Economic and Industrial Developments in the Southern States [Archive]

HSVTiger

07-15-2005, 08:38 PM

for future developments..
Governor Riley Leading Economic Development Mission to Israel

MONTGOMERY - Governor Bob Riley will lead a delegation of Alabama business leaders on a jobs mission to Israel in September in an effort to foster economic development and trade.

"This is a great opportunity to create new jobs for Alabamians," Governor Riley said. "We’ll promote Alabama and look for companies interested in opening new operations in our state and new trade opportunities for Alabama companies. Our message is that Alabama is open for business and can offer much to Israeli industries and high-tech companies."
The mission is being organized by the Alabama Development Office, the American-Israel Chamber of Commerce, the Birmingham Jewish Federation and Tech Birmingham. Between September 9-16, the state’s contingent will travel to Tel Aviv, Israel’s commercial center, an industrial park in the city of Rosh Ha’ayin and a business incubator site in Gallilee.

Israel’s high-tech industries as well as its defense-related and security-related industries will be targeted for special attention.

"Israel is particularly strong in these industry sectors and there are good opportunities to grow business partnerships, but our efforts won’t focus exclusively in these areas. We’ll also approach Israeli businesses that are on the leading edge in the life sciences, such as pharmaceuticals and medical device manufacturers," said Jim Tolbert, the chairman of the jobs mission.
There are strong ties that already exist between Alabama and Israel. In 1943, Alabama became the first state in the nation to pass a resolution supporting the right of Jewish people to an independent homeland. Alabama is one of 22 states that have cooperative trade agreements with Israel. The agreement was signed in 1997, and the following year Alabama’s exports of manufactured goods to Israel increased a remarkable 306 percent. In 2004, Alabama exported $26.7 million worth of goods to Israel, an increase of almost 48 percent the previous year. In addition, Alabama companies benefit from U.S. military contracts with Israel. Companies in Alabama received $1.35 million in contracts in 2003, according to information from the American-Israeli Cooperative Enterprise.
"Governor Riley’s strong sales skills and extensive business background have proven effective in previous visits overseas," said Neal Wade, Director of the Alabama Development Office, referencing earlier trips made by the Governor to Germany and France that helped Alabama successfully recruit Kronospan and EADS. "We believe this mission will again deliver positive results for Alabama."
Fortune magazine recently reported that Israel’s gross domestic product grew by 4.2 percent in 2004, double Europe’s growth rate. "After a three-year slump brought on by the intifada and compounded by the bursting of the global tech bubble, Israel’s economy is growing again, and its success has implications for both the U.S. and the entire Middle East," the magazine reported in its June issue.

DruidCity

07-15-2005, 09:55 PM

Here's a "sneak peek" at the Mercedes GL-Klasse, which will begin production here next year (click "29 bilder" for photo link - first couple of photos especially), alongside the M- and R-class vehicles they're manufacturing now:
http://www.autobild.de/aktuell/neuheiten/artikel.php?artikel_id=7077

James Bond Agent 007

07-15-2005, 11:36 PM

OMG, I collect these things. ;)

I'll let you guys in on a little secret - on another forum dedicated to arguing against some racists, I've created an immense collection of articles about plant expansions, hirings and similar "good" economic news. I quite literally can find announcements for hundreds of new jobs every day. It's almost become a sort of hobby.

This is much bigger and more extensive than the thread I've linked in my sig, though it does contain a lot of the same stuff.

Here's my most recent post from today. Be sure to click on all the other pages, which now total 37 containing 739 articles just since I started collecting them in February:

Click here: --> The non-looting of America (http://www.mootsf.org/forums/showthread.php?t=9) <--

^^
Of course that thread is for the *entire* US, but if you want you can browse through the thread and pick and choose whichever Southern ones you want to post in here.

Lakelander

07-17-2005, 04:40 AM

Jacksonville: Port close to signing huge deal with line

July 15, 2005

By TIMOTHY J. GIBBONS
The Times-Union

The Jacksonville Port Authority is on the verge of signing a deal with an Asian shipping line that will bring a mammoth new facility to Dames Point and could create thousands of jobs, double the number of containers brought into Jacksonville and eventually make the port one of the 10 busiest in the country.

Although port officials would not name the shipping line, pending an announcement early next week, the longshoreman's union said it has signed a contract with the Trans Pacific Container Service Corp., the terminal operating arm of Japan-based shipping line Mitsui OSK Lines, Ltd.

--------------------------------------------------
What the deal brings to port

A new $100 million terminal on 120 to 200 acres at Dames Point, to be completed in late 2007

A Japanese freighter delivering general merchandise, textiles, clothing and electronics

About 360,000 additional containers delivered to the port in year one, 2008, with potential for more

Upward of 1,800 new jobs at the port directly related to the new shipments and another 3,200-plus on and off the port

Potential to more than double the number of containers coming to Jacksonville from 727,600 to 1.53 million --------------------------------------------------

This story can be found on Jacksonville.com at http://www.jacksonville.com/tu-online/stories/071505/met_19247446.shtml.

DruidCity

07-17-2005, 06:30 PM

It's probably hard for well-to-do urbanites to relate to, but even non-traditional "economic development" such as landfills and prisons are welcomed with open arms in the poorest rural areas, such as here in West Alabama:
http://www.al.com/news/birminghamnews/index.ssf?/base/news/1120900638302390.xml&coll=2

U.S. Senate committee has approved a $15 million grant as the first step toward construction of a 1,200-inmate federal prison at Aliceville, (AL)

"This is the greatest economic development project this century for the Black Belt and for west Alabama," said Alan Harper, director of economic development for Aliceville.

Harper said the penitentiary, proposed for a site of 250-400 acres, would cost nearly $100 million. It would provide 350 jobs with annual salaries of more than $30,000 each, and would have an annual operating budget of $23 million, Harper said.

A proposed $530 million fiber plant in Linden, AL is trying to get environmental clearance, as it would require area landowners to plant 30,000 acres in Arundo donax (a plant which, I might add, is utilized ornamentally in Tuscaloosa's riverwalk downtown):
http://www.alabamaforestowners.com/CILive/CI050615_c.htm

James Bond Agent 007

07-18-2005, 02:17 AM

Well I'm bored so I think I'll add a bunch that I found while I was looking for stuff in my thread above. ;)

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http://www.nashvillecitypaper.com/index.cfm?section_id=10&screen=news&news_id=42885

Disc replication company to open facility
By John Rodgers
July 15, 2005

Twin Solutions, a CD and DVD replication and packaging company with an international presence, will open a new facility on Lebanon Pike in mid-August.

The San Jose, Calif.-based business will create 45 new jobs, mostly manufacturing, in the next 60 days, according to Vice President Steve Daniel.

Within five years, the company plans to hire 120 more with an average salary of $42,000 when the facility is operating at full capacity.

Twin Solutions' initial investment this year will be $2.44 million, Daniel said. By 2009, it will grow to nearly $13 million.

[...]

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http://www.startribune.com/stories/535/5507454.html

July 14, 2005
UnitedHealth will hire 600
David Phelps
July 15, 2005 UNH0715

UnitedHealth Group Inc. announced Thursday that it has embarked on a $75 million, 600-person hiring spree as it prepares for the government's new Medicare prescription drug benefit to be rolled out next year.

The company has begun hiring workers who will design, market and answer questions from seniors about the benefit and help them sign up. About 100 professional-level jobs will be at the Minnetonka campus of the nation's second-largest insurer. The other 500 will staff a phone center in Roanoke, Va., that already is tailored to the needs of seniors.

[...]

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http://www.bizjournals.com/industries/manufacturing/general/2005/07/11/triangle_daily29.html

Triangle Business Journal
Thursday, July 14, 2005
Charlotte company plans $65M expansion, 40 jobs in Brunswick County

DAK Americas LLC has won $100,000 in incentives from the One North Carolina Fund for a $65 million expansion in its manufacturing facility in Brunswick County, according to the governor's office.

The expansion is designed to create 40 new jobs by the end of next year.

[...]

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Mmmm, chicken . . .

http://atlanta.bizjournals.com/atlanta/stories/2005/07/11/daily29.html

Atlanta Business Chronicle
Thursday, July 14, 2005
Chicken company expanding in Georgia

Perdue Farms said it will significantly expand its Georgia operations by growing its existing facilities in Houston and Monroe counties, near Macon, Ga., bringing 1,000 new jobs and a total investment of $155 million to the state.

Perdue Farms plans to invest $146 million by 2009 to expand its Houston County operation. The company is adding a cooking plant to the facility and plans to double the capacity of the existing processing plant. Perdue also has plans to open a distribution center at the site. Together, these projects will open 925 new jobs to Georgians. The company has said it will invest an additional $9 million to upgrade its feed mill and hatchery in Monroe County, creating approximately 75 jobs.

[...]

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http://triangle.bizjournals.com/triangle/stories/2005/07/11/daily11.html

Triangle Business Journal
Tuesday, July 13, 2005
Motricity snags $30M, aims to hire 140 in Triangle
Chris Baysden

Motricity said Tuesday that it has closed on $30 million in venture funding that it will use to fuel the company's global expansion in the mobile content industry as well as add about 140 employees in the Triangle.

The funding round was led by Advanced Equities Inc., a venture capital investment bank based in Chicago. Previous Motricity investors also participating in the round include Technology Crossover Ventures, New Enterprise Associates and Intel Capital. Motricity, a private company, did not disclose what stake the investors received for the money they put in the company.

"I can't talk about the valuation of the round," says Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Ryan Wuerch, who also declines to disclose if the company is profitable.

This is the second round of funding Motricity, formerly known as PowerByHand, has raised in the past year. In October 2004, the company secured $27 million in a round led by TCV.

The Durham-based company also operates offices in San Francisco, London, Munich and Beijing. It employs about 200 people, including about 170 in Durham.

Wuerch says the company plans to add about 100 employees internationally in the next six to 12 months. He also expects that the company's headcount in the Triangle will exceed 310 by the second quarter of 2006.

[...]

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http://atlanta.bizjournals.com/atlanta/stories/2005/07/11/daily26.html

Atlanta Business Chronicle
Wednesday, July 13, 2005
Ae Group to put U.S. headquarters in LaGrange, will invest $50M

A German automotive and aerospace die-casting parts maker will open its first U.S. manufacturing plant and North American headquarters in LaGrange, Ga.

Ae Group ag will create 300 jobs and will invest $50 million in Georgia over the next five years. The company will initially invest $15 million in the new facility, building a 200,000-square-foot manufacturing plant in the Jim Hamilton Industrial Park in LaGrange. Up to 80 Georgians will be hired during the first year to work on a state-of-the-art high-pressure aluminum die casting line and a machining line, both of which employ a high level of automation and robotics. Construction is slated to begin in August, with operations to launch in early 2006.

The company supplies assembly-ready high-pressure aluminum die casting parts and components for the international automotive and aerospace industries. Its annual sales are $200 million, and its customers include DaimlerChrysler, Porsche, Volkswagen, Audi, BMW, General Motors, American Standard Wabco, Siemens VDO, BorgWarner, LuK, ThyssenKrupp, Recaro Aircraft, Dräger Aerospace and Zeiss.

[...]

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http://home.businesswire.com/portal/site/google/index.jsp?ndmViewId=news_view&newsId=20050713005227&newsLang=en

July 13, 2005
Nation's Largest Truckload Provider Delivering 100 New Jobs in Arkansas; Range of Opportunities, Increased Driver Pay and Innovative Programs Available for New and Experienced Company Drivers and Owner-Operators

GREEN BAY, Wis. & LITTLE ROCK, Ark.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--July 13, 2005--Schneider National Inc., the nation's largest full truckload provider, today announced its plans to hire 100 new professional truck drivers in the greater Little Rock, Ark. area. The company's growth is fueled by expanding relationships with clients in the region.

Over the next 30 days, Schneider National will hire 100 drivers for local, regional and long haul opportunities. Drivers are needed in several company divisions, including One-Way, Specialized and Dedicated. Differing from most truckload carriers, Schneider offers a broad range of employment options for drivers.

[...]

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This one's for Rural King. ;)

http://www.tricities.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=TRI%2FMGArticle%2FTRI_BasicArticle&c=MGArticle&cid=1031783821082

Food City expands distribution, creates jobs
Bristol Herald Courier
Jul 13, 1:50 PM EDT

ABINGDON - K-Va-T Food Stores, Inc. will continue to call Washington County home as company officials announced Wednesday a 165,000 square foot expansion and the creation of 110 new jobs. Washington County competed against Greene County, Tenn. for the expansion. More than $750,000 in incentives from the state, Tobacco Commission and the county, helped make it economically feasible for the company to expand its distribution center on Hillman Highway, without moving its operation to Greene County.

Headquartered in Abingdon, Virginia, K-VA-T Food Stores operates 90 retail food outlets throughout the tri-state regions of Southeast Kentucky, Southwest Virginia and Northeast Tennessee.

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This next one should probably go in the Texas/Southcentral part of the forum, but I'm gonna put it here because it sounds really intriguing.

http://www.oaoa.com/news/nw071105a.htm

‘Boom’ has official smiling
Economic development director says four businesses may move to Odessa
By Bill Modisett
Odessa American

Although contract stage negotiations are under way with four major businesses considering a move to Odessa, none has yet committed a relocation.

That doesn’t bother Neil McDonald, director of economic development for Odessa Chamber of Commerce, who says he is doing a lot of smiling lately.

“We’re as busy as I have been in this business in 15 years, basically attending to details that will lead to some deals.”

Those deals could accelerate the business boom being experienced in Odessa, and not only from the standpoint of new business. Existing businesses are expanding, too, which adds to the excitement of the “boom” atmosphere.

The four projects and others are keeping McDonald and others heavily involved with providing information to developers about what Odessa has to offer.

McDonald is in his element, asserting, “The boom is on and the economic development activities are paying huge dividends.”

McDonald negotiates economic development contracts for the ODC.
In May, Odessa Industrial Development Corp. contracted with Odessan Bill Pool for the purchase of about 600 acres that will provide additional land for growth in the industrial park.

That acreage is bounded roughly on the east by the southern extension of Loop 338, on the west by South Grandview Avenue, on the south by South Ranchito subdivision, and on the north by Interstate 20.

No land clearing is being done at this point, McDonald noted, because the stage for final negotiations has not been reached.

One of the projects is really big, he added.

Noting that labor and access to customers is driving much of Odessa’s current growth, McDonald said he foresees the community continuing to grow to the south and east. Residential and commercial growth will continue in the central part of the city while retail will dominate in the north and east, said McDonald.

Citing the four major projects referred to in the OIDC report as Projects Trim, Drink, Nova and Lift, McDonald said, “We’re still in the due diligence scheme of things.”

The four, he said, include Project Trim, a meat processing plant; Project Drink, a regional distribution center; Project Nova, a major capital intensive project; and Project Lift, a high-rise building project which McDonald said probably will not make.

McDonald also credited Ector County, the City of Odessa, Ector County Independent School District and other agencies with working together to make the current growth possible in Odessa.

“All the agencies have really come together in the last four or five years,” he said.

One of the projects McDonald earlier had cited as expressing interest in coming to Texas was a meat processor that could bring to the industrial development park a $120 million plant and 700 new jobs.

That would continue the expansion along the Interstate 20 corridor linking Midland and Odessa where much of the business and industrial growth has occurred in recent years.

“We’re going to grow together,” noted McDonald, “there’s no question about it.”

In addition to the major projects, McDonald also underscored the growth in existing businesses through expansions and new construction.

One of those is First American Homebuyers Protection Corp., a California-based enterprise which opened a Texas office in Odessa in November 2000 and is now starting to expand its operation.

Odessa General Manager Larry Aaron said the company, which warranties the air-conditioning and heating, plumbing, wiring and installed appliances for homeowners, started operations in 2000 with 20 employees and has now grown to 318 employees.

It began operations in a two-story building at 4044 Penbrook Ave., but only utilized the first floor in the beginning years. Now, said Aaron, the firm is starting to remodel the second floor.

In two to three years, he said, the company plans to double its workforce in Odessa.

Aaron had high praise for McDonald and also for Texas Workforce Commission Executive Director Willie Taylor whom he said “have been extremely helpful to us.”

Noting the company’s growth is more linked to national trends than to the local economy, he said First American Homebuyers Protection Corp. has grown well because of the available and qualified workforce present in Odessa.

“The growth,” he said, “is here in Odessa.”

James Bond Agent 007

07-18-2005, 06:05 AM

http://www.bizjournals.com/industries/economic_view/economic_snapshot/2005/07/18/charlotte_story1.html

July 18, 2005
Pharr eyes $30M expansion
Ken Elkins
Staff writer

Pharr Yarns plans to build a $30 million textile-fibers plant in McAdenville in a bid to diversify the company more thoroughly into synthetic fibers.

The expansion will add 75 jobs and a 10,000-square-foot plant at Pharr Yarn's Complex 46 facilities on Powers Street, says Bip Carstarphen, president.

"It's a move on our part to go more vertical in our operation," Carstarphen says. "We're going to extrude and make nylon, polyester and polypropylene fibers for the carpet and upholstery industries.

"It's more chemicals than textiles," he adds.

Pharr Yarns also manufactures natural and man-made fibers for the apparel, hosiery and personal protection industries.

[...]

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http://www.bizjournals.com/industries/manufacturing/general/2005/07/18/charlotte_newscolumn1.html

July 18, 2005
RSI expansion is expected to add 150 jobs
Ken Elkins

RSI Home Products Inc.'s pending expansion in Lincoln County represents a $9.25 million investment that will create 150 jobs, the company says.

RSI will more than double the size of one of its four facilities in the county, adding 225,000 square feet to a 200,000-square-foot manufacturing building in Lincoln County Industrial Park.

The 1,000-worker company has become the county's largest industrial employer. RSI also operates a distribution center in Lincoln County Industrial Park and facilities in Lincolnton.

To help promote the latest expansion, Lincoln County has granted the company $197,000 in incentives, to be paid over the next five years.

"This further expansion by RSI will strengthen our local economy and further our efforts to show other potential employers that Lincoln County is truly a business-friendly location," says Tom Anderson, chairman of the Lincoln Board of County Commissioners.

The Keith Corp. is developing the RSI expansion and leasing the building to the company. Last week, the company broke ground for the addition.

RSI, based in Anaheim, Calif., manufactures and distributes vanities, cultured marble counter tops and medicine cabinets. The company is a supplier to home-improvement retailers Lowe's Cos. Inc. and The Home Depot Inc.

LouisvilleJake

07-18-2005, 11:22 PM

Humana announces major expansion for Louisville 6.29.05

State and local leaders announced today that Louisville-based Humana Inc. has chosen its hometown for a major expansion that will create approximately 1,100 new jobs. The announcement came after the Kentucky Economic Development Finance Authority approved incentives for the project at its monthly meeting this morning in Frankfort.

“Louisville is Humana’s home – as the company was established here and continues to experience significant and positive growth here. We are excited about what this tremendous expansion will mean to the economic growth of our community,” said Mayor Jerry Abramson. “In addition to the jobs and economic growth, Humana has become a leading corporate citizen through its leadership and employees continually playing an active role in civic, volunteer and charitable efforts in our hometown.”

Humana, Kentucky’s largest publicly traded company, offers coordinated health insurance coverage and related services to employer groups, government-sponsored plans and individuals. Due to their recent and projected growth opportunities, Humana chose to expand its headquarters facilities and staff of administration, customer support, information technology and other support services employees.

The new jobs would have an annual payroll of more than $46 million.

“As a physician I know the important role health care plays in Kentucky’s economy,” said Governor Ernie Fletcher. “We commend the leadership of Humana, Greater Louisville Inc., Louisville Metro and Secretary Strong for their cooperation in making our commonwealth a major player in the growing health care industry.

The $4.2 million expansion would be spread out over three locations, including its headquarters in Downtown Louisville. Humana is considering property on Bishop Lane and elsewhere in Downtown Louisville for remaining parts of the expansion. The authority approved Humana for up to $17 million in incentives for up to 10 years.

The partnership between Greater Louisville Inc. – The Metro Chamber of Commerce, Louisville Metro Government and state government brings new economic opportunities to the community. This year, through June, the innovative public-private partnership has helped 24 companies locate new operations or expand existing ones in the area. These projects have created 2,479 new jobs and nearly $107.3 million in new payroll. In all, more than $161 million has been invested in the community through these projects.

“Helping local companies expand is an essential part of our economic development strategy,” said Steve Higdon, Greater Louisville Inc.’s president and CEO. “Humana’s expansion is a major boost for Kentucky’s economic engine, and its effects will be felt across the city, region and state.”

In addition to the approximately 1,100 new jobs in Louisville, Humana will also add jobs in the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky area.

LouisvilleJake

07-18-2005, 11:25 PM

NHK to build new plant in Louisville 7.18.05

A Japanese auto parts maker said Monday it plans to open an 80-employee facility in Louisville’s Riverport complex.

The jobs are expected to pay an average of nearly $19-an-hour.

NHK Spring Co. Ltd. makes and sells precision springs to the automotive industry, including Toyota.

The company plans to build a $6 million, 91,000 square foot facility on an 8.4-acre site at 10600 Freeport Drive. The project also will include nearly $17 million in new equipment, bringing the total investment to nearly $23 million.

NHK chose the Louisville site because of its accessibility to customers such as Toyota’s Georgetown facility, said Kenji Sasaki, the company’s president.

LouisvilleJake

07-18-2005, 11:29 PM

Medical device maker is set to leave city, Southern Indiana suburb attracted company 7.18.05

MedVenture Technology Corp., a fast-growing Louisville medical-device company, is moving across the Ohio River to Jeffersonville, Ind.

The move will bring MedVenture's 175 or so jobs to the NorthPort Business Centre along Port Road -- and more jobs as the company expands.

Jeffersonville officials have said they think MedVenture could grow to more than 500 employees within a few years. The City Council endorsed a $4.3 million package of incentives for the company last month.

Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels will hold a news conference today at NorthPort. An advisory from his office did not name MedVenture but said Daniels would make a "major economic-development announcement" involving more than 500 jobs.

Kevin Bramer, president of MedVenture, confirmed its plans yesterday.

"This is a new milestone for our company," he said.

MedVenture will start with about 85,000 square feet of space, with the option of increasing that to about 120,000. Its Louisville plant, at 1046 E. Chestnut St., has about 55,000 square feet.

The company also considered sites in Louisville, Virginia, Tennessee and Illinois. Louisville economic-development officials have said their main goal was to keep MedVenture in the metropolitan area.

Bramer said Jeffersonville's space, lease price and incentives added up to the best package. Another key factor was that current employees will not have to move or lose their jobs.

MedVenture designs, develops and manufactures sophisticated medical devices, with a focus on minimally invasive, hand-held and catheter devices. Its clients include some of the world's top medical-device companies, Bramer said.

The company is privately held. Bramer declined to disclose the company's revenues but said it makes a profit.

Bramer said the jobs MedVenture plans to add are highly paid technical and professional jobs, and "some highly skilled advanced manufacturing labor."

He said more than half probably will be filled locally, with national recruiting for people to fill others.

MedVenture's move will qualify NorthPort to become a certified technology park, providing financial incentives to lure and retain businesses.

Indiana agreed in April to give NorthPort the designation if MedVenture comes.

That made possible $2.5 million in tax incentives on top of $1.8 million Jeffersonville had offered.

Kentucky also offered incentives. The state Economic Development Finance Authority approved up to $2 million in tax credits in March.

The agency said MedVenture planned to add 93 jobs and $3.3 million in payroll. But Indiana officials and MedVenture said the totals eventually could be higher.

Jeffersonville Mayor Rob Waiz said last month that MedVenture could have as many as 530 employees by 2010, with an average wage of $25 an hour. Bramer said yesterday that the company is adding an employee about every three days.

Waiz declined to comment yesterday, saying he would let the governor make any announcement.

MedVenture is now in MedCenter Two, one of three buildings in the Louisville Life Science Research Park. It is by far the park's largest occupant.

James Bond Agent 007

07-19-2005, 07:56 AM

http://www.kinston.com/SiteProcessor.cfm?Template=/GlobalTemplates/Details.cfm&StoryID=29142&Section=Local

Local manufacturer to add 150 jobs
July 19,2005
Karen McConkey View stories by reporter
Staff writer

Just one month in the batting cage warming up as Lenoir County's Economic Development Director, and Mark Pope has hit a home run.

The Roger Carter Corporation, a company with a quarter-century history in Lenoir County, is expanding its operations here to the tune of $1.2 million and will add 150 new jobs to Lenoir County's payroll. The company now has 75 fulltime employees on the payroll.

"This is very, very good news," County Manager Mike Jarman told the Lenoir County Board of Commissioners.

The company manufactures modular units for offices, for health care and medical, school and classroom uses and other types of modular buildings. The company has already purchased the former Gold Leaf tobacco warehouse on Asphalt Road and has begun its hiring and expansion of its manufacturing line.

[...]

