Fall 2007

RELOCATIONS & EXPANSIONS

ALABAMA

Benjamin Moore Expanding in Pell City

Benjamin Moore will expand its manufacturing and distribution facility by 128,000 square feet early next year.  The facility in Pell City is Benjamin Moore’s largest plant and employs 120 workers.  The employment numbers are expected to rise for the next 10 years.

Johns Manville Adding Jobs in Scottsboro & Jackson County

Johns Manville announced it will build a new manufacturing facility in the Scottsboro Industrial Park.  The new facility will create 100 new jobs for the area. 

ARKANSAS

$80 Million Pet Food Plant to Bring 200 Jobs to Fort Smith, Ark.

Mars Petcare, the pet food unit of Mars Inc., maker of M&Ms, plans to build an $80 million, 250,000-square-foot plant in Fort Smith that will employ up to 200 workers. Production is expected to begin by April 2009.

Fabric Maker to Invest $63 Million in Rogers, Ark., Facility

Strateline Industries, a producer of nonwoven fabrics used in wet wipes plans to spend $63 million to re-equip and renovate an abandoned paper plant in Rogers, Ark., creating about 150 jobs within three years. Meanwhile, the company said one production line will start up by mid-December with about 50 workers.

Sage V Foods is Moving Texas Operations to Little Rock

Sage V Foods plans to move production of quick-frozen-rice products from Texas to a 100,000-square-foot, $20 million facility to be built in Little Rock. This plant will start up with 60 to 100 workers, increasing to 200 in two to three years.

RDM Cabinets Adds 60 Jobs in Trumann

RDM Cabinets Inc. is moving into a new 40,000-square-foot plant in Trumann, Ark.  The expansion will create 60 new jobs for the area.

FedX Opens Harrison Expansion

Federal Express Freight East Inc. opened its North Tower addition in September. The expansion in Harrison, Ark. added 90,000-square-feet and cost $12 million. The new space will allow 500 new employees.

Nucor Adding $29M Plant in Blytheville

Nucor Corp. and The Heritage Group will invest $29 million to create a new company that will process waste byproduct from two Nucor plants near Blytheville, Ark.  PIZO Operating Co. is the name of the new company and it will employ 43 people.

FLORIDA

Coach Expanding in Jacksonville, Fla.

Coach plans to add 285,000-square-feet to its distribution and customer service center near the Jacksonville airport. The company plans to add 20 new jobs a year through 2011. The project is expected to be completed in June 2008.

Coca-Cola Opens Apopka Wastewater Plant

Coca-Cola North America’s Apopka concentrate facility opened a $5 million wastewater treatment plant in October.  The plant employs 178 people.

Sprint Nextel Adding 225 Employees in Panama City Beach

Sprint Nextel is expanding its Panama City Beach facility to enhance customer satisfaction.  The company will be adding 225 new employees by January 2008.  Sprint Nextel currently has 450 employees.

Pepperidge Farm Expanding Lakeland Facility

Pepperidge Farm plans on expanding its facility in Lakeland, Fla.  After the expansion the facility will have a total of 320,000-square-feet and 45 new jobs.

GEORGIA

Cessna Starts $24 Million Expansion in Georgia

Cessna Aircraft, a Textron unit, started construction on a third building at its Columbus, Ga., parts factory, as one phase of a $24 million expansion, which in the next five years will add up to 150 more employees to the current work force of 600.

Tiger Aircraft in Valdosta

True Flight Aerospace will open a new headquarters and manufacturing facility in Valdosta, Ga.  The company plans to spend $3.8 million to build a 60,000-square-foot facility adjacent to the Valdosta Airport.  Tiger Aircraft will create 150 new jobs over the next three years.

EFACEC Group Chooses Georgia for First U.S. Facility

EFACEC Group of Portugal will build a $100 million facility this winter, creating 600 new jobs.  The company which makes power substations chose Rincon, Ga., for its first U.S. plant.

Invesco Moving Global HQ to Atlanta

Invesco plans to move its headquarters from London to Atlanta, Ga.  The global investment management firm will create 150 new jobs over the next few years.

Heineken Distribution Center in Savannah

Heineken, a European beer company has chosen Savannah, Ga., for its new distribution center.  Heineken USA’s Demand Point center plans to open in early 2008.

Proctor & Gamble Adding Jobs in Albany

Proctor & Gamble will spend $25 to $35 million expanding its facility in Albany, Ga.  The expansion will create 34 new jobs.

Publix Breaks Ground in Cumming

Publix Super Markets broke ground in September on a new technology center.  The new facility will employ 30 workers.

Hart County Manufacturer to Add Two Production Lines

Fabritex, a family-owned manufacturer of custom metal components, is adding 15 jobs and investing $500,000 at its facility in Hart County, Ga.

