Goodwill to help job seekers plug into Georgia’s surging EV industry

Posted on by Michael Randle

A new workforce training program aims to help hundreds of job seekers begin a career in one of Georgia’s fastest-growing industries: electric vehicles.

 

Goodwill of North Georgia and professional services firm Accenture are partnering to train people in EV charger maintenance. The four-week training course will culminate in the cohort being placed at jobs with employers committed to paying living-wage salaries to graduates.

 

Georgia’s economic engine has switched from gasoline to electric in recent years, with the Peach State landing multi-billion dollar EV factories, dozens of part suppliers and battery makers. Jenny Taylor, vice president of career services at Goodwill of North Georgia, said the emerging industry needs specialized workers to repair and install chargers, especially with the federal government pumping billions of dollars into EV initiatives and infrastructure.

 

“We have this massive influx of infrastructure dollars and this huge transition to not focus on fossil fuels,” she said. “But we don’t have a workforce that’s trained for that.”

 

Atlanta Journal Constitution

Read More

Some of Atlanta’s largest companies remain flexible with remote work

Posted on by Michael Randle

The news that Sandy Springs-based UPS will require employees to come into the office five days a week starting in March has sparked discussion about remote work policies in the post-pandemic era.

 

The policies on returning to the office versus working from home vary widely among different workforces and companies.

 

Here’s what a few of metro Atlanta’s largest and highest-profile companies have to say about their policies for returning to the office:

Coca-Cola Co.

 

“Our purpose, to refresh the world and make a difference, is best served when we are together in person, more often. We strive to cultivate a culture and environment that optimizes the synergy of in-person collaboration with the flexibility provided by remote work. To achieve this balance, our collective commitment is to come together in person a minimum of three days a week, either in the office, out in the market, or in face-to-face meetings with teams, customers, partners, suppliers or bottlers.”

Atlanta Journal Constitution

Read More

Qcells inks huge deal with Microsoft for Georgia-made solar panels

Posted on by Michael Randle

Qcells has agreed to supply the tech giant Microsoft with 12 gigawatts of solar panels that will be built at its second north Georgia factory, in what the companies say is the largest such deal in U.S. history.

 

Last year, Qcells announced it had reached a deal to provide Microsoft with 2.5 gigawatts of solar capacity, enough to power 400,000 homes. The new agreement, which runs through 2032, is a major expansion of that partnership: Counting the 2.5 gigawatts that was previously announced, Qcells will now provide Microsoft with enough solar modules to power 1.8 million homes annually over the next eight years.

 

The deal gives Qcells’ still-under-construction Cartersville plant a major customer for the panels it will build when it opens later this year.

 

Unlike its existing Dalton factory — which recently completed an expansion allowing it to crank out 30,000 panels a day — the Cartersville factory will boast a fully-integrated solar manufacturing supply chain, capable of producing everything from solar ingots and wafers to cells and finished panels. The company has said the new plant will create 2,000 jobs in and around Bartow County.

 

Atlanta Journal Constitution

Read More

430-acre site east of Atlanta sold for potential Amazon data center

Posted on by Michael Randle

One of the world’s largest companies has acquired a massive site within a fast-growing industrial corridor east of Atlanta that could soon house a large data center campus.

 

Amazon Data Services Inc., a subsidiary of online retail giant Amazon, recently paid $36 million to purchase a 430-acre site in Covington, roughly 40 miles east of downtown Atlanta, according to property records. First reported by the Atlanta Business Chronicle, the transaction involves Amazon Web Services, the company’s cloud computing platform, which is evaluating the location for new data storage farms.

 

“We are constantly evaluating new locations based on customer demand,” an Amazon Web Services spokesperson told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution in a statement. “We recently purchased land in Georgia and are performing due diligence in exploring possible data center locations.”

Atlanta Journal Constitution

Read More

Alabama football head coach Nick Saban, seven-time national champion, is retiring

Posted on by Michael Randle

Alabama football coach Nick Saban, whose seven career national championships are the most by a head coach at NCAA football’s highest level, is retiring, the school said Wednesday in a news release.

 

“It is not just about how many games we won and lost, but it’s about the legacy and how we went about it,” Saban said in the school’s announcement. “We always tried to do it the right way. The goal was always to help players create more value for their future, be the best player they could be and be more successful in life because they were part of the program. Hopefully, we have done that, and we will always consider Alabama our home.”

Saban, 72, retires as the football head coach with the most national titles in the NCAA’s Division I Football Bowl Subdivision. In his 17 seasons at Alabama, Saban won six national titles. He also guided Louisiana State to a shared title when he was with the Tigers in 2003.

Alabama was 12-2 this year, losing to eventual national champion Michigan 27-20 in overtime in a College Football Playoff semifinal last week. It was the 12th time in the past 16 seasons Alabama had won at least 12 games.

 

“Simply put, Nick Saban is one of the greatest coaches of all time, in any sport, and The University of Alabama is fortunate to have had him leading our football program for the past 17 seasons,” Alabama athletics director Greg Byrne said. “He is the consummate coach, mentor and leader, and his impact is felt far beyond the football field.”

In his head coaching career, he was 292-71-1 at Alabama, LSU, Michigan State and Toledo. His teams went to bowls or the Bowl Championship Series title game in 25 of his 28 seasons, and he never had a year with a losing record.

Colorado Buffaloes coach Deion Sanders, who appears in insurance commercials with Saban, appeared to believe NCAA bylaws changes giving players more leeway to cash in on their sports prowess and to change schools were influential in Saban’s decision.

