Recent Success Stories

 “Imperial Dade’s expansion proves what we already knew – job growth is on the rise on the Alabama Gulf Coast.”

— Alabama Governor Kay Ivey

Imperial Dade, a leading independently owned and operated distributor of food service packaging and janitorial supplies, held a groundbreaking for a new logistics hub in Baldwin County. The upcoming 220,000-square-foot building will be located along County Road 49 in Loxley and will support the company’s expanding customer base and continued growth along the Gulf Coast. Imperial Dade’s new facility is set to bring more than $20 million in total investment to Baldwin County, with plans to create 55 new jobs.

The new logistics hub, developed and owned by I-10 Gulf Coast Logistics Center LLC, will be the first Class-A industrial facility constructed in Baldwin County, with Imperial Dade making the move from their existing Loxley location. In close proximity to Interstate 10, the location provides easy access to the entire Gulf Coast market, including the nearby Port of Mobile. The center is also located just south of the new 564,000-square-foot ALDI regional headquarters and distribution center. Phase two of the development is currently being marketed, offering a total of 250,000 square feet in two additional buildings capable of accommodating tenants as small as 20,000 square feet.

“We are ready to bring the ALDI difference to new markets in Alabama, like Baldwin County. We’re ramping up our expansion plans to meet the growing demand along the Gulf Coast.”

— Dan Gavin – ALDI’s Vice President of Real Estate

ALDI U.S., a leader in the grocery retailing industry since 1976, recently announced plans to construct a new regional headquarters and distribution center, in Baldwin County, to support the company’s growing footprint along the Gulf Coast. The retailer purchased 160 acres in Loxley’s industrial and warehousing district, along Interstate 10. The upcoming 564,000-square-foot facility will bring approximately $100 million in capital investment and create 200 jobs for Loxley and Baldwin County.

The new Loxley regional headquarters and distribution center will serve new ALDI stores in southern Alabama, Louisiana and throughout the Florida panhandle. ALDI plans to open 70 new stores by the end of the year across its entire footprint, which puts the company on pace to become the third-largest U.S. grocer by store count by the end of 2022.

“It’s key to us to make sure that everyone understands that maybe aerospace is more than being a pilot or an engineer. There’s so many opportunities for future generations to step into and this partnership will help to generate those opportunities for people to get high-paying jobs, skilled jobs and live right here at home in Mobile or Baldwin County.”

— VP and General Manager of Airbus US, Mobile, Daryl Taylor

Airbus’ U.S. Final Assembly Line, located in neighboring Mobile County, has grown to nearly 1,100 employees in just five years, further cementing the Mobile-Baldwin region as one the world’s fastest-growing aerospace clusters. Airbus and the Baldwin County Commission recently entered into a partnership that will provide new technical training programs to Baldwin County students, through Airbus’ Flight Works Alabama program. The 18,000 square foot facility, located at the Brookley Aeroplex, in Mobile, will house an interactive exhibition area, workshop and classrooms and more, helping to meet the needs of a growing regional workforce. Flight Works Alabama is designed to be a hub for students to explore opportunities in the aerospace industry.

Airbus will invite students from every Baldwin County High School for a day of hands-on learning, and interested and qualified students will be able to apply for FlightPath9, the first Flight Works training program.

“I want to thank the people and leaders of Bay Minette and Baldwin County for the overwhelming welcome we have received. All parties involved have been an absolute pleasure to get to know and do business with, and we look forward to a great future here in Bay Minette.”

— Paul Stewart – Owner of Southern Visions, LLP

Southern Visions, headquartered in Baldwin County, is a leading innovator for fresh-brewed beverage products in the food service industry. Founded in 2003, the family-owned and -operated business services some of the largest food service distributors in the country. Since its inception, Southern Visions has primarily focused on the fresh brewed beverages category, with groundbreaking products for preparing sweetened teas and lemonade. By combining tea and sugar in an easy to use pouch, the patented Sweet Brew system revolutionized the fresh brewed beverages industry by delivering noticeably better taste and consistency in its final product. Today, the company holds numerous patents for the Sweet Brew® pouch, which has proven to be one of the biggest innovations for sweet tea since the introduction of the commercial tea brewer in 1978.

Southern Visions is currently constructing a new Baldwin County manufacturing facility that will house the company’s tea and sugar production operations and create more than $24 million in capital investment in Baldwin County. The company’s new facility further position Southern Visions for sustained growth in the industry, providing much-needed rail service vital to the growth of their granulated sugar operations.

“Ecovery’s fourth expansion is made possible by our dedicated, hard-working team, which has enabled us to be successful as people and as a company. We have grown from a 35,000-square-foot facility to a nearly 170,000-square-foot facility with a goal of 120 employees by the end of 2019 to prepare ourselves for future expansions in Loxley.”

— Kevin Sloan – CEO and managing member of Ecovery LLC

Working to take valuable metals out of scrap material, Ecovery continues to be a North American leader of non-ferrous metal processing. As a Baldwin County-based, family-owned company operated by three successive generations, Ecovery continues to blaze a trail in the metal separation industry. With a specialization in the shredding, granulation, and separation of copper and aluminum bearing scrap, Ecovery has grown to become one of the largest metal recyclers in the Southeast over the last decade.

Ecovery recently completed their fourth expansion, in the last 10 years, at their Baldwin County facility. Driven by an increase in sales and production, the new 100,000-square-foot facility houses new equipment that will help create 30 new jobs and more than $5 million in capital investment in Baldwin County.

“When so many companies are outsourcing manufacturing overseas, we are committed to manufacturing products right here in Alabama, made by the people of Alabama.”

— Keith Schumacher – CEO of Kaishan Compressor USA

Kaishan Group, based in Quzhou, China, is the world’s third largest manufacturer of air compressors. With modern, specialized manufacturing facilities positioned in seven strategic locations, Kaishan’s global reach and diverse portfolio of highly engineered products have built a strong reputation for meeting the needs of their multi-national company clientele. Kaishan Group recently opened a new U.S. corporate headquarters and manufacturing facility in Baldwin County. The company invested more than $11 million in their new 65,000-square- foot facility and created 62 new manufacturing jobs in Baldwin County. With a 60-year track record, Kaishan has steadily grown to become a significant engineering and production company supplying compressed air, refrigeration, power generation and mining equipment to over sixty countries and regions, including Southeast Asia, Australia, Europe, Japan, Korea, Russia, Africa and Latin America.

“This new investment in Gulf Packaging is due to the results of our dedicated Gulf Packaging team that puts in the hard work, each day, enabling us to be successful as people and a company”

— Larry Taylor – President of Gulf Packaging Inc.

Gulf Packaging, headquartered in Baldwin County, is an ISO 9001 certified supplier and full line manufacturer of corrugated shipping boxes and supplies. Founded in 1990, the company is a longtime industrial employer of Baldwin County, with 5 additional locations in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi and Louisiana.

Gulf Packaging, Inc. recently constructed a new manufacturing facility to support the company’s future growth and expansion throughout the Southeast. The new 85,000-square-foot facility houses the company’s material handling and manufacturing processes, creating new jobs and more than $8 million in capital investment in Baldwin County.