Jeff Sessions jumps into the international speaking circuit at up to $40k per appearance
Former U.S. Attorney General and Senator Jeff Sessions is hitting the international speaking circuit after signing up with the Worldwide Speakers Group (WWSG), a booking agency that provides high-profile public speakers for “the global lecture industry to corporate, trade, education, and commercial customers worldwide.” According to his bio on the WWSG site, Sessions bills himself as “an American lawyer and politician” who “served as United States Senator from Alabama from 1997 until 2017. Before becoming the 84th Attorney General of the United States.“ According to the WWSG website, Sessions is seeking audiences that want to pay $25,000 to $40,000 to hear him lecture on topics ranging from: Establishing a realistic foreign policy Challenges to the rule of law The real meaning of the “Trump Agenda” Prosperity, trade and the national interest Importance of a lawful system of immigration and how to achieve it Aside from Sessions, some of the world’s most prominent and engaging keynote speakers are also in WWSG’s speaking circuit, such as Steve Wozniak, Newt Gingrich, Robert B. Zoellick, Carly Fiorina, and Russell Simmons, among others.
Stacey Abrams to give Democrats’ response to State of the Union
Stacey Abrams, the rising political star who marshaled the power of black female voters but narrowly lost the Georgia governor’s race, will deliver the Democratic response to President Donald Trump’s State of the Union address. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer told reporters Tuesday that he asked Abrams three weeks ago to take on the role and “was very delighted when she agreed.” Abrams narrowly lost the 2018 race against Republican Brian Kemp after a protracted challenge over blocked votes. Senate Democrats have been urging her to mount a 2020 challenge to Republican Sen. David Perdue, who has emerged as one of Trump’s most outspoken allies on Capitol Hill. “She is just a great spokesperson. She is an incredible leader. She has led the charge for voting rights, which is at the root of just about everything else,” Schumer, D-N.Y., told reporters. “She knows what working people, the middle class, go through.” The role elevates Abrams in a party that’s looking to keep core supporters, such as black women who anchor the Democratic base, energized ahead of the 2020 congressional and presidential elections. Abrams’ travel and meeting schedule in recent weeks tells the story of how hotly Democrats have pursued her as their top choice to challenge Perdue: She’s been inundated with calls from Democratic Party leaders, including Schumer, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and House campaign chief Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto. Abrams also met privately with presidential candidate Sen. Kamala Harris, members of the Congressional Black Caucus and Democratic House members from her state. Party officials see an Abrams candidacy as a promising scenario all around in 2020. Enthusiasm around her Senate run could drive up turnout that would also benefit a Democratic presidential candidate in the state, while the money that a White House campaign would bring to Georgia would help Abrams. For her part, Abrams has started a voting rights advocacy group but is also considering her own political future and looking to help other Democrats. She is expected to make a decision about the Senate race in coming months. The State of the Union response often serves as an audition of sorts for ambitious political figures looking to raise their profile. But it’s also frequently a thankless task, with brutal reviews. Republican Sen. Marco Rubio’s lunge for a water bottle became a meme after his response in 2013. Then-Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal was panned for being dull in 2009. In 1996, then-presidential candidate Bob Dole gave a less-than-boffo performance and was widely criticized for his delivery and the lighting. But for Abrams, the response is not an audition. She’s well-known in the U.S. for nearly winning the governor’s race and disputing the vote. A group backed by Abrams filed a federal lawsuit this month saying Georgia deprived many low-income people and minorities of their voting rights with Kemp, then secretary of state, overseeing the 2018 election. After a long dispute, Kemp won the governorship. Republished with permission from the Associated Press
Rauf Bolden: Orange Beach is the municipal leader providing free Wi-Fi
