TNECD Announces Approval of Proposal to Invest $813 million in Broadband Expansion

Posted on by Michael Randle
  • Tennessee’s receives approval on its initial proposal for $813 million in funding through the BEAD Program
  • TNECD introduces upcoming broadband infrastructure grant round for fall 2024

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – The Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development (TNECD) announced today the approval of Tennessee’s initial proposal for the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment (BEAD) Program.

The department has been allocated $813 million as part of its initial proposal for the BEAD Program, which the state will use to locate high-speed broadband internet to all remaining unserved and underserved residential and business locations in Tennessee by 2028. Receiving this approval by the U.S. Department of Commerce National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) allows TNECD to begin deploying the allocated funding.

“High-speed internet has become an essential part of daily life for all Tennesseans,” said Gov. Bill Lee. “This funding will allow us to make additional strategic investments to expand broadband infrastructure in rural areas and expand opportunity for success in education and the workplace.”

Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development

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City emails show early plans for $4B sports and entertainment district in downtown San Antonio

Posted on by Michael Randle

What will it cost to build a new Spurs arena and an entertainment district in downtown San Antonio? Emails from the city show an ambitious price tag as the city tries get the Spurs back to their roots at Hemisfair.

In fact, the project has an impressive code name — Project Marvel — and it has big price tag as well, an estimated $3-4 billion to transform the southeast part of downtown.

Records obtained by KSAT from an open records request show that in June 2023, city of San Antonio Asst. Manager Lori Houston emailed several real estate and consulting companies saying the city was “exploring the development of a sports and entertainment district.”

In a specific email to a commercial real estate firm, Houston wrote on behalf of the city saying, “We are in the feasibility phase for a $3-4 billion sports and entertainment district.” San Antonio Business Journal

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Hyundai shows off new EV model built at soon-to-open Georgia factory

Posted on by Michael Randle

SAVANNAH ― With a tug on a drape, Hyundai on Tuesday unveiled the electric vehicle currently under test production at its assembly facility near Georgia’s coast.

The South Korean automaker debuted the 2025 IONIQ 5 during an event at a Savannah dealership. The EV is one of the first manufactured at Hyundai’s massive, 16-million-square-foot factory located along I-16 in Bryan County, 30 minutes west of downtown Savannah.

The plant is set to begin full production before the end of the year, possibly as soon as Oct. 1. With a $7.6 billion planned investment, it is the largest economic development project in state history.

Hyundai has a staff of 1,471 working on-site and has invested just shy of $3 billion, said a progress and activity report filed July 8 with the Georgia Department of Community Affairs. The filing is tied to a $1.8 billion incentives package struck with state and local officials.

Trip Tollison, who heads the Savannah Harbor-Interstate 16 Corridor Joint Development Authority that partnered with the state to attract Hyundai to Georgia, called Tuesday’s IONIQ 5 unveiling a “milestone achievement” for the project.

“All the work that went into this … it’s been a crazy ride and a very fast ride,” he said. “This is a very exciting moment in the life of this project.”

Atlanta Journal Constitution

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Hartsfield-Jackson marks major milestone in expansion of Concourse D

Posted on by Michael Randle

One section of the narrowest concourse at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport just got a bit roomier.

After months of work at the world’s busiest airport and middle-of-the-night movements of building parts across the airfield, the first six expanded gates of the Concourse D widening project are opening.

Three expanded gates opened Thursday, and another three will open today, according to airport officials. The six gates are the first to open in a complicated and expensive Concourse D makeover that is expected to take until 2029 to complete.

Concourse D has for years been the narrowest concourse at the Atlanta airport, with hallways and gate areas that get jam-packed during busy periods.

“It can get quite congested,” said Frank Rucker, Hartsfield-Jackson’s senior deputy general manager of infrastructure, during an airport podcast this week. “If I had to rate a level of service, it would probably be close to definitely an F.”

That prompted airport officials to develop a $1.4 billion plan to widen the concourse while continuing to operate flights out of it. The project received $40 million in federal funding from the federal bipartisan infrastructure law, and construction began last year. Atlanta Journal Constitution

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Atlanta banned data centers near Beltline, MARTA. Some will move forward

Posted on by Michael Randle

A few data center proposals — including a downtown Atlanta project within one of the largest developments in the Southeast — will continue moving forward despite a recently adopted ban on such facilities near key transit points across the city.

The Atlanta City Council approved two pieces of legislation Tuesday to prohibit new data center development within a half-mile of the 22-mile Beltline loop and MARTA hubs, including heavy rail stations and bus-rapid transit stops. The legislation comes in response to metro Atlanta’s growing proliferation of computer storage farms, including multiple controversial projects in fast-changing urban areas.

Some pending projects, however, will be allowed to move forward.

These efforts include a proposal for a 300,000-square-foot data center at Centennial Yards, the $5 billion redevelopment of the Gulch near Mercedes-Benz Stadium and State Farm Arena. A special administrative permit application was filed last week by an affiliate of the project’s developer CIM Group, which aims to build the new server farm at 10 Forsyth St., effectively acting as an expansion to an existing data center by Digital Realty. The rest of the Centennial Yards plan consists of an entertainment district and new residential, hotel and office towers. Atlanta Journal Constitution

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Georgia county rejects $300M solar farm planned next to vital bear habitat

Posted on by Michael Randle

A proposal to build a $300 million solar power project next to a wildlife area inhabited by the state’s most isolated black bear population was dealt a major blow Tuesday, after a central Georgia county commission voted to reject the plan over environmental concerns.

