Good Economic News - Over 13,000 Jobs Announced!

Here are just a few of the recent jobs announcements that have crossed my desk in recent weeks.

In Cary, North Carolina, HCL Technologies Ltd, an IT services provider, will expand and add 1,237 jobs.

JD Squared, Inc. will expand in Washington County, Tennessee, creating 50 jobs.

 

In Boone County, Indiana, auto parts maker Fukai Toyotetsu Indiana Corporation will open a facility and hire 195 workers. Congrats to Brand Acceleration client Boone County Economic Development Corporation. Great job!

Investment services firm Cortland Capital Market Services will expand in Indianapolis, Indiana, adding 153 employees.

Total Quality Logistics, a freight brokerage firm, will expand in Louisville, Kentucky, creating 50 jobs.

In Burlington, Iowa, Shearers Foods, LLC will expand and create 83 jobs. Congrats to Brand Acceleration clients, Jason Hutcheson and David Toyer, great guys and economic developers extraordinaire.

Aluminum wheel maker Dicastal North America, Inc. will open a facility in Greenville, Michigan, creating 300 jobs.

In Augusta County, Virginia, McKee Foods Corporation will expand and add 54 workers.

In Greenville County, South Carolina, Solar Atmospheres, a heat treating company, will expand and add 11 workers.

Mortgage services provider Carrington Mortgage Services LLC will expand in Westfield, Indiana, creating 360 jobs.

In Robertson County, Tennessee, AirTech International will open a new operation and create 100 jobs. Congrats to Brand Acceleration client, economic developer Margot Fosnes.

In Butler County, Ohio, GE Aviation will expand and add 53 workers.

Third-party logistics provider Comprehensive Logistics Co., Inc. will open an auto manufacturing plant in Spring Hill, Tennessee, creating 200 jobs.

In New Paris, Indiana, boat maker Smoker Craft, Inc. will expand and add 100 jobs.

Materials handling company Intelligrated, Inc. will expand in Danville, Kentucky, hiring 50 people.

Yarn maker CS Carolina, Inc. will expand in Alamance County, North Carolina, creating 22 jobs.

In Suffolk, Virginia, furniture maker Friant and Associates will open a facility and hire 166 people.

In Richmond and Sampson Counties, North Carolina, wood pellet maker Enviva will open two facilities and hire 160 workers.

In Kansas City, Missouri, Custom Truck & Equipment will expand and create 43 jobs.

Software maker AvidXchange will expand in Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, creating 603 jobs.

In Abbeville County, South Carolina, cable maker Prysmian Group will expand and create 20 jobs.

Fulton Bellows, LLC, a maker of metal bellows, will expand in Knoxville, Tennessee, adding 27 workers.

In Louisville, Kentucky, customer experience management provider TPUSA will open a facility and hire 750 people.

In Walker, Michigan, auto components maker Plasan Carbon Composites, Inc. will expand and add 620 employees.

In Nappanee, Indiana, vehicle provider Ameritrans Bus, Inc. will expand and hire 73 people.

Glen Raven Inc., a fabric maker, will expand in Anderson County, South Carolina, creating 10 jobs.

In Berrien County, Georgia, boat maker Chaparral Boats will expand and hire 50 workers.

Clean Harbors, North America, a provider of environmental services, will open a facility in El Dorado, Arkansas, creating 120 jobs.

In Huntington, Indiana, Huntington Aluminum, Inc. will expand and create 41 jobs.

In Clark County, Indiana, vehicle parts supplier Tenneco, Inc. will open a new operation and hire 253 people.

In Buffalo, New York, the SolarCity GigaFactory will open, building solar panels, and employ 3,000 people.

Shoe Sensation, Inc., a distributor of footwear, will expand in Clark County, Indiana, hiring 32 workers.

Cleaning products maker Haso USA, Inc. will expand its Peachtree Corners, Georgia facility, creating 170 jobs.

Foam padding maker CE FoamSolutions, LLC will expand in Burke County, North Carolina, creating 20 jobs.

