On Monday, September 23, 2013, the Purico Group and Bolta Werke GmbH announced during a press conference with Governor Robert Bentley and the Tuscaloosa County Industrial Development Authority (TCIDA) in Tuscaloosa, AL that they will invest $39.5 million and create approximately 350+ new jobs by 2016 to accommodate future production of plated on plastic automotive parts mainly for Mercedes-Benz U.S.  International, Inc. in Vance, AL, VW in Chattanooga, TN and other premium automotive manufacturers in North America. 

The new plant, a sister company of Bolta Werke GmbH, its first production facility in the United States, will be about 140,000 square feet and production will involve a state-of-the-art plating on plastic line and injection molding equipment. The customer mix will not only bring new jobs to the area but more importantly, due to a variety of customers, stability and future growth opportunities through a diversified product range.

Christian Falk, CEO of Bolta Werke GmbH said that "Bolta's success is based on its ability to produce the high quality standard of the German premium OEMs and its close, long-term relationship with Audi, BMW, Mercedes and Volkswagen. Due to the positive economic climate of the re-strengthened North American automotive market and the corresponding expansions not only of German OEMs, Bolta's presence in the South Eastern United States is strongly encouraged by its customers and therefore of strategic importance. With a new production facility in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, Bolta will not only be able to support Mercedes Benz and Volkswagen in close proximity, but also valued Tier 1 suppliers like Rehau.

After reading and hearing about the U.S.-China Manufacturing Symposium for several months, area residents will have their chance to ask questions and learn more Tuesday evening.

 

The first of what is expected to be a handful of Town Hall events is scheduled for Tuesday night at 6 p.m. at the Dothan Opera House to familiarize residents with the upcoming symposium and to answer questions from the public.

 

Dothan Mayor Mike Schmitz and SoZo Group CEO Raymond Cheng are expected to moderate the event. Part of the town hall meeting will be spent providing a brief overview of the Symposium. The remaining portion will be reserved for questions from the public.

 

Additionally, the City of Dothan will be seeking volunteers for the Symposium, which will be held Nov. 10-12. Volunteers are needed in several areas including those who are fluent in Mandarin, those willing to volunteer in areas of hospitality and others as well.

By Cassie Fambro | cfambro@al.com 

on September 22, 2013 

The data is based on the following according to the site:

• Growth in working-age population: We looked at the growth in percentage of the city's working-age population (16 years old and over).
• Growth in income: We looked at the growth in median income for workers.
• Growth in airport passenger traffic: We approximated how popular the city is by tracking passenger movement in the city's airports. This gauges how many travelers, especially business travelers, are coming to the city to find industry and business opportunities.

Huntsville clocked in at number 9 on the list, followed by Mobile at number 10.

Maurice Humphries Jr., a principal of Birmingham-based Lawrence-Arendall-Humphries Real Estate Inc., said the firm's first out-of-state office will open Sept. 1 at 3648 W. County Road 30A in Santa Rosa Beach.

 

Residential real estate in that popular, high-end community - branded simply as 30A - is heating up as buyers from Birmingham and elsewhere look for long-term investment opportunities, he said. In June, the average home sale price was $512,408 for Walton County, Fla., according to real estate research firm FloridaRealtors.