RELOCATIONS & EXPANSIONS

QUIZ #1

The South has the largest population of the nation's four regions at 107 million, or about twice the population of the Northeast. That being the case, what percentage of the South's land area has not been developed as of 1998? (a) 38.9% (b) 92.2% (c) 77.8% (d) 69.4%. Bonus question: With 56 million people, how much land remains undeveloped in the Northeast? (a) 34.2% (b) 36.5% (c) 64.8% (d) 82.8%.

(Scroll down for answer)

Alabama

Johnson Controls Adds 480

Leading parts supplier Johnson Controls is spending over $25 million and adding 480 workers to its plant in Tuscaloosa. The Wisconsin-based company is adding 350,000 square feet to its facility, located near the Mercedes assembly plant in Vance. The company makes seats, door panels and head liners for M-Class units.

Mercedes Supplier Locating in Birmingham Area

Oxford Automotive has announced plans to build a $100 million, 370,000-square-foot facility in McCalla, Ala., located just southwest of Birmingham and about 20 miles from the Mercedes facility in Vance. Oxford builds finished underbody stampings and assemblies and will be a primary parts supplier to Mercedes. Mercedes is undergoing a $600 million expansion of its Vance facility.

Honda Supplier Picks Steele

Yachiyo Manufacturing of Alabama is investing $6.4 million on an expansion at the Steele Industrial Park, located between Birmingham and Gadsden. The company is a supplier of tire assemblies for the Honda Odyssey minivan that is manufactured in Lincoln. The company chose a 41,000-square-foot building at the park.

Arkansas

Raytheon Aircraft to Expand Operations in Little Rock

Raytheon Aircraft announced it will add approximately 350 jobs over a five-year period and construct a new hangar and associated work space at Adams Field in Little Rock. It will construct additional space to support completion work on the Horizon aircraft. At full-rate production, Raytheon will make 36 Horizons each year.

Scholastic Purchases 500,000-Square-Foot Facility in Maumelle

Scholastic, the global children's publishing and media giant, announced in June it has acquired a 500,000-square-foot warehouse facility in Maumelle, Ark., a suburb of Little Rock. The new facility will serve as the company's packaging and fulfillment center for its Scholastic at Home business. The company is the world's largest publisher and distributor of children's books. The company will hire 150 workers at the facility in the first year with as many as 500 in four years.

GC Services to Open Center in Little Rock

GC Services of Houston announced it is opening an office in Little Rock to provide accounts receivable services. The company plans to employ 400 people by the fall.

Florida

Battery Manufacturer Selects Gainesville Area

U.S. Lithium Energetics has purchased the lithium ion facility located in Gainesville that Moltech acquired from Energizer Battery. The purchase agreement includes the technology base developed by Energizer. USLE intends to refurbish and operate the facility to produce lithium-ion batteries for the commercial market. The company will re-employ more than 50 technical and administrative personnel by the end of the year. The facility has the capability to be one of the largest lithium ion battery plants outside of Japan.

RailAmerica Expands in Boca Raton

RailAmerica, the short-line rail line that recently purchased ParkSierra and StatesRail, is expanding its Boca Raton headquarters and adding 72 new employees. The company considered moving its headquarters to Texas, but bit on incentives offered by the State of Florida and Palm Beach County.

Southeast Ford Part Center Leaves Atlanta for Lakeland

Ford Motor Company is closing its 650,000-square-foot parts distribution center in Atlanta and relocating about 90 people to Lakeland, Fla. In Lakeland, the automaker is building a parts facility that will be smaller than the Atlanta facility.

BJ's Wholesale Club Expands

BJ's Wholesale Club is expanding its yet-to-be-built facility in Jacksonville. The company announced in the spring it was building a 500,000-square-foot warehouse. BJ's officials now plan to add 1.5 million square feet to the big box, making it one of the largest distribution centers built in the South over the last few years.

Tropical Sportswear Building New HQ

Tropical Sportswear is moving one of its subsidiaries from El Paso to Tampa while it is building a new 118,000-square-foot corporate headquarters in the Florida mega-market. The company is a major clothing manufacturer. The new facility will house the company's administration and sales staff. The deal is expected to create 125 jobs.

