| Greetings!
Here is today's summary of economic development news, presented by the Economic Development Partnership of Alabama.
|
New report says Hyundai to move Santa Fe production Published: Monday, August 23, 2010, 10:31 AM Updated: Monday, August 23, 2010, 11:02 AM Jerry Underwood -- The Birmingham News
There's a fresh report that Hyundai will shift production of its Santa Fe sport utility, now made in Montgomery, to the Georgia plant of sister company Kia. Autoweek.com reports that the Kia factory in West Point has hired new workers to build the Santa Fe on a second production line. The publication cited a source familiar with the situation. The report says Hyundai wants to boost production capacity in Alabama for the hot-selling Sonata sedan. The Montgomery plant has been running on maximum overtime for months as it seeks to meet demand for the redesigned Sonata, Autoweek.com says more...
|
'Marine highways' could boost Mobile-Mississippi water routePublished: Sunday, August 22, 2010, 10:15 AM Updated: Sunday, August 22, 2010, 11:38 AM Dan Murtaugh, Press-Register
MOBILE, Ala. -- A new federal initiative to get cargo off roads and onto waterways could boost a service connecting barge cargo from Mobile to northeast Mississippi. As a part of the Marine Highway Program, federal transportation officials selected eight projects that will receive preferential treatment for future federal assistance. Included is the Tenn-Tom Freight Project, a proposed container-on-barge service between Mobile and the Port of Itawamba in northeast Mississippi. Right now, most products coming in and out of that corner of Mississippi are trucked to and from Memphis and ride trains cross-country for connections to California ports. The Tenn-Tom project would allow nearly all-water access to Asia ports via the Panama Canal and the Port of Mobile. more...
|
Officials in four states say Gulf Coast deserves economic development after oil spillPublished: Saturday, August 21, 2010, 5:00 AM Updated: Saturday, August 21, 2010, 7:31 AM Robert McClendon, Press-Register
Given the string of disasters, both natural and man-made, that have afflicted the Gulf Coast in recent years, the federal government ought to focus its power on spurring economic development in the region, says a phalanx of politicians and other leaders spanning four states. The group, dubbed the Gulf Coast Economic Initiative: Ready 4 Takeoff Coalition, officially launches Thursday with a news conference in New Orleans, but officials in Alabama, Florida, Mississippi and Louisiana are already drawing up proclamations of support. Members of the coalition range from Mobile Mayor Sam Jones to the New Orleans Chamber of Commerce, according to the group's website. The Pentagon's refueling tanker contract is among the projects promoted by the coalition. EADS, the parent company of Airbus, is battling Boeing Co. for a $40 billion contract to build the tankers. If it wins, EADS would assemble its planes at Brookley Field Industrial Complex in Mobile. EADS estimates that it would employ 1,500 locally, but the effort could create tens of thousands more jobs as parts suppliers and other support companies spring up in the region. more...
|
Birmingham Business Alliance selects consulting firm to aid in search for new chiefPublished: Friday, August 20, 2010, 4:15 PM Updated: Friday, August 20, 2010, 4:41 PM Dawn Kent -- The Birmingham News
The Birmingham Business Alliance has chosen a consulting firm to help select a president and chief executive for the organization, following the departure of Dalton Smith. The BBA said today that a nine-member search committee selected Jorgenson Consulting for the task, and the firm was chosen based on its experience in similar executive searches. "Jorgenson works exclusively in the areas of economic and community development and has conducted searches for scores of organizations like the BBA," committee chairman Johnny Johns of Protective Life Corp. said in a prepared statement. "They have developed a successful process to identify, evaluate and select top executives for similar organizations and we are confident their experience will help us find the best candidate for this job." Jorgenson will interview BBA stakeholders to determine the skills needed for the job. Then the firm will identify and assess candidates before presenting them to the search committee. BBA said the process is expected to last several months. more...
