1. GE To Locate Jet Engine Coatings Plant in Alabama
Gov. Bob Riley announced that GE Aviation selected Alabama as the site of a coatings plant for military jet engines. The $45 million plant is projected to employ 300 to 400 workers, building components for the F136 jet engine. The Cincinnati-based company said it was in the final stages of selecting a location for the plant inside the state and expects to make a decision in the next 3 months.
"This is a project we have aggressively pursued and we're proud this prestigious international company is coming to Alabama," Riley said. Today's announcement at the state Capitol was attended by officials from Tuscaloosa, Tallapoosa, Lee and Macon counties who said they hoped to land the project.
GE said the Alabama environmental coatings plant will be about 200,000 square feet. The company said the coatings are used to enhance the durability of jet engine components by protecting the base metal from corrosion and harsh temperatures.
2. Mercedes-Benz Opens New Body Shop in Vance, Hires 500 People
Mercedes-Benz marked the completion of a 200,000-square-foot expansion of the body shop at its Vance factory. The German automaker played host to Gov. Bob Riley and local elected officials, who toured the new facility.
The $150 million body shop expansion will accommodate future generations of the vehicles currently built at the plant. The work was part of an overall project valued at $290 million, which also included improvements in assembly and paint operations. Mercedes employs 2,800 people in Vance. They build the M-Class SUV, R-Class crossover and GL-Class full-sized SUV.
Officials also used the occasion to announce plans to add 450 to 500 temporary workers across the plant over the coming months. Mercedes will contract with an agency to supply the workers, and ads for the new jobs will go out in September
3. Scottsboro Company To Add 200 Jobs to Area Work Force
Witt Heat Transfer Products Group will expand its facilities in Scottsboro. The company, which makes commercial refrigeration units, coolers, evaporators, condensing units and a variety of products for the heat transfer industry, anticipates adding as many as 200 jobs at its location in the Scottsboro Industrial Park over the next three years.
“We’ve gotten some really good news today,” Goodrich “Dus” Rogers, President and CEO of the Jackson County Economic Development Authority said. “The company will relocate its headquarters from Brea, California to Scottsboro.”
Rogers said some people will move to the area as part of the headquarters division. The other jobs will be added to the company’s established manufacturing workforce of 319 employees. Administration and some service functions will remain in Brea, according to a company spokesperson.
HTPG is a $90 million manufacturer of highly-engineered refrigeration condensing units, evaporator coils and air cooled condensers for the food service, foot retail and other non-consumable markets.
Rogers said that the accomplishment required a team effort and noted that the Alabama Development Office, TVA, the Scottsboro Electric Power Board, Alabama Industrial Development Training and Alabama Career Centers played a role in bringing the expansion to Scottsboro.
Rogers said HTPG has both a manufacturing and distribution center at its location in the Scottsboro Industrial Park. The company has additional property to expand its operations.
4. New Technology Company To Open in Cullman
CULLMAN — Dignitaries from Cullman County welcomed the arrival of an innovative technology company, which provides software and simulation solutions for advanced technologies at Red Arsenal in Huntsville.
J2 Technologies opened its doors for a round of speeches and a ribbon cutting that drew economic development leaders, city officials, state legislators, Congressman Robert Aderholt and others from the business community.
“We’re excited to be here,” said J2 president Tim Johnson. “Why? We just can’t explain, but we went to Smith Lake and forgot to leave.” But Johnson added that he was impressed by core values of Cullman and decided the area was ideal for raising a family and conducting business.
Johnson’s co-founder in J2 Technologies, Linda Harwell, will remain at the Huntsville office. She said the company formed in 2007 and has been deeply involved in working with the Army.
“J2 believes the Cullman area is particularly attractive to high tech personnel because of its quality of education, atmosphere, lower cost of living, and low crime rate, while being in close proximity to Redstone,” Johnson said.
