ALABAMA

Georgia-Pacific upgrades Alabama plant

Georgia-Pacific is investing $50 million to upgrade its paperboard machine at the company’s mill in Brewton, Ala. The company recently invested
$388 million to make energy improvements to the plant.

 

James Hardie investing $220 million in new plant

Dublin, Ireland-based James Hardie Building Products announced in the spring it will invest up to $220 million to open an advanced fiber-cement building products plant in Prattville, Ala. The project will create 205 jobs. The company makes several types of fiber-cement products under the brands of HardiePlank, HardiePanel, HardieTrim and ColorPlus.

 

Swiss aerospace firm opening factory in North Alabama

RUAG Space will open a new factory in Decatur, Ala., to support the United Launch Alliance. RUAG makes the enclosures and fairings used to cover satellites that are launched into space. The company will invest $40 million and hire 100.

 

Walmart investing $135 million in import facility

Retail giant Walmart will invest at least $135 million to open a 2.5 million-square-foot import distribution facility in Mobile County. The facility will create 550 jobs and provide a major boost to the Port of Mobile. It will service about 800 Walmart stores with products primarily shipped through the Alabama port’s container terminal.

 

Kimberly-Clark invests in its Alabama mill

Kimberly-Clark Corporation has approved an investment of $75 million for construction of a new combined heat-power plant at its tissue mill in Mobile. The plant, to be constructed over a two-year period, should improve energy efficiency and costs, as well as boost its overall competitiveness within Kimberly-Clark.

 

ARKANSAS

Chinese textile company announces big deal in Arkansas

Shandong Ruyi Technology Group, a manufacturer of yarn for textiles, announced in the spring it will invest $410 million to repurpose the former Sanyo plant in Forrest City, Ark. It’s the first North American plant for Ruyi. The company, which will process more than 200,000 tons of Arkansas-grown cotton, will hire 800 in the deal.

 

Large solar farm slated for rural Arkansas

Juno Beach, Fla.-based Next-Era Energy is building a 475-acre solar farm near Stuttgart, Ark. Once completed, the facility will be home to more than 350,000 solar panels. NextEra will build, own and operate the solar farm and the energy will serve Entergy Arkansas customers.

 

Chinese company to invest $5 million in pet treat plant in Danville

China-based Pet Won Pet Products will invest $5 million to develop pet treats at a new 28,887-square-foot facility, located 99 miles northwest of Little Rock, in Danville, Ark. The company will create 70 new jobs at the plant.

 

FLORIDA

Florida train to create hundreds of new jobs

Brightline is planning to hire 200 people as it launches high-speed rail service in Florida. Dave Howard, CEO of Brightline, said the 200 positions will be for a variety of roles through the company’s operations and stations in West Palm Beach, Fort Lauderdale and Miami.

 

Disney’s Avatar expansion to create 3,000 new jobs

The World of Avatar is the largest expansion in Animal Kingdom’s history, and the opening of Pandora will hire 1,500 new cast members, 700 operational and 800 construction roles. “Walt Disney World has 73,000 cast members today, serves as the largest single employer in the United States,” said Senior Vice President of Walt Disney World Parks Jim MacPhee. “All of those cast members live, work and play here in Central Florida. And so this ability to add incrementally to that is just another boost to the entire economic engine of the Central Florida community.” Pictured here is Pandora’s groundbreaking in 2014.

 

Amazon to bring 4,000 jobs to Jacksonville

Online retailer Amazon plans to build four facilities in different parts of Jacksonville that will create 4,000 jobs in Northeast Florida.

 

Walmart adding 2,000 jobs in Central Florida

Walmart will build a new distribution center in Cocoa, Fla., that will house about 450 workers. The retailer just completed its 2.2 million-square-foot warehouse in Davenport, Fla., and that facility will eventually generate 1,550 jobs.

 

Another big Amazon facility

In the spring quarter, Amazon.com signed a lease for its largest facility in South Florida. The company is leasing an 885,000-square-foot fulfillment center that will cost $92 million. Terms of the lease require that Amazon hire at least 1,000 workers at the facility.

