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NEWSROOM
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Economic Development News
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Chamber News
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| Economic Development Highlights |
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| Current » 2007 » 2006 » 2005 » 2004 » 2003 » |
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Tetra Tech EMC Expands Huntsville Presence
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At left, Ron Poteat, the Chamber's vice chair of economic development, presents a plaque to Tetra Tech Engineering Management Concepts Inc. President Pat Haun commemorating the company's growth.
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December 12, 2007 - Tetra Tech Engineering Management Concepts recently held a ribbon cutting event to celebrate the opening of a new Huntsville office and to announce the expansion of its workforce in the community.
EMC President Pat Haun said his company, a contractor with the Missile Defense Agency and many other government and commercial clients, is expected to continue its job growth in Huntsville as MDA continues to move personnel to Huntsville as part of the 2005 BRAC activity.
"Huntsville is a very vital part of the overall growth strategy for EMC,” Haun said. “We had anticipated adding about 100 new jobs within a 12-month period. We have filled 77 of those with eight more pending; all but three of our people have been local hires." Continue (PDF) »
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Comcast to Add More Than 200 Jobs in Huntsville
New Regional Customer Call Center Located in Huntsville will Provide more than 200 Jobs
November 14, 2007 - Comcast, the nation’s leading provider of cable, entertainment and communications products and services announced plans for a new regional customer call center to be located at Technology Point, 7027 Old Madison Pike, in Huntsville. The new regional call center will add more than 200 jobs in Huntsville and will assist residential cable, high-speed Internet, and digital phone customers.
The regional call center will serve the delta region, which serves more than 500,000 customers in Alabama, Mississippi, Kentucky, Louisiana, and West Virginia, and will help Comcast keep pace with ever-growing customer demands for digital television, high-speed Internet customers and digital phone services. The regional call center is expected to open in January of 2008. Continue »
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Companies Begin Moving Into HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology
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The HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology, located in Cummings Research Park, will house 12 companies and organizations dedicated to biotechnology research and development in genetics and personalized medicine.
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| From left, HudsonAlpha President Jim Hudson, HudsonAlpha Chairman Lonnie McMillian, Alabama Gov. Bob Riley, State Sen. Roger Bedford, and Huntsville Mayor Loretta Spencer cut the ribbon to mark the initial opening of the 270,000 square-foot facility. |
November 9, 2007 - Several companies are beginning to move into what is quickly becoming known as a globally recognized biotechnology center as construction concludes on the new HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology in Cummings Research Park.
The 270,000 square-foot facility will eventually hold about 900 employees, several companies and research organizations and state-of-the-art laboratories for biotechnology research and development in genetics and personalized medicine.
Founder and Institute President Jim Hudson recently joined with Alabama Gov. Bob Riley in announcing that Dr. Richard Myers, professor and chair of genetics at the Stanford University School of Medicine and director of the Stanford Human Genome Center, accepted the position of scientific director of the Institute. Dr. Myers will transition from a consulting role over the next year before assuming the full-time position next fall. During the transition period he will continue as professor at Stanford and head of the Stanford Human Genome Center. Continue »
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Verizon Wireless Celebrates Job Growth at New State Headquarters in Huntsville
October 26, 2007 - Verizon Wireless officially dedicated its state-of-the-art call center and state headquarters recently in Huntsville. The $44-million, 152,000 square-foot facility is expected to bring at least 1,300 jobs to the local economy.
Community leaders, company executives and employees, and government officials attended the grand opening event, which included a ceremonial ribbon-cutting to mark the official opening of the new building and the company’s expanded presence in Huntsville. The call center is located at Thornton Research Park and is already staffed with more than 500 employees, with more on the way. Continue »
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Digium Opens New State-of-The Art Facility to Handle Company’s Growth
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| Chamber Board Chairman Evans Quinlivan, Huntsville Mayor Loretta Spencer, Digium CEO Danny Windham, Madison County Commission Chairman Mike Gillespie and Digium Founder and Chief Technology Officer Mark Spencer cut the ribbon on Digium's innovative new facility in Cummings Research Park. |
October 23, 2007 - Huntsville-based Digium, creator and primary developer of Asterisk®, the telecommunications industry's first open source telephony platform, recently celebrated a ribbon cutting and grand opening at its new state-of-the-art headquarters in Cummings Research Park.