James Bond Agent 007

07-19-2005, 08:17 AM

http://beta.news-record.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050711/NEWSREC0101/507100338/1001/NEWSREC0201

Monday, July 11, 2005
Finding it's niche: New Unilin Flooring plant bringing jobs to area
By Sue Schultz
Staff Writer

THOMASVILLE -- After losing more than 3,000 furniture manufacturing and textile jobs during the past five years, Davidson County workers were looking for a sign of better things to come.

Now, they have one in bold letters stretched across a billboard off Interstate 85. It's a simple message: "Unilin Flooring 330 Jobs."

Just a few feet from the billboard, construction crews lay concrete and set machines in place for a new 1.1 million-square-foot floor manufacturing plant.

As traditional textile and furniture manufacturing jobs continue to go overseas, Davidson County and the Triad are looking to a new wave of high-tech and niche manufacturing such as Unilin Flooring to provide jobs for the future.

"We came from textile and furniture manufacturing," said Steve Googe, executive director of the Davidson County Economic Development Commission. "Those industries carried us on their back, but now they are going away."

Although other companies are packing up and moving out, Unilin Flooring, a Belgium-based flooring manufacturer, sees the area as a base for future growth.

"There is still viable manufacturing in the U.S.," said Stefaan Ver Eecke, president of Unilin Flooring.

[...]

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http://www.newsandsentinel.com/news/story/0710202005_new02_ravenswood071005.asp

Sunday, July 10, 2005
K.S. to provide Ravenswood economic boost
By CHRISTINA BRIGHT

RAVENSWOOD - As many as 100 new jobs will be created in Ravenswood next spring once the area's newest business, A.K. of West Virginia Corp., opens.

The announcement came Saturday afternoon from Kazuo Kato, CEO of K.S. of West Virginia, as the Ravenswood facility celebrated its tenth anniversary with an appreciation picnic for its approximately 100 full-time employees.

Governor Joe Manchin, U.S. Rep. Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.) and Wes Holden, representative for Senator Jay Rockefeller, were on hand to celebrate the news and express their appreciation to Kato for his support of West Virginia workers.

"We appreciate this latest investment by K.S. and its business partner, ASKA Corp., in Jackson County, and look forward to expanding West Virginia's efforts to support further automotive industry growth through many more projects such as this," Manchin said.

The governor said Japanese businesses are eager to locate in the state because of the strong workforce located here.

A.K. of West Virginia will be a $10 million combined investment for KSWV and ASKA Corp. in Kariya, Japan.

The new business will be a metal stamping company which will manufacture small to medium sized precision parts, as well perform welding and assembly, to serve the automotive industry.

[...]

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http://www.bizjournals.com/industries/economic_view/economic_snapshot/2005/07/11/atlanta_daily8.html

Atlanta Business Chronicle
Monday, Jul 11, 2005
AAF International to expand operations in Gwinnett County

A global air filtration company plans to open a new facility in Norcross, Ga.

The Georgia Department of Economic Development (GDEcD) has reported Louisville, Ky.-based AAF International will invest $5 million and create 40 new jobs in a facility near its existing Doraville manufacturing plant and customer service center.

"We are delighted that AAF has reaffirmed its commitment to the state of Georgia by placing its newest division here," said Chris Clark, deputy commissioner of Global Commerce for GDEcD. "Georgia's dynamic business environment, high-quality talent pool and world-class researchers won this project for our state."

AAF International makes air filtration, dust collection and air pollution control products and systems marketed under the AmericanAirFilter and AAF brands. The company is a division of AAF-McQuay Inc. and has nearly 2,300 employees in more than 59 countries.

[...]

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http://www.bizjournals.com/industries/economic_view/economic_snapshot/2005/07/11/southflorida_story1.html

July 11, 2005
Fort Lauderdale wins bid for 660 Kaplan jobs
Darcie Lunsford

After trolling the economic waters of three states for the best deal, Kaplan University appears set to bring its new 660-job hub to Fort Lauderdale.

The new jobs will have an average annual wage of $40,331, according to Broward County documents. That is $10,000 more than the average annual wage listed for the county by Enterprise Florida, based on 2003 figures.

The city was pitted against Atlanta and Chicago for the 100,000-square-foot support center, which is needed to help the rapidly growing university educate its 21,000 mostly online students.

Kaplan's decision to expand its Cypress Creek Road support operation was delivered to county economic officials in early July, according to James Tarlton, president of the Broward Alliance.

. . .

The Kaplan job-generating deal marks the second such arrangement for Broward County in recent weeks. DHL is on the verge of signing a lease that will place 600 jobs at Cornerstone Two in Plantation. Those jobs include corporate officers, senior mangers, marketing and human resource positions with an average wage of $54,000 a year.

[...]

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http://www.bizjournals.com/industries/manufacturing/general/2005/07/11/triangle_daily9.html

Triangle Business Journal
Monday, July 11, 2005
State grants $200k for $7M textile company expansion

Kayser-Roth Corp., a manufacturer of socks and other apparel, has won a $200,000 grant from the One North Carolina Fund as an incentive for a $7 million expansion of its operations in Alamance County, the governor's office announced Monday.

The expansion is designed to create 180 new jobs during the next three years.

Kayser-Roth, an affiliate of Italian textile company Golden Lady, is a manufacturer and distributor of leg wear and apparel in the United States. Headquartered in Greensboro, Kayser-Roth owns brand names No Nonsense and Hue and also makes products for other brands, including Timberland, Calvin Klein, Burlington, Interwoven and Prima Sport.

[...]

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http://www.hattiesburgamerican.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050705/NEWS01/50705001

Tuesday, July 5, 2005
Hudson to lease Lamar County’s Sunbeam

Hudson Salvage announced Tuesday at the Lamar County Board of Supervisors meeting they will lease the former Sunbeam plant in Lamar County Industrial Park.

The company signed a seven-year lease for the 100,000-square-foot building. Terms of the contract include the 11 1/2 acres the building sits on with an option to purchase the 36 acres adjacent to the property.

The purchase brings the promise of 100 new jobs to the area in the next three years, said Rick Preusch, chief financial officer for Hudson Salvage. He said the company expects to hire 25 people by the end of the week and 50 by the end of the year.

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http://www.wsfa.com/Global/story.asp?S=3558411&nav=0RdEbnbZ

Wayne Farms Expands in Coffee County
July 5, 2005, 09:00 PM

Thanks to Wayne Farms, 112 jobs are heading to Coffee County.

The processing plant in the Jack Community, will undergo a 10- point 5 million dollar expansion. The expansion is a cooperative effort between the Coffee County Commission and Wayne Farms...the commission has granted a 10-year tax abatement. Wayne Farms is the sixth largest integrated poultry producer in the United States.

James Bond Agent 007

07-19-2005, 10:56 PM

http://www.wsls.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=WSLS%2FMGArticle%2FSLS_BasicArticle&c=MGArticle&cid=1031783931924&path=!news!localnews

Expansion to create new jobs in Wythe County
WSLS NewsChannel 10
July 19, 2005

Governor Mark R. Warner today announced that Klöckner Pentaplast of America, Inc., a manufacturer of plastic film and shrink wrap, will invest $17 million to expand its Rural Retreat manufacturing facility in Wythe County, creating 54 new jobs. A previous expansion was announced in 2002. The company will focus its new investment on a film production center for United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-regulated vinyl films that will service the pharmaceutical and other FDA markets. Virginia successfully competed against Ohio and West Virginia for the project.

[...]

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http://www.morningnewsonline.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=FMN%2FMGArticle%2FFMN_BasicArticle&c=MGArticle&cid=1031783920771&path=!news

Jul 18, 2005
Marlboro County plant to add 120 jobs
By ANDY COLE
Morning News

BENNETTSVILLE - Marlboro County got some economic good news Monday morning with the announcement that Musashi South Carolina will expand its Bennettsville plant, adding 120 jobs during the next three years.

The company's $15 million expansion will add about 15,000 square feet of space to the Bennettsville plant. Company officials said 40 to 50 new jobs will be added to the Musashi payroll by the end of this year.

Musashi is expanding to fulfill orders for new contracts with the company's growing automotive group. Forty-seven percent of Musashi South Carolina's business is related to the automotive market, while the other 53 percent is related to the ATV market.

Under the new contracts, Musashi will be supplying parts to automotive companies such as Visteon, Dana and Honda. Dana, a new customer for Musashi's automotive division, supplies parts to Ford.

"By the end of this year, we'll be making just about every gear in all Ford products," Musashi's Keith Shepard said of the expansion.

[...]

James Bond Agent 007

07-20-2005, 12:42 AM

This one's in Oklahoma but it's still part of the South anyway. ;)

http://www.kotv.com/main/home/stories.asp?whichpage=1&id=87015

Pryor Company Expands Operation

A paper products plant in Pryor is expanding. Orchid Paper is building a new $27-million paper mill and adding 50 new jobs.

As News on 6 business reporter Steve Berg explains, it's a company that looks good on paper.

Orchid Paper has been at the Pryor Industrial Park since the late 70's, but lately they're on a roll. "We certainly believe it's a good business or we wouldn't be investing $27-million in it."

Orchid's parent company went bankrupt several years back, but new investors say the Oklahoma plant was always profitable and so they bought it and created a new company with the same name.

CEO Mike Sage says in a year, their new paper mill will produce more paper than their 3 old mills combined. “I came here about 20 years and had never seen that old a machine still operating. It will allow us to make all our paper internally versus purchasing some from the outside." Believe it or not, they eventually turn big rolls of paper into smaller rolls.

Speaking of big rolls, right now, Orchid Paper is buying a lot of big rolls overseas which they say is very expensive. "We currently purchase paper from Indonesia, Colombia, and Mexico, to supplement our own paper. So it's much less expensive to make our own paper than purchase paper on the outside."

Orchid makes paper towels, napkins, and bathroom tissue for the discount store market like Dollar General, Big Lots, and Family Dollar.

Lately, they say they've actually had to turn down some business because they couldn't produce enough paper. But where there is a mill, there's a way.

James Bond Agent 007

07-20-2005, 12:50 AM

http://www.bizjournals.com/memphis/stories/2005/07/18/daily10.html?jst=b_ln_hl

Memphis Business Journal - 12:39 PM CDT Tuesday
IP mulls moving corporate headquarters to Memphis
Rob Robertson
Staff Writer

International Paper Co. is considering moving its corporate headquarters from Stamford, Conn., to Memphis as part of a far-reaching plan to restructure operations and consolidate its core business portfolio.

International Paper (NYSE: IP) employs about 2,800 in Memphis, where the bulk of the company's domestic corporate leadership is already located. IP currently has about 130 people at its headquarters in Stamford, says IP spokesman Amy Sawyer.

Sawyer says a decision about the move is expected to be announced within the next 30 days.

"As the evaluation progresses, a lot of conversations will occur both with folks in Stamford and in Memphis," Sawyer says. "Having all of the corporate leadership in the company at one place would present opportunities for some synergies, but we'll just have to wait for the evaluation to be finished."

International Paper, the world's largest forest products company, arrived in Memphis in 1987 and has since grown to become one of the area's largest employers. If the company were to move its headquarters, it would become Memphis' 15th locally based public company.

The overall restructuring effort announced Tuesday would involve closing mills and selling or spinning off billions of dollars in businesses and millions of acres of forestland in an effort to improve profitability, reduce debt and return $8 billion to $10 billion to the company.

The plan will include narrowing the company's portfolio to two key platform businesses -- uncoated papers and industrial and consumer packaging. The reorganization is expected to produce annual cost savings of about $400 million over the next several years.

[...]

sleepy

07-20-2005, 02:14 AM

Well, good.

What facets of a city's economy are now to be posted in this thread, as opposed to a separate thread?

James Bond Agent 007

07-20-2005, 03:24 AM

^
Well it's called "Economic and Industrial Developments in the Southern States," so I guess anything to do with that should go in here. :D

The main reason why I closed your other thread was just because I had already posted it here. If you had happened to beat me to it, I probably would have left it alone. :D

Randy Sandford

07-20-2005, 05:27 AM

I disagree with your decision to lock sleepy's thread, John. The possibility of gaining a Fortune 500 HQ is big news for Memphis (or any city for that matter), so I think it deserves its own thread. Some forumers, especially if they don't have a lot of time to read every thread, will browse through and look for only those threads of interest to them (e.g., threads about their city or cities they are most interested in), and it could be days or weeks before they read about a big story like this if it's hidden in a regional catch-all thread like this. Perhaps the folks from Memphis (and other cities) can start their own development thread like the one we have going for Birmingham. Forumers will not feel as welcome to discuss local projects at length when they're posted in a thread containing announcements from cities throughout the South.

That being said, the Memphis-International Paper story belongs here too because some people don't have time or interest in looking at every thread that is posted in this forum but may enjoy taking a quick glance at what is going on throughout the region by checking this thread periodically. So, a big announcement such as Fortune 500 relocation can be posted here AND in a thread of its own (if there isn't an exisiting development thread for that city), IMO.

Rural King

07-20-2005, 05:58 AM

^ I see no problem with big news being posted in both places.

I simply thought a centralized sticky thread might allow folks to post news they might not otherwise, and allow for all southern regional economic and development news have a dedicated central location that would be easily accessible for those who are interested in learning about such developments.

James Bond Agent 007

07-20-2005, 06:04 AM

Well, OK to Randy. I just thought it was kinda unneccessary to be redundant. Whatever.
:runaway:

James Bond Agent 007

07-20-2005, 10:26 PM

Another spinoff from the Hyundai plant.

http://www.bizjournals.com/industries/economic_view/economic_snapshot/2005/07/18/birmingham_daily14.html

Birmingham Business Journal - 10:04 AM CDT Wednesday
Elmore County welcomes another Hyundai supplier

Yet another automotive supplier is making a large capital investment in Alabama. Hanil USA, a subsidiary of TI Automotive, announced Wednesday it would open a plant in Tallassee that would employ 30 people initially to assemble plastic and steel tube components for Hyundai Motor Manufacturing Alabama's Montgomery plant.

Hanil will locate in an existing facility, renovating and expanding the 10,000-square-foot space to add another 6,500 square feet. Construction is expected to begin on the $2.3 million project immediately.

TI Automotive, based in England, is a supplier of fluid storage, transfer and delivery systems for brake, fuel and other systems. It employs more than 20,000 people in 28 countries. The company's U.S. headquarters is in Warren, Mich.

Eric Basinger, executive director of the Elmore County Economic Development Authority, said the announcement is part of a trend of technology-based manufacturers locating in the region.

Tallassee Mayor Bobby Payne said the plant would create needed jobs in the wake of news that Mount Vernon Mills this fall would close the mill it had long operated in the city.

"Tallassee is obviously in need of new jobs for the employees at Mount Vernon Mills," Payne said in a news release. "In anticipation of the mill closing, we have made every effort to make sure that Hanil would locate their facility in Tallassee, and the timing could not be better."

Tony Kwon, president of Hanil USA, said the company was "impressed with Alabama's state and regional development organizations. Their teamwork and rapid response time made our decision to locate in the city of Tallassee and Elmore County an easy one."

James Bond Agent 007

07-20-2005, 10:40 PM

http://www.wsls.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=WSLS%2FMGArticle%2FSLS_BasicArticle&c=MGArticle&cid=1031783953223&path=!news!localnews

Manufactured home maker expanding, creating new jobs in Franklin County
WSLS NewsChannel 10
July 20, 2005

Governor Mark R. Warner today announced that Mod-U-Kraf Homes, LLC will invest $2.8 million to expand the company's Rocky Mount facility. The company plans to hire 50 new employees when construction is completed in December. Virginia successfully competed with North Carolina and Ohio for the project.

"It's always gratifying to watch a company born in Virginia grow in Virginia," said Governor Warner. "Mod-U-Kraf Homes considered several other states and found the Southwest Virginia workforce and the Commonwealth's costs for doing business too competitive to beat."

Started in 1971, Mod-U-Kraf has become a leading manufacturer of systems-built, single-family homes and special projects that include multi-family housing and light commercial buildings. The company's production facility and corporate offices are located in Rocky Mount. Mod-U-Kraf markets its homes in Georgia, Eastern Kentucky, Maryland, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, Eastern Tennessee and West Virginia. The company is a member of the Coachmen Industries Housing Group (NYSE:COA), one of the leading manufacturers of recreational vehicles and the largest modular home producer in the United States.

[...]

James Bond Agent 007

07-20-2005, 10:43 PM

James Bond Agent 007

07-21-2005, 10:50 PM

http://www.al.com/business/mobileregister/index.ssf?/base/business/112196071573120.xml&coll=3

Masonite plans Mobile expansion
Board authorizes Austal bond issue and Linde Gas tax breaks
Thursday, July 21, 2005
By GEORGE TALBOT
Business Reporter

Masonite International Corp. will add 52 jobs as part of a $9 million expansion at its door manufacturing plant in Mobile, the company said Wednesday.

Masonite, based in Mississauga, Ontario, employs 350 at the Brookley Field Industrial Complex in the production of a variety of residential doors and door frame components. The privately-owned company said it will expand the plant to include production of a line of rot-resistant exterior doors, made from a combination of wood chips and plastic.

[...]

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

http://www.bizjournals.com/industries/economic_view/economic_snapshot/2005/07/18/triad_daily40.html

The Business Journal of the Greater Triad Area
Thursday, July 21, 2005
Packaging company to open in Reidsville, creating 170 jobs

Alcan Inc., will open a tobacco packaging facility in Reidsville Industrial Park, creating 170 jobs and investing $42.6 million in the state over the next three years.

The announcement, made Thursday by Gov. Mike Easley, was made possible in part by a $500,000 grant from the One North Carolina Fund.

"Alcan's decision to locate in North Carolina means 170 good jobs for the hard-working people in Rockingham County," Easley said. "We continue to work aggressively to make the economic and education investments necessary to maintain our top-ranked business environment that attracts companies such as Alcan and allows them to grow and thrive here."

[...]

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

http://www.nashvillecitypaper.com/index.cfm?section_id=10&screen=news&news_id=43010

New FedEx facility to net jobs
By Don Mooradian
July 21, 2005

FedEx will bring about 60 new jobs to the area following Wednesday’s approval by the Metropolitan Nashville Airport Authority of a $5.25 million cargo terminal, to be built by Aero Nashville LLC and then subleased to the Memphis-based shipper.

“Obviously, we're delighted that FedEx has chosen [the airport] for one of their cargo facilities. It is a fabulous coup for Nashville International Airport,” said Lynne Lowrance, manager of corporate communications for MNAA.

FedEx currently operates three cargo transports out of Nashville International Airport (BNA). That number could increase, according to MNAA documents, although final figures are yet to be determined.

The approximately 69,000-square-foot building will be constructed on 15 acres along Airways Boulevard, east of BNA on the site of its old terminal.

Construction likely will begin after all the parties sign agreements in August, Lowrance said, with a completion date estimated for spring of 2006.

[...]

sleepy

07-22-2005, 12:27 AM

BTW, as you might have guessed from my postings here in just the last few days, these economic development news items are almost ubiquitous, you can literally find a half dozen of these a day, just in the South.

Do we want to make some sort of threshold about how "important" one might be to make it worthwhile to post? Like maybe, the # of jobs created, or something? Or should it just be ad-hoc?

Well, I dunno.

Almost anything can be seen as economic development. What about a new hotel opening up in some southern downtown? Or a new convention center?

I guess those things could all be seen as belonging in the economic development thread, rather than having their own. But I really think they're a little bit different.

Sorta like the International Paper headquarters move to Memphis. For Memphis, it's actually economic "undevelopment" in the sense that Memphis will lose jobs.

At the same time, it seemed a F-500 corporate relocation seemed newsworthy in its own right.

On the other hand, I can see "Hino Corp. hires 300 employees" in Marion AR as something suitable for this thread.

hmorgan

07-22-2005, 12:44 AM

A proposed $530 million fiber plant in Linden, AL is trying to get environmental clearance, as it would require area landowners to plant 30,000 acres in Arundo donax (a plant which, I might add, is utilized ornamentally in Tuscaloosa's riverwalk downtown):
http://www.alabamaforestowners.com/CILive/CI050615_c.htm

What the... That's an invasive species. :???:

James Bond Agent 007

07-22-2005, 01:09 AM

^
At least it isn't kudzu! :D

DruidCity

07-22-2005, 03:45 AM

Arundo is actually pretty common in gardens.
There's a good-sized patch of it at the botanical garden in Huntsville, not too far from the entrance.

A variegated-leaf form is especially common in country gardens.

Arundo is farmed in France for uses such as clarinet reeds.

Anyway, I'll be a bit surprised if they get environmental clearance to plant 30,000 acres of it in AL.

Another bit of industrial news ...

When Rock-Tenn of Georgia bought out most of Gulf States Paper's operations (sale closed last month), the job effects were unclear. Gulf States Paper was the largest corporation based in Tuscaloosa, with about 2,500 employees in 8 states, but only about 150 locally. There have been no reports of sizable job cuts at the major plants such as the largest plant in Demopolis, and the net loss of jobs in Tuscaloosa is about 40. The county industrial development board actually owns the unique Japanese garden headquarters location, and just leases it out. During the transition, Rock-Tenn is subleasing space at that Gulf States HQ site. One bit of local "fallout" from Gulf States' divestiture is that the NorthRiver Yacht Club is now member-owned. It was announced this week that the formerly members-only, upscale 50-room NorthRiver Lodge, which is connected to the Warner art museum , is now open to the general public as a hotel :
http://www.warnermuseum.org/lodge.htm

Gulf States did retain its approximately 400,000 acres of timberland, its stake in a few residential developments, and a small timber operation in Moundville.

Rural King

07-22-2005, 04:02 AM

BTW, as you might have guessed from my postings here in just the last few days, these economic development news items are almost ubiquitous, you can literally find a half dozen of these a day, just in the South.

Do we want to make some sort of threshold about how "important" one might be to make it worthwhile to post? Like maybe, the # of jobs created, or something? Or should it just be ad-hoc?

I think the best policy is to let the forumer decide where they would like to place it. I think most folks in this forum know whether a topic honestly has enough worth to have its own thread or would be better served here.

If too much is being posted in here, the solution would be to limit the number of posts in the thread per forumer per day or week, rather than limit content IMO. That allows everyone to post what they feel is important and interesting in regards to this threads topic.

As far as what should go in here. I was thinking more along the lines of manufacturing, shipping, research and development, industrial parks, industrial websites, etc.

Hotels, convention centers, and such can all go in here still if a forumer would like, but I think they usually deserve thier own thread in the main forum since they directly effect the look and operation of a urban enviroment, which is what SSP is primarily about.

Rural King

07-28-2005, 02:14 AM

Lawsuit's goal is to block auto plant
By NED B. HUNTER
nhunter@jacksonsun.com
Jul 27 2005

Group doesn't want region to be megasite

A Fayette County man has filed suit against the mayors of Haywood and Fayette counties and several others to stop a 3,700-acre area from becoming a potential site for an automobile manufacturing plant.

Gary Bullwinkel and five others filed the lawsuit in the Chancery Court of Fayette County. They're attempting to stop a section of Fayette County from being recognized by the Tennessee Valley Authority as part of a megasite that would extend from Haywood County into Fayette County. A megasite is a large, predetermined area usually designated for automotive manufacturing.

No automobile manufacturer has expressed interest in the site, Haywood County Mayor Franklin Smith said. But the rush to designate some Tennessee areas as megasites began in February, after Toyota Motor Corp. announced it would likely select a U.S. site to build its seventh assembly plant by the end of this year. As of May 19, the TVA had designated four megasites in the Southeast, with Chattanooga having one. Paul Latture, president of the Jackson Area Chamber of Commerce, said Madison County is not being considered.

''We do not have a big enough area, at least 2,000 acres,'' he said.

The lawsuit alleges that Smith and Fayette County Mayor Rhea Taylor are attempting to have the West Tennessee location named as a megasite with ''the lack of approval by the (Fayette County) legislative body ... or its citizenry and landowners.''

''The commission has never considered the matter,'' said Bullwinkel, who fears a plant would create urban sprawl.

''My wife lived in Winchester , and she had friends that were in the Springfield area (the location of General Motors' Saturn plant), and she saw that the Saturn plant engendered urban sprawl across counties, not cities,'' he said.

Smith said he only asked some Haywood and Fayette county landowners to sign a letter saying they would or would not be willing to sell their land to form the megasite.

''All it is is a process that TVA has started to have some sites in the TVA service area listed as suitable for automobile manufacturers,'' he said.

In a deposition, Alex Fisher, commissioner of the Tennessee Department of Economic Community Development, said it was a prime spot for megasite consideration.

''Fayette County, with its road access, makes it a very strategic location,'' he said according to court documents. ''Fayette County has a four-lane highway, Highway 64, that runs through the center of the county.''

A spokesman for TVA could not be reached Tuesday, nor could two farmers who Smith said favor the proposed designation.