Orange Beach has Free Wi-Fi at every city building, obviously excluding Police and Fire. This high-bandwidth service is free of charge for the public to use, and is available on a 24/7 basis. How did this happen? In 2005 during reconstruction after Hurricane Ivan, former Mayor Steve Russo asked me if we could build a Wi-Fi blanket over the entire City of Orange Beach. Technologically it was not possible at that time. Three years later, I met with Finance Committee Chairman Al Bradley, discussing IT budgets. He asked about innovation.I told him about the old mayor’s idea of Wi-Fi as a public service.He liked the concept, but suggested the city provide free Wi-Fi at all city buildings instead of competing with the local providers for home service. I knew we could make this happen, and increase employee productivity at the same time, but we needed to upgrade the city’s technology infrastructure from copper to fiber-optic. As a lawyer and CPA Bradley understood. He retired as CEO of a company that used fiber optics, and he was able to get the funding a Chairman of the Finance Committee. Al and City Attorney Wanda Cochran founded the Telecommunications Committee. We started work, monitoring Franchise Agreements for utility vendors digging up the city’s rights-of-way. This tactic allowed us to strategically place the city’s fiber-optic infrastructure.In the early days there were only three of us, but our brief quickly expanded to membership from almost every department in the city. Projects of this size need to be done in multi-year steps. This is how it started. We sought a fiber-optic partner with experience providing reliable high-speed service. I wrote a Request For Proposal (RFP), detailing the specifications, including four strands of dark fiber (dedicated for city use), owned by the City of Orange Beach. We also required sufficient bandwidth that would carry the city well into the future. Harbor Communications LLC of Mobile won the bid, providing the infrastructure and the bandwidth. Phase One: City Hall Finance Fire Admin and Fire Station One Police and Municipal Court Library Phase Two: Senior Center Art Center Fire Station Two Recreation Center Tennis Center Community Center Aquatic Center Phase Three: Golf Center Sportsplex Event Center Sail Camp Fire Station Five Phase Four: Public Works Public Works Shop Sewer Maintenance Shop Sewer Plant Planning for security was important.We resolved the public/private network issue, requiring each building have a physical separation (by external IP), rather than logical separation (by internal IP), segregating the networks from each other. This is more expensive, requiring additional hardware, but isolates each network on its own external IP address, eliminating the possibility of cross talk or network jumping. Funding any municipal project is always a key issue. Al Bradley secured funding for the fiber-optic project as Chairman of the Finance Committee, and as Chairman of the Telecommunications Committee. We presented a persuasive argument, stating fiber-optic connections also increased productivity for city workers.Image you are on a slow connection, spending ten minutes per day on DSL, drinking coffee, waiting for files to upload or download. This translates to 50 minutes per week, times 52 weeks per year, equals 2,600 minutes, or 43 hours (approx. one week) of productivity lost per year, per employee at each workstation. What business can afford that? Some council members resisted, holding we do not need technological expansion, during a recession, combined with city-employee layoffs. With 20/20 hindsight, looking back to 2008 Chairman Al Bradley was a visionary, fighting to give all city offices the high-speed functionality needed for payment processing, jail bookings, event registrations, fire reporting, webinars, cameras, and online training, with the added amenity of Free Wi-Fi for the public to use. By leveraging the technology, we were able to demonstrate our solution; doing more with fewer employees is possible. Orange Beach can thank one man for setting the bar so high for fiber-optic connectivity, allowing our city workers to be more efficient, simultaneously giving the public free access to high-speed Internet at city facilities. This public service is invaluable, allowing residents to stream music as they work out in the gym, or for baseball parents to stream movies, waiting at the Sportsplex for their game to start. You can easily pull presentation files from your cloud account in the city’s various meeting rooms, or download homework assignments after school. Orange Beach also provides the SEC and NAIA with bandwidth for broadcasting Women’s Soccer Tournaments. Al Bradley established the Free Wi-Fi standard in Orange Beach. This is a guiding light for other municipalities to follow. Al Lawton Bradley, Jr. (1950-2014) ••• Rauf Bolden is retired IT Director at the City of Orange Beach, working as an IT & Web Consultant on the Beach Road.He can be reached by email: publisher@velvetillusion.com.
