October 2016

Honeywell to create more than 800 jobs in Atlanta

Honeywell, a Fortune 100 company specializing in technology, software development and manufacturing, will create more than 800 jobs and invest $19 million to establish a software development center and the headquarters for its $9.4 billion Home and Building Technologies business in Midtown Atlanta.

 

Holiday Hiring

Christmas is still a few months away, and competition for workers to make sure online holiday orders arrive on time is heating up fueled by the growth of online shopping. UPS said recently that it plans to bring roughly 95,000 workers on board. Minnesota-based Target said it plans to hire 70,000 seasonal team members across its stores and another 7,500 workers for its distribution and fulfillment facilities. Toys"R"Us is hiring 400 workers in Alabama alone, and expects that 15-20 percent of those will become permanent employees. Versant Supply Chains recently announced it needs as many as 2,000 new employees to help in the intense shipping season. Another logistics company, Radial, made a similar claim to 3,000 employees just last month. Even if these positions are temporary, they will have an impact.

 

Arkansas’ Highland Pellet hires more than 50 workers

Highland Pellet, Arkansas’ first full-scale wood pellet manufacturing facility, recently hired 54 new workers for the company’s $200 million plant in Pine Bluff. The biomass energy facility will be commissioned and ready to ship wood pellets to the United Kingdom before the end of this year.

 

Upholstery company in Kings Mountain, N.C., expands

A Kings Mountain upholstery fabric company, Kings Plush doing business as Specialty Textiles, will add 59 employees and spend $11.5 million to build a second facility alongside its existing plant in Cleveland County. 

 

UniFirst expands distribution hub in Owensboro, Ky.

UniFirst Corp., one of North America’s largest workwear and textile service companies, plans a $12 million expansion of its distribution center in Owensboro. The company plans to add up to 25 employees in the next three years. 

 

Incitec Pivot-Cornerstone Chemical opens $1 billion plant in Jefferson Parish

Incitec Pivot Limited and Cornerstone Chemical recently dedicated a $1.025 billion production plant, which includes the combined construction of Dyno Nobel’s $850 million ammonia plant with Cornerstone Chemical’s $175 million investment in upgrades and infrastructure, at the 800-acre Fortier Manufacturing Complex on the west bank of the Mississippi River in Jefferson Parish, La. 

 

SCA to spend $24 million in Bowling Green

SCA, a global hygiene and forest products provider, will expand in Bowling Green, Ky., with a $24 million investment expected to create 20 jobs.

 

Auto supplier to add 134 jobs in Versailles, Ky.

Yokohama Industries, a supplier of fluid conveying products and adhesives for the automotive industry, plans to add 134 jobs at its facility in central Kentucky.

 

Reynolds to expand west Louisville aluminum plant, add 50 jobs

Reynolds Manufacturing plans to expand its west Louisville plant where it makes Reynolds Wrap aluminum foil, adding up to 50 jobs. 

 

Saudi chemical company expands Houston hub, eyes sites for massive plant

Saudi Arabia's top petrochemical company made Houston its North American hub this summer and will soon decide whether to build a multibillion dollar chemical plant there. The plant, a joint venture with Exxon Mobil, would include the world's largest ethane cracker. The Saudi Arabia Basic Industries Corp., known as SABIC, is considering sites along the Gulf Coast in Texas and Louisiana, and expects to make the selection by the end of the year.

 

Virginia’s ST Tissue spending $35 million to expand

ST Tissue, a manufacturer of high-quality tissue, towel and napkin products, will invest $35 million to expand its operations at the old International Paper mill near Franklin, in Isle of Wight County, Va. The deal will create 50 new jobs.

 

High style in Henry County, Ga.

Tory Burch, best known for creating women’s high-end clothing and accessories, will create more than 150 jobs and invest more than $60 million in a Henry County facility. The distribution center will support Tory Burch’s ecommerce business and is expected to be fully operational by the end of 2017.

 

First Tennessee moving HQ to Raleigh

Memphis-based First Tennessee Bank is moving its mid-Atlantic headquarters from Winston-Salem to Raleigh, N.C. Mid-Atlantic president Billy Frank says the bank, which already employs about 60 in Raleigh, will “definitely” grow in terms of headcount in the Triangle.

 

KPMG confirms 200-job tech center in Midtown Atlanta

KPMG, a global network of professional firms providing audit, tax and advisory services, confirmed it will put a technology hub in Midtown’s 50-story One Atlantic Center, and create about 200 jobs.  The expansion involves a $1.3 million investment. 

