Economic Development Partnership of Alabama (EDPA)

Economic Development
Partnership of Alabama

500 Beacon Parkway W
Birmingham, AL 35209

1-800-252-5453

info@edpa.org

Developments

A Publication of the Economic Development Partnership of Alabama

February 19, 2001 Volume 6, Issue 2

In this issue:
Toyota Announces in Huntsville
Lockheed Martin Chooses Troy
Alabama Works!
Huntsville #3 "Cybermecca"
Birmigham, Huntsville "Hot Cities"
News from the Alabama Economic Development Community
Erwin Joins EDPA

Growth

Toyota Announces in Huntsville

Toyota selected a 200-acre site in Huntsville for its first plant outside of Japan to manufacture V8 engines. The $220 million facility will machine and assemble 120,000 engines annually for Toyota’s full-size Tundra pickup truck, made in Princeton, Ind.

The 300,000 square-foot plant will employ 350 directly, but an independent report from Auburn University predicts that it will create 967 indirect jobs and will have a combined direct and indirect payroll effect of $60 million annually. State and local tax abatements and economic improvements totaled $29.9 million.

“Toyota appreciates the opportunity to do business in [Alabama,]” said Toyota Motor Corporation President Fujio Cho. “We know we will find people of the highest caliber here, who have the skills, the intelligence and the enthusiasm to become a successful Toyota team.”

“We pointed out if we could build the rocket engines that took men to the moon, we could build Toyota engines,” Brian Hilson, president of the Huntsville-Madison County Chamber of Commerce told The Birmingham News.

Alabama Industrial Development Training will begin recruitment, screening and pre-employment training for the facility in 2003. Production is expected to begin in summer of that year.

Toyota is the first company to announce in the North Huntsville Industrial Park. The city purchased the 400-acre park in 1999.

For more information on the announcement, visit Toyota’s website: www.toyota.com/alabama.

Lockheed Martin Chooses Troy

Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control selected Troy for the missile final assembly and test site for the $3.8 billion Theater High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) Weapon System. Lockheed Martin will invest $35 million over seven years and add more than 150 jobs directly related to THAAD. According to Randy Stevenson, plant manager, Lockheed will likely add over 500 new jobs from other new business and growth over the next ten years.

Currently, the Pike County operation (known as the Lockheed Martin Center of Excellence for Strike Weapons) encompasses almost 4,000 acres and 200,000 square feet of building space. It performs final assembly, test and storage of missiles including the Hellfire II and Longbow Hellfire antitank missiles; the Javelin antitank missile; and the AGM-142 air-to-surface missile.

As a result of strong state and local partnership over the years, Lockheed Martin Pike County Operations has amassed a string of national, state and industry awards for production, quality, security and environment/safety excellence beginning in 1995.

The test version of THAAD was built in Alabama at Lockheed’s Lawrence County missile factory in Courtland.

Education

Alabama Works!

What’s being done to ensure the state continues to provide workers for manufacturing technology, automotive manufacturing, aerospace and aviation technology and information technology?

A major initiative is Alabama Works, a new public-private partnership established by Gov. Don Siegelman to establish the Alabama Technical Scholarship Program, which provides intense training for people with little or no work experience to create direct paths to high-skill, high-paying jobs within two years.

The Alabama Technical Scholarship Program currently consists of 500 technical scholarships. Almost half of these scholarships have already been awarded. The program was recommended by the Alabama Commerce Commission, an advisory task force formed by Gov. Siegelman to develop, implement and monitor a long-range strategic plan for economic development for Alabama.

Machinist training locations are being established this year in Montgomery, Anniston and Eutaw. An information technology training location will also be established in Montgomery this year. The current development plan calls for a total of nine training locations within three years.

“With Alabama Works, we are trying to meet the need of expanding Alabama’s skilled work force, and hopefully with the process of adding some incentive to attract key industries and help existing ones expand,” AIDT Director Ed Castile told The Birmingham News. “This is radically new and different in some ways.”

Information on the program is available through Alabama Industrial Development Training at 334.280.4449 or info@alabamaworks.org.

Excellence

Huntsville No. 3 "Cybermecca"

The January issue of Expansion Management lists Huntsville as No. 3 in its “Top 25 High Tech Cities,” with 25.3 percent of all jobs created from 1993-1998 in the high tech sector. Yet, among the 25 Top Cities, Huntsville’s annual average wages ranked the lowest – an attractive combination for companies looking for a tech-minded city for their new operation.

Birmingham, Huntsville "Hot Cities"

According to a poll conducted by Expansion Management, Alabama’s on the minds of site consultants. Birmingham and Huntsville ranked 17 and 19, respectively, for best cities for expanding or relocating manufacturing companies. Factors such as business environment, work force quality, operating costs, incentive programs, worker training programs and ease of working with local officials all played into the mix.

People

News from the Alabama Economic Development Community

Four new officers and directors were announced at the EDAA winter conference in Birmingham. New officers are:
· President – Al Cook, Montgomery Area Chamber of Commerce
· First Vice President – Greg Barker, Metropolitan Development Board, Birmingham
· Second Vice President – Dale Greer, Cullman Community and Economic Development
· Secretary/Treasurer – Lamar Smith, Alabama Gas Corporation, Birmingham

New additions to the EDAA Board are:
· Chad Newell – Economic Development, City of Opelika
· Ricky McLaney – Butler Co. Commission for Economic Development, Greenville
· Don Hopper – Selma/Dallas Co. Economic Development Authority
· Louis Lockhart – Alabama Electric Cooperative, Montgomery

And, congratulations to Deborah McGill for earning the prestigious Certified Economic Development designation recently. McGill is the executive director of the Jefferson County Economic and Industrial Development Authority.

Erwin Joins EDPA

Don Erwin has joined EDPA as director, international development. His job responsibilities will include the recruitment of new industry and expansion of existing industry within Alabama.

Erwin joins EDPA from Alabama Power, where he served as economic development manager, senior international representative and assistant to the vice president within the economic development department. Erwin played a lead role in the location of the Barber Motorsports Park and has extensive recruiting experience in Europe. He is a graduate of the University of Alabama.
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Want Your News in Developments?

Would you like to submit news for consideration for inclusion in Developments? Send your news release, news articles, brochures, etc. to:

Wendy Wallace
Economic Development Partnership of Alabama
500 Beacon Parkway West
Birmingham, AL 35209
(205) 943.4703 fax
E-mail: wwallace@edpa.org.

Thank you!