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MEAHER INDUSTRIAL SITES 
Land within the Mobile River Industrial Corridor that is available for assemblage with the Meaher Industrial Sites has been identified and the owners contacted. The owners have indicated an interest in assemblage with prices at the level of the Meaher Industrial Sites, which reflect the transaction to secure the land for the nearby IPSCO plant plus appreciation and recognition of the features companies need for industrial sites provided by the Mobile River Industrial Corridor and the State of Alabama.
Building costs in the Mobile River Industrial Corridor are reasonable and favorable when compared to other locations within the United States of America.
The Meaher Industrial Sites are located in the northern half of the Mobile River Industrial Corridor where the most land is available for industrial sites. Large expansion within this section of the corridor is available both north and south.
US highway 43 forms the western boundary of the Mobile River Industrial Corridor. Highway 43 is a four-lane divided highway designed to accommodate commercial traffic. Daily vehicle counts at points ranging from Bucks, AL to the county line dividing Mobile and Washington counties: 12,560; 12,470; 12,220.
Class 1 railroads Burlington Northern, Kansas City Southern and Norfolk Southern directly serve the Mobile River Industrial Corridor and extend south to the Alabama State Docks at the Port of Mobile. AMTRAK offers passenger service from Mobile to several Southeast cities including New Orleans, LA and Jacksonville, FL. Twenty-one railroad companies cooperate in the State of Alabama carrying close to 140 million tons of freight per year to handling facilities in more than 450 Alabama cities and towns. Main line connections give shippers easy access to all of the state’s major market centers. Most of the main line transportation in the state is handled by five Class 1 railroads: CSX Transportation, Norfolk Southern Corp., Illinois Central Gulf Railroad, Burlington Northern SantaFe Railroad and Kansas City Southern…All five of the Class 1 companies provide economic development services to businesses looking to locate within the state. Alabama’s Rail System. Alabama Economic Development Guide. 2001/2002.
The southern boundary of the Mobile River Industrial Corridor is north-south bound I-65, which connects Mobile to Montgomery, AL, Birmingham, AL, Nashville, TN and Indianapolis, IN. It is reached by four lane US Highway 43. Twenty-five miles south on I-65 this interstate connects with east-west bound I-10 (the southernmost cross-country interstate) that connects the Mobile River Industrial Corridor with Pensacola, Tallahassee, and Jacksonville, FL to the east and Biloxi, Gulfport, New Orleans, Baton Rouge, Houston, El Paso, Phoenix, and Los Angeles, to the west. Connecting interstates include I-85 and I-95 north to New York and Boston, I-55 to Memphis, St. Louis and Chicago and I-20 west to Dallas and El Paso. More than 65 motor freight carriers are certified to transport interstate shipments to and/or from the Mobile area with the majority having a Mobile area terminal and many offering container service The highly competitive trucking industry within the state, combined with the excellent condition of the various roads and highways throughout Alabama, offers an incentive to industry, providing a reliable and cost-effective service. One of the most attractive aspects of Alabama’s interstate system is the fact that two of the nation’s major interstate routes, I-10 and I-65, intersect in Mobile. This intersection is the convergence of the Eastern Seaboard with the Western states and the Southern states with the Midwest, making Alabama the crossroads of the Sunbelt. Alabama Highway System. Alabama Economic Development Guide. 2001/2002. In July, 2006 it was announced that Corridor X, the 51-mile stretch in Alabama, will be called Interstate 22 when it opens in 2011 or 2012. The new interstate highway will connect Memphis to Birmingham. By connecting to Birmingham, the new highway will tie into I-20 that takes you to Atlanta. South Central Construction, Interstate Anniversary, pg. 35, Vol. 55, No. 7, July 2006.
The Mobile Regional Airport is 30 miles southwest of the Mobile River Industrial Corridor. Jet service is available to all major U.S. cities from the Mobile airport via Delta, ComAir, United Express, Northwest Airlink, U.S. Airways and Continental Express. The most recently constructed runway is 8521 ft. by 150 ft. Mobile Downtown Airport (Brookley Complex) serves general aviation aircraft as well as large commercial aircraft including wide bodied jetliners and cargo planes. Air freight carriers utilizing Mobile Downtown Airport include Federal Express, UPS, and Airborne Express. Gulfport-Biloxi International Airport and Pensacola Regional Airport are approximately equidistant (60 miles) to the west and east of the Mobile Regional Airport. They provide redundant commercial and cargo jet service to the Corridor.
The eastern boundary of the Mobile River Industrial Corridor is formed by the Mobile River. The Mobile River is part of the Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway which links together over 16,000 miles of navigable inland waterways stretching from the Great Lakes and the North Atlantic to the Gulf of Mexico. The minimum maintained depth is 9 feet (2.7 m). Some $3.5 billion of new and expanded industrial developments have located in the Tenn-Tom waterway region since its completion. These companies include Boeing, Weyerhaeuser, Kerr McGee, Kimberly Clark, British Steel and TRICO Steel and Allant. Alabama’s navigable waterways are a vital link in the state’s economy. With approximately 1,500 navigable inland barge miles maintained at a minimum depth of nine feet, industries and businesses can take advantage of a cost-effective transportation system not available in many other states. Over 170 public and private dock facilities and the Port of Alabama at Mobile augment these waterways, creating one of the finest systems in the country. The Alabama Waterway System. Alabama Economic Development Guide. 2001/2002. In 2002, Alabama ranked 16th in waterborne commerce out of the 44 states served by water transportation. Some 67 million tons were shipped that year, about two-thirds of which were domestic shipments. Alabama State Port Authority News Release, September 2004. Water routes are particularly feasible for bulk cargo and raw materials, which can be shipped via water at significantly lower ton-mile costs. Virtually every part of the state is connected by the inland water way system… The Alabama Waterway System. Alabama Economic Development Guide. 2001/2002. The 234-mile Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway is one of the nation’s most modern transportation arteries, providing low cost transportation to producers, shippers and farmers in Alabama and 13 other states…Its low-cost transportation has helped attract about $1.5 billion in new and expanded industrial development to [Alabama] during the last decade alone. The Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway. Alabama Economic Development Guide. 2001/2002.
