1. New Metals Lab at UAB Could Transform Industry
A $1 million lab set to open in August will help Birmingham's historic steel business -- and possibly some new companies -- continue to keep pace with competitors because they can save money by outsourcing their research to UAB.
The building which will house the lab now is a giant empty warehouse, but soon there will be three huge induction furnaces along what's now a bare white wall, a tilting furnace capable of melting 500 pounds of aluminum at a time and a station for making molds to be filled with molten metal at a rate of 125 pounds a minute.
An overhead crane will be able to lift 10,000 pounds, and an X-ray system will be able to spot flaws in the molten materials as they cool. A separate glass-walled room will hold delicate computers and other equipment for testing and evaluating the materials produced there.
"We were told there are no other universities with the capabilities we're going to have," said professor Barry Andrews Andrews, who is chairman of materials science and engineering at the University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Engineering.
It's also the place where the next generation of materials may be invented -- things that could make cars stronger, tanks lighter and buildings easier to construct. Andrews and professors Alan Druschitz and Uday Vaidya have already convinced the U.S. Army Research Lab, which recently gave them a $1 million research grant.
The new lab is being built under the same roof as the already-existing composites and plastics lab, where students and teachers are working on molding carbon fiber and other products into ultra-light military helmets and rocket casings. Having the two together will make for better chances of combining metals and plastics in new ways, participants say.
2. Home Depot To Hire 100 More People for McCalla Distribution Center
Home Depot plans to hire an additional 100 people for jobs at its new distribution center in McCalla. The Atlanta-based home-improvement retailer opened the 657,000 square-foot distribution center last year, with 180 employees sending goods to 150 stores in the region. Now another 100 people are needed, the company said. Home Depot, the largest home-improvement chain with $71 billion in sales and 300,000 workers, spent $33 million on the distribution center.
3. Auburn To Open Advanced Research Center in Huntsville
HUNTSVILLE -- Auburn University is launching a research center in Huntsville that will partner with federal agencies and industry to advance national and homeland security, as well as space exploration.
The center opens July 1 and will match Auburn scientists in defense, aerospace, advanced manufacturing, life sciences, biotechnology and information technology with government agencies and industry in North Alabama seeking expertise in those areas.
"We're excited to plant the Auburn University flag in Huntsville," Auburn President Jay Gogue said. "The connection between Auburn and Huntsville has always been strong. The new center brings us even closer together and puts Auburn researchers in a better position to team with North Alabama leaders to strengthen the nation's defense and space missions and help spur economic growth in the state."
The Auburn center will seek to tap into the more than $5.8 billion in research money that flows annually into the 52 government offices at Redstone Arsenal. Auburn will also seek research opportunities with the Space and Missile Command, Missile Defense Agency, Missile and Space Intelligence Center and NASA, said John Mason, Auburn's vice president for research.
4. Huntsville, Fairhope Named Top Places To Live in United States
RelocateAmerica.com has ranked Huntsville and Fairhope as top U.S. cities to live in.
Huntsville ranked first in the top 10 above Washington, D.C.; Austin, Texas; San Diego; San Antonio, Texas; Tulsa, Okla.; Charlotte; Raleigh, N.C.; Boulder, Colo.; and Minneapolis, Minn.
Fairhope in south Alabama was named third best small town, behind Grinnell, Iowa, and St. Augustine, Fla. The editors based their findings on interviews with local leaders and feedback from residents, as well as economic, environmental, education, crime, employment and housing data.
In compiling the list, RelocateAmerica.com’s editorial team reviewed nominations and selected the Top 100 Places to Live, as well as the Top 10 smaller categories of overall cities, recovery cities, recreation cities and small towns.
RelocateAmerica.com is an online relocation resource that provides housing data and information on communities and local businesses.
5. Navistar Employees Return to Plants after Nonprofit Work
HUNTSVILLE -- For the last three months, 50 Navistar employees have headed to work, not to assemble diesel engines but to build homes for low-income families and wheelchair ramps and sort inventory at thrift stores.
Navistar Diesel of Alabama's pilot program was a way to avoid laying off well-trained workers during a production slowdown. Navistar plant manager Chuck Sibley said the employees wanted to "do something that mattered" in their temporary assignments. And they have.
The teams built or repaired 79 wheelchair ramps for Care Assurance System for the Aging and Homebound of Madison County. They finished most of one Habitat for Humanity home and framed a second. They sorted donated clothes and other inventory at three Salvation Army thrift stores.
All of the employees involved in the program were due back at their jobs this week at the two Navistar plants at Jetplex Industrial Park next to Huntsville International Airport.
6. Company Expansion To Bring Jobs to Bullock County
ANDALUSIA - PowerSouth Energy Cooperative, the Bullock County Development Authority and the Alabama Development Office hosted a groundbreaking ceremony this month to celebrate the expansion of To Your Health Spouted Flour Co. The expansion is expected to bring 15 to 20 new jobs to Bullock County.
