January 20, 2010

GE Aviation Expanding Operations in Batesville, Miss.

Batesville, Miss. continued a good run in the winter quarter with GE Aviation announcing it is expanding its operation there. The company's Batesville plant produces composite components for the GEnx jet engine, which will power Boeing's new 787 and 747-8 aircraft. The GEnx engine is the world's only jet engine with composite components. GE Aviation will add 350 new jobs at its facility in Batesville.

TVA Assists in $4.2 Billion in Investment, 26,000 New Jobs in 2009

According to the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA), the nation's largest public power utility assisted in creating 26,000 jobs and $4.2 billion in capital investments in the Tennessee Valley in 2009. TVA provides power to large industries and 157 power distributors that serve approximately nine million customers in seven Southern states.

$328 Million Biometrics Center Being Built in Clarksburg, W. Va.

A new $328 million Biometrics Technology Center is scheduled to be built in Clarksburg, W. Va. The project is a joint facility of the FBI and the U.S. Department of Defense. The 360,000-square-foot structure will nearly double the space capacity of the existing 2,500-employee FBI CJIS Division campus. Once completed, the expansion will enable the FBI to consolidate all of its biometrics operations.

Rural Georgia County Hit Hardest by Recession

Tiny Jenkins County, Ga. (8,500 population) saw its total compensation of wages and benefits drop by 23 percent in the last year, the largest drop of any county in the U.S. according to the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis. Jenkins County is located between Augusta and Savannah in southeast Georgia. The unemployment rate in Jenkins is 21.3 percent. The county has lost virtually all of its 1,700 manufacturing jobs, with the big blow coming when a window manufacturer closed recently, eliminating 600 jobs.

MTU Diesel Investing $45 Million in Aiken, S.C.

MTU Detroit Diesel announced in the winter quarter it will establish a new manufacturing facility in Aiken County, S.C. MTU Detroit Diesel, a subsidiary of the Germany-based Tognum Group, anticipates that its project will require a $45 million investment and the creation of 250 new jobs. The company produces propulsion systems and energy systems based on diesel and gas engines, gas turbines and fuel cells for military, marine, rail, agriculture, heavy industrial and power generation applications.

New Fiber Network Set for North Georgia

A 260-mile high-speed, $41 million Internet network that is being funded primarily by the federal stimulus program will link Atlanta and North Georgia with North Carolina. The project, announced in December, will reach 42,000 households and almost 10,000 businesses and connect 245 schools, universities, hospitals and government facilities in the region. About 1,000 jobs will be created during the construction of the new network.

Zagis USA Commissions New Textile Mill in Southwest Louisiana

In the winter quarter, Zagis USA commissioned the company's new 128,000-square-foot cotton spinning mill in Lacassine, La. The ceremony marked the end of a construction project that began with a groundbreaking in July 2008. The new facility will utilize up to 15 to 20 percent of Louisiana's cotton crop to spin yarn. The $37.5 million plant is the first cotton spinning facility built in the U.S. in decades. Forty-nine people are currently employed at the Zagis facility.

General Atomics Expands in Mississippi

General Atomics' Electromagnetic Systems Division (GA-EMS), a manufacturer of advanced linear motors for Electromagnetic Aircraft Launching Systems, broke ground in the winter quarter on its Phase IV, 50,000-square-foot expansion at its facility in Shannon, Miss. The expansion, a $4.5 million capital investment, will accommodate the plant's role as the logistics supplier and depot-level support partner for the U.S. Navy's Gerald R. Ford aircraft carriers. The project will create at least 20 new jobs.

Auto Parts Supplier Expanding in Arkansas, Creating 250 New Jobs

Saint Jean Industries, an auto parts manufacturer and supplier, announced in January that it will expand its manufacturing plant in Heber Springs, Ark. creating about 250 new jobs with an investment of $14 million. The Heber Springs plant makes aluminum parts for the automotive industry. France-based Saint Jean said the expansion is a result of several significant orders placed with the company, specifically from ZF, a German supplier to Ford and GM. For more information on the South's automotive industry, go to www.SouthernAutoCorridor.com.

Wild Turkey Investing $2.3 Million in Small Town Kentucky

Kentucky-based Rare Breed Distilling is building a new barrel storage warehouse at its Wild Turkey distillery in Lawrenceburg, Ky. The new project will add to the whiskey maker's storage capacity for its maturing whiskey products and will entail a $2.3 million investment.

Tunica, Miss. Lands $300 Million Pipe Plant

Wilh. Schulz GMBH announced in the winter quarter that it will locate a new $300 million seamless pipe plant in Tunica, Miss. The Krefeld, Germany-based company's Mississippi division will be known as Schulz Xtruded Products (SXP) and will produce stainless steel and alloy steel seamless and welded pipe products and components. The deal is expected to create 500 new jobs.

Wood Pellet Manufacturer Investing $18.7 Million in Rural Virginia

Wood Fuel Developers, a startup company, is investing $18.7 million to begin wood pellet manufacturing operations in Greensville County, Va. The company is a renewable fuels firm that specializes in developing and operating wood fuel and pellet production plants to serve residential, industrial and power generation markets. The deal will create 39 new jobs.

Akebono on Expansion Jag in the Southern Automotive Corridor

Akebono Corp., which recently acquired Robert Bosch LLC's North American Brake Division, is adding 13,000 square feet of office space at its headquarter operation in Elizabethtown, Ky. The deal will add 70 new jobs. In addition, the company is consolidating former Bosch plants in the U.S. and Mexico to Clarksville, Tenn. and another facility in South Carolina. Akebono plans to invest $13.5 million in new equipment at the Clarksville, Tenn. plant with 300 new hires. Following its Tennessee brake plant expansion, Akebono announced plans to locate a new facility in Lexington County, S.C. The $35.6 million investment is expected to generate 283 new jobs.