MacAllister Machinery Corporation, a Caterpillar equipment dealer, will expand in Indianapolis, Indiana, creating 70 jobs.

Auto parts maker Neaton Rome, Inc. will expand in Floyd County, Georgia, adding 50 employees.

Merchants Bonding Company, an insurance provider, will expand in West Des Moines, Iowa, adding 11 workers.

In Wilson County, Tennessee, apparel maker Under Armour, Inc. will open a distribution center and hire 1,500 workers.

Harman International Industries, a maker of audio systems, will expand in Novi, Michigan, creating 150 jobs.

In Marion County, Kentucky, Hendrickson Truck Commercial Hehicle Systems, a maker of suspecsion systems, will expand and create 60 jobs.

Smithers Rapra, a provider of testing services, will open a new facility in Summit County, Ohio, hiring 14 workers.

In Washington County, Indiana, seed coating provider Summit Seed Coatings Indiana LLC will open a new facility and hire 20 people.

Ritedose Corporatin, a pharmaceutical company, will expand in Richland County, South Carolina, creating 65 jobs.

In Cameron County, Texas, SpaceX will open a rocket launch facility, hiring 300 employees.

Haier America, a provider of home appliance products, will open a facility in Evansville, Indiana, creating 50 jobs.

In Louisville, Kentucky, Brown-Forman Corporation will build a distillery and hire 20 people.

Seating maker Magna International will expand in Maury County, Tennessee, adding 357 workers.

Auto brake maker Asama Coldwater Manufacturing, Inc. will expand in Warren County, Georgia, creating 40 jobs.

In Montgomery County, Ohio, heating and cooling systems provider Emerson Climate Technologies will build an innovation center and hire 35 people.

Breakfast food maker Echo Lake Foods, Inc. will open a plant in Huntington County, Indiana, creating 100 jobs.

In Forsythe County, North Carolina, furniture maker United Furniture will expand and add 200 workers.

In Henry County, Georgia, payment services provider TSYS will open a call center and hire 450 people.

Ivy Linen ServicesServices, a linen management firm, will open a facility in Fulton County, Georgia, creating 150 jobs.

In Davidson County, Tennessee, eyewear retailer Warby Parker will open an office and hire 250 people.

Nexthermmal Corporation, a provider of heating systems, will expand in Battle Creek, Michigan, adding 50 workers.

In Henry County, Indiana, meat and cheese provider Boars’s Head Brand will open a facitily and hire 200 workers. Congrats to Brand Acceleration client, economic developer Corey Murphy. Great job!

Burner maker Oilon will open a facility in Thomas County, Georgia, hiring 50 people.

In Oconee County, South Carolina, thermoplastics maker ACI Plastics will expand and create 25 jobs. Congrats to economic developer Richard Blackwell.

In Montgomery County, Ohio, battery maker Xerion ABC will open a facility and create 52 jobs.

Tactical Medical Solutions, a provider of trauma supplies, will expand in Anderson County, South Carolina, adding 15 workers.

In Monroe County, Michigan, window maker Sunrise Windows, Ltd. Will expand and create 100 jobs.

Total Jobs Announcements: 13,560

Jim Walton

CEO

Brand Acceleration, Inc.

Branding // Marketing Communications // Public Relations

Indianapolis, Indiana:

Office: 317.536.6255

Fax: 317.222.1425

Cell: 317.523.7380

jim@brandaccel.com

Brand Acceleration Web Site

LinkedIn

Twitter

FaceBook

BrandCoach Blog

  

Brand Acceleration is a full-service website development, marketing communications, branding, and public relations firm with a focus on economic and community development.

5+ Ways to Fail Miserably at Social Media Marketing

And how to take actions that get results

By: Jim Walton

CEO

Brand Acceleration, Inc.

