ALABAMA

Sock manufacturer to create over 400 jobs in North Alabama

Renfro Corp. has struck a deal with Walmart to make socks under the Fruit of the Loom, Russell, Dr. Scholl’s and Faded Glory brands. The deal will create 442 jobs at the company’s plant in Fort Payne, Ala. 

 

Rocket engine maker hiring 100 in Alabama

Aerojet Rocketdyne has started manufacturing the new AR1 rocket engine in Huntsville. The engine is slated to replace the Russian-made RD-180 engines currently being used by several American space companies. The project will create at least 100 jobs.

 

IBM will build $62 million cloud data center for Army at Alabama base

IBM will build, manage and operate a private cloud data center for the U.S. Army at Huntsville’s Redstone Arsenal. The deal is worth $62 million to IBM. It is a pilot for the first of four private Army cloud centers that will consolidate hundreds of military data sites around the world.

 

Montgomery call center bowling for dollars

“We are currently a 330-person call center, and we’re going to be expanding to over 600 people,” said Rick Burley, owner of the call center ASK. “We’re taking a dead, old bones of a building and turning it into a super useful building again.” ASK has started a $2 million renovation of an old bowling alley in Montgomery, which includes a new parking lot, new roof and a total overhaul of the area where the bowling alley fixtures used to be.

 

One hundred jobs coming to Monroeville with MillenniumBlock

Gov. Robert Bentley announced a $300,000 grant that officials say will be used to create 100 new jobs in the Monroeville area. The money will pay for site and drainage improvements for MillenniumBlok International, a Colorado-based producer of composite insulated concrete.

 

Tencel fiber company to build new plant in Mobile

Austrian based company Lenzing will spend $300 million in construction of a new plant that will bring 163 new jobs.

 

ARKANSAS

Sawmill opens in Arkansas

Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson announced Conifex Timber, a Canada-based company, has restarted a state-of-the-art former Georgia Pacific sawmill complex in El Dorado, Ark. The company is investing $80 million in the project that will create 120 full-time jobs.

 

Chinese garment manufacturer to move operations to Little Rock

Tianyuan Garments Co. will acquire a 100,000-square-foot plant to set up operations producing clothes for brands like Adidas, Reebok and Armani. This marks the first Chinese manufacturer to produce clothing within the U.S. With a $20 million investment, the firm expects to hire 400.

 

Daisy, Gamo Outdoor to combine, expand Arkansas plant

Two makers of airguns are planning to expand the Daisy plant in northwest Arkansas. Keith Higginbotham, president of Rogers-based Daisy and Gamo Outdoor USA, joined Gov. Asa Hutchinson to announce the expansion of the plant in Rogers, Ark. The plant will be the U.S. headquarters for Daisy and Gamo, which was formerly based in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. The expansion will create about 25 new jobs during the next two years. Management at Gamo’s former offices will relocate to Rogers, as will several warehouse and customer service managers from the company’s distribution facility in Missouri.

 

Mars Petcare expands

The pet food manufacturer will expand its Fort Smith operations with a committed $72 million investment. The expansion will create 130 new jobs.

 

Poultry plant to bring jobs in Arkansas

Summit Poultry will open a plant in Pine Bluff that will employ 100 workers.

 

FLORIDA

American Express opens $200 million operations center in South Florida

American Express has completed its 400,000-square-foot operations center in Sunrise, Fla. The building will house up to 3,000 workers. 

 

Aerospace manufacturer locating new plant in Bay County, Fla.

GKN Aerospace is locating a new plant at VentureCrossings Enterprise Center in Bay County, Fla., near the Northwest Florida Beaches International Airport. The British company will invest $50 million and create 170 new jobs. Panama City and Bay County competed globally for the project.

 

Harris hiring on Space Coast

Defense giant Harris Corp. is adding 200 workers in Central Florida. The company won a contract with the Air Force to complete a variety of tasks, and all of the work will be done at the company’s facilities in Palm Bay, Fla.

