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MONTGOMERY—Gov. Robert Bentley has awarded a $600,000 grant that will enable an existing Alabama industry to expand into Lowndes County, creating 200 new jobs.
Bentley awarded the Community Development Block Grant to Fort Deposit so the town can purchase the 180,000-square-foot building that will serve as a second location for Chowel Weldparts, Inc.
The company, which produces impact beams for Hyundai vehicles manufactured in Montgomery, will continue to employ 115 area residents at its nearby facility in Luverne.
“I am pleased to help Fort Deposit attract new jobs to the community,” Bentley said. “This project will provide much needed employment in an area that is working hard to expand opportunities.”
Chowel will locate in the former Cummings Sign building in the town’s industrial park. Another parts manufacturer for Hyundai, Sejong, is already located in Fort Deposit and employs 300 people.
Bentley notified Mayor Fletcher Fountain Sr. 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. Another ADECA-administered program, the Delta Regional Authority, awarded the town a $300,000 grant in 2013 to improve an access road leading to the plant site.
ADECA administers a wide range of programs that support law enforcement, economic development, infrastructure upgrades, recreation, energy, water resources, job training and career development.