Claims Recovery Company Moves From Austin to Northeast Florida

Paladin Claims Recovery, a health care consultant that recovers millions of dollars for hospitals from charged-off cases, is relocating from Austin, Tex. to Nassau County near Jacksonville. The company plans to hire 100 employees for the operation, with salaries ranging from $40,000 to $90,000.

Minute Maid Building Large Juice Plant

Atlanta-based Coca-Cola subsidiary Minute Maid, announced in late June it is building a $130 million, 620,000-square-foot juice plant in Auburndale. The company expects to hire 300 workers at the plant, which will come online in the spring of next year.

BMW Building Parts Center in Jacksonville

German automaker BMW announced in late June it is building a 136,000-square-foot parts distribution facility. The project is expected to be completed by the end of the year. About 50 jobs are expected to be created at the center, which will serve BMW dealers in Georgia, South and North Carolina in addition to Florida.

Georgia

Internet Company Relocates to Atlanta from Seattle

Citing Atlanta-based BellSouth's telecommunication cluster, Internap Network Services announced in July it is relocating from Seattle to downtown Atlanta. The company is hiring 75 in Atlanta and is relocating 30 workers from Seattle. Internap considered Chicago, San Francisco, Dallas and Denver before it chose Atlanta.

Japanese Duo to Build Big Plant in Jackson County

Two major Japanese companies are teaming up to build a $100 million, 400,000-square-foot air conditioning compressor plant in Jackson County, located on the I-85 corridor northeast of Atlanta. Toyota Industries, a subsidiary of Toyota Motor Corp. and Denso Corp. announced the joint venture in July. The plant, being built on 152 acres, is expected to house 300 employees.

Unilever Opens Expanded Distribution Center

Unilever Home & Personal Care Products has moved into a 443,000-square-foot addition to its 600,000-square-foot distribution center in Palmetto, Ga. The expanded facility enables Unilever to serve the entire Southeast.

Value City Moves to Thomasville

After considering the former Toys R Us distribution center in Orlando, Value City Furniture has decided to take the former Helig-Meyers distribution center in Thomasville, Ga. Company officials cited the Peach State's One Georgia economic development initiative that provides higher incentives for companies locating in rural regions of the state. Value City will hire 220 workers for its new warehouse.

Atlanta Aerospace Company Adds 200 Jobs

Georgia Aerospace Mfg. will open a 50,000-square-foot facility to manufacture parts for the F-22 Raptor and the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter. The facility is located in Warner Robins, Ga. The F-22 and F-35 are being developed at Lockheed Martin's Marietta, Ga. facility.

Publix Doubling Distribution Center in Lawrenceville

Florida-based Publix Supermarkets is adding nearly 800,000 square feet to its distribution center north of Atlanta. The company is adding a 540,000-square-foot dry foods warehouse and a 225,000-square-foot refrigerated facility. The company is expected to add 100 new jobs.

Fred's Announces New Distribution Center in Dublin, Ga.

Fred's Inc., is building a new distribution center in Dublin. The $25 million, 600,000-square-foot center will augment the capacity provided by the company's Memphis center, which serves almost 400 stores in 11 states. Upon opening, the center will create 250 jobs.

Kansas

Target Lands in Topeka

Minnesota-based retailer Target Corp. has chosen Topeka for its latest regional distribution center. The company is building a 1.3 million-square-foot box that will eventually employ around 1,000. Three other sites in Kansas were considered for the facility.

Royal Caribbean Expands Wichita Reservations Center

Miami-based Royal Caribbean International and Celebrity Cruises has expanded its Wichita call/reservations center by adding 175 new full-time employees. The call center now employs 460. With the new hires, Royal's customer center will be the largest call center in Wichita.

Rubbermaid Adding 150 Jobs in Winfield

Rubbermaid is adding 300,000 square feet to its Winfield, Kan., plant where home products are made. The company employs over 700 workers at the plant and will add at least 150 with the expansion.