 

Shoe distributor off and running with Middle Tennessee expansion

Online shoe distributor Ebuys, which was acquired by DSW in February, is opening a new 600,000-square-foot distribution facility in La Vergne, Tenn. The company will also add 160 jobs there. Ebuys already operates a facility in Antioch, where it employs 120 workers. 

 

Military contractor adding 123 jobs in Alabama

HDT Expeditionary Systems, an Ohio-based producer of shelters, generators, and other technologies for the military, civilian government and commercial industries, is planning to invest $4.2 million to move manufacturing operations to Limestone County, Ala. The company plans to hire 123 workers to manufacture deployable, mobile command units for the military at the new Huntsville operation.

 

Walton, Ky., lands $100 million expansion

Safran Landing Systems recently broke ground on its $100 million expansion that will not only increase production of carbon brakes for aircraft, but will also add 80 new employees there.

 

Novo Nordisk’s expansion proceeds in North Carolina

Drug giant Novo Nordisk, which operates a large insulin production plant in Johnston County, says it remains committed to the $1.8 billion expansion underway at the facility, although it has imposed a hiring freeze. It also announced 1,000 layoffs, but the North Carolina operation is not affected, according to a company spokesperson.

 

Ultrafab expands South Carolina manufacturing center

Ultrafab, an original equipment manufacturer of weather stripping and weather seals, is expanding its existing operations in Greenville County, S.C. Ultrafab is investing $2 million and adding about 35 jobs.

 

Boeing jet deal big boost for St. Louis jobs

The administration of President Barack Obama has approved $7 billion in long-stalled sales of Boeing fighter jets to Kuwait and Qatar, a decision that could preserve thousands of jobs in the St. Louis area. 

 

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 existing 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. 

 

Pasture-raised egg company to open Missouri facility

A Texas-based company that produces pasture-raised eggs sold in Whole Foods and other retailers plans to open a processing facility in northwest Springfield. Vital Farms, which processes eggs from chickens raised on more than 100 small independent farms, each of which agree to provide at least 108 square feet of outdoor pasture per chicken, expects to create 50 new full-time jobs in the first year, with plans for up to 50 additional jobs in the future. 

 

Adidas brings jobs to Atlanta, but not for humans

The robot revolution now means that more companies are bringing their manufacturing back to the U.S., or wherever they are based. However, they may not be bringing jobs back with them. Sportswear company Adidas recently produced their first pair of shoes from a new, highly automated factory in Germany and announced plans for another similar factory in Atlanta to be up and running by the end of 2017.

 

Duke Foods to establish manufacturing facility in Texoma

Duke Food Productions is acquiring a new manufacturing facility in Texas, which marks the company's first expansion outside of South Carolina. Duke is making a $10 million investment to renovate an old Sherwin-Williams facility in Bonham, Texas, and plans to hire 200 new full-time jobs at the location over the next 5 years.

 

Proto Labs to debut Cary 3D manufacturing facility

Two years after entering the North Carolina technology scene with the acquisition of Raleigh-based FineLine Prototyping, Minnesota manufacturing innovator Proto Labs is preparing for the grand opening of its new facility in Cary, N.C. The company, which pledged last year to create 170 new jobs at the site, has made a big bet on 3D printing with the flex building it purchased last year for just under $5 million.

 

Crestwood to build, operate $180 million Permian natural gas system

Houston-based Crestwood Equity Partners will build, own and operate a $180 million natural gas facility in Texas’ Permian Basin. As part of Crestwood’s deal with SWEPI (a subsidiary of Royal Dutch Shell), Crestwood has a long-term agreement to gather natural gas over 100,000 acres in Loving, Reeves and Ward counties in West Texas.

 

Carolina Bank to bring jobs to Downtown Florence, S.C.

Carolina Bank is moving its headquarters from the city of Darlington to Downtown Florence. The $4.8 million dollar expansion will bring about 60 employees into the downtown area.

 

Old Selber building becomes new data center in Shreveport

The century-old Selber Department Store, closed for nearly three decades, has a new purpose. Venyu Solutions, an EATEL company, will make a $20 million capital investment and create 15 new jobs in its new data center in Shreveport.

 

Kooks Custom Headers expanding with $3.2 million investment, new facility

Kooks Custom Headers expects to invest $3.2 million into Iredell County, N.C., in the coming months, with $1 million of that specifically slated for Statesville. Kooks is an automotive manufacturing company that specializes in headers and exhaust systems. 

 

Corning Optical Communications’ two-city expansion in North Carolina

Corning Optical Communications, a provider of fiber optic communications solutions, will expand its facilities in Hickory and Winston-Salem. The company plans to add a total of 205 jobs — 105 employees at its Hickory plant and 100 in Winston-Salem — while investing nearly $83.5 million over the next five years. 