Judge orders mediation in Robert Bentley lawsuit
A judge has ordered mediation in a defamation lawsuit filed against former Alabama Gov. Robert Bentley by his former law enforcement chief. Al.com reports that Montgomery Circuit Judge Greg Griffin on Monday ordered the two sides to attempt mediation. Spencer Collier sued Bentley in 2016. He contends Bentley wrongfully fired him as state law enforcement secretary and then tried to discredit him with a sham state investigation. Bentley had contended Collier was dismissed for cause. A day after being fired, Collier publicly accused the governor of having an inappropriate relationship with an aide before his divorce. Bentley resigned in 2017. Griffin appointed mediators to work with the two sides. The case is scheduled to go to trial in September. Republished with permission from the Associated Press
Mo Brooks sees impending “disaster” in new CBO budget projections
Congressman Mo Brooks (Republican- district 5) has said that the newly released 10-year budget projections by the Congressional Budget Office’s (CBO) would mean “financial and economic disaster.” In a press release, Brooks said “The Congressional Budget Office’s latest 10-year budget projection paints a bleak picture of America’s financial future.” “As the CBO report makes clear, a lack of tax revenue is not the problem,” Brooks said, “out of control Washington spending is the problem. Washington elected officials have for years spent money American does not have, has to borrow to get, and cannot afford to pay back. In Fiscal Year 2018, the federal government’s revenue was $3.329 trillion while Washington spent $4.108 trillion, leaving a deficit of $779 billion.” He continued, “America spent 23% more than it brought in. If a business or household handled their finances as poorly as the federal government, that business or household would long ago have gone bankrupt. According to CBO, revenues are up and set to increase every year through 2029, yet deficits continue to explode. Spending, not a lack of revenue, drives America’s dangerously high deficits.” Brooks concluded, “America’s current fiscal path is ‘unsustainable’ according to United States Comptroller General Gene Dodaro and the Congressional Budget Office. In accounting language, the word ‘unsustainable’ means current finances cannot last and that an American financial disaster is the end result. Stated differently, America’s budget outlook is bleak, and, absent restoration of financial responsibility, America will inevitably experience a debilitating insolvency and bankruptcy that will be triggered the moment America’s creditors decide to stop loaning American even more money that we do not have, have to borrow to get, and cannot afford to pay back. Washington’s reckless spending is the greatest generational theft in American history. It is immoral to burden our children and grandchildren with a ticking time bomb that will inevitably result in an all-out financial meltdown.” CBO Director Keith Hall agrees with Brooks that debt “is on an unsustainable course.” He suggested revenue increases and cuts to revenue programs or both in order to address the problem. The CBO also predicts that that the Federal Reserve will raise interest rates this year, CNBC reports.
Alabama looks to add to manufacturing gains along with tech, biotech growth in 2019
Alabama added more than 44,000 jobs across all industries in 2018 and ended the year by posting in December the highest average weekly earnings ever recorded in the state’s history. Alabama Commerce Secretary Greg Canfield shared the state’s 2018 economic development successes with fellow economic developers in Hoover Monday while sharing the Alabama Commerce Department’s plans for the new year ahead. The Economic Development Association of Alabama is holding its winter conference this week. “It reinforces to me what is the ultimate strength of Alabama as a competitor in the economic development arena and that is we work as a team,” Canfield said, citing state and local economic development entities and government leaders, the private sector and universities. Among the 2018 successes Canfield noted: • The $1.6 billion Mazda Toyota plant under construction in Huntsville is a gamechanger for the state with 4,000 jobs and 300,000 vehicles per year when it reaches full production. • The state saw $3 billion in new foreign direct investment that accounted for at least 6,000 new or announced jobs last year. • Shipt’s decision to expand in Birmingham and add 881 new jobs provided a blueprint for how the state can target the tech sector in the innovation economy. The Mazda Toyota deal adds to the state’s automotive sector that already includes Mercedes-Benz, Honda, Hyundai, Autocar and dozens of suppliers. Canfield said the state is on pace to become the second largest auto-producing state in the nation as soon as 2022. “It’s interesting to note that in every journal, every article that you read today talking about the automotive sector across the United States, you’re going to read that Alabama is the No. 5 state in terms of vehicle production,” Canfield said. “And that’s a great story, isn’t it? Because prior to 1997, we didn’t produce a single vehicle. In 2017 and 2016 – and we don’t have the numbers in for 2018 – but in the two previous years, Alabama hands and Alabama automakers produced over a million vehicles.” Pointing to a chart using Bloomberg data, Canfield said the state is steadily climbing the rankings compared to Indiana, Kentucky and Ohio and will trail only Michigan in a few years. “We actually believe that based on the numbers that Alabama is most likely the fourth largest vehicle-producing state, Canfield said. “We expect that by 2022, if the numbers hold and the forecast is true, Alabama will take the position as the No. 2 vehicle-producing state in the U.S. and that’s an amazing feat.” Job growth in the state is outpacing the experts’ projections, Canfield said. “We gained 44,300 jobs across all industry sectors in 2018,” he said. “Most economists believed we would be doing good and performing well if we added 30,000 jobs.” So how does the state economy continue to soar? One way is with Airbus building more airplanes. The