RELOCATIONS & EXPANSIONS

ALABAMA

Shoals Lures $240 Million Plant

Well we knew it would happen eventually. A site we have touted for years located on the Tennessee River in northwest Alabama finally got a major tenant. Wisconsin-based SCA Tissue NA announced in late October it would build a $240 million tissue, napkin and paper towel manufacturing and distribution facility in the Shoals area of Alabama. The deal will mean 400 new jobs for the region. The 1.3 million-square-foot-plant will be built on 700 acres at the Barton Riverfront Industrial Park near Tuscumbia. You may remember the name of the site. We have written about it several times over the last six or seven years. The site features a TVA power plant.

Jet Engine Plant Announced in Huntsville

Williams International announced in late October it would build a $268 million jet engine plant at the Jetplex Industrial Park located near Huntsville International Airport. The facility will employ 700 when completed. The Detroit-based engine manufacturer competes with Pratt & Whitney and GE, two other jet engine manufacturers.

Cullman Gains Auto Supplier

A Japanese supplier to Honda and Nissan will build a plant in Cullman that will create as many as 300 jobs. Tokyo-based Topre Corporation will build a $45.7 million, 250,000-square-foot plant to make parts for Honda and Nissan plants in the U.S. The plant will supply the Honda factory in Lincoln, Ala., and the Nissan plant that is being completed in Canton, Miss. Topre will spend up to $100 million to expand the plant to 700,000 square feet over three phases. The project will be located on a 147-acre site in the Cullman Industrial Park No. 3. This will be Topre's first U.S. plant. Topre has operated in Japan since 1935.

Delphi Expands in Athens

Michigan-based Delphi is investing $22 million to upgrade its Athens, Ala., facility that makes axles. Delphi, the world's largest auto parts maker, employs 1,000 workers in Athens, located in extreme north Alabama. Delphi also recently announced an expansion of its Gadsden plant in order to deliver on a new contract with the Mercedes plant in Vance, Ala.

Mercedes Supplier Investing $10 Million

Officials with Oris Automotive Parts say their new facility in Bessemer's new 280-acre Paden Business Park will cost about $10 million when completed. The company makes spare wheel carriers, grill guards and other parts for the M-Class SUV built in Vance, Ala. Oris will move into the 145,000-square-foot facility in early 2004. Over 300 new employees are expected to work at the new facility when it opens.

Japanese Company Expanding Near Decatur

Toray Industries is spending $30 million to build a facility across the street from its existing plant near Decatur, Ala. The new facility will produce Teflon fiber products used in DuPont sealants. The new plant will initially employ 53 individuals.

Plastic Packaging Maker Locates to Birmingham

Plasticpak Packaging will invest $30 million in a company that will make rigid plastic packaging in a 100,000-square-foot speculative building in Jefferson Metropolitan Industrial Park. The company will create 50 new jobs initially, with expansion of the building and number of employees already planned. Plasticpak is headquartered in Plymouth, Michigan and has 12 other facilities.

Texas Shingle Company Adds Second Line

Dallas-based Elcor Corp. is investing nearly $80 million to add a second production line to its shingle manufacturing plant in Tuscaloosa, Ala. The new line will produce about 400 million square feet of shingles annually, more than tripling the plant's production. The expansion converts Elcor's oldest and smallest plant into its largest. The company is expected to hire 120 more workers at the plant, which currently employs 146.

Amerex Expanding in Trussville

Commercial fire extinguisher maker Amerex Corp. said it plans to add as many as 30 jobs and 40,000 square feet to its Trussville plant and shut down its New Jersey parts factory and move that work to Alabama. The company will spend "several million dollars" to add space to its Trussville plant, which is located just outside Birmingham.

ARKANSAS

Whirlpool Announces Enhancement of Fort Smith Facility

Up to 700 employees will be added to Whirlpool Corporation's Fort Smith Division to support the introduction of new refrigerator models. Even without the additional hires, Whirlpool is Fort Smith's largest employer. The plant currently employs about 4,500. The Michigan-based company is the world's largest manufacturer of major home appliances.