The lawsuit also alleges that ''the proposed megasite conflicts with'' the Fayette County Growth Plan.

Kevin Byrd, who owns 100 acres in the proposed megasite, said providing infrastructure could bankrupt Fayette County.

''It will put a bigger tax burden on everyone here,'' he said.

Smith said the revenue stream from added jobs would be a larger benefit.

''I know what between 2,000 to 5,000 jobs would do to this county,'' he said. ''We would show some growth instead of stagnation.''

But Bullwinkel said that revenue stream would be limited because workers in Shelby and Madison counties would fill most of those jobs.

Visit talkback.jacksonsun. com and share your thoughts.

- Ned Hunter, (731) 425-9641

http://miva.jacksonsun.com/miva/cgi-bin/miva?NEWS/news_storyV2005.mv+link=200507277412626
The Jackson Sun
-------------------------------

NIMBYs!!!!

James Bond Agent 007

07-29-2005, 11:08 AM

I'm bored so I'll add a bunch more.

If anyone needs a job, you know where to look. ;)

http://www.dailyprogress.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=CDP%2FMGArticle%2FCDP_BasicArticle&c=MGArticle&cid=1031784124732&path=!news

New manufacturing facility to create 115 jobs
From staff reports / Charlottesville Daily Progress
July 28, 2005

Princeton BioMeditech Corp. will invest $7 million to build a manufacturing facility in Albemarle County that will create 115 new jobs.

“We are excited to select Virginia for our newest [research and development] and manufacturing facility,” said Dr. Jemo Kang, president of PBM. The University of Virginia and the Charlottesville area “offer strong resources, including many of the brightest minds available, that will help to make our newest site successful.”

The company has partnered with ContraVac Inc., a privately held biotechnology company. The new facility will provide ContraVac with manufacturing capability to test male fertility products.

The Albemarle County facility will also provide research and development opportunities and manufacturing and distribution for PBM’s current and future products.

Virginia competed against New Jersey and Pennsylvania for the project.

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http://www.bizjournals.com/industries/economic_view/economic_snapshot/2005/07/25/triangle_daily31.html

Triangle Business Journal
Thursday, July 28, 2005
Governor gives incentives for $19M Mount Airy factory

CK Technologies LLC, a manufacturer of plastic components for buses and large trucks, has won $150,000 in One North Carolina Fund incentives to build a new factory in Mount Airy, according to Gov. Mike Easley's office.

The company plans to invest $19 million in the 165,000-square-foot facility, which is designed to create 50 new jobs.

The new facility will be built in the Piedmont Triad West Industrial Park and will be Montpelier, Ohio-based CK Technologies' second production facility. The 50 new jobs will be primarily skilled manufacturing positions, and they will pay an overall average weekly wage of $540 plus benefits.

The One North Carolina Fund is used by the governors to give incentives for companies to create jobs in the state.

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http://www.newportindependent.com/articles/2005/07/27/news/05.txt

Rail spur, access roads to benefit existing industries
By Brian Thompson / Independent Asst. Editor

While the allure of bringing new business and industry to a town may be more exciting, working to improve industries already in a city is just as important. Last week, the City of Newport and Jackson County had much to celebrate with the Thursday announcement of a $1 million grant from the federal Economic Development Administration (EDA).

Funds from the grant will be used in the construction and development of a new railroad spur and industrial access road for the businesses located in the Jackson County Industrial Complex. More specifically, the grant will help Arkansas Steel Associates, LLC, create 135 new jobs through expansion.

[...]

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http://www.bizjournals.com/industries/manufacturing/general/2005/07/25/nashville_daily24.html

Nashville Business Journal
Wednesday, July 27, 2005
Schneider National to hire 100 truck drivers in Nashville

Transportation and logistics company Schneider National Inc. is expanding its presence in Nashville and plans to add 100 truck drivers to the operation over the next month.

Green Bay, Wis.-based Schneider will hire drivers for its intermodal, one-way van, or dedicated divisions. Intermodal - which handles freight traveling by freight and over the road - drivers will handle routes throughout the Southeast. One-way van drivers will work throughout the contiguous 48 states, and dedicated drivers work regionally for specific customers, primarily makers of consumer goods.

Schneider's Nashville operation now has 144 drivers that live within the greater Nashville area.

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http://www.kentucky.com/mld/kentucky/news/state/12228369.htm

Tue, Jul. 26, 2005
New Pulaski plant expected to create up to 300 jobs in 3 years
Associated Press

FRANKFORT, Ky. - A manufacturer of acoustical carpet systems for automobiles is planning to locate a plant in Pulaski County, creating up to 300 new jobs in the next three years, according to the company.

Chicago-based UGN Inc. was expecting to have its 314,000-square-foot facility in Somerset ready for operation by 2006. The company has agreed to purchase an existing facility from Pulaski County, according to a statement from UGN.

Initially, there will be 159 new jobs created with the opening of the plant, said Mandy Lambert, a spokeswoman for the state's Cabinet for Economic Development. That is expected to jump to about 300 new jobs by its third year, Lambert said.

The average hourly employee wage will be about $12.19 per hour, plus benefits, Lambert said.

UGN qualified for up to $5.6 million in tax credits from the state, Lambert said.

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http://www.wsfa.com/Global/story.asp?S=3636528&nav=0RdEcX5i

Governor says aerospace facility to add 250 new jobs

TALLASSEE, Ala. (AP) British-owned GKN Aerospace is adding 250 new jobs and expanding its production facility in Elmore County.

Governor Bob Riley today joined company executives in making the announcement at the company's plant in Tallassee.

GKN plans to invest $20 million to build a 120,000 square-foot addition to its existing 260,000 square foot facility.

The company, which manufactures lightweight wing panels for aircraft, currently employs 535 employees.

GKN's list of clients include the new Airbus A380, a 555-seat airplane, Sirkorsky's Blackhawk Helicopter and Lockheed Martin's F/A Raptor jet fighter.

Riley said groundbreaking on the expansion will take place in the fall and could be completed in the spring of 2007.

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http://orlando.bizjournals.com/orlando/stories/2005/07/25/story3.html

July 22, 2005
CuraScript buyout boosts jobs by 500
Chris Kauffmann
Staff Writers

ORLANDO -- For CuraScript Pharmacy Inc., being bought out 18 months ago has had an effect something akin to a slugger being injected with steroids.

The local labor force has definitely bulked up.

Already one of the nation's largest specialty pharmaceutical services companies at the time, the Orlando-based firm has since added nearly 500 jobs, bringing the number of employees in the LeeVista Boulevard area up to almost 800.

That was only made possible because of a corresponding explosive increase in revenue that has the company "on a path" to exceed $1 billion this year after recording $600 million in revenue in 2004 and $325 million in 2003, says Dom Meffe, the company's chief executive officer.

"Things are going extremely well," the 40-year-old executive says. "We have basically doubled our employment in the last 15 months, and we're still hiring at a pace of 30-50 people a month."

Most of the hires are nurses, pharmacists, patient care coordinators, pharmacy technicians and information technology people. The average salary for positions is around $45,000, though some jobs pay less.

[...]

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I WANNA WORK IN A YACHT FACTORY!!!!!!!!

That would be cool. :cool:

http://www.rednova.com/news/technology/183791/new_yacht_plant_locating_in_effingham/

Saturday, 23 July 2005
New Yacht Plant Locating in Effingham

Jul. 21--RINCON -- Savannah Yacht Co. is bringing 50 new jobs -- with salaries ranging from $35,000 to $85,000 -- as part of a new $10 million manufacturing plant at Effingham County Industrial Park.

Three former executives from the Knoxville, Tenn.-based, billion-dollar Sea Ray boat-building company said they hope to begin production by the beginning of 2006 after installing equipment and modifying a 50,000-square-foot spec building. Building 40- to 60-foot inboard diesel yachts with an average cost of $500,000, company officials are projecting $40 million a year in gross sales.

Expansion plans, which could materialize during the next five years, may double the size of the plan and increase the number of employees to 200, company and county officials said Thursday at the site on Ga. 21, three miles north of Rincon.

Company chairman Bill Barrington said Effingham's proximity to Georgia Ports Authority and numerous marinas in Savannah were factors in the decision to locate here. Brad Loftin, executive officer for Effingham Industrial Development Authority, said the county will benefit from jobs and tax revenue. "This company could very easily have been Charleston (S.C.) Yacht Company or Tallahassee (Fla.) Yacht Company," said Loftin. "This will be a memorable day for Effingham that will benefit our county for many years to come."

[...]

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

http://www.bizjournals.com/industries/manufacturing/general/2005/07/18/nashville_daily42.html

Nashville Business Journal
Friday, July 22, 2005
Trane spending $20.5M on Clarksville growth

Manufacturer Trane American Standard is planning to invest $20.5 million in an expansion of its plant in Clarksville.

Officials broke ground this week on a 20,000-square-foot addition that will be part of a large commercial rooftop air conditioning product platform, IntelliPak II. Production on the commercial rooftop units is expected to begin in mid-2006. The company plans to add between 40 to 50 workers.

Trane, which is owned by New Jersey-based American Standard Cos. Inc. (NYSE: ASD) began operations in Clarksville in 1958 and employs more than 1,500 people. The company generates more than $400 million in sales annually.

James Bond Agent 007

07-30-2005, 07:02 AM

How's this for a twist? A Chinese company thinking of opening up a new factory in the US! ;)

http://www.nola.com/business/t-p/index.ssf?/base/money-2/1122617570185730.xml

Chinese firm eyes La. plant
Blanco is pushing St. Martinville site
Friday, July 29, 2005
By Ed Anderson
Capital bureau

BATON ROUGE -- The 1 million-square-foot Fruit of the Loom plant in St. Martinville, vacant since it closed its doors in 2001, may be the new home for a Chinese auto parts manufacturing plant, Gov. Kathleen Blanco and St. Martin Parish officials said Thursday.

Blanco told reporters following a ceremonial bill-signing that one of her stops on a 10-day trip to East Asia will be to meet with officials of the company, identified by St. Martinville Mayor Eric Martin as the Sichuan Hejia Group of Chengdu, China. Blanco said the meeting probably will take place in Beijing.

"I think it will happen," said Rep. Sydney Mae Durand, D-Parks. Durand said she and others have been at work on the project for about three years.

"We are very close," she said. "The icing on the cake will be the governor coming in there. They (the Chinese) are very protocol-conscious."

"It seems like they are very, very close to finalizing things," Blanco said. She said that "in the Asian world, personal relationships are a key to any successes whatsoever . . .

"We have to get in there and make ourselves known and make people confident about coming to Louisiana and investing."

Blanco is planning a 10-day trip to Japan, China, Korea and Taiwan from Sept. 18 to Sept. 28, a trip the state bills as a "courtesy call" on manufacturing firms that do business in the United States.

The old Fruit of the Loom plant in St. Martinville used to produce underwear and T-shirts until the company closed several of its facilities in the state. At its peak, the St. Martinville plant employed 3,500 workers. When it was shut down in 2001, it had about 2,200 workers earning a collective $52 million a year, Martin said. Fruit of the Loom also operated smaller plants in Pierre Part, Crowley, Jeanerette and Rayne, but Sichuan Hejia is not considering those sites.

"We need jobs and plenty of them," Martin said. He said if all goes well, the plant could be open in about year, although no timetable has been established.

The plant is expected to hire 300 to 500 workers at first and possibly grow, Martin said.

According to Durand, the company is also looking to acquire 500 acres near the site to be used as a business park, complete with a hotel and restaurants.

Martin said the company may locate as many as seven auto parts manufacturing entities on the site. "The governor's visit (to east Asia) will give our project a good push," Martin said.

Martin and Durand said the company is negotiating with a property management company in Tennessee to buy the old factory in St. Martinville. They said the asking price is between $2 million and $3 million.

boypussi

08-01-2005, 05:59 PM

AP Business Writer

Gov. Mike Easley signed legislation Friday clearing the way for California-based Dole Foods Co. to locate a processing plant in Gaston County that could eventually create up to 3,000 jobs.

In recent days, Sen. David Hoyle, D-Gaston, and House Speaker Jim Black both have said Dole Foods owner David Murdock was waiting to make an official announcement about his plans until the governor signed legislation to extend the state's economic incentives program.

Terry Thomas, a spokeswoman for Dole Foods, based in Westlake Village, Calif., said Friday the company would have no comment "until next Tuesday."

Hoyle said he was looking forward to the official announcement.

"The ball is in their court now," he said on Friday. "It's their call. I can only say that we are very, very optimistic and hopeful."

The bill, which provides tax credits for job creation in North Carolina, includes provisions that would mean millions of dollars in incentives for Dole Foods if it locates in the state.

Dole has been considering building up to two processing plants in Gaston County that could eventually employ 1,500 to 3,000 people. That would be welcome news in a county that has lost 15,000 manufacturing jobs - primarily in textiles - since 1995.

"This will be a real shot in the arm for Gaston County," Hoyle said. "It's not just the 15,000 manufacturing jobs that have been lost. A lot of jobs at businesses like machine shops and other businesses have gone away with these cutbacks."

Under the legislation, Dole Foods could receive a tax credit of $7,000 per employee plus an additional $1,000 for every worker it trains. Dole would also get a tax credit equal to 7 percent of its investment in equipment and machinery.

Requirements for the tax break include employing 300 people within three years of breaking ground. The bill doesn't set wage levels.

Dole Foods sold $5.3 billion worth of food last year. The company, the world's largest producer and marketer of fruits, vegetables and fresh-cut flowers, employs 64,000 permanent or seasonal workers.

fla_tiger

08-02-2005, 11:08 PM

New Orleans Movie Production Studio , Sound Stages, Theme Park Projects Announced

Hollywood eyes New Orleans

Sound stage deal reached; studio in works

By NED RANDOLPH
nrandolph@theadvocate.com
Advocate business writer

The producers of the "Mortal Kombat" video games and movies would like to build a $150 million studio and amusement park on the banks of the Mississippi River, which would be the first of its kind anywhere, the company's chief executive said Monday.
In a separate event, Gov. Kathleen Blanco is expected today to announce a new sound stage in New Orleans that will quadruple production space there. A group backed by Hollywood-based Sunset Gower Studios plans to build a $20 million film production complex in Algiers on the West Bank of the Mississippi River, the online publication Neworleansbiz.com reported Monday.

Meanwhile, Threshold Entertainment, which is planning to film "Mortal Kombat III" in Louisiana, is interested in building out 100,000-150,000 square feet of production space that would double as a tourist attraction.

"I believe there's an extraordinary opportunity to build a state-of-the-art production studio-slash-Hollywood theme park and training facility right in the middle of town," CEO Larry Kasanoff said.

"There would be actual movies being made there, and an observation platform to watch.

"It would also be a training center because you guys have an awesome tax credit but are so lacking in experienced crew base."

The project's future would depend on how much cooperation and support Kasanoff receives from the various governing bodies on the river, which include the Port of New Orleans, city of New Orleans, and even the state, said Lt. Gov. Mitch Landrieu, who met with Kasanoff this past weekend.

" 'Mortal Kombat' has made $5 billion. He wants to bring a $150 million studio theme park," Landrieu said.

"In politics, I'm always skeptical about people bearing gifts, but Kasanoff is real.

"He is the head of an entertainment company that is very fluid and very wealthy."

Threshold, which claims to have licenses to $100 billion in intellectual property, also builds digital theme parks around the country.

Kasanoff is eyeing several sites, including the cleared land next to the Morial Convention Center, once slated for its Phase IV expansion. He said the company would need some kind of support from the city or state.

"Broadly speaking, we need the state or city to help be a partner," he said.

"We're talking millions and millions of dollars of investment in addition to the billions of tourist dollars -- this is a big project, the first of its kind in the world."

Since Louisiana's tax credit program began in 2002, movie companies have spent $900 million, producing at least 31 major movie and television projects in the state.

The work has come so fast that the state has struggled to supply enough experienced crew members and production space. Studios in many cases have had to fly in trained crewmen.

"Training, training, training is the message I came back with," Landrieu said about his trip to California. "We need to show them we can actually do the work."

Landrieu went to Hollywood to reassure industry executives and pitch the state's movie business.

Lawmakers revised the program this session to limit eligible expenses for the tax credits to those made directly in the state. They also expanded the cap on credits.

Depending on the movie's budget, studios now can recoup up to 25 percent of their costs.

That also includes expenses on hiring Louisiana musicians.

And companies can qualify for incentives for building media-related infrastructure projects.

"When you walk into a Threshold studio, you see people sitting in front of computers making sound effects," Landrieu said.

"The whole point is attracting pre- and post-production. With technology, you can do that here, you can do it in Austin or you can do it in Timbuktu."

Meanwhile, the studio reported by Neworleansbiz.com will house five sound stages with 125,000 square feet of space, state-of-the-art digital post-production facilities, a back lot and 200,000 square feet of office space. The deal would be the first major studio in New Orleans backed by out-of-state investors since the state passed its film industry tax-incentive program.

The University of New Orleans' Robert E. Nims Center for Entertainment Arts, which houses two sound stages that total 30,000 square feet, is booked through the year.

HSVTiger

08-03-2005, 08:14 PM

MONTGOMERY, Ala. Governor Riley says the state is courting a group that plans to create a nuclear power plant.

Officials with NuStart Energy consortium are scheduled to meet tomorrow in Scottsboro with Alabama Development Office Director Neal Wade and local officials. The group will tour the unfinished Bellefonte Nuclear Plant.

NuStart wants to build the nation's first new nuclear power plant in almost 30 years. Officials will consider topography, seismic potential, water sources and tax incentives for a one (b) billion dollar project that would create up to 400 jobs.

The group is considering sites in six states: Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, South Carolina, Maryland and New York.

NuStart, a consortium of eleven power companies, wants to pick sites in September.

The site is TVA's dormant Bellefonte Nuclear plant on the Tennessee River, near Hollywood AL.

http://www.tva.gov/retireeportal/retiree_news/insidetva/may04/images/index1.jpg
http://cryptome.org/npp2/pict346.jpg

Matthew

08-05-2005, 12:01 PM

Asheville-Hendersonville Area

By Mark Barrett
STAFF WRITER
published: August 5, 2005 6:00 am
AVERY’S CREEK — BorgWarner announced Thursday that it will add up to 111 jobs at its Brevard Road manufacturing plant over the next three years.

The jobs making heavy truck turbochargers will pay an average wage of $725 per week plus benefits, well above the average wage in Buncombe County of $544 a week. They will further cement BorgWarner’s position as one of the area’s largest employers.

They will also appeal to at least some of the hundreds of manufacturing workers who have lost their jobs because of layoffs or plant closings that have hit the area over the past few years.

“It’s great news,” said Richard Hurley, human resources director at the Schneider Electric Square D manufacturing plant in West Asheville, which is shedding workers in anticipation of shutting down later this year. “The first thing I thought of was our people. Here’s some opportunities for some good matchups.”

BorgWarner, a supplier of auto and truck parts and systems based in Auburn Hills, Mich., will invest $40 million in additional production equipment and warehouse space at its BorgWarner Turbo Systems

plant here, officials said.

The new employees will help meet growing demand for truck turbochargers created in part by more stringent environmental regulations, said plant manager Patrick Fiorentino.

Turbochargers use the force of engine exhaust to add to the compression of air in engine cylinders.

“It allows you to tune the engine so that it actually needs less fuel for the same amount of energy,” Fiorentino said. The less fuel needed, the lower emissions are.

The new workers will make a new, two-stage turbocharger for commercial vehicles.

BorgWarner purchased the Brevard Road facility from Kuhlman Corp. in 1999 and its local operations have grown significantly since.

The company employs about 640 people on Brevard Road and another 60 in a turbocharger remanufacturing facility on Cane Creek Road in Fletcher. A separate BorgWarner unit employs 505 people making auto and truck fans and fan drives in Cane Creek Industrial Park in Fletcher.

BorgWarner will receive $250,000 in incentives from state government and as much as $1.6 million from Buncombe County. The $1.6 million figure is based on earlier information that

BorgWarner would add 150 jobs, Assistant County Manager Jon Creighton said, but could be adjusted to fit actual employment levels.

Brad Norton, vice president and general manager of BorgWarner Turbo System’s Americas operations, said the company conducted an extensive search for possible locations for the expansion.

The local plant was chosen because of the quality of its work force, the incentives package and the benefits of having the new turbocharger produced in the same place where it was designed, he said. BorgWarner has a technical center for research and product development at the Brevard Road plant.

“Our workforce is really a can-do team,” Norton said.

Rick Lutovsky, president and CEO of the Asheville Area Chamber, said officials at the chamber and the Economic Development Coalition for Asheville and Buncombe County have been working with BorgWarner for a year and a half on the expansion.

Other communities offered more generous incentives packages, but locating elsewhere might have been more expensive for the company because so much infrastructure would have to be added, Lutovsky said. The Brevard Road plant is BorgWarner’s only turbocharger factory in North America, Norton said.

Thirty or so officials attended an announcement of the expansion at the Asheville Chamber building in Asheville.

Contact Barrett at 232-5833 or

mbarrett@CITIZEN-TIMES.com.

James Bond Agent 007

08-09-2005, 02:01 AM

This one sounds pretty cool. :cool:

http://www.wavy.com/Global/story.asp?S=3697296

August 8, 2005
Gov. Warner announces expansion of Aurora Flight Sciences

RICHMOND, Va. A company hoping to pursue flights through the atmosphere of Mars is expanding its facility in northern Virginia, Governor Mark Warner announced today.

Aurora Flight Sciences plans to invest 5 (M) million dollars to expand its facility at the Manassas Regional Airport and create 100 new jobs.

The new engineering and development facility will help to create an unmanned aerial vehicle that is designed to fly in the Martian atmosphere.

If they're successful, the program would be the first aircraft to fly in the atmosphere of another planet.

fla_tiger

08-09-2005, 11:30 PM

Trinity to open shipbuilding plant, hire hundreds in Baton Rouge area

Trinity Industries Inc. plans to reopen an idled barge building facility across the river from Baton Rouge and hire hundreds of area workers to man it. The move comes after Trinity settled litigation with and agreed to build 100 barges for Marquette Transportation Co. A Trinity spokeswoman was looking for more information about how many would be hired at the plant, but a source said it could be more than 700 workers in the higher-wage manufacturing sector. Trinity confirmed it would reopen the plant in west suburban Port Allen

fla_tiger

08-09-2005, 11:34 PM

Cleco to build $1 billion Louisiana Power Plant

Cleco Corp. has begun preparations to build a $1 billion power plant in Central Louisiana that will create up to 1,200 construction jobs and 80 permanent jobs. The announcement of the project was made jointly by Cleco this morning with Gov. Kathleen Blanco. The Pineville-based utility wants to build the plant in Boyce. The unit will use multiple solid fuels, a means to choose the cheapest fuel at market to stabilize costs. Building the new unit will reduce the company's use of natural gas, which has risen sharply in price in recent years and is predicted to remain high. The 600-megawatt power plant will be fueled primarily by petroleum coke, a byproduct of Louisiana's oil refining industry. Cleco has filed plans with the Louisiana Public Service Commission to begin the regulatory process

James Bond Agent 007

08-11-2005, 08:44 AM

Yay more stores.

Kohl's to bring 900 jobs to area
By Adrian G. Uribarri | Sentinel Staff Writer
Posted August 11, 2005

Kohl's Department Stores said Wednesday it will hire 900 people in Central Florida when it opens its first six stores here this fall.

The new jobs are part of the Midwestern chain's expansion into Florida. Sales clerks, customer-service representatives and other personnel will be sought to fill a total of 1,500 jobs at 10 stores statewide.

Kohl's has been airing commercials in the state for years already, foreshadowing its entry into the market. The closest stores right now, though, are in Georgia.

Central Florida stores are set to open in Altamonte Springs, Clermont, Hunter's Creek, Orange City, Waterford Lakes and Viera in Brevard County. Another store in Lakeland and three in Jacksonville will also open this fall.

"When we go into a new market, we look for areas with a high concentration of families with children," Kohl's spokeswoman Lori Sansoucie said. She added that the company's target market was "moms who shop for kids and themselves."

In addition to carrying national brands such as Nike and Levi's, Kohl's is the only retailer to sell Daisy Fuentes' apparel collection and certain Estée Lauder cosmetics.

Those exclusive relationships, and its success with brands such as Chaps, have poised the company for expansion, said Mark Miller, a retail analyst with William Blair & Co. LLC in Chicago.

"Kohl's has made some important strides to improve its merchandising," he said. "They've been winning back a lot of their occasional customers."

Miller said the company adjusted well to new markets in the Northeast and California.

"I don't think of anything that would be a unique challenge in Florida," he said.

Although Kohl's falls in the category of J.C. Penney or Sears, its stores are often outside of malls -- usually in stand-alone or strip-mall locations. The stores feature shopping carts that also serve as strollers, and checkout locations that are centralized in the shopping area.

The company went public in 1992, 30 years after the Kohl family founded the chain in Milwaukee. It then launched an expansion throughout the Midwest, West and Northeast.

