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Here is today's summary of economic development news, a free service of the Economic Development Partnership of Alabama, representing Alabama's private sector investment in economic development.  If you enjoy NewsFlash, thank an EDPA Partner

 

 

in this issue:
Southern Research Institute's new engineering building nearing completion
New jobs at Hyundai plant draw more than 22,000 applicants
Export Alabama Alliance Seminar (Free)

 

 Southern Research Institute's new engineering building nearing completion

Published: Wednesday, June 06, 2012, 2:02 PM Updated: Wednesday, June 06, 2012, 5:43 PM  

 By The Birmingham NewsThe Birmingham News
 

  
BIRMINGHAM, Alabama -- Southern Research Institute has nearly completed construction of its new $4.6 million engineering building, the institute's president and CEO said today.

"It's getting very close," John Secrist III said after a meeting of the Rotary Club of Birmingham. "The landscaping is going in."

The new building, on Tom Martin Drive just off Lakeshore Drive, was designed to accommodate a variety of research and testing of everything from telephone poles to satellites.

While Southern Research is best known for drug development, its engineering division develops technology for utilities, the military, aerospace companies and NASA.

About a third of the new building and its laboratories will be used as an incubator for spinoff businesses as the company moves to boost the amount of revenue its gets from intellectual property, executives said last year when construction began.

 


 

New jobs at Hyundai plant draw more than 22,000 applicants

Published: Wednesday, June 06, 2012, 11:40 AM Updated: Wednesday, June 06, 2012, 11:40 AM
 
 More than 22,000 people have applied for 877 new jobs at Hyundai's Montgomery auto plant, with the majority of applicants coming from south-central Alabama.

The final tally of applications was 22,508, according to officials at the plant.

The South Korean auto­maker is adding a third shift there to meet growing de­mand for its products. The application process opened in mid-May and closed last Saturday.

Now, the pool is being whittled down through di­agnostic testing, interviews and hands-on assessments.

While unemployment has been falling across Alabama, jobs in the state's auto sec­tor clearly remain in high demand.

The average annual wage at Alabama's three auto as­sembly plants, including Hyundai, Honda and Mercedes- Benz, tops $54,400, according to data from the Center for Business and Economic Research at the
University of Alabama.
By contrast, the overall annual average wage in Alabama is $34,600.

According to a breakdown of applications, 41 percent of the Hyundai job-seekers hail from Montgomery, followed by 6 percent from Selma and 5 percent from Prattville.

Birmingham is home to 2 percent of the applicants, as is Millbrook, Wetumpka, Greenville and Troy. One percent hail from Hayneville.

The hometowns of the balance of the applicants -- 37 percent -- are unspecified due to errors in ZIP code entry, or they are towns with well below 1 percent of applications, said Robert Burns, a spokesman for Hyundai's Montgomery plant.

 



  Export Alabama Alliance Seminar - Maximizing the benefits of a trade show
  
June 19: 8 a.m. - 12:30
Alabama State University
1595 Robert C. Hatch Dr.
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Enjoy the day, 

Wendy Wallace Johnson
 
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