                    

Believe it or not, social media is a significant driver of discussions in the economic development industry. I know, I know – there are still a few of you saying, “I just don’t get it! Who’s using it and are any communities getting deals as a result?” The answer is that many communities are successfully connecting to audiences and telling their stories. So, what’s the problem? How could communities do a better job and enjoy the benefits of an active so-me program? Here are several very common fails and my recommendations for jump starting your efforts:

1. Unrealistic expectations

Do you really think that by launching a social media effort your community will suddenly catapult to the top of list of communities being considered for projects? Come on, that’s just not realistic. The real benefit of social media is to make a connection that raises awareness of your community’s brand. Just being active on a daily basis is half the battle.

2. Far too much self-promo

I am an avid follower of Twitter headlines. I love that I can do a quick hashtag search and find out what’s going on in the areas of #econdev, #manufacturing, #workforce, #logistics, #bizRE, #innovation, #siteselection, and numerous other relevant topics.

What I’ve noticed is that many economic developers share nothing but self-promotional content. Like those weekly shopper newspapers full of nothing but ads, many social media messages offer little or no value to prospective readers. At Brand Acceleration, our approach is to share content that is educational, entertaining, and interesting to audiences. Maybe 10% to 20% of what we share is self-promotional. Just like a newspaper, radio station, or web news service, there is a balance of beneficial content to advertising. If all you put out there is self-promo, viewers will consider you a consummate promoter and simply ignore you.

Here’s an idea: Look at the trade associations and trade publications and websites serving your target industries. They are great providers of content that your followers may enjoy. Don’t expect the articles to be about land, site selection, or economic development topics. Look for content that your followers may find of value. By following this approach, you may be seen as a valuable source of information. Then, your occasional self-promo is much more likely to be well received.

3. Focusing content on the wrong audiences

As important as your local stakeholders are, they are not your key audience. Sure, local folks should be on your list of followers, but your economic development social media effort should be focused heavily on prospects with the potential of bringing jobs and investment to your area.

From our on-going research of site consultants, corporate executives, and others, we know they are strongly driven by information about sites, buildings, workforce, education and training, economic trends, and other relevant topics. Tweets about your Halloween parade or corn maze are probably not going to entice them to click or consider your area for investment. It’s best to leave such content to the Chamber of Commerce and local media.

4. Making all the wrong connections

Just as content can be too localized, so can your connections. In addition to your board of directors, investors, and area stakeholders, you should make connections with site consultants, corporate executives, national and regional real estate brokers, and target industry leaders and influencers. I suggest making as many connections as possible. I’m talking hundreds, not dozens.

5. Failing to be part of the discussion

A great way to get involved is by joining and participating in LinkedIn discussion groups. If you’re not active in this area, you’re missing a huge opportunity.

On your LinkedIn page, go to INTERESTS and then find GROUPS. You can follow as many as fifty, and I’d suggest joining as many as possible. There are great groups in economic development, manufacturing, food, logistics, workforce, and many others. Join, read, comment, and be involved. Your professional expertise and community brand will grow. But remember, don’t just be a promoter of your community. Share content that is helpful to others. By giving, you will receive.

Bonus subject: Social media is not for amateurs

I’ve heard many people say that they were going to hire an intern or student to manage their social media program. The logic is a belief that young people grew up with it so they would be ideal to run a community so-me effort. Here’s the problem with that approach. Most students and interns know almost nothing about economic development, manufacturing, workforce development, incentives, transportation assets, or other topics of importance to key audiences. This is a task that needs to be given the attention of an economic development professional. One of our services is social media management, so if you’d like to hand off the responsibility to a team who knows how it’s done, just give me a call.

Please feel free to share your thoughts and opinions. I’d love to hear from you. Also, be sure to make a social media connection. My links are all shown below. If you’re going to attend the International Economic Development Council Annual Conference in Fort Worth, please look us up in the exhibit hall.

Jim Walton

CEO

Brand Acceleration, Inc.

Branding // Marketing Communications // Public Relations

Indianapolis: 317.536.6255

Fax: 317.222.1425

Cell: 317.523.7380

jim@brandaccel.com

Brand Acceleration Web Site

LinkedIn

Twitter

Facebook

Google+

YouTube

BrandCoach Blog

Brand Acceleration is a full-service marketing communications, brand management and website development firm with a focus on community and economic development.