KANSAS

Wichita Company Expands

APPH-Wichita, a manufacturing firm specializing in hydraulic systems for aircraft, is creating 38 new jobs at its facilities in Wichita. New capital investment in the deal will total about $3 million.

Animal Health Company Announces $40 Million R&D Facility

Fort Dodge Animal Health announced in November that it will build a $40 million R&D facility in the Kansas Bioscience Park in Olathe, Kan. The company plans to employ more than 200 people when the 150,000-square-foot facility opens. Fort Dodge manufactures animal health products for the companion, equine, bovine, swine and poultry industries.

KENTUCKY

Alltech Locating Biorefinery in Springfield

Alltech, headquartered in Nicholasville, Ky., announced in the fall quarter it will construct a $40 million biorefinery in rural Springfield, Ky.

Flowers Foods to Build $52 Million Bakery in Kentucky

Flowers Foods Inc., a leading bread and baked good producer, will construct a $52 million, 200,000-square-foot bread and bun baking faciliy in Bardstown, Ky., creating 145 full-time jobs. The company’s brands include Sunbeam, Bunny, Mary Jane, Natures Own and Cobblestone Mill.

Ceiling Fan Maker Creating 51 jobs at Kentucky Plant

Delta T Corp., which makes commercial and industrial fans, plans to invest $17.3 million in a larger facility in Lexington, Ky. The firm expects to add 51 employees to its current labor force of 110.

ConocoPhillips, Peabody Picks Kentucky for $3 Billion Synfuel Plant                       

ConocoPhillips and Peabody Energy Corp. has chosen Kentucky for their joint $3 billion synthetic natural gas facility. A specific site will be chosen after a feasibility study is completed next year. The plant is projected to produce 50 billion to 70 billion cubic feet of synthetic natural gas annually, using some 3.5 million tons of coal. The deal is expected to create 450 jobs.

Halton Will Add 60 Jobs at its Kentucky Factory

Ventilation system maker Halton Co. plans to spend $2.2 million for a 30,000-foot addition to its Scottsville, Ky., plant, creating 60 jobs.

Florida Tile Opens $15 Million Porcelain Plant in Kentucky                                                          

Florida Tile’s new $15 million factory in Lawrenceburg, Ky., recently started producing porcelain tile, taking over production, which had been located at the company’s Shannon, Ga., facility before Panariargoup, of Italy, acquired Florida Tile last year. The company expects to add more than 60 employees in the next few years.

Amazon.com Hiring 400 for Lexington Facility

In the fall quarter, Amazon.com announced it will add more than 400 employees at its Lexington, Ky., fulfillment center. 

LOUISIANA

Tyson Puts New Plant in Louisiana

Tyson has partnered with Syntroleum to build a new facility in Louisiana.  The location of the facility has not yet been disclosed.  The project will cost up to $150 million, add 250 short-term jobs and 65 permanent jobs.  The new plant will produce synthetic fuels from renewable feed stocks.

Dynamic Fuels in Geismar

Dynamic Fuels announced it will build a new refinery which produces renewable diesel and jet fuel in Geismar, La.  The company plans to invest $126 million and employ 45 workers.

MARYLAND

Morgan Stanley to Bring Up to 900 New Jobs to Maryland

In mid-November, Morgan Stanley announced it is expanding its Baltimore operations that will include new offices in Harbor Point which will house up to 900 new employees. Morgan Stanley is a global financial services firm that provides a wide range of investment banking, securities, investment management and wealth management services.

MISSISSIPPI

ADP Call Center to Create 80 Jobs, Growing to 1,000 in 5 Years

Automatic Data Processing announced in December that it will open a customer service call center in Clinton, Miss., next year with initial employment of 80. Over the next five years, ADP said the center’s work force will increase to 1,000.

Lowe’s adding a Mississippi Distribution Center

Lowe’s has begun construction on a $15 million distribution center in Purvis, Miss.  The 200,000-square-foot facility will supply building materials for stores in Mississippi, Louisiana, Alabama, and Florida.  Lowe’s will initially add 35 new employees.

Modular Home Factory to Create 89 Jobs in Columbia, Miss.

Unity Homes will build a $6 million, 86,000-square-foot modular-home manufacturing facility in Columbia, Miss. The plant will create at least 89 jobs, with 51 to be filled when production begins next September. By the end of its third year of operations, the factory will have the potential to employ over 140 people.

MISSOURI

Ebsco Unit Picks Missouri for $3.2 Million Plant

EBSCO Industries’s Vitronic Promotional Group subsidiary, a maker and marketer of promotional goods, plans to spend some $3.2 million for a new plant in Doniphan, Mo., expected to create 46 jobs.

Decorative Concrete Firm to Create 10 Jobs in Mansfield, Mo.

