Alabama

Growth in Alabama’s auto supply chain accelerates with major investments – Alabama News Center

Published

1 year ago

October 15, 2024

Growth in Alabama’s auto supply chain accelerates with major investments – Alabama News Center

Alabama’s automotive industry continues its impressive expansion, with new growth projects and investments from key automotive suppliers adding momentum to the sector.

Over the last few years, the state’s auto manufacturing sector has attracted more than $5 billion in new capital investment, generating around 8,500 job commitments in projects tracked by the Alabama Department of Commerce between 2020 and 2023.

“These investments are a testament to Alabama’s strength as a leading player in the global automotive supply chain,” said Ellen McNair, secretary of the Alabama Department of Commerce. “We’ve built a business-friendly environment where automotive suppliers, large and small, can grow and thrive.

“This growth is creating quality jobs and solidifying Alabama’s standing as a top location for advanced manufacturing in the U.S.”

The most recent development came this month when Mobis broke ground on a $52 million, 460,000-square-foot expansion in Montgomery aimed at enhancing its aftermarket parts operations for Hyundai’s and Kia’s dealer networks across the nation.

Mobis broke ground on a $52 million, 460,000-square-foot expansion in Montgomery aimed at enhancing its aftermarket parts operations for Hyundai’s and Kia’s dealer networks. The project will create 27 jobs. (Montgomery Chamber)

The new facility will create 27 additional jobs with an average wage of more than $28 per hour, further strengthening Montgomery’s status as a critical hub for the automotive industry. Learn about Hyundai’s Montgomery plant.

Mobis has invested $475 million in Montgomery since 2002, when it launched operations there, and the company has more than 1,500 employees at the growing site.

“Investment by existing industries is the highest compliment we can receive, and Mobis has demonstrated its commitment by reinvesting in this facility,” said Anna Buckalew, president and CEO of the Montgomery Area Chamber of Commerce. “Over the past 20 years, partnerships and relationships have been the foundation of our success.

“Connecting and supporting our existing industries ensures they continue to grow and thrive,” she said.

In addition to Mobis, other automotive suppliers have also announced substantial projects across the state. In Opelika, Daewon America recently committed to a $46.2 million expansion that will add 100 jobs at its facility in the Northeast Industrial Park.

Daewon’s total investment in Opelika now exceeds $164 million since it began operations in the city in 2006, according to John Sweatman, Opelika’s economic development director.

“Opelika has been an incredibly supportive home for our United States headquarters,” said Chris Cho, president of Daewon America. “We are proud to continue expanding our operations here and further strengthen our ties to the community.”

The additions at Daewon are expected to be completed in summer 2027.

Meanwhile, in Cullman, Rehau recently completed a $66 million investment to introduce a new paint line at its plant, which has created 50 new jobs. Rehau, the first automotive supplier to follow Mercedes-Benz to Alabama, now employs more than 770 people in Cullman and continues to expand its footprint in the region.

In August, Rehau marked the completion of a $66 million investment to introduce a new paint line at its Cullman plant, which has created 50 new jobs. (Hal Yeager / Governor’s Office)

“Rehau’s investment demonstrates the value of Alabama’s workforce and the supportive business environment we’ve cultivated,” said Dale Greer, director of the Cullman Economic Development Authority. “This expansion is proof of the company’s continued confidence in Cullman and Alabama as key locations for their operations.”

Alabama’s automotive industry, launched in the 1990s, has rapidly grown into a national powerhouse. As companies like Mobis, Daewon America and Rehau continue to expand their operations, the state remains a key destination for automotive manufacturing and supply chain growth.

With a strong foundation and an ever-expanding network of suppliers and manufacturers, Alabama’s auto industry shows no signs of slowing down.

This story originally appeared on the Alabama Department of Commerce’s Made in Alabama website. The Montgomery Area Chamber of Commerce, the City of Opelika and the Cullman Tribune supplied material for this story.

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Alabama

New Alabama football coach Adrian Klemm faces massive task | Goodbread

Published

10 hours ago

March 10, 2026

Press Room

New Alabama football coach Adrian Klemm faces massive task | Goodbread

Adrian Klemm, meet the challenge of a career.

Alabama football’s first-year offensive line coach is one of three new faces at Kalen DeBoer’s conference table. And, next year, history says there might be three more. At the major college level, heavy turnover among assistant coaches is business as usual. But make no mistake; Klemm was DeBoer’s most important hire of the offseason. He might well be the most important hire DeBoer has made in his 26 months on the job.