"Because we're in states adjoining to Florida, it makes sense that an entry into Florida comes next," Sansoucie said. Kohl's currently operates 674 stores in 40 states.

The company has activated a 24-hour hotline for job seekers hoping to fill one of the 1,500 Florida openings. Sansoucie said only hotline-originated job interviews are guaranteed. Interested candidates may call 1-877-639-5645.

James Bond Agent 007

08-11-2005, 11:04 AM

http://wvgazette.com/section/Business/2005081023

August 11, 2005
Aircraft maker seeks help adding jobs in Martinsburg
By Joe Morris
Business Editor

The aircraft maker Sino Swearingen Corp. has added dozens of jobs at its Martinsburg facility this year and plans on hiring even more people in short order — if it gets financial help from the state.

Workers at the Sino Swearingen plant build fuselages and main wings for a new light business jet, the SJ30-2. Though it’s a few months away from gaining certification from the Federal Aviation Administration, 188 of the seven-seat planes have already been sold, mostly in the United States, and nearly 600 should be manufactured and delivered to buyers over the next eight years, said company president and chief executive Carl Chen in a Charleston address on Wednesday.

“It’s the world’s best” light business jet, boasting faster speeds, a longer range and more comfortable cabin pressure than any yet built, said Chen, speaking at a board meeting of the West Virginia Jobs Investment Trust.
- advertisement -

The trust, the state’s venture capital agency, owns about 2 percent of Sino Swearingen through its investment portfolio, with most of the other investors being Taiwanese.

Sino Swearingen aims to nail down FAA certification by November and start delivering jets this year, with a public offering of the company following in 2007, Chen said. By 2008, Sino Swearingen should become profitable, he also said.

To handle all the production, Chen said, he expects to hire about 30 people every month companywide over the next four years. The San Antonio-based company now employs 540, up about 12 percent from three years ago.

The Martinsburg plant, located at the John D. Rockefeller IV Science and Technology Center, has 140 workers, having added 40 over the past six months, and will grow to about 300 within the next few years, Chen said.

Still, keeping workers in Martinsburg has been a problem, and the company is looking for government help to solve it, Chen said. The retention rate at the plant, which pays employees between $12 to $18 an hour, is just 40 percent, in part because of rising real estate prices in the area, he said.

In upcoming talks with Gov. Joe Manchin, Chen said, he will ask the state to cover half of the first six months’ salaries of new hires as well as pay about $15,000 in moving costs and other incentives for each hire.

Manchin spokeswoman Lara Ramsburg said the governor wants to build on the ties the state has forged with Sino Swearingen.

“We have a good relationship,” said Ramsburg, citing a series of funding packages granted to the company. In the last fiscal year, for instance, Sino Swearingen got $56,000 from the state in job training funding, she said.

“We definitely want to continue the discussion,” Ramsburg said.

James Bond Agent 007

08-11-2005, 09:23 PM

Whoa! Another potential biggie . . .

http://memphis.bizjournals.com/memphis/stories/2005/08/08/daily30.html

Memphis Business Journal - 2:21 PM CDT Thursday
Kia eyeing Tupelo site for auto plant

Another major auto manufacturer may be moving to the region.

According to media reports, Kia Motors America is considering building a manufacturing plant in Mississippi. The state has two TVA-certified megasites available and suitable for such a plant -- the 1,200-acre PUL Alliance-Wellspring Project in Tupelo, Miss., which is about 100 miles southeast of Memphis, and the 1,400-acre Lowndes County-Golden Triangle Megasite, near Columbus, Miss.

Kia officials are also considering a 1,600-acre site in Hardin County, Ky., but say Mississippi is at the top of their list.

Kia Motors America is based in Irvine, Calif. Its parent company is Kia Motors Corp. of Seoul, South Korea, which produces 1.15 million vehicles a year. Kia sells its vehicles in more than 160 countries.

Kia officials also said they would be using information gathered by their parent company, Hyundai, during its search for a plant site in the Southeast. Hyundai opened its plant in Montgomery, Ala., in May 2005.

Kia officials provided no timeframe for how quickly they hope to select a site or get a plant up and running.

James Bond Agent 007

08-11-2005, 09:31 PM

^
Just for reference, here's the economic impact a plant like that can have:

Austin Business Journal - 2:33 PM CDT Thursday
Study: Toyota plant to create 9,000 jobs

Toyota Motor North America Inc.'s pickup truck manufacturing plant in San Antonio will generate about 9,000 jobs and $460 million in annual wages in Texas once it's fully operational, according to a study released Thursday.

During construction of the Tundra pickup truck plant -- from 2004 through 2008 -- the job number is expected to rise to 10,600 as a result of the construction labor needed to complete the $850 million plant, according to the study. The Ann Arbor, Mich.-based Center for Automotive Research compiled the study.

The jobs cited for San Antonio represent direct and indirect employment.

In 2003, Toyota announced it had chosen a 2,000-acre site in San Antonio to build about 150,000 Tundra trucks annually. Upon completion, the plant will employ about 2,000 people. In addition, Toyota expects several automotive suppliers to set up operations at the plant, creating another 1,000 jobs.

Production at the plant is set to start in 2006.

The center's study shows Toyota's investment of $13.4 billion in its U.S. operations contributed 386,300 jobs and $14.4 billion in wages to the U.S. economy in 2003.

According to the study, Toyota's U.S. manufacturer-related operations directly employed 29,135 people in 2003. Another 74,060 workers were employed in dealer operations, including sales, service and marketing.

Add in the number of supplier jobs and the number of spinoff jobs, and Toyota-related job totale climbs to 386,300 for 2003.

Toyota Motor North America is a wholly owned subsidiary of Japan's Toyota Motor Corp. (NYSE: TM).

Rural King

08-12-2005, 05:06 AM

^ Brownsville, TN's industrial site needs TVA to certify it as a mega-site!! We need to get in on this stuff while the getting is good.

There is sadly some group of farmers trying to stop the site from being certified as a "mega-site", citing - "Industrial Sprawl". I kid you not. They say Fayette County did not approve the move to certify the site. The site sits in two counties Haywood (Brownsville)- where the vast bulk of the site is- and Fayette (Selmer) where the I-40 frontage and ramps would be. Hopefully that will get solved quickly and the site can get certified.

Edit: Typos

James Bond Agent 007

08-12-2005, 05:15 AM

^
Well I'm sure the folks in Tupelo or Columbus, Mississippi won't mind Fayette County's lack of foresight. ;)

Rural King

08-12-2005, 04:27 PM

^ Haywood I think had approved it, but Fayette Co. Commission apparently had not. I think its only procedural at most. Fayette will just meet pass the resolution okaying the certification and that will be that - hopefully.

I'm sure Columbus and Tupelo won't mind at all that we have some near-sighted locals who don't want the region to change.

I tell you what Bond you should check out and dig around about is Columbus, MS. Lots of good things going on there. For example it just got a recycle steel mill.

James Bond Agent 007

08-13-2005, 04:36 AM

^
When I looked at Columbus, MS on a map I was a bit surprised they were considering it for an auto assembly plant: There are no limited-access freeways going through it that go all the way to another big city. I suppose the non-limited-access freeways are big-enough that they don't care. But at any rate, just from looking at a map I would say Tupelo might have the upper hand. We shall see.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Here's another one, out today, related to the Hyundai plant:

http://www.wsfa.com/Global/story.asp?S=3717279&nav=0RdEdI7r

Selma Announce New Auto Supplier
Aug 12, 2005, 06:07 PM

An automotive supplier is setting up shop in Selma's Craig Industrial Park -- creating up to 240 new jobs.

Governor Bob Riley and Mayor James Perkins announced today that Hanil E-Hwa Interior Systems, a tier-one supplier, will become the sixth automotive supplier to locate in the Black Belt during the past two years. Hanil E-Hwa will make a capital investment of 38 million dollars to purchase a 100-thousand square foot building formerly used by American Candy Company and will add an 80-thousand square foot expansion to the facility. The company manufactures interior parts such as door trims, seats and head linings.

The Selma plant is the South Korea-based company's first in the United States. The governor noted that Alabama recorded the biggest one-year decline in unemployment of all 50 states during the past 12 months. The Riley administration says during the past year the state has recorded a net gain of more than 29-thousand new jobs.

James Bond Agent 007

08-13-2005, 08:50 AM

http://memphis.bizjournals.com/memphis/stories/2005/08/08/daily27.html?jst=b_ln_hl

Memphis Business Journal
Thursday, August 11, 2005
Marion's Hino plant will be bigger than planned

Toyota Motor Manufacturing North America recently announced plans to invest an additional $50 million to increase production at its plant currently under construction in San Antonio, Texas.

It's an expansion that will have an impact on another plant in the works some 630 miles away in Marion, Ark.

In May, Hino Motors Ltd. announced plans to build a $160 million Toyota (NYSE: TM) truck parts manufacturing facility on 160 acres in Marion, Ark. Construction on the plant started in July and it is set to open in October 2006. The plant was initially slated to employ 280 and produce parts for 300,000 automobiles a year, but those numbers could change with the news from Texas.

According to the Associated Press, Hino officials said the San Antonio plant expansion means there will have to be an expansion of the Marion facility, but they have not yet determined the specifics of how much additional production and space, or how many more employees it will require. Any additions would be in proportion to the needs of the San Antonio plant, which is now planned to produce 200,000 Toyota trucks annually.

The 50,000-truck-a-year production expansion in San Antonio will bring Toyota's investment there to $850 million. The company plans to begin production of their Tundra full-size pick-up there by the end of 2006, and Toyota officials say the expansion will allow them to respond quickly to increased demand for the popular truck model.

Marion, Ark.'s Railport Industrial Park was in the final running to get the Toyota truck manufacturing plant itself, but lost out to San Antonio last May.

bystander1

08-14-2005, 06:12 AM

Here's some more info on Kia...

Officials plan on push for Kia plant

By Deborah Willoughby
and Sebastian Kitchen
Montgomery Advertiser

Long-simmering rumors about expansion at Montgomery's Hyundai plant came to a full boil Monday with a report that Mississippi is trying to land a Kia manufacturing plant.

The Korea Times reported Monday that Hyundai-Kia Automotive Group said it may build another automobile manufacturing plant in the United States and that Mississippi is emerging as a key contender for the site.

The Korea Times story said research for locating the plant is under way.

Hyundai, which has a controlling stake in Kia, opened a $1 billion manufacturing plant in Montgomery in May. Rumors of expansion on the 1,744-acre site have abounded for months.

Mike Chung, a market analyst with the automotive Web site Edmunds.com, said that although Kia has its own leadership structure, Hyundai deeply is involved in its decision-making.

Chung's take on the news that Mississippi is in the running for a Kia plant is that it would be much more logical for Kia to build its cars in Alabama, a point Montgomery Mayor Bobby Bright echoes.

Bright said he wants Kia officials to know that Montgomery is willing to offer an incentive package to attract another automotive plant to the city.

"I don't want them to look and decide on Mississippi without giving us here in Montgomery an opportunity to discuss it," Bright said. "I'll do everything I can to make it happen. We need those good jobs here in Alabama."

Montgomery's edge is that Hyundai already is here, Chung said.

"A lot of it is a logistics issue. It's a matter of building vehicles across platforms," Chung said. "By sharing components, you get economies of scale and much more efficiency. I would see it as an extension of the current plant. I don't see them spending the capital to create a completely new plant."

Chung said the automotive parts suppliers that are working with Hyundai are another draw for Kia.

"Alabama should have a foothold in Hyundai and Kia in the years to come," he said.

Chung said Hyundai and Kia already have joint ventures in this country, including a proving ground in California and a research and development center in the Detroit area.

Several vehicles produced by Hyundai and Kia are built on the same platform.

"They are literally the same vehicle in terms of structure and mechanics," Chung said.

Few details emerged about what cities and states are doing to court Kia.

Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour is on a trade mission to Asia, and a visit to Korean automakers was a logical part of the trip, officials said.

Scott Hamilton, director of communications for the Mississippi Development Authority, said, "The governor and MDA officials are meeting with a number of companies that have investments in Mississippi or which we believe have the prospect of making investments here. At this stage, we don't expect any immediate results, but we certainly are actively looking for all sorts of economic development opportunities."

In Alabama, most economic development officials did not offer any information about efforts to bring in a Kia plant.

"We don't discuss projects," said Neal Wade, director of the Alabama Development Office.

The Montgomery Area Chamber of Commerce and Gov. Bob Riley's office said much the same thing, explaining that they don't want to tip their hands to to competitors for any potential development.

"We never comment on projects in the works. Any project we're aware of, we go after hard," said Ellen McNair, vice president for corporate development with the Montgomery Area Chamber of Commerce.

Although Bright does not know anything specific, he said there is movement to talk to Kia officials.

"I am instructing our industrial recruitment folks to stay in contact with Kia officials and let them know we would be serious about discussing them coming to Montgomery, Alabama," he said.

Bright said the city is willing to offer a similar package to the deal with Hyundai. The total incentive for Hyundai, which included contributions from local and state government and private entities, totaled more than $250 million.

DruidCity

08-14-2005, 03:22 PM

When I looked at Columbus, MS on a map I was a bit surprised they were considering it for an auto assembly plant: There are no limited-access freeways going through it that go all the way to another big city. I suppose the non-limited-access freeways are big-enough that they don't care.

FWIW, US 82 is in the process of being 4-laned/upgraded from Tuscaloosa to Columbus.

James Bond Agent 007

08-15-2005, 06:20 AM

^
Thanks. I was wondering if that was the case.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

http://memphis.bizjournals.com/memphis/stories/2005/08/15/newscolumn1.html

August 12, 2005
American Railcar Industries expanding plant in Paragould
Carolyne Park
Staff Writer

PARAGOULD, Ark. -- American Railcar Industries is consolidating operations with an $8 million expansion this fall at its manufacturing facility here.

Work on the plant's new paint shop is well under way, and expected to be complete and available for operation Nov. 16. The expansion will bring the facility up to 500,000 square feet and require the hiring of an additional 80 employees, says Jack Pipkin, American Railcar director of new car manufacturing.

The 10-year-old plant is the St. Charles, Mo.-based company's largest with about 850 employees. Workers there manufacture and assemble rail freight cars ranging in capacity from 2,980 cubic feet to 6,200 cubic feet, that are distributed to railroad companies and individual buyers across the U.S.

The average of 16 freight cars produced daily at the plant are transferred to American Railcar repair facilities for finishing and painting. Although he could not provide an estimate, Pipkin says the company will significantly increase efficiency and reduce costs by having manufacturing and painting facilities at the same location.

"We wanted to be a one-stop shop," he says.

Most of the positions in the paint shop are expected to be filled with current employees. Openings will be created in other departments as workers are shifted around. The company plans to begin hiring in October. Paint shop workers will make an average of $10-$13 an hour.

American Railcar Industries has 13 facilities in Texas, Arkansas, Georgia, Mississippi, Pennsylvania and Kansas. The company's two new rail car manufacturing facilities are located in Paragould and Marmaduke.

James Bond Agent 007

08-15-2005, 06:24 AM

http://memphis.bizjournals.com/memphis/stories/2005/08/15/story1.html

August 12, 2005
Hewlett Packard expanding Memphis operation
New lease spans about 790,000 square feet
Jane Aldinger
Staff Writer

Hewlett-Packard Co. is dramatically expanding its Memphis operation.

The company is expanding its imaging and printing activities in Memphis and expects to begin operations in its new facility this fall, says spokesman Brigida Bergkamp.

HP will lease the 789,000-square-foot Summit Distribution Center II located at 5215 Lamar.

The expansion meets with demands HP anticipated.

"We had expected a need for increased operations and additional space due to increased demand," Bergkamp says.

HP's plans were outlined to the Memphis and Shelby County Industrial Development Board in 2003. At the time, the company won a 12-year tax abatement in exchange for its promise to invest $45 million in an assembly and distribution center for its North American business and a distribution center for commercial products in Memphis.

Hewlett-Packard projected it would employ 601 full-time workers assembling and distributing commercial laser printers.

The most recent expansion is part of what HP pledged in 2003.

[...]

James Bond Agent 007

08-15-2005, 08:10 PM

http://newsobserver.com/business/story/2723469p-9161172c.html

Aug 15, 2005
GlaxoSmithKline announces $92 million expansion to Zebulon drug plant
By SABINE VOLLMER, STAFF WRITER

GlaxoSmithKline said today it will invest $92 million in its drug manufacturing plant in Zebulon to increase production, creating 200 jobs during the next four years.

The investment consists mostly of equipment to manufacture and package pills, which will replace existing production lines at the plant. The average annual salary for the new manufacturing positions will be $30,000.

GSK is expected to receive about $4.5 million in incentives from the state, Wake County and Zebulon for the project.

N.C. Secretary of Commerce Jim Fain and Chris Viehbacher, president of GSK Pharmaceuticals in Research Triangle Park, announced the investment today.

The British drug company already employs about 800 workers at the Zebulon plant. GSK also employs about 4,800 in RTP.

smurf

08-17-2005, 08:59 PM

T-Mobile USA To Build $16 Million Call Center In Chattanooga

http://chattanoogan.com/articles/article_70966.asp

T-Mobile USA plans to build a $16 million call center in Chattanooga designed to create over 700 new jobs when fully staffed.

The T-Mobile Customer Service Center will take its first call in the summer of 2006.

The facility will be at the northeast corner of the intersection of Highway 153 and Lee Highway.

"Our Customer Service employees play a vital role in our company's success," said Tom Sugrue vice president of government affairs for T-Mobile USA, Inc. "That's why we’re coming back to Tennessee. The culture and residents of Tennessee are very much service oriented, which is a perfect match with T-Mobile's values. This has been reinforced with our success in Nashville and our interactions with state and local government officials throughout the site selection process for Chattanooga."

T-Mobile operates a customer service center in Nashville, with more than 850 employees. The company opened the Nashville center in 2001.

Based in Bellevue, Wash., the U.S. operations of T-Mobile International AG & Co. K.G., consists of T-Mobile USA, Inc. (formerly VoiceStream Wireless) and Powertel, Inc. (together "T-Mobile"). T-Mobile is one of the fastest growing nationwide wireless service providers, offering all digital voice, messaging and high-speed wireless data services to more than 18.2 million customers in the United States.

A cornerstone of T-Mobile's strong consumer appeal has been its Get More® business strategy to provide customers with the best overall value in their wireless service so they can enjoy the benefits of mobile communications to Get more from life®, officials said.

T-Mobile has more than 25,000 employees across the country "dedicated to delivering on its Get More® promise to provide customers with more minutes, more features and more service."

T-Mobile International is the first mobile communications company to offer service on both sides of the Atlantic with a single global brand name and a single digital technology standard, GSM (Global System for Mobile Communications), offering customers the advantage of using their wireless services when traveling worldwide.

The T-Mobile global brand name made its debut in the United States in July 2002, choosing California and Nevada as the first markets in the country to launch its wireless voice and data services. The company successfully transitioned its VoiceStream Wireless brand in its remaining markets in September 2002 and now operates the largest GSM/GPRS 1900 MHz voice and data network in the country in 46 of the top 50 U.S. markets, reaching 254 million people including roaming and other agreements exclusively under the T-Mobile brand name. T-Mobile and its affiliates own licenses to provide service to 95 percent of the U.S. population.

DruidCity

08-17-2005, 10:07 PM

I realize this is a little off-topic, but speaking of Chattanooga...

I've been there twice this year, and walked the whole Riverwalk.
What an amazing place for someone who walks every day !
The attention to detail for wheelchair accessibility is far above what I've seen in most cities.
The air-conditioned "inclinator" from the new aquarium up the hill to the pedestrian bridge is awesome.

theman

08-18-2005, 05:28 AM

Beverly to Be Sold for $1.9 Billion; New Owner to Keep Fort Smith HQ

By Lance Turner, Arkansasbusiness.com Daily Report

Beverly Enterprises Inc. of Fort Smith said Wednesday that it has agreed to be purchased by North American Senior Care Inc. for $1.9 billion, about $12.80 per share.

Shares of the company (NYSE: BEV) were trading down more than 3 percent at $12.45 on Wednesday after closing at $12.94 on Tuesday.

In a news release, Leonard Grunstein, speaking for North American Senior Care, said the group intends to keep Beverly's headquarters and support functions in Fort Smith and to retain its eldercare service businesses.

"We also are hopeful that key members of BEI management will be a part of the bright future we see for the next phase of the company's growth and development," Grunstein said.

The nursing home chain said its board of directors approved the deal at the end of an auction process that began last March, when Beverly put itself up for auction after a hostile takeover attempt by a group of investors called Formation Capital Partners. Beverly rejected the group's offer of $11.50 per share.

More than 40 companies contacted Beverly during the auction process, and 33 submitted proposals. Beverly narrowed the group to 24 and took first-round price bids from 10.

Beverly CEO William Floyd said North American Senior Care's deal offered the best combination of price, terms and conditions.

"We believe this transaction fairly reflects for our stockholders the many improvements we have made throughout BEI in recent years, as well as our strong operating and financial momentum," Floyd said. "In particular, this is demonstrated by the more than 40 percent premium to our share price during December of last year, which was prior to the fluctuations caused by an unsolicited expression of interest."

Beverly said North American Senior Care is a group specifically formed to handle the purchase. It said the group was made of "substantial experience in the acquisition and financing of nationwide health care providers and their real estate portfolios."

Last year, Beverly said, the group bought Mariner Health Care, a publicly traded company with more than 250 nursing facilities in 27 states.

Beverly operates 351 nursing homes, 18 assisted living centers, and 52 hospice and home health centers. And it provides rehabilitation services in other facilities. It has more than 34,000 employees throughout the country.

bystander1

08-19-2005, 03:52 AM

This would probably explain the big push to extend I-85 in order to connect Meridian to Montgomery.

August 18, 2005
Kia interested in Meridian area, Barbour says

The Associated Press

Gov. Haley Barbour says officials with Kia Motors disclosed in a recent meeting that they are interested in locating a plant in Meridian, but cautioned that discussions at this point are very preliminary.

Barbour recently returned from a 10-day "job creation" trip to Asia, including a stop at Kia headquarters in South Korea. He also met with Nissan executives in Japan and business and government leaders in China.

"Let me emphasize: Kia proposed Meridian to us," he said today at a news conference. "My administration's policy is to show every potential site in the state that might qualify to every prospect that is considering Mississippi.

"In this case, however, Kia told us that it is specifically interested in the Meridian area because of Meridian's proximity to the Hyundai plant that is already operating in Montgomery, Ala."

bystander1

08-19-2005, 04:04 AM

It also more than likely shows the cooperation between Alabama and Mississippi to create a major industrial park along the AL-MS border which the two governors have been working on in the past two years.

fla_tiger

08-19-2005, 02:48 PM

Louisiana exports climb to $10.3 Billion for first half of year

by Angela Johnson Staff Writer

NEW ORLEANS — Louisiana’s exports increased 7.7 percent to $10.3 billion in the
first half of 2005 compared to the first half of the previous year. Louisiana’s
largest exports were agricultural products, chemicals, petroleum and coal and
processed food products, according to a report released by the World Trade Center
of New Orleans.

"If these growth trends continue, Louisiana will be on course to break last
year’s export record of $19.9 billion," said Lawrence Collins, Director of
International Services with Louisiana Economic Development.

Louisiana’s top trading partners were Mexico, Japan and China for the first half
of 2005. Mexico’s move into first place marks a 16.4 percent increase over the
first half of 2004 and was due in part to large increases in exports in Louisiana
of chemicals. "Soaring global oil prices — combined with the continuing
relatively low value of the U.S. dollar and the duty-free benefits of the North American
Free Trade Agreement on goods exported to our closest foreign market — all
played a part in Mexico’s No. 1 ranking," said Eugene Schreiber, managing director of
the World Trade Center.

Louisiana ranks 14th nationally for exports. Texas, California and New York
continue to be the top three export states]

James Bond Agent 007

08-19-2005, 07:49 PM

When the Tupelo and Columbus sites were being mentioned for the Kia plant I started looking at a map and wondering why there weren't any sites in Meridian being considered? I see my guess turned out to be right.

James Bond Agent 007

08-20-2005, 02:51 AM

http://www.volunteertv.com/Global/story.asp?S=3744623

Helicopter company expands, adds 100 jobs in Sullivan County

PINEY FLATS, Tenn. - Edwards and Associates announced today an eight-(m)million-dollar expansion of its Sullivan County operations that will create 100 jobs over the next two years.

The company is a leading dealer of new and used helicopters.

Aided by one-point-one(m) million dollars in state and local economic incentives, Edwards will add a new main building and a helicopter production plant, nearly doubling the size of its current three-building complex at Tri-County Industrial Park.