As the price of solar has become more affordable and concerns about climate change grow, some utilities, electric membership cooperatives and technology giants are looking to draw more of their energy from the sun. But the board of commissioners in Houston County, south of Macon, voted unanimously to disapprove a rezoning request for the project, known as SR Robins, which would have been one of the largest solar installations in the state.

Silicon Ranch, a Nashville-based solar developer behind the project, had asked the county to grant an exception so it could install solar panels on parts of more than 4,600 acres zoned for agriculture. The company said it planned to fence off and install panels on 2,100 of those acres, leaving the rest vegetated while preserving 700 acres of wetlands on the site. Atlanta Journal Constitution

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Chuck Kuhn sinks $141M into assembling Manassas sites for data centers

Posted on by Michael Randle

Real estate mogul Chuck Kuhn is assembling properties in Manassas for data center development, with the total acquisition cost so far sitting at about $141 million, though the final number will come in higher.

Ten acquired parcels reflected so far in county property records — totaling about 58 acres, though Kuhn says he has additional parcels under contract — are mostly sandwiched between University Boulevard and Industrial Road, just west of Prince William Parkway and George Mason University’s Science and Technology Campus.

Kuhn appears to have picked up most of the 10 parcels in early August, though a couple were acquired earlier this year, according to county records. Kuhn is the president of JK Land Holdings LLC, a land acquisition firm with a vast portfolio of properties in Loudoun and Prince William counties. Washington Business Journal

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Monroe, La. company plans $17 million investment at manufacturing facility

Posted on by Michael Randle

A Monroe company that makes plastic sheeting used in consumer and industrial products will spend $17 million to upgrade its manufacturing plant.

The work will create 21 new jobs at Mid South Extrusion and 45 indirect jobs in Ouachita Parish, according to Louisiana Economic Development. 

Two production lines will be added to meet the growing demand for polyethylene film, a thin, lightweight sheeting used in sectors such as agriculture, consumer products, food and beverage, e-commerce and industrial. The new line should be operational by August 2025.

Mid South Extrusion opened in 1986 and has steadily expanded its operation from a 17,000-square-foot facility with four employees to a 215,000-square-foot site with 189 employees. NOLA.com

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Gov. Beshear: Kentucky Aluminum Processors Breaks Ground on New $40 Million Facility in Logan County, Creating 75 Full-Time Jobs

Posted on by Michael Randle

RUSSELLVILLE, Ky. (Sept. 9, 2024) – Today, Gov. Andy Beshear announced continued momentum of the state’s metals sector as Kentucky Aluminum Processors celebrated the groundbreaking of its previously announced $40 million aluminum processing facility in Russellville that will create 75 quality Kentucky jobs.

“Each company that chooses to locate a new project here in the commonwealth brings with them quality jobs and opportunities for Kentuckians,” said Gov. Beshear. “Our manufacturing industry is one of the largest sectors in the state and continues to grow because of quality companies like Kentucky Aluminum Processors choosing and trusting what we have to offer. I want to thank their company leadership in this joint venture opportunity and look forward to their success in Logan County.”

The new facility, which will be operated as a joint venture between Tri-Arrows Aluminum (TAA) and Tennessee Aluminum Processors (TAP), will serve as an aluminum recycling facility that will process dross (metal containing by-product) and scrap material from TAA’s casting center at nearby Logan Aluminum. This process will produce molten aluminum and sows, which will be returned to the TAA recycling/casting facilities at Logan Aluminum and/or other customer facilities. The project will establish the facility on 37 acres to allow for the necessary equipment, storage, transportation and parking.

“Tri-Arrows Aluminum is honored to continue its long-standing relationship with the Russellville and Logan County community,” said TAA President and CEO Henry Gordinier. “We are excited to share in this project with Tennessee Aluminum Processors. The new facility’s proximity to Logan Aluminum was a key factor in determining site location.”

“We are excited to expand our aluminum recycling capabilities with a new, state-of-the-art facility located centrally in a region experiencing tremendous growth in the aluminum sector,” said Jared Sweeney, TAP CEO. “We have been very impressed by the accommodating and efficient pro-business atmosphere encountered while working on this project with representatives of Russellville, Logan County and the Commonwealth of Kentucky.”

Located in Louisville, Kentucky, Tri-Arrows Aluminum is a leading supplier of rolled aluminum sheet in the North American market focusing on the beverage can sheet and automotive sheet markets. The company is involved in a joint venture that owns the Logan Aluminum manufacturing facility in Russellville, Kentucky, which provides TAA with access to unparalleled production facilities, market networks and R&D capabilities. Founded in 1981, TAP provides a variety of secondary aluminum recycling services to customers in the transportation, packaging, construction and aerospace segments of the aluminum industry. As a toll converter of aluminum scrap and dross, the company converts aluminum into recycled secondary ingot – ensuring the highest possible aluminum recovery and reliable quality.