That’s the magnitude of the mess that Alabama’s 2025 offensive line left behind.

The Crimson Tide’s 2025 rushing attack was an insult to the word attack. It was more like a rushing surrender; ranked 123rd out of 134 FBS teams, and 15th of 16 SEC teams, at 104.1 yards per game. Rock bottom came in the SEC Championship Game, when Georgia sent it backward for minus-3 yards. It’s frankly remarkable that quarterback Ty Simpson assembled a 28-5 TD-INT ratio, as a first-year starter no less, with virtually zero help from a ground game. And while we’re on the subject of the passing game, Simpson wasn’t very well-protected, either. At 2.13 sacks allowed per game, UA ranked 90th in the country.

If Klemm even bothered to watch film of last year’s offensive line, he had to do it with one eye closed.

UA tried all sorts of combinations up front, looking for a solution to what was plainly its biggest problem. In 45 years paying attention to college football, I never saw so many substitutions on an offensive line as Alabama made in 2025. Backups got every chance that could have asked for. On one hand, it was understandable that now-fired offensive line coach Chris Kapilovic refused to stay with a failing five all season.

But it also smacked of desperation.

In the end, it was clear that no combination was effective; the first-team unit Kapilovic finally settled on late in the season was the one that got manhandled by Georgia in Atlanta.

It was a shock to the system for Alabama fans, who know what a dominant run game looks like whether they’re young or old. Jam Miller led Alabama with 504 rushing yards on the season; former UA star Derrick Henry once ran for 557 in a three-game stretch against Tennessee, LSU and Mississippi State.

Miller, of course, is no Henry. But the gap between those two is no bigger than the gap between Henry’s 2015 offensive line and the disastrous line that took the field a decade later.

Klemm is tasked with turning that mess around in a single offseason, with only one returning part-time starter in sophomore Michael Carroll, a promising cornerstone to be sure. But an offensive line is only as strong as its weakest link, and Klemm must find four links to line up beside Carroll. A collection of returning backups, transfers and incoming freshmen have a lot of improvements to make, along with a strong impression on a new position coach.

With spring practice underway, that process has begun in earnest.

And Klemm faces a taller task than any assistant on the practice field.

Tuscaloosa News columnist Chase Goodbread is also the weekly co-host of Crimson Cover TV on WVUA-23. Reach him at cgoodbread@gannett.com. Follow on X.com @chasegoodbread.

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Alabama

Mother who reported AL toddler missing now faces murder charge

Published

22 hours ago

March 9, 2026

Press Room

Mother who reported AL toddler missing now faces murder charge

The mother of an Enterprise toddler, reported missing Feb. 16, has been charged with capital murder, said Police Chief Michael Moore.

Adrienne Reid, mother of Genesis Nova Reid, reported her daughter as missing to authorities and said the two-year-old was not in the home and the door was open. On March 9, she was charged with capital murder of a child under the age of 14 and abuse of a corpse, Moore said. March 9 would have been Genesis’ birthday, he said. Adrienne Reid had previously been charged with filing a false report about her daughter’s disappearance.

She is being held without bond, Moore said. Adrienne Reid could not be reached for comment and court records do not show if she has an attorney.

The case shocked Enterprise and southeast Alabama. Hundreds of volunteers searched for her, and people were asked to wear pink to honor her.

Early on in the investigation neighbors told law enforcement that they hadn’t seen the child for several weeks.

Moore said evidence points to the capital murder charge even though Genesis’ body has not been found. The last time she was seen was Christmas night while visiting family in Dothan, Moore said. Video footage at the apartment complex where they lived showed Adrienne Reid about 11:30 p.m. Christmas night pulling a rolling duffle bag to a dumpster at the complex, and throwing the duffle bag inside, he said.

Coffee County Sheriff Scott Byrd said his office began the process of planning to search the landfill early in the investigation. The landfill covers 100 acres. He said the area where the contents of the dumpster that allegedly contained Genesis’ body was likely dumped has been narrowed down to an area covering a few hundred feet.

Active searches will begin soon, he said. District Attorney James Tarbox said the state will be seeking the death penalty.

Contact Montgomery Advertiser reporter Marty Roney at mroney@gannett.com. To support his work, please subscribe to the Montgomery Advertiser.

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