Toyota Alabama builds 10-millionth engine at Huntsville plant

Posted on by Michael Randle

Toyota Alabama announced that it has officially assembled its 10-millionth engine, an i-Force MAX 2.4-liter, to power an all-new hybrid Tacoma.

The engine plant, which broke ground in 2001, assembles a third of all Toyota engines in North America.

“We are thrilled to celebrate this milestone and look forward to seeing where the next 10 million engines will take us,” said Jason Puckett, president of Toyota Alabama. “I feel a great sense of pride knowing team members are powering the heart of some of the most popular, reliable and safest vehicles on the road.”

“When the plant opened with only one production line more than 20 years ago, I was a part of the team that helped start engine production in Alabama,” said Brandon French, senior manager of production at Toyota Alabama. “Since starting on the production line, Toyota has challenged me to learn many different roles. Alabama News Center

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Miller Girvin named new president of the Economic Development Partnership of Alabama

Posted on by Michael Randle

Miller Girvin will become the new president of the Economic Development Partnership of Alabama (EDPA) next year.

She replaces Greg Barker, who will step down as president of EDPA on Dec. 31, after four years at the post.

Girvin was unanimously elected to the position at the EDPA Board of Directors October meeting. She currently serves as EDPA’s COO.

A Birmingham native, Girvin joined EDPA in 2021, emphasizing innovation and entrepreneurial growth across Alabama. She previously served as CEO of the Alabama Capital Network and is a member of Gov. Kay Ivey’s Innovate Alabama Commission. AL.com

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Aerostar’s $4.7 million Mobile expansion: 50 news jobs, $61,000 in tax incentives

Posted on by Michael Randle

An aerospace repair service company at Mobile’s Aeroplex at Brookley is poised to make a $4.7 million investment that is expected to add 50 new jobs over the next three years, increasing its employment to 110.

The salaries of the new positions will be around $50,000, according to the Mobile Chamber. The company, which has been in Mobile since 2011, will get a combined $61,600 in tax abatements; $27,500 in a sales tax abatement during the construction phase of the project and $34,100 of property tax abatements over a 10-year period. Both abatements are for the non-educational portion only. AL.com

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Rural workers optimistic, innovative but lack tech and access to training: report

Posted on by Michael Randle

A new report looks at the barriers and opportunities for rural workers to stay and thrive in their hometowns.

The Generating Rural Opportunities in the Workforce report, a joint effort by the University of Phoenix Career Institute and the Center on Rural Innovation, found that workers living in rural areas are more than twice as likely to feel limited in their employment opportunities, 35% compared to 14% for folks living in cities and suburbs.

Sixty percent of rural workers feel pursuing a career is out of reach.

Nearly 70% of rural workers would leave their community to pursue employment, compared to just over half of workers in urban and suburban areas.

And nearly two-thirds of rural Gen Z workers and over half of rural millennials feel held back in their careers because of where they live, according to the GROW report. ABC33/40

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Hyundai starts production at Georgia plant

Posted on by Michael Randle

Hyundai Motor Group Metaplant America has started production in Bryan County, ahead of schedule. The plant has produced its first IONIQ 5 electric vehicle, according to a statement from the company.

Hyundai broke ground on the site less than two years ago and has been a much-anticipated addition to the clean-energy tech and electric vehicle manufacturing sector in Georgia.

The company said the IONIQ 5 EVs will be on sale at the end of the year in domestic dealerships.

The early production start is in contrast to Georgia’s other EV manufacturer, Rivian Automotive, which paused construction on its Georgia plant earlier this year.

Hyundai’s announcement comes after the company said it was considering manufacturing hybrids in addition to EVs at the plant. With the market demand for hybrids growing, Hyundai has considered adding capabilities to the Bryan County plant to produce them. Atlanta Business Chronicle

Similarly, Kia Georgia plant CEO Stuart Countess has said he expects hybrids to also be produced at its plant in West Point at some point in the future.

“The start of production is an incredible milestone towards the future of the Metaplant,” Commissioner Pat Wilson of the Georgia Department of Economic Development said in a prepared statement. 

