Spring 2005

Editor's Note: All new, relocated and expanded automotive-related announcements have been moved to the Southern Auto Corridor news section (you can also go to www.SouthernAutoCorridor.com ). All bio industry-related announcements have been moved to the BioIndustrySouth section ( www.BioIndustrySouth.com ). Both are now regular feature sections in Southern Business & Development.

Relocations & Expansions

QUIZ

This Southern state passed a bill in 2002 that provided for lucrative tax breaks for companies to film movies in the state. That year, the film industry invested a total of about $12 million in the state. Since the end of 2002, over $375 million has been invested by companies shooting movies in the state. Name the state: (a) Virginia (b) Louisiana (c) South Carolina (d) Texas (e)

(Scroll down for answer)

ALABAMA

Rocket Ranch Adding Jobs

Boeing's Delta rocket plant, called the "Rocket Ranch" by locals in Decatur, Ala., will produce competitor Lockheed Martin's Atlas-brand rockets in an unprecedented partnership between the two aerospace companies. Lockheed and Boeing each agreed to form the United Launch Alliance, a concern that combines production, engineering and launch systems for rockets made by both companies for NASA and the military.

Collections Call Center in Mobile will Employ 300

West Asset Management, a subsidiary of West Corporation, will hire 300 people by the end of the year to staff its Mobile contact center. Atlanta-based West Corporation has been in the accounts receivable industry for the past three years after acquiring Attention LLC in 2002. Following the 2004 acquisition of Worldwide Companies, West Corp. rolled out its new accounts receivable management division, West Asset Management in early 2005

Plant Expanding in Greenville

CorStone Industries, a maker of acrylic sinks, is investing $2 million in an expansion of its plant in Greenville, Ala. The company is adding 36,000 square feet in the expansion, which will add annual output of 800,000 units per year. Massachusetts-based CorStone is the nation's largest manufacturer of acrylic sinks and lavatories and sells its products through The Home Depot and Lowe's.

Brick Plant Going Up Near Birmingham

Montgomery, Ala.-based Jenkins Brick Co. announced in the spring quarter it is building a $43 million brick plant near Birmingham. The new facility is being built on a 160-acre site in Moody, Ala. and will employ about 50 workers when it opens in 2006.

Door Manufacturer Opening New Plant

C&S Door Corp., a Virginia-based door manufacturer, is moving into the former Millbrook Distribution Center in Ozark. The company makes interior doors for the housing market. The company is expected to create about 80 jobs initially, with the prospect of up to 250 within three years.

ARKANSAS

Dassault Unveils Plans for Expansion at Little Rock Municipal Airport

Dassault Falcon Jet will expand its operations at Little Rock Municipal Airport. Little Rock is home to the company's business jet completion center, where seats, cabinets, cabin amenities and specialized avionics are installed and the planes get their custom paint jobs. The expansion plans include adding 44,100 square feet to the current operations at the airport, with the possibility of adding 400 to 500 workers as production increases.

K-Tops to Open Plant in Colt

K-Tops Plastic Manufacturing will open a new plant in Colt, employing 200 people within its first year of operation. A plastic injection molding company, the plant will make products for Kolcraft, a North American baby products supplier. The plant will move into the former RBX facility, a 225,000 square-foot rubber extrusion operation on 50 acres. The parts made at the plant will be assembled into such Kolcraft products as juvenile walkers, highchairs, strollers and diaper pails.

American Railcar Industries to Add 90 Jobs at Paragould Facility

American Railcar Industries has broken ground on a new paint shop at its Paragould facility that will employ 90 workers. The projected investment will be approximately $14 million for building and equipment. This is the second major announcement from American Railcar in the past 12 months. The company has railcar manufacturing locations in Paragould and Marmaduke, with railcar subassembly manufacturing in Kennett, Mo. As a result of increased production in the current facilities and the expansion, the company will increase employment in Greene County to 1,200 employees.

Advanced Environmental Recycling Technologies to Build New Springdale Plant

Advanced Environmental Recycling Technologies (AERT) of Springdale will build a new 60,000 square-foot manufacturing plant in Springdale, with construction set to begin this summer. The company, which makes wood composite decking, will build the facility to include a manufacturing plant and warehouse, next to its the headquarters. AERT expects to begin production near the first of next year.

Valley Plating to Set Up Shop in Conway

Valley Plating will soon be housed within Virco Plant 1 in Conway. The new company will perform the plating on the furniture produced by Virco's Conway operation. Valley Plating is investing $800,000 to retrofit a 22,000 square-foot portion of the Virco facility. The new 40-employee company anticipates an early summer start-up.

