THE SHOALS-Gov. Robert Bentley has awarded grants totaling $387,280 to aid a pair of industrial development projects in Muscle Shoals, ultimately creating 375 new jobs and encouraging future industries.
Bentley awarded a $137,280 Community Development Block Grant to provide infrastructure improvements needed to
permit North American Lighting Inc. to carry out a $37 million expansion of its manufacturing facility. The expansion will mean 80 new jobs for the business, a manufacturer of exterior lighting for automobiles.
Bentley also approved a $250,000 grant to help Muscle Shoals prepare for a new business, CBC INGS America Inc., which is locating in the city and planning to employ at least 60 people. The company, which supplies parts for North American Lighting, will build a $24 million facility in the Shoals Research Airpark near the lighting manufacturer’s site.
Both plants are projecting that employment will double within four years.
“My administration’s highest priority is helping create more jobs for Alabamians,” Bentley said. “I am pleased to
Govenor Robert Bentley
support these projects, and I am delighted about the employment opportunities they will provide for the people of Colbert County and the Shoals area.”
To prepare for the expansion of North American Lighting, Muscle Shoals will use grant money to help pay for drainage improvements. The expansion, set for January 2014, will bring the facility to 600,000 square feet and the number of new jobs may swell to 250 within four years.
David Bradford
The city will provide sewer and water services to the CBC INGS America site using the grant awarded for that project. Employment at the plant is expected to grow to 125 once it is fully operational.
Bentley notified Muscle Shoals Mayor David H. Bradford that the grants had been approved.
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development allocates CDBG funds to Alabama. The Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs reviews grant applications and determines which projects to recommend to the governor for approval.
ADECA administers a wide range of programs that support law enforcement, economic development, workforce development, recreation, energy conservation and water resource management.