 

ESP confirms Arkansas site for $3 billion project

CEO Roger Williams announced that Energy Security Partners has selected land in Jefferson County, Ark., as its final and official site for a $3 billion-plus plant to convert natural gas into diesel and other liquid fuels, a project billed as the largest economic development endeavor in Arkansas history. 

 

South Florida call center announces 700 openings

Global Response is hiring more than 700 people at its Margate call center. The company is seeking customer service reps to handle inbound customer calls, chat, email and social media.

 

Tire makers invest $10 billion in expansions, improvements

After easing back on the capital expenditure accelerator in 2014-15, the world's leading tire makers picked up the pace again over the past 12 months, committing nearly $10 billion to new projects and more than $2.5 billion to strategic acquisitions.

 

350 more Michelin men in South Carolina

Michelin North America, which already operates seven tire manufacturing plants in South Carolina, is expanding again. Michelin is adding a new distribution center in Spartanburg that will create 350 jobs. The company has its North American headquarters in Greenville, and announced recently that it's investing more than $270 million in the new distribution center.

 

Polo Custom Products expands Mississippi plant

Polo Custom Products is expanding operations in Louisville, Miss. The custom industrial sewing company will invest $150,000 and create 30 jobs in Winston County.

 

Arkansas company to invest $6.7 million, add 100 jobs

Lecheek Nutrition, a company that makes and distributes nutritional supplements, will invest $6.7 million into a new 437,000-square-foot facility in Harrison, Ark. After adding 100 new employees, the facility will employ more than 170 people in total.

 

Memphis manufacturer to bring jobs back from China

W.M. Barr & Co. is planning a 10,000-square-foot, $12 million expansion of its facilities on Presidents Island, Tenn., a project that will add 40 new jobs to its current staff of 179. The company manufactures paint removers, solvents and cleaning products.

 

UST Logistical Systems to locate headquarters in Greenville County

UST Logistical Systems, a third-party logistics company that specializes in the delivery of furniture and appliances from a retailer’s warehouse directly to a customer’s home, will establish its headquarters in Greenville. The move means a $1.6 million investment and 50 new jobs.

 

Port San Antonio creates 500 jobs, more expected

At the annual State of Port San Antonio, Roland Mower, port president and CEO, told attendees that 500 jobs had been created in the last several months and more are predicted by the end of the year. 

 

Belgian firm to move U.S. headquarters from Texas to South Florida

Betafence, a fence manufacturer based in Belgium, will move its U.S. HQ operations from Ennis, Texas to Sunrise, Fla. 

 

Velocity Resource Group relocates HQ to Tampa

Velocity Resource Group, a global talent acquisition services provider, will relocate its corporate headquarters to Tampa, Fla. The relocation means 50 new jobs and a $375,000 investment in the local community.

 

235 jobs jump state line to south Kansas City

Chalk one up for the Missouri side in the ongoing border war for Kansas City-area businesses and jobs. eScreen Inc., which provides employment screening services, will be moving its headquarters and 235 jobs across the state line from Overland Park to Kansas City, Mo.

 

Alorica to create 830 jobs in Owensboro, Ky.

California-based Alorica plans to establish an 830-job customer engagement center in downtown Owensboro’s former BB&T building, marking one of the city’s largest-ever economic development projects. The company plans to hire 500 employees in the first 12 months of operations and expand to about 830 team members over three years. Alorica provides customer engagement services through voice, online, mobile telephone and social media to companies in nine key industries. 

 

Nucor plans $230 million mill at Blytheville, Ark.

Nucor will add a $230 million cold mill to its Blytheville operation as it seeks to grow sales to the automotive market. The company shared some of its plans — including the 100 new hires it will require — with Blytheville city leaders last week when it requested a property tax abatement for the project. 

 

Eastern Shipbuilding Group wins largest contract in U.S. Coast Guard history

Eastern Shipbuilding Group, which has two shipyards in Bay County, Fla., recently landed a $10.5 billion contract — the largest in U.S. Coast Guard history — to build the first series of nine offshore patrol cutters. “This is a big win for the people of Northwest Florida,” U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson, D-Fla., said in a news release. “The 2,000 new jobs that this contract will create will provide a significant boost to the local economy.”

 

Virginia Beach announces four expansions and a relocation.

Virginia Beach will soon get 177 new jobs, as the result of four business expansions and one relocation. The city said that the Virginia Beach Development Authority has approved incentive grants totaling $165,000 to the five businesses. The biggest job creator is expected to be Chantel Ray, a female-owned residential real estate company founded in 2011. It plans to launch a national franchise from a new headquarters location in Virginia Beach, creating 87 new jobs. 