Jeff and Peggy Sutton, company owners, have been awarded a contract with Whole Foods Market, the world's fifth largest retailer, to provide more than 5,000 pounds of organic sprouted flour weekly to three regional bakeries.
Sprouted flour is milled from organic grains - wheat, spelt and rye. The grains are sprouted, dried and milled at a very low temperature to maintain the enzymes, vitamins and minerals produced during the sprouting process. It is milled to order and not stored in warehouses, ensuring the freshest, most nutritious whole grain flour possible. "We are truly innovative in making flour from sprouted grains," said Mrs. Sutton. "We are one of two such large-scale manufacturers in the U.S."
To Your Health also has plans to produce gluten-free sprouted grains and flours in the new facility. "Whole Foods Market is currently experimenting with several test batches of gluten-free grains that we've produced for their research and development bakery," she said. "The new organic sprouted grains will include rice, barley, millet and corn."
For more information about To Your Health Sprouted Flour, visit their web site at www.organicsproutedflour.net
7. Huntsville, Auburn in Top 10 on Forbes Best Places for Business List
Two Alabama cities received Top Ten rankings in Forbes magazine’s annual Best Places for Business and Careers lists while nine others in the state also placed on the two lists.
Huntsville ranked No. 8 among 200 Best Metros in the country and Auburn-Opelika was ranked No. 6 among the Best Small Metros.
Also ranking in the Best Metros were Montgomery at #53, Mobile at #62, and Birmingham at #78. Other areas ranking in the Best Small Metros were Tuscaloosa at #30, Florence at #74, Decatur at #98, Dothan at #107, Gadsden at #121, and Anniston at #132.
In the ranking, the Huntsville metro area - with a population of 406,000 - captured second place in job growth projected (based on three-year annualized figures) and ranked 37th among the 200 largest U.S. metros in educational attainment.
The magazine ranked areas on 12 metrics including business and living costs, past and projected job growth, income growth, educational attainment, projected economic growth, quality of life issues such as crime, cultural and recreational opportunities, as well as net migration patterns.
Brian Hilson, president and CEO of the Huntsville/Madison County Chamber of Commerce, said, "These national rankings and recognitions have benefited us so much in economic development efforts" in encouraging businesses to locate here and existing businesses to grow here, said. "We found these rankings are equally helpful in attracting talent and growing our workforce. "People who are candidates for jobs here are motivated when they see an independent ranking," said Hilson, especially when the ranking is made by a major publication like Forbes. "It just adds to the credibility of our location."
8. UAB, Alabama Rank in Top Ten for Graduate Schools
The University of Alabama at Birmingham once again ranked among the country's top 10 graduate programs for health administration and AIDS, according to the 2011 edition of "America's Best Graduate Schools" released today by US News & World Report.
The rankings put the medical school's AIDS program at No. 9 and UAB's master's program in Health Administration at No. 7. The medical school's primary care program ranked No. 23 nationwide, up from No. 34 last year. The research ranking rose from No. 29 last year to No. 26.
9. Indy Race Draws 84,000 People to Barber Motorsports Park
Organizers of the Indy Grand Prix of Alabama at Barber Motorsports Park said more than 84,000 people turned out to see the inaugural race.
ZOOM Motorsports said a record crowd of more than 53,500 turned out to see three-time Indianapolis 500 winner Helio Castroneves race to victory on Sunday. More than 30,000 were in attendance on Friday and Saturday.
"The attendance more than doubled the largest event ever held here previously at Barber Motorsports Park," said Gene Hallman, president and CEO of Zoom Motorsports, in a news release. "Being the only race on the calendar in the Deep South, we were able to draw a lot of IndyCar fans into Birmingham, which helped us from a tourism perspective. The Indy Racing League is a tremendous partner and helped us immensely in this first year."
Barber has a three-year exclusive contract to host the Indy Racing League event. This year’s race is estimated to impact the area’s economy by $33 million.
10. Hyundai Dealers Converge on Alabama, Pump Millions into Economy
Montgomery's Hyundai plant is the key to the company's growth in the U.S. market, says John Krafcik, president and CEO of Hyundai Motor America, promised a bright future for the plant. "Sonata and Santa Fe are the base of Hyundai," he said during the opening day of the Hyundai national dealers meeting in Montgomery. "It is important for us to have them built in the United States."
Dealers got a look at where the vehicles are made as part of their three-day visit to Montgomery. The national dealers meeting meant millions to the Montgomery area economy and could mean even more in the future. Dawn Hathcock, vice president of the Montgomery Area Chamber of Commerce's Convention and Visitors Bureau, put an initial estimate of the event's economic impact on the community at $3.5 million.