Thomas and Betts Adding Workers in Jonesboro

Memphis-based Thomas and Betts is investing $2 million and adding 125 employees at its electric connectors and fittings plant in Jonesboro. The company is adding 45,000 square feet of manufacturing space as it takes over work that was handled previously by a plant the company closed in Mobile, Ala. Thomas and Betts has closed 10 of its 30 plants in the U.S. recently as it consolidates operations. The Jonesboro plant employs 325 and has annual sales of nearly $100 million.

Southwest Steel Processing to Open in Newport

V Park-Ohio Holdings, headquartered in Cleveland, Ohio and Arkansas Steel Associates have announced an alliance that will bring a significant number of new jobs to rural Jackson County, Ark. Southwest Steel, LLC will forge rail car components in a new 18,000-square-foot facility in Newport, using steel supplied by adjacent ASA. Southwest expects to employ up to 230 workers at full production.

American Management Chooses Conway for Expansion

American Management Corp., an insurance carrier based in Conway, announced in November the construction of a new, six-story office building adjacent to the company's existing headquarters. The company is expected to hire 200 more employees in downtown Conway. In a related story, the Conway Development Corporation, Conway's economic development entity, agreed to loan the city of Conway $2,000,000 to build a new 200-car parking garage downtown. The garage is intended to alleviate parking concerns in the growing downtown district.

Alltel Building Distribution Center

Little Rock-based Alltel Corp. is spending $6 million in Fort Smith to build a 90,000-square-foot distribution center. The telecom will distribute local telephone and wireless products to over 21 states from the center. Alltel is expected to hire 40 at the center.

Precision Roll Grinders Expands to Texarkana

Pennsylvania-based Precision Roll Grinders announced it would build a 31,000-square-foot plant on a five-acre tract in Texarkana's Robert Maxwell Industrial Park. The company is hiring 25 machinists. The company will invest $10 million in the project.

FLORIDA

Ford Transfers Employees to Polk County

Ford Motor Co. is planning a new parts distribution center in Davenport, Fla., which is located near Lakeland. The 275,000-square-foot facility will help replace a 650,000-square-foot facility in Atlanta. The company is also opening a parts center in North Carolina. Ford is planning to relocate 60 Atlanta area workers to central Florida prior to the facility's opening in the spring.

Computer Associates Setting Up 400-Job Call Center

Computer Associates is opening a call center near Tampa in Hillsborough County. The New York-based computer software company will invest nearly $3 million in the design and construction of a 55,000-square-foot building and another $4 million in office equipment.

AOL Places Call Center in Orlando

America Online will lease 50,000 square feet for a call center in Orlando that will operate 24-hours-a-day, seven days a week. The center will staff 80 initially, but company officials have estimated 250 will be employed there by January. The deal is estimated to cost AOL $9 million over 10 years, which reportedly is the length of the lease. It's the first call center for AOL in Orlando.

Beall's Building Distribution Center

Manatee County, Fla., won out over Birmingham, Ala., and Fort Worth, Tex., for a new 270,000-square-foot distribution center. Beall's, an apparel retailer, is already headquartered in Manatee County, which is located south of Tampa Bay. The company employs 840 in Manatee. The expansion is expected to add 200 new workers.

Michigan Bottle Company Expands to Plant City

Plastipak Packaging, a maker of plastic bottles and containers, is building a plant in Plant City. The company will hire 75 production and management jobs. Plant City is located just east of Tampa.

Zicon Sets Up U.S. HQ in Boca Raton

Zicon, a company based in Israel that manufactures printed circuit boards, is setting up its U.S. headquarters in Boca Raton, Fla. The company will hire 250. Officials with the company chose Florida over California, Virginia and Massachusetts. It cited a greater number of Israeli banks in the Sunshine State, the East Coast time zone and overall operating costs for its decision to do business in Florida.