“WOW!” Colorado coach Deion Sanders posted on X, formerly known as Twitter. “College Football just lost the GOAT to retirement. WOW! I knew it would happen 1 day soon but not this soon. The game has changed so much that it chased the GOAT away. College football, let’s hold up our mirrors and say HONESTLY what u see.”

Saban’s first national title at Alabama, the second-winningest program in major college football, came in his third season, 2009. It was the traditional powerhouse’s first crown since 1992. Saban’s Crimson Tide teams also lifted title trophies in 2011-12, 2015, 2017 and 2020.

A record total 49 of Saban’s players have been selected in the first round of the NFL Draft, including former running back Mark Ingram II, who played professionally from 2011 to 2022.

 

“Coach Saban is the GOAT!! Thanks for believing in a young man from Flint, Michigan,” Ingram wrote on X. “Helped me become a champion on the field, but more importantly a champion in LIFE. Enjoy retirement Coach, you earned that!! Love you Coach Saban, ROLL TIDE!!”

Saban also was the head coach of the NFL’s Miami Dolphins for the 2005 and 2006 seasons, going 15-17. Saban replaced Mike Shula at Alabama before the 2007 season.

This story has been updated with additional information.

CNN’s David Close contributed to the report. 

CNN

Read More

Louisiana’s first wind turbine set to spin over Gulf’s main oil port

Posted on by Michael Randle

Louisiana’s first commercial-scale wind turbine won’t produce much energy, but its location has plenty of symbolic power.

 

Set to spin over the Gulf of Mexico’s largest oil and gas port late next year, the planned 187-foot turbine is a clear sign that Louisiana is undergoing an energy transition.

 

“It has always been our desire to become a hub for offshore wind just as we are for deepwater offshore oil and gas activity in the Gulf of Mexico,” Port Fourchon Executive Director Chet Chiasson said. “This wind turbine will serve a crucial role in allowing us to do just that.”

 

The Greater Lafourche Port Commission, which manages Port Fourchon, recently approved a lease agreement with Gulf Wind Technology, an Avondale-based company that develops and tests technology for wind farms. Gulf Wind has already ordered the turbine, which recently stood in Ireland, and plans to rebuild it with some modifications in the new Port Fourchon Coastal Wetlands Park, about a mile from the main terminal.

NOLA.com

Read More

Semiconductor gas supplier aims to double production capacity in $130M expansion north of metro Austin

Posted on by Michael Randle

A chemicals manufacturer that provides ultra-clean gas for the semiconductor industry is eyeing a nearly $130 million expansion in Killeen that will double its production capacity to serve customers like Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.

 

MGC Pure Chemicals America Inc. is planning the expansion nearly four years after opening its $32 million manufacturing plant on roughly 12 acres of an 18-acre site at 4500 Roy J. Smith Drive in the Killeen Business Park.

 

The company detailed the project to the Killeen City Council on Jan. 9 as it seeks to secure roughly $1.9 million in publicly funded incentives for it. The council will vote Jan. 16 on whether to approve the incentives.

 

The planned expansion is the latest example of the far-reaching impact across Central Texas of the new billion-dollar, next-generation Samsung plant in Taylor, which is being built about 60 miles southeast. The Samsung plant is expected to result in thousands of jobs and millions in investment from suppliers that serve the facility.

 

Austin Business Journal

Read More

Developer behind Nashville’s JW Marriott plans downtown St. Regis Hotel

Posted on by Michael Randle

The developer behind Nashville’s JW Marriott is planning another luxury hotel.

 

Florida-based Turnberry is bringing a St. Regis Hotel to downtown Nashville. The firm has partnered with the Marriott-owned luxury hotel brand to develop the 39-story hotel and condominium tower, according to a news release.

 

The St. Regis Nashville and The Residences at The St. Regis will offer 177 hotel rooms and 111 condominium units. Plans for the 740,000-square-foot building also include a fine dining restaurant, lobby bar, three-meal restaurant, full-service spa and two amenity decks.

 

“We are thrilled to bring the iconic legacy of the St. Regis brand to downtown Nashville and honored to continue our trusted partnership with Marriott International in delivering luxury experiences in Nashville,” said Jackie Soffer, chairman and CEO of Turnberry, in the release. “Nashville is a thriving market where demand for luxury experiences and destination hotels has only grown over the past twenty-five years since Turnberry has developed and operated here.”

 

Nashville Business Journal

Read More

BlueOval City update: The timing of mass hiring and installing Ford’s Industry 4.0 plans

Posted on by Michael Randle

Ford Motor Co.’s BlueOval City is on time and on track to launch in 2025, according to an update plant executives gave today, Jan. 10.

 

BlueOval City plant manager Kel Kearns and Vanessa Parker, Ford’s employee relations director at the plant, provided an update at the latest BlueOval Community Impact meeting hosted by the Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development (TNECD).

 

To date, very few specifics have been released about the electric truck, codenamed “Project T3,” to be built by Ford at BlueOval City.

 

A presentation at today’s meeting opened with a sizzle reel Ford brings to most events, advertising T3 as “fast to charge and long on range,” “a mobile power station that thrives off the grid,” and “tough as hell.”

 

The truck has been designed according to Kearns, but he did not give any specific details regarding the vehicle. The reel noted that the truck is a “sequel” to the F-150 Lightning.

 

“My team and I have seen T3 in the design studio, and we’re so excited about it,” Kearns said. “We can’t wait to see everybody’s reaction when it’s revealed closer to launch time, but right now we’re working on preparing for facility installation.”

 

Memphis Business Journal

Read More