RELOCATIONS & EXPANSIONS

If you have news relative to any of our departments such as Relocations & Expansions, Transportation or Biotech South, simply e-mail your press release or other notation to Beverly Randle at beverly@sb-d.com. You may fax your press release to 205-733-1974 or mail it to SB&D, P.O. Box 380545, Birmingham AL 35238-0545.

Alabama

Hyundai Supplier Picks Rural Alabama

A supplier to the massive Hyundai facility being built south of Montgomery has announced it will build a $110 million, 400 job facility in Luverne, Ala. South Korea-based Shin Young Metal Industrial Co. will make auto frames at the new plant. The company will build on an 80-acre site in Luverne, which is located about 45 miles south of the new Hyundai assembly plant.

Seat Maker Building in East Alabama

A Detroit-based maker of automobile seats is building a plant in Oxford, Ala. Bridgewater Interiors announced it is building a 90,000-square-foot facility that will house about 250 workers. The seats made at the plant will be used in Honda vehicles being manufactured in Lincoln, Ala. Honda recently announced an expansion of the Lincoln factory that doubles production.

Auto Supplier Lands in Opelika

Benteler Automotive, a Michigan-based auto parts manufacturer, will produce chassis for the Mercedes assembly plant in Vance, Ala., at the Northeast Opelika Industrial Park. Benteler is building a 144,000-square-foot plant and is expected to hire up to 300 people.

Auto Supplier Lands in Sylacauga

Indiana-based Magna-Tech has announced it is building its fourth U.S. plant in the Talladega County, Ala. town of Sylacauga. Magna-Tech is expected to employ 60 workers at the new facility. The company is moving into a 61,000-square-foot spec building located southeast of Birmingham. Magna-Tech seals automotive engine cylinder heads, blocks and electric components.

Honda Supplier Doubling in Size

KTH-Leesburg Products, a supplier of steel frame components to Honda's assembly plant in Lincoln, is adding 125 workers at its facility in Cherokee County, Ala. The $60 million expansion will double the size of the existing facility as well as its work force.

First Tier Hyundai Supplier Announces Facility

Hyundai Mobis, the largest supplier to Hyundai Automotive, announced recently it would build a $30 million parts factory near the site of the Hyundai assembly plant being built just south of Montgomery, Ala. It's the first facility for Mobis in the U.S.

Supplier Building Plant in Tuscaloosa

Borgers USA is building a $5 million plant in Tuscaloosa Co. to serve the Mercedes plant in Vance. The facility will be the first in the U.S. for the Bocholt, Germany-based auto supplier. Borgers produces carpets, insulation products and roof liners for Mercedes. Seventy employees will be hired.

Coating Plant Opens

California-based Dura Coat Products has opened its new $6 million, 48,000-square-foot high-performance coatings facility in Madison County near Huntsville. The plant currently employs 30 but is expects to grow to 150 employees in three years.

Michigan Company Chooses Bessemer

Plastipak Packaging has broken ground on a $6 million, 170,000-square-foot plastic bottle and container facility in the Birmingham metro city of Bessemer. The Michigan-based manufacturer makes containers and bottles for food, soda, oil and cleaning supplies among other products.

Nucor Expanding

Nucor Steel's Decatur, Ala. plant is adding about 60 new jobs. The steel maker currently employs 260 at the plant. The new jobs will pay between $55,000 and $70,000 according to a Nucor spokesperson.

Arkansas

Texas Company Building Plant in Stuttgart

Texas-based AgriTec Systems is building a new plant in Stuttgart. The company is building a sodium silicate and activated carbon facility that will serve agribusiness interests in the area.

California Furniture Co. Moves HQ to Conway

Boltz Steel Furniture officially became an Arkansas-based company on January 1. The five-year-old firm relocated to Conway, Ark. from Carlsbad, Calif. Boltz designs and markets a line of home theater and lifestyle furniture. Jeff White, president of the company said, "I call our move common sense ABCs (Arkansas Beats California) of doing business. Our overall cost of doing business is much less in Arkansas than on the West Coast."