 

Chris-Craft seeks to expand Florida plant

Chris-Craft is seeking approval from Manatee County for a 48,000-square-foot addition to its manufacturing facility. The $10 million expansion will mean the creation of 55 new jobs during a five-year period.

 

Chewy creating 600 jobs in Ocala, Fla.

South Florida-based Chewy, a retailer of pet supplies, is establishing an e-commerce center in Ocala. The $31 million distribution center will house 600 workers. 

 

Startup technology company creating 725 jobs in South Florida

Magic Leap will move into the former Motorola factory in Plantation, Fla., to create its “R&D Center of Excellence.” The $150 million investment will create 725 jobs.

 

Data analytics firm to hire 500 in Central Florida

TeleTech Holdings will hire hundreds of new customer service and tech support representatives for its customer experience center in Rockledge, Fla.

 

Spacecraft supplier production facility to be built on Florida’s Space Coast

Swiss-based RUAG Space USA will create 60 high-wage jobs with the construction of its plant in Titusville, Fla.

 

SolarCity adding hundreds of jobs

The California-based solar panel company is increasing services in Florida, and if growth in Nevada and elsewhere is any indication, the company is prepared to add hundreds and later thousands of jobs with multiple locations. The $2 billion Tesla-acquired company will need to hire electricians, roofers, construction workers, sales consultants and managers.

 

GEORGIA

Pratt & Whitney’s big deal in Columbus, Ga.

Aircraft engine manufacturer Pratt & Whitney is investing $386 million in its facilities in Columbus. The expansion will double the company’s capacity for engines there and create 500 jobs. 

 

Software firm adding jobs, relocating HQ to Midtown Atlanta

Midtown Atlanta is a hotbed for tech firms and the area just landed another company. Software firm SalesLoft is moving its headquarters from Buckhead to Midtown, next to Atlanta Tech Village. The deal will create 250 jobs.

 

Jackson Healthcare adding 1,400 jobs in Atlanta area

Jackson Healthcare, one of the nation’s largest healthcare staffing companies, will expand its headquarters by 306,000 square feet at its current facility in Alpharetta, Ga. The project will create 1,400 new jobs.

 

Heckler & Koch announces expansion in Columbus, Ga.

Heckler & Koch, a manufacturer of firearms and accessories, will invest $28.5 million to expand its existing operations in Columbus. The decision is expected to create 84 new jobs. HK will also consolidate its New Hampshire operations into Columbus.

 

Cybersecurity company to open in Brookhaven, create 500 jobs

Ireland-based Sysnet Global Solutions will invest $2 million in a contact center for its cybersecurity services to the payment industry in Brookhaven. The 24-hour, multilingual call center will create 500 jobs.

 

Kaiser Permanente call center means 800 jobs for Gwinnett County

Kaiser Permanente, the nation’s largest integrated healthcare system, recently celebrated the grand opening of its Duluth contact center, where nearly 300 employees have already been hired. By 2020, the Gwinnett County center will employ 800 people.

 

Athenahealth to bring 500 more jobs to Atlanta

Healthcare tech company Athenahealth will add 500 jobs and double its operations at Ponce City Market (the historic Sears & Roebuck building) in Atlanta.

 

KENTUCKY

Kentucky’s Big Ass Solutions receives incentives for expansion

The Kentucky Economic Development Finance Authority gave final approval to Big Ass Solutions of Lexington for $6.5 million in tax incentives on a $10.7 million expansion of office, storage and warehouse space, and a production line. The expansion is expected to create 562 jobs. Big Ass Solutions manufactures fans, lights and controls for Big Ass Fans, Big Ass Light, and Haiku fan product lines.

 

Louisville lands major employer bringing 400 jobs

Jacksonville, Fla.-based Diversified Consultants (also known as DCI Collect), which specializes in debt collection for telecommunications companies, will locate a new operation in Louisville with a $6.65 million investment expected to create 433 jobs.