Evans Quinlivan, Chairman of the Chamber board of directors and the CEO of Madison County for First American Bank, said Digium has become a global leader in how businesses acquire and utilize their telecommunications systems.
“Digium is a remarkable success story that showcases this company as a global leader in information technology and our community as one of the leading high tech communities in the nation. Thanks to cutting-edge, innovative companies such as Digium, more and more often the nation is looking at this community as a true hotbed for technology and innovation,” Quinlivan stated.
Digium, which has called Huntsville home since its founding in 1999, is the leading worldwide provider of open source VoIP solutions. Continue »
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UAH Opens One of the Premier Science and Technology Centers in U.S.
October 14, 2007 - In the words of new UAH President Dave Williams, the recently built $60 Million Shelby Center for Science and Technology will provide the school a cutting edge, comprehensive science and technology center second to none. In the words of U.S. Sen. Richard Shelby, who helped secure $50 million in federal funding for the 200,000 square-foot facility, the facility is another step in ensuring that UAH becomes the “MIT of the South.”
Dr. Frank Franz, who retired as president of UAH in July, worked with Sen. Shelby to secure the $50 million and Alabama Gov. Bob Riley to secure $10 million in state funding, said the facility will be a campus landmark and something that will benefit the entire community.
The Shelby Center has 18 new teaching labs, 15 research labs, 13 classrooms, 146 offices and two auditoriums featuring state-of-the-art research and technology capabilities. The complex will include the mathematical sciences and biology departments and a Center for Modeling, Simulation and Analysis and the Center for Management and Economic Research.
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Huntsville: One of America’s Top 5 “Techiest Cities”
Huntsville is one of America’s Top 5 “Techiest Cities” according to an article in Computerworld that is based on a recent U.S. Census Bureau report that reveals what metros have the highest concentration of information technology workers in the workforce. Huntsville had the fifth highest ratio of IT workers as a percentage of the overall workforce at 5.2 percent, according to the report.
“It’s great to see Huntsville recognized across the country as a high-technology city. This area, thanks to innovative companies and large aerospace and defense government programs, continues to be a national leader in creating, utilizing and managing technology,” said Evans Quinlivan, chair of the Chamber of Commerce of Huntsville/Madison County. “With the opening of the new HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology and continued growth and expansion of other related high-tech companies, we expect that percentage to continue to increase.” Continue »
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Milken Institute Ranks Huntsville Among Nation’s Elite at Creating, Sustaining Job Growth
The Milken Institute, an independent economic think-tank, ranked Huntsville 16th in the nation on its 2007 Best Performing Cities Index – based on the cities’ ability to create and sustain job growth. Huntsville was ranked 28th in the nation last year by the Institute.
Huntsville was the only city in Alabama ranked in the top 25. Between 2000 and 2006, Huntsville/Madison County announced 284 economic development projects, creating more than 28,000 new jobs, according to Brian Hilson, the president/CEO of the Chamber of Commerce of Huntsville/Madison County. Continue »
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ATK Opens New Huntsville Office; Celebrates NASA Ares Win
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From left, Jim Halsell, vice president for ATK and program manager, Ares I upper stage, and ATK Launch Systems Group President Ron Dittemore accept a plaque from Evans Quinlivan, chair of the Chamber of Commerce of Huntsville/Madison County at ATK's open house/ribbon cutting ceremony.
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August 13, 2007 - Alliant Techsystems (NYSE: ATK) recently held a ribbon cutting and open house ceremony at its new office in Huntsville’s Research Park located at 620 Discovery Drive as a result of its increasing programs within NASA and the Department of Defense.
The 21,000 square-foot floor plan will house offices for approximately 85 employees working on various programs including Space Shuttle, Ares Crew Launch Vehicles and Department of Defense programs. Team Ares, a tri-company team made up of ATK, Lockheed Martin and Pratt and Whitney Rocketdyne, is also slated to move into the facility.