Progressive Foam Hiring 100 in Conway, Ark.

Progressive Foam Technologies announced it will open a new facility in Conway that will employ 100. The Ohio-based company makes insulated vinyl siding that helps save energy costs. About 35 workers will be hired initially at a facility that totals 72,000 square feet.

FLORIDA

First Data Corporation to Expand Workforce by 300 Jobs

First Data Corporation in Daytona Beach will be adding up to 300 new positions to support its growing operation. The company currently employs around 500.

FedEx Ground Chooses Pompano Beach

The small package segment of FedEx's delivery system is building a 215,000-square-foot distribution facility in Pompano Beach that is expected to be operational by summer of 2006. The new facility is part of FedEx Ground's $1.8 billion expansion of its network.

Sincol Expands in the Miami-Dade Enterprise Zone

Sincol, a worldwide manufacturer and distributor of doors for residential use, is expanding to a new location in the Miami-Dade Enterprise Zone. Currently Sincol has 20 employees. Over the next three years the company will hire an additional 35 full time employees, make a capital investment of $250,000 and occupy 130,000 square feet of office space in the Enterprise Zone in Hialeah.

GEORGIA

Samsung Opening Design Center in Atlanta

Samsung Electro-Mechanics, a subsidiary of Samsung Corp., the South Korea-based electronics manufacturer, has announced it will open a new design center at Georgia Tech's Technology Square campus in Atlanta's Midtown area. The center will research and design next generation radio frequency integrated circuit technology. Samsung's electronics division grossed $54 billion (that's with a "B") last year.

FedEx Freight Building in Buford

FedEx Freight, a subsidiary of Memphis-based FedEx, is building a 77,000-square-foot service center in Buford, Ga., to handle pickup and deliveries in the northeastern Atlanta area. The company has opened five other freight centers across the country so far this year.

Shaw Industries Expands in Thomson

Shaw Industries, a Dalton, Georgia-based flooring manufacturer, will expand its Thomson facility to meet increased market demand. The expansion will create 70 new jobs and represents a $27 million economic investment. The facility in Thomson will allow Shaw to expand its nylon extrusion capability for carpet manufacturing.

Arby's Moving HQ to Atlanta

Fort Lauderdale-based Arby's LLC will not renew its lease on 55,000 square feet of space at the Radice Corporate Center in Fort Lauderdale. Instead, company officials will relocate headquarter operations to Atlanta this summer. Arby's employs about 100 workers at its headquarters in South Florida. The Arby's move is the fourth major company to move its headquarters to Atlanta in the last two years. Rayovac, Newell Rubbermaid and Alcan/Novelis moved their headquarters to Atlanta in 2003 and 2004.

KANSAS

Cessna Adding Jobs in Wichita

About 500 new jobs are being created by Cessna Aircraft at its facilities in Wichita. The company will be hiring hundreds of sheet metal workers in an effort deliver over 230 new Citation model jet aircraft this year. Cessna currently employs over 8,500 workers in Wichita.

Boeing Wichita Adding Jobs, too

Work on the Airborne Laser program is resulting in about 40 new engineering jobs at Boeing's facilities in Wichita. The Airborne Laser program will be tested on a special 747 that will be designed to shoot down missiles in flight.

KENTUCKY

Maintenance Hub Set for Louisville Airport

Republic Airways has broken ground on a maintenance hub at the Louisville International Airport for its Chautauqua Airlines subsidiary. The $9 million facility will include a six-bay aircraft complex that will service aircraft for Republic. The deal is expected to create about 300 new jobs.

Hydro-Gear to Locate in Princeton

Hydro-Gear, a manufacturer of products used in the commercial and consumer lawn and garden industries, announced in early June it will move into a 67,500-square-foot building in Caldwell County, Ky. The deal represents a $3 million investment and will create 150 new jobs.

Engineering Design Center Chooses Lexington for Center

Lexington will be home to a Belcan engineering and design center that will provide engineering design for Sikorsky Aircraft, creating more than 300 high-tech jobs. Belcan has been providing engineering services to Sikorsky Aircraft for three years with an offsite center. Belcan will perform targeted engineering detailed design activities in support of projected growth in Sikorsky's domestic and international development program. Sikorsky Aircraft is based in Strafford, Connecticut.