The Mobile River Industrial Corridor is 30 water miles from the Port of Mobile. The Port of Mobile provides several major cargo-handling facilities (coal plant, grain elevator, bulk plant and 26 general cargo piers), warehousing and a channel to the Gulf of Mexico that is constantly maintained at a depth of 45 ft. Steamship agencies and stevedoring firms are established at the port. The Port of Mobile is located on major sea lanes to Mexico, Central America and South America, Europe and Asia. A new rail-ferry service at the Port of Mobile can reduce transport time to Mexico from 20-25 days overland to 3 days. A new strategic development study…conducted by the engineering firm Moffatt & Nichol, concluded that the Alabama State Docks could become a world-class port because it had the following six attributes:
Mobile also has excellent rail, air and highway connections, as well as a deep-water site ready for development. Site Selection Magazine, May 2001. Located on the Gulf of Mexico, Alabama is a gateway to Mexico, Central American and South America…The Alabama State Docks Department operates a full-service port on the Mobile River, with more than 190 shipping lines serving the Port of Mobile. Area Development Magazine, February 2001. According to the Alabama Development Office, instead of cargo rolling down the track to the U.S./Mexico border at Laredo, Tex., companies can roll their products to the Port of Alabama in Mobile. A new rail-car ferry service sailing through the Gulf of Mexico can reduce a typical 20- to 25-day trip by land to three days. Area Development Magazine, February 2001. Jimmy Lyons, Director of the Alabama State Docks: “We live in an increasingly global economy, which will not change. We are in the midst of a $300 million expansion plan that will involve upgrading existing terminals and engineering other projects. We are planning a major container intermodal terminal that will go a long way towards supporting how industry is growing in Alabama." Site Selection Magazine, May 2002. State support for expansion of the [Alabama State] docks was affirmed in November [2000] by passage of Amendment 1, which authorizes $100 million in bond funding for port expansion. Site Selection Magazine, May 2001. Last year [1999] the [Alabama State] docks completed construction of a new liquid terminal and a new marine terminal and warehouse. A forest products terminal is currently under construction, and work will begin during the year on a ship berth for metal products…the docks facility, which employs 375 workers, should earn about $60 million in revenue this year [2000] as opposed to $55 million last year. Business Alabama, February 2000. The Alabama State Port Authority approved an agreement with International Shipholding Corporation to develop a new rail ferry terminal at the Port of Mobile. The new terminal will be the first of its kind with a twin deck design that will have the ability to load two ship decks via four ramps to the lower deck and six ramps to the upper deck. The company is currently modifying its vessels by installing second decks to increase ship capacity to 122 standard rail cars. Currently, these ships can haul 60 standard rail cars per voyage. Alabama State Port Authority News Release, June 2006. The port of Mobile welcomes the first vessel of ZIM's new Asia-Gulf Express Container Service. ZIM's AGX Service is among the first of its kind that sails directly to/from Asia from the US Gulf. It is bi-weekly and fixed-day with competitive, rapid transit times. The AGX Service will enable increased capacity as well as the capability to expand ZIM's ALl Water Services into the Gulf Area. Alabama State Port Authority News Release, July 2006.
Power is readily available in the Mobile River Industrial Corridor from the Alabama Power Company Barry Steam Plant generating facility, located within the Corridor. Alabama Power is a member company of the Southern Company, one of the largest investor-owned utilities in the United States. Alabama Power Company’s rates are among the lowest in the United States: average cost per KWH for Alabama Power’s industrial customer segment for 2006 was $0.0492 per KWH.
Natural gas is supplied to the Mobile River Industrial Corridor by Mobile Gas, a subsidiary of EnergySouth Corporation. The Mobile area receives much of its natural gas from natural gas production fields in Mobile Bay, offshore Alabama and adjacent federal waters. Recent gas discoveries in the area are considered to be the largest energy finds in the United States in recent years. Major interstate pipelines, production areas north of Mobile (adjacent to the Mobile River Industrial Corridor) and natural gas storage supplies also supply natural gas.
Raw water storage for use at local filtration plants consists of three reservoirs with a capacity of 103,000,000 gallons. Water is also pumped from the Mobile River at Bucks, AL (within the Mobile River Industrial Corridor) at a point well above the saltwater intrusion “wedge” and is capable of supplying approximately 360,000,000 gallons of water a day for industrial use.
Alabama offers a non-educational Sales And Use Tax Abatement on material and equipment needed to construct and equip a new facility or major expansion. Alabama Site Preparation Grants are available to reimburse some of the cost to prepare a site for industrial use. Alabama offers a non-educational Ad Valorem Tax (property tax) Abatement for up to ten years from the time the plant is placed in service. The Alabama Enterprise Zone program was created to help attract new business and makes tax credits available to companies hiring and training disadvantaged workers. The State of Alabama offers a Corporate Income Tax Credit of 5% of the total capital investment per year for 20 years. Property tax abatements are available for qualifying projects for a ten-year maximum period excluding school millage. Important to the choice of Mobile County for the new plant, according to [Roger] Phillips [chairman and CEO of IPSCO], were the availability of a highly skilled workforce, competitive electrical rates, good transportation logistics for product movement by water, rail and highway and “a tax and regulatory regime conducive to good business.” Business Alabama, February 2000. Now the loser [states] are watching Alabama reap the benefits from its initial large outlay plus even more incentives spent to help Mercedes expand and to bring other manufacturers to the state… Plants Sites and Parks Magazine, June/July 2001. Mercedes [expansion is] making use of another $119 million incentive package from the state. Plants Sites and Parks Magazine, June/July 2001. To land Honda, Alabama committed to a total of $102.7 million in incentives to buy the land and prepare the site for construction, plus training the plant’s employees. In addition, Honda will receive $55.6 million in tax breaks, according to Gov. Don Siegelman’s office. The Site Selection Online Insider, June 1999. “Among the factors involved in KTH [automotive parts company, investing $46 million, creating 150 jobs] preferring Alabama to competing states were the capital investment tax credit, providing a credit against state income tax for a period of 20 years; the Alabama Industrial Road and Bridge Access Program, providing adequate access to the site; Alabama Industrial Development Training, providing free recruitment, screening, and training for employees; abatement of noneducational sales and use taxes on construction materials and abatement of noneducational property taxes for 10 years; and an Alabama Industrial Development grant. A 40-acre industrial site was also available.” – David Hutchison, Assistant Director, Alabama Development Office. Area Development Magazine, May 2001. The Alabama Capital Investment Tax Credit…program allows qualifying companies to claim credit against Alabama income tax liability relating to a project in Alabama…The tax credit is not to exceed 5 percent of the initial capital cost annually for up to 20 years from the date the project is placed in service. Alabama Business Incentives. Alabama Economic Development Guide. 2001/2002. An exemption from property taxation is available on all business inventories, including all materials used in manufacturing, goods in process, stored manufactured goods and goods in transit for a period of 12 months. Alabama Business Incentives. Alabama Economic Development Guide. 2001/2002. The state’s no situs law…exempts ad valorem taxes on goods moving through the state to a final destination outside Alabama, for a period of 36 months. Alabama Business Incentives. Alabama Economic Development Guide. 2001/2002. Alabama constitutionally limits corporate income tax to a maximum of 5 percent and the apportioned amount of federal income taxes paid or accrued are deductible when computing the state income tax. Also, Alabama law provides for deductions or exemptions for the amount invested by the taxpayer in services, facilities and materials for control, reduction or elimination of air and water pollution… Alabama Business Incentives. Alabama Economic Development Guide. 2001/2002. Enterprise Zones throughout the state offer special tax incentives to new or expanding industries hiring targeted employment groups. Additionally, the Educational Tax Credit provides employers who sponsor an educational program enhancing the basic skills of employees up to the 12th grade level with a tax credit of 20 percent of the actual program costs. Alabama Business Incentives. Alabama Economic Development Guide. 2001/2002. Alabama offers a reduced state rate of 1.5 percent for new machinery used in manufacturing. This tax can be abated except for school tax…the state rate of 4 percent on building construction materials in eligible projects may be abated except school taxes. Alabama Business Incentives. Alabama Economic Development Guide. 2001/2002. Another incentive for economic development is the Alabama Site Preparation Grant Program…funds can...be used to prepare a site in hope of attracting a new industry or assisting an existing company with expansion… Alabama Business Incentives. Alabama Economic Development Guide. 2001/2002. Industrial fuels and raw materials: There are no sales and use taxes charged on fuel used in manufacturing kilns; coal, coke, or wood residue; gasoline and lubricating oil; agricultural products sold in original form; and packaging products. Directory of State Incentives. Area Development, January 2000. "We've had great support from the state with the training they offer, the benefits we receive from low taxes, and the ability to call anybody, including the governor, when we need to." Tony Cacace, CEO of GKN Alabama. Site Selection Magazine, May 2001. Governor Bob Riley accepted an award from Site Selection magazine that recognizes Alabama has the best economic development agency in the entire nation. This award continues a string of national honors and recognition Alabama has recently received for its economic performance and job creation. Southern Business and Development magazine named Alabama "State of the Year" in both 2003 and 2004 for its economic growth. In 2004, Plants, Sites, and Parks magazine ranked Alabama as one of the Top 10 states to locate a business. Alabama Industrial Development Training, the state's workforce training program was named the top workforce training program in the nation by Expansion Management magazine in 2004. States News Service, May 2005. In November, 2005, Site Selection Magazine ranked Alabama 7th in their 2005 Top State Business Climate Rankings. They also ranked them 4th in their Executive Survey Business Climate Rankings. Site Selection Magazine, November 2005.
