Business Facilities -November 2008

BUSINESS REPORT Alabama By Donna Clapp Alabama Looks to Industry of the Future To put Alabama ahead of the pack, Governor Bob Riley is investing in the robotics research industry. G overnor Bob Riley announced in June that Calhoun Community College in Decatur will be the site of a robotics research, education and training campus that will help the state attract new industry, support the needs of existing industry and train high-tech workers. The Advanced Technology Robotics Research and Development Complex will consist of three facilities, each targeted to meet a specific industry need. Gov. Riley first proposed the robotics campus in 2006. “This will make Alabama the nation’s leader in robotics research and development. It will make Alabama the national leader in robotics technology education. The benefits will be remarkable for our econALABAMA FAST FACTS Population (2006): 4,599,030 Largest Cities (2006): Birmingham, 229,424; Montgomery, 201,998; Mobile, 192,830; Huntsville, 168,132; Tuscaloosa, 83,052 Targeted Industries: Automotive, aviation/aerospace, biotechnology and life sciences, plastics, industrial machinery, technology products Key Incentives: Alabama’s Capital Investment Tax Credit, Site Preparation Grant Program, Employer Education Credit, Industrial Revenue Bonds omy, for our workforce and for our future,” says Gov. Riley. In choosing Calhoun Community College as the site for the robotics complex, the governor stressed it met all the needed requirements, including proximity to Huntsville. Wallace State Community College in Hanceville, AL also was considered for the robotics complex. “Our vision from the beginning was a state-of-the-art robotics campus affiliated with a two-year college that is close to Huntsville’s aerospace research hub and easily accessible to our manufacturing industries. Calhoun Community College is a perfect fit,” Gov. Riley says. Robotics manufacturers pledged to provide $42 million worth of robots for the robotics campus during a Governor Bob Riley views new robotics technology. meeting with the governor last September. Representatives from 12 robotic companies were brought together with Gov. Riley by AIDT, an institute of the state’s Department of Postsecondary Education, and agreed also to help design different elements of the campus. “This robotics complex is a major part of Governor Riley’s vision for Alabama in his quest for our state to ALABAMA’S AEROSPACE STATISTICS • Alabama’s Marshall Space Flight Center received $2.5 billion in FY 2007, representing 15.3% of NASA’s total budget. PHOTO CREDIT: ROBIN COOPER, OFFICIAL PHOTOGRAPHER, OFFICE OF GOVERNOR BOB RILEY • Alabama ranks 12th nationally for Department of Defense Prime Contracts, totaling more than $6.9 billion in FY 2006. • The aerospace industry has created more than 73,000 direct jobs in Alabama. • Annual payroll for Alabama’s aerospace jobs is more than $3 billion. • GKN Aerospace added 250 jobs in 2007 and invested $21 million to expand its Tallassee, AL facility. 44 NOVEMBER 2008

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Business Facilities -November 2008 Contents First Word Sanpshots Corporate Moves: Utah Kodak Develops a Megasite in Upstate New York Anatomy of a Deal: Studley Finds a New Space for Myspace Metro Spotlight: Johnson City, TN A Renaissance of Growth in Medical Plastics The Lone Star State Flexes Its Muscles Asia: A Portrait of Growth Sky's the Limit for High-tech in Arizona Corporate Moves: Pennsylvania Ohio Leads the Way Alabama's Tide Rolls to the Future IEDC 2008 Award Winners Advertiser Index Introducing Navigator Livexchange

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