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Oracle’s East Bank campus will prove its Nashville commitment, exec says

Posted on by Michael Randle

A pivotal theme of Oracle Corp.’s planned worldwide headquarters on the East Bank is connectivity. 

“The thing I think that excites me the most about the design that I’ve seen is really around: How do we create space?” said Clay Magouyrk, executive vice president of Oracle Cloud Infrastructure. “It’s really optimized for bringing teams to work together.”

Magouyrk, who recently relocated to Nashville from Seattle, shared his thoughts on Oracle’s (NYSE: ORCL) $1.35 billion investment on 70 acres the company owns on the East Bank along the Cumberland River during the Business Journal’s Growth of Nashville event on Sept. 26.

“My needs are pretty basic,” Magouyrk said. “One of the things that I think is interesting about this campus is that it’s not just a regional office building. It’s really focused on how do we bring people together to actually build products?”Oracle is relocating its headquarters from Austin, which the company designated as its corporate home in late 2020. The Business Journal asked Jason Maynard, one of Oracle’s top-ranking local executives, about the permanency of Nashville’s headquarters status. Nashville Business Journal

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Elon Musk’s xAI seeks 550+ acres of land in Memphis

Posted on by Michael Randle

An LLC affiliated with California-based xAI is seeking to enter into a long-term lease with an option to purchase a huge plot of land near its operations at the former Electrolux facility near Presidents Island.

The Economic Development Growth Engine (EDGE) for Memphis & Shelby County owns the property and has called a special meeting for Friday, Oct. 4, related to the potential deal. The lease and option to sell the EDGE property would require its board’s approval to transfer the land to the AI company.

The 552-acre property is located just to the southeast of the xAI facility at 3231 Paul R. Lowry Road. Memphis Business Journal

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18th auto company announces facility to supply Hyundai’s $7.6B EV plant in Georgia

Posted on by Michael Randle

A company that makes automotive sealant announced Wednesday it will join the network of factories that will supply Hyundai Motor Group’s $7.6 billion electric vehicle factory in coastal Georgia.

Shinsung Petrochemical will invest $11.2 million in a new manufacturing facility in Toombs County where it will employ more than 30 workers, according to a news release. Shinsung is the 18th company across the automobile supply chain to announce a Georgia project to support Hyundai’s factory in Bryan County, which is expected to begin full-scale production as soon as October.

Gov. Brian Kemp celebrated the announcement, adding that most of Hyundai’s supplier network has chosen locations outside of metro Atlanta.

“We are excited that Shinsung is joining that growing network of suppliers locating in rural communities and creating new opportunities for all to succeed, no matter their zip code,” he said in the release.

Founded in South Korea in 1974, Shinsung will build its facility at 1407 U.S. Hwy 1 N. in Lyons. It’s the first Hyundai supplier to announce a project in Toombs County. It’s slated to open in 2025. Atlanta Journal Constitution

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First Solar inaugurates $1.1 billion Alabama manufacturing facility

Posted on by Michael Randle

First Solar Inc. inaugurated its new $1.1 billion solar panel manufacturing facility in Lawrence County, which is expected to create more than 800 energy technology manufacturing jobs in Alabama.

The facility adds 3.5 gigawatts (GW) of fully vertically integrated nameplate solar manufacturing capacity in the United States. The project was announced in November 2022.“This represents a great day for First Solar and for Lawrence County because this production facility is destined to become a major player in the U.S. renewable energy market,” Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey said. Alabama News Center

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Greenheck Group’s Tulsa Operations: A Growing Presence

Posted on by Michael Randle

In 2017, Greenheck Group, a Wisconsin-based manufacturer of air movement, control and conditioning equipment, announced plans to open a new campus in Tulsa, Okla. The first phase of the company’s expansion to Oklahoma included a $100 million capital investment and construction of more than 200,000 square feet of operational space and 20,000 square feet of office space. Since then, Greenheck Group has added significant square footage, growing their presence in Tulsa.

Commerce sat down with the company and the Tulsa Regional Chamber to discuss how Greenheck Group narrowed in on Oklahoma and how its continued to grow here in the Sooner State. Oklahoma Department of Commerce

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