The Industrial Development boards of Mobile County can provide an industrial Revenue Bond Inducement to facilitate the company’s use of tax-free bonds. The City of Mobile as grantee offers Foreign Trade Zone 82 for companies that have the need and opportunity for import tariff relief.
“Finding…workers should be no problem…More than 40,000 applied when Mercedes first starting hiring. Plants Sites and Parks Magazine, June/July 2001. The population of Mobile County is growing. The population in 2000 was 399,843 and is projected at 412,736 by 2006. Population of Mobile and Baldwin Counties combined was 540,200 in 2000 and is projected to be 573,600 in 2006. 79.4% of the population is over 18 with 24.9% having completed four or more years of college. 55,000 individuals in the area work force are considered underemployed. Many underemployed workers in the area have previous industrial experience. Alabama offers something else of value to industrial manufacturers: high numbers of underemployed workers. “A recent Pathfinder report shows that we have an under-employed work force throughout the state, says [Steve] Sewell, marketing director for the Economic Development Partnership of Alabama]. “That’s why there were more than 40,000 applicants for jobs at the Mercedes plant and more than 30,000 applicants for Boeing.” Site Selection Magazine, May 2001. Alabama has an available workforce. 40,000 completed applications for 1,600 jobs at Mercedes II (Expansion). 29,000 completed applications for 2,500 jobs at Boeing. 16,500 completed applications for 2,000 jobs at Honda II (Expansion). 9,700 completed applications for 600 jobs at International Diesel. 20,000 completed applications for 2,000 jobs at Hyundai. Economic Development Partnership of Alabama, www.edpa.org.
Among the factors working in Alabama’s favor are an aggressive work force development and training commitment, with workers being located, screened and trained for companies moving into the state. Site Selection Magazine, May 2002. Alabama Industrial Development Training (AIDT) is designed to recruit and train a company’s entire work force to company specifications at no cost to the company. Over the past 20 years more than 140,000 Alabamians have learned the skills they need for better paying jobs through programs designed and conducted by AIDT. …Huntsville’s high tech image …helped Toyota make a decision…”When you build a plant like this, you have to have engineers.” Plants Sites and Parks Magazine, June/July 2001. Ed Castile, Director of Alabama Industrial Development Training: “We tell employers that we will find them a work force and train it. It is important to us as a state to be able to continue to say that. So we have put in place strategies to manage this work force and keep us at the forefront and ahead of potential problems.” Site Selection Magazine, May 2002. Steve Sewell, marketing director for the Economic Development Partnership of Alabama: “These companies need to find the work force they need to be successful, and the Alabama Industrial Development Training (AIDT) program is one of the best in the nation.” Site Selection Magazine, May 2001. The AIDT (Alabama Industrial Development Training) program has played a key role in preparing GKN [Aerospace] workers. For example, an AIDT team set up a classroom in the plant on short notice and taught laminating and composite work and assembly to the employees. Site Selection Magazine, May 2001. The Alabama Technology Network (ATN) and the Alabama Industrial Development Training (AIDT) programs provide a wide variety of services to ensure that the work force is well-trained and well-educated for local industries. The ATN is a partnership of the Alabama University System, Auburn University, the EDPA [Economic Development Partnership of Alabama] and select two-year technical colleges. “It links the technical colleges with higher education, and it provides both work training support and technology transfer; it’s basically problem-solving for business,” says [Steve] Sewell, director of marketing with the EDPA]. The AIDT…has been rated as one of the top 10 state training initiatives in the country. Established in 1971, the state-run program has trained more than 140,000 workers in more than 100 industries. Site Selection Magazine, May 1999. AIDT provides a total work force management system, at no cost to the employers or trainees. AIDT, the state's work force training program, was ranked first in the U.S. in a 2006 Expansion Management site consultant survey. Alabama is a right-to-work state. AIDT, the only program of its kind in the nation, has been awarded ISO 9001:2000 certification by the International Organization for Standardization. Bill Lang, spokesman for HMMA (Hyundai Motor Manufacturing Alabama), tells Site Selection that the workers are so well trained by the state that they could work in Korea. "Some of our team members, after only four hours on the job at the Hyundai plant in Korea, were working on the assembly line," he says. "There is a very strong work ethic in Alabama. The people love to work." Site Selection Magazine, May 2004. Phyllis Wesley, communications coordinator at AIDT, says, "The people of Alabama are so excited about these jobs. The work force has a strong tradition of showing up on time every day and working a full day. They undergo a lot of training just to qualify for the jobs at Hyundai, and you can tell that they really appreciate the opportunity." Site Selection Magazing, May 2004.
Alabama Industrial Development Training (AIDT) will recruit and prescreen as well as train a company’s entire work force to company specifications at no cost to the company. ”Our first criteria was work-force quality and suitability,” said Linda Paulmeno, a member of the Mercedes site selection team assembled in 1993 and the first of the company’s now 2,000 employees to locate in Alabama. “The AIDT (Alabama Industrial Development Training) program was the differentiator.” The Site Selection Online Insider, week of January 15, 2001. …More than 17,000 applicants have been processed, 11 applicants for every job [for the Honda assembly and engine plant, scheduled to open in early 2002]. Plants Sites and Parks Magazine, June/July 2001. David Hutchison, Assistant Director of the Alabama Development Office: “labor force and location [are Alabama’s unique strengths in attracting business expansion activity]. We have found in the past five or six years that people are looking for a location with a work force that is available and trainable. You can have a great site and great incentives and other factors in a site search, but if you don’t have dependable people who can get the job done, then you don’t have anything.” Site Selection Magazine, May 2002. ”Our first criteria was work-force quality and suitability,” said Paulmeno, a member of the Mercedes site selection team assembled in 1993 and the first of the company’s now 2,000 employees to locate in Alabama. “The AIDT (Alabama Industrial Development Training) program was the differentiator.” Said AIDT Director Ed Castile, “What differentiates AIDT is our recruitment and screening for prehire training.” The Mercedes’ project has kept that screening running in high gear. The first 20 advertised jobs drew 63,000 applicants, Castile recounted. The Site Selection Online Insider, week of January 15, 2001. Since 1971, AIDT has assisted approximately 3,500 new and expanding companies in the recruiting, selection and training of more than 200,000 employees. These companies have used almost every kind of production process to make a wide variety of products. AIDT's close working relationships with these companies has resulted in development of consistently effective processes for the recruitment, selection and training of skilled and motivated employees. Site Selection Magazine, September 2004. "AIDT had a direct impact on the successful startup of Honda Manufacturing of Alabama, LLC," said Chuck Ernst, HMA vice president and plant manager. "The outstanding recruitment and training process helps us find workers." Site Selection Magazine, September 2005.
The Meaher Industrial Sites have the unusual advantage of high elevation on the Mobile River as well as high flat elevations throughout the sites.