James Bond Agent 007

08-20-2005, 10:40 AM

This one's kinda different. It's mostly Louisiana but also some Mississippi . . .

http://www.nola.com/news/t-p/frontpage/index.ssf?/base/news-4/1124518193149620.xml

Other shipyards awaiting laid-off Northrop workers
Boom in industry affords lots of jobs
Saturday, August 20, 2005
By Keith Darcé
Business writer

Workers laid off from Northrop Grumman Corp.'s Gulf Coast shipyards in the coming months might not have to look long or far to find new jobs.

A July survey of five other ship builders in southeastern Louisiana indicated the sector will create more than 3,200 jobs through next year, according to Greater New Orleans Inc., which conducted the survey.

If true, that would more than offset the 2,000 jobs being cut from Northrop's large military shipyards in Avondale and in Pascagoula, Miss. Northrop is squeezing down its work force because of a decline in ship orders from the Navy.

Bollinger Shipyards Inc. has openings now for 500 workers and will hire 1,000 additional people by the end of 2006, said Mike Ellis, president and chief operating officer of the Lockport-based manufacturer.

"We have a place for those people at Northrop when they come out," Ellis said Friday.

The shipyards say they are looking for a wide range of skilled production workers including welders, electricians, pipefitters, shipfitters and crane operators.

Annual salaries will average $30,000, and supervisory positions could pay as much as $50,000 a year, according to GNO Inc., which is the area's Northrop managers say they will work with other shipbuilders in the area to try to place laid-off employees in new jobs.

A variety of products

Driving the employment buildup at the smaller yards is a jump in orders for barges and tugboats, and a rise in offshore crew and work boat repair work due to increasing oil and gas drilling in the Gulf of Mexico, according to GNO Inc.

The survey included Bollinger, Conrad Industries Inc. of Morgan City, Textron Land & Marine Systems in eastern New Orleans and Slidell, Trinity Marine in Madisonville, and Trinity Yachts in New Orleans.

Those five companies already employ 13,000 people.

Bollinger builds and repairs commercial and military ships. Conrad and Trinity Marine build and repair small- to medium-sized commercial vessels. Trinity Yachts is one of the nation's largest builders of luxury yachts. And Textron builds small military boats and wheeled armored patrol vehicles for the Army.

The manpower buildup couldn't come at a better time.

Northrop this week announced plans to lay off 400 workers at the Avondale yard and 500 workers at the yard in Pascagoula, formerly known as Ingalls, by the end of the year. A hiring freeze has chopped about 400 jobs and will eliminate an additional 600 over the next 12 months through resignations, retirements and other departures.

Healthy backlogs

At Bollinger, the hiring will be spread across the company's facilities in the region, including repair yards in New Orleans and Gretna, and construction yards in Lockport and Amelia, Ellis said.

"We have a fairly good outlook for commercial work and all of our repair facilities are very busy," he said. "This isn't short term."

At Trinity Yachts, on the Industrial Canal, the yard's production capacity will increase 20 percent when a new finishing bay opens in January, Trinity Vice President William "Billy" Smith III said.

The yard builds high-end, large yachts. One of the company's boats can sell for more than $25 million.

The company's work force has quadrupled over the past five years, from 120 to 500, Smith said.

An additional 100 workers will be added over the next year, he said.

"We have a backlog of three years. But the problem in this business is that people don't want to hear that they have to wait three years" for their new boat, Smith said.

Because of the high-end product that Trinity makes, the company is looking for the region's highest-skilled shipyard workers.

"We're looking for all-stars," Smith said.

To help expand the pool of people with the skills needed to work at shipyards, the Louisiana Technical College, GNO Inc. and local shipbuilders have created a training program designed for the shipbuilding industry. The two-semester program will be offered at the college's local campuses in Metairie, New Orleans and Harvey.

Classes begin Monday. For more information about the program, call the college at (800) 497-0959.

James Bond Agent 007

08-22-2005, 03:51 AM

Here's a nice article about the effects of Hyundai's plant on employment levels in the surrounding "Black Belt":

http://www.al.com/business/birminghamnews/index.ssf?/base/business/1124615826290100.xml&coll=2

Hyundai helps jobless rate in Black Belt
Sunday, August 21, 2005
THOMAS SPENCER
News staff writer

MONTGOMERY - With its plant up and running and the final hires being made, automaker Hyundai has drawn more than 2,000 production workers from a wider geographic area and has picked through more trainees than its Alabama auto assembly peers to fill roughly the same number of jobs.

Economic development officials in nearby Black Belt counties say Hyundai's hiring has already helped drive down unemployment in the economically challenged region. While they still have the highest rates in the state, Wilcox, Lowndes, Dallas and Perry County have all dropped below 10 percent unemployment. The plant also has pushed up wages at other employers, a trend that should continue as more suppliers locate in the area.

Hyundai hired workers from 54 Alabama counties, selecting 41 percent of those who went through the training program run jointly by Hyundai and Alabama Industrial Development Training, the state government's worker training agency. Between 2001 and 2005, Mercedes drew from 39 counties and hired 68 percent of the trainees. In Honda's recent expansion, the company drew new employees from 23 counties.

Hyundai hired five people from Morgan County and two from Madison County, both more than 150 miles away. Montgomery County, where the plant is located, contributed the most trainees, 1,725, and the most hires. Neighboring but much smaller Lowndes County had 117 residents selected for training and 41 workers hired at the plant.

AIDT Director Ed Castille said several factors affect hiring patterns. Hyundai was looking for industrial experience and there is a limited pool of those workers in a rural and sparsely populated county like Lowndes. The education level in a county will also determine the number of people in the pool.

One unexpected factor that applied across the trainee pool was the surprising number of people who went through the training but failed the pre-employment drug screen.

"We told them from the very beginning. It is mind-boggling to me that a person think they might bypass that," Castille said. "It's standard procedure, especially for industrial jobs."

Hyundai may have drawn people more widely because the company decided to advertise in newspapers in all regions of the state, Castille said. Receiving an incentives package that included the training building adjacent to the plant, Hyundai believed people statewide deserved a chance at the jobs, Castille said.

"The taxpayers across the state helped pay for this," he said.

Hyundai spokeswoman Kathy Johnson said the automaker has found its hires to be dedicated and hardworking. Though few workers who applied have experience building cars, they've been eager and able to learn, Johnson said. "We are extremely pleased with our work force," she said.

While the jobless rates in nearby Black Belt counties are still the highest in the state, Castille and local developers said the indirect effect of Hyundai is only beginning to be felt. Hyundai is still importing many parts from Korea, and suppliers continue to announce they have located in Lowndes. Among the three to settle in Dallas is Hanil E-Hwa Interior Systems, a tier-one supplier to Hyundai, that recently said it will operate at Selma's Craig Industrial Park, bringing another 240 jobs.

Local employers either have to pay more to keep experienced workers or hire and train new ones. With experienced workers moving up to more lucrative jobs in the auto industry, entry-level openings occur.

"It's what you want to have happen in economics. Now, there is a kind of like a ladder of upward movement," Castille said.

LaRue Pringle, chairman of the Lowndes County Industrial Board, said people in the county are pleased. "We weren't expecting a quick fix," he said. As a measure of how things have changed though, Pringle is in the position now of considering three applicants for the county industrial park. A few years ago, prospects were few and far between.

John Clyde Riggs is executive director of Alabama Tombigbee Regional Commission, which covers 10 southwest Alabama counties. Riggs said the average unemployment rate for the region a year ago was 11.2 percent and by this June it had fallen to 8 percent.

But the longer term problem for the Black Belt is underemployment and population loss. The presence of Hyundai and its suppliers is giving some people the option of staying in the Black Belt when they might have left for metropolitan areas to find jobs.

"I think you'll see this reflected in a couple of years. That is not something you can see right away," Riggs said. "A lot of the young people who have left will start coming back and you'll see the younger high school graduates stay."

With Mercedes and Tuscaloosa to the north, Hyundai and the Montgomery economy to the east and Mobile to the south, the Black Belt has available land and a productive dedicated work force, Riggs said. Add to that Gov. Bob Riley's focus on the Black Belt and plans to finish the widening of U.S. 80 to four lanes and the extension of Interstate 85.

All those developments come as the region's biggest business, forestry and wood products, is under intense global pressure. Despite the uncertainty in that industry, Riggs is encouraged.

"I'm more encouraged about the Black Belt counties today than I ever have been," Riggs said.

James Bond Agent 007

08-23-2005, 02:47 AM

http://www.bizjournals.com/industries/manufacturing/general/2005/08/22/triangle_daily7.html

Triangle Business Journal - 5:07 PM EDT Monday
State grants $2.6M for 292-job plant in Marion

Cobia Boat Company LLC said Monday that it plans to open a $6.2 million manufacturing facility in Marion that will create 292 new jobs. The company will receive a 10-year, $2.6 million Job Development Investment Grant from the state as an incentive to locate the plant in North Carolina.

Florida-based Cobia is manufacturer of offshore, saltwater fishing boats.

The facility will be located in the McDowell County Industrial Park in Marion. The company plans to start construction on the 106,500-square-foot building in September, with operations expected to begin in February 2006.

The new jobs, which mainly will be in manufacturing, will pay an average wage of $31,000 a year plus benefits.

James Bond Agent 007

08-23-2005, 02:48 AM

:banana:

http://chicagobusiness.com/cgi-bin/news.pl?id=17529

August 22, 2005
Wrigley expanding Tenn. plant
Increased production to accommodate Altoids

(AP) — Chicago-based Wm. Wrigley Jr. Co. is expanding a candy plant here, partly to shift production of Altoids mints from Britain, and the move will add 150 jobs in Chattanooga, company executives said Monday.

The company said the jobs are part of a $14 million, 60,000-square-foot expansion of a facility acquired in late June from Kraft Foods.

"As we move the production of Altoids mints to Chattanooga, it creates a need for more space," said Ron Pillsbury, a Wrigley senior director.

The 161,000-square-foot plant, which has 140 full-time workers, already makes Creme Savers and Gummi Savers.

State officials agreed to provide worker training money and the company received local government tax incentives. Construction was expected to begin in about a month.

In June, Wrigley announced plans to realign its supply chain globally, including ceasing operations at a facility in Bridgend, Wales and a Chicago chewing gum plant and shifting production at a gum base facility in Edison, N.J., to other sites.

Mike Cohen of Ackermann Public Relations in Knoxville, said Wrigley executives declined to say if the 150 jobs were relocated to Chattanooga or added."They are new in Chattanooga," Cohen said.

Wrigley reports global sales of more than $4 billion, with brands that include Wrigleys Spearmint, Juicy Fruit, and Altoids, Doublemint, Life Savers, Big Red, Boomer, Pim Pom, Winterfresh, Extra, Freedent, Hubba Bubba, Orbit, Excel, Creme Savers, Eclipse, Airwaves, Alpine, Solano, Sugus, Cool Air, and P.K.

Wrigley shares fell 1 cent to close at $72.07 Monday on the New York Stock Exchange. Its shares have traded in a 52-week range of $61.38 to $72.60.

James Bond Agent 007

08-24-2005, 12:33 AM

It's looking more and more like Meridian . .

http://memphis.bizjournals.com/memphis/stories/2005/08/22/daily9.html

Memphis Business Journal - 1:14 PM CDT Tuesday
Gov. Barbour: Kia still eyeing Mississippi, Tupelo site all but ruled out

An industrial megasite near Tupelo, Miss., may be out of the running for a new Kia factory.

Upon returning from a 10-day business-recruiting trip in Asia, Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour said that Kia Motors America is now leaning toward a site in Meridian, Miss., that would put the assembly plant closer to the Hyundai plant in Montgomery, Ala.

As part of the Hyundai-Kia Automotive Group the two car makers share many of the same suppliers who are already busy supporting the Hyundai factory.

Kia had been looking at two TVA-certified megasites big enough to handle an auto plant: the 1,200-acre PUL Alliance-Wellspring Project in Tupelo, about 80 miles southeast of Memphis, and the 1,400-acre Lowndes County-Golden Triangle Megasite, near Columbus, Miss.

Kia officials had also considered a 1,600-acre site in Hardin County, Ky., but said Mississippi was always at the top of their list.

Barbour's trip included stops in Seoul, South Korea, along with Japan to meet with Nissan executives, plus business and government people in China, Hong Kong and Taiwan.

Barbour stresses that it was Kia that suggested the Meridian location, but a firm decision has not been made.

Toyota is also scoping the region for another factory. It's already placed key suppliers in an arc surrounding Marion, Ark., but has made no formal promises.

James Bond Agent 007

08-25-2005, 03:50 AM

http://www.bizjournals.com/industries/economic_view/economic_snapshot/2005/08/22/triad_daily23.html

The Business Journal of the Greater Triad Area
Wednesday, August 24, 2005
Incentives offered for possible Hubbell plant expansion

Randolph County commissioners and the city of Archdale have agreed to offer Hubbell Industrial Controls Inc. $150,000 in incentives to support a possible expansion project.

Hubbell is considering its Archdale factory, as well as two other unnamed locations, for a $4.9 million expansion that's expected to create 150 jobs. The company now employs 90 people in an 80,000-square-foot plant in Archdale.

The incentives would be used to offset costs associated with the expansion.

Hubbell makes controls for overhead cranes, material handling, radio and communications equipment and fire pumps, plus transfer switches and control accessories.

The company's sales rose by 13 percent last year, according to a news release from the Randolph County Economic Development Corp.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

http://www.dunndailyrecord.com/main.asp?SectionID=1&SubSectionID=1&ArticleID=69846&TM=45266.31

Wednesday, August 24, 2005
Champion To Hire 150, Godwin Manufacturing 75
By NANCY MAROSITZ

Pat Godwin, owner of Champion Hoist, has announced the hiring of 150 people to work at the manufacturing plant in Dunn. The company works in conjunction with Godwin Manufacturing, fabricating hoists and plows for trucks made there.

“We’re beginning to crank up at Champion,” Mr. Godwin said. “We’re hiring management at the present time — we have attracted the chief engineer from John Deere — and other leaders to join him, and the corporate office has acquired a CFO.”

The 150 new hires will include welders, laborers, shipping department staff, fabricators, machine operators and clerical help, starting at about $8 an hour, Mr. Godwin said. Though prior experience is preferred, he plans an in-house training program as well.

“We realize all we need we can’t find experienced, so we’ll train them,” he said. “I’ve trained about 80 percent of my people.”

Applications and interviews for the new jobs will take place at the Champion Hoist site, located on Powell Avenue in Dunn. Dates and times are yet to be announced.

Champion supplies Mr. Godwin’s truck body companies across the country, including plants in Kentucky and Ohio. He owns six companies in all. The hoist business is also set to expand across the United States and into Puerto Rico, he said.

Hiring At Godwin Too

Mr. Godwin said he is also hiring about 75 people and additional management staff at Godwin Manufacturing, as he plans two more assembly lines there.

“There is the biggest demand for truck equipment I’ve ever seen — we’re 12 weeks out on delivery, and that’s never happened,” he said. For example, he said Godwin sales representative Kay Byrd took $385,000 in orders this past Monday alone.

The facility, which began in 1966 as a one-man operation and now counts more than 500 employees nationwide, ships truck bodies across the country and now around the world. Dump truck bodies to be used in construction work, 150 of them, have recently been shipped to Iraq and Kuwait under a federal government contract, Mr. Godwin said.

He also cited state and county government contracts and a few military ones for his business boom. The company will generate $80 million in revenue this year, he said, and an estimated $100 million in 2006.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

http://www.kait8.com/Global/story.asp?S=3761780&nav=0jshdhxL

Newport, AR
Newport to Get 425 Jobs at New Shoe Plant
AUGUST 24, 2005

NEWPORT, AR - A molded shoe products plant is planning to bring 425 jobs to Newport.

America's Choice Products is to hire 70 workers immediately and expand to 425 workers within five years.

The company says it will sell to retailers that include Wal-Mart, L.L. Bean, Implus and Dr. Scholl's of Europe.

The plant will be in the American Lantern building in Newport.

America's Choice chief executive John Carroll says the company's high-tech equipment is allowing it to create jobs in the U.S., where labor costs are higher than many overseas countries.

America's Choice is a partially owned subsidiary of NewGrange Group, based in North Smithfield, Rhode Island. The company is expanding its plastic injection molding product lines. The new lines will include products such as pet toys, kitchen supplies and athletic equipment.

fla_tiger

08-27-2005, 03:14 PM

GM Chooses Shreveport for New Hummer Plant
adding 300 new jobs to existing 3200 jobs

In November 2004, General Motors selected its Shreveport manufacturing facility to produce its new HUMMER H3 product line. To accommodate the H3, GM will invest approximately $250 million, bringing the company's recent investments in the plant to $1 billion.

"These types of investments happen when you combine a modern facility with the nation's most productive workforce. The nation's companies are changing their view of the new economic climate in Louisiana," says Gov. Blanco. "We value GM's commitment to northwest Louisiana."

"GM's investment in Shreveport will help grow the economy while helping to build job security for our highly skilled workforce," comments Joe Spielman, Vice President and General Manager of Vehicle Manufacturing. Originally built in 1981, GM's manufacturing plant in Shreveport built the S-10 series of Chevrolet and GMC trucks. The facility added two more lines in 2001 with the Colorado and Canyon truck lines.

The H3 line is a new, smaller version of the highly successful HUMMER model. Workers at the GM plant in Shreveport will begin construction of this model in mid-2005 with the first H3s arriving in retail outlets shortly thereafter.

In addition to the GM plant, northwest Louisiana has become a center for automotive Tier One suppliers and 18 independent companies that service the GM plant. The region still has the capacity to service other suppliers.

"GM's incredible workforce was also a factor in expanding in Shreveport again," says Louisiana Economic Development Secretary Michael J. Olivier. "The combination of our productive workforce and the transportation and supplier infrastructure in place in and around northwest Louisiana allows GM to produce the H3 and its other lines efficiently and cost effectively."

To accommodate H3 production, the plant required an additional 296,000 square feet of manufacturing space. In addition to construction jobs, the new line for H3 production will add more than 300 jobs to the approximately 3,200 currently at GM in Shreveport.

"Jobs are what we are all about, and that's why I'm keeping economic development as my top priority," adds Gov. Blanco. "This is the third major economic development win for Louisiana in the last quarter. I'm going to keep working for more projects like this. We will keep spreading the word that Louisiana is open for business."

With this new project, General Motors will have invested $1 billion in the Shreveport facility since its initial construction, making it one of the single largest manufacturing investments in the state

fla_tiger

08-27-2005, 03:22 PM

Union Tank Car Chooses Central Louisiana for Manufacturing Project Creates 1000 New Jobs

Union Tank Car Company (UTLX), based in Chicago, recently announced the location of a $100 million railcar manufacturing plant outside of Alexandria, LA. The project will create 1,000 jobs in Central Louisiana.

After narrowing the field to two states-Louisiana and Texas-during the site search, UTLX opened exclusive negotiations with Texas for 30 days for the expansion of current manufacturing facilities in Sheldon, TX. Led by Governor Kathleen Babineaux Blanco, the state built an incentive and infrastructure package to develop a long-term environment for UTLX and their supplier companies to be most productive. Officials took advantage of the infrastructure benefits of Central Louisiana and the convergence of water, road, and rail transportation. Louisiana's proposal also emphasized Web-based platforms to create an integrated supply chain network, respond to community inquiries, and pre-screen job applicants. With no agreement in place with Texas after 30 days, the company chose Louisiana.

A memorandum of understanding between Louisiana and Union Tank Car states the company will create 850 jobs at the new manufacturing plant-about 700 on the manufacturing side and 150 professional positions. At least 100 more jobs will be supplied by contractor services. The new railcar manufacturing plant will be located on 160 acres at England Industrial Park-the site of the former England Air Force Base. UTLX's agreement also includes the retention of 125 jobs at the company's railcar repair facility in Ville Platte, LA.

theman

09-01-2005, 07:28 PM

FTD to Open Center in Sherwood, Employ 250

By John Henry, Arkansasbusiness.com Daily Report

FTD.com Inc. announced Wednesday that it is opening an order entry and customer service center at the Wildwood Centre in Sherwood, creating about 250 new jobs.

Renovations to the building are under way. Florist’ Transworld Delivery Inc., whose parent company is FTD Group Inc. of Downers Grove, Ill., plans an Oct. 1 startup.

About two weeks ago Jay Chesshir, executive director of the Metropolitan Little Rock Alliance, had hinted that the announcement would be made last week but it was postponed. As a result, no FTD officials were on hand Wednesday in Sherwood.

But those in attendance cited the regional alliance as key to landing what Sherwood Mayor Bill Harmon called a “great corporate citizen.” He said without the alliance, a big company like FTD would have overlooked a town like Sherwood with only 23,000 people.

Chesshir had told Arkansas Business two weeks ago that a company had come to Little Rock specifically to buy the Southwest Airlines customer service center.

After FTD was beaten out by Arkansas Blue Cross & Blue Shield, Chesshir and the alliance team convinced the FTD site team to come back for a look at other sites that would fit their needs in the region.

Company officials did not return calls by deadline about investment, payroll or incentives.

But Mitch Chandler, spokesman for the Arkansas Department of Economic Development, said FTD qualified for several incentives offered by the state, all of which are performance-based, including Create Rebate (a payroll tax rebate), Advantage Arkansas (an income tax credit), Tax Back (a sales and use tax refund) and help with training.

FTD.com is an Internet and telephone marketer of flowers and specialty gifts. It sells directly to consumers through its Web site, www.ftd.com, and its 1-800-SEND-FTD telephone number.

The customer service center will take calls from consumers who want to place orders from florists. There are independent floral members of FTD in 750 communities in the state.

The customer service center will not place calls to consumers. It will only receive calls from consumers who are ordering flowers or gifts.

FTD.com provides same-day delivery of floral orders to nearly 100 percent of the U.S. population.

FTD, founded in 1910, is the largest floral company in the world. It connects about 20,000 North American retail florists and supports an international floral delivery network of 50,000 affiliated FTD Florists in 154 countries.

James Bond Agent 007

09-02-2005, 02:12 AM

http://triangle.bizjournals.com/triangle/stories/2005/08/29/daily28.html

Triangle Business Journal - 3:03 PM EDT Thursday
GE lands incentives for $78M, 200-job Wilmington expansion

For the second time in three years, General Electric has won state incentives for a major Wilmington expansion.

GE (NYSE: GE) said Thursday it plans to invest $78 million to expand and renovate its nuclear and aircraft engine operations in Wilmington. The expansion will create 200 new jobs, GE said.

Gov. Mike Easley has granted the company $300,000 from his One North Carolina Fund job creation kitty. GE has also qualified for a state Job Development Investment Grant valued at $3.1 million over 10 years.

GE will build 18,000 square feet of new office space and renovate another 20,000 square feet of existing space.

The nuclear business will be relocating its inspection and field services, controls and new plants business from Memphis, Tenn., and San Jose, Calif., while the aircraft engine division will add new products lines to support both civilian and military contracts. The expected average yearly salary for the new jobs is $65,000 plus benefits.

GE Power System's nuclear energy unit was awarded one of the state's first JDIG grants in October 2003 to move its headquarters to Wilmington from San Jose, Calif. The grant was valued at $5.9 million, and the company committed to create 200 jobs and invest $4 million for the project.

Andy White, president and CEO of GE's nuclear business, says the new expansion will help the company be more competitive in the expectation of new nuclear reactor construction. "With the recent passage of the federal energy bill, which contains important financial incentives to help utilities jump-start construction of the next generation of reactors, we are taking these steps so GE will be even more prepared to compete and fulfill orders for new reactors," White said.

About 6,000 of GE's 330,000 employees worldwide work in North Carolina at 20 different locations.

James Bond Agent 007

09-11-2005, 05:45 AM

http://www.decaturdaily.com/decaturdaily/news/050910/nucor.shtml

Nucor plans to expand
Galvanizing facility could cost $200 million and create 75 jobs
By Eric Fleischauer
DAILY Staff Writer

Nucor Steel Decatur LLC plans a galvanizing facility that will add as many as 75 employees and cost up to $200 million.

Nucor announced Friday that it had optioned about 100 acres adjacent to its existing plant to facilitate the expansion.

Nucor Steel Decatur General Manager Rex Query said construction could begin early in 2006, depending on permitting and regulatory requirements, with a target startup date of September 2006.

He estimated the facility would require a capital investment of $150 million to $200 million and employ an additional 60 to 75 workers.

From 7 to 10 a.m. today, Nucor will accept job applications at the Calhoun Community College Aerospace Center in order to assemble a hiring pool. Qualifying candidates remain in the pool until a position matching their skills becomes available, or until one year after qualification.

The expansion will give the Decatur plant, which now has 600 employees, the ability to supply galvanized steel to the construction, automotive and appliance industries, John Ferriola, executive vice president of the Charlotte, N.C.-based company, said Friday.

Alabama automobile manufacturers include Toyota, Honda, Hyundai and Mercedes, but Ferriola said the automotive presence was not significant to Nucor's decision to expand.

Nucor has three sheet mills, three cold mills and two galvanizing lines in the Southeast.