Consulting Company Moves to Conway

Martin & Blackwell, a telecommunications consulting firm that has operated out of North Little Rock, is moving to Conway. The company is adding as many as 80 new employees to its current staff of 20.

Manufacturer to Open Plant in Crossett

U.S. Dunnage will make dunnage bags at a facility it is leasing in the North Crossett Industrial Park. Once equipment is in place, the company expects to hire 30 employees initially.

Florida

Lowe's Building Distribution Center in Orlando Area

North Carolina-based retail giant Lowe's has announced its first distribution center in Florida. The 1.3 million-square-foot big box will be built in the Poinciana Industrial Park in Osceola County, which is located just south of Orlando. Lowe's is investing $73 million on the facility and will create 600 new jobs.

Navy Federal Selects Pensacola for Call Center

Navy Federal Credit Union, the world's largest credit union, announced in January the selection of a site in Escambia County, Fla. for the development of the credit union's first remote inbound call center. The call center ultimately will employ nearly 500 people with the ground breaking expected to take place in March. The company employs over 2,700 at its Vienna, Va. headquarters.

Alienware Expanding in South Miami-Dade

Alienware Corp., a designer of high-end computer systems for multimedia and gaming uses is adding 155 jobs at its headquarters in the Kendall-Tamiami area located south of Miami. The Hispanic-owned company is adding 90,000 square feet and investing $6 million in the deal.

Boeing Hiring 80 Mechanics in Jacksonville

Jacksonville's Cecil Commerce Center is benefiting from an expansion by The Boeing Company. The aviation and aerospace giant is adding 80 new mechanics to its work force that is refitting Navy planes to digital formats. The jobs are expected to pay $16 to $20-an-hour.

Incentive Deal Paves Way for New Ryder HQ in Miami-Dade

Ryder System got what it wanted from Miami-Dade officials after commissioners there tripled incentives for companies relocating or adding jobs in the county. The December vote by County Commissioners in Dade paves the way for Ryder to move to a new facility in the Beacon Station Business Park from its current Doral campus. Ryder will spend more than $40 million on the new 230,000-square-foot headquarters. It should be noted that Miami-Dade has been involved in a heated competition with neighboring Broward and Palm Beach Counties for several years now in incentive based relocations from one county to the other.

Florida's High-Tech Corridor Garners Company from Boston

A national telecom company is moving its headquarters from Boston to Altamonte Springs, Fla., a city in the Orlando MSA. Volo Communications, with a staff of 35, is relocating to Florida's High-Tech Corridor, which runs from Tampa Bay to the East Coast of Florida. Company officials cited Florida's emerging high-tech corridor and the cost savings of operating there as opposed to the Northeast.

Incentives Lure N.J. Company to South Florida

Bolton Medical, a manufacturer of medical devices and instruments used in cardiology has relocated from Fair Lawn, N.J. to Sunrise in Broward County, Fla. Bolton took up to $460,000 in incentives provided primarily by Enterprise Florida. The move will bring 115 new jobs to Sunrise and an investment of over $3 million.

Georgia

Rubbermaid Moving Headquarters to Atlanta

Newell Rubbermaid, a Fortune 500 company with 48,000 employees, is moving its world headquarters from Freeport, Ill., to the Atlanta area. The company employs about 350 at its current headquarter location. Newell Rubbermaid manufactures Sharpie pens, trashcans, car seats and a variety of other products. The company is expected to build a new 300,000-square-foot custom facility north of Atlanta near Ga. 400. Newell is the first Fortune 500 firm to relocate its headquarters to Atlanta since UPS moved it headquarters to the Southern mega-market from Connecticut in 1991. The new HQ now gives Atlanta 13 Fortune 500 headquarters, more than Chicago and San Francisco and behind only Houston (20) and New York (40).

Bluebird Adding 630 Jobs

Bus builder Blue Bird is expanding its Fort Valley, Ga. plant with an investment of about $60 million. The expansion will add over 600 jobs over the next three years. Blue Bird secured $17 million in state incentives for the expansion.