The average cost of a home in Mobile purchased during 2005 was $151,096, well below the national average. During the past several years, the average home appreciated between five and eight percent annually. The Mobile County Public School System, Alabama’s oldest and largest, operates 58 elementary schools, 23 middle schools, 14 high schools, three vocational schools, and five special schools. Enrollment is approximately 65,013. The Advanced Placement Program offered in all of the system’s high schools is the largest in the state and has been recognized as exemplary by the National College Board. Mobile County high school graduates receive approximately $18 million each year in scholarships. The Alabama School of Mathematics and Science is a unique statewide public high school that is located in Mobile. The residential school was created to educate Alabama’s most talented young students in the sciences, mathematics and liberal arts and conceived as a partnership between public education and the private sector. Mobile was named one of the nation’s “All America Cities” by the National Civic League. ACCRA (formerly the American Chamber of Commerce Researchers Association) reports that Mobile’s cost of living is one of the ten lowest out of the 80 largest U. S. metropolitan areas. Mobile is the medical center for the central Gulf Coast, providing the southern portions of Alabama and Mississippi as well as parts of Florida with the latest advances in obstetrics, oncology, cardiology and other medical specialties. Mobile has a teaching hospital and advanced research facilities, such as the University of South Alabama College of Medicine and the USA Medical Facilities. The Mobile area offers six museums, seven amateur theatres, more than 66 parks, three bowling establishments, five skating rinks, 11 golf courses, 8 public swimming pools, 1 auto race track, 94 public tennis courts. There are also several historic homes and buildings that are open to the public. Bellingrath Gardens & Home, located just south of Mobile, is considered on of America's most beautiful display gardens. The Mobile Botanical Gardens are also open year round, from dawn til dusk. There are also many festivals throughout the year. The events keep spirits lively in Mobile. Because of the rapid growth of municipalities in [Mobile] County, water and sewer improvements have also been under construction. Sewage treatment plants will be installed in Axis near the site of the new IPSCO steel plant and in Grand Bay to handle new home construction. Business Alabama, February 2000. Alabama Power Company operates Gary Steam Plant in Mt. Vernon…Four years ago, the company began installing low-NOx [low-nitrogen oxide] burners on coal furnaces. This…has reduced harmful emissions by 30 percent over that time period…the steam plant [will] bring on line two new units that use gas burners for clean air discharge. By 2001…the power company expects that electricity production will increase by 99 percent to meet the area’s growing industrial demand and that the NOx rate will shrink by 62 percent. Business Alabama, February 2000. Mercedes, in turn, has given back to the community, contributing more than $1 million to Alabama higher education and another $600,000 to help residents battered by recent storms. The Site Selection Online Insider, week of January 15, 2001. The Science, Technology and Energy Division [of the Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs] encourages the efficient use and development of energy resources and promotes economic development in the areas of science and technology. The division also administers grants related to recycling and mass transit…ADECA’s Law Enforcement and Traffic Safety Division assists local governments and organizations through a variety of grant programs to provide resources to create safe, drug-free communities and to respond to the needs of crime and family violence victims. Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs. Alabama Economic Development Guide. 2001/2002. Since 1989, the Alabama Power Foundation has invested more than $50 million in Alabama’s communities. In 2000, the foundation awarded grants totaling more than $2 million to improve the lives and quality of life of Alabamians. This support helps make these communities as attractive and industry-friendly as possible for site selection possibilities. Alabama Power. Alabama Economic Development Guide. 2001/2002.
…Alabama beat out other Southern states for the Mercedes plant in 1993 by putting up $253 million worth of incentives…It was more than twice what other Southern states spent to get their auto plants. Plants Sites and Parks Magazine, June/July 2001. …the success of Mercedes’ Alabama plant played a significant role in swaying Honda’s 1999 decision to locate a $400 million, 1,500-employee plant in Lincoln, Ala., many industry analysts contended. The Site Selection Online Insider, week of January 15, 2001. Toyota (was impressed by) the seamless, bipartisan wooing of the company at all levels of government…all of the officials, Republican and Democrat, “spoke with one voice” and worked as a team to convince the company that the project belonged in Alabama. Plants Sites and Parks Magazine, June/July 2001. ”We’ve had great support from the state with the training they offer, the benefits we receive from low taxes, and the ability to call anybody, including the governor, when we need to, says Tony Cace, CEO of GKN [Aerospace] in Alabama. Site Selection Magazine, May 2001. It is (this) image of a new and improved Alabama that is influencing other companies to look at the state. When Toyota decided it needed a new engine plant, Alabama was at the top of its list. Plants Sites and Parks Magazine, June/July 2001. Chief Executive Kim Dong-jin: “The state government of Alabama has shown a far more enthusiastic attitude towards luring Hyundai’s auto-plant investments than its Kentucky counterpart. In addition, Alabama proved superior to Kentucky in terms of transportation, utility infrastructure, labor quality and costs, and temperature.” The Site Selector Online Insider, week of April 1, 2002. We’ve had great support from the state with the training they offer, the benefits we receive from low taxes, and the ability to call anybody, including the governor, when we need to, says Tony Cace, CEO of GKN (Aerospace) in Alabama. Site Selection Magazine, May 2001. Ongoing state support has also been a major factor in Mercedes’ continuing expansion in Alabama, (Bill) Taylor (Mercedes-Benz U.S. International president and CEO)…”I told (Gov. Don Siegelman) about (the proposed expansion), and he said, ‘What do we have to do? We’ll do whatever it takes.”’ Said Siegelman, “Alabama is committed to education, economic development, and strategic planning.” The Site Selector Online Insider, week of January 15, 2001. Alabama is a “right-to-work” state with 14.5% of its manufacturing workers unionized, a decrease from the 1984 level of 20.1%. Southern Alabama is also well-suited for manufacturing operations in that it has the capabilities to bring in any raw materials through the Port of Mobile, and it has the transportation network, including four national rail roads in Mobile and extensive trucking and intermodal facilities, to get the product out to customers. Site Selection Magazine, May 2000. Among the many reasons IPSCO cited for choosing the Mobile site were availability of a highly skilled workforce, competitive electrical rates and good transportation logistics. “We were highly impressed by the attitude of both the people in the Alabama business community and in government that we had dealings with. The state is certainly open for business,” noted Roger Phillips, chairman and CEO of IPSCO. Site Selection Magazine, May 1999. Owing to the extensive transportation infrastructure that’s already in place, the Mobile area is likely to become a destination of regional and national distribution companies…”We demonstrated to [IPSCO Steel and Ace Hardware] we could deliver transportation of raw materials, utilities and workforce.” (Jim Apple, economic development director of the Mobile area Chamber of Commerce.) Business Alabama, February 2000. Within two months after the Alabama engine plant investment was announced…Toyota…was considering building another automotive factory in...”the South.” Plants Sites and Parks Magazine, June/July 2001. Since 1993, automotive suppliers have been locating in Alabama to be close not only to Mercedes and Honda but also to other automotive companies in the South. Plants Sites and Parks Magazine, June/July 2001. [Gov. Don] Siegelman, whose personal involvement was a major factor in landing Honda, called the first Odyssey that rolled off the line “a job well done…This is the best indication that we are really open for business. We knew that Alabama workers, the most committed workers in the world, combined with Honda’s commitment to quality automobiles would equal greatness.” The Site Selection Online Insider, week of December 17, 2001. ”IPSCO is an example of what cooperation among the city, county, the local chamber and the Alabama State Docks could do,” says [Jim] Apple [economic development director of the Mobile Area Chamber of Commerce]. “We selected a site for IPSCO…in Axis, in the north part of the county, and worked the site so that it was the best one among all the choices they had on the Gulf Coast. Their plant payroll is expected to come in at $20 million a year.” Business Alabama, February 2000. “This project [IPSCO Steel mini-mill in Mobile] represents the best of cooperation and partnership between the