 

Linak expands in Louisville

The company, which makes parts used in healthcare equipment, furniture and other products, will create 413 new jobs with its planned $33 million expansion.

 

Coastal Cloud hiring 30 in Louisville

Coastal Cloud, a Florida-based, cloud-based software company that offers services to a number of industries including economic development and real estate, is establishing an office in Louisville. The Louisville office, which will house 30 workers, will be run by Erik Dunnigan, former Kentucky Cabinet for Economic Development Secretary.

 

Big deal: Amazon to establish $1.49 billion air hub in Northern Kentucky

Amazon has chosen the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport for a $1.49 billion, 2,000-employee air cargo hub for its current roster of 40 cargo aircraft. Amazon took a 50-year lease on about 900 acres owned by the international airport in Hebron, Ky., and the company will build its air hub on that property. Amazon currently employs about 10,000 people at 11 fulfillment centers in Kentucky. 

 

Amazon adding 1,000 jobs at Kentucky fulfillment centers

Seattle-based Amazon announced it will add 1,000 jobs at its Kentucky fulfillment centers in Shepherdsville, Campbellsville, Hebron and Lexington. The company currently employs more than 10,000 in Kentucky.

 

LOUISIANA

Monsanto breaks ground on $975 million expansion in St. Charles Parish, La.

In the winter quarter, Monsanto broke ground on a $975 million expansion of its massive plant in Luling, La. The project, to be completed in 2019, will enable the company to launch the Roundup brand’s Ready Xtend Crop System and produce a new herbicide called Dicamba. The company currently makes the herbicide Roundup to kill weeds. The deal will create 120 jobs.  

 

Entergy breaks ground on $869 million Louisiana power plant

New Orleans-based Entergy has broken ground on a new $869 million, 1,000-megawatt power plant in St. Charles Parish, La. The project will create 2,000 direct and indirect jobs during construction.

 

$800 million LNG plant coming to Port Fourchon

Energy World USA announced in the winter quarter it will build an LNG production and export facility at Port Fourchon, La. The $800 million project will eventually produce up to 2 million tons of LNG per year for export.

 

Pepsi opens distribution center in south Louisiana, creates 200 jobs

Pepsi Beverages Company officially opened its distribution center in Livingston Parish in January, the only one of its kind in south Louisiana. The 140,000-square-foot facility brings more than 200 new jobs to the area.

 

MISSISSIPPI

Niagara Bottling investing $78 million in Marshall County, Miss.

Niagara Bottling, the nation’s largest private label beverage supplier, is locating an operation in Marshall County. The $78 million investment will create 38 jobs. 

 

Poultry processor to open Mississippi plant

Pearl River Foods will open a chicken processing plant in Carthage, Miss. The $2 million deal will create 150 jobs.

 

$100 million venture in Mississippi commits to 150 jobs by 2020

Praxair Surface Technologies and GE Aviation have announced a $100 million joint venture — PG Technologies LLC in Ellisville, Miss. The project is expected to increase employment at the former GE Aviation facility (currently at 100) to 250 by 2020, with the potential to grow to 400 jobs.

 

ABB opens Mississippi plant, to employ 200

Swiss-based ABB’s Senatobia facility to manufacture molded-case circuit breakers is open for business. ABB renovated an 85,000-square-foot building once used by another company to make solar-power panels. The electrical component manufacturer expects the new plant will create 200 jobs by the third year of operation and another 100 jobs by the fifth year. 

 

MISSOURI

US Steel to reopen part of plant in Granite City, Mo.

United States Steel Corp. will refill 220 jobs at the reopened hot strip mill in Granite City.

 

Technology company relocates HQ from California to Kansas City

AutoAlert, a software company that mines customer data to create sales applications used by automobile dealerships, is relocating its headquarters from Irvine, Calif., to Kansas City. The project will create 200 jobs.

