News
Polyplex USA plans $90 million expansion project at Alabama facility
DECATUR, Alabama – Polyplex USA announced plans today to invest over $90.6 million to expand production of specialized polyester film at its Decatur facility in a project that will create 100 jobs when complete. Polyplex plans to add a second Biaxially Oriented Polyethylene Terephthalate (BOPET) film line at the Alabama facility, with an additional investment…
Department of Defense launches aerospace research center at Tuskegee University
TUSKEGEE, Alabama — The U.S. Department of Defense has launched an Aerospace Education Research and Innovation Center (AERIC) at Alabama’s Tuskegee University, enhancing research in critical areas and expanding the future technical talent pipeline for the industry. In an announcement, the DOD said Tuskegee’s AERIC will support two-year research projects in the areas of fatigue…
Developer: How rural Chambers County’s comeback offers lessons
Few people understand the mechanics of rural economic development better than Valerie Gray, the executive director of the Chambers County Development Authority. After all, she and her team helped engineer a reversal of the county’s fortunes after its traditional industry imploded. Gray has led the CCDA for over 22 years. During her tenure, she has…
AM/NS Calvert kicks off construction on $775 million steelmaking facility
CALVERT, Alabama – With a groundbreaking ceremony this week, ArcelorMittal and Nippon Steel Corp. marked the official launch of a $775 million project to construct a massive new steelmaking facility at their AM/NS Calvert production site near Mobile. “Alabama and the steel industry go hand in hand, and I am proud to see continued growth…
Aircraft maintenance company plans operation at Selma’s Craig Field
SELMA, Alabama — Craig Field Executive Director Jim Corrigan announced that City Jet/Turbine Worx plans to open an aircraft maintenance operation and dispatch facility on Craig Field, a public airport and industrial facility. With the newly signed lease agreement, City Jet/Turbine Worx will operate on the flight line in Hangar 251 and create approximately 30…
SHOWA glove factory’s growth plans find perfect fit in Fayette
FAYETTE, Alabama – For Mike Kimple, director of manufacturing at the SHOWA Group factory in this northwest Alabama city, the mission is clear for the nation’s only domestic producer of single-use nitrile gloves. “We’re just trying to get every single glove we can out the door to fight this pandemic,” Kimple said. Every day, SHOWA’s…
Commerce launches ‘RurAL’ campaign to promote rural Alabama
The Alabama Department of Commerce is launching a new digital marketing campaign, including an online site, that focuses on rural Alabama as a great place for doing business and the source of valuable products in demand around the world. The centerpiece of the “RurAL” campaign is a content-rich website that showcases the business advantages of…
Foreign investment sparks growth in rural Alabama communities
Many folks may be unaware of the advantages of doing business in Alabama’s rural counties, but corporate decision-makers from around the world are fully tuned in to the possibilities. Foreign direct investment has been a vital ingredient in Alabama’s economic growth in recent years — and that is true for rural parts of the state…
Visionary industrial park spurs 1,300 new jobs in rural Bibb County
WOODSTOCK, Alabama – Bibb County is adding hundreds of new jobs, significant capital investment and next-generation automotive industry technology, thanks to the vision of a local timber magnate. More than a decade ago, Scott G. Davis began working to build the 564-acre industrial park near Woodstock that now bears his name. What was once hilly…
Alabama exports primed for rebound in 2021 after pandemic challenges
In an unparalleled and unpredictable year of turbulence in global trade, Alabama’s exports of goods and services in 2020 totaled $17.13 billion. Reflecting the declines in export volumes recorded by nearly all states as well as the nation, Alabama’s total exports registered an overall decline of 17.6% in 2020 compared to the prior year, according…