 

Fay Servicing locates headquarters in Tampa

Fay Servicing, a mortgage services firm, will locate its new Southeastern regional headquarters in Tampa. The expansion will create 100 new jobs and invest more than $1 million in the local community. 

 

Independent Stave breaks ground on $18 million mill in Marshall County, Ky.

Gov. Matt Bevin, company and city officials in Benton, Ky., recently broke ground on the company’s second Kentucky mill, which will produce barrel staves for the bourbon and whiskey industries. The $18 million project will create 47 full-time positions and provide the company with additional production capacity and flexibility.

 

Gadsden metal plant expansion bringing 84 jobs

Eighty-four new jobs are expected to be coming to Gadsden, Ala., over the next three years with an expansion of Prince Metal Stamping USA. The city council recently approved a 10-year abatement of taxes for the $34,550,000 investment.

 

Fehrer Automotive expanding in Etowah County, Ala.

Fehrer’s $10 million expansion is expected to bring about 150 new jobs to Etowah County. The company makes automotive seating components.

 

Giant Kentucky sheet plant opens

A $150 million, 225,000-square-foot automotive sheet plant opened recently in Kentucky. The joint venture between Netherlands-based Constellium and Japan-based UACJ began construction on the plant in 2014 in the Kentucky Transpark. The plant will employ 65 workers and is designed to allow for expansion in the future. According to Constellium, automotive aluminum body sheet demand in North America alone is projected to double from 500,000 metric tons in 2015 to 1 million by 2020.

 

Austin company to break ground on $200 million data center

Data Foundry Inc. is ready to break ground in Southeast Austin on a 325,000-square-foot, $200 million data center which will be called Texas 2. Austin-based Data Foundry already operates Texas 1 at that location, which it calls “Data Ranch.”

 

J Royal moving to Winston-Salem

A Clemmons company known as an industry leader in the manufacture of seals and O-rings is moving to Winston-Salem. J Royal Seals & Engineered Products is moving to Salem Industrial Park. A building permit for $2,259,647 was issued for the work.

 

Avadim to add 551 jobs in Buncombe with new headquarters

Asheville life-science company, Avadim Technologies, will begin construction of its new corporate headquarters outside Black Mountain, N.C. The company will add 551 jobs in Buncombe County while investing $25.4 million in capital. Under its brand Theraworx, Avadim makes skin products for uses in the medical, sports and military fields.

 

$75 million Army aviation training center opening in Alabama

A Tampa-based aviation training company plans to begin offering flight training to U.S. Army aviators at a training facility opening in Dothan, Ala., a little more than 20 miles from Fort Rucker and the U.S. Army’s Aviation Center of Excellence, the headquarters of Army Aviation and primary location for Army helicopter flight training for more than five decades. CAE USA plans to open the facility in 2017 as part of the company’s $75 million investment in the state.

 

Pilot training business to add 100 jobs in Pasco County, Fla.

TRU Simulation + Training is expanding its pilot training business, adding 100 jobs and a nearly $30 million capital investment to its existing Pasco County operations.

 

Joint venture to create 60 jobs in Duncan, S.C.

A new joint venture called Albis Barnet Polymers will invest $14 million in a new facility and create 60 new jobs in Duncan, S.C. Their belief that recycling of high quality, engineered resins has a great future, especially in the automotive industry, is one reason for the partnership of William Barnet & Son of Duncan and Albis Plastic of Hamburg, Germany.

 

Ritz Instrument Transformers expands in Hart County, Ga.

Ritz Instrument Transformers, the world’s largest manufacturer of transformers in the 600V through 72KV range, will expand its current operations in Hart County. The company will invest $8 million and create 50 full-time jobs within the next five years. 

 

Champion Home Builders cuts ribbon on Kentucky facility

Champion Home Builders held a ribbon cutting for its $6.3 million production facility in Benton, Ky., that will employ 150. The 100,000-square-foot facility will be used to produce manufactured, modular and mobile homes for distribution to retailers in Kentucky and other states. 

 

Medical software company relocates HQ to Richardson, Texas

Aprima Medical Software, a provider of electronic health records for medical practices, recently completed a move of its corporate headquarters to Richardson, Texas. The company is relocating its 250 Dallas-area employees into a single location. 

 

IAAPA intends to move world HQ to Orlando

The attractions industry's premier trade group plans to relocate its global headquarters to Orange County, Fla., from Alexandria, Va. The International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions' move next year will bring about 40 jobs contingent on receiving incentives from Florida and Orange County.