 

Lockheed moving hundreds of jobs from California to Florida’s Space Coast

Lockheed Martin officials are following through on plans to relocate 300 jobs within its fleet ballistic missile division to its facilities at Cape Canaveral. The Maryland-based defense giant employs more than 7,000 workers in Central Florida. The move will reduce costs and centralize programs to key locations.

 

GEORGIA

Big data center slated for Georgia

Las Vegas-based Switch, a global technology solutions provider, will invest $2.5 billion in a Switch PRIME data center in Douglas County, Ga. The new Atlanta area center will be the highest rated data center in the Southeast. The project will create 65 jobs. Shown here is the company’s Core Campus in Nevada.

 

Amazon developing new distribution center northeast of Atlanta

Amazon.com will build a new distribution center in Jackson County, Ga., the company announced in June. The facility will be Amazon’s second in Jackson County. The deal will create 1,000 jobs.

 

Equifax bringing 800 jobs to Atlanta

Equifax, an information solutions provider, is adding 800 jobs to its workforce total of 3,000 in Atlanta. The company has moved into new office space in Midtown.

 

Aluminum manufacturer expanding

Based in Douglas-Ga., Elixir Extrusions is investing $8 million in its plant in Coffee County, Ga. The company makes custom aluminum extrusions and parts in a 250,000-square-foot facility for a variety of industries. The expansion will add space and 100 jobs at the facility.

 

Star Snacks announces $18 million facility

New Jersey-based Star Snacks will construct a 200,000-square-foot facility to source, roast and distribute peanuts grown in southwest Georgia. The facility in Macon-Bibb County, Ga., is expected to create more than 115 jobs.

 

KENTUCKY

Aluminum manufacturer to hire 550 in heart of Appalachia

A metals company will build a $1.3 billion facility near the border of Kentucky and West Virginia, pledging to hire 550 employees earning average salaries of $70,000 in an area devastated by the loss of coal and manufacturing jobs. Braidy Industries says the 2.5 million-square-foot facility in Greenup County, Ky., will produce aluminum for the automotive and aerospace industries, two of Kentucky’s largest manufacturing sectors. The company expects 1,000 workers will be needed to build the plant next year, with construction to be completed in 2020. Shown here are Craig Bouchard, chairman and CEO of Braidy Industries, and Kentucky Governor Matt Bevin.

 

Big aluminum mill announced in Kentucky

Tri-Arrows Aluminum will build a new cold rolling mill that produces aluminum sheets for beverage cans and automobiles. The $125 million plant will be located next to the Logan Aluminum plant in Logan County, Ky., and will house 60 workers.

 

Charlotte-based Nucor expanding Kentucky mill

Nucor Steel Gallatin Mill will expand its plant in Ghent, Ky. The plant produces rolled steel sheet used in automotive and agricultural equipment. The $176 million expansion will generate 75 jobs.

 

Apple investing $200 million in Kentucky plant

Apple is investing $200 million in Corning’s Gorilla Glass plant located in Harrodsburg, Ky. The glass is used in iPhones. No job numbers were given in the announcement.

 

Another bourbon distillery expansion in Kentucky

Bourbon’s huge comeback over the last six or seven years is continuing unabated in Kentucky. Wilderness Trail Distillery will invest $9.91 million in its facility in Boyle County, Ky. The project will expand production from 6,000 barrels a year to 36,000 barrels.

 

Tech firm to create HQ in Louisville

Interapt, a new tech development startup, will build a $3.7 million home base and add 250 jobs in Louisville’s Portland neighborhood. The company plans to renovate a 22,000-square-foot manufacturing and warehousing facility near downtown. Interapt develops mobile, web and high-tech wearable applications that business clients use to their improve communications.

 

LOUISIANA

Big deal in Northeast Louisiana

Graphic Packaging and DHL are teaming up to inject millions into facilities in West Monroe and Monroe, La. Graphic Packaging announced it is investing $120 million in its West Monroe mill and will also pump $70 million into a new 1.27 million-square-foot folding carton plant on the 726-acre Millhaven Road property on Interstate 20 in Monroe. DHL Supply Chain will also invest $84 million in the new facility.