 

St. Louis gains 300 jobs as Nestlé leaves California

Nestlé USA is moving its headquarters from California to Northern Virginia. In the move, Swiss-based Nestlé, the world’s largest food company, will also centralize its IT operations in St. Louis. Nestlé is familiar with St. Louis, as the headquarters for its pets products division is located south of downtown. That operation employs 2,700.

 

Company reshoring jobs from China to Missouri

Trans-Lux, a manufacturer of LED and LCD display boards, is moving production of its products from Shenzhen, China to Hazelwood, Mo. The company is investing over $2 million in the Missouri plant that will house 90 workers.

 

Virgin Mobile to hire 100 for KC HQ

Virgin Mobile plans to open its permanent U.S. headquarters in downtown Kansas City and hire up to 100 people.

 

American Marksman to invest $35 million in ammo manufacturing facility

The commercial ammunition provider plans to renovate 336,000 square feet at the Lake City Ammunition Plant in Missouri. The Omaha-based company will create 400 jobs.

 

NORTH CAROLINA

Corning to create more than 400 jobs in two North Carolina counties

Corning and Corning Optical plan to invest over $175 million in two facilities in Cabarrus and Catawba counties in North Carolina. The projects will create 410 jobs. 

 

New Apple investment could bring state total to $4 billion

Apple wants to spend another $1 billion on its complex of buildings in Maiden that houses servers for the iCloud. That would bring the California company’s total investment in Catawba County close to $4 billion. Apple has about 400 employees associated with the site in Catawba County.

 

Big bucks invested in paper plant

Clearwater Paper, the largest private-brand tissue maker in the U.S., is growing in Shelby, N.C. The company is investing $330 million in the plant and adding 180 jobs.

 

Lowe’s setting up customer center in Wilkesboro

North Carolina-based Lowe’s is putting a customer support center in Wilkesboro that will house 600 workers. The center will serve customers by phone and online.

 

Additive manufacturer investing $55 million in Charlotte area

Swiss manufacturer Oerlikon is expanding its additive manufacturing sector with a new 3D printing facility in Huntersville, N.C. The new facility will focus on surface solutions and advanced materials. The $55 million project will create 100 jobs.

 

Snack maker expanding in Charlotte

Snyder’s-Lance will invest $38 million in expanding operations in its Charlotte facility. With this investment, 130 new jobs will be created with an average annual salary of $45,000.

 

Everest Textiles USA opening new manufacturing plant

The Taiwan-based sports apparel maker will add 610 new jobs in Rutherford County. The company, which supplies Nike, Columbia and Patagonia, will invest $18.5 million in the plant with a $3 million tax incentive.

 

OKLAHOMA

Connexions Loyalty opens in Tulsa

Connexions Loyalty, a provider of consumer loyalty programs, has opened its newest customer service center in Tulsa. The company purchased an existing travel service center, retaining the jobs of more than 50 travel consultants, and hopes to add 200 additional new jobs.

 

M-D Building Products expands in Oklahoma City

M-D Building Products, a nearly 100-year-old company, is investing almost $12 million to expand its facilities in Oklahoma City. The company, which makes weatherization products, is adding 105 jobs and space at its plant.

 

SOUTH CAROLINA

BB&T breaks ground on mortgage center

Winston-Salem-based BB&T broke ground on a 140,000-square-foot mortgage servicing center in Mauldin, S.C., in the winter quarter. The deal will create 600 jobs.

 

More jobs coming to Aiken County

Emerson Electric, a valve components manufacturer, is expanding its operations in Aiken County. The company is investing $8 million and bringing 86 jobs to Aiken.

 

Manufacturer to invest $13 million, bring 130 new jobs to York County

A Charlotte fabric manufacturer plans to move its manufacturing and distribution operation to a new, $13 million facility in Fort Mill, S.C. Oxco Inc., which makes and distributes nonwoven fabrics in a Charlotte facility, will relocate to York County with 130 jobs at the new plant.