“We already have a presence in Huntsville,” said Ron Dittemore, president ATK Launch Systems. “In order to better support our wide customer base within NASA and the Department of Defense, we see this expansion of our presence as critical in our future endeavors. We are at a critical crossroad in the space industry as we transition from shuttle to Ares,” said Dittemore. “Opening this office will help ensure a smooth transition as we move forward.” Continue »
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WestWind Technologies, Inc. Opens New CH-47 Helicopter Flight Simulator Production Facility
July 31, 2007 - WestWind Technologies, Inc. (WTI) recently opened a new 61,000 square foot facility from Industrial Properties of the South to house the production of CH-47 Chinook Helicopter flight simulators. The simulator uses sophisticated software to model flying in a variety of environments, giving pilots every possible advantage in training and flight experience, safely and cost-effectively.
Plans are to complete the production of the first simulator in January 2008. Already, production efforts have created more than 30 jobs in Madison County, and another 30 job openings are expected as the facility goes into full production.
“Once again, the Army has demonstrated confidence in WTI’s personnel and capabilities.
During our years of partnering with the Department of Defense, WestWind has gained a reputation for responsiveness, flexibility, and customer focus. We are aware that a vital trust has been placed with us, and we are grateful for another opportunity to serve our warfighters,” said WTI President, Lieutenant General (Ret.) Dan Petrosky. Continue »
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Huntsville Mayor Loretta Spencer joins WestWind Technologies, Inc. President Dan Petrosky and others at a recent ribbon cutting event to officially open the company's new 61,000 square foot facility that will house production of CH-47 Chinook Helicopter flight simulators.
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Huntsville International Airport One of the Fastest Growing Airports in the World
 Huntsville International Airport was the fastest growing airport outside Asia among the world's 300 largest airports, expanding 29.2 percent on the growing industrial business surrounding the Alabama airport.
Overall airline capacity is slipping or stagnant at most of the largest airports, based on aircraft movements, but the larger traffic patterns suggest global trade and its cargo transport service is advancing on a far different traffic from the passenger business.
However, Huntsville is the third fastest growing cargo airport in the world, trailing only Subang, Malaysia, and Beijing Capital in China. Huntsville International is the only U.S. airport in the top 20.
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Report: Huntsville Personal Income Grows 7.7 percent
According to a report issued recently by the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, personal income in the Huntsville Metropolitan Area increased by 7.7 percent last year, higher than the U.S. average.
The news bodes well as the area seeks to attract workers to fill thousands of high paying, high technical jobs that are coming to the community as a result of the 2005 Base Realignment and Closure activity.
According to Chamber Chair Evans Quinlivan, recruiting high paying jobs is a priority for the Chamber, and statistics such as these help inform companies and potential workers that the community is open for business and that the area targets industries that offer high paying jobs.
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 Area companies cited in Inc. 5000 Fastest Growing Companies
A slew of companies in Huntsville and Madison were recently named to the Inc. 5,000 list of fastest growing private companies in the country. The magazine, known for its Inc. 500 list, expanded the list to the 5,000 fastest growing private companies in the country. Included in the list from Huntsville and Madison, with the ranking in parenthesis, are:
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- DeciBel Research, Inc. (213)
- Torch Technologies (818)
- Eagle Support Services (852)
- Logicore Corp. (870)
- Open Biosystems Inc. (1,154)
- Suzuki of Huntsville (1,349)
- Radiance Technologies, Inc. (1,626)
- InfoPro Corp. (1,706)
- Qualis Corp. (1,967)
- Gray Research Inc. (1,986)
- Brown Precision Inc. (2,142)
- Bevilacqua Research Corp. (3,072)
- Solid Earth Inc. (3,442)
- Belzon Inc. (3,477)
- Intuitive Research & Technology Corp. (3,547)
- A-P-T Research, Inc. (3,927)
- Shearer & Associates (4,736)
- Aegis Technologies Inc. (4,966)
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Madison:
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- Southern Construction & Design (1,290)
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Baron Services Announces Groundbreaking, Expansion
June 28, 2007 - Baron Services recently held a groundbreaking ceremony to announce the expansion of its business located at 4930 Research Drive in Huntsville. The expansion will support the substantial growth experienced by the Baron group of companies in recent years, as well as provide the space necessary to construct a state-of-the-art operations center for the company’s forecasting, data processing and technical support services. In addition, a new tornado-hardened server facility will ensure uninterrupted data delivery to Baron customers. Baron Services is currently one of the largest private users of data bandwidth in the state of Alabama.