Arkansas Lands $15 Million Plant

Oxane Materials announced in the winter quarter it is building a $15 million manufacturing plant in Van Buren, Ark. that will specialize in components that help increase oil and gas production. The deal is expected to create at least 50 new jobs.

UK-Based Company Picks Rural Georgia

Firth Rixson Limited, a United Kingdom-based provider of forged metal products, announced in the winter it has chosen Midway, Ga. in Liberty County for a 200,000-square-foot, closed die forging operation that will house 200 workers. The facility will provide components for the aerospace industry.

Southeast Oklahoma Region Receives Work Ready Certification

Thirteen Southeast Oklahoma counties added an important tool in their job creation kits in the winter quarter when they received "Work Ready" recognition from the Oklahoma Department of Commerce. Commerce recognized the counties for their achievements in meeting Career Readiness Certification (CRC). One of the aspects of the CRC is that the counties must have at least an 82% high school graduation rate.

Kentucky Copper Announces New Kentucky Facility

India-based Chandra Proteco is starting up a new copper and copper cable manufacturing operation in Butler County, Ky. The company manufactures products to be used in power transformers, energy transmission and distribution applications as well as copper cable for high-speed trains. The deal represents 106 new jobs and an investment of $32 million.

Four Star Industries Announces New S.C. Facility

In the winter quarter Four Star Industries announced it will invest $2.75 million to open a new conduit pipe manufacturing plant in the former Kodiak facility in Allendale, S.C. The company will market its products to the telecommunications, electrical and cable television industries. About 50 new jobs are expected to be generated by the project.

Company Expands in Paducah

Credit Bureau Systems (CBS) is expanding its facilities in the Information Age Park in Paducah, Ky. CBS provides revenue management solutions to the health care industry. About 35 new jobs are being created in the expansion.

Migration to the South Slows: Texas Big Winner, Florida Big Loser

The last state population figures published by the Census Bureau before the 2010 census count becomes available showed that migration flows to high-growth Southern states such as North Carolina, Florida and Georgia have slowed significantly since the recession began in late 2007. While two of those states continue to see growth in population, Florida, for the first time in decades, saw more people move out than move in over the last year. The Sunshine State joined Nevada and California, formerly three of the largest in-migration states in the U.S., as states that have lost population recently. Texas, on the other hand, saw nearly 500,000 new residents in 2009 alone, by far the largest growth total of any other Southern state. Other figures published recently by the Census Bureau showed that from 2000 to 2009 the South had a population growth rate of 13.1 while the Midwest's and Northeast's was 3.8 percent and 3.2 percent respectively. The West grew by 13.2 percent in the last decade. Finally, according to Atlas Van Lines' 2009 migration trends report, Washington, D.C. (Maryland, W. Va., and Northern Virginia) had the highest percentage of inbound population traffic and Connecticut and New Jersey were the two largest outbound states in 2009. 

Newell Rubbermaid Opens Plant in Tennessee

Atlanta-based Newell Rubbermaid opened its newest U.S. plant in Coffee County, Tenn. in the winter quarter. The 67,500-square-foot, $12.5 million facility houses 50 workers and produces the ink that's contained inside pens and highlighters of Sharpies and other products.

Manufacturer Expanding in Rural Mississippi

Abby Manufacturing, a fabricated structural metal manufacturer, announced the expansion of its operations into a county-owned building in Benton County, Miss. The deal will create 35 new jobs. Abby operates two other facilities in Mississippi and is a supplier to freight airline companies including FedEx. For more information on rural development in the South, go to www.SmallTownSouth.com.

Coaxial Components Expands in Stuart, Fla.

Coaxial Components, a manufacturer of coaxial products for both military and commercial markets, is expanding in Stuart, Fla. The company is building a 10,000-square-foot building and adding 14 additional employees.

Industrial Equipment Maker Creates 75 Jobs in Small Town Arkansas

Strand Composite Engineering and Construction announced in the winter quarter the opening of its new 100,000-square-foot plant in Harrison, Ark. The company is producing fiberglass-reinforced plastic scrubbers for the environment solutions sector. The deal has already resulted in 75 new jobs.

Metal Fabricator Creating 25 Jobs in Rural North Alabama

Metal Works, LLC, a metal fabrication company, announced in the winter it will operate out of the old Galbreath building in DeKalb County by the spring quarter. The company is expected to employ 25 initially, with 40 to 50 workers by year two.

Polyair Consolidates from Ohio to Kentucky

A manufacturer of packaging products and swimming pool covers is consolidating its polyethylene foam production from Ohio to its existing plant in Bardstown, Ky. Polyair Corp. is investing $5.6 million in the move and expansion and will create 19 new jobs.

Michigan Company Opens Plant in Rural Mississippi

Michigan-based Anderson Technologies announced in the winter the opening of a contract manufacturing and precision injection molding plant in Batesville, Miss. The company provides manufacturing for a variety of industrial sectors, including automotive, transportation, office furniture, small electronics and medical.

Furniture Manufacturer Hiring 140 in Small Town Mississippi

HomeStretch LLC, an upholstered furniture manufacturing company, is moving into an existing facility in Monroe County, Miss. The project is expected to create 140 new jobs.

Korean Auto Parts Manufacturer Locating in Alabama

INZI Controls Alabama, a new company formed by Koo-Ryong Jung after acquiring Toledo Molding and Die, is setting up shop in Elba, Ala. The company will continue to provide injection and blow molded automotive parts. More than 200 new jobs are expected to be created.

next