 

Movement Mortgage expands HQ

Movement Mortgage is expanding its existing corporate headquarters in the Indian Land unincorporated area of north Lancaster County, S.C. The company expects to invest $18 million to construct an additional 91,000-square-foot building that will accommodate more than 700 new employees.

 

Chinese fiberglass manufacturer to start construction

China Jushi, a company based out of Zhejiang, China, broke ground in Richland County in December for a $300 million plant that is expected to create 400 new jobs.

 

Pharmaceutical manufacturer Patheon to acquire facility

Patheon has acquired the former Roche Holdings facility in Florence, S.C. The company hopes to increase capacity producing active pharmaceutical ingredients. The deal will create 200 jobs.

 

CompuCom relocating HQ to South Carolina

The technology infrastructure services company will locate its new headquarters in Lancaster County. The project will bring $41 million in capital investment and will provide the area with 1,500 new jobs over the next several years.

 

PL Developments bringing jobs

The manufacturer and distributor of pharmaceutical products will invest $45 million in a new facility in Greenville County, S.C., that will bring 450 new jobs.

 

ProBrass investing in South Carolina

The manufacturer of rifle brass cartridge cases is establishing itself in Clarendon County. The start-up firm will invest $40 million in the new facility, creating over 70 new jobs.

 

TENNESSEE

St. Jude, ALSAC plan Memphis expansion and 1,800 new jobs

ALSAC (the fundraising arm of St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital) and St. Jude are expanding with an investment of at least $1 billion. The project is expected to bring 1,800 new jobs to Memphis and the Mid-South. 

 

Orthodontics company creating 440 jobs in Nashville area

SmileDirectClub is investing $4.5 million to expand two facilities in the Nashville region. The project will create 440 jobs.

 

La-Z-Boy investing in rural Tennessee

Furniture manufacturer La-Z-Boy will expand its plant in Dayton, Tenn. The $26 million project will create 115 jobs.

 

Williams Sausage to build second plant in Union City

Williams Sausage Company, a longtime Tennessee food manufacturer, will build a second plant in Obion County. The expansion will create 226 new jobs. Founded in 1958, the family-owned company produces fresh and fully cooked sausage, bacon, sandwiches and other food products.

 

Forrester Research to bring 120 jobs to Nashville

Research and advisory firm Forrester Research will locate its newest office in Davidson County, Tenn. Forrester will invest $2.8 million and create approximately 120 new jobs.

 

Silicon Valley company hiring 250 in Nashville

An online platform for home design and remodeling headquartered in Silicon Valley, Houzz Inc., has signed a decade-long lease in downtown Nashville’s second-biggest office skyscraper, where at least 250 people will work.

 

Cargill, Calysta opening fish food factory in Memphis

To meet demand for farm-raised fish bound for China, Cargill and Calysta will build a new factory that will employ 75 new people.

 

Leclerc Foods expands in Tennessee

The food production company is expanding its existing facility in Kingsport. The company will also build an additional $49 million facility that will create 105 jobs.

 

Wacker Chemie AG will build a new plant near Chattanooga

The chemical company has announced that it will construct a new production facility with a $150 million investment. The move will create 50 new jobs in Bradley County, Tenn.

 

TEXAS

Raven Petroleum to build new refinery in Texas

The first refinery to be built in decades, the company will invest $500 million to build the facility that will produce 50,000 barrels a day. The facility will be located east of Laredo and will export nearly all its refined fuel to Mexico.

 

Facebook’s $1 billion data center now operational in Fort Worth

California-based Facebook’s latest massive data center is now operating in Fort Worth on 110 acres. The company has also purchased another 40 acres of land adjacent to the $1 billion center for future expansion.

 

HP could add 2,400 employees in Houston

Hewlett-Packard has pre-leased 378,000 square feet of space at the 2,000-acre mixed-use community in north Houston called Springwoods Village. The California-based software company’s new campus will house about 2,400 employees.

