News
FAA, Army turn to Auburn University additive center for 3-D printing research
AUBURN, Alabama — Auburn University’s additive manufacturing research center is teaming with federal aviation authorities to improve commercial air travel by raising the reliability of 3-D printed metal aircraft components. The researchers at Auburn’s National Center for Additive Manufacturing Excellence — NCAME, for short — are also working with the U.S. Army to elevate combat…
Koch Foods begins operations at new $60 million Alabama facility
ATTALLA, Alabama — Representatives of Koch Foods joined state and local leaders in Etowah County on Thursday to formally open the company’s state-of-the-art grain storage and distribution facility in Attalla. Koch Foods (pronounced “Cook”) said the new poultry feed-mill will create 32 new jobs with an annual payroll of $1 million. The company invested more…
Tenax plans $1 million in upgrades, new jobs at rural Conecuh plant
EVERGREEN, Alabama — Tenax Corp. plans to invest $1 million on improvements and new production machinery at its manufacturing facility in Evergreen, where it has operated for three decades, according to Conecuh County Economic Development. In addition, Tenax will create eight to 12 additional jobs tied to a new initiative to make the Evergreen facility…
Niagara Bottling to invest $112 million in new Alabama production facility
OPELIKA, Alabama — Governor Kay Ivey announced today that Niagara Bottling LLC, one of the nation’s leading beverage manufacturers, plans to open a new production facility in Opelika with an investment estimated to reach $112 million. The bottling plant, located in the Northeast Opelika Industrial Park along Interstate 85, will create 50 jobs initially. “Niagara…
Mercedes-Benz opens battery factory for Alabama-built electric vehicles
WOODSTOCK, Alabama — Mercedes-Benz today officially opened a new battery plant on the automaker’s Bibb County campus, a few months before the start of production of all-electric Mercedes-EQ vehicles at its Alabama manufacturing center. Mercedes will produce the EQS SUV and EQE SUV in its plant in Alabama, as part of a global push to…
BELLA+CANVAS plans high-tech Alabama facility with 557 jobs
MONTGOMERY, Alabama — Governor Kay Ivey announced today that BELLA+CANVAS, a fast-growing apparel manufacturer with a “Made in the U.S.A” focus, plans a major investment in Alabama to open an advanced fabric-cutting facility expected to create over 550 jobs in Wetumpka. Los Angeles-based BELLA+CANVAS will invest $11.9 million to establish the operation in a portion…
University programs put spotlight on rural Alabama communities
Universities across Alabama are engaged in a number of activities that offer promising developments for the state’s rural communities and the key industries that power their economies. For example, Auburn University’s College of Veterinary Medicine is the site of a new program that will study diseases among livestock that pose a threat to public health,…
Kroger creating 160 jobs to launch grocery delivery service in Birmingham
BIRMINGHAM, Alabama — Kroger Co. announced plans today to hire 161 new employees in Birmingham as the national grocery chain rolls out its e-commerce grocery delivery service in the region. The BBA announced today that Kroger has leased a 50,000-square-foot facility at 30 West Oxmoor Road that will serve as a last-mile spoke location for…
Real estate firms plan new Alabama headquarters, creating 400 jobs
HOOVER, Alabama — Lake Homes Realty and a sister company, RealSource Title Insurance and Real Estate Closing, plan to establish a new headquarters operation in Hoover, bringing 400 new jobs to the Birmingham suburb over the next five years. Lake Homes Realty, which calls itself the nation’s largest real estate brokerage focusing on lake properties,…
Rural Alabama project pipeline sparks new growth — and optimism
ROANOKE, Alabama — Bryant Whaley, the top economic developer for Randolph County, is riding the momentum. Despite the disruptions of a global pandemic, this rural county in eastern Alabama has seen three major corporate growth projects since August 2020, creating over 330 jobs. Whaley, executive director of the Randolph County Economic Development Authority, is optimistic…