News
Made (and tested) in Alabama: State-built cars first get test track workouts
Before Alabama-made vehicles hit city streets and neighborhood roads, they get a workout on the test tracks at the state’s three auto assembly plants. Banked curves, bumpy asphalt, smooth straightaways and skid pads are just some of the features that help put the models through paces that are designed to simulate all kinds of driving…
NASA Marshall readies Test Stand 4697 for extreme SLS tests (video)
HUNTSVILLE, Alabama – Workers have completed the construction of a critical test stand at Marshall Space Flight Center that will be used by NASA engineers to push the limits of the fuel tanks for the Space Launch System (SLS), the most powerful rocket ever developed. Structural Test Stand 4697 is now being outfitted with special…
Alabama Launchpad entrepreneurship program expands reach
FLORENCE, Alabama – Alabama Launchpad, a business plan competition that has helped turn dreams into reality for entrepreneurs and innovators across Alabama, is expanding. The Shoals area will be the first regional site for Launchpad, which was started by the Economic Development Partnership of Alabama (EDPA) a decade ago. The University of North Alabama College…
Alabama Global Supply Chain & Logistics Summit set for Mobile
For the first time, the annual Alabama Global Supply Chain & Logistics Summit, which brings participants from across the state and region, will be held in Mobile. Hosted by the Mobile Area Chamber of Commerce, the event is set for Oct. 6-7 at the Battle House Renaissance Mobile Hotel & Spa. Now in its fifth…
Funding wave boosts Birmingham tech startup scene
Entrepreneurs and innovators are getting noticed for their work in Birmingham, attracting millions of dollars in new investment for their technology-based startups. In recent months, there have been at least three major funding announcements involving local firms: On-demand grocery delivery service Shipt announced this summer that it had secured $20.1 million in Series A funding.…
How Google’s Search Ended in Alabama
It should come as no surprise that when Google searched the world for the best place to do business, it landed on Alabama. After all, Alabama is no stranger to large corporations with global operations and top brand names. Companies like Mercedes-Benz, Boeing, Airbus, Honda and Hyundai all have found a home in the state.…
HDT Global plans $4.2M Alabama expansion, creating 123 jobs
HUNTSVILLE, Alabama – HDT Global, a maker of engineered products for military, government and commercial customers, plans to invest $4.2 million to expand its manufacturing operation in Huntsville. “Project Pop,” as it was code-named, will create 123 full-time jobs at the company’s Alabama operation, which currently has 82 workers. The average wage of the new…
MILESTONE: Honda produces 4 millionth Alabama-made vehicle
LINCOLN, Alabama — If you line up all the Honda vehicles that have been built at the automaker’s Talladega County plant since it opened 15 years ago, they would stretch across the U.S., from New York to Los Angeles, more than four times. That’s what 4 million Alabama-made Hondas look like. Today, Honda Manufacturing of Alabama celebrated…
CAE USA on track to open key Alabama Army aviation training center
DOTHAN, Alabama – CAE USA, a company specializing in aviation training, plans to begin offering flight training to U.S. Army aviators at a training facility opening in Dothan next year as part of the company’s $75 million investment in the state. Tampa-based CAE USA also announced it has taken delivery of the first three Grob…
Japanese investment in Alabama fuels many industries
When it comes to Japanese investment in Alabama, auto manufacturers Honda and Toyota and their broad network of suppliers across the state immediately come to mind. But the Asian nation is behind a significant number of non-automotive companies here as well, from chemical and steel producers to pharmaceutical and life insurance firms. In all, there…