public sector and the private sector,” says Jim Apple, vice president of economic development at the Mobile Area Chamber of Commerce. To better accommodate the new mini-mill, for example, The Alabama State Docks will build a $3 million pier on the Mobile River, which fronts the east side of the site, to handle the large barges bringing in raw materials and transporting product from the mill, says Jack Ravan, director of the Docks. Site Selection Magazine, May 1999. Juergen Hubbert, a DaimlerChrysler board member for Mercedes-Benz: “Our success would not have been possible without the great partnership we formed with the state of Alabama and without the strong work force that we have found here. Alabama has become an important home for Mercedes-Benz.” Site Selection Magazine, May 2001. Steve Sewell, marketing director for the Economic Development Partnership of Alabama: “Alabama is very appealing to international firms. They are looking for infrastructure and a state with a business-friendly environment. We work very hard to meet the needs of these companies when they come here.” Site Selection Magazine, May 2001. “Three of the more prestigious location projects in recent years have located in Alabama,” says Bill Boyd, a principal with Lockwood Greene Consulting. “First, there was Mercedes and then Boeing’s Delta IV Rocket facility and new the Honda plant that’s going to Lincoln. These are three home runs; they’re doing very well.” Site Selection Magazine, May 2000. Couple the state’s ongoing legislative efforts and can-do attitude with its already strong infrastructure and geographic location, it’s easy to see why such names as Honda and Mercedes have come to call Alabama home. Site Selection Magazine, May 2000. Since Mercedes-Benz announced Alabama as the site for its first North American manufacturing plant, the state has attracted nine Mercedes suppliers, eight of which are first-tier suppliers. Site Selection Magazine, May 1999. States Koichi Amemiya, president of American Honda and chief operating officer of Honda’s Americas region, “The state of Alabama has what we need to continue this success: an outstanding community of people, excellent transportation systems, and the necessary infrastructure to support industry.” Area Development Magazine, February 2001. Alabama Power helped bring significant new businesses to the state, resulting in more than $1.1 billion in investments and more than 4,700 new jobs. The company is now considered a primary resource for companies interested in locating in the state. Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs. Alabama Economic Development Guide. 2001/2002. The state developed a plan centered on making its urban centers and universities attractive to industry. Plants Sites and Parks Magazine, June/July 2001. Jacquelyn S. Shaia, President and CEO of the Economic Development Partnership of Alabama: “Alabama has a strong commitment to businesses once they come to Alabama and to existing industries. It’s not good enough to just recruit and get the industry into the state, but once they’re here, we’ll partner with them and work as hard as we can to make sure they are successful here. We’re lucky, too, in that we have such a strong financial base. We have four major bank holding companies, which puts us with the largest population of bank holding companies other than New York in the United States. That’s impressive, because from that you can be sure that your company – those that are looking at the state and those here – are always assured of solid financial funding when they need it. These banks do a very good job of working with these in-state companies.” Site Selection Magazine, May 2002. Over the past several years, Alabama has taken major steps to create the friendliest possible atmosphere for both new and existing industry. Last year, for example, the state legislation passed a six-bill economic development package that covers everything from a 21st Century fund for issuing bonds to the creation of multi-county industrial development authorities. Site Selection Magazine, May 2000. As part of an infrastructure improvement package [Honda] worked out with the state government, the state and the community will make various highway improvements and provide site and infrastructure improvements and funds for employee training. Area Development Magazine, February 2001. The Foreign Trade Relations Commission is a state agency at work developing export markets for local businesses. Established in 1975 to improve trade links between the state and Spanish-speaking countries in Central and South America, the commission hosts foreign buyers and government officials coming to Alabama to make contacts. Leading export markets for goods shipped from the Port of Mobile and over highways are Canada, Japan, Germany, Mexico and the United Kingdom. Over the first three quarters of 1999, $5.15 billion in Alabama exports reached foreign ports. That’s a 41 percent increase over 1998… Business Alabama, February 2000. As a result of a 1985 law, a public corporation was established that is capable of selling tax-exempt bonds of up to $25 million to plan, design, and construct access roads and bridges to improve access to new industrial sites in Alabama. Directory of State Incentives. Area Development, January 2000. The economic impact of Mercedes on Alabama is enormous. A recent study showed that the M-Class assembly is a $1.3 billion industry in the state, creating more than 10,000 jobs in a state of 4.5 million people. Site Selection Magazine, May 2001. Payroll at the [Degussa-Huls] Theodore plant in 1999 was $61.7 million. Total capital investment in the Mobile County production sites is nearly $1.1 billion. Last year the company purchased $88.8 million in goods and services in the state and paid approximately $6.1 million in state and local taxes. Business Alabama, February 2000. More than 650 new jobs were created [in 1998] by projects that totaled $245 million in new investments. Business Alabama, February 2000. In October [2001], Governor Don Siegelman disclosed that new industry investment in Alabama for 2000 totaled $478,582,000, with 5,405 new jobs announced by 74 companies. Area Development Magazine, February 2002. "The success of our plant in Tuscaloosa and the vehicles that we are producing there shows it was the right decision to come to Alabama back in 1993. Without the great support from the State of Alabama, this success story would definitely not have been written." - Dr. Dieter Zetsche - Chairman of DaimlerChrysler AG and Head of the Mercedes Car Group "The Boeing Company considers the State of Alabama an excellent place to do business. The well-trained and educated workforce, positive business environment and support from local and state officials has contributed greatly to our successful operations in the state." - Charles Allen - Vice President, Business Operations, Boeing Integrated Defense Systems "The just-in-time delivery and standardization done here in Tuscaloosa has been incorporated at Mercedes-Benz plants around the world. I believe this plant will continue to set benchmarks in the future." - Hans-Heinrich Weingarten - Executive Vice President of Mercedes Production After an extensive nationwide search, Mobile, Alabama was selected as the site for the new plant. Impressed by the abundance of affordable power, the support of the community and the availability of a technically qualified workforce, Mitsubishi Materials determined Mobile was ideally located to maximize Mitsubishi Polysilicon's growth and development. Mitsubishi Polysilicon, www.mpsac.com. "Today's announcement [major expansion to the Toyota facility in Huntsville/Madison County area] reflects the high performance and quality of our Alabama plant. I attribute this expansion to our hard working team members and the tremendous support from the Huntsville/Madison County community." - Haruaki Hoshino - Toyota Executive "I'm a somewhat new voice in Alabama, and the past doesn't mean anything to me, because I wasn't here for that. What I see in Alabama is leadership. We are the world's best at what we do, and there are many places in Alabama that are the world's best. We have broad shoulders, we are a team together, and we are going to continue down that path of excellence and being world class in the things we do." - Mike Bunney - General Manager for the Boeing Delta Launch Vehicle Factory "Stereotypical notions of places are sometimes hard to overcome. Our experience is that Alabama has changed in a positive way. Speaking as an OEM, Alabama is a strong, supportive environment for automotive and related industries." - F. Emmett Meyer Jr. - Vice President of Human Resources and Administration for Mercedes-Benz U.S. International In 2005, Site Selection Magazine ranked Alabama 7th in their Top State Business Climate Ratings. In their Executive Survey Business Climate Rankings, Alabama was ranked 4th. Site Selection Magazine, November 2005. In 2007, Mobile and Huntsville were both named one of the Top 10 North American Small Cities of the Future by fDi (foreign direct investment) magazine, a London-based subsidiary of the Financial Times. A variety of factors went into each area. Economic potential, for example, included studies of employment levels, earnings growth over time, foreign direct investment, and age of the working population, among other things. Business friendliness included level of corporate taxation, number of out-of-state companies in the city and state, and number of jobs created by out-of-state investment in the past year. - Mobile Press Register, April 24, 2007.