 

Glass plant expanding in Wichita Falls

Vitro Architectural Glass is investing $55 million in its commercial glass plant in Wichita Falls, Texas. The project will generate 50 new jobs.

 

AEP taps San Benito for $10 million office, moving 110 new jobs

AEP Texas (American Electric Power) is returning to San Benito and bringing 110 jobs with it. The power company, which once had a district office in the Texas city, announced that the city of San Benito has been selected for a new $10 million service center for the eastern end of AEP’s Rio Grande Valley District.

 

Holt Cat comes to Georgetown, Texas

Holt Cat, a Caterpillar dealer, will invest a minimum of $20 million to build a regional sales hub facility for Caterpillar in Georgetown. The business is expected to create 129 new jobs.

 

Texas company stakes out land to build new LNG export facility

The Woodlands-based NextDecade LLC has signed lease agreements for nearly 1,000 acres in Texas City, where it plans to build a multi-billion-dollar liquefied natural gas export facility. It would be the first such LNG facility in the area, according to NextDecade.

 

AT&T unveils $100 million redevelopment plans for its Dallas campus

Telecom giant AT&T plans to begin construction “fairly quickly” on the $100 million redevelopment of its downtown Dallas campus. The completion of the upgraded campus, named AT&T Discovery District, is slated for late 2019, and will mean additional hires.

 

IT company to relocate, build new headquarters in Frisco

Frisco-based IT service provider Skinny IT plans to build a new North Texas headquarters in its home city, which will include office and warehouse space. Skinny IT should then expand by more than 700 percent and increase its in-house workforce by 150 new employees.

 

German logistics company to hire 200 in Houston

Germany-based Talke Group is bringing 200 jobs to the Houston area in connection with a 10-year contract it won from Exxon Mobil. Talke will handle logistics around packing and exporting the 1.3 million tons of additional capacity coming online in 2017 with the start of two polyethylene production lines at Exxon Mobil’s Mont Belvieu Plastics Plant near Houston.

 

VIRGINIA

Peet’s Coffee invests $58 million in Virginia

The craft coffee brand will establish a new manufacturing operation in Suffolk, Va. The 175,000-square-foot roasting operation will create 135 new jobs.

 

Tech firm hiring over 500 in Northern Virginia

IOMAXIS, a cloud-based tech firm, is investing nearly $4 million in its operations in Fairfax County, Va. The company, which does work for the Department of Defense, will hire 555 in the expansion.

 

Healthcare services company hiring 300 in Richmond

Owens & Minor, a healthcare services company, is investing millions to establish a new Client Engagement Center in downtown Richmond. Richmond competed with about 60 other cities for the project that will create 300 jobs.

 

Jobs coming to Spotsylvania County

idX, a fixture manufacturer for retail markets, is relocating its plant from Maryland to Spotsylvania County, Va. The $7.2 million project will create 150 jobs.

 

Favor TechConsulting to create 1,200 new jobs

Favor TechConsulting, an IT solutions company to the federal government, plans to invest $1.65 million and hire 1,200 to expand in Virginia as it establishes its headquarters in Fairfax County.

 

Steel Dynamics investing in mini-mill in Roanoke

Steel Dynamics, a steel producer and recycling company, is investing $28 million at its mini-mill in Roanoke. The company is purchasing new equipment to increase capacity of its rolling mill operation. The plant houses 300 employees.

 

Navy Federal expansion to create 1,400 new jobs

Vienna, Virginia-based Navy Federal Credit Union, already the largest credit union in the world, will get much bigger with a $100 million expansion of its operations center in Winchester, Va. As part of the expansion, it will create 1,400 new jobs, nearly doubling its workforce in Frederick County, Va.

 

Geico hiring in Virginia Beach

The insurance company plans to hire more than 500 people by the end of 2017.

 

WEST VIRGINIA

Grocery distributor adding jobs

H.T. Hackney, a wholesale grocery distributor, is opening its first warehouse in West Virginia. The company is moving into a 246,000-square-foot building in Milton that will house 70 workers.