company broke ground on a new assembly line in Mobile on Jan. 16 that will bring 432 new jobs as it produces the A220 line of aircraft, joining the A320 family of aircraft produced at its existing plant. “Having these two lines combined will ultimately make the state of Alabama the No. 5 production location in the globe for commercial large aircraft production,” Canfield said. With the Airbus project, the state is getting a 278 percent return on its “investment” over the next 20 years based on the incentives the jet maker received. Focusing ahead, Canfield said “2019 is going to be an important year. We’re going to have to do some things differently as we look to the future. We’re not going to be bashful about that, either.” Canfield noted the 2020 Census will be important to the state and its economic development efforts. A failure to count the state’s population accurately could cost the state federal dollars and representation, he said. “If we are undercounted, we will not get correct allocation,” Canfield said. Canfield said the state wants to build on the tech-sector recruitment successes of Amazon, Facebook and Google and put a greater emphasis on helping homegrown companies like Shipt stay in Alabama and grow. The strategy and program developed for Shipt is the blueprint to do that, he said. Broad partnerships, university support to drive STEM jobs, AIDT’s expansion beyond manufacturing training and working with local governments and private sector partners like Alabama Power on recruiting talent were some of the elements that made the Shipt project happen, Canfield said. Other areas that Canfield will emphasize in 2019 include: • The biotech and life science sector, • Workforce development, • Supplier network for Toyota Mazda, • Rural Alabama, • Aerospace and • Forest products. By the end of the year, Canfield said the Department of Commerce will take a fresh look at its long-term strategy. The first two versions of Accelerate Alabama helped the state add $28.8 billion in new capital investment and 105,000 new or announced jobs between 2012 and 2017. “I think it’s time to thing about Accelerate Alabama 3.0,” Canfield said. Republished with permission from Alabama Newscenter
Trump campaign readies lawsuit against Alabama-native Cliff Sims over tell-all book
President Donald Trump’s 2020 re-election campaign said Tuesday the campaign was preparing to file a lawsuit against former White House staffer, Alabama’s own Cliff Sims for violating his non-disclosure agreement in writing his new tell-all book about his time in the Trump White House. “The Trump campaign is preparing to file suit against Cliff Sims for violating our NDA, ”tweeted Michael Glassner, the chief operating officer for the Trump 2020 campaign, Tuesday morning. The Trump campaign is preparing to file suit against Cliff Sims for violating our NDA. https://t.co/Xl1N95fPkH — Michael Glassner (@michaelglassner) January 29, 2019 Glassner’s Tweet follows Trump’s own, which dubbed Sims a “low level staffer” he hardly knew. “A low level staffer that I hardly knew named Cliff Sims wrote yet another boring book based on made up stories and fiction. He pretended to be an insider when in fact he was nothing more than a gofer. He signed a non-disclosure agreement. He is a mess!,” said Trump. A low level staffer that I hardly knew named Cliff Sims wrote yet another boring book based on made up stories and fiction. He pretended to be an insider when in fact he was nothing more than a gofer. He signed a non-disclosure agreement. He is a mess! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 29, 2019 Sims, the former Yellowhammer Multimedia CEO and a virtually unknown former aide in Trump’s communications shop, has written a tell-all book titled ‘Team of Vipers: My 500 Extraordinary Days in the Trump White House’ about his time in the administration that hit the bookshelves Tuesday. But Sims’ isn’t letting the President’s tweet stop him. He pushed back later Tuesday morning with a tweet of his own. ““Team of Vipers: My 500 Extraordinary Days in the Trump White House” is out today, written by the most famous “gofer” in the world! Enjoy! https://amzn.to/2Lm2xlp” wrote Sims. “Team of Vipers: My 500 Extraordinary Days in the Trump White House” is out today, written by the most famous “gofer” in the world! Enjoy! https://t.co/Eovn8jMVhk pic.twitter.com/V013bIe0r2 — Cliff Sims (@Cliff_Sims) January 29, 2019
ALGOP welcomes two former Democrat elected officials with open arms
The Escambia County Republican Executive Committee recently welcomed two former Democrat elected officials to the ALGOP: Circuit Clerk John Robert Fountain and Tax Assessor Thad Moore, Jr. Jackie Gay, Escambia County GOP Chairman, made the following statement regarding the new Party members: “We look forward to working with Mr. Fountain and Mr. Moore as we continue to advance conservative policies and principles. Both men display professionalism in their offices and are active in community service. We are happy to have both of these conservatives join our Party.” Alabama Republican Party Chairman Terry Lathan took to social media to welcome to former Democrats with open arms to the state party. “Two more county Dems switch to the GOP in Alabama in Escambia County! More walking away from the party of resistance, obstruction and left wing policies #alpolitics #WalkAway,” Lathan tweeted. Two more county Dems switch to the GOP in Alabama in Escambia County! 🐘👏🏽 More walking away from the party of resistance, obstruction and left wing policies #alpolitics #WalkAway pic.twitter.com/XejDwRZ3Mo — Terry Lathan (@ChairmanLathan) January 29, 2019 Later, in a statement, she added to her thoughts. “We are delighted to welcome Mr. Fountain and Mr. Moore to the Alabama Republican Party team. It is clear the policies of our Party are working to better the lives of Alabamians and those on the opposite side of the aisle are taking notice,” said Lathan. “Mr. Fountain and Mr. Moore are among the large numbers of Democrats who have walked away from the liberal policies of the Democrat Party. We welcome all who share our Party’s principles and values. We are proud that 67% of all partisan elected officials in Alabama are Republicans.”