“I am very excited about the continued growth of our companies,” said Bob Baron, President and CEO of Baron Services. “By doubling the size of our facility, we will be able to better serve our customers’ needs for years to come.” Continue »
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SPARTA Opens New Facility; Prepares for BRAC Surge
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Chamber Chair Evans Quinlivan presents a plaque commemorating the new SPARTA facility to Maureen "Mo" Baginsky, president, national security systems sector of SPARTA, and Randy Morgan, president, missile defense sector of SPARTA.
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June 25, 2007 - SPARTA, an employee-owned aerospace and defense contractor, recently opened a new 95,000 square-foot facility in Thornton Research Park in Huntsville. SPARTA currently employs 300 workers in the area. The new building is accompanied by enough property to add another 35,000 square feet.
Evans Quinlivan, who serves as Chairman of the Chamber and CEO of First American Bank, praised SPARTA’s leadership and its employees.
“SPARTA is an ideal example of our economic growth for a number of reasons. For one – they are a great company with great leadership who understand that their number one customer is their employees. Secondly, and we want this to be heard loud and clear – they are one of the largest Missile Defense Agency support contractors. There are currently 300 employees at this office – but there are about to be 200 MDA workers whose jobs will move to Huntsville as part of MDA’s relocation thanks to our 2005 BRAC gains.”
Randy Morgan, the Missile Defense sector president from the Roslyn Virginia Office of SPARTA, said the new facility is not only prepared to handle the BRAC surge – but also consolidates the current Huntsville operations under one roof.
“This new facility has allowed us to consolidate all of our Huntsville operations and affords us room for growth during the BRAC relocation,” said Morgan.
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Sumitomo Electric Carbide Expands Operations in Huntsville
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Ron Poteat, the Chamber's vice chair for economic development, welcomes Sumitomo Electric Carbide President Mitsuhiro Goto to Huntsville and presents him with a plaque commemorating the opening of the company's new Huntsville office.
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June 15, 2007 - Sumitomo Electric Carbide, which provides metal cutting products and solutions to a variety of automotive and industrial manufacturers, recently opened an office in Huntsville to further expand its operations in North America.
“We decided to have a branch here because this area is very exciting to us,” said Sumitomo Electric Carbide President Mitsuhiro Goto. “We do expect to grow here in Huntsville together with the community and will look to hire more people,” he said.
Sumitomo is considered an industry leader in solving metal cutting problems and also has North American offices in Chicago, Cincinnati, Detroit, and New Berlin, Wisc. For more information about Sumitomo Electric Carbide, visit the web site at www.sumicarbide.com.
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Sikorsky Aircraft Expands Operations in Huntsville
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Chamber Chair Evans Quinlivan presents a plaque to Sikorsky President Jeff Pino to commemorate the recent expansion of Silorsky Aircraft.
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June 4, 2007 - Sikorsky Aircraft, the designer and manufacturer of the legendary BLACK HAWK helicopter, held a recent ribbon cutting to celebrate the company’s new facility and growing presence in Huntsville.
“This dedication signals continued good things not only for Sikorsky Aircraft, but also for the City of Huntsville, for the economy of Alabama, and for our customer, the United States Army,” said Sikorsky Aircraft President Jeff Pino. Sikorsky currently has about 60 people working in the facility – but expects to triple that number by the end of 2008, Pino said, adding that the company has two-thirds of the building’s 30,000 square feet under lease and is in negotiations to have the remaining portion by later this year.
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Huntsville One of the Top Metros in the Country for Economic Vitality
June 11 - A recent Wall Street Journal article that measured how cities and states compared on various measures of development, Huntsville was ranked eighth in the nation, and tops in Alabama, for Business Vitality.
