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Wins/Losses
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A growth opportunity for a New England furniture chain means new jobs and investment in Harford County MD. To support their expansion into the Mid–Atlantic region, Bob’s Discount Furniture is establishing a $30 million warehouse in Harford County, north of Baltimore. The retailer employs over 2,000 people at 35 stores. Its new Maryland distribution center will employ 200 people –– good news in an area that recently saw its unemployment rate double in the past two years to 7.1%. According to Harford County Economic Development director James C. Richardson, it’s been five years since one employer has created this many new jobs. Harford County is expected to experience more growth under the Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) initiative that will bring as many as 20,000 government and private contracting jobs to Aberdeen Proving Grounds in Harford County.
General Motors’ effort to rebuild itself will have a huge impact in Western New York State. GM is undertaking a $425 million investment in its engine plant in Tonawanda, outside Buffalo, where 470 new jobs will be created. The improvements will enable the facility to produce the company’s next generation engine, fuel–efficient, four–cylinder Ecotec engine –– as many as 370,000 engines per year. “If anybody thinks that manufacturing is dead in America, they need to come here. It’s alive right here in Tonawanda,” said Steve Finch, plant manager. According to company officials, 300 current employees who are on indefinite layoff will have first chance at the new positions. General Motors cited the working relationship between management and labor at the plant as one of its reasons for selecting the Tonawanda facility for the new engine line. Additionally, GM plans to invest $10.5 million at its Bay City MI plant, creating 15 new jobs and retaining 312 workers, and another $59 million at its Defiance OH facility where it will create 80 new jobs. South Carolina’s Lowcountry is growing its logistics cluster with two recent announcements. TBC Corp., a tire company, is planning to open the first half of its 1.1 million–square–foot tire–import facility near Summerville SC by November 2010. The new facility will employ 100 people and replace existing warehouses in North Carolina and Mississippi. The company chose Summerville because of its location to the Port of Charleston; Norfolk VA was also considered. The depth of the port’s shipping channel was a major draw for TBC. The company expects to see larger vessels once the Panama Canal’s expansion is completed in 2014. “This is the only Southern port in the United States that can handle those ships now,” said Jim Markey, the firm’s vice president. The State Port Authority is investing $15 million in improvements around the company’s site. TBC Corp. is the first company in a new industrial park being developed by MeadWestvaco Corp. and the Rockefeller Group. The former Mikasa warehouse in Charleston is being re–used as a distribution center by Gildan Activewear which plans to create 250 jobs. The Montreal–based clothing maker purchased the warehouse last year for $20 million. The warehouse will consolidate existing distribution centers in Alabama and Virginia. Colorado–based Proterra LLC has chosen a site at Clemson University’s International Center for Automotive Research (ICAR) center in Greenville SC for its new electric bus assembly plant. Company officials expect an initial $30 million investment in a 250,000 square foot facility that could grow to a $68 million complex. The facility could ultimately create 1,300 jobs paying $60,000 per year. Local and state officials are excited because the facility will stimulate innovations in advanced manufacturing and alternative energy. “I think electric power is where a lot of the future of vehicles is going,” said David Bodde, a Clemson University professor with an expertise in energy. The company says the battery range of its bus is about 30 miles with a recharge time of six to ten minutes. Proterra will work with ICAR on hardware and software improvements to its vehicles. South Carolina’s Upstate region was in competition with the State of Ohio which offered the research facilities at Ohio State University. To secure the deal, the Greenville team put together a package that included free space for Proterra’s start–up operation, $3 million for plant infrastructure and site preparation, city tax abatements, county bonds and tax breaks. A corporate consolidation will bring 350 new jobs to Greensboro NC. Laboratory Corporation of America will consolidate its billing operations in Greensboro and transfer up to 50 employees from other locations. The company is expected to invest $4 million over the next three years. The state has offered about $900,000 in incentives according to LabCorp CEO David King. The company expects the average annual wage for workers at the Greensboro location will be around $26,000 per year. Guilford County is providing $248,000 in incentives. Danville VA was also considered for the consolidated facility. Hanger Orthopedic Group is moving its headquarters to Austin TX from Bethesda MD, outside Washington D.C. The company designs and makes prosthetic and orthotic equipment and already has a manufacturing facility in Texas. The company has promised to invest $7.65 million and plans