Poll: Most Americans see nation on the wrong track
The state of the union is dark. A large majority of Americans say they are pessimistic about the state of the country and few expect things will get better in the year ahead, according to a poll released Tuesday by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. A week before President Donald Trump delivers his assessment of the nation in a State of the Union speech to Congress delayed by a record-setting government shutdown, the survey found just 28 percent of Americans think the country is headed in the right direction. Meanwhile, 70 percent say America is headed the wrong way. That’s up from 59 percent in December, with the percentage of those saying the country is on the wrong track now at its highest point in about a year. A majority of Americans, 52 percent, also believe things are going to get worse over the next year. While Democrats are far more likely than Republicans to feel negative about the direction of the country, even Republican pessimism is on the rise. The poll found 55 percent of Republicans and just 9 percent of Democrats think the country is headed in the right direction. A month ago, 69 percent of Republicans and 16 percent of Democrats said the same. Jim Wadkowski, an 80-year-old self-described conservative from Fountain, Colorado, said he approves of the job Trump is doing but sees the nation going the wrong way. “All they do is fight. If one party thinks it’s good, the other thinks it’s bad. If the president thinks it’s good, the party opposed to him thinks it’s bad,” he said of the nation’s leaders. “They don’t do anything for the people.” The remarkable level of national gloom is even beginning to extend to how Americans view the economy, once a relative bright spot in America’s mood. Since December’s swoon in the stock market, a slim majority of Americans still has positive feelings about the national economy, but many expect it to decline in the next year. The AP-NORC survey was conducted during the longest government shutdown in U.S. history, the result of Trump’s desire to deliver on his campaign vow to build a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border running headlong into the commitment of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and House Democrats to stop him. When Trump delivers the State of the Union address delayed by that political fight next month, he’ll speak to a nation both in need of a pep talk and deeply skeptical of him as a messenger. The survey found that 34 percent of Americans approve of the way Trump is handling his job as president, compared with 65 percent who disapprove. Carrie Montgomery, a 40-year-old learning specialist from Pawtucket, said she blames Trump for what she sees as an increase in “people’s boldness in speaking hatefully to other people.” “I’m concerned about the oppression and hatred that the president drives in this country — the safety of citizens and their ability to access their basic human rights,” she said. Trump’s approval rating is near his all-time low as president, as measured by AP-NORC polling since he took office two years ago. But the survey finds the nation’s pessimism reaches beyond the recent budget standoff and its opinion of the president, as doubts about the economy appear to be growing. For the first time since February 2018, Americans are significantly more likely to disapprove of Trump’s handling of the economy than approve. In October, and for much of the last year, about half of Americans approved of Trump’s handling of the economy. Democrats are staunchly negative in their ratings of the president overall and on most issues, but about 2 in 10 had approved of the president on the economy last year. Now, only 14 percent of Democrats do so. Americans in general feel better about the state of the economy than about the country in general, but also find increasing anxiety about what will happen in the next year. About half of Americans, 53 percent, describe the economy as generally good. But looking ahead, they’re more likely to expect the economy to get worse than better, 44 percent to 27 percent. Another 27 percent expect no change. A month ago, Americans were evenly divided on whether the economy would improve or worsen. The poll shows 8 in 10 Republicans call the current economy good, while just 37 percent of Democrats say the same. And 56 percent of Republicans expect the economy to get better in the next year, while 67 percent of Democrats expect it to get worse. Early in 2018, 68 percent of Republicans expected the economy to improve and 50 percent of Democrats expected it to worsen. At the Modern Diner in Pawtucket, 40-year-old waitress Kelcie Tipping is among the more than half of Americans who believe the economy is still in good shape. She’s worked at the restaurant for 10 years, and business is booming, although she’s nervous about a future in which robots or other technology could push people out of work. “As long as people are making money,” she said. “As long as there’s jobs.” ___ The AP-NORC poll of 1,062 adults was conducted Jan. 16 to 20 using a sample drawn from NORC’s probability-based AmeriSpeak Panel, which is designed to be representative of the U.S. population. The margin of sampling error for all respondents is plus or minus 4.1 percentage points. Respondents were first selected randomly using address-based sampling methods and later were interviewed online or by phone. Republished with permission from the Associated Press