According to the article, Moody’s Economy.com devised a business vitality index that rates the overall economic vitality of a metro area by looking at various factors such as household income growth, labor availability, economic stability, and regional cost structure. The top-10 included: Austin, Texas; Fort Walton Beach, Fla.; Corvallis, Ore.; Fort Lauderdale, Fla.; Boise City, Idaho; Orlando, Fla.; Huntsville; Sioux Falls, S.D.; and Fargo, N.D.
Huntsville was the top ranked city in the U.S. in the “Building Blocks” category – which is the number of architectural and other engineers per 1,000 population with 41.4 – well ahead of the 31.2 by the second place metro area of San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, Calif. The national average is 8.1.
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Huntsville and Madison Continue to Lead State's Population Growth
Recently released population estimates from the U.S. Census show the city of Huntsville leading all other Alabama cities in population growth from 2000 to 2006. During this period the city of Huntsville grew by 8,701 people, ranking number one in the state. This is a 5.5 percent increase over the 2000 population. The city of Madison was also one of the state's leading growth cities ranking third in the state. Madison grew by a total of 7,565 residents during the period for a rate of 25.9 percent. With two of the state's highest growth cities, it is not surprising that the Huntsville Metropolitan Area is also Alabama's fastest growing metro area with 9.6 percent growth over the past six years. Continue »
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Madison County Leads State in New Job Growth... Again
Madison County was again the state's leading county in new and expanding business with 48 projects and 4,602 new jobs in 2006 - almost twice as many jobs as any other county in the state, according to a state report released this week.
The 2006 New and Expanding Industry Report, released by the Alabama Development Office, reveals that Madison County led the state in jobs announced for new companies with 1,352. Baldwin County was second with 1,135 jobs. In the expanding industry category, Madison County was the runaway leader with 43 companies announcing 3,250 new jobs. Jefferson County was second with 44 companies announcing 1,610 new jobs.
Overall, Jefferson County was second with 59 companies announcing 2,203 new jobs, followed by Mobile County with 31 companies announcing 1,593 new jobs and Baldwin County with 26 companies announcing 1,502 jobs. Cullman County rounded out the top five with 87 companies announcing 1,175 new jobs.
Evans Quinlivan, chair of the Chamber of Commerce of Huntsville/Madison County, praised Governor Bob Riley and the Alabama Development Office for their leadership in statewide economic development. He said Madison County's growth is a compliment to the strong economic partnership that exists between all elected officials, business leaders and the community. Continue »
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JHU Applied Physics Lab Opens Huntsville Field Office to Support MDA
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Enjoying a recent ribbon cutting are, from left: Dr. Richard Roca, director of The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory; Huntsville Mayor Loretta Spencer; Congrad Grant, head, APL's Air and Missile Defense Department; and Tim McKaig, MDA special assistant, reengineering.
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May 23, 2007 - With the majority of the Missile Defense Agency's programs and technical work relocating to Huntsville, the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) recently opened a new office in Huntsville to better support MDA's mission to develop, test and deploy an integrated ballistic missile defense system.
The Lab's involvement with missile defense dates back to the Strategic Defense Initiative (an early predecessor to MDA). Through its expertise in research, development, systems integration and engineering, testing and evaluation of current and future air defense-related systems and technologies, APL is helping MDA solve some of its most critical challenges in ballistic missile defense.
APL works closely with MDA on a range of programs, including those within the Agency's Ground-based Midcourse Defense (GMD), THAAD (Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense), Combined Test Force, Targets and Countermeasures, Sensors and Ballistic Missile Defense Systems Engineering directorates now located in Huntsville. Additionally, APL serves as technical direction agent for the Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense program and is a principal technical advisor for MDA's Sensors Directorate.
"The field office will enable the laboratory to more efficiently support MDA, providing them with technical advice, systems engineering leadership and analyses," said David Olivares, APL's Huntsville field office site manager who works closely with MDA's Targets and Countermeasures, GMD and THAAD directorates. Continue »
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Governors Medical Tower Breaks Ground
June, 2007 - A groundbreaking for the Governors Medical Tower, a 4-story, 124,500 state-of-the-art medical facility that will be the site for physician practices including the Spine and Neurosurgery Center, the Digestive Disease Center and Tennessee Valley Pain Consultants, was recently held.
