Here is today's summary of economic development news, a free service of the Economic Development Partnership of Alabama, representing Alabama's private sector investment in economic development. If you enjoy NewsFlash, thank an
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Available building, southern pine, tax breaks all helped lure new business to Dothan
Jun 28, 2017
A high tech wood products industry that will take over the former General Electric building in south Dothan will initially create 60 new jobs at the plant and is projected to result in 200 jobs combined throughout the area.
Details of the $19.6 million project by Sarasota, Florida-based International Beams were unveiled Wednesday morning during a press conference at Landmark Park.
Company CEO Bruno Lebel said there are only two other manufacturers of cross laminated timber (CLT) panels in the United States, but Dothan will be the biggest when the plant here begins production in the first quarter of 2018. The plant will also produce a glue laminated timber product as well.
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Why is Jeff Bezos building rocket engines in Alabama? He's playing to win
This week the governor of Alabama announced that Blue Origin would build a factory in Huntsville, Alabama, for its new BE-4 rocket engine. "I must commend founder Jeff Bezos and company President Robert Meyerson for their vision to create this innovative company, and for choosing to make Alabama its home sweet home,"
said Gov. Kay Ivey.
The decision has been widely hailed as largely a political one-Alabama has considerable influence in the US Congress over space policy, and, with its decision to build there, Blue Origin was aligning part of its future with the southern state-but that does not appear to be the sole rationale.
Rather, a closer examination of the Alabama choice reveals that Blue Origin founder Jeff Bezos, whose business acumen pushed Amazon to the top, has brought the same shrewdness to the aerospace industry. He is playing to win.
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58 Inc. begins search for economic development director
Shelby County's new economic development entity, 58 Inc., is in search of its first director of economic development to lead the organization's industrial, commercial and retail recruitment and retention efforts, as well as workforce readiness initiatives.
Chad Scroggins, a 58 Inc. board of directors member and chief development officer for Shelby County, said the salary for the job will be based on experience.
"We want a very experienced person to lead this organization," Scroggins said.
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The Future of Textiles
TEXT BY KELLI DUGAN // PHOTOS BY TODD DOUGLAS
June 2017
A $293 million investment just north of Mobile is set to propel Lenzing Fibers Inc. toward the forefront of a national textile manufacturing resurgence.
The investment is expected to nearly triple production at the Axis plant. Moreover, it's expected to help Lenzing - an Austrian-based leader in making man-made cellulose fibers - boost specialty fiber income from 38 percent of its revenue today to 50 percent by 2020.
The Axis facility is one of only four Tencel fiber-manufacturing sites in the world. Lenzing has two more plants in Austria and one in Great Britain making Tencel, its brand name for lyocell, an eco-friendly, botanic fiber used in clothing and non-woven products.
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