Alabama’s business recruiters aim to build on the success of the state’s flourishing aerospace industry at a major international trade show that kicks off this week. A team from the Alabama Department of Commerce is participating in the Singapore Airshow at Changi Exhibition Centre. This year marks the 10th edition of the biennial event that […]

Alabama Commerce Secretary Ellen McNair recently applauded the significant strides being made to attract transformative investment and high-quality jobs to Alabama’s rural regions — a cornerstone of the economic development strategy for Governor Kay Ivey’s administration. The results speak for themselves. Since 2020, economic development projects landing in Alabama’s “targeted” rural counties have generated $7 […]

The Economic Development Partnership of Alabama (EDPA), in coordination with the Alabama Department of Commerce and Innovate Alabama, today announced a comprehensive statewide strategy to recruit and support high- growth technology companies. The approach is organized around the principle of “Alabama Puts Founders First” and brings together new and expanded initiatives to help startups and small businesses scale in Alabama. […]

Governor Kay Ivey today signed into law legislation creating the Alabama Development Fund, a groundbreaking initiative that will provide a sustainable, long-term funding source to power Alabama’s economic development efforts. “Today, we are taking a bold step to secure Alabama’s economic future,” Governor Ivey said. “The Alabama Development Fund will allow us to strengthen our […]

Commerce Secretary Ellen McNair today announced that the Alabama Growth Alliance, a public-private partnership dedicated to advancing the state’s economic priorities, has endorsed the creation of the Alabama Development Fund to provide a source of sustainable funding for economic development without increasing taxes or cutting existing programs. Secretary McNair said the Alabama Development Fund would allow Alabama to remain competitive […]

Mercedes-Benz has launched production of the all-electric luxury EQS SUV at its Tuscaloosa County plant, part of a global strategy of next-generation technology that is ushering in a new era for Alabama’s auto industry. Mercedes has invested $7 billion in the state since it arrived in the early 1990s, and Alabama workers began producing the M-Class SUV […]

By Jerry Underwood Curious about how global aerospace company Leonardo’s Alabama workforce would assemble the U.S. Air Force’s next-generation trainer aircraft if it’s picked for the role? Leonardo announced plans Thursday for an advanced manufacturing center in Tuskegee for its T-100 trainer jet, one of the contenders in an Air Force competition for a trainer […]

MONTGOMERY, Alabama – A new Gallup poll finds that Alabama has the nation’s highest percentage of “engaged” workers who are enthusiastic about their jobs. Gallup’s survey found that 37 percent of Alabama workers are engaged, ahead of Delaware, Kentucky and Louisiana at 36 percent and nine other states at 35 percent. The U.S. average was […]

MONTGOMERY, Alabama – Hyundai today celebrated the production of its 5 millionth Alabama-made engine, a key milestone for the company’s Montgomery auto operations. The event comes less than 12 years after the plant assembled its first Lambda six-cylinder engine in May 2005. Hyundai says its engine shops achieved this milestone faster than any other engine […]

There’s no question 2016 was a banner year for Alabama’s auto industry, in more ways than one. For one thing, workers at the Alabama facilities of Mercedes-Benz, Honda and Hyundai combined to build more than 1 million vehicles for the second consecutive year and reached a new record high output. But another major milestone was […]

DETROIT, Michigan — Honda today introduced the world to the latest version of its Odyssey minivan, a top-selling model that is produced at the company’s Alabama factory. The redesigned 2018 Odyssey, unveiled at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit, raises the stakes for family-friendly packaging, performance and technology in the minivan segment, said […]

Alabama’s auto production climbed to a new record high in 2016, as workers at the state’s three auto assembly plants kept up a brisk pace of building SUVs, pickups and sedans for markets around the world. The Alabama factories of Honda, Hyundai and Mercedes-Benz combined to produce at least 1,048,597 vehicles, according to year-end figures […]

By Jerry Underwood Montgomery officials said the area attracted $411 million in new capital investment in 2016, with a lion’s share of that total coming from existing businesses. Led by significant investments from companies such as Alfa, Baptist Health and Jackson Hospital, existing businesses announced plans for $319.7 million in new investment in the Montgomery […]

As Alabama’s auto industry has grown over the past two decades, so have the jobs and the sophisticated skill sets required to keep production humming. The majority of the positions at the state’s three auto assembly plants are in production, but the automakers have also built up their ranks of other highly-skilled professionals. At Honda […]

MOBILE, Alabama – Austria-based Lenzing AG announced plans today to invest $293 million to expand production at its Alabama fibers plant, creating 163 new and permanent positions over three years. The Mobile County factory was the first commercial operation in the world to produce and market Lyocell, an eco-friendly, botanic fiber used in clothing and […]

Talent, creativity and innovation run deep in Alabama, and it’s not hard to wrap a bow around them this holiday season. Across the state, entrepreneurs, artists, bakers and other makers are selling their wares. Finding a special Alabama-made gift to fit any budget is no problem, but narrowing it down might be. Alabamians fashion everything […]

HUNTSVILLE, Alabama – A professor at the University of Alabama in Huntsville is pioneering a new technology that could provide a more environmentally friendly path to explore space. William Kaukler, an associate research professor at UAH’s Rotorcraft Systems Engineering and Simulation Center, has been awarded a patent for a green process he developed that produces […]

MONTGOMERY, Alabama — Site Selection, an economic development-focused publication, ranked Alabama in the Top 10 in its annual State Business Climate survey, based largely on feedback from corporate real estate executives and project activity. Alabama placed No. 9 in the magazine’s overall 2016 State Business Climate rankings, and No. 8 in the survey of corporate […]

By Dawn Azok The University of Alabama and Auburn University are collaborating with NASA on future technologies that could aid space exploration. Officials from both universities and representatives of NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville signed new Space Act Agreements to kick off the partnerships. Under an agreement signed Thursday, University of Alabama students […]

Before Alabama-made vehicles hit city streets and neighborhood roads, they get a workout on the test tracks at the state’s three auto assembly plants. Banked curves, bumpy asphalt, smooth straightaways and skid pads are just some of the features that help put the models through paces that are designed to simulate all kinds of driving […]

Boeing Co.’s impact on the Alabama economy totals $2.3 billion a year, according to a new analysis that highlights how the aerospace giant supports a highly skilled, technical workforce in the state. The University of Alabama study found that Boeing’s presence in the state sustains nearly 8,400 direct and indirect jobs across Alabama. It also […]

CENTREVILLE, Alabama — German automotive supplier MollerTech announced today that it will invest $46.3 million to build a state-of-the-art manufacturing facility in Bibb County, creating 222 jobs in Alabama’s growing auto sector. “Attracting investment and new jobs to Alabama’s rural counties is a key priority in our overall economic development strategy, and MollerTech’s manufacturing facility […]

Entrepreneurs and innovators are getting noticed for their work in Birmingham, attracting millions of dollars in new investment for their technology-based startups. In recent months, there have been at least three major funding announcements involving local firms: • On-demand grocery delivery service Shipt announced this summer that it had secured $20.1 million in Series A […]

HUNTSVILLE, Alabama – HDT Global, a maker of engineered products for military, government and commercial customers, plans to invest $4.2 million to expand its manufacturing operation in Huntsville. “Project Pop,” as it was code-named, will create 123 full-time jobs at the company’s Alabama operation, which currently has 82 workers. The average wage of the new […]