H+M Leading Way on
Bodine Project for Toyota

In April 2004, IAMC member company H+M, along with joint venture partner McCarthy Building Co., was awarded the site preparation and foundation contract for the $124-million Bodine Aluminum plant being built in H+M's hometown of Jackson, Tenn. McCarthy, based in St. Louis, has been involved in two previous Bodine projects, in St. Louis and in Troy, Mo. The new plant, slated to open in late 2005, will employ 200 in the making of 1 million engine blocks annually. "We're pleased that a Jackson area company has earned part of the work on this project in its home town," said Jeff Caldwell of Toyota's plant engineering division, adding that a general contractor would be named soon. H+M employs 250 people in Jackson. IAMC member Roger Cook, senior vice president at H+M, says, "We are very excited about being awarded this portion of the Bodine project."

Power Surge? Bring It On

The kind of industrial power demand that is a sure sign of industrial growth drove an 11-percent rise in first-quarter profits for Southern Co., the Atlanta-based parent corporation of IAMC member company Georgia Power. Powered by strong industrial demand in the states of Georgia, Florida, Alabama and Mississippi and in the refining, chemical, automotive, steel and paper/pulp business sectors, Southern reported that industrial electricity consumption was up 5 percent during that first quarter. In addition, a customer survey revealed that 53 percent of responding businesses plan to increase manufacturing production in 2004. Robin Spratlin, general manager of economic development for Georgia Power, is an IAMC member.