Alabama Launchpad competition seeds startups with funding (with video and gallery)
BIRMINGHAM, Alabama — Over the past seven years, the Economic Development Partnership of Alabama Foundation has awarded more than $1 million to entrepreneurs through Alabama Launchpad, a competition designed to help their promising ideas blossom into full-fledged companies. The competition brings together small teams from across the state to pitch early-stage startups to a panel…
AT&T investment in Alabama approaches $1.4 billion over three years
MONTGOMERY, Alabama — Alabama Secretary of Commerce Greg Canfield congratulated AT&T here today as the company announced a nearly $1.4 billion investment in its Alabama wireless and wireline networks from 2010 through 2012. “More and more as we recruit new business and industry to Alabama, wireless connectivity is a major factor,” Canfield said. “AT&T’s $1.4…
Logistics hub at Mercedes-Benz’s Alabama plant will create 600 jobs
TUSCALOOSA, Alabama – A new $70 million logistics hub at Mercedes-Benz’s Alabama plant will lead to 600 new jobs from the automaker and its contractors and service providers, officials said today. Alabama Governor Robert Bentley joined executives from Mercedes-Benz U.S. International, the official name of the automaker’s Alabama operations, to break ground on the expansion…
Rising exports of Alabama-made goods expand state’s role in global economy
MONTGOMERY, Alabama — “Made In Alabama” increasingly translates as “Sold Around The Globe” as exports of Alabama-made goods have posted solid gains in recent years. Alabama companies shipped their products to 188 countries in 2012, a record year for exports for the state. With overseas shipments of automobiles leading the way, exports from Alabama have…
Alabama Department of Commerce to conduct Canada export meetings
MONTGOMERY, Alabama — The Alabama Department of Commerce and the Alabama Export Alliance will conduct a series of seminars on April 9 and 10 in Huntsville, Birmingham and Mobile to help companies learn how Canada is a lucrative market for Alabama exports. Keynote speakers — Frank Carrico, Commercial Consul for the U.S. consulate General in Toronto, and…
Magazine taps Alabama Department of Commerce for award, citing Airbus
MONTGOMERY, Alabama — The Alabama Department of Commerce has received a “Top Five Award of Excellence” from Expansion Solutions Magazine for successfully recruiting, retaining and assisting growing companies in the aerospace and defense industries in 2012. The magazine, launched in 2002 and designed to inform key site selection consultants and corporate real estate brokers about…
Mercedes-Benz adding Alabama logistics facility with 500 jobs, Tuscaloosa News says
TUSCALOOSA, Alabama – The Mercedes-Benz Alabama unit plans to build a 900,000-square-foot logistics facility at the German automaker’s assembly plant in Vance, creating 500 jobs, according to a report in The Tuscaloosa News. Site preparation already has begun, and Mercedes-Benz officials told the newspaper they expect to have the auto parts staging facility operational by…
Indorama Ventures to invest $190 million in new Alabama PET resin plant
DECATUR, Alabama – Governor Robert Bentley announced today that Indorama Ventures Public Company Limited, the world’s leading manufacturer of PET resins, will invest $190 million to build a new manufacturing plant adjacent to its current site near the Tennessee River in Decatur operated by its subsidiary, AlphaPet Inc. The new plant will be capable of…
Alabama’s Rescue ONE secures 75-boat order from Thai government
MADISON, Alabama — Rescue ONE, which makes specially designed police, fire and rescue boats, announced today that it has secured an order for 75 rescue boats for the government of Thailand, a country that has been plagued by deadly floods. Madison-based Rescue ONE said the boats will be shipped in phases over the next six…
Department of Commerce unveils Made in Alabama brand at press event
MONTGOMERY, Alabama — The Alabama Department of Commerce this morning launched a new branding campaign – Made in Alabama – designed to build on the economic development momentum that has created more than 38,000 jobs in the past two years. Commerce Secretary Greg Canfield unveiled the brand at a press event this morning, uncovering a…