to create more than 300 jobs over the next six years. The city approved a $500,000 incentive and the state is contributing an additional $1.5 million. The relocation is expected to cost Hanger Orthopedic as much as $17 million for severance and employee relocation. Officials say the move is being made to control costs; the company is expected to save more than $3.5 million per year. Durham NC will be gaining 155 new manufacturing jobs over the next three years. ACW Technology, a contract manufacturer, will move its new American subsidiary to the Research Tri–Center Industrial Park in South Durham. The new ACW jobs will pay an average annual wage of $33,457 which is lower than the $57,772 average wage in Durham according to the N.C. Department of Commerce. The company expects to hire immediately and plans to invest $4.9 million in the next three years. ACW will receive $70,000 in incentives from Durham and $50,000 from the One North Carolina Fund if it reaches all employment benchmarks. Multiple sites were considered in the state along with locations in Maryland and Virginia. A booming defense business is creating 270 high paying jobs to Fayetteville NC. Defense contractor Booz Allen Hamilton will expand its existing 30–person office in Fayetteville to serve two Army commands that are relocating there from Atlanta GA. Many of the jobs may be filled by the firm’s Atlanta workers willing to relocate but that doesn’t bother Fayetteville officials. “We want that influx of residents. We want the power of their dollars here. We want them to become an important part of the community,” said Doug Peters, president and CEO of the Fayetteville–Cumberland County Chamber of Commerce. Whirlpool Corporation is consolidating some operations in Amana IA, creating 60 new jobs and retaining 1,600 positions. The company will shift production of icemakers to Amana from an Indiana facility following a $20 million investment in the Amana plant to upgrade equipment, improve energy–efficiency and streamline the production process. The company is receiving a $6.5 million forgivable loan from the Iowa Economic Development Board. Additionally, the company is seeking a $500,000 grant from the Iowa Office of Energy Independence. A Spanish wind turbine generator manufacturer will invest $15 million in a new production facility outside Milwaukee WI. Ingeteam plans to open the 114,000 square–foot facility by the end of 2010 and employ 275 people. The company is expected to generate a sizeable economic impact with $19 million in annual wages. The state is providing Ingeteam with $4.5 million in tax credits and a $500,000 Wisconsin Development Fund loan. The company also received $1.66 million in federal clean technology manufacturing tax credits. A new bi–lingual call center is being located in San Antonio TX by Allstate Insurance Company. The firm will hire 600 people who speak both English and Spanish to staff the facility. The new positions will pay between $27,000 and $31,200 annually. Allstate considered other locations but will take advantage of property tax breaks and $1.1 million from the Texas Enterprise Fund. Georgia’s bioscience sector is welcoming a $12 million investment by a Texas firm that will hire 125 scientists, technicians and support staff. Based in San Antonio TX, QualTex Laboratories will build a new testing laboratory in Norcross GA that will conduct infectious disease testing for blood banks and plasma centers. Georgia has targeted biosciences for growth; the sector currently generates a $17 billion economic impact in the state, according to the trade group, Georgia Bio. |
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Source: “Bob’s Discount Furniture moving into Harford County, region” by Daniel J. Sernovitz. The Baltimore MD Business Journal. January 22, 2010. “GM Begins Rebirth with Engine Plant in Tonawanda,” by George Pyle and Phil Fairbanks. The Buffalo NY News. February 19, 2010. “GM to Pump $500 Million into Engines, Create 550 Jobs,” by Tim Higgins. The Detroit MI Free Press. February 18, 2010. “Warehouses to Create Jobs in Lowcountry this Year,” by John P. McDermott. The Charleston SC Post and Courier. February 11, 2010. “Proterra Offers ‘Glimmer of Hope’ Economy Turning Around,” by Jenny Munro and David Dykes. The Greenville SC News. February 3, 2010. “Proterra drives into Greenville, thanks to teamwork, incentives” by Ben Szobody. The Greenville SC News. February 7, 2010. “LabCorp to Add About 350 Jobs in Greensboro,” by Mark Binker. The Greensboro NC News & Record. February 12, 2010. “Hanger Orthopedic Group moving to Texas” by Steve Monroe. The Maryland Gazette. January 20, 2010. “Hanger Orthopedic Group Spending $17M on Austin Move,” by Staff. Austin TX Business Journal. February 11, 2010. “Durham Gets Circuit Board Plant,” by Staff. The Raleigh–Durham NC News & Observer. January 29, 2010. “Booze Allen Hamilton to bring jobs to city” by Catherine Pritchard. The Fayetteville NC Observer. February 12, 2010. “Whirlpool to Move more Jobs to Amana,” by Donelle Eller. The Des Moines Register. February 18, 2010. “Wind Turbine Maker will use 8 Acres in Menomonee Valley,” by Tom Daykin. The Milwaukee WI Journal Sentinel. February 16, 2010. “Allstate bringing 600 jobs to San Antonio” by Staff Reports. The Austin TX Statesman. February 9, 2010. “Texas bioscience testing lab chooses Norcross” by Dan Chapman. The Atlanta GA Journal–Constitution. February 23,2010. |