Honda’s Alabama plant just got US$140 million and 800 jobs bigger – and on the same day that its first product rolled off the line. The expansion will up Honda Manufacturing of Alabama’s total capital investment to $580 million and increase its total employment to some 2,300 workers. The Site Selection Online Insider, week of December 17, 2001. After originally investing $300 million to build its first American assembly plant in Vance, the [Mercedes-Benz] plant was expanded twice to increase production to 80,000 units per year. With the latest expansion, Mercedes will increase its total capital investment in Alabama to nearly $1 billion and will employ about 4,000 workers. Site Selection Magazine, May 2001. Mercedes announced in July 2000 that it would spend $600 million on a 1.5 million-square foot expansion of the M-Class SUV factory… Plants Sites and Parks Magazine, June/July 2001. Other auto-related announcements include Federal-Mogul Corp.’s 200-employee expansion in Athens. The expansion will allow the facility to produce more crankshaft seals for heavy-duty diesel and automotive engine manufacturers. Site Selection Magazine, May 2000. Vintage [Pharmaceuticals] is expanding its [Huntsville] operations with a $56 million expansion and 300 jobs. Site Selection Magazine, May 2000. …Boeing, which already employs approximately 3,000 in the Huntsville area, is moving more of its operations to northern Alabama as well. Site Selection Magazine, May 2000. Hyundai Motor Corp. may add production of a third vehicle at its two-year-old assembly plant in Montgomery. This news came one month after Hyundai announced plans for a $270 million expansion that will add a second engine production line at the plant. The company said the expansion will create 500 jobs and is designed to build engines for Hyundai and its sister company, Kia. Mobile Press Register, April 25, 2007. July 14, 2003 Toyota Motor Manufacturing Alabama announced an historic major expansion of the company's facility currently located in Huntsville/Madison County area. Toyota's expansion would include an additional investment of $20 million in its Alabama facility and will add 150 new jobs. Toyota.com, July 2003. In 2004, Honda announced a $70 million project to expand its engine plant at its manufacturing facility in Lincoln, AL. Site Selection magazine, May 2005. In April 2007, Honda Motor Co. confirmed plans for a $65 million addition of a steel banking facility. GKN Aerospace is on schedule with construction of a 120,000-sq-ft. expansion to its 260,000-sq-ft. facility in Tallassee. The Tallassee operation is adding 250 employees to 500 currently on staff as the $20 million expansion develops. Site Selection magazine, May 2006. In 2004, Toyota announced a $250 million expansion to double production at its plant in Huntsville, adding 300 jobs to the Madison County factory that will supply all of Toyota's planned V-8 engine needs for North America. Site Selection magazine, May 2005. MOBIS Alabama announced a $90 million expansion of its Montgomery operations, adding a plastic injection molding facility as well as a distribution center for service parts, creating 515 jobs. Site Selection magazine, May 2005. In September 2003, DaimlerChrysler announced that it would complete a $600 million expansion adding 2,000 jobs at its Mercedes M-Class plant in the Tuscaloosa metro in Vance, AL. Site Selection magazine, September 2003. KTH Leesburg Products (KLP) located in Leesburg, Alabama, a producer of frame components for Honda, said it plans a $60 million expansion of the auto part manufacturing plant. Plant manager and Vice President John Boyer said that KLP will roughly double the size of the structure, which currently stands at 170,000 square feet. Autoparts Report, February, 2003. In January, 2005, Austal USA announced it would be adding 600 workers at its shipbuilding operation in Mobile, Al. The estimated cost of the expansion was $20 million. Site Selection magazine, January 2005. Holcim, a cement manufacturing plant located in Theodore, is undergoing a $60 million expansion in 2007 that is expected to dramatically improve the facility's efficiency. The expansion will add a grinder mill and also will include two new limestone- and coal-hauling cranes for offloading product. The project has a completion timeline of 2009. - The Business View, June 2007. In April, Gulf Coast Asphalt executives based out of Houston met with the city of Mobile's Industrial Development Board to lay out their plans for the nearly $36 million facility, which is expected to double Gulf Coast Asphalt's workforce. Officials estimate they will hire 50 additional employees at an average wage of $50,000. - The Business View, June 2007.
Lured by the successful six-year run of Mercedes in Alabama, Japanese automaker Honda announced in April 2000 that it will build a $440 million Honda Odyssey minivan and engine plant in Lincoln, employing 3,000 workers in Talladega County. Site Selection Magazine, May 2001. Japanese automaker Toyota announced on Feb. 6, 2001, that it will build a $200 million, 350-job plant in Huntsville where workers will machine and assemble V8 engines for Toyota’s full-size Tundra pickup truck. Site Selection Magazine, May 2001. Ipsco Steel (Alabama) Inc. successfully rolled the first plate March 26 on the Steckel rolling mill at its new 1.25 million-tons-per-year Mobile County steelworks. Metal Center News Magazine, May 2001. IPSCO Steel has officially opened its $425 million mini-mill in the Mobile, Ala., metro area…The project’s construction cycle also ranked in the remarkable range – particularly for a facility with a 300-acre footprint. Despite its size, the mini-mill took less than 24 months to complete once ground was broken on the 700-acre site…IPSCO’s multi-model site [is] 20 miles north of Mobile located alongside the Mobile River…and is five miles from I-65, which provides north/south connections to Norfolk Southern rail lines…The facility has moved rapidly toward full capacity, said Charles Sanida, president of IPSCO Steel (Alabama)…”We are pleased with the high caliber of employees that we have been able to attract…” The Site Selection Online Insider, week of December 10, 2001. …much like the auto industry, IPSCO’s major investment in Mobile has attracted suppliers to the area. For example, Praxair has begun construction on a $12 million air separation plant in Axis, just outside of Mobile, to supply oxygen, nitrogen and argon to the mini-mill. Site Selection Magazine, May 2000. Austal, a manufacturer of aluminum ships and boats, has joined forces with Bender Shipbuilding & Repair Co. of Mobile to build a wide range of high-speed ferries…the new venture, to be called Austal USA…will create 1,000 new jobs in Mobile. Site Selection Magazine, May 2000. McNeil Special Services, a division of Johnson & Johnson, will develop a $170 million artificial sweeteners plant, creating some 100 new jobs [in Mobile] Site Selection Magazine, May 1999. Mitsubishi Materials Corp. invested $150 million to build a plant in Mobile to produce polysilicon, a material used to produce microchips. Mitsubishi Materials plant will be located adjacent to Degussa so that Degussa can provide Mitsubishi with an ingredient used to manufacture the polysilicon. In return, Mitsubishi will supply Degussa with products used primarily in the formulation of rubber compounds. Site Selection Magazine, May 1999. Honda announced in May 1999 plans to build a $400 million, 3,000-employee assembly and engine plant in Lincoln (AL)… Plants Sites and Parks Magazine, June/July 2001. …in February 2001, Toyota announced plans to build a $220 million engine factory in Huntsville… Plants Sites and Parks Magazine, June/July 2001.. Teksid, a subsidiary of Fiat, was already building an $80 million aluminum engine-castings factory in Sylacauga…when it announced that it would build another $40 million plant nearby. Plants Sites and Parks Magazine, June/July 2001. CRH North America…announced that it would build a seat frame and interior systems factory in Clanton that will be able to serve Mercedes and BMW in South Carolina. Plants Sites and Parks Magazine, June/July 2001. …Hyundai Motor Co., South Korea’s largest carmaker, has picked Hope Hull, AL, as the site of its new US$1 billion auto assembly plant. Located just south of Montgomery, the plant will employ at least 2,000 workers with annual average salaries of some $40,000. Hyundai’s operation marks the fourth major automotive production plant that Alabama has landed in nine years. “This is the biggest economic development project in the history of Alabama,” said Gov. Don Siegelman. “We have once again shown the world that Alabama is simply a great place to do business.” The Site Selection Online Insider, week of April 1, 2002.