Peggy Smith, director of Cullman Economic Development Agency, said the area is suited to a wide range of businesses because of location and the strengths of the community.
5. Honda Rolls Out Next Generation Odyssey
Mass production of the redesigned Honda Odyssey vehicle started last month. The milestone minivan, a smoky topaz Touring Elite model, was ceremoniously driven off the assembly line amid the cheers of about 1,200 employees at the automaker's Lincoln plant.
6. Kiplinger Names Huntsville Top Ten City for Raising Families
HUNTSVILLE -- Add another honor for Huntsville. Kiplinger.com has named Huntsville among "10 Great Cities for Raising Families." Last month, Money magazine/CNN.com ranked Huntsville among the top 25 most affordable places in the country to buy a home. In the last year or so, Huntsville been named one of American's next "boomtowns" by The Christian Science Monitor and the nation's best overall city for 2009 by Kiplinger's Personal Finance.
7. One-of-a-kind Lab at UAB To Help Lure New Business to State
Alabama's economic development chief is pumped about a new high-tech research lab at UAB that is capable of handling metals, plastics and composite materials, saying it could help the job-hungry state land new businesses.
The UAB Materials Processing and Application Development Facility, or MPAD for short, is believed to be the nation's only university research lab capable of handling all those materials, which could give the state a leg up on the competition in the economic development game. The lab was dedicated last month.
"It will be a huge advantage for us," Alabama Development Office Director Neal Wade said after touring the facility.
Wade said he envisions companies from across the globe eyeing Alabama because they would have the ability to outsource to UAB the research and processing of plastics, metals, aluminum and other materials they need. He believes the cutting-edge research available in the labs will definitely help the state in recruiting efforts.
8. UAH Grant for Cyber Connectivity Helps Make World Smaller
HUNTSVILLE -- A $1.17 million grant received by the University of Alabama in Huntsville will, in a sense, make the world a little smaller. The grant, provided by the National Science Foundation, calls for UAH to develop and enhance cyber connectivity in the state.
That translates into a fiber connection that makes high-speed Internet look slow between UAH and the HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology in Cummings Research Park, Alabama A&M University and Alabama State in Montgomery.
9. Northrop Grumman Gets $68 Million Contract
HUNTSVILLE - Northrop Grumman Corp. has received a $68 million award to provide personnel for operating Counter-Rocket, Artillery and Mortar (C-RAM) systems at forward operating bases (FOB) supporting Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan.
Northrop Grumman received the award as a task order issued under the Encore II contract vehicle from the Defense Information Systems Agency at Scott Air Force Base, Ill. The task order has a potential value of $219 million collectively over a one-year base and two one-year options, making the potential period of performance three years.
The Army's C-RAM capability was developed in Huntsville and Northrop Grumman's C-RAM development team and program office are located in Huntsville.
The C-RAM capability has since been fielded to multiple FOBs in Iraq and is in the process of being installed in Afghanistan. The C-RAM system is credited with saving hundreds of lives through its ability to provide early warning of incoming indirect fire.
Northrop Grumman Corporation is a leading global security company whose 120,000 employees provide innovative systems, products, and solutions in aerospace, electronics, information systems, shipbuilding and technical services to government and commercial customers worldwide.
10. Site Selection Names Alabama Power as A Top Utility in Nation
Site Selection magazine has named Alabama Power Co. to its annual "Top Utilities in Economic Development" list. The designation is based on calendar year 2009 performance in 4 categories: capital investment, job creation, capital investment per capita and jobs per 10,000 in population.
"Utilities play a key role as participants in the economic development efforts of cities, regions and all areas working to improve their local business climate," said Mark Arend, editor in chief of Site Selection. "This year's Top Utilities were particularly successful in this endeavor in 2009."
The magazine's designation "also takes into account innovative programs and services that meet the needs of industrial customers, creativity and flexibility in working with corporate clients to facilitate project activity, the input of leading site selection consultants, and extensive interviews with company executives.