Engrave-A-Crete, Inc., which makes and markets concrete-engraving products, plans to build a $1 million plant and warehouse in Mansfield, Mo., creating 10 jobs.

Sonoco Adding 75 Jobs in Hazelwood

Sonoco’s Matrix Packaging unit will open a 150,000-square-foot plant in Hazelwood, Mo.  The plant will produce rigid plastic containers for household chemicals and personal care products.  Sonoco will employ 75 new workers and add more workers as production grows.

Glazer’s Completes $14M Headquarters in St. Charles

Glazer’s, a wine and spirit distributor moved into its new $14 million, 238,000-square-foot facility in the fall quarter.  Glazer’s employs 250 at its new facility and plans to add more as the business grows.

Express Scripts Expanding in St. Louis

Express Scripts Inc. plans to build a second building next to its new headquarters on the University of Missouri-St. Louis campus.  The $30 million, 181-square-foot building will add 900 employees.

K2B Inc. Adds 135 Jobs
K2B Inc., a technology service provider, announced it is relocating from Overland Park, Kan., to Kansas City, Mo.  The company expects to employ 135 workers.

Northstar Battery Hiring 100

Northstar Battery Company is expanding its manufacturing operations in Springfield, Mo. The company is investing $17 million and adding 100 new jobs.

Kokam America Locates in KC Region

Kokam America will locate its headquarters, R&D, manufacturing and distribution operations to Lee's Summit, Mo. The company will create 100 new executive and manufacturing jobs. Kokam develops and manufactures a new generation superior lithium polymer battery.

NORTH CAROLINA

Shaw Power to Add 550 Jobs, Invest $35 Million in Charlotte

In late November, The Shaw Power Group said it will invest $35 million and add 550 employees over the next five years to expand operations in Charlotte, N.C. The unit of power plant builder The Shaw Group Inc., currently employs nearly 950 people in Charlotte.

BAE Systems Division Will Add 42 Jobs at N.C. Plant

BAE Systems Tensylon High Performance Materials Inc., plans to invest $7.9 million and add 42 jobs to expand its Monroe, N.C., armor-materials facility over the next three years.

Reuel Expanding Goldsboro, N.C., Facility, Adding 50 Workers

Reuel Inc. will invest $2 million to expand operations in Goldsboro, N.C., creating 50 jobs over the next three years. The company makes insulating components for medium-voltage electrical equipment.

Plastic Parts Maker is Expanding North Carolina Facility

Carolina Technical Plastics Corp. is investing $5 million to expand its New Bern, N.C., plant, which will increase its work force by 50 employees to 120. A unit of Germany-based Wirthwein AG, the company is a leading supplier of injection molded plastic parts.

Medical Device Parts Maker Will Add 154 Workers in N.C.  

West Pharmaceutical Services, a global producer of medical device components, plans to invest $18.7 million to expand operations in Kinston, N.C., creating 154 jobs.

Michigan Damper Maker Moving to N.C.

Effikal will invest $1.1 million to move operations from Orion, Mich., to its sister company Field Controls’ facility in Kinston, N.C., creating 35 jobs in the next three years. Effikal makes dampers for heating and air conditioning equipment.

RF Micro Devices in Guilford County

RF Micro Devices is expanding its Guilford County headquarters and opening a small facility in Mooresville.  The expansion will create 350 new jobs and they will invest $118 million over the next four years.

Ply Gem Industries Expanding in Wake County

Ply Gem plans to invest $2.5 million expanding its office in Wake County.  The expansion will create 100 new jobs to the area.

Watts Regulator Adding 140 Jobs in Spindale

Watts Regulator, a plumbing-supply manufacturing company, is expanding its facility in Rutherford County.  The expansion will create 140 new jobs and cost $2.05 million.

Microban Investing $8M on Huntersville Plant

Microban International plans to expand its manufacturing facility in Huntersville.  The company will invest $8 million and create 45 jobs.

Network Appliance Breaks Ground on RTP Facility

Network Appliance broke ground in September on its new engineering lab facility in Research Triangle Park.  Network Appliance currently employs 705 in the Triangle and plans to add as many as 650 in the following years.

PRA Moving to Raleigh

PRA International is moving its headquarters from northern Virginia to Raleigh, NC.  The move will create 500 jobs in Wake County and they plan to invest $2.89 million. 

PRC Industries in North Carolina

PRC Industries of New York is opening a new facility in western North Carolina.  The company plans to invest $3 million and add 288 new jobs in the next 5 years. The company which recycles and refurbishes household appliances will build its new facility in Old Fort, N.C.

OKLAHOMA

Sprint Nextel Adding Jobs at Oklahoma Call Center

Sprint Nextel said will hire 150 additional employees by January at its Oklahoma City customer call center, increasing the workforce to 850.