Alabama workers built 1.6M engines in 2018
Alabama’s auto workers built nearly 1.6 million engines last year, as the state industry continues to carve out a place in global markets with innovative, high-performance parts, systems and finished vehicles. Last year also saw major new developments in engine manufacturing among the state’s key players, and more advanced infrastructure is on the way in the coming year. Hyundai expects to complete a key addition to its engine operations in Montgomery during the first half of 2019, while Honda continues to reap the benefits of a cutting-edge Alabama engine line installed several years ago. Toyota’s Huntsville engine plant also maintained its role as a critical component of the automaker’s global supply chain. Additionally, Navistar builds truck engines in Huntsville. “Alabama’s skilled auto workers have become adept at not only producing high-quality, in-demand vehicles, but also the engines that power those models and others,” said Greg Canfield, secretary of the Alabama Department of Commerce. “We look forward to their continued success as these companies invest even more resources and add new technology to their operations here.” Hyundai expansion Hyundai Motor Manufacturing Alabama produced 597,313 engines in 2018, and the Montgomery facility is in the midst of transforming those manufacturing operations. Last year, Hyundai announced a $388 million plan to construct a plant dedicated to manufacturing engine heads and enhance existing operations to support production of new models of Sonata and Elantra sedans. The investment will create 50 jobs. Preparations are under way for the next-generation Theta III engine, which requires new technologies and components as part of its assembly process. So far, the new engine head manufacturing building shell and concrete is complete, electrical work is underway and equipment for the building has begun to arrive. The project is on track to be complete by May, said Hyundai spokesman Robert Burns. In addition, the old equipment has been removed from the existing engine shop that is being updated, and contractors are prepping the interior of the building for new equipment. Hyundai’s Alabama engine operations support vehicle production in Montgomery and at the Kia plant in West Point, Georgia. Meanwhile, Honda Manufacturing of Alabama last year produced 356,439 engines that power the SUVs, minivans and pickups built at the Talladega County factory. Just a few years ago, Honda Alabama opened a sophisticated new engine line that represented a breakthrough in Honda’s North American engine assembly operations. The highly automated line was yet another indication of the global automaker’s confidence in the Alabama workforce, which has achieved an unprecedented schedule of new model launches and redesigns in recent years. In Huntsville, Toyota Motor Manufacturing Alabama produced about 630,000 engines that power one-third of the Toyota vehicles built in the U.S. The factory builds about 2,600 engines per day, or five times as many engines since production started there in 2003. Toyota milestones Two keys milestones for Toyota Alabama last year included its 6 millionth engine, built in August 2018. And the following month, the facility launched a new advanced 4-cylinder engine line to produce next-generation engines as part of the Toyota New Global Architecture Program. TNGA will improve the performance of all vehicles, including increased fuel efficiency, more responsive handling and a more stable and comfortable feel while driving. It also provides a more flexible production environment that allows the company to better respond to changing market demands. Toyota Alabama’s $106 million investment in the TNGA project increased total plant investment to nearly $1 billion. “I could not be prouder to reach this milestone,” Toyota Alabama President David Fernandes said at the time. “Launching our new TNGA engine is a true testament to our highly skilled workforce. They are leading Toyota Alabama into the future of advanced engine production.” Republished with permission from Alabama Newscenter
