A $250,000 grant awarded by Gov. Robert Bentley will assist a producer of plastic used in automobile manufacturing to locate in Athens and create 50 jobs during its first year of operation.
The Community Development Block Grant will fund infrastructure required for Asahi Kasei Plastics North America to build a 120,000-square-foot plant in Elm Industrial Park. Asahi Kasei supplies plastic pellets primarily for manufacturers that produce components for the automotive industry.
“Encouraging industries to locate in Alabama and employ our residents remains the main focus of my administration,” Bentley said. “Automotive manufacturing is one of the targeted industries in our long-range plan for economic development. This grant will help provide jobs for Alabamians who are eager to work, and whose performance on the job is unsurpassed anywhere.”
The city of Athens will use the grant to construct a 2,000-foot railroad spur connecting the plant to a main railroad line. The city is providing $650,000 in additional funds for infrastructure improvements.
In addition to supplying plastic for automobile components, the plant also will produce materials used to manufacture furniture, pools and spas and industrial equipment. The company expects to open in early 2016.
Bentley notified Mayor William R. Marks that the grant had been approved.
The Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs is administering the grant from funds made available to the state by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. ADECA administers a wide range of programs that support law enforcement, economic development, infrastructure upgrades, recreation, energy, water resources, job training and career development.
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Contact Jim Plott or Larry Childers