Gordon Food Service Hiring

Michigan-based Gordon Foods, an international distributor of food products, is hiring more than 200 workers at its new $85 million, 10-story distribution center in Shepherdsville/Bullitt County, Ky. The center will supply a variety of institutional food users including prisons, hospitals, schools, hotels and restaurants.

Citigroup Expanding Call Center

A closure of an office in Houston is adding jobs at a Citigroup call center in Florence, Ky. The New York-based financial giant is moving about 750 jobs out of Houston to Denver, Kansas City and Florence. Florence's Citigroup call center currently employs about 2,500 workers.

European Company to Locate First North American Facility in Danville

3B S.p.A., an Italian corporation that produces kitchen, bath and living room components, will locate its first North American headquarters, manufacturing and distribution operations in Boyle County. The project represents an investment of $17 million and will create 100 full-time jobs in the first two years of operation.

MARYLAND

Company Opening Two Call Centers

Civic Development Group, a fund-raising company, announced in the spring quarter it will open a call center in Baltimore City that will require at least 200 workers. The New Jersey-based company also announced another 200-employee call center in Prince George's County, Md.

Staples to Expand Mid-Atlantic Retail Distribution Center

Staples, Inc., the world's largest office products company, will expand its mid-Atlantic retail distribution center in Washington County. The 180,000 square-foot expansion, planned for completion this summer, will bring the total footprint of the facility to more than one million square feet. Up to 40 new jobs will be created at the expanding facility.

MISSISSIPPI

BearingPoint will Open Software Development Company in Hattiesburg

BearingPoint, Inc., a consulting and systems integration firm, will locate a new software development operation to Hattiesburg. Within three years, the company will employ 275 software developers, programmers and engineers. In Hattiesburg, BearingPoint will develop SAP and Oracle software solutions for federal government and commercial sector clients, including system design, development, unit testing and documentation.

DeSoto Trade Center Chosen for Helen of Troy Distribution Center

Hillwood will build a 1.2 million square-foot distribution center on 60 acres at DeSoto Trade Center in Southaven for Helen of Troy, a provider of personal care and household consumer products. Hillwood will develop the facility, then, upon completion, sell the building and the land to Helen of Troy. Helen of Troy is moving from a 619,000 square-foot facility that it currently occupies in Southaven. The company will employ more than 200 workers in its new national distribution center, which will be completed in the fourth quarter of 2005.

Tishomingo County Lands Project Red

Project Red, Skyline Steel of Cartersville, Georgia, announced it will locate a steel processing facility near Yellow Creek Port in Tishomingo County. The facility is expected to initially employ 30 workers with 60 percent being highly skilled metal trades positions. The company will invest $17 million in the facility to produce steel rolled structural pipe used primarily in heavy construction such as buildings, bridges, and wharves. Approximately 100 jobs are projected during year two and a phase two expansion is proposed for year three.

Company Expands in DeSoto County

Chep, a maker of pallet and container pooling services, is expanding to a new 200,000-square-foot facility in the DeSoto Trade Center in Southaven, Miss. Chep reuses pallets and containers through a supply chain.

MISSOURI

FedEx Ground Selects Kansas City for New Distribution Facility

FedEx Ground Package System will break ground on a new $76 million regional distribution facility this spring at Northland Park in Kansas City, Mo. that will employ more than 800 full-time and part-time workers upon full capacity. The first phase of the project will create a 215,000 square-foot facility that will expand to 387,000 square feet by 2010 under the completion of phase two. FedEx Ground will initially employ 286 workers and independent contractors before increasing its employee base to more than 800.

NORTH CAROLINA

West Corporation to Open Customer Service Contact Center in Rocky Mount

West Corporation, a provider of outsourced communication solutions, will open a customer service contact center in Rocky Mount. West will hire over 100 professional staff and 800 incoming customer care employees. West provides customer care for a variety of industries, including wireless, financial services, satellite TV, insurance and Internet.

Four Hundred Jobs Created in Statesville

Canac Kitchens, a subsidiary of Kohler Co., is moving into the former 310,000-square-foot LesCare Kitchens building in Statesville, N.C. The $20 million cabinet manufacturing deal is expected to create 400 new jobs.

Airline Adds 180 Jobs

Comair, the regional airline that takes folks in the South to places such as Baton Rouge, Sarasota, Tallahassee, Myrtle Beach, Bentonville, Tri-Cities, Tenn., Panama City (beautiful beach there), Roanoke and Key West, is adding about 200 jobs at its facilities at the Greensboro-based Piedmont Triad International Airport. About 20 flight crews and as many as 200 pilot and flight attendant jobs will also be added to the workforce at the Triad airport.