GEORGIA

Massachusetts Manufacturer Opening Plant in Atlanta Area

Aero Plastics, a maker of plastic containers and tubs is purchasing a 455,000-square-foot building in the Greenwood Industrial Park in McDonough. When completed, the deal would be one of the largest in terms of square footage in Henry County this year, which is experiencing an oversupply of industrial real estate. Aero makes plastic trash cans, storage boxes, food containers and closet organizers for The Home Depot among other retailers. Home Depot is headquartered in Atlanta. The company is expected to employ as many as 250 workers.

HandyTrac Moves Headquarters to Atlanta Area

HandyTrac, which makes computerized control systems and its sister company, HandySource, an e-commerce company, will move into a new headquarter facility in Alpharetta. The companies have purchased a 29,000-square-foot facility in the North Atlanta market.

Customer Service Center for Sumter County

STI Knowledge Inc., is locating a help desk call center that will create 150 new jobs in Sumter Co., Ga. Company officials cited Georgia's attractive tax credits, the rural initiative called OneGeorgia Authority and overall location assistance given the company for is decision to locate in a rural area of the state.

KANSAS

German Company Selects KC for North American HQ

Baader NA, a subsidiary of German-based Baader Group, has selected Kansas City, Kan., for its North American headquarters and primary manufacturing operations. The new headquarters will create 50 new jobs at an average salary of $50,000, as well as the retention of 100 existing employees. Kansas City competed directly with Fort Myers, Boston and Seattle for the headquarters deal.

KENTUCKY

Ford Upgrading Kentucky Truck Plant

Needing to boost production of its F-Series Super Duty pickup truck, Ford Motor is investing $50 million at its Louisville facility. Ford's investment includes a $25 million paint shop expansion, a $12 million overhaul of the body shop and an $8 million renovation of the plant's chassis line. The truck plant employs about 6,000 hourly and salaried workers.

Auto Supplier Expands in Corbin

CTA Acoustics, which makes insulation materials for Ford's truck plant in Louisville, is investing $10 million at its manufacturing facility in Corbin, Ky. The investment is being made to increase capacity at the plant.

Union Tools Relocates From Ohio to Louisville Area

Union Tools, Inc., is moving its lone distribution center from Columbus, Ohio, to a new, 302,550-square-foot facility at Louisville Logistics Centre, a developing industrial park underway in Hillview, Ky. The company, which manufactures and markets lawn and garden tools, decided in July to accept $1.5 million in incentives from the Kentucky Economic Development Finance Authority. The company will relocate three employees from Columbus and hire 110 workers in Kentucky. Union Tools, founded in 1890, is a subsidiary of Columbus-based Acorn Products.

Mikron Expands in Kentucky

Washington State-based Mikron Industries will add 150,000 square feet to its Richmond, Ky., plant and add nearly 100 jobs. The company makes vinyl extrusions for the window and door industry.

LOUISIANA

Libbey Consolidation Adds New Jobs in Shreveport

Libbey Inc. has chosen to consolidate its U.S. glass decorating operations at its Shreveport, La. plant beginning in 2003. The consolidation will result in the addition of about 75-80 positions in Shreveport. Further, the Libbey plant in Shreveport retains 80 jobs that would have been eliminated and moved to Ohio, creating a total impact of 160 jobs and $4 million in total payroll.

"Libbey's announcement offers further evidence that Louisiana is on the right track," said Louisiana Gov. Mike Foster. "Ohio has a large manufacturing base, so for Louisiana to win this expansion is truly a testament to the quality and productivity of our manufacturing workers in this state. We have worked hard to develop a tax structure and financial incentives that are nationally competitive. Also, I think it's noteworthy that this announcement is coming at the same time as we are kicking off the process to update our long-term economic development master plan, Louisiana: Vision 2020. There is still work to be done, but our state is making progress."

MARYLAND

Distribution Center Planned for Baltimore County

Charming Shoppes, a Pennsylvania-based retail chain that sells plus-size apparel to women is purchasing the former Warner Brothers distribution center in White Marsh, Md. The Warner Brothers center distributed products to its stores before they were all closed throughout the U.S. The deal is expected to create as many as 300 jobs.