The 124,500 square foot tower, on the corner of Governors Drive and Gallatin Street, will be the future site physician practices including The Spine and Neurosurgery Center (Drs. Rhett Murray, Joel Pickett, John Johnson, Jason Banks and Cheng Tao), Digestive Disease Center (Drs. Prasad Vankineni and Suresh Karne) and Tennessee Valley Pain Consultants (Drs. Ronald Collins, Morris Scherlis, Roddie Gantt and John Roberts).
"We are expanding to meet the needs of our patients with a more convenient location and access to services," Neurospine surgeon Dr. Joel Pickett said. "With the relocation of our clinic, patients can access the latest diagnostic testing equipment, medical care and outpatient surgery all in one location." Continue »
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Mercedes-Benz Technology Hopes to Capitalize
on High Technology Community
May 16, 2007 - “We are a technology company – and this is a technology driven area. It is a great fit for us,” said Dr. Knut Konzelmann, president, North America, Mercedes-Benz Technology (MBtech).
Konzelmann was the keynote speaker at a special ribbon cutting ceremony held at the Huntsville Botanical Garden Wednesday, May 16, 2007 to announce MBtech – a subsidiary of Daimler-Chrysler, is establishing a presence in Huntsville to capitalize on its consulting and engineering services. Continue (PDF) »
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| Dr. Knut Konzelmann, president, North America for Mercedes Benz technology (MBtech), announces his company's intent to open operations in Huntsville at a recent ribbon cutting ceremony at Huntsville Botanical Garden. |
Pictured at the MBtech ribbon cutting are, from left: Jonathan Hagan, MBtech recruiting manager - North America; Rick Davis, director, Cummings Research Park for the Chamber of Commerce of Huntsville/Madison County; Dr. Knut Konzelmann, MBtech president - North America; Dr. Nigel Francis, MBtech vice-president, vehicle engineering; and Kevin Krueger, MBtech sales, marketing and procurement executive team member. |
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Northrop Grumman Celebrates Opening of New Facility
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Investing in Economic Development
Ron Sugar, chair and CEO of Northrop Grumman (left) and Northrop Grumman Vice President Dan Montgomery (right) present a check to Brad Jones, chair of the Chamber of Commerce of Huntsville/Madison County, as part of the company's investment into the Chamber's Huntsville Regional Economic Development Initiative (HREGI).
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April 9, 2007 - Northrop Grumman recently held a ribbon cutting and open house dedication for its new facility at Cummings Research Park. The building is the first of four planned buildings to complete the Northrop Grumman CRP Campus.
Gov. Bob Riley attended the event and praised the Northrop Grumman employees for dedicating themselves to helping create technology that helps defend the nation and save American lives. “What you do here is just so important and cannot be overstated,” Riley said.
Other featured speakers included Huntsville Mayor Loretta Spencer; Chamber of Commerce of Huntsville/Madison County Chair Brad Jones; Northrop Grumman Chair and CEO Ronald Sugar and Northrop Grumman Vice President Dan Montgomery.
“Huntsville holds a unique place in the free world. During the technology races of the Cold War, the citizens of this region helped keep the lamp of liberty burning with their intelligence, innovation and patriotism. On this campus that legacy continues. With this building, Northrop Grumman’s support for that legacy – and for the people of Huntsville – is renewed,” Sugar said.
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Booz Allen Hamilton Holds Ribbon Cutting Ceremony
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Booz Allen Hamilton expands
Booz Allen Hamilton recently celebrated an expansion of its workforce in Huntsville at its Cummings Research Park facility. Pictured at the ribbon cutting event, from left, are: Steve Myer, principal, Booz Allen Hamilton; Evans Quinlivan, chair-elect of the Chamber of Commerce of Huntsville/Madison County; Tom Hancock, principal, Booz Allen Hamilton; Huntsville Mayor Loretta Spencer; and Neil Gillespie, senior vice president, Booz Allen Hamilton.