Telecom Manufacturer Relocates HQ from California

Tekelec, a telecommunications equipment manufacturer, is moving its corporate headquarters from California to Morrisville, N.C. Tekelec, which employs about 600 workers in the Raleigh-Durham area, will add about 40 workers in the move.

CitiCards Expanding Call Center

CitiCards is adding jobs at its 170,000-square-foot, $35 million call center in Guilford County, N.C. The center currently employs more than 1,300 workers. CitiCards plans to add 300 employees by the end of the year.

Raflatac Hiring 110

Raflatac, a maker of pressure sensitive adhesive label stock, is expanding its manufacturing operations in Fletcher, N.C. The company is adding 100 new jobs and investing $24 million in the expansion.

Belgian Company Picks Site for U.S. HQ

Colortex, a Belgian textile concern, has chosen Gastonia for its new U.S. headquarters. The company specializes in fabrics found in mattresses. The deal represents a $2 million investment and will create 30 new jobs.

1,000 New Jobs for Charlotte

Hewitt Associates, an Illinois-based employee benefits company has signed a letter of intent to lease the 290,000-square-foot former IBM building located in the University area of metro Charlotte. The deal is expected to create about 1,000 jobs within a year.

Textile Facility Opening in Rural North Carolina

Sanford, N.C.-based Cedartown Manufacturing is expanding into the former 210,000-square-foot Harriet & Henderson Yarns building in Clarkton, N.C. The $25 million deal is expected to create about 135 new jobs. The company will spin cotton into yarn. Cedartown is a joint venture between Gidlan Activewear and Frontier Spinning Mills, Inc.

Boat Supplier Lands in Hickory

Florida-based Ameritex Technologies, a manufacturer of boating products, is moving into a 40,000-square-foot facility in Hickory, N.C. The company will produce canvas products for boats and is expected to hire about 200 workers within two years.

OKLAHOMA

Wal-Mart Opens 900,000 Square Foot Distribution Center in Bartlesville

Wal-Mart has opened a mammoth distribution center in Bartlesville. The center, MDC 7015, is one of only three of its kind in the Wal-Mart empire. The 900,000 square foot facility is the third mechanized merchandise storage facility built by Bentonville, Arkansas-based Wal-Mart. The opening of the center brings Wal-Mart's work-force total in Oklahoma to about 30,000, 600 of which will be employed at the new facility.

SOUTH CAROLINA

Maillis Strapping Systems USA Selects Fountain Inn for Headquarters

Maillis Strapping Systems USA will locate its North American headquarters in a 70,000 square-foot facility in the city of Fountain Inn. The Greece-based company will invest $15 million in new capital and create 60 new jobs. The project involves the creation of plastic strapping production lines.

Urban Outfitters Brings 200 New Jobs to Edgefield County

Urban Outfitters, Inc., a specialty clothing and accessories company, will relocate its fulfillment center from Pennsylvania to the Edgefield County community of Trenton. The company will purchase the equipment and lease the 459,000 square-foot facility formerly operated by VF Corporation. Urban Outfitters will initally hire 200 to staff its fulfillment center. The company's direct fulfillment division, which will be entirely located in South Carolina, is the fastest growing segment of the company, growing 91 percent in 2004 and is expected to grow an additional 50 to 60 percent in 2005.

Greenville Chosen as Location for Italian Plastics Company

Vetroresina, L.L.C., a subsidiary of Vetroresina, SPA based in Ferrara, Italy will locate its first North American facility at the Donaldson Industrial Center in Greenville, South Carolina. The 90,000 square foot facility will be the company's North American headquarters for manufacturing and sales. Vetroresina, L.L.C. will invest approximately $9 million and will create 30 jobs within three years. The company's product line--gel-coated GRP laminates--is used for the construction of sidewalls, back surfaces and roofs of campers and recreational vehicles as well as for the walls of refrigerated vehicles.

Sid Harvey Industries to Locate in Georgetown County

Sid Harvey Industries, headquartered in Garden City, N.Y., will relocate its manufacturing and remanufacturing facility to Georgetown County. The company purchased the former Fun-Tees building in Andrews and will retrofit the building for its new use. Sid Harvey will also build a 15,000 square-foot building for warehousing on the site. The move will create 100 new jobs in Georgetown County.

TENNESSEE

First Class Printing Opens New Facility in Fayetteville

First Class Printing has invested nearly $3 million to move from its 20,000 square foot building to an old cut-and-sew facility, more than doubling its space to 60,000 square feet. The company spent seven months renovating the building and put more than $1.1 million into renovations and $1.3 million in new equipment upgrades. The company will create 35 new jobs.

