News

Projects announced in Alabama, Kentucky, Tennessee

October 13, 2006 — Three Tennessee Valley communities are celebrating good economic development news with the announcements of a helicopter-modification facility in Albertville, Alabama; a modular building-panel plant in Franklin, Kentucky; and a GE distribution center in Bradley County, Tennessee.

Alabama

At the Albertville Airport in Marshall County, Alabama, Aerospace Integration Corporation (AIC) will have a facility for integrating enhanced technology into helicopters. The company has leased an 8,000-square-foot hangar at the airport and plans to eventually expand operations there to perform modification work on fixed-wing aircraft. The new facility is supported by other AIC plants in nearby Huntsville and in Florida. The $20 million project will provide 500 jobs over three years with an average salary of $60,000. TVA partnered with the Albertville Municipal Utilities Board to assist this project, and also worked closely with economic development groups in Marshall County, Albertville, and the state.

Kentucky

Nu-Tech Building Systems of Las Vegas will locate a building-panel facility in Franklin, Kentucky, bringing a $3 million investment that will create about 200 jobs initially. The company has leased the former Tyco Electronics building, and its expansion plans include hiring a minimum of 1,000 workers over 10 years. Nu-Tech makes StructuralComb modular panels that are assembled into low-cost, high-strength buildings. The panels are made of composite material that is fireproof and resistant to water-damage and hurricane-strength winds. They have been used extensively in construction overseas. TVA worked with the Franklin Electric Plant Board, the Simpson County Industrial Authority, and the Kentucky Governor's Office on the project.

Tennessee

Groundbreaking on General Electric's new Eastern Lighting Distribution Center took place September 26 in the Hiwassee River Industrial Park in Bradley County, Tennessee. The 850,000-square-foot facility is scheduled for completion in eight to nine months and will create an estimated 200 jobs. Tim Trozzo, manager of consumer and industrial distribution for GE, said Bradley County was the right location for serving the eastern half of the country. The decision to invest $33 million in the site was also influenced by the cooperation between local, county, and state governments, he added. "The cooperation at every level has been wonderful," he said.