Fourth Expansion for Trane in Vidalia

The Trane Co., an air conditioning manufacturer, is expanding its Vidalia, Ga. plant for the fourth time. The company is taking a spec building located behind the plant that recently became available. Trane will add 100 new jobs in the deal.

APL Logistics Building 1.3 Million S.F. Facility

Oakland-based APL Logistics, a global supply chain company, is building a 1.3 million-square-foot distribution facility in Douglas County, Georgia. Douglas County is in the Atlanta MSA. When completed in January of 2004, the facility will consolidate several existing APL warehouses in the Atlanta area.

Legacy Moving HQ to Rome

Legacy Marketing Group has announced it will locate its operational headquarters and expand its financial processing offices in Rome, Ga. The company will invest $3 million and add 110 new employees. Based in Petaluma, Calif., Legacy is an industry-leading provider of innovative insurance and financial products. The company is building its operational headquarters on Technology Parkway in the Berry Corporate Center.

Lockheed Martin Expanding in Marietta

Lockheed Martin is expanding its massive facilities at its Marietta, Ga. site. The expansion centers on the delivery of F/A 22 fighter jets to the Air Force. Under construction are support facilities for the fighter including fuel and test flight operations.

Kansas

Ford Opens Distribution Center in Shawnee

Ford Motor Co. is building a new 223,000-square-foot distribution center in Shawnee, Kan., that will employ 60 workers. The warehouse will supply parts to dealerships throughout the region including states such as Kansas, Missouri, Arkansas, Iowa, Nebraska and Oklahoma. The project is one of many in which Ford is replacing 10 large distribution facilities in the U.S. with 21 smaller, but strategically placed warehouse operations.

Big Deal in Manhattan

Auth-Florence Manufacturing, a producer of commercial and residential mailboxes, is opening a new plant in Manhattan, Kan. The facility is expected to house 250 workers. The company searched sites in five states before settling on Manhattan.

Cabinet Plant Slated for Hutchinson

Harvest Board, a Kansas-based manufacturer of fixtures and cabinets is building a new $11 million plant in Hutchinson that will house 50 employees. The facility is being built at the Salt City Business Park. Harvest, which is based on Overland Park, looked at six or seven markets in Kansas before choosing Hutchinson.

Chevy Malibu Supplier Picks Lenexa

Detroit-based AZ Automotive Corp. has leased nearly 70,000 square feet of warehouse space in Lenexa to supply parts to General Motors Corp.'s Fairfax assembly facility in Kansas City, Kan. Production of the new Malibu model will begin this summer at the plant. AZ will employ 75 at the parts warehouse. The Lenexa building is AZ's eighth parts warehouse in the U.S.

Abbott Labs Invests $50M

Abbott Laboratories has announced it is investing more than $50 million to expand its McPherson, Kan., manufacturing facility, while adding 150 permanent jobs at the location. The expansion will add to Abbott's biologics manufacturing capacity, boosting the company's ability to meet demand for a growing category of drugs. The increased capacity is needed to meet the high demand for pharmaceutical injectables produced at the plant. About 80,000 square feet of manufacturing space is being added to the existing 300,000-square-foot plant.

Baldwin Technologies to Build in Lenexa

A Connecticut-based company that makes control equipment and other parts for the printing press industry is opening a 70,000-square-foot manufacturing plant in Lenexa, Kan. Baldwin Technology officials chose Lenexa over a site near its headquarters in Shelton, Conn. The plant is expected to house about 60 employees.

Kentucky

Honda Supplier Expands Richmond Plant

Richmond Auto Parts Technology, a Japanese supplier to Honda, has announced its third expansion at its plant in Richmond. The company is investing $3.5 million and adding 87,000 square feet of space to its 100,000-square-foot facility. RAPT makes gears for Honda North America.

Automotive Supplier Expands in Northern Kentucky

Mubea Inc., is expanding its Northern Kentucky facilities in Boone and Kenton counties. The German automotive parts supplier is investing $35 million in its two plants and adding 145 new employees. Mubea manufactures transmission springs and hose clamps, of which it claims it has 65 percent of the U.S. automotive hose clamp market.

