MONTGOMERY— A $500,000 grant has been awarded by Gov. Kay Ivey for industrial site development for a new Tier I automotive supplier plant to employ 170 Macon County workers.
The Community Development Block Grant will provide infrastructure needed for the $128 million plant being built by Samkee in Tuskegee’s Commerce Park. Samkee will serve as an automobile parts supplier to Hyundai Motor Co. in Montgomery.
“In February, I was pleased to announce Samkee Corporation’s plans to build Tuskegee’s first auto parts manufacturer, ushering in 170 good-paying jobs,” Gov. Ivey said. “The location of Samkee in Tuskegee Commerce Park will open the door to future development in the city and in Macon County. Today, I follow that good news with more as I award a $500,000 grant to provide utility services to fully supply the needs of the plant and the industrial park.”
CDBG funds will be used to expand water and sewer service to Samkee and Tuskegee Commerce Park, both of which are located off Alabama Highway 81 and a short distance from I-85.
Samkee is a major South Korean automobile supplier, and the Tuskegee site is its first factory in the United States. Samkee will construct high-pressure, die-cast aluminum components used in automobile engines, transmissions and electric vehicles.
The Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs is administering the grant from funds made available by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.
“ADECA is pleased to participate in a project that will expand Alabama’s automobile manufacturing base and provide jobs in Tuskegee and the surrounding area,” ADECA Director Kenneth Boswell said.
Gov. Ivey notified Mayor Lawrence “Tony” Haygood that the grant had been approved. The city has pledged $88,114 in local funding for the project.
ADECA administers an array of programs supporting law enforcement and traffic safety, economic development, energy conservation, water resource management and recreation development.
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