Goodyear Approves Major Modernization at Topeka Factory

The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. has approved plans for a major modernization of the company's tire factory in Topeka, Kan. The company said an upgrade of equipment and processes in Topeka would begin in the fourth quarter and, continuing over five years, could exceed $100 million. The plant was first built in 1945 and employs over 1,700. It was originally built by the Federal Government and managed by Goodyear.

Kentucky

Brazilian Safety Equipment Company Locating in Campbellsville

A Brazilian maker of respiratory safety equipment has announced its first plant outside of Brazil. Safety Industria e Comercio, which will operate as Air Safety, Kentucky, Inc., will hire 50 workers at a $3 million facility in Campbellsville. The company is Brazil's largest manufacturer of gas and disposable masks and fire safety equipment.

Pella Expands to Murray

Well-known window manufacturer Pella Corp. has chosen Murray, Ky. over Dyersburg, Tenn. for its newest manufacturing facility. The 78-year-old company, based in Pella, Iowa, is moving into the former 733,000-square-foot Mattel manufacturing facility, part of a 1.5 million-square-foot complex that Mattel vacated last year. Pella expects to employ up to 500 people at the facility.

Madisonville Attracts Packaging Company

Rexam Closures and Containers, a division of London-based Rexam plc, has moved into a 191,000-square-foot facility in Madisonville. The company will make closures, fitments and pumps for the health care industry at the plant. No employee figures were given, however, Rexam has 22,000 employees worldwide.

QUIZ #2

What three states in the South use the most water for industrial purposes?

(Scroll down for answer)

Louisiana

Shreveport Announces Location of New Automotive Supplier

Intier Automotive announced recently the decision to locate their newest facility in Shreveport. The new facility will allow Intier to provide instrument panels to the new General Motors Colorado truck that is being built at the automakers Shreveport assembly plant. The $15 million, 200,000-square-foot plant will house 200 workers at full production.

Continental Express Picks Shreveport

Continental Express has moved into the former Boeing hangar at the Shreveport Regional Airport. The airline is turning the hangar into a maintenance facility for its fleet of regional jets. Continental employs 140 at the site now, but plans to add 300 to 400 more workers in the next three years.

Red River Pharma Lands in Shreveport

Officials with Red River Pharma have announced they will be the first tenants for Shreveport's new Wet Lab Science Incubator. The pharmaceutical company is investing $25 million and hiring as many as 200 workers to work in quality control labs set up by the incubator.

Chicago Company Locates in Hammond

Liquid Container/Plaxicon, a maker of plastic packaging, is moving into a vacant warehouse in Hammand, La., for the startup of a new molding operation. The Chicago-based company is expected to employ 50.

Maryland

Volvo Retools Hagerstown Plant

AB Volvo, the Swedish parent company of Mack Trucks, has announced that a new generation of Volvo and Mack heavy-duty diesel truck engines will be built in Washington County, Md. The Mack Truck Powertrain Operation in Hagerstown will serve as the North American manufacturing site for the project, which will result in more than a $100 million capital investment in the company's existing facility. While the project is not expected to result in significant new job creation, it will retain the 1,200 positions currently at the Hagerstown plant.

Corporate Express Creates 300 Jobs

Consolidating its Maryland operations, Corporate Express is building a 200,000-square-foot distribution facility in Anne Arundel County. The Colorado-based company is a supplier of office and computer products. The company expects to employ 300 when the center is completed next spring.

Giant Foods Builds Distribution Center

Howard County is the beneficiary of Giant Foods new fresh food distribution center. The 368,000-square-foot facility will house as many as 400 workers by the summer 2003.

Ritz-Carlton's HQ Moving from Atlanta to Maryland

One-hundred and forty workers are packing up and moving from Atlanta to Montgomery County, Md., as officials of Ritz-Carlton Hotel Co. LLC, have decided to relocate the luxury hotel company's headquarters to the suburban Baltimore/Washington, D.C. market. The high-brow hotelier is relocating to get closer to its parent company, Marriot International, which has its headquarters in Bethesda/Montgomery County. Ritz-Carlton began operating its first hotel in 1983 and has had its headquarters in Atlanta since it was founded.