Asahi Forge of America is building an automotive parts plant in Richmond. The Japanese subsidiary forges bearings and gears for automakers including Toyota. The company will invest $19 million in the new facility and hire 37 people.

Cintas Creating 134 Jobs in Jeffersonville

Cincinnati-based Cintas Corp. is building a 56,000-square-foot fully automated laundering facility in Jeffersonville. The deal is expected to create 134 jobs paying about $29,000 on average annually. Cintas will invest nearly $5 million in the facility.

J.M. Smucker Building New Facility in Scottsville

Smucker, which makes fruit spreads and other food products, is breaking ground in the spring on a new $51 million facility in rural Scottsville. The Ohio-based food processor will hire 150 at the new plant.

Louisiana

Michigan Supplier Hiring 350 in Shreveport

NYX, a Livonia, Mich., automotive parts supplier has won a Tier 1 contract with the newly retooled GM plant in Shreveport. The company is moving into a 250,000-square-foot facility and is expected to hire 350 workers to build door panels for the Chevy Colorado pickup truck being made at the Shreveport GM assembly plant.

Procter & Gamble Plans $125 Million Expansion

Procter & Gamble is expanding its facilities in Pineville, La., so that it can produce liquid detergent. The plant is one of only two nationwide now making Tide powder detergent. Once operational, the $125 million expansion will create 20 new jobs.

Libbey Adding 80 Jobs

Libbey Glass has nixed plans to expand an Ohio facility in favor of expanding its West Shreveport plant. The company is adding 80 workers and investing $15 million to create three shifts of workers.

Maryland

Hagerstown Garners Satellite Communications Co.

Intelsat is expected to create 60 new jobs at a new 40,000-square-foot satellite communications facility it is building in Hagerstown. The company is a subsidiary of Mountainside Teleport Corp.

GE Moves Distribution Center

GE Appliances is moving its Harford County distribution center to Cecil County, Md. The company is moving from its current 800,000-square-foot center to a new 1 million-square-foot facility in the Principio Business Park. The company currently employs 125 and will add another 25 jobs at the new site.

Medline Building Big Box

Illinois-based Medline Industries is constructing a $12 million, 300,000-square-foot distribution center in a state enterprise zone in Harford Co., Md. The company makes and distributes health care products. The company will add 60 workers to a staff of 40 already working at other locations in Harford.

Disaster Recovery Center Being Built in Germantown

A new 120,000-square-foot back office operation called a "hot site" disaster recovery facility is being built in Germantown, Md. Recovery Point Systems is building the backup operation, which is designed to get basic computer operations running after a disaster has rendered office and network operations useless. The facility will accommodate up to 1,000 workers and will be used for Recovery Point Systems customers.

Leading Vehicle Management Company Building New HQ

PHH Arval, the Hunt Valley, Md.-based fleet management company, recently announced that it plans to relocate to a new custom office building in Sparks to house its 1,000 employees. The company entertained offers from other states, but decided to remain in Maryland. PHH Arval manages over 1.2 million vehicles worldwide. It was founded in Baltimore in 1946.

Mississippi

Helicopter Firm Chooses Lowndes County

American Eurocopter Corp. announced recently that it is opening a new manufacturing plant near Columbus, Miss. in Lowndes Co., at the Golden Triangle Regional Airport. The company is a subsidiary of European Aeronautics, Defense and Space, which is also the parent company of the European conglomerate Airbus. The French aviation firm holds 57 percent of the world's helicopter market. Eurocopter is building a 100,000-square-foot facility, creating 100 new jobs.

Future Pipe Chooses Gulfport

Future Pipe has picked Gulfport, Miss., for a large plant that will house 300 new workers. The company is a leading manufacturer of high performance, anti-corrosive pipe systems. Future Pipe is expected to invest about $8 million in the project.

