News
Knauf Insulation re-opens Alabama plant, citing relationships, support
LANETT, Alabama – At a ceremony today to mark the re-opening of Knauf Insulation’s mothballed Chambers County plant, CEO Mark Andrews said relationships played a major role in the company’s decision to restart operations in Alabama rather than seek a new location. “At every single stage of this, we really felt we were wanted in…
Macon County industrial sites position area for economic development
SHORTER, Alabama – Officials in Macon County believe their county is poised for growth thanks to its strategic location along Interstate 85 and a roster of industrial sites that have strong logistical advantages including rail access. In fact, Macon County last year became the first in Alabama to receive a CSX Select Site designation. CSX says…
Central location, workforce pave way for Cullman expansion projects
CULLMAN, Alabama – The way Garlan Gudger Jr. sees it, Cullman’s vitality and business-friendly atmosphere make the city an ideal spot to live and work. A string of business expansions and new economic development projects in the community serves to confirm his belief. “Cullman feels like a large town in a smaller town setting,” said…
Rural Alabama economic development gets new push with team approach
MONTGOMERY, Alabama – Job-creation efforts in rural Alabama are gaining momentum from an increased level of cooperation between economic developers at state and local levels and a regional approach that has helped sharpen strategic thinking and build alliances. Wayne Vardaman, executive director of the Selma & Dallas County Economic Development Authority, is directing a renewed…
Export Alabama Alliance plans 2014 trade missions to Asia, South America, Europe
MONTGOMERY, Alabama — With more than 95 percent of the world’s population and 80 percent of the world’s purchasing power outside the United States, future economic growth and jobs for Alabama and America increasingly depend on expanding trade and investment opportunities in the global marketplace. The Alabama Department of Commerce and the Export Alabama Alliance…
Governor Robert Bentley details plans to accelerate job creation, support business
MONTGOMERY, Alabama – In his State of the State address tonight, Governor Robert Bentley highlighted efforts to attract additional investment to Alabama and new approaches to assist small business and create new pathways to careers for students. Governor Bentley told legislative leaders and top state officials that he is not content that unemployment in Alabama…
Alabama auto production sets record in 2013, with more gains expected
MONTGOMERY, Alabama — Alabama’s three auto assembly plants combined to break a production record in 2013, surpassing the previous year’s total by 4 percent and stoking optimism that output can continue to rise. The Alabama assembly plants of Honda, Hyundai and Mercedes-Benz produced a total vehicle count of at least 915,000 last year, beating the…
Auburn mayor: BCS Championship Game exposure a lift for Alabama city
PASADENA, California – Regardless of how the pigskin bounces in Monday night’s BCS Championship Game, Bill Ham Jr., the longtime mayor of Auburn, Ala., already knows one winner – the fast-growing Lee County city that aims to build on recent economic development successes. “The national and international exposure of this game – you just can’t…
UAB virtual reality surgery combines Google Glass, VIPAAR technologies
BIRMINGHAM, Alabama – A surgical team from the University of Alabama at Birmingham recently performed one of the first surgeries combining a virtual augmented reality technology and Google Glass, the computer with an optical head-mounted display. UAB says combining the VIPAAR (short for Virtual Interactive Presence in Augmented Reality) and Google Glass technologies could signal…
2014 wish list: 7 Alabama-made products you wish you could buy
BIRMINGHAM, Alabama — Now that the 2013 gift-giving season is in the bag, it’s time to think big for the 2014 holiday season. Made in Alabama last week shared its holiday gift guide, which featured several great products made right here in the state, ranging from hand-crafted pens that have been presented as gifts by…