the HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology commemorate Cancer Awareness Week as well as its first anniversary in Alabama. The event signified what it hopes it will one day do: Produce the kind of research that can lead to a cure. The institute houses 14 private biotech research firms.
Now open two full years, the research/education/business venture founded by Jim Hudson and Lonnie McMillian in Cummings Research Park in Huntsville is still exploding with announcements concerning its growth and successes.
In Birmingham, it was announced that The University of Alabama at Birmingham was one of the nation’s top 50 financed research and development institutions in 2007. UAB received $351.4 million for research and development, according to a National Science Foundation report, which used the most recent data available.
8. Robotics Park Takes Shape in 2009
Work on Phase One of a $17.6 million, 52,000-square-foot research and robotics training facility, began in September and the director of Alabama Industrial Development Training said he hopes to open bids on the second phase in January.
Phase Two is a 30,000-square-foot research, development and test facility in the robotics park in front of the former Delphi plant on U.S. 31 North. The facility will include an outdoor test track.
Expected customers for Phase Two include NASA, the U.S. military and its contractors, and industrial, biotechnology and agriculture-technology companies. Phase Three of the robotics campus will allow companies to build and adapt robots for new industries. In this phase, companies will set up manufacturing lines, integrate software and equipment, test their systems, and train maintenance and production staff.
9. BRAC Jobs Move on Schedule for Huntsville
HUNTSVILLE -- Over the past year, during economic distress, a change in presidential administrations and debate over military budgets and strategy, the BRAC jobs kept coming and construction at Redstone Arsenal continued as planned.
That’s the forecast for 2010, too, said Joe Ritch, chairman of the Tennessee Valley BRAC Committee. As the new buildings near opening, much of the balance of Army and government positions are expected to arrive in late 2010 through mid-2011.
About 2,400 of the nearly 4,700 Army and other federal positions moving to Redstone under the 2005 Base Realignment and Closure decision had arrived by the end of November.
10. Toyota Engine Plant Expands, Adds 240 Jobs for Huntsville Area
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. 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.