Missouri

Cerner Investing $1 Billion in North Kansas City

Cerner Corp., one of the country's fastest growing health care software companies, announced last quarter that it plans to invest over $1 billion in research and infrastructure at its corporate headquarters in North Kansas City. The company plans to undertake $1 billion worth of research and development over the next five years and is currently constructing a $160 million building expansion, including a 192,000-square-foot Development Center. Cerner plans to hire 1,800 new associates in Kansas City over the next two years.

Company Locates in St. Joseph Spec Building

Progressive Molded Products announced it is locating a new manufacturing facility in St. Joseph, resulting in a $10 million investment. The Canadian company is moving into a 60,000-square-foot shell building at Mitchell Woods Business Park. The company is expected to hire 200 workers by August.

Promotional Product Co. Adds 50 Workers in KC

American Identity, a promotional products distributor, is adding about 50 employees to it Kansas City headquarters operations. The company is closing an Ohio office and moving 50 employees to Kansas City. American Identity is the largest distributor of corporate logoed merchandise in the U.S.

Daisy Opening New Factory in Salem

Arkansas-based Daisy Precision Products is moving a manufacturing facility to Salem, Mo. that will create 27 new jobs. The new facility will make BBs for air gun rifles.

North Carolina

Krispy Kreme Building New HQ

Doughnut maker Krispy Kreme and the N.C. School of Fine Arts are building a $60 million facility in downtown Winston-Salem that will serve as a performance center for the non-profit arts group and a headquarters for the company. Called Unity Place, the 200,000-square-foot headquarters will replace Krispy Kreme's current 60,000-square-foot operation.

NT Techno Breaks Ground on Granville Co. Site

NT Techno, a Japanese company that manufactures automotive transmission parts, broke ground in January on a 63,000-square-foot manufacturing facility in Granville Co. The plant, which is in the city of Oxford, will house 40 people and cost more than $21 million. It's the first U.S. plant for the Japanese auto supplier.

Beaufort Co. Lands German Company

PrettlNoma Systems, a German-based manufacturer of panel systems for appliances, will locate a new plant in Beaufort Co., hiring 84 employees and investing $10 million over the next seven years. The project will supply the expanded BSH appliance plant in New Bern.

Automotive Supplier Expands in the Triad

The Piedmont Triad is setting its sites on the automotive industry and an expansion by Central Carolina Products in Burlington illustrates that effort. The auto supplier, a manufacturer of plastic auto components, is building a 70,000-square-foot facility that is expected to house 60 new workers.

Food Processor Plans New Facility

Yankee Commodity Foods is purchasing a former ConAgra Grocery Products facility to open a new food processing plant in Seagrove, N.C. The 188,000-square-foot former Luck's Foods plant will house nearly 100 workers who will can a variety of fruits and vegetables. Norfolk-based YCF is investing $3.5 million in the project.

ASC Expands in Tarboro

Air Systems Components is adding 13,000 square feet to its facility in Tarboro and creating 120 new jobs. The company makes grille registers and diffusers. It's expected to invest $3 million during the expansion.

Abbott Labs Investing $20M in Rocky Mount

Abbott Laboratories is creating 50 new jobs and spending $20 million on its injectable pharmaceutical facility in Rocky Mount. The drugs are in high demand for the treatment of acutely ill patients.

Honda Supplier Expands Tarboro Operations

Keihin Carolina System Technology, a company that supplies parts for Honda and Acura, will expand its Tarbaro, N.C. plant, creating 40 new jobs. The deal represents a $10 million investment for the company. Keihin produces engine control units and solenoids for transmissions.

Distribution Hub Expanding

Minka is expanding its warehouse and distribution center in the Charlotte area by 365,000 square feet, representing one of the largest distribution deals in the region in years. The Minka Group supplies lighting products to Lowe's and Home Depot. The facility is being built in Concord's International Business Park.

Box Manufacturer Expands in Mooresville

Southern Container Corp. is expanding its plant in Mooresville, located just outside of Charlotte. The expansion will add 30 workers to an existing work force of 125 and expand production by 60 percent.