"Nucor has a large presence in the Southeast," Ferriola said. "... We're just rounding out the capabilities of the Decatur mill."

Nucor already has galvanizing facilities in Charleston, S.C., and Hickman, Ark. Its Decatur plant produces hot-rolled, pickled and cold-rolled sheet metal.

[...]

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http://charlotte.bizjournals.com/charlotte/stories/2005/09/05/story7.html

September 2, 2005
Call center plans growth, moves into Belk complex
IntelliRisk expects to add several hundred jobs in Lakepointe office park
J. Lee Howard
Senior staff writer

A 360-employee call center is preparing to nearly double its space in an expansion that's expected to add 250 to 300 jobs.

This fall, New York-based IntelliRisk Management Corp. plans to move its Charlotte office to a 55,000-square-foot office in the Lakepointe park off Interstate 77, relocating from 30,000 square feet in the Ballantyne area.

In addition, the company has an option to eventually expand by another 20,000 square feet at Lakepointe, company officials say.

IntelliRisk is relocating to a 578,000-square-foot building owned by Belk Inc. The building, at 2801 W. Tyvola Road, also houses the Charlotte retail chain's corporate headquarters.

IntelliRisk officials confirm only that the expansion will mean "several hundred" new hires. However, sources familiar with the company's plans say the project will mean the addition of 250 to 300 jobs over time.

The company operates its local call center 24 hours a day, year-round.

IntelliRisk manages accounts receivable, handles collections and performs customer-retention services for a range of clients. Worldwide, the company's call-center network has more than 6,000 employees.

The company operates a number of subsidiaries under names such as Allied Interstate, First Contact, Legal & Trade Collections and Revenues Management Services.

IntelliRisk spokesman Chris Dorval declines to identify any of IntelliRisk's clients, but he says the utilities industry is a key part of its customer base.

[...]

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http://charlotte.bizjournals.com/charlotte/stories/2005/09/05/story4.html

September 2, 2005
Energy group eyes move of 150 jobs here
David Mildenberg
Staff writer

The Electric Power Research Institute, the electric utility industry's main research organization, plans to add more than 150 jobs in Charlotte over the next few years.

"We've been bulking up our administrative and executive layers in Charlotte," says Kevin Evans, the group's chief business officer. "We want to shift more of the load to Charlotte because it is much closer to our members, who are mostly east of the Mississippi."

EPRI was formed in 1973 in Palo Alto, Calif., in a business park affiliated with Stanford University, one of the world's leading research institutions. About 400 of its 750 employees are based there, while about 150 work in Charlotte.

Evans predicts EPRI's Charlotte employment will approximate its Palo Alto staff within several years. "Over time we expect to do most of our additional hiring in the Charlotte area," he says.

The group occupies about 153,000 square feet in two facilities at University Research Park, where EPRI has operated for more than 20 years. Evans expects the group to start working on the addition of a third building next year, perhaps outside the research park.

"We're very glad to have a partner like EPRI move into our back yard," says Duke Power Co. spokesman Tom Williams. "EPRI jobs are very good jobs, and this may lead to other spin-off job opportunities."

The Charlotte operation's main entities have been EPRI's nuclear division, led by Vice President David Modeen, and the Nondestructive Evaluation Center, which researches and tests materials used in fossil fuel-fired power plants.

EPRI also plans to base its power delivery and markets division in Charlotte, led by Vice President Wade Malcolm, who is relocating here.

That means two of EPRI's four main operating divisions will be in Charlotte, while the generation and innovation groups will remain headquartered in Palo Alto, Evans says.

[...]

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http://memphis.bizjournals.com/memphis/stories/2005/09/05/daily21.html?jst=b_ln_hl

Memphis Business Journal
Thursday, September 8, 2005
Scott Paper investing $30 million in Memphis mil

Scott Paper Limited is expanding its KTG LP mill in Memphis in order to increase the availability and quality of products.

The mill, which produces tissue for in-home consumer use in Memphis, is located on 80 acres of land just north of Downtown Memphis.

The mill was idle until 2002 when Kruger Inc., Scott Paper's parent company, acquired it and created KTG. That business was then integrated with Scott Paper. KTG manufactures bathroom and facial tissue under the White Cloud brand name.

Mario Gosselin, COO for Scott Paper, said in a statement that the company will invest $30 million in the mill to double the current capacity.

The initial investment of $10 million will be used to speed up two machines currently in operation at the mill, which will increase production capacity by 10,000 tons in the first quarter of 2006.

"Preliminary engineering is also underway to rebuild an idle paper machine," Gosselin said. This second project, which is valued at $20 million, will add 37,000 tons of capacity in 2007.

The project will add 100 new jobs to the existing 275 job in the Memphis mill.

Once the expansion projects are completed, KTG will have more than doubled its current production capacity and will have added 100 new jobs to the 275 existing jobs at the Memphis mill. Interviewing and hiring for the expansion are already underway.

Kruger is a major pulp and paper company engaged in the manufacturing and sale of newsprint, specialty grades, lightweight coated paper, directory paper, tissue, recycled linerboard, corrugated containers, lumber and other wood products. The Kruger company has operations in Quebec, Ontario, Alberta, British Columbia and Newfoundland and Labrador, the United States, United Kingdom and employs over 10,500 people.

James Bond Agent 007

09-15-2005, 02:17 AM

http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=15209662&BRD=1838&PAG=461&dept_id=118242&rfi=6

Viking dishwasher plant construction draws closer
By: Kyle Martin, Staff Writer 09/14/2005

Construction could begin in December on the new Viking Range Corp dishwasher manufacturing facility, expected to bring 250 jobs to Greenwood.

The plant, valued at more than $10 million, will be built behind the company's distribution facility on U.S. 82.

"We have spent two years developing a state-of-the-art dishwasher unlike anything on the market," said Bill Crump, director of government affairs for Viking Range Corp. "Not only will we produce this dishwasher here, but we'll be building jobs."

On Monday, the Leflore County Board of Supervisors approved an application for a $648,800 Community Development Block Grant from the Mississippi Development Authority.

As part of the project, the company also will renovate the old Rocky manufacturing building on U.S. 82. The building will be used to house the Viking product support facility.

The support facility, which is currently split between two other sites, handles all service calls, Crump explained.
Relocating the support facility will create space for the refrigeration engineering division, which is moving from Memphis.

The grant money will be used to create a new intersection on U.S. 82 and to extend water and sewer lines from Greenwood.

Grenada-based Willis Engineering assessed the road construction cost at $406,720 and sewer additions for $69,575.

The road project is expected to be fully funded, said Steve Russell, senior planner for the North Central Planning and Development District.

After approval, which Russell expects around October, the money will be drawn in increments from the Development Authority.

The grant will provide 6 percent of the funds. Viking is expected to pay $8.7 million with other local funds to contribute to the $10.6 million building.

Dishwashers are the only major Viking appliance not manufactured in Greenwood.

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http://www.theweekly.com/news/2005/September/14/Caterpillar.html

Caterpillar to Expand Operations in LaGrange

ATLANTA (Sep. 14) – Governor Sonny Perdue announced today that Caterpillar, Inc. is expanding its operations with an additional manufacturing facility in LaGrange, Georgia.

“Caterpillar is a great American company and a valued part of Georgia’s business community,” said Governor Sonny Perdue. “I am very proud that Caterpillar has chosen to build upon their success and expand their operations in LaGrange.”

The expansion includes a total investment of $6 million and will create up to 70 new jobs. A total of 76,000 square feet of manufacturing space that was vacated earlier this year will be used as a logistics center to support the expanded production. The expansion project is expected to be operational by October.

“We’ve had a great deal of success in LaGrange with the production of our Wheel Skidder line and we intend to build on that success,” said John Carpenter, Caterpillar global forestry general manager. “The community has been great partners with Caterpillar over the past several years, working together to make a world-class forestry product. We hope to continue in that tradition for years to come with the product additions announced today.”

“On behalf of the Development Authority of LaGrange, we are very excited that Caterpillar chose LaGrange for this expansion,” said Bobby Carmichael, vice chairman of the Development Authority of LaGrange. “Caterpillar has been a good community citizen and we look forward to continued growth from them.”

Caterpillar is the world’s leading manufacturer of construction and mining equipment, diesel and natural gas engines and industrial gas turbines. The company opened a forestry machine assembly facility in LaGrange in 1997 and currently produces three models of Wheel Skidders, employing approximately 60 people. The number of employees is expected to double over the next year with the expansion and consolidation of operations. These plans include the addition of Wheel Skidder fabrication work, plus assembly and fabrication operations for the company’s line of Track Feller Bunchers currently based in Aurora, Illinois, will also be re-established in LaGrange. Caterpillar Logistics Services will open a new facility as well to provide manufacturing logistics support for the expanded operations, supplying parts and material for the Wheel Skidder and Feller Buncher assembly.

“Caterpillar’s LaGrange facility already employs more than 60 employees, which makes it a major contributor to the area’s economy,” said Georgia Department of Economic Development Commissioner Craig Lesser. “As we work hard to encourage companies to relocate to Georgia, we also want to ensure that our existing businesses are expanding here. This announcement today demonstrates that we are succeeding.”

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http://www.savannahbusiness.com/main.asp?FromHome=1&TypeID=1&ArticleID=3791&SectionID=50&SubSectionID=96

Two New Crossroads Warehouses Projected to Create Up to 125 Jobs
By Christian Livermore
TBR Staff

The expansion of two warehouse and distribution facilities on Jimmy DeLoach Parkway in the Crossroads Business Center area is expected to bring about 125 new jobs to the Savannah area, and sell out all but 150 acres of available land in the center.

Port City Logistics is almost finished with construction of a $4 million, 163,500-square-foot facility on Jimmy DeLoach Parkway. This brings to 400,000 square feet the company’s total warehouse and distribution space in Chatham County. The company is also in the process of securing an adjacent parcel for another 100,000-square-foot facility.

And Cross Dock USA is building a 200,000-square-foot, 47-door facility with an indoor drive-through, 30-foot ceilings, heavy duty racking, and a large truck court.

Both companies serve the Port of Savannah.

Port City Logistics CEO Billy Robinson said he and partners CFO Larry Hearn and Robbie Mingledorff COO started the company three years ago as a courier business. This provided a natural transition into the warehousing business and further expansion.

“You can’t be in the warehousing business without being in the trucking business, so we went out and bought some trucks,” Robinson said. “As a by-product, we got into the records retention business.”

Nowadays, he said, “We’ll take you all the way from an envelope to a tractor trailer load.”

Robinson said he and his partners began making plans for the expansion soon after Georgia Ports Authority Executive Director Doug Marchand said in his annual State of the Port report last fall that he expected a 150 percent increase in container volume over the next 15 years and that the area would need an additional 30 to 40 million square feet of warehouse space to accommodate the anticipated growth.

"This is a call to handle 150 percent growth over the next 15 years by completing new facilities and infrastructure improvements; a call to mobilize this business and maritime community to work together to achieve important projects beyond our terminal; and a call to educate, train and employ the tens of thousands of new workers who will help us shape Georgia's future,” Marchand said in the speech.

On the West Coast last year, the annual spike in summer shipments overwhelmed the twin ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach and the trucking and rail systems that transport the goods from those ports. Shipments were delayed and left retailers waiting for very late deliveries just before Christmas. And West Coast port officials expect cargo shipments there will triple over the next 20 years. Cargo volume at the L.A.-area ports is expected to increase 12 percent this year over 2004.

[...]

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http://www.bizjournals.com/industries/manufacturing/general/2005/09/12/nashville_daily4.html

Nashville Business Journal
Monday, September 12, 2005
Sewing materials manufacturer to open distribution hub in Nashville

Wrights, a manufacturer and marketer of sewing-craft materials such as ribbon and lace, will open a 325,000-square-foot distribution facility in Nashville, according to an announcement by the Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce and the Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development.

The center is expected to spark as many as 175 jobs and to mean a capital investment of between $12 million and $15 million.

The center will absorb the functions of two separate distribution centers in West Warren, Mass., and Union, S.C. , and will be at the former Dana-Beck/Arnley parts space at One Dana Way in Antioch.

The center is expected to be up and running by year's end.

James Bond Agent 007

09-16-2005, 03:37 AM

http://www.expansionmanagement.com/smo/newsviewer/default.asp?cmd=articledetail&articleid=16643&st=3

Foreign Automakers Continue Expansions into the South
Companies continue to build plants, grow work force throughout the region, thanks in part to states’ willingness to attract them.
[ 9/14/2005 ] By: Ken Krizner, Managing Editor

For the past two decades, foreign automobile manufacturers have redefined the industry landscape in the United States. They have sought out large expanses of land in the southern portion of the country from which to establish its grip on the U.S. market.

Tennessee, Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky, South Carolina and Texas, eager to grow their manufacturing bases, have welcomed foreign automakers with numerous incentives, an abundant supply of industrial sites, a skilled work force and a non-union environment.

“They are very interested in bringing jobs and supporting jobs in the South,” said Jim Morton, senior vice president of administration and finance for Nissan North America. “The states have been very aggressive in recruiting companies. Economic development is one of the first job priorities of southern governors.”

In turn, not only have these automakers built plants, but they’ve expanded them as well — sometimes even before the last coat of paint is applied to the original building.

The result is that the Southern United States is challenging the Midwest, the country’s traditional center for automobile manufacturing, as the leading region for the industry.

“The South has become equal to the Midwest,” Morton said.

Morton said the Nissan plant in Canton, Miss., which began production in 2003, is a perfect example of how a Southern state aggressively recruits a foreign automaker. When Nissan began scouting locations for the plant, then-Mississippi Gov. Ronnie Musgrave told Morton that the state was not going to lose the project.

“It was such a major priority,” Morton said. “The state did everything it could to attract us. It wanted to be included in the southern states that have automobile manufacturing facilities.”

The result was the largest private capital investment in state history.

The Canton plant builds the Quest minivan, Titan pickup truck, the Armada SUV, the Infiniti QX56 luxury SUV and additional Altima sedans.

The company employs about 5,300 workers in Canton, and an additional 30,000 jobs have been created as a result of suppliers locating near the facility. By 2010, more than 26,000 additional high-wage jobs will be created, including those directly employed by the facility, and suppliers, retailers, service and support operations needed to accommodate the operation.

The state of Mississippi offered numerous incentives, including work force training — a hallmark of Southern states’ efforts to recruit automobile manufacturers.

“First, Mississippi officials helped in the actual recruitment of employees,” Morton said. “They then worked with us to customize a program. They support the cost of training because they consider it an investment in the people of the state.”

Working with the state of Mississippi and its own training objects, Nissan was able to bring employees quickly up to speed, Morton noted.

“The quality of cars coming out of [Canton] are comparable with the cars coming out of our plants 15 to 20 years ago,” he said.

Nissan so believed that it had made the right choice in selecting Canton that it announced an expansion halfway through the original construction. The automaker added 1 million square feet to the original 2.5 million square feet.

“That says a lot about the state’s commitment to the project,” Morton said.

Nissan Grows in Tennessee

Mississippi is not the only geographic point for Nissan in the South. The automaker also has two plants in Tennessee — a manufacturing plant in Smyrna and a plant that produces engines and powertrains in Decherd.

Both facilities have undergone expansions.

The Decherd plant began producing a 4-liter V6 engine for the Pathfinder last year. The 930,000 square foot plant has the capacity for machining and assembling 950,000 engines and 300,000 transaxles annually. It builds all the engines for vehicles manufactured in Smyrna and Canton. Beginning next year, plant employees will begin forging 1 million crankshafts annually.

Nissan has chosen the Smyrna plant as the location for production of its Altima gasoline-electric hybrid car beginning next year.

To accommodate the hybrid, Nissan will invest $10.4 million for additional equipment and minor modifications. No square footage will be added, but some employees will undergo training to help build the vehicle.

The Smyrna plant currently manufactures the Maxima sports sedan, Xterra sport utility vehicle (SUV), Frontier pickup truck, Altima mid-size sedans and the Pathfinder SUV.

“It’s a testament to the skill of our work force, as well as the flexibility of our manufacturing operation, that we can do this given the complexities of already building five different vehicles in Smyrna,” said Dan Gaudette, senior vice president of North American manufacturing and quality assurance for Nissan. “It will be in very capable hands.”

With rising gas prices, hybrid vehicles could become very popular in the coming years.

Toyota will produce its first North American gas-electric hybrid line at its plant in Georgetown, Ky., when production of a Camry hybrid begins late next year.

The plant will have the capacity to build about 48,000 Camry hybrids annually. The addition of hybrid production will include a $10 million investment in the plant, said Rick Hesterberg, assistant manager of corporate communications for Toyota Motor Manufacturing Kentucky, a wholly owned subsidiary of Toyota.

The production of the Camry hybrid will take place on the plant’s existing lines, so no new construction is planned, Hesterberg said.

Georgetown is Toyota’s largest manufacturing plant in North America and currently produces four models.

The plant will produce at full capacity this year (500,000 vehicles), Hesterberg said.

“The Georgetown plant has proven itself,” he said. “The work force is well-skilled and produces a high quality vehicle.”

The Camry hybrid joins a growing Toyota and Lexus hybrid lineup in the United States, which currently includes the Toyota Prius and the Lexus RX 400h SUV. The Toyota Highlander Hybrid SUV and the Lexus GS 450h hybrid luxury sedan are slated for production, as well.

“We’re convinced that hybrid technology is the key to the future of the automotive industry,” Hesterberg said. “As a manufacturer, we have to continually strive for environmentally friendly measures while also keeping in mind our customers. They want to enjoy the driving pleasure and performance.”

In terms of assembly, putting together a hybrid is not much different than putting together a conventional vehicle, Hesterberg said. There are some added complexities, however, that will necessitate worker training.

Quality personnel, for example, will need to be trained in detecting the different nuances of the hybrid system, he pointed out. One of the current testing standards is to listen to the engine for specific sounds.

“But the hybrid engine is so quiet we have to adjust and change our training requirements,” Hesterberg said.

Initially, parts and components for the Camry hybrid will come from Japan. Eventually, suppliers could be asked to site plants near Georgetown to supply the model, Hesterberg said.

Toyota Marches Across South

Toyota’s most noteworthy expansion project, however, is in San Antonio, Texas, where it is building an $800 million assembly plant where 150,000 Tundra full-size trucks will be produced annually, beginning next year. The plant is expected to employ 2,000 workers.

The work force at the plant itself is just part of the picture.

At least ten suppliers, plus several service companies will locate at the plant site, and many of suppliers, will be joint venture companies formed with minority partners, several of which will be from the area.

Supplier investment will be at least $100 million for buildings and equipment, according to Toyota.

Toyota Logistics Services (TLS), a wholly owned subsidiary of Toyota, will invest $40 million to build a 58-acre marshalling yard, vehicle processing center and a 93.5-acre rail yard to support the San Antonio facility.

The facility will provide the services needed to transport Tundra full-size pickup trucks from the factory to the showroom floor, said Alan DeCarr, group vice president for TLS and international operations.

Construction is expected to begin by the end of the year and should be completed before the opening of the plant.

The facility, which will create 75 jobs, will receive, process, accessorize and ship Tundra trucks to more than 1,500 dealerships in the United States, Canada and Mexico, as well as export vehicles to overseas distributors.

The automaker also announced earlier this year that it is launching a $120 million expansion at its engine and transmission plant in Buffalo, W.Va., boosting employment by 150 to about 1,150 workers.

Beginning in 2007, Toyota Motor Manufacturing, West Virginia (TMMWV) will build 240,000 additional automatic transmissions per year. This will bring the plant’s total automatic transmission capacity to 600,000 units.

This is the plant’s fifth expansion, which will increase total investment to more than $920 million. Since the plant was first announced in 1996, employment has nearly quadrupled.

As at Georgetown, Toyota executives credited the work force in West Virginia for the expansion.

“Our West Virginia [employees] are world class in both quality and productivity,” said David Copenhaver, vice president and secretary for TMMWV. “They successfully maintain very stringent quality standards [and] are a benchmark in the industry for productivity.”

The Buffalo plant machines and assembles four-cylinder engines, V6 engines and automatic transmissions.

Hyundai Opens Alabama Facility

South Korea-based Hyundai is hoping for success in the south similar to Nissan and Toyota. In May, the company began operations at its assembly plant in Montgomery, Ala. It is Hyundai’s first U.S. manufacturing plant.

Alabama, in turn, is hoping for similar success that Mercedes-Benz and Honda have found after siting manufacturing plants in the state.

Hyundai is producing the next generation Sonata with 2,000 employees. Next year, the automaker will begin production on the Santa Fe SUV. More employees will be added next month when the second shift begins.

At full capacity, the plant will produce 300,000 vehicles annually.

The 2 million square foot complex resides on nearly 1,750 acres of land and includes a vehicle assembly shop, stamping facility, paint shop, a test track and an engine shop where the Hyundai 3.3-liter V6 engine is produced.

Hyundai’s experience in quality and productivity were applied to the production techniques in Montgomery.

The stamping shop includes two stamping presses, which deliver 5,400 tons of pressure, making them some of the most advanced in the world. All material flow from the stamping shop into the welding shop is automated.

After arriving by electro-monorails from the stamping shop, more than 250 robots move the material, weld and seal, converting stamped steel into vehicles by complete automation.

Automation prevents possible damage to the steel and helps ensure quality and consistency, said Kathy Johnson, assistant manager of public relations for Hyundai Motor Manufacturing Alabama (HMMA).

In the paint shop, each vehicle body is thoroughly cleaned and a zinc-phosphate coating is applied, with will allow the water-based electrocoat to adhere to the car body. The body is submerged in a cathode dip bath to provide corrosion resistance and then rotated 360 degrees through each tank to eliminate any air bubbles in body cavities.

The vehicle is primed and then painted with a topcoat, which is the final color of the vehicle. With the help of high-speed atomizers and electrostatic charges, the body is given the smoothest finish possible.

The assembly area includes more than 7,000 feet of state-of-the-art conveyors that adjust to the height of each employee to allow for optimum position for installation and reduction of physical fatigue.

The final evaluation area includes a roll test, a high-pressure water test booth and a 2.3-mile test track with a variety of road surfaces, Johnson said.

“We are one of the most automotive plants in the world, and Hyundai’s most advanced plant to date,” she said. “We really had a great desire to employ automation because it prevents possible damage to the steel and it also helps insure quality and consistency on the automobiles.”

Johnson said Hyundai executives have been impressed with the work force in Montgomery. Although the automaker was present at career fairs across the state, most of the work force has come from the Montgomery metro area.

During the past two years, about 1,500 Alabama residents completed training for HMMA through AIDT, an institute of the state’s Department of Postsecondary Education. Once hired, employees traveled to South Korea for hands-on training in Hyundai manufacturing facilities.

Johnson said HMMA believes there is still an ample work force supply left for future expansion projects.

Twenty-three suppliers have sited facilities near the complex. These suppliers will eventually create more than 4,000 new jobs with a combined capital investment of nearly $475 million. The number of suppliers is significantly higher than the initial projections of 12 to 15, Johnson said.

The Trickle Down Effect

The automobile industry is distinct in that once a plant is sited, numerous suppliers — and suppliers to suppliers — will locate a facility nearby. It happened with Nissan in Mississippi and Tennessee, Hyundai in Alabama, and is in the process of happening with Toyota in Texas. In fact, it happens just about anywhere an automobile manufacturing plant is sited.

A study by the University of Michigan in 2000 showed that over a period of 10 to 20 years, there is a multiplier impact from the siting of an automobile manufacturing plant in region, including a supplier-base.

That’s why automakers are very confident that they will be able to expand their plants in the coming years.

“We expanded Smyrna 20 years after the first car was built there,” Morton said. “Smyrna today can build more than 500,000 units a year and Canton can build 400,000 units a year. You can assume that Canton can be expanded to produce as many as Smyrna.”

Rural King

09-16-2005, 02:07 PM

TVA: Crockett Co. site fit for auto industry
1,600-acre area designated 'megasite,' one of five in Tennessee Valley region

NED B. HUNTER
nhunter@jacksonsun.com

ALAMO - Nearly 2.5 square miles of Crockett County was designated by the Tennessee Valley Authority on Thursday as suitable for the construction of an automobile assembly plant.

TVA Chairman Bill Baxter made the announcement at a Thursday press conference attended by nearly 200 elected state and local officials, land owners and students in the auditorium of Crockett County High School in Alamo.

The 1,600-acre area, bordered by U.S. 412 to the west and Williams Road to the east, is one of only five areas in the TVA region to receive the distinction, Baxter said.

Two are in Mississippi, a third is in Kentucky and the fourth is in Chattanooga.

Baxter praised local and area officials, whom he said "overcame numerous obstacles" to receive the designation.

"Crockett County was an underdog when it started, because it is not close to a metropolitan area and has no major airport or research university," he said.