Chassis Products Company Consolidates to OKC

Affinia Group, a manufacturer of automotive replacement products, will consolidate its chassis products manufacturing and packaging operations into its Oklahoma City facility. The deal will result in 154 new jobs.

SOUTH CAROLINA

Prysmian Power Cables Sees $35 Million Expansion in S.C.

Prysmian Power Cables and Systems USA plans to spend $35 million in Abbeville, S.C., to expand manufacturing capability to high and extra-high voltage power cables. Expected to startup in 2009, the new facility will create 32 jobs.

Munitions Maker DSE to Create 215 Jobs at new S.C. Plant

DSE, Inc., which supplies ammunition to the U.S. military, will open a 320,000 machining and assembly facility in Gaffney, S.C., creating up to 215 jobs within five years.

Germany’s Bericap Picks South Carolina for $20 Million Factory

Bericap, an international producer of plastic closures, is building a $20 million plant near Spartanburg, S.C. The facility is expected to start round-the-clock production next year with 45 employees.

Rooms To Go Expands in Rock Hill

Rooms To Go plans to build an 800,000-square-foot facility in Rock Hill, SC.  The Rooms To Go warehouse is expected to open by 2010 and will house as many as 600 workers.

TENNESSEE

Trane Plans Expansion of Memphis Parts Center

Heating and air-conditioning maker Trane Systems plans to spend $3.3 million to consolidate and expand its Memphis parts distribution center, creating about 185 jobs.

Verizon Breaks Ground in Cool Springs

Construction began in October on the new, $54 million Verizon headquarters in Cool Springs, Tenn.  The 180,000-square-foot facility will employ 1,300 employees when it’s finished in the fall of 2008.

ThyssenKrupp Waupaca Breaks Ground

In the fall quarter, ThyssenKrupp Waupaca, broke ground on a $162 million expansion to the company's operations in Etowah, Tenn., doubling the size of its current facility and adding more than 100 new jobs. The German company produces gray and ductile iron castings for automobiles.

TEXAS

Tank Manufacturer Picks Gainesville, Tex., for Factory

Allied Production Solutions is building a steel and fiberglass tank manufacturing plant in Gainesville, creating 200 jobs when it is completed in mid-2008.

Rockwell trading moves to Austin

Rockwell Trading Inc. has moved its Chicago, Ill., headquarters to Austin, TX.  The technology and financial company wanted to be closer to its customer base.  Rockwell Trading has 15 employees but plans to hire new workers next year.

Morgan Stanley Building New HQ in Irving

Morgan Stanley has not released exactly where the location will be, but sources say they are looking at a 205,000-square-foot office building.  Sources also say they expect to hire 500 in the Irving area.

Ben E. Keith Invests $50 Million

Ben E. Keith announced its plans to build a new distribution center in Missouri City, TX.  The new 400,000-square-foot facility will create 300 new jobs and cost $50 million.  In a few years the company could add as many as 900 workers to the area.

VIRGINIA

Rolls-Royce to Build $100M Aircraft Engine Plant in Virginia 

In the fall quarter, Rolls-Royce announced that it is going to invest $100 million in a new assembly and test facility for civil aerospace operations in Prince George County, 25 miles south of Richmond, Va. Eventually, the company has options to invest up to $500 million to support future advanced manufacturing as opportunities arise for its defense and civil aerospace businesses. Altogether, these projects could create 500 new jobs. The company didn’t say how many jobs the assembly and test facility will create.

Store Fixture Manufacturer to Build Plant in Nottoway, Va.

In December, Showbest Fixture Corp., which produces retail store display fixtures at a plant in Richmond, Va., announced plans to spend $2.5 million to add a factory in Nottoway, Va., creating more than 100 jobs.

CertainTeed’s Wallboard Factory Gets Ready to Startup

The CertainTeed Corp.’s $150 million gypsum wallboard plant in Moundsville, Va., is set to begin production early next year with 70 employees. The plant will utilize gypsum that’s a by-product of the nearby American Electric Power coal-fired generating plant’s sulfur removal system. Owned by French-based Saint-Gobain, CertainTeed operates 13 other gypsum board plants in North America.

WEST VIRGINIA

New W. Va. Coal Mine to Create Up to 180 Jobs

International Coal Group has started production at its new Beckley Pocahontas Mine in Eccles, W.Va. Next year, when it hits full production, the mine will have as many as 180 employees and produce 1.4 million tons of coal a year.

Massey Energy to Build Boone County Headquarters

Virginia-based Massey Energy announced in the fall quarter it plans to build a regional headquarters in Boone County, W.V. The 51,000 square-foot facility will be located near Massey's mining operations in Southern West Virginia and Eastern Kentucky. About 100 jobs are expected to be created.