Southern Heritage Shutters and Millworks Locates in Lewisburg

Southern Heritage Shutters and Millworks has selected Lewisburg as the location for the company's new manufacturing facility. The company specializes in custom wood and faux wood plantation shutters and blinds, hardwood flooring, custom moldings and custom mill work for the building industry. The company will locate operations in a 50,000 square foot building in the former International Comfort Products building located on Heil Quaker Avenue. Production will begin by Mid-June with 25 employees, with up to 50 people to be hired as demand increases.

West Coast Novelty Opens Distribution Center in Memphis

Alameda, Calif.-based West Coast Novelty Corp. announced in the spring quarter a distribution center in Memphis The company is leasing a 152,442 square feet building in the Southpark industrial park. The company is a distributor of licensed sports, lifestyle products and entertainment products. About 75 new employees will be hired.

Aircraft Maker Lands in Shelbyville

Jabiru USA Sport Aircraft, LLC, an international company specializing in the manufacture, sell and distribution of aircraft and kits will relocate its operations from Wisconsin to Shelbyville. The company has relocated to a 10,000 square foot facility at the Shelbyville Municipal Airport. The company currently employs six, and will double that employment by August. Jabiru is a privately owned Australian company.

Geometric Building Systems to Expand in Lewisburg

Geometric Building Systems has expanded in Lewisburg, creating 50 new jobs by 2006. The company has located to a 28,000 square foot facility located on Brents Road, and production has already begun. Geometric Building Systems manufactures custom modular and log homes.

Brinks Picks Knoxville for Customer Care Center

Brinks Home Security announced in the spring it is building a 50,000-square-foot customer care center in Knoxville. The deal is expected to create about 400 jobs. The center, which will house operators and customer care specialists to respond to alarms and customer inquiries, will operate 24/7. Brinks is spending about $10 million in the deal, with much of that investment in computer and telecommunications equipment.

Emerson Heating Relocation HQ to Murfreesboro

Emerson Heating Products is relocating its headquarters to Murfreesboro, Tenn. The company is a division of St. Louis-based Emerson and the relocation will result in about 50 new jobs.

TEXAS

AMD Building Huge Campus in Austin

Advanced Micro Devices announced in the spring it is building an 825,000-square-foot, 60-acre campus in Southwest Austin. The new facilities will house about 2,000 employees of AMD in Austin. Construction on the campus will begin in the winter of 2006 with a completion date sometime in mid-2007.

Convergys to Open Laredo Contact Center

Convergys Corporation opened a state-of-the-art contact center in Laredo in mid-April. The facility will operate 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Convergys expects to hire over 300 people by year end. Convergys provides outsourced solutions, consulting services and software support, with clients in more than 60 countries.

Merkafon Teleperformance to Create 500 Jobs in Edinburg

A new call center opened by Merkafon Teleperformance will create 500 new jobs over three years in Edinburg, Tex. The company, which provides Spanish and bilingual teleservices in Latin America, will open the call center in a former grocery store building in June.

Ruiz Foods Announces Expansion in Denison

Ruiz Foods will expand through acquisition of an existing 263,000 square-foot manufacturing facility and distribution center located on 49 acres in Denison. The plant will manufacture a variety of El Monterey food products. El Monterey is the signature frozen Mexican food brand for Ruiz Foods and the #1 frozen Mexican food in the U.S. Once the facility is in full production, Ruiz Foods will employ 450 people.

Chip Testing Facility Opens in Austin

Arizona-based Premier Semiconductor Services has opened a computer chip testing center in Austin that will primarily serve Cirrus Logic Inc., which is also based in Austin. The 20,000-square-foot facility will initially employ 50 workers.

Semiconductor Laser Company Expanding in North Texas

Advanced Optical Components, a subsidiary of California-based Finisar Corp., is relocating from its 60,000-square-foot building in Richardson, Tex. to a 162,000-square-foot building in Allen, Tex. The relocation will result in 150 employees moving to the new plant with an additional 50 hired. AOC makes semiconductor lasers that are used in data storage

VIRGINIA

$300M Research Facility Announced by Philip Morris in Richmond

Tobacco manufacturer Philip Morris announced a new $300 million research facility in Richmond in the spring quarter that will focus on developing less harmful tobacco products. The research facility will encompass 450,000 square feet and will house about 550 scientists and engineers. Altria, Philip Morris' parent company relocated its corporate headquarters from New York to Richmond last year. The company employs about 7,000 workers in the greater Richmond area.