Mississippi

Japanese Parts Company Chooses Olive Branch

USUI, a company that will supply automotive parts for Nissan's new assembly plant in Canton, Miss., is moving into a 53,000-square-foot facility in Olive Branch. The automotive parts manufacturer is expected to employ 200 workers.

Beef Processing Plant Locates in Northern Mississippi

A new $34 million beef processing plant is being built in Yalobusha County in Oakland, Miss. Mississippi Beef Processors, headquartered in the Nashville area, will slaughter and process beef at the facility, located about an hour south of Memphis. The company is building a 152,000-square-foot facility that is expected to employ up to 400 workers.

New Plant Going Up in Hattiesburg

USA Yeast, an Alabama-based company, is building a $10 million, 37,000-square-foot facility in Hattiesburg. The company will produce yeast for wholesale bakeries located in the South and Midwest. The company expects to hire 50 workers.

Missouri

CenturyTel Moving Regional HQ

CenturyTel is relocating its regional headquarters from Kansas City to Wentzville, Mo. and adding 50 jobs. The company cited a more attractive labor pool in Wentzville for its move to a five building campus in the city.

North Carolina

Bus Company Staying Put, Expands in High Point

Thomas Built Buses, which already operates out of 850,000 square feet in High Point, is planning a $40 million, 250,000-square-foot expansion of its manufacturing facilities there. The expansion is expected to create as many as 200 jobs. The company, which currently employs 1,600 in High Point, considered closing the plant in favor of a move to Gaffney, S.C. The company has operated in High Point since 1910.

Automotive Supplier, Medical Product Distributor Relocate to Kings Mountain

Michigan-based Blachford RP Corp is moving its automotive supplier operations from Crossville, Tenn. to Cleveland County, N.C., just west of Charlotte. The company makes noise reducers for heavy trucks. The company will hire 80 to work in its 100,000-square-foot facility in Cleveland County. In addition, Owens & Minor, a Fortune 500 company based in Richmond, is moving its Charlotte operations to Kings Mountain. The company has moved into a 142,000-square-foot facility, which will distribute medical supplies. The company expects to add 60 employees in Kings Mountain in addition to the employees Owen & Minor will relocate.

Pharmaceutical Company Expands at RTP

Eisai, the Japan-based pharmaceutical manufacturer, is expanding its Research Triangle Park facility for the third time in the last year. The company initially planned on expanding every three to five years. The latest expansion will add 80,000 square feet to its RTP operations.

Sandusky Athol Expanding in Granville County

Seventy-five new jobs are being created in Granville County, where Sandusky Athol, a fabric maker for the automotive industry, is expanding its existing 100,000-square-foot facility by 70,000 square feet. The expansion is expected to cost $6 million.

Food-Service Company Expands in Charlotte

Compass Group NA is looking to build a 250,000-square-foot facility that would consolidate many of its facilities in Charlotte and add as many as 700 new jobs. The London-based company serves brands such as Burger King, Taco Bell and Pizza Hut, as well as public school systems and events such as Super Bowls and the Olympics.

Consulting Firm Adds 100

The Lash Group, a Charlotte-based pharmaceutical consulting firm is expanding its operations in the Queen City. Currently, the company employs 250 people at LakePointe Corporate Center. The company acts as a consultant for pharmaceutical, biotech and medical devise companies, but primarily serves those entities by dealing with reimbursement issues facing clients and patients.

Big Expansion for AW North Carolina

A Japanese auto supplier is expanding its Durham-based transmission manufacturing facility by 430,000 square feet. The $160 million expansion will employ an additional 450 employees, which, when completed will total 750 jobs at the plant. AW is a subsidiary of Aisin AW Co.

Sara Lee Consolidates in Winston-Salem

The apparel unit of Sara Lee Corp. is constructing a three building campus in Winston-Salem that will consolidate many of the company's 6,000 employees who are scattered throughout the Piedmont Triad region. The company is adding 383,000 square feet to an existing 255,000-square-foot building in Winston-Salem. Construction was started this summer.