 

Big Louisiana project is now even bigger

The previously announced LNG export facility on the Calcasieu Ship Channel in Cameron Parish, La., was originally an $11 billion project. Now G2, who is building the facility, is adding a petrochemical plant, bringing total investment in the two plants to $23 billion. At build out, the two projects will create 6,000 construction jobs and 700 permanent positions.

 

Chinese companies announce mega chemical projects in Louisiana

A pair of Chinese companies recently announced two separate chemical plant projects slated for Louisiana that will be worth billions. The first announcement came from Wanhua Chemical Group, one of the world’s largest producers of methylene biphenyl diisocyanate (MDI). After years of negotiations with Louisiana Economic Development (LED), the company landed a $4.3 million infrastructure grant to build a $1.12 billion chemical plant. The company has yet to pinpoint an exact location for the complex. LED said that the project could produce as many as 170 direct and 945 indirect jobs. Yuhuang Chemical Inc. also announced it could end up spending billions more than projected to complete its current methanol project in St. James Parish.

Noranda Alumina expanding Port of South Louisiana facility

Gov. John Bel Edwards and Port of South Louisiana officials announced in the spring that Noranda Bauxite and Alumina will invest $35 million to expand and upgrade its alumina refinery at the port. The company will also establish its headquarters in Gramercy, La. The deal will create 65 jobs.

 

Lotte Chemical USA moving to Louisiana

Lotte Chemical USA has decided to establish its headquarters in Lake Charles, where the corporate office will join the company’s $1.1 billion monoethylene glycol plant under construction. Together, the plant and corporate headquarters will create 130 new direct jobs, over 1,200 permanent new indirect jobs, and more than 3,000 construction jobs. In addition to Lotte Chemical’s MEG plant, the company is investing in a $1.9 billion joint venture with Westlake Chemical to build an ethane cracker complex, also under construction on the 250-acre site that will be home to the MEG plant and future headquarters.

 

Waitr adding 100 jobs in Lafayette

Waitr, an online and mobile software solutions company for the restaurant industry, is adding 100 jobs at its technology center in Lafayette. The company is headquartered in Lake Charles, LA.

 

MISSISSIPPI

Biewer Lumber opens $85 million sawmill in Newton, Miss.

Biewer Lumber has opened its $85 million state-of-the-art sawmill, 64 miles east of Jackson, Miss. The Newton facility, which is officially known as Biewer Sawmill-Newton, expands the company’s mill production into the South.

 

New Process Steel expands in Columbus

A metals solutions company, New Process Steel, is upgrading its operations in Columbus. The company plans to invest $7.5 million and create 50 jobs by the end of 2018. The expansion will need $750,000 in Development Infrastructure Program grants from the Mississippi Development Authority for road improvements, and up to $1 million in a state loan to pay for a rail spur from the the Steel Dynamics campus.

 

Northrop Grumman expands unmanned systems plant in Mississippi

Northrop Grumman is expanding production and adding new work to its Unmanned Systems facility in Moss Point, Miss. The expansion will also include sub-assembly work for the F-35 program. The $3.7 million investment will create 60 jobs in Jackson County.

 

Healthcare firm opens new headquarters in rural Mississippi

Avectus Healthcare Solutions has completed the expansion of its headquarters in Corinth, Miss. The company has added 130 jobs.

 

Regions to build $23 million operations facility in Hattiesburg

Regions Financial Corp. is investing $23 million into its Mississippi operations with a new facility in Hattiesburg. The Birmingham-headquartered bank currently employs 320 people in the Hattiesburg area, but it plans to add about 90 employees to support operations. The new facility will primarily house workers from Regions Mortgage.

 

MISSOURI

Dollar Tree plans 1.2 million-square-foot distribution hub in Missouri

Dollar Tree will invest approximately $110 million to build a 1.2 million-square-foot distribution facility in Warrensburg, Mo. The company plans to create 375 new jobs, as it expects 150 to 200 inbound/outbound trucks per day as the facility supports the Midwestern U.S. retail store network.

 

Centene breaks ground on $770 million expansion in Clayton

Centene officials recently broke ground on the company’s $770 million campus expansion project in Clayton. The project will include office towers, parking garages, residential units, and a hotel and civic auditorium for the healthcare enterprise that serves as an intermediary for both government-sponsored and privately-insured healthcare programs.

