Recognizing Economic Growth

Seventeen companies added employees and/or made significant capital investments, aerospace companies continue to locate at Mobile Aeroplex at Brookley to be near Airbus and four locally-based companies registered impressive growth on the Inc. 5000.

These headlines along with the Mobile Area Chamber’s Manufacturer and Innovator of the Year awards were the latest results from the Chamber’s economic development efforts aimed at recruiting and retaining companies in the area. The presentation was made at a meeting yesterday to Partners for Growth (PFG) investors. PFG, a program of the Mobile Area Chamber, is funded by private sector business and industry, the City of Mobile and Mobile County.

Mobile Area Chamber’s 2016 Manufacturer of the Year: BASF Corp.

The Chamber presented BASF Corporation’s McIntosh facility with its 2016 Manufacturer of the Year award. The site was recognized for maintaining its local employee base, increasing production and significantly investing in the site.

The Germany-headquartered company is one of the world’s largest chemical companies. Locally, production units benefit the food and beverage, automobile, furniture and flooring industries.

Mobile Area Chamber’s 2016 Innovator of the Year: Prism Systems

Mobile-based Prism Systems was named the Chamber’s 2016 Innovator of the Year. The company’s automation and control programming and software development services include customers in 41 states, including Fortune 500 companies.

Earlier this year, Prism opened a new research and development lab, generating additional new hires. The company also has engineering offices in Glendale, California; Birmingham, Alabama; and a manufacturing assembly location in Washington County.

Companies announcing jobs and/or investment from July 2015 to July 2016 included:

• APM Terminals Mobile LLC, 20 jobs / $9 million capital investment;
• Austal, $16 million capital investment;
• C Spire, $3 million capital investment;
• Canfor Southern Pine, 20 jobs and U.S. headquarters in Mobile announcement;
• Danby Products Inc. , 25 jobs;
• Dupont Crop Protection, $8.8 million capital investment;
• Evonik, 50 jobs, $200 million capital investment;
• FedEx, 100 jobs and new warehouse & distribution center;
• Infirmary Health, 220 employees, $5.5 million capital investment;
• iSam North America Corp., $1.1 million capital investment;
• Prism Systems, 16 jobs, $877,000 capital investment;
• Southern Light, 29 jobs, $7 million capital investment;
• Technip, $31 million capital investment;
• The SSI Group, 7 jobs, $4 million capital investment;
• Wells Fargo, 18 jobs, $3.1 million capital investment; and
• Worthington Industries, 8 jobs, $4.6 million capital investment.

The latest companies joining the Mobile market as a result of Airbus’ presence include: Broetje Automation’s M-Technologie, Panasonic Avionics, Recaro Aircraft Seating Co., Vartan Product Support and Zodiac Aerospace.

The companies included on the 2016 Inc. 5000, along with their percentage growth were: Mobile-based AccuReg, 104 percent; Mobile-based Hargrove Engineers & Constructors, 115 percent; Mobile-based CentraLite, 364 percent; and Daphne-based JMF Solutions, 136 percent.

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