Oklahoma

Noble Foundation Announces $85 Million Expansion in Ardmore

The Noble Foundation announced an $85 million expansion to their laboratory and research facilities in Ardmore. The expansion will give scientists greater resources in developing cool season perennial forage grass, crops that are more disease resistant and the exploration of plants at their genetic origins. The Noble Foundation is housed in an 848 acre campus comprising 11 buildings and housing 260 employees.

Southwestern Bell Hiring 500 in Enid

SBC Southwestern Bell announced in June it would open a 500-employee, $15 million sales support facility in Enid. The new center will support sales for DSL Internet service and Southwestern's long distance service in Oklahoma, Texas, Arkansas, Kansas and Missouri.

Michigan Automotive Supplier Picks Oklahoma City

Inalfa Roof Systems has chosen Oklahoma City for a facility that will make retractable roof systems for the GMC Envoy, which is assembled at General Motor's Oklahoma City plant. The company is expected to hire 50 workers at the site.

Goodyear Spending $250 Million

Goodyear Tire & Rubber is modernizing its Lawton, Okla. plant by adding a 475,000-square-foot warehouse and adding new equipment. The Ohio-based tire manufacturer is upgrading the facility as a result of increased demand for its big-rim and run-flat tires for vehicles that use rims larger than 18 inches.

QUIZ #3

Match these totals of millions of pounds of toxic releases in 1999 by U.S. regions, using Northeast, Midwest, West and South: (a) 774.3 (b) 146.7 (c) 508.1 (d) 377.5.

(Scroll down for answer)

South Carolina

Michelin Expanding Again

No telling how many times Michelin has expanded in Anderson. They're at it again. This time the company is adding 250,000 square feet and another tire manufacturing line. The $90 million project is expected to add 200 more jobs.

DaimlerChrysler Sub Consolidates in Charleston Area

American LaFrance, a subsidiary of DaimlerChrysler's Freightliner LLC, has announced a consolidation of its operations to the Charleston area. The 170-year-old truck manufacturer will centralize sales, engineering, purchasing, customer-support and manufacturing at a new plant owned by Freightliner, bring 800 jobs to the area. The company makes and distributes fire and emergency apparatus including chassis, aerials, pumpers, rescues, tankers, ambulances and other fire and rescue equipment.

Biotech Manufacturer Relocates to Berkeley County

CropTech, a company that received a patent in 1999 for the production of lysosomal enzymes from tobacco plants, is leaving its startup home in Blacksburg, Va. for a site in Berkeley County near Charleston. The company uses the tobacco plants to produce human lysosomal enzymes for treatment of rare diseases such as Gaucher's. CropTech is building a $40 million, 115,000-square-foot facility in the county. The company will employ 40 initially, and expects to hire up to 110 employees within two years.

Eighty New Jobs for St. George

A modular home manufacturer is building a new 40,000-square-foot facility in St. George. Pennsylvania-based Signature Building Systems, is building the new plant to serve customers in the Southeast. Officials in St. George hosted a job fair that attracted 300 qualified workers who are vying for the 80 jobs the company expects to create.

Auto Supplier Joint Venture Lands in Aiken

Three Japanese companies have grouped to establish a joint venture deal in Aiken, S.C. Shinsho American, Nakagawa Specialty Steel and Osaka Seiko have formed Aiken Precision Technologies, a new company that will supply cold forged steel components for Japanese auto assembly plants in the South. The company is investing $10 million in the deal.

Automotive Supplier Expanding in West Columbia

Australian brake parts maker PBR is building a 130,000-square-foot plant expansion in Columbia. When complete, the company will make brake assemblies for Corvettes. PBR announced it is adding 100 workers.

Camden Choice for Weavetex

Weavetex will hire 130 workers for a new specialty fabric facility in Camden/Union County, S.C. The company is occupying existing vacant buildings that were former apparel facilities. Capital investment by the company is expected to top $5 million.

