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Mobile’s Austal USA poised for success

admin — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 14:53:53 +0000

Austal USA’s Mobile shipyard is currently putting the finishing touches on the prototype aluminum hull littoral combat ship (LCS) for the U.S. Navy. The new LCS ship is commonly referred to as the LCS2 or Independence. Austal will likely be building two additional LCS2’s for the Navy over the next year. The number of vessels could be increased to three in the event the General Dynamics led team that includes Austal is selected as the winner from the bid competition with Lockheed Martin. Additional LCS2 vessels will be awarded by the U.S. Navy in 2010.

In addition to the LCS2, Austal is also finishing up a second Hawaii Superferry vessel. The first of the 349 foot ships which can ferry 866 passengers and 282 cars was delivered in June of 2007. That ship, known as the Alakai, provides daily passenger and vehicle transportation between Honolulu Harbor on the island of Oʻahu and Kahului Harbor on Maui. The second Hawaii superferry is to be delivered in 2009.
Austall is also eagerly awaiting the award of the three team competition vying to build up to ten military transport vessels known as Joint High Speed Vessels, or JHSV. That announcement in anticipated to occur in the first part of November.
Austal’s US operations in Mobile, Alabama is expanding it facilities to accomodate the anticpated growth. Austal broke ground a new Modular Manufacturing Facility (MMF) in July 2008. The MMF project complete will include 700,000 square feet of manufacturing space, 80,000 square feet of warehouse space, and 60,000 square feet of office space. The MMF expansion will be constructed in two phases and will ultimately accommodate a total workforce of up to 1,200 personnel in the new buildings. The state-of-the-art facility will be capable of constructing six large aluminum vessels such as the LCS2 and/or JHSV per year.

For more information on Austal, please visit their website at http://www.austal.com.

SSAB selects Mobile for $460 million niche steel expansion

admin — Tue, 21 Oct 2008 22:19:25 +0000

SSAB today announced that it has selected Mobile, Alabama, as the site for a new state-of-the-art heat treating facility. The investment will increase the existing facility’s quenched and tempered steel capacity from 100,000 to 400,000 metric tonnes and bring approximately 180 new jobs to the facility. The investment is part of the investment program which was announced in August 2008.

In April 2008, SSAB announced it would increase its steel plate heat treating capacity in the United States. After an extensive review, Mobile was selected as the site for the new heat treating facility and other improvements.

“This reaffirms SSAB’s focus on our value added quenched and tempered steel and our commitment to meet customers’ growing demand for such products. SSAB will further develop its strong production base in the United States, both in Mobile and Montpelier, and we will continue to strengthen our strategy to be the global leader in high strength steel,” says Olof Faxander, CEO of SSAB.

“This investment develops our market position in quenched and tempered steel. In addition, we would like to thank the many State officials, local officials and other stakeholders, in both Iowa and Alabama, who worked to support this investment,” notes David Britten, President of SSAB, North American Division.

The heat treatment facility will produce quenched and tempered steel plate which is used throughout the manufacturing and construction sectors in applications where properties such as strength, hardness and toughness are required beyond those available in commercial grades.

The US$ 460 million investment program comprises a new quenching line, advanced finishing facilities, control and roll shifting technology for the rolling mill and a vacuum tank degasser. The investment is included in the investment program for the group that was announced in August.

The projects will bring approximately 180 new jobs to the facility. Construction will commence in 2009 and production will begin in 2011.
SSAB, a global niche producer of high strength steels with a leading market position and productivity, develops solutions in order to increase the competitiveness of its customers.

Carnival Cruise Lines bringing a new cruise ship to Mobile

admin — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 02:18:00 +0000

Earlier today, Carnival Cruise Lines announced that the Carnival Cruise Lines ship known as the Fantasy will be moving to Mobile In November 2009. The Fantasy will replace the Holiday which currently operates out of the Mobile Homeport. The Fantasy is 42% larger than the Holiday. The new cruise ship will have a 2,056-passenger capacity and will replace the oldest ship in Carnival’s fleet. Carnival expects to carry approximately 170,000 passengers annually from the Mobile port once the Fantasy is put into service. The Fantasy will be undergoing extensive renovation this fall as part of Carnival’s “Evolutions of Fun” refurbishment program for its eight Fantasy-class vessels. The “extreme makeover” will include a new Carnival WaterWorks aqua park that will feature a 300-foot-long corkscrew water slide, dual-lane 82-foot-long racing slides and various water spray apparatus. The Holiday will be transferred to Iberocruceros, a Spain-based sister cruise brand under the Carnival Corporation & plc umbrella.

Former Tameron Honda Site Auctioned

admin — Fri, 15 Aug 2008 02:28:27 +0000

The former Tameron Honda site on Hwy 98 in Daphne was auctioned today at 1:00 PM. The auction for the 4.04 acre site with 29,000 SG under roof only drew three registered bidders. The hammer price for the successful bidder was $1.125 million, which did not meet the non-disclosed reserve price set by the seller. The high bidder and seller were able to negotiate a contract immediately following the auction. The property had previously been listed for $2.9 million after Tameron Honda vacated the location for their new site at Hwy 181 and I-10 in Daphne.