Concrete Company to Build on 100-Acre Site

Strescon Industries, a Towson, Md.-based manufacturer of pre-cast concrete, is bringing 100 new jobs to Harford County. The company is consolidating manufacturing operations to a new 110,000-square-foot building on 100 acres in Edgewood.

Storage Technology Relocates

Colorado-based Storage Technology Corp. is moving its data storage operation from Silver Spring, Md., to Elkridge bringing with it about 125 jobs to Howard County, Md. The company makes tape storage products, including cartridges and drives.

MISSISSIPPI

International Pipe Manufacturer Chooses Harrison County

In mid-November, Future Pipe Industries, a leading manufacturer of high performance, anti-corrosive pipe systems, announced it would build an $8 million plant in Gulfport, Miss. The project, the company's first in the U.S., will create up to 300 jobs with an average wage of $14 an hour.

Howard Industries Expands Again

Laurel, Miss.-based Howard Industries, a maker of computers and electrical transformers, is investing $80 million in yet another expansion. The company accepted a $31.5 million incentive package provided by the state of Mississippi that requires Howard to create 2,000 more jobs by 2012. The company has completed three large expansions in just the last 10 years.

Tool Company Expanding in Greenwood

Milwaukee Electric Tool is adding 60 jobs and a saw-blade manufacturing line as it expands its plant in Greenwood, Miss. The plant, which just opened in January, currently houses 240 employees. The company is spending $3 million and adding 50,000 square feet.

DeSoto County Gets Warehouse

North Mississippi is improving its reputation as a major distribution center. Future Electronics is building a 252,000-square-foot warehouse to store and distribute electronics components in Southaven. The Montreal-based company will build the warehouse in the Desoto Center Business Park on Interstate 55. The company specializes in the selling and distribution of semiconductors and other computer components.

MISSOURI

Convergys Hiring Up to 750 Jobs in St. Louis Area

Convergys, one of the largest operators of call centers in the world, is adding more than 700 jobs to its Arnold, Mo., call center that already employs more than 1,000. The center handles billing inquiries and services for several wireless providers. The expansion by the Cincinnati-based Convergys will raise the number of employees working for the company in the St. Louis area to over 2,500. The company also operates call centers in Hazelwood and Chesterfield, Mo.

Orgo-Thermit Moves HQ to Kansas City from New Jersey

Orgo-Thermit, the U.S. subsidiary of German-based Elektro-Thermit GmbH, recently announced they have chosen to move their North American headquarters and manufacturing operations from New Jersey to the Kansas City area. The company plans to build an 80,000-square-foot facility on a 10-acre site in Smithville, Mo. The company is relocating its key executives from New Jersey and adding 45 new employees.

Boeing Expanding St. Charles Plant

On the heels of a new $378 million contract from the U.S. Air Force and Navy, The Boeing Co. is expanding its St. Charles, Mo. facility. The contract requires Boeing to deliver an additional 19,000 Joint Direct Attack Munition units made at the St. Charles plant. The kit converts existing warheads into smart bombs. No job figures were announced, but Boeing is St. Louis' second-largest employer.

NORTH CAROLINA

Lucent Transfers Work to Charlotte

Lucent Technologies is closing its Missouri facility and transferring that work to its Charlotte plant. About 60 workers from the Merriam, Mo., operation are being transferred to Charlotte to join the company's 300 employees there. Lucent is consolidating many of its operations in an effort to cut losses.

Ford Parts Facility to Open in Mebane

Ford Motor Co. will open a 225,000-square-foot parts distribution center in Mebane by July. The company expects to hire 50 people, all of whom will relocate from other closed facilities such as the 650,000-square-foot parts operation in Atlanta that is closing. The Mebane facility will supply parts for service centers in North Carolina and dealerships in five other Southern states.

Banner Pharmacaps Expanding in High Point

Headquartered in High Point, N.C., Banner Pharmacaps is closing its other manufacturing facility in California and is consolidating all U.S. operations to the Piedmont Triad city. The company has other facilities in Canada, Mexico, the Netherlands and India. The consolidation to High Point will add 100 new jobs. Banner makes gelcaps for the pharmaceutical industry.