Tennessee

Campus Being Built in Memphis for Concord EFS

Construction has begun on Concord EFS' new 285,000-square-foot headquarters campus. The facility will house over 1,000 employees when completed. The company provides network services for the financial services industry.

Bridgestone/Firestone Breaks Ground in Lebanon

Bridgestone/Firestone, which recently decided to keep its North American headquarters in Nashville, has broken ground on a 750,000-square-foot distribution facility in Lebanon, located just east of Nashville. The company expects to hire as many as 700 for the new distribution center.

British Company Picks West Tennessee

Flight Refueling Countermeasures, a subsidiary of U.K.-based Flight Refueling Ltd, is opening a flares and pyrotechnic manufacturing facility at the Milan, Tenn. Army Ammunition Plant, bringing up to 200 new jobs to Gibson County. The company will make products that will be used by the U.S. Department of Defense.

Delta Faucet Expanding in Jackson

Delta Faucet is adding about 250,000 square feet to its manufacturing plant in Jackson, Tenn. The new facility will be a central distribution center that will serve several states. Delta is the world's largest residential and commercial faucet maker. The company employs 550 people at its 400,000-square-foot Jackson manufacturing facility.

It's Downtown Knoxville for Brunswick Boat Headquarters

The Brunswick Boat Group, a subsidiary of Brunswick Corp., announced this summer that it has selected downtown Knoxville as the site for its world headquarters. Once completed, the move will bring 1,600 employees to the Knoxville area. Brunswick Boats includes brands such as Sea Ray, Bayliner, Maxum, Baja, Boston Whaler and Hatteras Yachts.

Texas

Perrier Picks Hawkins for Third U.S. Bottling Plant

Greenwich, Conn.-based Perrier Group of America is building a $60 million, 400,000-square-foot bottled water facility in Hawkins. The plant will bottle, distribute and manufacture the company's well known green colored bottles. The company expects to hire up to 300 people at the facility.

Oracle Opening Data Center in Austin

Oracle Corp., one of the world's largest software designers for the Internet, is establishing a major data center in North Austin. The California-based company also considered sites in Denver and Pheonix for the project, which is expected to create 40 high-paying jobs. Oracle purchased a 131,000-square-foot building from AT&T in May. The data center will use large amounts of electric power once completed. The company is contemplating the installation of a thermal energy storage unit on the site to save on energy costs.

Radio Cap Adding 300 Jobs in San Antonio

Radio Cap, a leading printer of promotional items such as caps, cooler bags and koozies, is expanding its San Antonio operations. The company has revenues of $75 million but hopes to grow to $100 million in three years. Radio Cap plans to add 120,000 square feet to its current space inventory of 220,000 square feet. The company expects to hire 300 more people within three years.

Alcoa Expanding in Denison

Alcoa Building Products is adding four new production lines to its vinyl siding plant in Denison. The company employs over 400 in the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex. The 350,000-square-foot plant, in operation since 1985, will add 60 employees so that it can continue to operate 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Automotive Supplier Relocates to Haslet

Indiana-based Tecstar has moved its operations to a 192,000-square-foot facility in Haslet, Tex., in order to be near GM's Suburban and Tahoe sport-utility vehicle plant in Arlington. No mention was made of the number of jobs created or relocated.

Blue Cross/Blue Shield Opening Center in Waco

This summer, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Texas announced plans to open and operate a 70,000-square-foot customer service center near Waco. The center is being designed to accommodate 400 employees and the company is making an investment of $12 million.

Virginia

Big Deal for Rocky Mount, Va.

Trinity Packaging Corp., a food service and industrial bag manufacturer, announced this summer it has chosen Rocky Mount as the site for its new manufacturing facility. The company will create 300 jobs over the next three years and will invest over $9 million in the project. Trinity is a privately-held company headquartered in Armonk, N.Y. The company is moving into a 116,000-square-foot building that it purchased.

Siemens Expands in Newport News

Siemens VDO Automotive is expanding its production facility in Newport News. The company is hiring 55 new workers and investing over $2 million. Siemens VDO is a supplier of automotive electronic/electrical systems and components with applications covering gasoline and diesel power train systems, safety and chassis systems and body electronics.

