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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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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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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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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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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Parts maker ILJIN to invest $100 million in Auburn, Alabama, operation, creating 160 jobs

Posted on by Michael Randle

Gov. Kay Ivey announced that ILJIN, a leading automotive and industrial bearings and chassis manufacturer, is investing nearly $100 million in a new operation in Auburn.

The company’s new facility will employ around 160 people and will allow ILJIN to expand into the aluminum forging market.

“ILJIN’s decision to locate its next facility in Auburn is great news for Alabama,” Ivey said. “Alabama is already the fifth-largest vehicle producer in the U.S., and it’s wonderful to see how we are continuing to expand and deepen our automotive supplier base, creating lasting jobs throughout Alabama.”ILJIN supplies control arms, stabilizer links, ball joints and other components to major auto manufacturers. Alabama News Center

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Another industrial park is rising near Taylor, Texas and it’s not just aimed at Samsung suppliers.

Posted on by Michael Randle

Another industrial park is headed to Taylor, with the aim of not only catering to Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. suppliers but also to homegrown businesses intent on taking advantage of the city’s boom.

SGRE Capital GP LP plans to start work this month on a 51,000-square-foot, office-warehouse shell building at 1901 Industrial Drive, according to a Sept. 23 filing with the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation. The $6.5 million project is expected to wrap up in August.

It’s the first building of what’s being called the Taylor Industrial Park, which encompasses roughly 20 acres less than five miles from the Samsung plant. The speculative building could be joined by at least four smaller buildings or two larger ones in future phrases totaling roughly 200,000 square feet, according to a brochure for the property.

Will Sikora, a senior associate with Aquila Commercial LLC, said developers initially bought the parcel with the idea that it would be a service center for Samsung customers. But competition in that space has skyrocketed ever since. Austin Business Journal

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These are the highest-paying jobs in Dallas-Fort Worth

Posted on by Michael Randle

Dallas-Fort Worth has one of the country’s strongest job markets.

DFW added nearly 68,000 jobs from July 2023 to July 2024, according to the latest federal and state estimates — and its 4.1% unemployment rate was lower than the United States average of 4.5% and Texas’ 4.4% rate.Good-paying jobs are what attract so many people to the Metroplex and keep them here. They help explain why a landlocked region with no ocean, no mountains and summer temperatures regularly in the triple digits remains one of the hottest places in the country for population growth. And all of the wealth created by those jobs fuels home-buying, spending at grocery stores and restaurants and many types of consumer purchases. Dallas Business Journal

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This Memphis hotel ranks among the best in the South, according to Condé Nast Traveler

Posted on by Michael Randle

A major travel magazine has recognized a Downtown Memphis hotel as one of the best hotels in the South.

Condé Nast Traveler named Central Station Memphis as the South’s second-ranked hotel in its 2024 Readers’ Choice Awards.

The eight-story hotel is a Curio Collection by Hilton property with 123 rooms. The luxury boutique hotel is housed within a former train station and located Downtown at 545 S. Main St.

Central Station received a score of 98.74 from Condé Nast Traveler readers. The honored hotels are scheduled to be recognized in the November issue of the magazine. Memphis Business Journal

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Report: Carolina Core needs 200,000 housing units over next 5 years to overcome supply shortage

Posted on by Michael Randle

At the Carolina Core Housing Summit at High Point University, North Carolina Realtors presented to local policymakers, employers and community leaders a finding that was not a surprise to many — that the region needs more housing, and more housing that is affordable.

The Summit was held to present the findings of an extensive housing study that N.C. Realtors, the Piedmont Triad Regional Partnership, and 11 local Realtor associations conducted along with Bowen National Research, with the goal of finding recommendations to improve housing access across North Carolina.Mike Barr, CEO of the Greensboro Regional Realtors Association, told Triad Business Journal in February that the study aimed to prepare the region for the influx of employees that the area will see due to Boom Supersonic, Toyota and other incoming economic development opportunities. Triad Business Journal

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