 

Japanese company buys land for manufacturing facility at Texas’ Brooks City Base

Nissei Plastic Industrial Co., a Japanese manufacturer of injection molding machines, plans to build a manufacturing facility on nine acres of land it bought recently at Brooks City Base — the former Air Force base San Antonio leaders are trying to transform into an economic hub on the South Side. 

 

Kasai opens North American HQ in Murfreesboro, Tenn.

Kasai held a grand opening ceremony for its new North American headquarters last month in Murfreesboro. In late 2014, the Japanese-based company, which supplies Nissan and other automotive companies, announced plans to invest $13.4 million and add 250 jobs in Rutherford County.

 

New energy plant to bring hundreds of jobs to Henderson, Ky.

"It's going to require about 500 construction jobs over a three-year build," said Brad Schneider, Henderson County Judge Executive. And in 2020, HenderSun Energy will burn natural gas into electricity. The plant will employ 30 full-time employees and will generate $700 million in capital investments.  

 

Embraer Aero Seating Technologies opens new Florida facility

Embraer recently inaugurated a new 50,000-square-foot manufacturing facility for its premium seating subsidiary, Embraer Aero Seating Technologies, in Titusville, Fla. The operation will soon begin production with 150 new hires.

 

Lyft plans Mid-Atlantic regional HQ in Virginia

Lyft, a San Francisco-based ride-hailing company, will invest $350,000 to establish a Mid-Atlantic regional headquarters operation in Arlington County, Va. The facility will create 32 new jobs.

 

Floor & Decor plans huge Savannah distribution center

Floor & Decor, an Atlanta-based chain of floor covering stores, plans to build a 2.5-million-square-foot distribution center complex about 10 miles from the Port of Savannah. The distribution center will be one of the largest single facilities in the greater Savannah distribution complex, according to port officials.

 

Chinese tire maker to open first U.S. plant in Georgia

Chinese tire manufacturer Sentury plans to build its first U.S. factory in western Georgia. The $530 million facility in LaGrange will create more than 1,000 jobs in the production of tires for cars and light trucks. In addition to production positions, Georgia officials said that Sentury plans to employ people in national sales and marketing, warehousing and distribution and about 100 technical positions in the facility's research and development center in LaGrange.

 

Summit Racing to build superstore, add 250 jobs in Arlington, Texas

Summit Racing Equipment, a leading seller of performance auto parts and accessories, plans to build an $82 million 700,000-square-foot warehouse, data-processing center and auto parts superstore in south Arlington that will employ as many as 330 jobs by 2021.

 

FedEx to open new Little Rock facility, adding 100 jobs

FedEx is opening a new 300,000-square-foot facility as part of the FedEx Ground network plan. In the last decade, FedEx Ground's volume has doubled. This new facility will create over 100 new jobs, and its processing rate is estimated to be over 15,000 packages per hour.

 

FedEx Ground to build Tennessee warehouse

FedEx plans to construct a large distribution center near Nashville for its FedEx Ground operations. The 1-million-square-foot warehouse on Murfreesboro's south side is expected to cost $189.5 million and to create 41 full-time jobs.

 

American Airlines’ Envoy bringing 60 jobs to Little Rock

A subsidiary of American Airlines Group, Envoy Air, plans to invest $2 million to establish a new aircraft maintenance facility at the Bill and Hillary Clinton National Airport in Little Rock. The facility will require 60 new hires to provide maintenance support for the growing fleet of 76-seat Embraer 175 aircraft there.

 

Intimidator plans 400 jobs for Batesville, Ark., as part of $12 million expansion

Intimidator Inc., the Batesville manufacturer of four-wheel-drive utility vehicles and its Spartan "zero-turn" lawnmowers, will add more than 400 employees over the next four years as part of a $12 million expansion.

 

Steel Ventures expands plant in Kentucky

Steel Ventures, an affiliate of Steel of West Virginia, plans a $16 million buildout of an existing facility in Wurtland, Ky. The company will establish a 65-job galvanizing and distribution operation. 

 

Auto parts maker expands in Greenville, S.C.

Alfmeier Friedrichs & Rath, which produces automotive components using precision plastic injection molding, is expanding its operations in Greenville County. The expansion is expected to cost $5.8 million and create 50 new jobs. 

 

Premium Waters building plant in Mississippi

Premium Waters is building a new $25 million plant to manufacture and fill water bottles in Hinds County, Miss. The project will create 42 jobs, according to the Mississippi Development Authority.

 

Fiber optics firm creates 375 jobs with new South Florida HQ

Hotwire Communications will relocate from Pennsylvania and make South Florida its new home, creating 375 jobs there. The former BankAtlantic building in Fort Lauderdale is now called the Hotwire Technology Center. Along with the headquarters, Hotwire will invest more than $27 million dollars in the Fort Lauderdale community. 