Comcast Hiring 200 in Prince William

Comcast Cable Communications is investing $21.5 million and creating 200 new jobs at a new 100,000-square-foot facility at Innovation@Prince William business park. The facility will serve as a technical support center. The company conducted an extensive multi-state search that included sites in Michigan and Maryland. Comcast is headquartered in Philadelphia.

India-Based Company Picks Danville

EsselPropack America LLC has chosen Danville, Va., for its first U.S. manufacturing facility. The company is the world's largest maker of laminated and plastic tubing for use in dental care, pharmaceuticals, food and household products. The company will produce toothpaste tubes for Procter & Gamble at the plant, employing 80 workers.

AT&T Wireless Announces Deal in Southwest Virginia

AT&T Wireless is opening a $5.4 million inbound call center in rural Russell County. The new facility is a shell building in the Cumberland Plateau Regional Industrial Park. Over 300 jobs are expected to be created by AT&T Wireless. Employees at the center will assist AT&T Wireless customers who have general questions about their service.

Mitsubishi Gas Chemical to Build Plant in Chesterfield

Tokyo-based Mitsubishi Gas Chemical Co. announced in early August that it will construct a Nylon-MXD6 production facility in Chesterfield County, near Richmond. The new production plant, based on Mitsubishi's proprietary polymer technology, will be an investment of $14 million and is expected to employ 30 new workers.

West Virginia

Huntington Window Manufacturer Adds 150

SNE Enterprises, which builds the Crestline Window line, is expanding its Huntington window plant and adding 150 jobs. The company is adding 110,000 square feet to its 290,000-square-foot facility. Crestline makes wood and vinyl windows and doors.

Bruce Hardwood Expanding

Officials with Bruce Hardwood Flooring announced they are hiring nearly 100 workers at the company's plant near Elkins, W.V. With over 700 employees, the company is the largest employer in Randolph County. Bruce Hardwood Flooring is part of Armstrong World Industries. Bruce officials cited the area's work ethic as the primary reason it expanded in Randolph County.

PWP Industries Selects Parkersburg

Officials from PWP Industries announced in early August the company's intention to locate its newest manufacturing facility in Parkersburg, investing $10 million and creating as many as 130 jobs. PWP produces PET plastic packaging for the food industry. The California-based company purchased the 120,000-square-foot Wood County Area Development Corp. shell building.

Guardian Expands By Hiring 100

Guardian Industries Corp. is expanding its fiberglass insulation production line at Inwood, W.V. The $15 to $20 million investment will result in the creation of 100 jobs. Currently, Guardian Fiberglass operates a $35 million, 700,000-square-foot facility in Inwood. Guardian, based in Michigan, is a leading worldwide manufacturer of float glass and fabricated glass products for the commercial and residential construction industries and is the world's largest producer of mirrors.

QUIZ #1 ANSWER

Even with nearly 40 percent of the U.S. population, the South's remaining developable land stood at 92.2 percent in 1998 (latest figures available). The percentage of undeveloped land in the Northeast was at 82.8 percent in 1998. The U.S. state with the highest percentage of developed land is New Jersey, with 34.1 percent followed by Massachusetts with 27.8 percent.

Source: 2001 Statistical Abstract

QUIZ #2 ANSWER

1. Texas, 2.9 trillion gallons annually. 2. Louisiana, 2.6 trillion. 3. West Virginia, 1.3 trillion.

Source: 2001 Statistical Abstract

QUIZ #3 ANSWER

This is where the South really gets a black eye when compared to other regions. The South leads all regions in the U.S. with (a) 774.3 million pounds of toxic releases in 1999. Following the South is the Midwest with (c) 508.1; West with (d) 377.5; and Northeast with (b) 146.7. Much of the South's largest sources of toxic releases come from coal burning electric power plants, which are being replaced rapidly by natural gas-fired plants. Texas leads all U.S. states with 168 million pounds of toxic releases, followed by Ohio (118) and Indiana (115).

Source: 2001 Statistical Abstract