 

Kraft Heinz opens expanded plant

Kraft Heinz has opened its $250 million expanded plant in Kirksville, Mo. In 2016, the company announced it would add seven new Oscar Mayer meat production lines, nearly tripling the size of the plant to over 450,000 square feet. Two hundred jobs were created in the expansion.

 

Technology company adding 415 jobs in Kansas City

DST, a global technology, advisory and operations outsourcing firm, is expanding in Kansas City. The company is adding 415 new jobs.

 

Pet food maker expands in Missouri

Blue Buffalo, a maker of Heartland Pet Food, is expanding its manufacturing campus in Joplin, Mo. The company is adding 112,000 square feet of space to its current 416,000-square-foot facility. Blue Buffalo officials have pledged to create more than 160 full-time jobs.

 

Companies in joint venture to create 150 jobs in Joplin

ABB, which is a multi-national company known for robotics and ATC (Automated Technology Company), are teaming up to build a home automation business in Joplin. The work that will be done is everything from programming software to installing the components for home automation. The deal will create 150 jobs.

 

3M adding jobs in Springfield

3M will expand its plant in Springfield. The facility produces industrial adhesives and tapes for the aerospace industry and other sectors. The $40 million project will create 90 new jobs.

 

Frozen food plant to be built in Missouri

Ajinomoto Windsor is building a new frozen appetizer plant in Joplin, Mo. The deal will create 200 jobs.

 

NORTH CAROLINA

Robotics company to expand North Carolina plant, adding 275 jobs

A company that makes robotics parts is expanding its operation in North Carolina, adding 275 jobs over the next four years. ATI Industrial Automation plans to spend
$6 million to expand its factory and headquarters in Apex.

 

Credit Suisse expanding by 1,200 jobs at Research Triangle Park

Swiss multinational financial services firm Credit Suisse Group is adding 1,200 jobs at its tech hub in Research Triangle Park, N.C. The company is investing $70.5 million in a new building on its campus there. The new jobs are primarily IT and finance and will average nearly $100,000 per year. Credit Suisse moved significant operations to North Carolina in 2004 following the 9/11 terrorist attacks. The company also cited the Raleigh-Durham area’s skilled labor force and lower real estate and operating costs in first moving to RTP.

 

Financial services firm hiring 550 in Charlotte

AXA, a financial protection firm, is doubling its workforce to 550 at its location in University City’s Innovation Park in Charlotte. The company is investing $18 million in the project.

 

Big deal for Turkish textile company in Winston-Salem

A Turkish textile company wants to purchase the assets of defunct Microfibres Inc. and start a new company called HBFabrics in Winston-Salem. The company expects to invest nearly $4 million and add 390 jobs.

 

Buncombe Commissioners okay incentives for 551 Black Mountain jobs

Buncombe County Commissioners (N.C.) voted to authorize incentives to Avadim Technologies, a life-sciences company that promises to bring 551 new jobs and invest $25.4 million in the area. Avadim Technologies now employs 56 people full-time. The company is planning to move to Black Mountain to create a 100,000-square-foot plant.

 

Novant Health’s $49 million expansion brings 100 new jobs to Piedmont Triad Medical Center

Novant Health is adding about 100 new jobs at its medical center in Clemmons, N.C., as it expects to complete construction on the facility this summer. The Novant Health Clemmons Medical Center, where the positions will be located, has recently undergone a $49 million expansion.

 

OKLAHOMA

HVAC component manufacturer to open new plant

Ductmate Industries has purchased a 198,000-square-foot building in Wagoner, Okla., to open an HVAC system components plant. The project will create 60 new jobs.

 

Plastics manufacturer expands in Oklahoma

McClarin Plastics, a maker of engineered plastics used by the oil and gas industry and others, has purchased Custom Composites in Oklahoma City. The acquisition will pave the way for more space and 50 new jobs.

 

Four hundred new jobs from MedXM expansion in Oklahoma

Mobile Medical Examination, which provides in-home health risk assessments, will be expanding into Oklahoma City to house additional support for MedXM outreach initiatives.

