Monday, February 18, 2013

Good Economic News, 2-20-13

Good Economic News

Here are just a few of the recent jobs announcements that have crossed my desk in recent weeks.
In Matagorda County, Texas, Tenaris, a maker of steel pipe, will open a new manufacturing facility, creating 600 jobs.
Auto parts manufacturer Nishikawa of America will expand its U.S. headquarters in LaGrange County, Indiana and add 25 jobs.  Congratulations to economic developer Keith Gillenwater.
Midwest Veterinary Services will open a veterinary and biomedical research facility in Pottawatomie County, Kansas, creating 18 jobs.
In Clarksville, Tennessee, auto parts maker Akebona Brake Corporation will expand and hire 94 new employees.
D.H. Pace, a provider of doors, will locate its headquarters in Olathe, Kansas and create 280 jobs.
In Conway, Arkansas, internet technology company Inovu, Inc. will open its headquarters and hire 50 people.
In Cleveland County, North Carolina, KSM Castings, a maker of light metal casting products, will open a facility and create 189 jobs.  Congratulations to economic developer Kristin Fletcher.
In Natchez, Mississippi, von Drehle, a provider of paper products, will locate a manufacturing operation and create 100 new jobs.
Schrader Electronics, a maker of tire pressure monitoring systems, will expand its Springfield, TN facility and create 76 jobs.
Microsoft Corporation will expand its data center in Mecklenburg County, Virginia and create 30 new jobs.
In Blair County, Pennsylvania, specialty chemical maker Albemarle Corporation will expand its operation and add 20 jobs.
In Chattanooga, Tennessee, medical device maker Hollywog, LLC, will expand and add 22 new employees.
bioMerieux, Inc. a manufacturer of medical instruments, will expand its operation in Durham County, North Carolina, and create 44 jobs.
Roberts Ventures, LLC, a provider of emergency cleanup services, will establish a regional headquarters in London, Kentucky and create 10 jobs.
Telamon Corporation, a provider of telecommunications products and services, will open a new facility in Kansas City, Kansas, creating 28 jobs.
AirWatch, a provider of mobility products, will expand its headquarters in Atlanta, Georgia and add 800 new employees.
In Paducah, Kentucky, NRE Acquisition Co., LLC, a maker of locomotives and railway equipment, will expand and add 25 employees.
In Marion County, Indiana, tool supplier Hahn Systems, LLC, will expand and add 20 employees.
Automotive manufacturer Huf North America will expand its operation in Greene County, Tennessee and create 100 jobs.
Huhtamaki North America, a manufacturer of food packaging, will open a distribution center in Batavia Township, Ohio, and generate 237 jobs.
Newly Weds Foods, a maker of food ingredients, will open a facility in northern Kentucky, creating 115 jobs.
In Greenville County, South Carolina, a fastener manufacturer will open a new facility and hire five people.
Cutting tools manufacturer SC Tool, Inc. will expand its operation in Greenville County, South Carolina and generate 30 new jobs.
Genesis Products, Inc., a maker of wood products for the recreational vehicle industry, will expand in Elkhart County, Indiana and create 100 jobs.
In Birmingham, Alabama, home retailer Home Depot will hire 450 people.
In Peachtree City, Georgia, animal feed ingredient maker Calpis America, Inc. will open its U.S. headquarters and create 42 jobs.
In Merrillville, Indiana, healthcare financial firm Horizon Financial Management, LLC, will expand and create 216 jobs.
In Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Genesis Energy will make improvements and hire 50 people.
In Tulsa, Oklahoma, brazed plate heat exchangers manufacturer SWEP will open a new facility and create 75 jobs.
Rose Fabricating and Industrial Solutions, LLC, a maker of custom machinery, will expand its operation in Covington, Tennessee and add 25 new jobs.
In Bowling Green, Kentucky, Apla, Inc., a maker of plastic packaging, will establish a manufacturing operation and create 72 jobs.
Pearl IRB, LLC, a life science consulting firm, will expand its operation in Indianapolis, Indiana and create 38 new jobs.
Container maker Norton Packaging, Inc. will open a new manufacturing facility in Monticello, Georgia and generate 90 new jobs.
In Covington, Kentucky, Westpak, a bottle decorating and packaging company, will open a manufacturing facility and create 62 new jobs.
Auto parts supplier US Tsubaki Automotive LLC will expand its operation in Portland, Tennessee and create 70 new jobs.

Online retailer Amazon will open three fulfillment centers in Texas in the cities of Coppell, Haslet, and Schertz, adding 1000 jobs.
In Gibson County, Indiana, auto parts supplier Vuteq USA, Inc. will expand its operation and generate 93 new jobs.
Awesome Products, Inc., a maker of laundry products, will locate a facility in Mt. Airy, North Carolina and create 90 jobs.
Proctor and Gamble, a manufacturer of consumer products, will expand its operation in Greensboro, North Carolina, and add 200 jobs.
Total Jobs Announcements: 5591

Jim Walton
CEO
Brand Acceleration, Inc.
Branding // Marketing Communications // Public Relations
Indianapolis, Indiana: 317.536.6255
Fax: 317.222.1425
Charlotte, North Carolina: 704.230.0394
Cell: 317.523.7380


Brand Acceleration is a full-service marketing communications, brand management and public relations firm with a focus on economic development, architecture, engineering and construction.

 

 

 

 

 

You’d Better Have a Great Web Site


You’d Better Have a Great Web Site
Anything less could kill your business

As you might imagine, I look at many web sites. A few are really amazing, some are mediocre, and many are plain awful. The sad fact is that there are still company owners and community leaders who just don't get it.

At Brand Acceleration, we work in the professional industries of economic development, architecture, engineering, and construction (AEC). These are industries in which a web site can mean the difference between advancing toward a project win and being taken off the consideration list. We've made of point of studying how target visitors such as higher education administrators and site selection consultants interface with a web site, and the results will really open your eyes.

Visitors to AEC web sites
When an education or healthcare administrator visits the web site for an architecture firm, for example, he or she is essentially looking for the firm’s portfolio and the resumes of the studio directors. Just as with a resume, the firm’s web site must convince a visitor that the studio team has the talent and experience to create a beautiful and functional space.

A web site which is poorly structured, unprofessionally written, lacks functionality, and is ugly is likely to knock the firm off the consideration list. Sadly, the company may have a very talented team of architects who could do a great job.

Visitors to Economic Development web sites
In this arena, audiences such as site selection consultants and c-suite executives are looking for a well-thought-out package of information. If they can't find it, they may just leave and take the community off the list.

Assuming the community survives the critical first-round look and makes it to short-list status; it may now have to withstand review by company managers and a trailing spouse. I've heard more than one story about a spouse who looked at a community web site just to say, "I'm not moving to that ugly place." When you consider the many thousands or even millions of dollars communities spend each year, it's a shame to lose a deal because its web site stinks.

Similar to a storefront window, a web site may be a prospects first exposure to your community of company. If the display in your window, your web site, is not captivating, beautiful, and informative, the prospect may walk right by and shop somewhere else.

I’d love to hear from you. Feel free to share your thoughts and personal experiences below.

Have a great week,

Jim Walton
CEO
Brand Acceleration, Inc.
Branding // Marketing Communications // Public Relations
Indianapolis: 317.536.6255
Charlotte: 704:230:0394
Atlanta: 404.474.7980
Fax: 317.222.1425
Cell: 317.523.7380


Brand Acceleration is a full-service marketing communications, brand management and public relations firm with a focus on economic development, architecture, engineering and construction.