Honda Expanding Plant

Honda Power Equipment is expanding its Swepsonville, N.C. plant, where it makes lawn mowers and other products, with a capital investment of $30 million. The expansion will add 70,000 square feet to the existing facility and increase production by 50 percent. The company is expected to hire 200 workers.

Universal Leaf Buys Tobacco Storage Facility

Richmond-based Universal Leaf has purchased a storage facility in Oxford, N.C. for a new tobacco processing plant. The $11 million project is expected to create 60 new jobs.

Oklahoma

Tracker Marine Announces New Facility

Tracker Marine Group is hiring up to 250 workers for a new boat plant in Miami, Okla. The boat builder purchased three existing buildings in Miami and is expected to invest nearly $10 million on the new facility.

Quad Graphics Speeding up Construction

Quad Graphics is speeding up construction of its southwest Oklahoma City plant. The Wisconsin-based printer began building the first phase, a 217,000-square-foot facility, of the project in October and is now beginning the second phase, a 311,000-square-foot addition. When complete, the facility will house 1,000 workers.

South Carolina

Big Deal in Florence

Assurant Group will create 560 new jobs in Florence, S.C. at a new office complex it is building that will house its hazard insurance tracking center. The new center will total 100,000 square feet and will cost about $14 million.

American Standard Opening Plant in the Midlands

Breaking a long big deal dry spell in central South Carolina, American Standard announced in late January it is bringing a Trane air conditioning manufacturing plant to Blythewood. The deal is expected to create 400 jobs. New Jersey-based American Standard purchased a 183-acre site and a former auto parts plant for $4.9 million in December from United Technologies.

Wells Fargo Adding 800 Jobs

Mere weeks after opening a $20 million mortgage operation in Fort Mill, S.C., Wells Fargo is adding 800 more jobs to its 700 already there. The company is occupying 350,000 square feet at its 17-acre site off I-77 just south of Charlotte.

DaimlerChrysler Subsidiary Announces N. Charleston Location

MTU Drive Shafts, a subsidiary of DaimlerChrylser, is planning to employ up to 200 at its first U.S. facility when it begins production in 2004. The North Charleston plant will make drive shafts for automakers. The new plant is being built adjacent to Freightliner's plant that makes emergency vehicles.

Bosch Expands

German auto supplier Robert Bosch announced it would invest around $200 million in the latest expansion of its Anderson County plant. The company makes brake systems and fuel pumps at the facility. The expansion is expected to add 200 new jobs.

Rockwell Automation Power Building HQ in Greenville

Rockwell Automation Power Systems, which makes transmission products and industrial motors, is building a new headquarters in Greenville. The project will create 100 new jobs.

Fabric Maker Buys Facility in Clinton

A manufacturer of home furnishing fabrics is opening its third plant in South Carolina. RichLoom Fabrics has purchased a facility in Clinton, S.C. that will distribute and make fabrics for the home. Up to 250 jobs will be created. RichLoom has facilities in Lancaster and Ware Shoals, S.C.

Tennessee

Murfreesboro Lands Deal

Southern Container, a New York-based manufacturer of boxes, plans to build a $35 million, 250,000-square-foot plant in Murfreesboro that is expected to create 100 jobs or more. The corrugated box facility will serve companies throughout Tennessee.

Solar Energy Division of Sharp to Build at Memphis Site

Sharp Manufacturing Co. of America, a division of Osaka, Japan-based Sharp Corp., will soon have a new neighbor at its 650-employee plant in Memphis. Sharp Electronics announced plans in December it would build a new plant on the Sharp Manufacturing site that will make and assemble solar modules for the residential and commercial real estate industry. Currently, projection televisions, microwave ovens and other electronics are made at the Memphis facility. Sharp officials are building the new facility in anticipation of growth in the U.S. solar energy market.

Medical Device Company Adding 600 Jobs in Memphis

Medtronic Sofamor Danek announced in January an expansion of its Memphis operations that could lead to 600 jobs with an investment of $50 million. It's the first medical device deal since the Think Memphis Partnership for Prosperity campaign was launched. The campaign promotes growth in Memphis in the medical device industry and the attraction of skilled labor to the area. MSD is expected to add 100,000 square feet of R&D space to its current facilities, which encompass 280,000 square feet in Memphis.