 

Nashville public company is preparing to hire 10,000 workers

Goodlettsville-based Dollar General Corp. is going on a hiring spree. The retailer intends to hire 10,000 new employees within the next month to support new store openings and fill current vacancies. 

 

Dollar General breaks ground on distribution center in Jackson, Ga.

Dollar General has broken ground on its $85 million, 1 million-square-foot Jackson distribution center. The facility is expected to employ more than 500 workers by the time it is operating at full capacity in the fall of 2017, making it one of Butts County’s largest employers — rivaling the local school system — and, according to Butts County Development Authority Director Laura Sistrunk, would be the largest industrial building in the county.

 

Frito-Lay seeks $150 million in bonds for expansion in Jonesboro, Ark.

Frito-Lay of Texas has asked the city of Jonesboro to issue industrial development revenue bonds not to exceed $150 million and enter into a payment in lieu of taxes agreement for another planned expansion of its facility there. The Jonesboro Sun reported that the move would lead to 30 new jobs.

 

Raymond James moves closer to 750-job expansion in Pasco County, Fla.

St. Petersburg-based Raymond James Financial has closed on 65 acres in Wiregrass Ranch, Fla. Plans, which have been forming since 2011, call for the construction of a 100,000-square-foot facility and 750 new jobs there.

 

Mary Kay breaks ground on $125 million manufacturing facility in Texas

Cosmetics brand Mary Kay has begun construction on a 470,000-square-foot manufacturing facility in Lewisville, Texas. The project, dubbed R3 (short for Regal Row Relocation), will house the company’s 700 manufacturing workers and 100 corporate employees. 

 

Manufacturer to create 260 jobs in Nowata County, Okla.

More than 250 new jobs are expected in northeastern Oklahoma after Houston-based Star Pipe Products, which produces iron products, announced plans to buy a manufacturer and subsidiary in the area. Star Pipe Products is purchasing Jensen International of Coffeyville, Kan., and subsidiary Jencast of South Coffeyville. The facility will retain 88 jobs, and officials say 260 new jobs will be created.

 

Sabre expands headquarters in Westlake, Texas

Sabre GLBL Inc., a technology provider to the travel industry, will be expanding its headquarters at the Solana development in Westlake, Texas. At least 500 new jobs will result from the $37 million investment. 

 

JEAR Logistics expands in Mount Pleasant, S.C.

JEAR Logistics, a third-party logistics company, is expanding its existing operations in Charleston County, S.C., which will result in a $2.8 million investment and create 152 new jobs.

 

German subsidiary coming to Berkeley County, S.C.

A manufacturer of metal precision parts and components for the automotive industry, stoba, plans to build a new plant in Berkeley County, S.C.. The development is expected to bring $7.7 million in capital investment and create 61 new jobs.

 

NCR to create more than 1,800 jobs in Midtown Atlanta

NCR Corp., currently headquartered in Duluth, has confirmed plans to expand its Midtown headquarters. The expansion by the American computer hardware, software and electronics company involves a second tower, 1,800 new tech jobs, and a $145 million investment.

 

Triad manufacturer adding 42 jobs in Alamance, N.C.

Yarn manufacturer CS Carolina will nearly double its workforce at the company’s Burlington facility, with plans to add 42 workers over the next three years and invest nearly $9.8 million in technology and machinery.

 

New coal mines could bring 400 jobs to Appalachia

Kentucky-based coal developer Ramaco Development announced in September a $90 million investment that should enable two new coal mines and related facilities to open in West Virginia and Virginia within the next year. The company, in partnership with two private equity firms, would directly create about 400 jobs in mines that would extract metallurgical coal, which is the type used in steel production.

 

LyondellBasell chooses Houston area for $700 million plastics plant

Chemical maker LyondellBasell will build a $700 million plastics plant in the Houston area. LyondellBasell, based in Houston, said construction of the plant, to be located at the company’s La Porte complex, will begin early next year as part of a $4 billion expansion in Texas. The project is expected to create nearly 1,000 construction jobs and as many as 75 full-time positions once it’s up and running.

 

Volkswagen ramps up hiring in Chattanooga for new SUV production

Volkswagen expects to have about 3,400 people working in Chattanooga by mid-April — a new high — as hiring cranks up for production of the automaker's midsize sport utility vehicle.