Last year (2000) Bell [Microproducts] announced that it will locate a $180 million corporate technology center with more than 300 employees in downtown Montgomery. “They moved a great deal of their operation from San Jose, Calif., says [Troy] Wayman [of the Montgomery Area Chamber of Commerce]. “They found that the cost of living is lower here. The cost of doing business is lower here. Labor costs are significantly lower.” The state Retirement System of Alabama (RSA) helped secure the deal by supplying $180 million in debt financing to Bell. “Our objective was to find a site central to our North American business,” says Donald Bell, president and CEO of Bell Microproducts. “Availability of a quality work force, proximity to local college and university resources, a competitive business climate and quality of life were all important factors in our decision process. Montgomery clearly outpaced other locations after evaluating its overall social and economic factors.” Site Selection Magazine, May 2001. 1999’s [Northern Alabama] mega-project was Navistar’s $250 million engine manufacturing plant in Huntsville. The plant, which will manufacture engines for Ford Motor Co. and other OEMs, will initially employ 600, growing to 1,000 employees a full production. Site Selection Magazine, May 2000. …Skyhook Technologies, a Utah-based aviation-support company…selected Huntsville for its helicopter refurbishing facility, which will be located in the Redstone Arsenal…employ up to 500 workers in the next three years. Site Selection Magazine, May 2000. Huntsville first major distribution center was announced last year by Target Stores. In a $60 million to $80 million investment, Target will build a 1.2 million sq.ft. warehouse and distribution center in west Huntsville, where it will employ up to 800 workers. Site Selection Magazine, May 2000. Ferguson Enterprises, the nation’s largest wholesale distributor of plumbing products…in 1999…set up a $21 million, 483,000 sq.ft. center in Fort Payne, where it will employ 125 new workers. Site Selection Magazine, May 2000. Other distribution firms looking to take advantage of central Alabama’s assets include OfficeMax, Wal-Mart and Saks. OfficeMax is investing $45 million to establish its 600,000 sq.ft. Southeast PowerMax regional distribution center in McCalla, while Wal-Mart is investing $34 million in an 880,000 sq.ft. facility in Opelika. Saks will build a $30 million, 180,000 sq.ft. center in Steele. Site Selection Magazine, May 2000. In the telecommunications arena, Birmingham won a major announcement last year by TeleTech Holdings. The Denver-base firm will create 650 new jobs initially, increasing to more than 800 jobs within the next two years. TeleTech provides customer and product support services for UPS, AT&T, GTE and other Fortune 500 firms. Site Selection Magazine, May 2000. Hertz built a new $10 million inbound reservation center last year [in Mobile County], which will serve as the company’s only other U.S. reservation center outside Oklahoma City. Initially, the center will hire 500 workers, growing to 1,000 in the next five years. Site Selection Magazine, May 2000. Ace Hardware…is investing $35 million for a new distribution center in Loxley, Baldwin County. The 795,000 sq.ft. facility will employ 300 workers…[George] Harris [Ace Hardware corporate property and planning manager] …cited the local officials’ cooperation and the available work force as reasons for choosing the Loxley site. Site Selection Magazine, May 2000. …McClane Co., the nation’s largest distributor to convenience stores…built a $26 million 300,000 plus sq.ft. distribution facility in the Houston County Distribution Park to serve Alabama, Georgia and Florida. The new center initially created 300 jobs, but it will grow to 400 within three years. McLane’s investment in Dothan over the next 10 years is estimated at $265 million. Site Selection Magazine, May 2000. Two automotive supply companies are slated to locate in the Auburn area, creating more than 350 new jobs. Stahlschmidt & Maiworm plans to invest $28 million to build a new aluminum-wheel manufacturing plant that will employ 350 people. Hoerbiger Hydraulik will invest $2 million to build a new hydraulic manufacturing plant that will…expand its work force to 50. Area Development Magazine, February 2001. CRH North America is undergoing a $21 million expansion that is expected to create 345 new jobs in Chilton County…The 500,000 sq.ft. plant in Clanton is expected to add a 125,000 sq.ft. expansion. Area Development Magazine, February 2001. FiberCore, Inc., is a manufacturer and global supplier of optical fiber and preform for the telecommunications and data communications market, with plants in Germany and Brazil. It will build its first U.S. manufacturing plant in Auburn [with a] $30 million estimated project cost. Area Development Magazine, February 2001. A joint venture of several Japanese and American companies announced last spring that it will locate a $46 million facility for stamping and welding minivan frames for the Honda Odyssey in Leesburg. The plant is expected to employ 150 workers by September 2002. Site Selection Magazine, May 2001. Berg Steel Pipe Corp has selected Mobile, AL as the preferred site for its new spiral steel manufacturing facility. The facility will be located on part of a former International Paper site. The project is expected to invest approximately $75 million in capital and employ approximately 100 people. It is expected that the facility will begin operations in mid-2008. www.bergpipe.com, March 2007. European Aeronautic Defense and Space Co.'s EADS North America division announced on June 22 that it would site its EADS KC-330 advanced tanker production facility at Brookley Industrial Complex in Mobile, AL. Site Selection magazine, June 2005. One of the latest automotive projects is developing in Muscle Shoals, where North American Lighting, a division of Japan-based Koito manufacturing Co., is building a $21 million factory to produce tail lamps for automobiles. The 200,000-sq-ft. plant will begin operations in June 2007 and plans call for the production of 1.8 million tail lamps by 2010. Site Selection magazine, May 2006. ThyssenKrupp AG on Friday named north Mobile County as the home for its proposed $3.7 billion, 2,700-worker steelmaking complex, bringing a dramatic, pre-dawn conclusion to an intense competition between Alabama and Louisiana for one of the largest U.S. industrial projects in a decade. Mobile Press Register, May 2007. World-class companies operating in the Mobile River Industrial Corridor include: U.S. Amines (headquartered in the USA), Syngenta (headquartered in Switzerland), Akzo Nobel Functional Chemical (headquartered in the Netherlands), DuPont Agricultural Products (headquartered in Wilmington, DE), AtoFina (headquartered in France), IPSCO Steel (headquartered in (Saskatchewan, Canada).