Texas

It's San Antonio for Toyota

Toyota officials have chosen a site in southwest San Antonio for its next assembly plant. The $750 million facility will make pickup trucks and is expected to employ up to 2,000 when completed (see Around the South for more information).

Boeing Adding 200 Workers in San Antonio

Boeing's Aerospace Support Center located at KellyUSA will see 200 additional new hires as a result of the company's contract to upgrade navigation systems on KC-135 aircraft. The Boeing Aerospace Support Center was built at the former Kelly Air Force Base in 1998. To date it has performed maintenance on the KC-10, KC-135 and C-17 for the Air Force. The aviation and aerospace giant employs 2,500 at KellyUSA.

Hewlett Packard Moving Facility From California to Houston

Four-hundred-and-seventy jobs are being created as a result of HP moving production from Roseville, Calif., to the computer maker's plant in Houston. The new facility will house relocating workers from California as well as new hires from the Houston area. This is the second consolidation deal struck since California-based HP merged with Houston-based Compaq. The company recently moved a distribution center in the Houston area to Memphis.

Illinois Company Opening Plant Near Austin

Highland, Ill.-based Basler Electric is planning to open an electronic components manufacturing facility in Taylor, Tex., located northeast of Austin. It is the company's seventh plant. Other plants are located in Arkansas, France and Mexico. The company expects to hire 50 individuals at the new facility, which will make custom transformers, relay systems and generator controls. Basler will invest $3 million to upgrade a shuttered facility in Taylor.

Mariner Healthcare Picks Houston

Houston has beat out Pensacola, Baltimore, Asheville and Buffalo for a 150-employee medical services center. Each of the aforementioned markets had an existing Mariner presence. Mariner officials cited the number of medically trained workers in the Houston area as the No. 1 reason the market was chosen.

Mary Kay Building Distribution Center in Carrollton

Mary Kay, Inc., the giant cosmetics concern, is building a new 187,000-square-foot warehouse in the D/FW Metroplex at Carrollton. The new distribution center, which is located just off I-35, is replacing a smaller center in Farmers Branch. The company expects to employ 125.

Plastic Injection Manufacturer Expands to Temple

FOC Marketing, a plastic injection mold manufacturer, is investing $2 million in equipment and hiring 60 workers for a new operation in Temple, Tex. FOC is a turnkey source for manufacturing services that takes a customer from early conceptual phase through product development and ultimately to market.

Mesquite Lands Facility

Plastic manufacturer Iris USA has opened a 270,000-square-foot plant in Mesquite that currently houses 70 employees. Up to 250 employees are expected to work at the plant when full production begins in two years.

Tractor Supply Expands in Waco

Tractor Supply Co. has announced it is building a new 305,000-square-foot warehouse in Waco at a cost of $10 million. The new distribution facility will supply farm and ranch equipment to Arkansas, Oklahoma and Texas. The Nashville-based company will employ 170 at the facility.

Virginia

STIHL Expands HQ in Virginia Beach

STIHL Inc. is expanding its operations in Virginia Beach, creating 200 new jobs. The company is making a $61 million investment that will include the building of a 228,000-square-foot addition to its U.S. headquarters. Virginia won out over Brazil, China and Germany for the project. STIHL is a worldwide manufacturer of outdoor power equipment. The company is a subsidiary of German-based STIHL Holdings. The company employs about 1,100 in Virginia Beach.

Deal Done in Southwest Virginia

Kingsport, Tenn.-based AFG, a glass manufacturer, is making a $30 million investment in Abingdon, Va. AFG is building a 150,000-square-foot plant that will coat glass that reduces energy costs. The company is hiring 80 workers in the deal.

Wood Products Firm Expands in Chesapeake

Virginia-based Chesapeake Hardwood Products will invest $4 million to expand its manufacturing facility in the city of Chesapeake. The investment will create 50 new jobs in the city's South Norfolk Enterprise Zone.