 

Amazon to add hundreds of jobs at second fulfillment center in Coppell, Texas

Three years after Amazon started opening fulfillment centers in Texas as part of a settlement with the state over the collection of sales taxes, the online retailer said it will open its eighth major shipping facility in the state. Amazon’s second fulfillment center in Coppell will be in an existing 1-million-square-foot building on Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport property. Hundreds of people will work at the facility to ship large items such as big screen televisions, kayaks and furniture.

 

Amazon announces plans to hire 1,500 workers in Florida

Amazon plans to begin construction of an $87 million, 800,000-square-foot distribution center in North Jacksonville that will create an estimated 1,500 full-time jobs in the region. Matt Galnor of the JAX Chamber said it’s the largest number of jobs offered by a business at one time in Jacksonville’s history.

 

Tech company to open operations in Tampa, add 170 jobs

In a move expected to create 170 new jobs, Virginia-based Iron Bow Technologies is opening a new contact center in Tampa. 

 

Textile manufacturer opens $28 million facility in North Carolina

Yarn producer Unifi has invested $28 million in a new bottle processing center in Reidsville, N.C. Repreve, which is Unifi’s recycled product line that makes use of materials like plastic water bottles, will hire 87 for the recycling facility.

 

Kingspan Insulation expands Virginia manufacturing center

Kingspan Insulation, an Ireland-based insulation manufacturer, will spend $25 million to add capacity to its manufacturing site in Winchester, Va. 

 

Furniture maker thriving in North Carolina

Case goods and upholstery manufacturer Whitewood Industries, a 37-year-old Thomasville company, has a $1.1 million expansion underway that could bolster its Triad workforce from 250 to more than 300 in the next year. This marks the second expansion for the company in one year.

 

Cincinnati company expands plant in South Carolina

Illinois-based Meyer Tool, which makes parts for gas turbine engines, is expanding its operations in Greenville,S.C., investing $6 million and creating almost 60 new jobs. 

 

Ashley Furniture moving California jobs to Mississippi and North Carolina

A good portion of the jobs that were eliminated by Ashley Furniture Industries in Colton, Calif., are heading South. The company, which recently laid off 840 workers at its manufacturing plant in Colton, will move production to plants in North Carolina, Mississippi and Wisconsin. The company currently employs nearly 4,000 people in Northeast Mississippi. Reasons behind the California exodus point to the state’s new $15 minimum hourly wage. . .over 9,000 companies have left California in the last seven years.

 

Mississippi furniture manufacturer plans $20 million expansion

A Mississippi furniture manufacturer is investing $20 million in an expansion in the northeast part of the state. Southern Motion will create 600 new jobs in the city of Baldwyn as it expands into a former Hancock Fabrics location.

 

Freightliner to launch new big truck in Rowan County, N.C.

Freightliner has a new model of its largest truck that will begin rolling off the production lines at its Rowan County plant in January. The new Cascadia will become the Class 8 flagship for its heavy trucks in North America, where parent company Daimler Trucks North America has a 43 percent market share.

 

Home Chef cooking up 1,200 jobs in DeKalb County, Ga.

Home Chef, a meal kit delivery service, will create more than 1,200 jobs and invest $3.35 million in a new DeKalb County facility by 2020. 

 

Solid Gold Pet opens HQ in Chesterfield, Mo.

Solid Gold Pet, America’s first holistic pet food brand, opened its new corporate headquarters in Chesterfield, Mo. The company will add about 20 jobs over the next several months.

 

Container manufacturer plans Mississippi expansion

Columbus, Mississippi-based Plum Creek Environmental is moving and expanding its facilities in North Mississippi. The company, which manufactures and distributes waste and recycling containers and equipment, is investing $825,000 into a new facility in West Point, Miss., and creating 50 jobs. 

 

Steel company expands into Houston

An Illinois-based steel company is setting up operations in Houston. Lex Holding Co., a distributor of flat rolled steel products, has opened inside a 110,000-square-foot facility in northwest Houston as part of a strategy to target the Southwest market, including Mexico.

 

Tyson to expand North Carolina plant

Tyson Foods plans to expand its Wilkesboro chicken processing cook plant. The $14 million-plus expansion will result in 75 additional jobs. 

 

Topgolf set to hire 500 Jacksonville workers

Topgolf's Jacksonville location is set to hire a large round of new employees next week. The 65,000-square-foot entertainment facility, which plans to open in late October, will be hiring employees to fill 500 new jobs.

 

Tennessee hospital expansion to bring 399 jobs

TrustPoint Hospital will add 399 new jobs paying an average of $67,800 when it expands its existing facility in Murfreesboro.

 

Appliance maker breaks ground on R&D Center in Louisville

Midea recently broke ground on a research and development center in Louisville, a $10 million facility projected to create up to 25 jobs. 