Harvest States Investing $15M Newton, N.C.

Harvest States Foods is closing two small operations and consolidating to an 115,000-square-foot building in Newton. The company will make tortillas and chips at the facility. Harvest is investing $15 million and will hire at least 20 when the facility is open in July.

OKLAHOMA

Big Deal in Durant

Cardinal Glass Industries has chosen Durant, Okla., for a $100 million window glass plant that will employ 240. The glass made at the facility will be shipped to buyers in the U.S. and Mexico. Officials with Cardinal looked at sites in Texas as well as Oklahoma. But the president of the company said his company will save approximately $1 million a year in taxes by building in Oklahoma rather than Texas.

The Corning Deal was a Dog, but Quad/Graphics is a Deal in OKC

In 2000, several big deals were announced in Oklahoma City. One was a major Corning facility. That deal broke ground but never materialized. Another significant deal announced that year was Quad/Graphics. It didn't materialized until October when officials with the company said they would begin construction on the 168-acre site. QG will build a 92,000-square-foot facility to start and hire 100, but will hope for a mega-facility of 1 million square feet or more when demand returns for offset printing. The facility is the first for QG west of the Mississippi River.

Huber Engineered Woods to Build $130 Million Plant in Broken Bow

Huber Engineered Woods (HEW) has selected Broken Bow as the site for an oriented strand board facility. The plant is expected to bring in excess of $25 million annually to the local economy, employ about 160 people and create 250 additional jobs. With an investment of $130 million, the plant will produce more than 600 million square feet of panels annually. The facility will operate 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Wal-Mart Picks Bartlesville

Wal-Mart has opened over 25 distribution facilities in the South in the last 10 years. Bartlesville, Okla., is the company's site for the opening of the next one. The 893,000-square-foot food distribution center is expected to open in summer of 2004. Four hundred workers are expected to work at the facility. Wal-Mart operates 2,740 discount stores, super-centers and markets and more than 500 Sam's Clubs in the U.S. The company's most recent annual sales exceeded $200 billion (that's with a "b").

SOUTH CAROLINA

Pilot Therapeutics Moves from NC to SC

Pilot Therapeutics, a maker of over-the-counter medical food products, has accepted a $10 million incentive package from the state of South Carolina to move to Charleston. The company is moving its headquarters and R&D facilities to Charleston from the Triad region of North Carolina. The company said the incentives will help it continue to develop its products, which combine agriculture and biotechnology.

Denim Company Buys Closed Textile Plant

Liberty Denim announced in September it would purchase the former Greenwood Mills plant and hire 230 workers in Pickens County. Greenwood closed its plant there in 2001. The deal is one of the largest apparel announcements to come out of the Carolinas in years.

One Hundred New Jobs for Great Falls

MORCON, a maker of paper products for a variety of industries including foodservice and health care, is expanding it paper-converting facility in Great Falls, S.C. and hiring 100 new employees. The New York-based company's South Carolina facility supplies products for customers on the East Coast.

Barnwell County Lures Document Storage Company

American Archiving, a startup medical document scanning and storage company, has chosen rural Barnwell County, S.C. for its first facility. The company announced in late August it would invest $3 million in a 50,000-square-foot facility and hire 75 initially in rural Blackville.

Automotive Supplier Moves, Expands S.C. Operations

Grammer Industries, a German automotive parts supplier to BMW's plant in Greer, S.C., is moving its operations from Mauldin to a site south of Greenville. The move will add 60 workers and cost $10 million. The company makes head and armrests for BMW's X5 SUV.

Nissan to Locate Parts Center in Greenville

Nissan NA has announced that it would establish a new parts distribution center in the Upstate as part of the automaker's expansion in the U.S. No investment or job numbers were reported surrounding the deal. Nissan operates seven parts distribution centers in the U.S.

TENNESSEE

SunTrust Customer Center in Cookeville to Employ 300

SunTrust Banks is building a new customer service center in rural Cookeville, Tenn. The bank is building a 56,000-square-foot facility on 11 acres in the Lemon Farris Industrial Park. The center is expected to become operational in the spring of 2003.