Verizon Invests in Wise Co.

Verizon will create 61 new jobs in rural Wise Co., Va. The telecom is investing $3.3 million for the customer service facility it calls a Verizon Welcome Center.

Martinsville Lands Manufacturer

Axiom Technologies, a producer of advanced ceramic materials for microwave/RF communication devices for defense, aerospace and commercial applications, will locate its headquarters in the city of Martinsville. The company will create 250 new jobs and invest $5 million.

New Facility for Trailer Company

Carry-on Trailer Corp., a manufacturer of utility trailers, is creating 75 new jobs through a $2.5 million investment in Virginia's Northern Neck region. Virginia successfully competed with Georgia, Iowa and Texas for the project. The company will build a new 85,000-square-foot facility in Westmoreland County.

Call Center Slated for Virginia Beach

Virginia Beach economic development officials successfully competed with New Jersey for a new contact center that is expected to create 100 jobs. Cendant Corp., a huge company that provides travel and real estate services, will open a call center in Virginia Beach this month. Cendant is one of the world's largest franchisers including Century 21, Coldwell Banker, ERA, Avis, Budget, Days Inn and Ramada Inn, among many other brands.

STG Adding 700 Employees

A federal government technology contractor headquartered in Fairfax announced in December it would add 700 employees over the next three years. STG, Inc., has received an agreement with Virginia officials over incentives that include training the new work force. Almost all of the new hires will be engineers. STG is expected to invest up to $15 million in the expansion, which will grow its work force in Fairfax to around 1,000.

Ford Services Supplier Chooses Chesapeake

A logistics services provider for the automotive industry has announced it is opening a facility to serve the expanded Ford assembly plant in Norfolk. TDS US Automotive will hire 210 employees to provide sequencing of automotive parts at the plant.

Pepsi Consolidates in Wytheville

Pepsi Bottling Group is creating 200 new jobs in Wytheville as it consolidates two bottling plants to the southwest Virginia market. The soft drink giant plans to close a plant in Princeton, W.V. and one in Marion, Va. and locate the new $65 million plant in Wytheville.

American Plastics Creating 135 Jobs

American Plastics will be manufacturing plastic storage boxes and bins at a new facility in Greensville County, Va. The company is investing $6 million in the new plant.

Plastic Film Company Investing $34M in Wythe County

Kloeckner Pentaplast is expanding its plastic film plant in Wythe County. The expansion will create 110 new jobs.

Virginia Wins Over Massachusetts for Candy Plant

Virginia beat out Massachusetts for Sherwood Brands. The candy manufacturer will hire an additional 275 workers and spend $3 million on the expansion of its Mecklenburg County candy plant.

Cabinet Maker to Create 250 New Jobs

Norcraft Companies, a cabinet manufacturer, has chosen the city of Lynchburg for its newest facility. The company will employ 250 workers at the cabinet factory.

West Virginia

California Company Picks Mineral Wells

PWP Industries of Vernon, Calif., has announced it will hire 50 new workers and move into a 120,000-square-foot facility located in Mineral Wells, W.V. The company makes plastic trays for the food industry.

Appalachian-Turkish Trade Project Results in WV Deal

W.V. Sen. Robert Byrd and Gov. Bob Wise launched the 13-state Appalachian-Turkish Trade Project in the spring of 2000. Their efforts have paid off with Turkish-based Mak Trade LLC announcing an operation in Charleston that will create 20 new jobs initially. Mak Trade makes wiring harnesses used in military equipment.

CDI Relocates and Creates 85 Jobs in Charleston

CDI has relocated its business support operations to Charleston, a move that will create 85 jobs. The Philadelphia-based company is a global provider of engineering and information technology. The company moved 137 jobs to Charleston last year.

Italian Automotive Manufacturer Invests $27 Million

Sogefi, an Italian automobile components manufacturer, announced it is creating 148 jobs and investing $27 million in Wayne County, W.V. The company is expanding a 55,000-square-foot shell building in the city of Prichard to 215,000 square feet.