The University of South Alabama offers bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees in a variety of fields, including education, engineering and marine sciences. The USA College of Medicine is affiliated with the USA hospitals and clinics. The University of Mobile is a Baptist-affiliated college of liberal arts and sciences offering both bachelor’s and master’s degrees in art, business administration, computer science, nursing and religious studies. Spring Hill College is Alabama’s oldest four-year college as well as one of the country’s oldest Jesuit institutions. Spring Hill was named as one of the top liberal arts colleges in the South by U. S. News & World Report and was listed in Money Magazine’s Best College Buys in 1991. There are several community colleges in the area which provide associate degrees that are transferable to local four-year institutions. These colleges and additional technology campuses also offer programs directed toward careers in aviation technology, medical technology and the skilled trades.
Site Selection Magazine, May 2002, Talent and Teamwork Help Alabama Reach Critical Mass. pp. 380-387. The Site Selection Online Insider, week of December 10, 2001. www.conway.com/ssinsider/pwatch/pw0112110.htm Ron Starner. Site Selection: Alabama Spotlight: Test Track. Site Selection Magazine, May 2001. pp. 393-400. Tracy Heath. Alabama Adds Proof to the Pudding. Site Selection Magazine, May 2000. pp. 549-557. Tracy Heath. Alabama - Welcoming in Big Business. Site Selection Magazine, May 1999. pp. 480-488. Robert Day. A Steeling of Manufacturing Resolve. Business Alabama, February 2000. pp. 41-46. Robert Day. Spotlight on Mobile County. Business Alabama, February 2000. pp. 35-40. The Alabama Waterway System. Alabama Economic Development Guide. 2001/2002. p. 51. Alabama’s Rail System. Alabama Economic Development Guide. 2001/2002. p. 50. Alabama Highway System. Alabama Economic Development Guide. 2001/2002. p. 48-49. The Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway. Alabama Economic Development Guide. 2001/2002. p. 41. Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs. Alabama Economic Development Guide. 2001/2002. p. 17. Mali R. Schantz-Feld. Destination Alabama. Area Development Magazine, February 2001. pp. 69-72. Metal Industry News. Metal Center News Magazine, May 2001. p. 60. Clint Johnson. East South Central. Plants Sites and Parks Magazine, June/July 2001. pp. 73-88. The Site Selection Online Insider, week of April 1, 2002. www.conway.com/ssinsider/bbdeal/bd020401.htm The Site Selection Online Insider, week of December 17, 2001. www.conway.com/ssinsider/pwatch/pw0112117.htm The Site Selection Online Insider, week of January 15, 2001. www.conway.com/ssinsider/special/01015b.htm The Site Selection Online Insider, June 1999. www.conway.com/ssinsider/incentive/ti9906.htm Alabama Business Incentives. Alabama Economic Development Guide. 2001/2002. p. 54. Alabama Power. Alabama Economic Development Guide. 2001/2002. p. 39. Geraldine Gambale, editor. Special Executive Forum. Area Development Magazine, May 2001. pp. 56-84. Mali R. Schantz-Feld. Destination Alabama. Area Development Magazine, February 2002. pp. 83-86. Directory of State Incentives. Area Development, January 2000. pp. 79-80. Berg Steel Pipe Corp. News Release, March 9, 2007. http://www.mccallumsweeney.com/uploads/NEWS-85-BERG%20PRESS%20RELEASE%2003%2009%2007.pdf The Site Selection Online Insider, week of June 20, 2005. www.siteselection.com/ssinsider/bbdeal/bd050620.htm. George Talbot. Mobile Press Register. German Steelmaker picks Mobile for 2,700-worker plant. May 12, 2007. John W. McCurry. Site Selection. Alabama Spotlight: All Systems Go. Site Selection Magazine Internet Archives, May 2006. http://www.siteselection.com/features/2006/may/al/pg03.htm Toyota Motor Sales News. July 14, 2003. www.toyota.com/about/news/manufacturing/2003/07/15-1-alabama-exp.html Jack Lyne. Austal Adding 600 Alabama Jobs to Build New Navy Ship. The Site Selection Online Insider, week of January 31, 2005. www.siteselection.com/ssinsider/bbdeal/bd050131.htm Autoparts Report, Honda Frame Supplier To Expand Its Alabama Facility. February 19, 2003. http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0UDO/is_10_16/ai_97895002 Jack Lyne. DC Says $600M Hello to Alabama, $750M Goodbye to Georgia. The Site Selection Online Insider, week of September 29, 2003. www.siteselection.com/ssinsider/bbdeal/bd030929.htm Site Selection Internet Archives. Automotive Alabama Still On the Go. Site Selection Magazine, May 2005. www.siteselection.com/features/2005/may/al/pg03.htm Site Selection Internet Archives. Talent and Teamwork Help Alabama Reach Critical Mass. Special Feature, May 2002. http://www.siteselection.com/features/2002/may/al/ Site Selection Internet Archives. North Carolina Reclaims Top Billing. Site Selection Magazine, November 2005. www.siteselection.com/issues/2005/nov/p701 Celanese Chemicals News Release. Celanese Agrees to Sell Global Allylamines and U.S. Alkylamines Businesses to U.S. Amines Ltd., December 11, 2002. http://www.celanese.com/index/mr_index/mr_news/mr_news_business/mr_news_business-fullpage.htm?id=16084 Mitsubishi Polysilicon, Engineering a Higher Standard of Excellence. July 14, 2006. www.mpsac.com/ourprocess.htm Site Selection Internet Archives. Success Not Confined to Automotive Sector. Special Feature, May 2001. www.siteselection.com/features/2001/may/al/pg02.htm Site Selection Internet Archives. Activity Pours into Southern Alabama. Special Feature, May 2000. www.siteselection.com/features/2000/may/al/pg04.htm Ron Starner. Site Selection. Planned Precision. Site Selection Internet Archives, May 2004. http://www.siteselection.com/features/2004/may/al/ Site Selection Internet Archives. Alabama Workforce Training Respected for a Reason. Site Selection Magazine, September 2005. www.siteselection.com/issues/2005/sept/p589/ Site Selection Internet Archives. AIDT: Direct Impact On Successful Startup. Site Selection Magazine, September 2004. www.siteselection.com/issues/2004/sep/p633/pg02.htm Alabama State Port Authority News Release. The Port of Mobile Welcomes the First Vessel of Zim’s New Asia-Gulf Express (AGX) Container Service. July 24, 2006. http://www.asdd.com/pdf/newsrel_07242006.pdf Site Selection Internet Archives. State Docks Announce Strategic Plan. Special Feature, May 2001. www.siteselection.com/features/2001/may/al/pg04.htm Alabama State Port Authority News Release. Two Main Docks Projects Completed; Choctaw Point Terminal Plans Advance. January 7, 2002. http://www.asdd.com/Asd/news18.htm Alabama State Port Authority News Release. Alabama State Port Authority Welcomes Kansas City Southern Services in the Port of Mobile. February 4, 2003. http://www.asdd.com/Asd/news26.htm Alabama State Port Authority News Release. Alabama State Port Authority and the Waterway Associations Form Coalition to Promote Alabama’s Inland Waterway. September 8, 2004. http://www.asdd.com/Asd/news40.htm Mark Friedman. Corridor X blazes new trail: New Alabama, Mississippi interstate set to open by 2012. Interstate Anniversary, July 1, 2006. Pg. 35, Vol. 55, No. 7. Kaija Wilkinson. ‘City of the future’: Mobile in top 10. Mobile Press Register, April 24, 2007. George Talbot. Hyundai, Honda eye expansions in Alabama. Mobile Press Register, April 25, 2007. Holcim Plans Major Investment Expansion. The Business View. June 2007. Gulf Coast Asphalt Diversifies, Plans Biodiesel Plant. The Business View. June 2007. © 2007 Meaher Industrial Sites | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