ARJ Opens Jackson Plant

ARJ, a joint venture between Japan-based Araco and U.S.-based Johnson Controls, has invested $32 million in Jackson, Tenn., in the custom- designed building and related equipment for its new metal stamping operation for automobiles. The plant already has 80 employees and a total of 110 are expected to be working at the facility by March. The plant produces automobile-related seating components.

Helmet House Picks Memphis

A California-based distributor of motorcycle helmets has leased 62,000 square feet of distribution space at the Southeast Memphis Industrial Park. The company, which operates two warehouses in Calabasas, Calif., is opening its first warehouse east of the Mississippi River. Company officials cited that more than half of its business is delivered to customers east of the river and that the facility will cut freight costs to customers in the eastern U.S. The Memphis facility will give Helmet House the ability to provide two-day ground shipping to its customers east of the Mississippi.

Gaming Company Taps Memphis

U.K.-based Games Workshop Group is building a $6 million, 100,000-square-foot distribution and manufacturing center in the city. The company is the world's largest maker of tabletop games that use both pewter and plastic game figures. The miniatures are made and used for the company's games such as Warhammer and Lord of the Ring game lines.

Florim USA Expands in Clarksville

Officials with domestic tile manufacturer Florim USA announced plans recently to expand warehouse facilities of the company's plant located in the Clarksville-Montgomery County Corporate Business Park. The $2 million expansion will add an unnamed number of jobs.

TEXAS

Motorola Relocating Major Distribution Facility

On Nov. 8, officials with Motorola agreed to relocate their North American distribution facility from Harvard, Ill., to the Fort Worth section of AllianceTexas. Motorola will employ 800 workers at the new location. The company will distribute 20 million cellular handsets per year from the new facility, which is located only a mile from Nokia's North American distribution center. Also, AT&T Wireless operates its North American distribution center in Alliance.

Michigan Engine Manufacturer Expands to San Antonio

San Antonio beat out a half-dozen other cities on Halloween when it landed Royal Oak Industries' $56.5 million engine manufacturing plant. The Lake Orion, Mich.-based company plans to make engine parts for shipment to major heavy equipment manufacturers. The company expects to hire 100 employees. Royal Oak received a ten-year tax abatement from the city of San Antonio worth $1.9 million and a similar incentive from Bexar County worth $566,000. Royal Oak operates five machine shops in Michigan and had an estimated $75 million in revenue in 2000.

Software Operations Consolidate to Austin

Rhode Island-based GTech Holdings is consolidating its software operations from Phoenix, Boca Raton and Olympia, Wash., to Austin. The company provides software to the lottery industry and one of its largest customers is the Texas Lottery Commission. One hundred employees are expected to work at the new operation.

GE Card Services Relocates to Frisco

General Electric's various operations in the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex could all be moving to one location in Frisco, Tex., located north of Dallas, when leases expire. The first move from a Metroplex location to Frisco was announced in September. GE Card Services is relocating its operations to a 142-acre corporate campus in Frisco. Area brokers say that move is the first of a few for GE, which could occupy up to 200,000 square feet of space in the north Metroplex market once current leases expire for other divisions.

Another Relocation to Frisco

The city of Frisco's aggressive cash incentive program aimed at existing industry in the Dallas/Fort Worth region is paying off. This north Dallas market has snared another Dallas based relocation. This time its Fujitsu Transaction Solutions (FTS), an expanding subsidiary of Fujitsu Ltd. FTS has been headquartered in Dallas for 10 years. The company said in August it is leasing 90,000 square feet just up the road in Frisco. The company is relocating 300 employees when the move is complete.

Maytag Leaving Alliance

Maytag is closing its operation at the giant Alliance Airport complex and moving it to a 300,000-square-foot facility in Flower Mound, Tex. A spokesperson for the appliance manufacturer said the company needed more room. However, Maytag may be following a trend by other companies by relocating to less costly sites.

Rubbermaid Expands Greenville Plant

Rubbermaid is launching a new product line from its plant in Greenville, Tex., that will create 32 new jobs to the 670 that currently work there. The company is spending $27 million to expand its 1.2-million-square-foot plant. Greenville is located 50 miles east of Dallas.