In the end, the county was able to win the designation because it has a major CSX railroad and highway system nearby, passed archeological and environmental surveys, proved it could build the infrastructure if needed and banded together landowners who agreed to sell their property if asked to create the site, said Mark Sweeney, senior principal of McCallum Sweeney Consulting.

Hugh Ellington was one of the landowners.

"It's good for the community, and if we don't get it (the megasite), we still retain our land," said the 80-year-old Ellington, who owns about 3.7 acres within the megasite area.

It has taken nearly two years for Crockett County officials to win the designation for the site, which is the equivalent of nearly 1,455 football fields. The area also has designated an extra 500 acres for future expansion of the megasite area, if necessary.

It first had to overcome issues of wastewater management and environmental questions, said Frankie McCord, executive director of the Crockett County Chamber of Commerce.

Eventually, the county was able to coordinate its possible future needs with the city of Bells, which will help with water and gas infrastructure, and the Jackson Energy Authority, which will help with the wastewater infrastructure, if needed, McCord said.

The county also had troubles getting some landowners on board the project the first time around, said 76-year-old Edwin Marlowe, who has 1.5 acres valued at $121,000 within the site.

"Some of the older folks had the land in their family for years and hated to give it up," he said.

Winning the designation puts Crockett County in the hunt for a possible automobile or truck manufacturing plant.

Toyota announced earlier this year that it expects to build another facility somewhere in North America.

The TVA worked closely with Toyota, Nissan and an undisclosed domestic auto manufacturer to ensure the Crockett County site could meet their needs if desired, Baxter said.

Visit talkback.jacksonsun.com and share your thoughts.

- Ned Hunter, 425-9641

Originally published September 16, 2005

http://www.jacksonsun.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050916/NEWS01/509160305/1002

James Bond Agent 007

09-17-2005, 12:20 AM

^
I knew you were gonna post an article on that. ;) I saw another article on it yesterday but thought I'd let you post it instead. ;) :D

Rural King

09-17-2005, 06:26 AM

^ Thanks. :D This was big news for my region. I'm very enthused about the site's prospects.

Some other local developments for West Tennessee, its been awhile since I have had some to post:

ARJ Awarded Toyota Contract
ARJ Manufacturing will begin producing a rear-seat recliner part for use in Toyota trucks in late 2006. The additional work is expected to increase the company`s future sales by nearly 31 percent and add an additional 50 people. The company currently employs approximately 160 people.

The parts will go to several tier-two facilities. ARJ will do the assembly and have the parts shipped to Toyota. They will be metal-stamped with some welding involved. ARJ will make an initial $7 million investment in new welding and ancillary equipment to make the parts.

ARJ Manufacturing ia a metal stamping plant that produces parts for automotive seat frames and tracking systems. The company has been in Jackson since May 2002.

http://www.wtia.org/aboutwtia/announcements/detail.lasso?Record=262
--------------

Pinnacle Expansion Creates Jobs in Jackson
Pinnacle Foods` Jackson plant has expanded into the frozen fish dinner market, a move that meant hiring 200 additional workers.

Completing a nearly $13 million capital expansion project, Pinnacle Foods workers began slicing, breading, frying, freezing and packaging 60-pound blocks of already processed fish for the company`s Van De Camp and Mrs. Paul`s frozen fish dinner lines. After Pinnacle Foods decided to close its Erie, PA plant, the Jackson plant became the beneficiary of the added production lines.

The food company, which manufactures Aunt Jemima frozen breakfast and Hungry Man frozen dinners, spent $14 million to construct and equip a new 15,000 square-foot addition to its existing 326,000 square foot facility. The facility now totals nearly 341,000 square feet and employs about 550.

The expansion created 100 hourly, full-time and 100 hourly, part-time employes to staff four, rotating crews.

http://www.wtia.org/aboutwtia/announcements/detail.lasso?Record=237

--------

Carrier Announces 300 New Jobs in Collierville
State of Tennessee Economic and Community Development Commissioner Matthew Kisber joined Carrier Corporation executives on August 27 as they announced plans to expand its Collierville facility and create 300 new jobs.

The expansion represents a $250 million investment. It is the largest single investment Carrier has ever made. Carrier plans to more efficiently manufacture units, putting more environmentally friendly production processes in place.

As the largest employer in Collierville, this announcement will mean more quality jobs for citizens in Collierville and in surrounding communities.

http://www.wtia.org/aboutwtia/announcements/detail.lasso?Record=264

James Bond Agent 007

09-19-2005, 06:10 AM

http://louisville.bizjournals.com/louisville/stories/2005/09/19/story4.html

September 16, 2005
Acceptance of wage agreement could lead to 200 new workers
Brent Adams
Business First Staff Writer

General Electric Co.'s Appliance Park often has been rumored to be on its way to obselesence.

But union leader Tommy Spires says the new wage-structure agreement approved this week by union members will bring stability to the plant.

Nearly 70 percent of the 2,744 members of International Union of Electronic, Electrical, Salaried, Machine and Furniture Workers-Communications Workers of America Local 761 voted Monday to accept the agreement, which was proposed by GE.

The agreement could pave the way for GE to add at least 200 workers at the plant by 2007, said Spires, who is president of the local.

Spires added that he worked with IUE-CWA leaders worked with company officials to hammer out details of the agreement, which will allow GE's Consumer and Industrial division to hire new workers at a lower wage rate than that paid to existing union employees, Spires said.

"The membership concurred with what (union leaders) set out to do," Spires said. "We wanted to do three things: Help get the older workers out (of Appliance Park); protect existing workers with less than 10 years experience; and provide decent jobs for people who are out there working for 6 or 8 bucks an hour with no benefits. I feel like this agreement at least stabilizes things at Appliance Park for the next few years."

New hires will receive lower pay, equal benefits

Employees hired after Sept. 15 for entry-level production positions will begin at $12.88 an hour versus the former rate of $19.82 an hour, Kim Freeman, director of media relations for GE Consumer and Industrial, said in an e-mail.

New hires will receive the same cost-of-living increases as existing union members, whose national agreement with the company runs through 2007, Freeman said. Any new employees also will receive full GE benefits, including medical and dental insurance.

"The new wage rates are in line with our competitors and with starting rates paid by employers in the Louisville area," Freeman said.

New workers will replace those taking early retirement

Many of the new hires will replace employees who accept GE's early retirement plan, Spires said.

According to union correspondence obtained by Business First, 800 to 1,000 workers could be offered early-retirement packages through 2010.

Under the agreement, GE will offer 100 early-retirement slots in 2006 and another 100 in 2007, and replace those workers with new workers at the lower wage rate, Spires said.

"It's a bit of a wash, but you have to look at it this way -- if you don't preserve the existing jobs, they're gone," Spires said. "I'm not sure I can say what the future holds, but my mission is to leave (Appliance Park) the way I found it when I took over as president."

Agreement could keep park competitive

The agreement, Freeman said, was essential to keeping Appliance Park afloat in the face of increased competition. Appliance Park lost $90 million in 2004, Freeman said.

Foreign competitors offering appliances at discount prices continue to put pressure on GE, which has made washing machines, dishwashers, stoves and other appliances at Appliance Park since opening in 1953.

GE also is locked in a head-to-head battle with Benton Harbor, Mich.-based Whirlpool Corp., which recently announced a proposed merger with Newton, Iowa-based rival Maytag Corp.

The merger, which would give Whirlpool a significant share of the U.S. appliance market, awaits U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission approval.

"Our ability to be cost competitive will determine our future," Freeman said, adding that GE could hire as many as 500 employees in "the coming years."

theman

09-19-2005, 07:04 PM

Fidelity Invokes Little Rock as Leverage in Florida

By Chip Taulbee
Arkansas Business - 9/19/05

Arkansas has reportedly put a $22.2 million incentive package on the table for Fidelity National Financial Inc. in exchange for 800 new jobs.

The package signals a tightening of competition between Little Rock, which is already home to some 1,100 employees of the company’s Fidelity Information Services unit, and the Fortune 500 company’s Jacksonville, Fla., headquarters. Jacksonville has its own $10.5 million offer to get the new positions, and earlier in the year it was the recipient of dozens of Fidelity jobs moved from Little Rock.

As both cities court the new jobs, Fidelity has not been shy about playing one off the other in order to get the best possible deal.

Little Rock’s incentive package was revealed at an Aug. 23 Jacksonville City Council meeting by Ginny Myrick of Holland & Knight, a law firm that represents Fidelity. Myrick was using Little Rock’s reported offer as leverage to persuade the council to approve $10.5 million in incentives from Jacksonville and the state of Florida. The council approved.

Arkansas Business acquired a written copy of Myrick’s presentation that outlined the incentives, the vast majority of which were to come from Arkansas’ Create Rebate program.

Myrick, who could not be reached for comment, reported to the council that Fidelity could rake in more than $18.5 million in tax rebates over 10 years if the company increased its Arkansas payroll by $2 million over two years.

Other incentives would come from the Advantage Arkansas tax credit program, the Investment Arkansas credit on sales and use tax program, training incentives, infrastructure improvements from the city of Little Rock, and economic development incentives from the Fifty for the Future organization.

Despite the documentation by Fidelity’s lawyer, Fidelity spokeswoman Michelle Kersch said she was not aware of any negotiations with Little Rock or Arkansas. And Mitch Chandler, communications section leader for the Arkansas Department of Economic Development, followed the department’s policy of refusing to confirm or deny negotiations between the state and any particular company.

Chandler did, however, say the state would make efforts to keep Fidelity jobs in Little Rock and to add more.

“It’s important for us to keep Fidelity here,” Chandler said. “We want to keep those jobs. They’re high-paying jobs. They’re important jobs to our community. They have been for a long time.”

Whether Fidelity is considering adding any jobs to its Little Rock campus is unknown; however, its Information Services unit grew last week in a merger with check authorizing provider Certegy Inc. of St. Petersburg, Fla. Certegy has more than 5,000 employees worldwide, but it remains to be seen whether any of them will be relocated as part of its merger with Fidelity.

The homegrown Fidelity Information Services was founded in 1968 by Jack Stephens and Walter Smiley as Systematics. Later it became Alltel Information Services, and then became Fidelity Information Services in 2003 when it was sold to Fidelity National Financial.

Bruce Moore, Little Rock city manager, said the city would do what it could to keep Fidelity jobs in Little Rock and even add more; however, Moore denied there had been any negotiations with Fidelity.

“To characterize it as starting negotiations would be a little off,” Moore said. “We’ve had continual dialogue with the leadership of Fidelity for a period of time.”

Moore would not detail what efforts the city made to keep Fidelity from moving jobs from Little Rock to Jacksonville earlier this year, but he did say that they had “dialogue.”

In January, Arkansas Business reported — citing unnamed sources — that Fidelity was on the verge of eliminating about 100 technical support jobs with average salaries of at least $50,000 in Little Rock.

At the time, company officials, including Kersh and Harold Fackler, senior vice president of Fidelity Information Services, denied any knowledge of jobs leaving Little Rock. But in February, the company told its Little Rock employees that some of their jobs were being relocated to Jacksonville or being eliminated as part of a “reduction in force.”

Fidelity has never reported the number of jobs that were moved. They also did not respond to numerous requests for a count of Little Rock employees. The Little Rock Regional Chamber of Commerce, however, reported that figure to be 1,100, citing Fidelity.

Fidelity’s last round of talks with Jacksonville netted it a $12.5 million incentive package in exchange for the company moving its headquarters from Santa Barbara, Calif., to Jacksonville.

According to Ginny Walthour of the Jacksonville Economic Development Commission, Fidelity is still mulling Jacksonville’s most recent offer. Walthour also said Little Rock and Jacksonville were the only places she was aware of competing for the new Fidelity jobs.

James Bond Agent 007

09-22-2005, 03:29 AM

Another expansion of a diswasher plant, in addition to the Viking one in Mississippi I posted above.

Not all household appliances are made in Mexico, you know. :D

In fact, they decided to locate this one in NC even after considering locations in Mexico and China! :eek:

http://www.journalnow.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=WSJ%2FMGArticle%2FWSJ_BasicArticle&c=MGArticle&cid=1031785195324&path=!localnews!article&s=1037645509099

Wednesday, September 21, 2005
NC EconWatch: Dishwasher plant to expand in Lenoir County
Associated Press

KINSTON, N.C. - The Electrolux dishwasher plant in Lenoir County will expand production to make a new line of stainless steel dishwashers and create 97 new jobs during the next three years, officials said Wednesday.

Electrolux said it will invest $18 million to expand its Kinston plant, which now employs 870 workers and has made dishwashers since 1989. The company received a $200,000 grant from the One North Carolina Fund, which is used for economic development.

Gov. Mike Easley said the company decided to expand in Kinston after looking at locations in China and Mexico. Production of the new machines should begin in 2007 after new manufacturing equipment is installed.

"Our experience at the Kinston factory shows that we can produce the extremely high quality product that research shows consumers of these premium dishwashers insist upon," said Keith McLoughlin, CEO of Electrolux Major Appliances Division in North and Latin America.

New jobs being created will be skilled manufacturing positions with an average weekly pay of $772 plus benefits. The county's average wage is $495.

James Bond Agent 007

09-22-2005, 03:35 AM

http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/050921/cgw015.html?.v=28

Target to Locate New Import Warehouse in Savannah
Wednesday September 21, 3:00 pm ET
Facility to Create Hundreds of New Jobs

SAVANNAH, Ga., Sept. 21 /PRNewswire/ -- Governor Sonny Perdue announced today that Target will build a two million-square-foot import warehouse at the Savannah River International Trade Park. The facility will initially employ 200, with the addition of several hundred jobs within the first few years of the facility's operation.

The new Savannah import warehouse will be located at the Savannah River International Trade Park, four miles from the Garden City Terminal at the Port of Savannah. Construction has already begun and is scheduled for completion in the summer of 2007. Hiring for the facility will begin in the spring of 2007.

"Target plays a vital role in Georgia's economy, and today's announcement is a product of the close cooperation of the state, the Georgia Ports Authority, and city and county economic development officials," said Governor Sonny Perdue.

Target operates 41 stores in the state of Georgia, including seven SuperTarget stores, and a 1.5 million-square-foot distribution center in Tifton that employs approximately 800. In January, Target announced that it would build a distribution center in Midway, Georgia (Liberty County) that is currently under construction.

"Savannah/Chatham County, the state of Georgia and the Georgia Ports Authority have provided Target an excellent opportunity to continue growing our import and distribution business," said Mitch Stover, senior vice president, distribution, Target. "We look forward to building a long standing relationship with the Savannah community."

"Today's announcement is just the first step in continuing our development of a world-class port," said Georgia Ports Authority Chairman of the Board Mack Mattingly. "All the hard work we have put into the Savannah International Trade Park has paid off in landing one of our country's top retail distribution tenants."

"We would like to thank Target for their confidence in our ability to handle their business," said Doug J. Marchand, executive director of the GPA. "This announcement will create jobs and economic opportunities throughout Georgia for many years to come."

"The state of Georgia and Savannah/Chatham County have supported our superior port with the infrastructure necessary to attract and locate major distribution operations. The location of this Target Import Warehouse further confirms the area's position as one of the most logistics friendly in the nation. We are proud to welcome Target to the community," said SEDA president Rick Winger.

fla_tiger

09-23-2005, 02:56 PM

Cleco plans $1Billion Boyce project with Shaw
1200 construction and 80 permanent jobs

CityBusiness staff report
September 22, 2005 10:28 AM

PINEVILLE. Central Louisiana Electric Corporation (Cleco Corp) subsidiary, Cleco Power LLC, today signed a $1 billion
engineering, procurement and construction contract with Baton Rouge-based Shaw Group Inc. to build a clean coal power generating plant near Boyce, La.

The 600-megawatt facility, first announced in July, will be completed by mid-2009. "Even though our company is focused on restoring power in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, we have never deviated from our plan to develop this project," said Michael Madison, president and CEO of Cleco Corp. "Our state needs the infusion of the projected 1,200 construction jobs and nearly 80 permanent good-paying jobs, and our customers will realize much-needed relief from forecasted higher natural gas
prices. The facility will be able to use a variety of solid fuels, Madison said, including petroleum coke, a byproduct of the oil refining industry."

Boyce is located on the west bank of the Red River 15 miles west of Alexandria.

http://usera.imagecave.com/fla_tiger/industries/cm2699.gif

theman

09-24-2005, 10:55 PM

Beverly extends deadline for buyer
BY CRISTAL CODY ARKANSAS DEMOCRAT-GAZETTE

Beverly Enterprises Inc. on Friday granted North American Senior Care Inc. an extension to find other investors to contribute to the $1.9 billion acquisition after some walked away over the state’s "business climate."
Fort Smith-based Beverl said the agreement extends Thursday’s deadline to complete financing for the merger until Nov. 18. North American paid $3 million as a good faith deposit, bringing the total amount the investor group has paid Beverly to $10 million.
"We’ve been told by North American Senior Care that some of its equity investors have expressed concerns about the hearings in Arkansas, and because of that, at this time they are not participating in the financing," Beverly spokesman Blair Jackson said. "The hearings are sending the wrong signal about the business climate in Arkansas."
Some state legislators have discussed the deal and North American’s financial history in committee meetings, and at least one more is scheduled.
North American Senior Care representative Leonard Grunstein, a New York real estate attorney, did not return a phone call for comment.
North American Senior Care must pay Beverly the entire good faith deposit of $60 million and provide a $350 million equity commitment by the new deadline. The amended merger agreement waives the $40 million termination fee if the deal is canceled, Jackson said.
The new extension lifts restrictions on Beverly’s board to pursue other offers for the nursing home company until the entire good faith deposit has been paid.
"Essentially it allows the board to keep its options open," Jackson said.
The sale of the nation’s second-largest nursing home company had been placed for discussion in two legislative hearings at the state Capitol last Tuesday and last week by state Rep. Stephen Bright, RMaumelle.
The topic was voted down Sept. 15 by a majority of members of the Joint Public Health, Welfare and Labor Committee, who cited concerns from Beverly and Fort Smith representatives that the inquiry could harm North American’s financing. The committee said it will discuss the sale at its Oct. 25 hearing.
Bright also moved discussion of the sale to a joint meeting last Tuesday of the House Joint Performance Review Committee and the House Human Services Permanent Subcommittee of Public Health, but he withdrew the topic after learning legislators would again vote to end the discussion.
Bright and others have expressed concern over how North American will provide care for more than 1,400 Arkansas nursing-home residents in Beverly’s facilities. Beverly operates more than 300 nursing homes across the country.
North American is operated by the owner of Atlanta-based Mariner Health Care Inc. Mariner was purchased in December by Harry Grunstein, who sold the company’s real estate to help finance the deal.
Beverly distributor Gulf South Medical Supply Inc. last week ended a 20-year relationship that paid $34.5 million over the past year because of lawsuits it has filed in Georgia to recoup unpaid bills from Mariner Health Care. Mariner also faces lawsuits in other states, including Mississippi, from other businesses over unpaid bills.
Bright said Friday that he doubts the Little Rock hearings led to investors backing away from the deal.
"This is consistent with what we’ve been saying," he said. "Based on their track records, they may not be able to meet their obligations to provide adequate care to the tens of thousands of nursing-home residents that would be a part of this deal. [Mariner] is being sued by their own lawyers [and] suppliers for their failure to meet their obligations and pay their bills. I hope other legislators will take a hard look and ask not only Beverly, but North American Senior Care, some questions."
Beverly shares fell 25 cents, or 2 percent, to close Friday at $12.32 in composite trading on the New York Stock Exchange

theman

09-26-2005, 08:33 PM

Report: Wal-Mart Considers Tommy Hilfiger Bid

By Northwest Arkansas Business Journal staff, Arkansasbusiness.com Daily Report

Wal-Mart Stores Inc. of Bentonville is considering making a bid for struggling clothing manufacturer Tommy Hilfiger Corp., according to Women’s Wear Daily.

The New York newspaper, which covers the fashion industry, reported Monday that unnamed “financial and industry sources” said Wal-Mart would start its due diligence “possibly by week’s end.”

Wal-Mart spokeswoman Gail Lavielle said the retailer “can’t comment on rumors.”

With the popularity of its all-American look in decline since 2000, Hong Kong-based Hilfiger Corp. announced earlier this month that the company was up for auction.

For the fiscal year ended March 31, Hilfiger Corp. had an estimated $1.78 billion in revenue, down from $1.87 billion last year, and $69.75 million in net income, according to MarketWatch Inc. While Hilfiger Corp.’s sales are down, competitors such as Ralph Lauren are seeing increases in revenue.

In August, Hilfiger Corp. said it will pay more than $18 million to cover back taxes owed to the U.S. and settle a federal probe related to commissions it paid in Hong Kong. Because of the federal investigation, Hilfiger Corp. has yet to file its annual report for fiscal 2005.

Hilfiger Corp.’s market capitalization is $1.61 billion. The company is traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol TOM.

Hilfiger Corp. has been in restructuring mode for the past two years.

Wal-Mart paid Hilfiger Corp. $6.4 million in 1999 to settle charges that Wal-Mart had willfully sold counterfeit Tommy Hilfiger clothing and merchandise after it had been warned not to do so. The settlement stemmed from a 1996 injunction Hilfiger Corp. brought against Wal-Mart to stop selling the counterfeit products.

------------------------------------------

WSJ: Alltel Among Suitors for Midwest Wireless

By Arkansas Business staff, Arkansasbusiness.com Daily Report

Alltel Corp. of Little Rock and Verizon Wireless of Bedminster, N.J., are among the companies expected to consider the purchase of Midwest Wireless of Mankato, Minn., according to a story Monday in The Wall Street Journal.

The story, says Midwest, which has 400,000 customers throughout small markets in Minnesota, Iowa and Wisconsin, could fetch as much as $1 billion.

The story notes that Verizon already has a pre-existing network-sharing agreement with Midwest.

Last week, the Journal reported that Alltel was also mulling a merger with Centennial Communications Corp. of Wall, N.J., another independent wireless company on the auction block.

James Bond Agent 007

09-28-2005, 01:45 AM

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=10000101&sid=ak.PudEWvWQ8&refer=japan

Honda May Expand Alabama Plant If Truck Sales Grow (Update1)

Sept. 27 (Bloomberg) -- Honda Motor Co., the first Asian carmaker to build autos in the U.S., may expand its Alabama plant for a second time if demand for minivans and sport-utility vehicles keeps growing, the company's U.S. chief executive said.

Honda, Japan's third-largest automaker, could build 100,000 more vehicles annually at the Lincoln, Alabama, plant ``with a minimum investment'' in as little as a year, said Koichi Kondo, who manages the Tokyo-based company's North American unit. Lincoln's two assembly lines now can produce a total of 300,000 Odyssey minivans and Pilot SUVs a year.

``End of this year, or probably the beginning of next year, most of the U.S. factories will come to full utilization,'' Kondo said an interview yesterday at Honda's U.S. headquarters in Torrance, California. ``The next step may be, we haven't decided yet, maybe we increase the production capacity in our Alabama plant.''

Honda began making autos in the U.S. in 1982 with its Marysville, Ohio, factory, and relied on U.S., Canadian and Mexican plants to build 79 percent of the 991,754 Honda and Acura models sold in the U.S. this year through August.

The company can make as many as 1.4 million cars and light trucks a year at five North American plants, and typically builds a higher percentage of autos for the U.S. from within North America than Asian and European rivals do.

Honda's American depositary receipts, which each represent half an ordinary share, fell 2 cents to $26.84 in New York Stock Exchange composite trading at 4:16 p.m.

Full Production

Honda's U.S. and Canadian plants will be close to full use in 2006 when the company begins making CR-V and Acura RDX small sport-utility vehicles in Ohio, said Kondo, 58. No decision has been made on adding a sixth North American factory, he said.

``We've already factored in that extra 100,000 units in our forecast for Honda,'' said Catherine Madden, who studies automakers' production plans for Global Insight Inc. in Lexington, Massachusetts. ``If they want to compete in the North American market in the future, the bottom line is they are going to have to add more capacity.''

An expansion of the Lincoln plant, which opened in 2001 and added a second production line last year, will be influenced by whether rising gasoline prices curb demand for the company's light trucks, Kondo said.

The U.S. average retail gasoline price jumped to a record $3.07 a gallon early this month after Hurricane Katrina shut down refineries in the Gulf Coast region, according to Energy Department data. The pump price was $2.80 as of yesterday.

U.S. sales of light trucks, which include SUVs, minivans and pickups, rose 5.1 percent this year through August to 6.58 million, according to Autodata Corp. Honda's light-truck sales increased 17 percent, led by gains of 21 percent for the Pilot and 16 percent for the Odyssey.

Lincoln Plans

Honda has invested more than $1.2 billion on the Lincoln factory and is adding capacity to make more parts for the V-6 engines that it also builds, plant spokesman Mark Morrison said. Employment has risen to 4,500, with 100 more workers to be hired when the engine-parts expansion is finished next year, he said.

