News

Trade mission connects Alabama firms to Nordic bioscience ecosystem
COPENHAGEN, Denmark — Commerce Secretary Greg Canfield is leading a delegation of Alabama bioscience businesses on a trade mission to this week’s Nordic Life Sciences Days (NLSDays), the largest Scandinavian partnering conference dedicated to the life sciences industry. The Alabama team, which includes representatives from six bioscience firms, arrived in Copenhagen today and was scheduled…

New $30 million EV training center will support auto industry growth
MONTGOMERY, Alabama — Governor Kay Ivey announced today that Alabama is building a $30 million workforce training center in Decatur that will focus on electric vehicles and emerging technologies in order to position the state’s auto industry for the next chapter of its growth. The facility will be located on the campus of the Alabama Robotics…

Digital health startup Acclinate plans to add 25 workers in Birmingham expansion
BIRMINGHAM, Alabama — Acclinate, a digital health company that’s confronting the problems posed by the underrepresentation of people of color in clinical research, plans to launch a growth project in Birmingham that will add 25 new full-time workers, according to the Alabama Department of Commerce. Birmingham-based Acclinate couples community engagement with data analysis to assist biopharmaceutical…

Long-standing Alabama-Japan bonds on full display at celebration
BIRMINGHAM, Alabama — Six Japanese companies embarking on investment projects in Alabama were recognized Thursday night at a ceremony that highlighted the deep economic and cultural connections that link the Southeastern state and the Asian nation. The Japan-America Society of Alabama (JASA) dinner at the Renaissance Birmingham Ross Bridge Golf Resort & Spa brought together…

Commerce teams in free mental health training for businesses
Business supervisors across Alabama can now receive free training on recognizing and responding to mental health issues among their employees. The 8-hour training session is provided by the University of Alabama’s ViTAL partnership, which uses education and training to help improve mental health in the state. The training is held at the business, or virtually.…

Gov. Ivey: Alabama’s rural developers making ‘remarkable’ progress
PRATTVILLE, Alabama — Economic developers from rural communities across Alabama were urged Wednesday to keep their winning streak going at the 2023 RurAL Summit sponsored by the Alabama Department of Commerce and held at the Central Alabama Community College. Since 2020, the state’s rural counties have attracted over $4 billion in new capital investment through…

BASF marks 2 major milestones at Huntsville catalyst plant
HUNTSVILLE, Alabama — BASF Environmental Catalyst and Metal Solutions (ECMS) representatives joined local and state officials today to celebrate a pair of milestones for the company’s Huntsville facility — its 50th anniversary and the production of the 500 millionth catalyst at the site. “Since the Huntsville site’s inception in 1973, we’ve continuously invested in innovative…

Sec. Canfield to depart Commerce with veteran economic developer tapped as successor
MONTGOMERY, Alabama — Governor Kay Ivey today announced Alabama Department of Commerce Secretary Greg Canfield will step down at the end of the year after serving in the post for 12 years. The governor has tapped Ellen McNair, an economic development veteran, to serve as the next secretary of Commerce. “Throughout my time as governor,…

Airbus marks milestone in growth project adding 1,000 jobs in Mobile
MOBILE, Alabama — At a special expansion ceremony on Wednesday, Alabama officials congratulated Airbus for progress on a growth project launched last year to ramp up aircraft production and add 1,000 workers at the company’s Mobile manufacturing facility. Governor Kay Ivey said the expansion project represents a milestone for Airbus, which announced plans for the…