Logan County Judge/Executive Phil Baker noted the region’s thriving aluminum industry and welcomed the joint venture to Russellville: “Logan County is thrilled to welcome Kentucky Aluminum Processors. Their selection of our community for this project is outstanding news for our citizens. The aluminum industry is thriving, and we are happy to be a part of it!”

Russellville Mayor Mark Stratton expressed his appreciation for Kentucky Aluminum Processors choosing to locate their new facility in Russellville: “On behalf of the city of Russellville, we are blessed that Kentucky Aluminum Processors has chosen to invest here in our community. Their decision to establish operations and create new job opportunities in Russellville and Logan County is deeply valued and appreciated.”

Brooke Waldrup, president and CEO of the Logan Economic Alliance Development (LEAD), is excited about the jobs and economic opportunity the project will bring to the community: “We are extremely excited that Kentucky Aluminum Processors has chosen Logan County’s West Industrial Park as their new processing facility location. This project will not only create new jobs in our county, but it will also support our county’s largest manufacturer, Logan Aluminum. Being able to create new jobs while supporting a local existing industry is a huge win for Logan County!”

Jim DeCesare, former LEAD executive director, highlighted the achievement for the area and future economic impact it will have: “I’m honored to have played part in the locating of the aluminum processing facility in the West Industrial Park, marking a transformative moment for the community. With a significant investment and the creation of numerous new jobs, this project is poised to have a resoundingly positive economic impact. I am thrilled to witness this milestone that will not only strengthen the local economy but also showcase the region’s potential for growth and prosperity.”

Kentucky Aluminum Processors’ investment and job creation build on the best four-year period for economic growth in state history.

Since the beginning of his administration, Gov. Beshear has announced more than 1,000 private-sector new-location and expansion projects totaling over $32 billion in announced investments, creating approximately 55,000 jobs. This is the highest investment figure secured during the tenure of any governor in the commonwealth’s history.

The robust job creation has been accompanied by rising wages across the commonwealth. The average incentivized hourly wage in 2022 and 2023 topped $26 in consecutive years for the first time.

Gov. Beshear has announced some of the largest economic development projects in state history, which have solidified Kentucky as the electric vehicle battery production capital of the United States: Ford Motor Co. and SK On’s transformative $5.8 billion, 5,000-job BlueOval SK Battery Park in Hardin County; AESC’s $2 billion, 2,000-job gigafactory project in Warren County; Toyota’s $1.3 billion investment in Scott County; and INFAC North America’s $53 million investment in Taylor County, among others.

The Governor’s administration also secured the largest General Fund budget surplus and Rainy Day Fund, as well as the most jobs filled in state history. Last year, Kentucky set the record for the longest period with the lowest unemployment rates in state history.

Kentucky also secured rating increases from major credit rating agencies Fitch Ratings and S&P Global Ratings, and Moody’s Investors Service upgraded Kentucky’s credit outlook from stable to positive.

In March, Site Selection magazine ranked Kentucky third nationally and first in the South Central region for economic development projects per capita in its 2023 Governor’s Cup rankings. In April, Site Selection placed Kentucky second in the South Central region and in the top 10 nationally in its 2024 Prosperity Cup ranking, which recognizes state-level economic development agencies for their success in landing capital investment projects.

Gov. Beshear announced a “Supply Kentucky” initiative with the goal of boosting job growth, reducing costs and providing more security in the supply chains of our Kentucky companies.

To encourage investment and job growth in the community, the Kentucky Economic Development Finance Authority (KEDFA) in May 2023 preliminarily approved an incentive agreement with the company under the Kentucky Business Investment program.

Additionally, the company was approved for additional tax incentives through the Kentucky Enterprise Initiative Act (KEIA). KEIA allows approved companies to recoup Kentucky sales and use tax on construction costs, building fixtures, equipment used in research and development and electronic processing.

By meeting its annual targets over the agreement term, the company can be eligible to keep a portion of the new tax revenue it generates. The company may claim eligible incentives against its income tax liability and/or wage assessments.

In addition, Kentucky Aluminum Processors can receive resources from Kentucky’s workforce service providers. Those include no-cost recruitment and job placement services, reduced-cost customized training and job-training incentives.

For more information on Tri-Arrows Aluminum, visit triaa.com.

To learn more about Tennessee Aluminum Processors, Inc., visit tap-rsi.com.

A detailed community profile for Logan County can be viewed here.

Team Kentucky

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Goldman Sachs program aims to assist small business in rural Alabama

Posted on by Michael Randle

A new initiative from investment bank Goldman Sachs is poised to support small businesses in rural Alabama, with goals that include growth and job creation.

U.S. Senator Katie Britt joined representatives of Goldman Sachs in Birmingham on Friday for the launch of the bank’s “Investment in Rural Communities” initiative in Alabama.

The $100 million initiative provides comprehensive support to small businesses owners in rural America to help them grow their businesses through results-oriented business training, access to capital and personalized support services.

Alabama will benefit from an initial $3 million commitment.

MadeinAlabama.com

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