 

SOUTH CAROLINA

LuLaRoe distribution center coming to Richland County, S.C.

California-based clothing line LuLaRoe, founded in 2013 and currently sold in 80,000 retail locations, is opening a distribution center in the former Bose plant in Blythewood. The new facility is expected to bring nearly $35 million in investment and create as many as 1,000 jobs.

 

Samsung in late stages of investing $300 million in South Carolina

Korean electronics giant Samsung is in late-stage discussions with South Carolina officials to invest $380 million in the former Caterpillar plant in Newberry, S.C. The project is expected to create 950 jobs.

 

BAE adding jobs in Aiken County

BAE Systems, which integrates electronic and tactical vehicles and provides IT security services at its facility in Aiken County, is upgrading its facilities there. The company will invest $8.4 million and add 120 jobs.  

Boat company adding 370 jobs

Scout Boats, based in Summerville, plans to invest nearly $11 million as it expands its Dorchester County operations, creating 370 jobs. The boat manufacturer, which also expanded in 2014, plans to build a facility in Summerville that will be large enough to house the company’s new 53-foot yacht model.

 

Glass fiber plant expands in Aiken County

AGY Holding has invested in upgrades of equipment at its glass fiber plant in Aiken County, S.C. The project will create 80 jobs.

 

Electrolux investing in South Carolina plant

Charlotte-based Electrolux is investing $200 million to upgrade its plant in Anderson, S.C. The company will add 800,000 square feet. No additional jobs to the 1,300 already housed at the plant will be created. 

 

TENNESSEE

Stanley Black & Decker adding jobs in Jackson, Tenn.

Stanley Black & Decker, a maker of tools and hardware, is relocating and reshoring new lines of production at its facility in Madison County, Tenn. The company will invest $29 million and add 255 jobs.

 

Another tire manufacturer captured by Tennessee

Finland-based Nokian Tyres announced in the spring it will build a $360 million tire production plant in Dayton, Tenn. It is the largest foreign direct investment in Rhea County’s history. The new 830,000-square-foot facility will house 400 workers.

 

Manufacturer picks Dyersburg for plant

Frazier Industrial Company announced in the spring it will build a new manufacturing plant in Dyersburg. The company makes structural storage racking systems. The $17.4 million, 175,000-square-foot deal will create 120 new jobs.

 

Plant bringing 250 jobs to Morristown

A Wisconsin maker of coffee filters and wet wipes will open a factory in Morristown, Tenn., about 40 miles northeast of Knoxville, bringing 250 new jobs. Rockline Industries will form a new subsidiary to make wet wipes in a 435,000-square-foot facility.

 

KPS Global expands in Northeast Tennessee

KPS Global, a walk-in cooler, freezer and environmental chamber manufacturer, is expanding its plant in Sullivan County, Tenn. The company will invest $1.5 million, add space and hire 64 new workers.

 

Fortune 1000 relocating HQ in Tennessee

Mueller Industries, currently headquartered in Memphis, is planning to move its 120-person headquarters to an office building still under construction 30 miles away in Collierville. The company produces piping, industrial metals and climate control products.

 

Handgun maker SCCY bringing 350 jobs, $22.5 million to Blount County

Florida handgun manufacturer, SCCY (pronounced “sky”) Industries, will bring 350 jobs to Blount County with an initial $22.5 million investment, constructing a 150,000-square-foot campus to house corporate, research and development and manufacturing facilities.

 

Three hundred tech jobs announced in Tennessee

SAIC (Science Applications International Corp., which is based in McLean, Va.) is adding 300 tech jobs in Cookeville, Tenn.

 

TEXAS

Huge data center planned for Allen, Texas

Dallas-based CyrusOne is building one of the largest data centers in Texas. The 1.4 million-square-foot complex will be built on 66 acres in Allen. The center will be larger than Facebook’s $1 billion data center under construction in nearby Fort Worth. The Dallas-Fort Worth region has more data centers than anywhere in the U.S. except for Northern Virginia.