San Carlos Gulf Shores Condominium Auction Cancelled

admin — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 01:25:59 +0000

The planned Saturday August 17th, 2008 auction of San Carlos condominiums in Gulf Shores, Alabama was cancelled earlier today. Sheldon Good & Company, which was handling the auction, stated the developer has withdrawn all of the condiuminiums from the auction and directed Sheldon Good & Company to cancel the auction event. The auction was to occur at the Renaissance Hotel in Mobile, AL. The Mobile, Alabama auction site was chosen in an effort to make the auction more accessible for out of town buyers. Sheldon Good is known as one of the largest national auction firms in the country. The auction had been advertised to be offering 35 San Carlos units, with 15 of those being offered absolute. San Carlos Condominiums is a 20-story, high-rise building fronting the beach. It was built in 2006 and has nine residences per floor. The two and three bedroom units in the San Carlos condominium were to have suggested opening bids of $200,000.

Mobile makes top 50 list for best places to ‘live and play’

admin — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 14:00:43 +0000

Excerpted from: Mobile Press-Register Tuesday, August 12, 2008 By KAIJA WILKINSON, Business Reporter

Mobile joins the likes of Seattle, San Francisco and Chattanooga, Tenn., in the September issue of National Geographic Adventure magazine as one of the “50 next great towns” in which to live and play. Magazine editors said their annual choices “aren’t just on prime relocation spots now, but smart choices for the future.” National Geographic asked the Mobile Bay Convention & Visitors Bureau for its recommendation of interesting, offbeat local destinations, according to bureau President Leon Maisel. Editors made their choices after visiting the various locales. In Mobile, tours of the local river delta system were a major draw, Maisel said.

Mobile was the only Alabama site among the magazine’s 50 choices. Most of the areas were in the western part of the United States. Tourist spending is big business in Mobile, according to the Convention & Visitors Bureau, which put 2007 tourism spending at $888.6 million in Mobile, which welcomed an estimated 2.6 million visitors. Other Mobile highlights in the top-50 list included the outdoor patio at Café 615 on Dauphin Street and the Kate Shepard House bed and breakfast.

The Mobile area has been in the pages of other National Geographic publications, including an article earlier this year in National Geographic Traveler that focused on the Eastern Shore on Mobile Bay.

Wintzell’s Oyster House opens in Spanish Fort

admin — Sat, 02 Aug 2008 17:41:38 +0000

Wintzell’s Oyster House opened it’s newest store in Spanish Fort, AL on Friday. The new restaurant is located in the Eastern Shore Centre at I-10 and Hwy 181. Wintzell’s is famous for their oysters - serving them via Wintzell’s renown slogan of “Oysters - fried, stewed, or nude”. Their restaurants walls are decorated with signs that contain Oliver Wintzell’s homespun sayings. These signs are now characterized as “Wit and Wisdom from Winzell’s Walls”. Wintzell’s Oyster House has been serving seafood dishes to the Gulf Coast for over 70 years. The Eastern Show Centre location marks Wintzell’s sixth location. Wintzell’s Oyster House franchise opportunities are now available.

For more information on Wintzell’s Oyster House, please visit www.wintzellsoysterhouse.com

GAO upholds Boeing’s protest of Air Force tanker contract award

admin — Wed, 18 Jun 2008 17:12:25 +0000

On Tuesday, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) recommended the aircraft refueling tanker contract be re-bid. This was the contract awarded to Northrop Grumman on Feb. 29, 2008. The KC-45 refueling tankers were to be assembled and modified in Mobile, Ala., representing 1,500 new jobs for area residents. The contract award to Northrop Grumman was protested by Boeing causing the GAO to spend the last 99 days reviewing the contract. Click here For the complete release from the GAO.

Gov. Bob Riley speaks in Mobile about economic development opportunities in region

admin — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 20:18:52 +0000

Gov. Bob Riley was in Mobile today to speak to a group of real estate professionals and investors involved in the Mobile and Baldwin county region regarding economic development opportunities in the region. Much of the focus was on supplier related opportunities for EADS/Northrop Grumman aircraft assembly which is set to occur in Mobile as a result of the Air Force selection of the KC-30 Tanker Aircraft as its next generation refueling tanker. Subsequent announcements from Airbus have indicated that in addition to the KC-30, Airbus will also product a cargo version of its A330-200 twin-engine jet at it’s new plant at Brookley Field Industrial Complex. The additional product should result in the number of planes produced at the new facility from 1.3 planes per month to 4.2 planes per month. That additional aircraft production coupled with the weak U.S. dollar should spur a number of Airbus suppliers to add facilities in the area. The message from Gov. Riley was clear - the Real Estate community in the area needs to be prepared for this opportunity as well as for the rapid timeline associated with the decision making process. Information was also provided on how the Alabama EDPA works with site selection consultants and how real estate practitioners should work with local economic development offices to present qualified sites to the EDPA database. A new EDPA AdvantageSite program was also announced. The event was held at Brookley Field and put on by the Mobile Chamber of Commerce and the Baldwin County Economic Development Alliance .

Publix coming to Pensacola

admin — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 21:19:52 +0000

Publix should be operating 4 super markets in the Pensacola, FL area by the end of September. Publix announced on Monday that it is acquiring 49 Albertson’s grocery stores in Florida. Albertson’s will continue to own and operate 44 stores in Florida. The move futher strengthens Publix westward expansion into the Gulf Coast area. Publix plans to open it’s first Baldwin County store in Orange Beach in August and recently announced plans to build a new store in Fairhope. Publix is also rumored to be looking for sites around the I-10/Highway 181 area in Daphne/Spanish Fort.