|
Summit focuses on economic, health issuesPublished: Friday, August 20, 2010, 1:14 PM Updated: Friday, August 20, 2010, 1:27 PM Michael Tomberlin -- The Birmingham News
A community's economic health is directly tied to the health of its population. That is the basis of the Health & Economic Development Summit being held today at the University of Alabama at Birmingham's Alys Stephens Center. The summit has brought together health care leaders, economic developers, community activists and residents from Alabama's Black Belt and inner city neighborhoods. "Economy and health are joined at the hip but we rarely address the two together," Dr. Ed Partridge, director of the UAB Comprehensive Cancer Center, told the crowd this morning. Partridge, who also is president-elect of the national board of the American Cancer Society, called on those at the summit to end the day by setting three priorities and specific action steps to help the region do more to create both a healthy population and a healthy economy. Attendees viewed documentaries on the Black Belt's Wilcox and Marengo counties as well as the poorer neighborhoods in Jefferson County to illustrate how the lack of economic opportunity coincides with access to quality health care and a less healthy population. Panelists and attendees also showed how race and racism contributes to that poverty and poor health and acts as "an invisible barrier" to opportunity. more...
|
Ryla says it's adding 250 jobs at Saraland call centerPublished: Thursday, August 19, 2010, 7:36 PM Updated: Saturday, August 21, 2010, 11:32 AM
Jeff Amy, Press-Register
MOBILE, Alabama -- Ryla Inc. said Thursday that it is seeking an additional 250 full-time employees at its Saraland call center, which would raise employment there to more than 700.
Karen Clay, vice president of marketing, said the company hopes to have all the workers in place by next month.
She said Ryla is on track to reach its goal of 1,200 workers by December 2011.
"This puts us ahead of schedule for the 2010 milestone, which was 600 by December," Clay said.
State and local governments granted Ryla incentives estimated at more than $8 million, including $6.5 million in training services from Alabama Industrial Development Training, a two-year college system arm.
Crossing 600 jobs means Ryla will get $550,000 in combined cash from the state, the Mobile County Commission and the city of Saraland. The firm would get another $550,000 when it reaches 1,200 jobs. Ryla must maintain job levels for five years or repay at least part of the money.
Ryla said when it opened that workers would make an average of $21,754 a year, or about $10.50 an hour, plus bonuses and benefits. more...
|
UAB part of $40 million Parkinson's study
Published: Monday, August 23, 2010, 7:45 AM
Jeff Hansen -- The Birmingham News
The University of Alabama at Birmingham will be part of a $40 million, landmark study of Parkinson's disease, a neurodegenerative disorder that affects more than 1 million Americans.
The study is modeled after the recent breakthrough study of Alzheimer's disease that has discovered ways to diagnose Alzheimer's early, using brain scans or tests of spinal fluid.
study and the upcoming Parkinson's study share an approach that turns traditional biomedical science on its head.
Usually, individual researchers or biomedical companies hoard their findings until they can publish papers or apply for patents.
The $70 million Alzheimer's study did the opposite -- clinical researchers immediately shared all the data publicly (while keeping names of patients private). The information was available to anyone with a computer around the world.
And the results, with diagnostic tests and multiple studies to test potential drugs in just six years, have already exceeded anything the researchers had imagined. This prompted the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research to back a similar study of Parkinson's disease.
The Parkinson's effort at UAB and 17 other medical centers across the United States and Europe will be a five-year observational study, in contrast to studies that test new drugs or treatments.
more...
|
Redstone must fill 2,146 jobs
By Eric Fleischauer
Staff Writer
North Alabama has 2,505 more workers as a result of Redstone Arsenal's expansion, with another 1,100 slated to arrive by September 2011.
Col. Robert Pastorelli, garrison commander at Redstone Arsenal, said a depressed housing market in the Washington, D.C., area has slowed transfers to Huntsville, but he expects all jobs to be filled by September 2011, the legislative deadline for fulfillment of Base Realignment and Closure.
The Army still needs to fill 2,146 positions at the expanded base, Pastorelli told a Decatur-Morgan County Chamber of Commerce group last week. Complicating the mission is that many of the employees who have filled open positions - about 45 percent - already worked at Redstone at a lower salary scale. In addition to filling the BRAC positions, Redstone needs to fill vacated positions.
This is good news for the Tennessee Valley, Pastorelli said, because it means more job openings.
Engineers are needed, he said, as well as people with experience in acquisitions, logistics and human resources.
A collapsing housing market particularly acute in Northern Virginia has made it difficult to recruit Army personnel from the area where many employees of the transferred commands reside. Many owe more on their homes than they are worth, so they are unable to move despite lower housing prices in the Valley.