BAE Systems Expands Again, Making $25 Million Investment

BAE Systems will invest $25 million to establish a new information technology work center in Fairfax County to support the company's expanding federal IT business. The project will result in 700 new jobs over the next three years. BAE Systems Information Technology, the business unit fielding the new information technology work center, is one of the largest federal sector information technology providers and addresses evolving U.S. National security priorities in support of the Department of Defense, Military Services and Homeland Defense.

Tecton Products Chooses Roanoke County

Tecton Products, LLC, a manufacturer of pultruded composite products, announced it will locate its first Virginia plant in Roanoke County's Center for Research and technology. The company will invest $6.5 million in the first phase of the project and create 58 new jobs. Phase II will invest an additional $5.6 million and create 93 more jobs by 2011. Tecton's initial charter was to work with Marvin Windows and Doors to develop a high performance window and door product line using pultrusions for the framing components.

Mecklenburg County to Gain 147 New Jobs

Home Care Delivered, a home health care products company, will invest $1.1 million in a new business development center in Mecklenburg County. The facility will be located in Virginia Lakeside Commerce Park. The center will facilitate Home Care Delivered's national roll-out, extending its reach to health care professionals and caregivers across the country. The project will create an additional 147 jobs within 30 months at the new facility in Mecklenburg County.

Pearson Government Solutions to Invest $5.6 Million and Create 800 Jobs

Pearson Government Solutions will invest $5.6 million to open a government services call center in Chesterfield County, creating up to 800 new jobs by the end of the year. Headquartered in Arlington, Va., Pearson Government Solutions serves the federal government market, delivering solutions that support public sector entities in their delivery of information, benefits, and services to their constituents.

KCG Call Centers to Invest $1 Million

KCG Call Centers, LLC, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Kavanaugh Consulting Group, will invest $1 million to open a customer service center in Lee County. Kavanaugh Consulting Group is an independent consulting firm specializing in call centers, telecommunications technology, customer relationship management and customer service endeavors. The project will create 100 new jobs.

Lindab USA to Relocate Headquarters to City of Portsmouth

Lindab USA, an international group that develops, manufactures and markets sheet metal products and system solutions, will invest $6 million to relocate its corporate headquarters from Stamford, Conn. to its existing Portsmouth, Va. manufacturing facility. The expansion will add 57 new jobs over three years to the current work force of 115.

Flooring Company to Create 155 Jobs in Russell County

Designer Wood Tile & Finishing Inc. will invest $4.2 million to open a pre-finished hardwood flooring business in Russell County. The project will result in 155 new jobs. The new company will manufacture finished hardwood flooring and finished stair tread and molding products which will be sold nationally through existing distribution and marketing channels to retail and industrial clients.

Strongwell Corporation Expands

Strongwell Corporation will invest $4 million and create 65 new jobs to expand its Highlands manufacturing facility near Abingdon. The company is a fiber reinforced plastics and polymer concrete manufacturer. The expansion is driven by the demand for polymer concrete boxes the company manufactures, which are used to house telecommunications lines and equipment.

Gerdau Ameristeel Moves to King George County

Gerdau Ameristeel will invest $5 million and create 50 new jobs in King George County with the relocation of a Baltimore, Md., manufacturing plant. Gerdau Ameristeel is the fourth largest overall steel company and the second largest mini-mill steel producer in North America.

Stage Stores to Expand Peebles Headquarters and Distribution

Stage Stores, Inc. will invest $6.5 million to expand and upgrade its Peebles Department Stores headquarters building and distribution center, both of which are located in Spring Hill. The company's investment in its distribution center will keep 244 jobs in South Hill, and create 107 new jobs once the expansion is complete.

WEST VIRGINIA

Hampshire County Gains Manufacturing Facility

Mill Branch Industries will open a manufacturing facility in Capon Bridge that will initially employ 100 people. This newly formed company will manufacture and distribute residential building components including windows, doors, hardware and roof and floor trusses. Future expansion plans include the addition of up to 300 employees. The company will invest $1.8 million to locate in the 30,000 square-foot Capon Bridge multi-Tenant Building in the Capon Bridge Technology and Industrial Park along U.S. 50.

QUIZ ANSWER

The state that has seen a greater increase than any other Southern state in movie making since 2002 is (b) Louisiana. The incentives Louisiana pays for film companies to produce movies in the state is about $7 million per $50 million spent.