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March 29, 2007 - Booz Allen Hamilton recently held a ribbon cutting ceremony for the expansion of its facility in Cummings Research Park. The ceremony was emceed by Evans Quinlivan, chair-elect of the Chamber of Commerce of Huntsville/Madison County. Featured speakers included Mayor Loretta Spencer as well as Booz Allen Hamilton principal Tom Hancock and Booz Allen Hamilton Sr. Vice President Neil Gillespie.
Booz Allen officials indicated that the expansion was just the beginning and that the goal was to get the Huntsville office up to 500-plus employees.
“Congratulations to all the employees at Booz Allen Hamilton and thank you for the contribution you have made to the economic growth of this community” Quinlivan said. “It is very gratifying to see a globally recognized company such as Booz Allen Hamilton continue its success and expansion in our area.”
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Raytheon Opens State-of-the-Art Facility
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| Pictured, from left: Brad Jones, chair of the Chamber of Commerce of Huntsville/Madison County; Madison County Commission Chair Mike Gillespie; Dan Smith, president of Raytheon Integrated Defense Systems; Huntsville Mayor Loretta Spencer; and Tony Palumbo, Huntsville center executive, Raytheon. |
February 22, 2007 - To the sounds of the southern rock anthem "Sweet Home Alabama” played over loud-speakers outside its new state-of-the-art facility, Raytheon recently kicked off a ribbon cutting event celebrating its commitment to Huntsville/Madison County.
The 140,000 square-foot facility consolidates Huntsville operations from three facilities – enabling multiple divisions and employees to work in the same building. This will not only increase productivity, but also offers an employee-friendly, high-tech facility that the employees can be proud of, according to Raytheon Integrated Defense Systems President Dan Smith.
Chamber of Commerce of Huntsville/Madison County Chair Brad Jones said the opening of the new facility was a tribute to the community, and thanked Smith and event emcee Tony Palumbo, Huntsville center executive for Raytheon.
"Raytheon has established itself as not only an industry leader, but also as a business leader in our community. We appreciate Tony Palumbo and Dan Smith's vision and their commitment to community service,” Jones said. Continue »
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| Verizon Wireless Post Groundbreaking Ceremony Loud and Clear
February 22, 2007 - “Can you hear me now?” Governor Bob Riley deadpanned to the audience – doing his best impersonation of the well-known Verizon advertising slogan. The timing, and the question, was certainly appropriate considering the governor was leading a post groundbreaking ceremony for Verizon Wireless Thursday in Huntsville where construction has begun on the company’s state headquarters facility. The commitment by Verizon Wireless to invest in the state of Alabama was the answer to the governor’s question – and it was loud and clear.
The 152,000 square foot facility will bring up to 1,300 jobs and an investment of more than $44 million to the area, according to Verizon Wireless officials, making it the largest job announcement in the state in 2006.
“Verizon Wireless is standing firm on its commitment to build the facility by the end of 2007. The company’s aggressiveness in the marketplace is definitely reflected in its hard work and diligence in building this state headquarters as scheduled,” said Gov. Riley. “Today’s announcement is proof that Verizon Wireless is the right kind of business for Huntsville—dependable, aggressive and growth-oriented.” Continue (PDF) »
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| "Today's announcement is proof that Verizon Wireless is the right kind of business for Huntsville - dependable, aggressive and growth oriented." Governor Bob Riley led Thursday's official post groundbreaking ceremonies - which helped commemorate the largest job announcement in the state for 2006. |
Huntsville Mayor Loretta Spencer welcomes Verizon Wireless to Huntsville at Thursday's ceremony. Verizon has already begun work on a 152,000 square foot facility expected to bring about 1,300 jobs to the area.