He was positive about the arsenal's contribution to the nation.
more...
|
Plant cuts ties to companyBy Mike Goens
Published: Saturday, August 21, 2010 at 3:30 a.m.
Last Modified: Friday, August 20, 2010 at 10:44 p.m. National Alabama railcar plant is now an Alabama-based company, having severed its relationship with the Canadian industry that made a decision three years ago to expand its operations to Colbert County.
Former National Alabama Chief Executive Officer Greg Aziz has resigned his position on the company's board, and the Retirement Systems of Alabama has obtained 100 percent equity in the plant it helped build at Barton Riverfront Industrial Park.
"This increases our flexibility to build the business model that we think is best for the long-term benefits of National Alabama," CEO John Stein said when contacted by the TimesDaily on Friday morning. "We are now in complete control of the future direction of our company."
The retirement systems has $625 million invested in the mile-long plant in western Colbert County.
RSA lent National Industries Inc., which operates National Steel Car in Canada, $350 million in 2007 to build the plant as part of the state's incentive package to lure the company and the 1,500-1,800 jobs it was to create. There are 120 workers now.
|
Lockheed Martin opens battle management test facility at HuntsvillePublished: Thursday, August 19, 2010, 8:23 AM Updated: Thursday, August 19, 2010, 8:29 AM Budd McLaughlin, The Huntsville Times
HUNTSVILLE, AL -- A missile defense system developed by three nations can lead to jobs for Huntsville. Lockheed Martin opened its Medium Extended Air Defense System (MEADS) battle management and test facility here Wednesday in what Lockheed's John Holly called a "team effort with industry, government, customers and our community." Germany, Italy and the United States have teamed on the system that will replace the Patriot and Hawk systems in Germany, the Nike Hercules in Italy and the Patriot in the U.S. Its operation is designed to be fully compatible with the U.S. and allies and is the only medium-range air defense system with full 360-degree coverage. more...
|
U.S. commerce official promises help to exporters, domestic companies
Thursday, August 19, 2010, 7:00 AM
Russell Hubbard -- The Birmingham News
A senior trade official in the Obama administration visited Birmingham on Wednesday, promising more government help for exporting companies and for domestic firms battling imports.
Undersecretary of Commerce Francisco Sanchez spoke to employees at big exporter Altec Industries, before huddling with Chief Executive Lee Styslinger III, a member of the President's Export Council advisory group and a director of the National Association of Manufacturers. Also present for a private briefing were officials from the Alabama Development Office's International Trade Division.
"My job is to increase trade to create more American jobs," Sanchez said in an interview. "The president has set a goal of doubling exports over five years to create 2 million new jobs."
President Barack Obama is sending cabinet members and senior administration officials nationwide to drum up support for his economic policies. While economists are divided on the long-term effectiveness of government economic intervention, that doesn't stop critics from hammering politicians when the economy tanks.
more...
|
Small parts business grows big for Wedge Manufacturing in Birmingham
Published: Thursday, August 19, 2010, 5:30 AM
Dawn Kent -- The Birmingham News
Wedge Manufacturing, a high-precision machining firm in Birmingham, was born out of its parent company's desire to provide new parts for surgical instrument repair, instead of recycling old ones.
But in the three years since its founding, Wedge has discovered a market among other medical companies, as well as aerospace projects, including freezers that are now aboard the International Space Station.
At the Wedge facility on Third Avenue South, giant machines programmed by employees hum as they shape stainless steel, copper, aluminum, plastic and other materials.
While the company's niche is small, precision parts, its output is varied: short and fat, long and skinny. Some parts are used in drills or saws, others on different types of scopes.
One of the biggest parts produced at Wedge is a steering collar used on the nosegear of a Twin Otter airplane. Meanwhile, a lens assembly piece, no bigger than a finger nail clipping, is among the smallest.
The majority of the 4,000 different parts made by Wedge are for its parent company, Birmingham-based Integrated Medical Systems International, or IMS. The surgical instrument management and consulting company has operations in three states and more than 600 employees nationwide.
more...
|
|
|
|
|
|
Please feel free to forward along to someone who can use it by clicking on the "I'd like to forward this to a contact" link below the green bar.
Note also, that you can now make changes to your e-mail address and contact information through the link at the bottom.
As always, if you have news or suggestions, please forward them along to me.
Enjoy the day,
|
Featured Community Partner:
|
|
|
|
|