``They're going to look at an expansion or a new facility within the next two years,'' said Joe Langley, an auto analyst at CSM Worldwide in Farmington Hills, Michigan. ``If they keep chugging along at the existing capacity level, they'd have to import more products to keep growing.''

The company's goal is to keep trying to raise the level of vehicles built within North America, Kondo said.

``We are always trying to be more localized,'' he said. ``Now it's 80 percent, so we don't want to reduce this percentage. We have to maintain it. The objective is always 100 percent.''

James Bond Agent 007

09-29-2005, 09:35 AM

http://www.southernstandard.net/news.ez?viewStory=21632

Auto parts maker Aisin opens plant in Anderson County

CLINTON (AP) — A Japanese auto parts manufacturer has opened a plant in Anderson County and hired 124 workers with expectations to employ up to 400 in two years.

Aisin Automotive Casting Tennessee Inc., a subsidiary of Aisin Seiki Co. Ltd., makes oil pumps, water pumps, pistons and cylinder head covers for Toyota, Honda and General Motors. Mass production began in July after the company spent $67 million to bring the facility to Clinton.

Company officials said they plan to hire nearly 40 more workers by the end of the year and more than double that by 2007.

"Another positive recruitment effort has come to fruition thanks to the collaboration of state and local government, and the best part of this partnership is the job opportunities this investment will create for hundreds of Tennesseans," Gov. Phil Bredesen said during a grand opening celebration Wednesday.

Aisin announced in February 2004 its plans to build the 280,000-square-foot plant off Interstate 75, citing support from the state, Tennessee Valley Authority and the cities of Clinton and Oak Ridge.

State, local and federal governments contributed about $3 million in economic incentives, including $800,000 in jobs tax credits, $750,000 in infrastructure and training money and $500,000 in tax credits for the purchase of industrial machinery.

Clinton and Anderson County each gave $225,000 for infrastructure improvements. Oak Ridge put in $90,000 and TVA gave $300,0000.

More than 70 percent of new jobs created in Tennessee last year were the result of the state's involvement in the growth and expansion of Tennessee companies, Bredesen's spokeswoman Lydia Lenker said.

"This announcement is a very good example of the state and local cooperation that is part of the governor's strategic vision for job creation in Tennessee," she said.

Aisin's plant will affect the entire region, said Tim Thompson, president of the Melton Hill Regional Industrial Development Association.

"It not only impacts Anderson County, but surrounding counties because (Aisin) will draw employees within a 45-minute drive," Thompson said. "It's really a regional impact."

There are 160 Japanese companies employing more than 40,000 workers in Tennessee, Lenker said.

James Bond Agent 007

09-30-2005, 01:38 AM

http://www.bizjournals.com/industries/economic_view/economic_snapshot/2005/09/26/louisville_daily40.html

Business First of Louisville
Thursday, September 29, 2005
UPS plans to add 424 jobs
John R. Karman III
Business First Staff Writer

United Parcel Service Inc. -- already Kentucky's largest employer -- has another major expansion planned for Louisville that could bring 424 new jobs to the city.

UPS Supply Chain Solutions, a division of the Atlanta-based package-handling giant, is considering buying an 800,000-square-foot distribution facility under construction on the site of the old Louisville Motor Speedway at 1920 Outer Loop.

The company would invest $34.3 million for land and construction costs. It also is considering spending $11.5 million for machinery and capital equipment.

UPS Supply Chain Solutions manages all aspects of the company's global network, including transportation, management, logistics and distribution.

The company already owns a 517,000-square-foot warehouse in the developing industrial park, which is called Louisville Metro Commerce Center on Outer Loop. It uses that facility to receive, store and distribute pharmaceuticals and medical devices.

The latest UPS project was announced at a Sept. 29 meeting of the Kentucky Economic Development Finance Authority in Frankfort. It was one of six economic-development initiatives proposed for Jefferson and Bullitt counties introduced at that meeting.

The six projects could bring up to 685 new jobs and $75 million in new investments to the region.

Another project proposed for outside of the Greater Louisville area could bring up to 500 new jobs to the state.

One Cloverleaf LLC, a division of Dublin, Ohio-based Cardinal Health Inc., received preliminary approval for up to $8 million in tax credits to establish a customer-service facility in Radcliff.

[...]

DruidCity

09-30-2005, 07:15 PM

Here are plans for the largest new retail development in metro Tuscaloosa in 25 years, the revamped "Midtown" project:

It's "sprawl," but it's sprawl that is within 5 blocks of the university, main hospital, and some new condos.

The original Midtown plan by local developer Stan Pate would've been about 380,000 sqft of retail on 40 acres.

The new plan, by Texas-based Cypress Equities, which purchased the property from Pate yesterday, includes 365,000 sqft of retail and office space, but also 150,000 sqft of residential on 36 acres, in mixed-use buildings to 4 stories:

http://www.cypressequities.com/dev_detail.aspx?property_id=10023

Pate's original plan included Barnes & Noble and Publix as two of the anchors, so I'm guessing those will carry over to the new design.

A 7-story, $18-million, 60-unit condo, "The Legends," will have its pre-sale October 21 (pricing starting at $315,000 ): http://www.thelegendsoftuscaloosa.com/photogallery.html

Yesterday, the city gave tentative approval to the redesigned "Riverwalk Place" luxury condo, which is now set for 6 stories and 31 units (pricing starting at $700,000+), plus a stand-alone restaurant and a Sister Cities park. Developers hope to begin construction in fall 2006.

Outside of the downtown-university area, construction is expected to begin by the end of the year on a $10-million Hilton Garden Inn, 6 or 7 stories.

*** EDIT ***
The city just approved a zoning change that would allow a former auto repair shop downtown to be replaced by a mixed-use building (retail or restaurant on bottom floor, possibly office space on the next, then the rest residential) that is tentatively scheduled to be 8 stories. Previously, I had described this project as a "possible 11-story building," but we'll take what we can get.

bystander1

09-30-2005, 10:27 PM

^^ Looks like Montgomery and Tuscaloosa are building Mid-town shopping centers at the same time. Cool.
This development has been called a major piece of the plan to revitalize the midtown and downtown areas. It too is the first major shopping center this close to downtown in over 25 years.

Construction starts on SuperCenter site

By David Irvin
Montgomery Advertiser

More info:
STORES IN MIDTOWN PLAZA
Stores coming to the new Midtown Plaza shopping center, according to developers McClinton and Co.:
Wal-Mart SuperCenter
Ross Dress For Less
Office Depot
Dollar Tree
Foot Locker
Payless Shoes
Nail Studio
Cuts By Us
Sally Beauty Supply

Nine gold-painted shovels dug into the soft dirt Tuesday as the construction of the Midtown Plaza officially kicked off.

Anchored by a brand-new Wal-Mart SuperCenter, the set of shops will be built on a 45-acre plot of land southeast of the Ann Street and Highland Avenue intersection.

"This was a great location. There are so many houses and communities over in here," said James Pike, district manager for Wal-Mart. "The traffic in Montgomery just gets worse every day, and it makes it so much harder for our customer to drive to our stores now. It means so much to our customers to be able to shop in their community."

The Wal-Mart SuperCenter will open with 650 to 700 employees, many from surrounding communities, Pike said. Site work will begin on the 45-acre project in early 2006, with the removal of approximately 75 houses from the piece of land just north of Interstate 85.

The land was consolidated after developers signed 80 contracts and began preparing for construction over the next year.

The plaza also will be home to Ross Dress for Less, Office Depot and Dollar Tree, as well as smaller shops like Foot Locker and Nail Studio. In all, the 300,000-square-foot development is expected to be complete by fall 2006.

For the developers, getting the deal done meant convincing neighbors of the plaza's value to the surrounding communities.

"It really hinged on the cooperation that we got from the community, the immediate surrounding neighborhoods," said David McClinton, senior vice president of development company McClinton and Co.

"It took some selling on the front end to help people realize the vision that we had for it, but you are always going to have some who don't agree or don't see it. We still feel that it will be a great economic benefit to the neighborhood, rather than any sort of detriment," he said.

Juanita Smith has lived on Cherry Street across from the new development for a little more than a year and a half. She said she worries that her quiet neighborhood will change into a bustling commercial zone when the development is finished.

"It may be convenient for a lot of people in this area to have Wal-Mart this close, (those) who don't have cars and all, but not for me," said Smith. "I'd rather drive out where they've already changed it from a residential district than to have it at my front door."

City officials have said, however, that Ann Street will be widened from I-85 to Highland Avenue by the developers to accomodate more traffic.

Smith's immediate neighbor, Peter Williams, said he welcomes the new stores to the neighborhood. The convenience of having so many shopping options in walking distance is a good thing, he said.

"It think it will be fine. I think it's great for the neighborhood. There's going to be more traffic, but you see they can get in those side streets there, so I think it will be fine," Williams said. "It's a good spot for it."

James Bond Agent 007

10-01-2005, 02:56 AM

Though this is out of our geographic region, here's another article on the impact that a large auto assembly plant can have. Let's hope that Kia and Audi make their decisions soon!

http://www.bizjournals.com/industries/manufacturing/general/2005/09/26/sanantonio_daily37.html

San Antonio Business Journal
Friday, September 30, 2005
Three suppliers added at Toyota plant

Employment and investment by on-site suppliers at Toyota Motor Manufacturing Texas Inc.'s plant in San Antonio will exceed earlier projections, state, local and company officials said Friday.

Toyota and its on-site suppliers together will employ about 4,100 when production of Tundra pickup trucks begins late next year.

The suppliers expect to employ 2,100 people, about 600 more than estimated last December. They will invest about $300 million -- twice as initially reported.

Part of the increase stems from the addition of three suppliers for a total of 21 on-site vendors: Kautex, a division of Textron Inc. (NYSE: TXT) that makes fuel tanks; MetoKote Corp., which produces coatings for automobiles and other products; and Tokai Rika Co. Ltd., which seat belts and other automotive components.

The Toyota plant itself will employ 2,000 people. The $850 million plant will build 200,000 vehicles a year.

"The Toyota project continues to exceed our expectation by creating more jobs and investing more in our great state," Gov. Rick Perry said during an announcement in San Antonio. "This is a direct result of the teamwork by the state of Texas, Bexar County, the city of San Antonio and many other partners with Toyota."

San Antonio Mayor Phil Hardberger says: "Toyota continues to prove that it is a world-class company and an incredible asset to the San Antonio community. I am very pleased that Toyota and their suppliers continue to create jobs and add investment into San Antonio's economy. They are great partners for the city of San Antonio."

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Here's a pic of the vehicle they'll be making - the Toyota Tundra:

http://www.edmunds.com/media/reviews/top10/05.trucks.best.residual.value/05.toyota.tundra.500.jpg

James Bond Agent 007

10-07-2005, 02:07 AM

http://birmingham.bizjournals.com/birmingham/stories/2005/10/03/story2.html

Birmingham Business Journal
September 30, 2005
Coating firm to spend millions on plant, create 80 jobs
Kaija Wilkinson
Staff

Jim Searcy, vice president of the Birmingham Metropolitan Development Board, downplays MDB's role in landing Precoat Metals as one of the area's major new industrial tenants. St. Louis-based Precoat recently bought a 150,00-square-foot facility on 22 acres in Hueytown, and plans to make more than $30 million worth of improvements to the property and hire approximately 80 people.

Searcy says Precoat's entre into the Birmingham market was simply a matter of the right building at the right time for the right company. Precoat, a division of New York City-based Sequa Corp., which first began shopping properties in the Southeast about five years ago, initially considered sites in the Atlanta area. About a year ago, the building formerly occupied by Southern Coil Processing became available through Graham & Co. Precoat representatives saw it, and felt it was a perfect match.

"I'd like to say (the deal) came about through our hard work in marketing the property, but ... it's just a really good match for what they needed to do," says Searcy. "So I guess it's actually karma that brought about the deal. If they would have made a decision earlier, it might not have been quite as advantageous for them - everything just kind of timed out perfectly."

[...]

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http://news.mywebpal.com/news_tool_v2.cfm?show=localnews&pnpID=680&NewsID=665213&CategoryID=11509&on=1

Faus Group brings North American headquarters, 350 jobs to Gordon County
International company's expansion to be complete by summer 2006
10/04/05
Press Release

ATLANTA, Oct. 4, 2005 - The Georgia Department of Economic Development announced today that Faus Group, Inc., an international manufacturer of premium laminate flooring programs, has acquired a site in Gordon County to expand its manufacturing and distribution operations in the U.S. The expansion, located on 78 acres of land adjacent to Interstate 75 in Calhoun, will bring more than 350 new jobs to the North Georgia community over a two-year period.

"Northwest Georgia is fortunate to have many entrepreneurs in the flooring industry creating opportunities for additional investment in the region and state," said Commissioner Craig Lesser of the Georgia Department of Economic Development. "Faus Group's decision to locate there further strengthens the driving force of the flooring industry in Northwest Georgia's economy."

A 400,000-square-foot building already on the property will house 280,000 square feet of manufacturing and 100,000 square feet of shipping and receiving. Administrative offices currently in Dalton will relocate to the Calhoun facility. The offices will be up and running by December 2005, and the operations systems will be in full production by summer 2006.

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http://www.news14charlotte.com/content/local_news/mecklenburg/?ArID=103968&SecID=3

Huntersville economy gets a boost
10/5/2005 8:06 AM
By: News 14 Carolina

HUNTERSVILLE, N.C. – The town of Huntersville got a boost for its economic development this week.

A $750,000 block grant has been awarded for construction of the North Mecklenburg Industrial Park. The 20-acre facility will add more than 100 new jobs to the area.

Construction began last month, and once it is complete, the park will be home to Prairie Packaging, a manufacturer of disposable plastic bowls, plates and cups.

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http://www.bizjournals.com/industries/economic_view/economic_snapshot/2005/10/03/louisville_daily32.html

Business First of Louisville
Thursday, October 6, 2005
Amazon.com to open sixth Kentucky distribution center

Amazon.com will open a 543,000-square-foot distribution center facility in Boone County.

The project is expected to create 70 new jobs and will open by the end of the year, according to a news release.

The new facility will be the company's sixth in Kentucky.

Seattle-based Amazon.com currently operates five distribution and support facilities in Campbellsville, Hebron, Lexington and Louisville.

The facility will be located in the Park West International Business Park in Hebron, Ky. The other Hebron facility is located in the same industrial park.

The Kentucky Economic Development Finance Authority preliminarily approved Amazon.com for tax benefits under the Kentucky Jobs Development Act, an incentive program aimed at increasing service- and technology-related employment in the commonwealth, according to the release.

The value of the incentives was not disclosed.

DruidCity

10-07-2005, 03:52 AM

Tuesday, in the first meeting of Tuscaloosa's newly elected city council, the city approved purchasing a 345,000 sqft building and 20-acre site from the local industrial development authority for $100, per the Tuscaloosa News, for use as city office and storage space. This had been home to a Delphi auto supplier plant, which is in the process of closing.

In and of itself, this is not a significant economic development.
However, this plant has some historic significance to the state's automotive industry and modern economy.
It was in 1983 that the plant (then known as Rochester Products Plant) was first in danger of closing. It was after innovative efforts (mostly directed by the UA business school) to save this small GM supplier plant that local plans were developed to prepare a site for GM's Saturn project. Of course, Tennessee beat us out for Saturn, but we were able to use the same site to lure Mercedes, which has paved the way for other auto-related projects all over the state : http://research.ua.edu/archive2002/driving2.html

James Bond Agent 007

10-07-2005, 08:51 AM

http://www.timesdaily.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20051006/APN/510061292&cachetime=5

Friday, October 7, 2005
Riley announces new industry to locate in Conecuh County
The Associated Press

A tier one Hyundai supplier will build a plant in Conecuh County, bringing in 200 new jobs, Gov. Bob Riley announced Thursday.

Guyoung Tech, USA will make an initial capital investment of $10 million to build a plant in Evergreen Industrial Park near Castleberry. Guyoung Tech expects to begin production by May 1 and will initially hire 80 to 100 employees in the operation's first phase.

"Alabama's economy is on the right track and keeps moving forward. Our high-quality work force combined with our aggressive pursuit of good jobs continues to attract new industries like Guyoung Tech," Riley said. "Today Alabama has 71 first and second tier automotive suppliers."

Guyoung Tech's plant will produce metal stampings and house welding operations. The South Korean-based company was founded by Hee Hwa Lee in 1986. Guyoung Tech, USA was established in 2002 and an office was opened in Detroit, Mich.

James Bond Agent 007

10-09-2005, 05:01 AM

http://www.montgomeryadvertiser.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20051008/NEWS/510080333/1001

October 8, 2005
Prattville gets 200 new jobs
By Erin Elaine Mosely
Montgomery Advertiser

PRATTVILLE -- The Prattville community can look forward to 200 new jobs thanks to the arrival of global auto supplier M-Tek.

The family-owned Arkay Plastics Alabama Inc. sold its Prattville plant to Japanese company M-Tek, and executives from both companies were in the city on Friday to ink the deal. Prattville Mayor Jim Byard and members of the Chamber of Commerce also were there to welcome the new company.

"The change will be good for the local job market," Byard said. "Initially the company will add 200 jobs, with the possibility of adding a total of 500 jobs in the next two to four years."

Kenneth De Bellis, corporate quality general manager for M-Tek, Inc., said when the company does expand it will be "from the community."

All 85 employees of Arkay Plastics became M-Tek employees, effective Friday.

M-Tek is a tier 1 supplier for Nissan and Honda. The plant makes interior parts for the automakers. Plans for the company include expanding the 55,000-
square-foot facility on Doster Road.

"This is very exciting for Prattville," Byard said. "We were a tier 2 supplier for Mercedes. In my opinion, John Kuhnash and his family really brought this place up. And now, we're taking it to another level."

M-Tek is a subsidiary of Kasai Kogyo Co. Ltd., a Japanese manufacturer that does the majority of its business with Nissan and Honda. M-Tek has plants around the world, including Michigan, Mississippi andTennessee.

Norikazu Onodera, corporate president and CEO of M-Tek, said Prattville's proximity to the Honda plant in Lincoln, Ala., made the Arkay plant here an ideal expansion site for the company.

"We saw this plant has good technology, good people and good control," he said.

John Kuhnash, co-CEO for Arkay Plastics, said it was a bittersweet day for the family-owned business because selling the plant is like losing a member of the family.

"It's been wonderful for M-Tek to see the value of this work force here," Kuhnash said. "They have new owners that are going to take this plant further and they get to be part of that. My family thanks this work force and this community for the past 10 years."

Arkay was the first tier 1 supplier to open a plant in Prattville. Kuhnash said his company will maintain a relationship with the M-Tek plant in Prattville for at least a year.

"What brought us here in 1995 was Mercedes," Kuhnash said. "We were one of the first to come down here in the auto industry. The auto industry is flocking to the South."

[...]

James Bond Agent 007

10-10-2005, 06:14 AM

Anyone wanna work in a Chinese food factory? :D

http://www.bizjournals.com/industries/economic_view/economic_snapshot/2005/10/10/nashville_story1.html

Nashville Business Journal
October 10, 2005
New food facility could employ up to 350
J. Holly Dolloff
Nashville Business Journal

City and state economic development officials have reeled in a manufacturing operation that plans over time to employ 350 workers.

Wei-Chuan USA Inc., the largest Asian food manufacturer in North America, initially is leasing 24,000 square feet of space in Goodlettsville's Space Park North. The site formerly housed a Domino's Pizza distribution center.

But Wei-Chuan leaders are already looking for a 20-acre plot of land on which to build a 110,000-square foot facility.

Janet Miller, senior vice president of economic development for the Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce, says the company plans to open operations with one manufacturing line and 35 employees, all of whom are transferring from Wei-Chuan's Los Angeles headquarters.

She says the company's business model calls for it to gradually phase in new lines and employees, reaching full operational status within two to three years.

Founded in 1972, Wei-Chuan produces almost 100 Asian food products, including pot stickers, egg rolls, spring rolls, dumplings, noodles, condiments, and sauces for household consumers and restaurants.

The company currently operates a manufacturing plant in Los Angeles and has warehouses and wholesale outlets in Atlanta, Houston, Chicago and San Francisco.

Buist Richardson of Nashville Commercial Real Estate services brokered the deal for Wei-Chuan. His colleague, Buster Weber, represented the property owner in the deal.

Wei-Chuan approached Nashville officials about a year ago while searching for a site from which to service accounts in the eastern half of the United States.

"When you ask that question, Nashville becomes obvious," says Tom Jurkovich, director of the Mayor's Office of Economic and Community Development. After that, he says, it's a matter of pitching the city's advantages - a strong work force and access to interstates chief among them.

"They spent a lot of time evaluating the city," says Miller.

[...]

James Bond Agent 007

10-11-2005, 02:27 AM

http://www.wistv.com/Global/story.asp?S=3959797&nav=0RaP

Fortune 500 company will bring 70 new jobs to Newberry County

(Newberry) October 10, 2005 - A Fortune 500 company will bring 70 new jobs to Newberry County. Caterpillar announced Monday it will open an electric power manufacturing plant in Newberry.

The facility is expected to open next year and will produce diesel and gas-powered generator sets. Those sets are used as backup power for houses, farms and smaller retail operations.

Governor Mark Sanford calls it an economic triumph for families.

"There is real empowerment that comes in having a decent job, a good job. And I'd say we often times forget about the very little, but all important thing, of ultimately ... what the things are all about, what the announcements are all about and that is the empowerment that comes to individuals through good jobs," said Sanford.

The production building has been owned by Caterpillar, and completed in 1998, but it has remained mostly vacant since then.

theman

10-12-2005, 06:47 PM

Cardinal Health to Open Call Center, Employ 500

10/11/05 1:11:28 PM
By John Henry, Arkansasbusiness.com Daily Report

Central Arkansas is gaining another call center, although the company is calling it a “customer care center.”

Cardinal Health Inc. of Dublin, Ohio, announced Tuesday morning that it is opening a service center in Sherwood that will employ about 500 workers. How much they will be paid seems to be a guarded secret -- at least until a “recruitment event” next week -- but Jay Chesshir, executive director of the Metro Little Rock Alliance, said negotiations with the company had been based on an annual payroll of $16 million. At that rate, the average would be about $32,000.

“This isn’t a typical call center job and a typical call center wage,” Chesshir told Arkansasbusiness.com.

The company will renovate and move into the 71,000-SF Furniture Row Building at 5426 Landers Road in Sherwood.

Steve Peale, vice president of customer service project management of Cardinal Health, said the initial investment by the company would be in the $6 million to $10 million range.

He said he expects the customer care center to be operational in January and that the company would begin hiring “right away.”

“Our customers rely on Cardinal Health to help them provide superior patient care and therefore we take very seriously the service infrastructure we are building to support them,” Peale said. “Our goal is provide the best customer service in the industry and to support our customers with all of their needs. We see Little Rock and the state of Arkansas as ideal for the recruitment of talented employees who can help us achieve this goal and continue to grow our business for the future.”

The call center will provide support for Cardinal Health’s 50,000 customers in the U.S., including hospitals, pharmacies and physician offices.

Introducing Peale at the announcement at the Little Rock Regional Chamber of Commerce was Gov. Mike Huckabee, who called Cardinal Health “the gold standard in its field.”

When questioned, the governor said both state and local economic incentives were offered, but he went on to emphasize that it was the work force and quality of life that attracted the company, not the incentives.

“Our state’s outstanding health care facilities, many of which already have strong relationships with Cardinal Health, and a quality labor force were among the many factors that made Arkansas appealing to Cardinal Health,” the governor said.

Cardinal Health is one the nation’s largest providers of products and services that support the health care industry. It had revenue of $75 billion in its last fiscal year, which ended in June. Earnings topped $1 billion.

It has four segments: pharmaceutical distribution and provider services, medical products and services, pharmaceutical technologies and services, and automation and information services.

Those operations develop, manufacture, package and market products for patient care; develop drug-delivery technologies; distribute pharmaceutical, medical-surgical and laboratory supplies; and offer consulting and other health care services.

Ranked No. 16 on the Fortune 500, Cardinal Health employs more than 55,000 people on six continents.

Last month, FTD.com announced a call center at Sherwood that would employ 250, and last week, Arkansas Blue Cross & Blue Shield formed a new subsidiary, Pinnacle Business Solutions Inc., which opened a Medicare support call center that will employ 650.

Cardinal Health says it offers hourly and salaried workers competitive compensation and benefits as well as training and development opportunities. Applicants can find out more at www.cardinalhealthcareers.com or call (866) 224-8974.

Company officials will hold a “Meet Cardinal Health” open house Oct. 19 from 4-8 p.m. at Pulaski Technical College.

Hugh McDonald, chairman of the Metro Little Rock Alliance and president of Entergy Arkansas, said the alliance’s effort had led to 1,400 new jobs in the past month and a half.

Cardinal Health last week announced it would open another 500-employee call center at Radcliff, Ky. Salary information for that operation has not been released.

Cardinal Health to Open Call Center, Employ 500