 

Prescient bringing 205 jobs to North Carolina

Prescient will establish a 205-job operations center in North Carolina’s Alamance County to serve its East Coast customer base. The Colorado-based manufacturing and design tech company will invest more than $18.8 million near Mebane.

 

Japanese tire company creating 56 jobs in Concord, N.C.

Japan-based tire company Yokohama will invest nearly $2.7 million to create a technical development center in Cabarrus County, generating 56 jobs.

 

Variety Wholesalers to create 320 jobs in Coweta County, Ga.

Variety Wholesalers, a retail store chain, will establish its second major distribution center in Coweta County, creating 320 jobs and investing approximately $10.5 million in the Newnan area. 

 

Missouri plant to expand, add 135 jobs

Dana Light Axel Products, a company that manufactures parts for major automakers, is planning to invest $39 million in machinery and equipment to add a new production line at its Boone County facility. The company said the expansion will create 135 new jobs over the next few years.

 

Mars to invest $20 million into old P&G site in North Carolina

Mars plans to invest more than $20 million into an eastern North Carolina plant it inherited through its purchase of Procter & Gamble’s pet food business. While Mars may be most famous for candy – chocolate brands such as M&Ms – it’s also the parent behind several pet-focused brands, such as Pedigree and Whiskas.

 

Tenneco to open clean air plant in Tennessee

Tenneco will open a new 117,000-square-foot facility near GM’s Spring Hill assembly plant, and create up to 200 new jobs during the next three years. Tenneco’s new Clean Air manufacturing plant will support programs for General Motors.

 

Universal Woods to add more than 100 jobs, new facility in Louisville

Universal Woods, a company that manufactures the finishes used for metal and wood products such as coasters, license plate frames and picture frames, has purchased land and filed plans to construct a new facility in Jeffersontown, Ky. The project could bring with it more than 100 new jobs in the next few years.

 

Coca-Cola subsidiary to hire 300 in North Carolina

Red Classic, the trucking subsidiary of Charlotte-based Coca-Cola Bottling Co., is adding almost 300 employees in Charlotte as it expands its office there. 

 

Lakeshore Learning Materials locates in Woodford County, Ky.

Lakeshore Learning Materials, a developer and retailer of high-quality educational products, will locate a 500,000-square-foot fulfillment and distribution center in in Woodford County, Ky. The company will make an investment of more than $47.4 million and is projected to create 262 full-time jobs. 

 

Solar products company to locate in Jackson, Tenn.

Aldelano Solar Cold Chain Solutions will locate a new R&D and manufacturing facility in Jackson. The solar-powered products manufacturer will invest $1.5 million and create 68 new jobs in Madison County. Aldelano specializes in developing solar-powered products including portable cold storage and water- and ice-making technology, which produce clean drinking water and ice by pulling the moisture from the air.

 

Telos Global to establish manufacturing center in Tennessee

Automotive supplier Telos Global will invest $32 million and create 63 new jobs in a new manufacturing facility in Campbell County.

 

Honda of South Carolina Manufacturing expands

Honda of South Carolina Manufacturing has announced a new investment of $45 million in a 115,000-square-foot expansion designed to meet growing demand for Honda side-by-side vehicles produced exclusively in the Florence County plant. The investment is expected to result in the creation of 250 new jobs.

 

Gunmaker to establish manufacturing in Nashville

Gunmaker Vantage LLC is investing $5 million into a Nashville-based manufacturing plant, bringing with it 100 jobs over the next 5 years.

 

Shaw Industries hiring for Adairsville plant

Shaw Industries is recruiting 100 lift truck operators for its plant in Adairsville, Ga. 

 

Auto parts maker to expand in Bowling Green, Ky.

American Howa Kentucky plans to invest $7,586,727 to expand production in Bowling Green. The manufacturer of interior products for the automotive industry says the expansion would create 44 jobs.

 

Texas’ Nationstar Mortgage adding 600 jobs

Nationstar Mortgage will create 600 new jobs at a customer call center opening in Longview in East Texas. The Coppell, Texas-based company employs about 7,000 people across the U.S. 

 

AutoZone plans Ocala hub

AutoZone, the retailer and a leading distributor of automotive parts and products, will build a new distribution facility in Ocala, Fla. The $50 million facility will create 240 jobs.

 

Plastipak Packaging expanding in Alabama

A plastics manufacturer in McCalla, Ala., is adding two manufacturing lines in a $10.4 million expansion. Plastipak Packaging, a Michigan-headquartered company, makes plastic beverage bottles at its factory in Jefferson County. When complete, the new lines will mean at least five new jobs. The facility currently employs 117 people.