 

Exxon, SABIC choose Texas for $10 billion petrochem project

ExxonMobil Chemical Co. and Saudi Basic Industries Corp. (known as SABIC) announced in April they have selected a site in San Patricio County, Texas for a multibillion-dollar petrochemical project. Natural gas from the Eagle Ford Shale was key in landing the $10 billion plastics plant that will be built just north of Corpus Christi, where it is expected to be a game changer for the South Texas economy. The plant, which will make ethylene and other chemicals for polyester, anti-freeze, plastic bottles and food packaging products, will hire 600 permanent employees, in addition to creating 11,000 construction jobs.

 

Japan-based Daikin Industries completes $417 million, 4,000-employee campus near Houston

Daikin Industries, one of the largest heating and air conditioning manufacturers in the world, has completed its $417 million campus on 500 acres outside Houston. The campus features a 4.2 million-square-foot building, the largest tilt-wall structure in the world, and the second largest manufacturing facility in North America. The complex will serve as the company’s design, engineering and assembly plant of systems for residential and commercial use.

 

American Airlines begins new Fort Worth HQ

American Airlines has begun work on its new 1.8 million-square-foot headquarters campus in Fort Worth. The 300-acre site is where the airline giant housed its original Fort Worth headquarters in 1983, after the airline relocated its operations from New York to North Texas. The new headquarters will have enough space to house up to 11,000 employees.

 

If you are a Facebook user, your posts are likely going through Fort Worth

Phase one of Facebook’s largest data center is now operational in Fort Worth. The first of five Fort Worth data centers officially came online in May. The $1 billion project includes 20 data halls on nearly 150 acres. Facebook filed for a $267 million permit in May to begin work on the second phase of the data center.

 

Glass manufacturer in Wichita Falls breaks ground on expansion

Vitro Architectural Glass broke ground this spring on an expansion of its facilities in Wichita Falls, Texas. The company makes glass for commercial facilities. The $55 million project will create 50 jobs.

 

San Antonio lands distribution center, 1,000 jobs

TJX Companies is building a 1.5 million-square-foot distribution center in the South Side of San Antonio. The project will create 1,000 jobs.

 

Construction begins on $113 million pharma campus in Carrollton

Construction on a $113 million, 40-acre campus for AmerisourceBergen Specialty Group has begun in Carrollton, which will make enough room for a division of Pennsylvania-based AmerisourceBergen Corp. to add more than 1,000 employees. There are plans to employ upwards of 3,000 in the next decade.

 

VIRGINIA

Big investment in Virginia bakery

Wholesome Harvest Baking, a subsidiary of Grupo Bimbo, one of the largest bakery companies in the world, is investing $22 million to upgrade equipment at its operations in Roanoke.

 

Amazon Web Services to create 1,500 more jobs in Fairfax County

Gov. Terry McAuliffe announced in June that Amazon Web Services (AWS), an Amazon.com company, will expand its presence in Fairfax County, Va., with a new East Coast corporate campus at One Dulles Tower in the Herndon area of the county. The expansion is expected to create up to 1,500 jobs. Virginia competed against Texas and Washington State for the deal. AWS is one of the world’s most comprehensive and broadly adopted cloud platforms.

 

Company adding 434 jobs in Newport News

Ferguson, a plumbing wholesaler, has announced a major expansion at its Newport News headquarters. The company is investing $82.8 million to add a new campus at City Center at Oyster Point. The project will create 434 jobs.

 

Amazon to create 1,000 jobs in Frederick County

Amazon will establish an e-commerce warehouse and distribution operation in Frederick County. The company plans to construct a new, 1 million-square-foot facility in the White Hall Commerce Center.

 

Eastman expanding Virginia plant

Eastman Chemical will invest $11.7 million at its plant in Henry County, Va. The company will expand capacity for performance films used in a variety of industries. The deal will create 15 jobs.

 

WEST VIRGINIA

Manufacturer breaks ground in West Virginia

Italy-based Pietro Fiorentini, a manufacturer of pressure regulators and valves for the natural gas industry, broke ground in June on a new plant in Weirton, W.Va. The deal will create 45 jobs.

 

New plant slated for West Virginia

Canada-based Shaw Almex is moving into an existing facility in Wayne County, W.Va., that will be a center for new product development in material handling and conveying solutions. The project will create 25 employees.