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| Pictured left to right: Brad Jones, chair of the Chamber of Commerce of Huntsville/Madison County; Roger Jones, Madison County Commissioner, District 1; Ray Jones, chair of the UAH Foundation; Huntsville Mayor Loretta Spencer; Gov. Bob Riley; Jim McGean, president, south-area for Verizon Wireless; and Jeff Mango, president, Georgia-Alabama region for Verizon Wireless. |
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Ball Aerospace Opens New Office in Huntsville
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| Rick Davis, director of Cummings Research Park for the Chamber of Commerce of Huntsville/Madison County, David L. Taylor, president/CEO of Ball Aerospace & Technology Corp., and Jerry Craig, Madison County Commissioner, District 3, prepare to cut the ribbon to officially open the company's new Huntsville office. |
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| Huntsville Mayor Loretta Spencer officially welcomes Ball Aerospace & Technology Corp. to Huntsville at the company's recent ribbon cutting celebration. Pictured to the left of the mayor is David L. Taylor, president/CEO of Ball Aerospace & Technology Corp. |
February 20, 2007 - Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp. held a recent ribbon cutting ceremony to celebrate the opening of its new Huntsville office, located at 200 Sparkman Drive, to pursue new opportunities and to strengthen the company’s ongoing NASA and defense programs.
“Huntsville has long been home to an important customer base for Ball Aerospace, dating back to the Skylab program of the early 1970s,” said David L. Taylor, president and chief executive officer of Ball Aerospace. “Between NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center, and the Army’s Redstone Arsenal, our technologies have contributed to numerous programs and accomplishments. As the Huntsville area continues to grow in importance, it makes sense for us to be closer to our customers in the region. Huntsville is truly a hotbed of aerospace innovation and opportunity and we look forward to continued growth and success in this area.”
Huntsville Mayor Loretta Spencer welcomed the company to Huntsville.
“We are glad to welcome Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp. to Huntsville. It is an honor for them to establish a presence in our city and exciting to hear they have immediate plans to grow.”
Chamber of Commerce Economic Rick Davis emceed the event and presented Taylor with a special plaque to commemorate the event.
“We are thrilled that Ball Aerospace has chosen to invest in our community and find space that meets their needs. We certainly hope it is the start of a long and mutually beneficial relationship with our community,” Davis said.
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| Officials Applaud V8 Engine Production
February 20, 2007 - Governor Bob Riley and local officials joined Toyota officials and team members on Friday, February 2, to mark the production of the first 5.7 liter V8 engine at Toyota Motor Manufacturing, Alabama (TMMAL).
TMMAL employs 950 team members, has the capacity to produce 130,000 4.0 liter V6 engines, 120,000 4.7 liter V8 engines, 150,000 new 5.7 liter V8 engines annually. The total investment is $490 million.
Kunihiko Ogura, president of TMMAL, expressed appreciation to the Huntsville community for their support. "We are proud to be part of this wonderful community," Ogura said. "I am proud of the culture of this Toyota Alabama team. The power of teamwork is alive and well and will ensure a bright future for Toyota in Alabama."
TMMAL, which opened in 2003, supplies V8 engines for the Tundra full-size pickup and Sequoia full-size sport utility vehicle produced in Indiana. The plant also supplies V6 engines for Tacoma pickups produced in California and Mexico as well as the Tundra. The new 5.7 liter V8 engines will be used for the all new Tundra built in San Antonio, Texas and Princeton, Indiana. Continue »
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| Pictured left to right: Jim Bolte, senior vice president TMMAL; Marvin Pinchon, local engine plant employee; Seiichi Sudo, president of Toyota engineering and manufacturing in North America; Kunihiko Ogura, TMMAL president; Shoji Ikawa, Toyota senior managing director and Alabama Governor Bob Riley. |
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Premier Professional Systems to Build Headquarters in Research Park West
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| Pictured left to right, Charlie Grainger, Cummings Research Park Board; Hundley Batts, Industrial Development Board of the City of Huntsville; Riley Henderson III, Premier Professional Systems; Jannifer Henderson, Premier Professional Systems; and Rick Davis, Cummings Research Park director. |
January 19, 2007 - Work has begun on a new headquarters building for Premier Professional Systems. President Jannifer Henderson and her husband Riley Henderson III, executive vice president, welcomed employees and local officials to their building site at 7000 Quest Circle in Research Park West for a formal groundbreaking ceremony on January 19. The 30,000-square-foot building has a tentative completion date of November 1. Premier Professional Systems was founded in Huntsville in 1990.
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