VIRGINIA

DuPont Expands in Richmond

E.I. du Pont de Nemours and Co. has completed its new logistics center addition in Richmond. The expansion, which includes two new 400,000-square-foot buildings, doubles as a synthetic fibers warehouse to serve Dupont's manufacturing facilities on the East Coast.

Visteon Takes Former Volvo Truck Plant

Visteon, one of the world's largest automotive suppliers, is opening a fuel tank plant at the former Volvo facility in Greenbriar, Va. The company supplies the tanks to Ford's pickup truck assembly plant in Norfolk. Visteon is investing $17 million in the plant and will employ 42.

Food Distributor Expands in Salem

U.S. Foodservice, a food service distributor, is expanding its Salem facilities after local and state officials agreed to improve road infrastructure around the company's existing facility. U.S. Foodservice will invest $22 million in an expanded facility that should provide 200 new jobs in the Roanoke Valley of Virginia.

Henry County Lands Another Deal

Henry County, Va., named the No. 1 small market in the South over the last 10 years in SB&D's 10th anniversary edition this summer, has landed another significant deal. Knauss Snack Foods is constructing a 100,000-square-foot food processing plant in Henry. The deal will create 105 new jobs. The Pennsylvania-based food processor makes beef sticks, beef jerky, pickled sausages and other meat products. The company will invest nearly $6 million in the project.

Prince George County Lands New Jobs

Noland Company, a distributor of mechanical equipment and supplies for construction and manufacturing, plans to locate a 200,000-square-foot distribution facility in Prince George County's Industrial Park. The company will create 40 new jobs through an $8.5 million investment. Noland is a leading distributor of plumbing, HVAC, electrical, industrial and water systems supplies.

Software Firm Selects Rural Southside Virginia

Officials with Red Oak E-Commerce Solutions, a software and consulting firm for the insurance and workers' compensation industry, announced in October it would locate in Mecklenburg County's Lakeside Commerce Park. The company will invest $3 million and create over 40 new jobs. Employees at the new facility will include software programmers and engineers, project managers and customer support analysts. The company's new site is located in the rural town of Clarksville in southern Virginia. Shawn Maloney, president of Red Oak, said it was his intention to operate his high tech company in a rural setting. "Clarksville's proximity to Bugg's Island Lake, the current plans for renovating the downtown area and the construction of Lake Commerce Park will provide Red Oak and its employees the best in both quality of life and the technology infrastructure required for operations."

Lunenburg County Welcomes Largest Investment in 10 Years

Greenridge Environmental Corp., a start-up environmental remediation firm, will create 165 new jobs in Lunenburg County. The company's $9.5 million investment is Lunenburg County's largest corporate investment in 10 years.

Metals Company to Invest $13 Million

Service Center Metals, a supplier of extruded aluminum rod, bar and tubing, is investing $13 million and hiring 100 new employees in Prince George County. SCM's new 78,000-square-foot aluminum extrusion facility will be located in the SouthPoint Industrial Park.

WEST VIRGINIA

High Tech Company Relocates from Pittsburgh to Wheeling

ebSource LLC, a company that makes available remote servers to small businesses, has relocated its offices to Wheeling from Pittsburgh. The company's services eliminate the costs and hassles of installing and maintaining local computer networks for small business. A privately held company, ebSource has located in downtown Wheeling's Mull Center.

Global Contact Services Picks Third Location in West Virginia

Global Contact Services (GCS) has announced its third location in West Virginia, a 200-employee insurance center in Summersville. Employees of the Summersville center, as with most of the employees at GCS's other WV centers, will be licensed insurance agents ready to answer media-generated inquiries.

Aerospace Company Opens in Morgantown

FCX systems, which designs, manufactures and sells solid state frequency converters worldwide for commercial aviation, private, government, corporate and industrial labor applications, recently opened its new 46,000-square-foot facility in Morgantown. The company is bringing 67 jobs to the area and investing about $3 million.