ERI Job Fair Draws 750 People to Badin

Electronic Recyclers International (ERI), the first tenant in the Badin Business Park, drew quite a crowd for its first job fair on Saturday. More than 750 people turned out, hoping for a chance to work at the new electronic recycling facility located at the site of Alcoa's former aluminum plant. ERI will hire 20-30 people this summer and employ 150 people by the end of next year.

People started lining up at 6 am, and the line stretched around the Badin fire department and down the street by mid-morning. That demonstrates just how much the community needs new jobs. Alcoa is engaged in ongoing discussions with additional companies about moving to Badin Business Park and will continue efforts to recruit new jobs to Stanly County.

Read the AP article.

Read the Stanly News and Press article.

Read the Winston-Salem Journal article.

ERI Job Fair Coming to Badin

The first tenant of the new Badin Business Park, located at the site of Alcoa's former aluminum smelter plant, has announced that it will hold a job fair in Badin on Saturday, July 16 and immediately begin hiring a local workforce.

Electronic Recyclers International (ERI), the world’s largest recycler of electronic waste, plans to hire 20-30 employees this summer to assist with the startup of its Southeast regional recycling hub. It will grow its workforce to more than 150 employees by the end of 2012 and eventually plans to hire up to 200 employees as its recycling volume grows.  

ERI will begin operations this month in a temporary facility before moving into a permanent, 165,000 square-foot facility in January 2012. ERI is investing $5 million in the facility, and Alcoa is spending an additional $5 million on building improvements.

Alcoa recruited ERI to the Badin earlier this year and continues to work with state and local officials to attract additional employers to the Badin Business Park, which will have 535,000 square-feet of prime industrial space and 50 acres available for development after ERI moves into its new facility.

Click here to read more about the job fair.

President Obama visits Alcoa

President Barack Obama toured Alcoa's Davenport, Iowa plant on Tuesday to see how it is making ground and air transportation lighter, stronger and safer. He announced that Alcoa is joining the President's Advanced Manufacturing Partnership, an effort to bring together industry, universities, and the federal government to invest in emerging technologies to create high quality manufacturing jobs and enhance competitiveness. 

“At companies like Alcoa reinvention is a way of life…that spirit is at the heart of our American story," President Obama said. 

Click on the video below to see highlights from his visit:

Click here to read more about President Obama's visit.

Play it Safe on the Lakes

I hope everyone enjoys the Memorial Day weekend. If you planning to enjoy the lakes, please remember to "play it safe." 

Alcoa Power Generating teamed up with the NC Wildlife Resources Commission, the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary and local law enforcement officials in Davidson, Montgomery, Rowan and Stanly counties earlier this week to promote the importance of water safety.

Alcoa and the local law enforcement community have been preaching the benefits of wearing a life jacket for years. This year, Alcoa went a step further and hosted a series of water safety events last weekend at High Rock and Badin Lakes. We distributed more than 200 free life jackets to children.

We will provide local law enforcement officers with additional life jackets to distribute to boaters who are not carrying an adequate number of floatation devices. 

Davidson County Sheriff David Grice, Rowan County Sheriff Kevin Auten and Stanly County Sheriff Rick Burris thanked Alcoa for working with law enforcement agencies to educate the public about water safety. Alcoa provides $90,000 a year to local law enforcement to fund increased patrols of the lakes.

Watch news coverage from WGHP, WFMY, News 14 

Read coverage from the Salisbury Post and Stanly News & Press.

200 New Jobs Coming to Former Alcoa Site

It was a special week in Stanly County. Electronic Recyclers International, the world's largest recycler of electronic waste, announced Monday that it is bringing up to 200 new jobs to the area. The California-based company is opening a regional recycling hub in the Badin Business Park, the site of the former Alcoa smelter.

 

ERI Chairman and CEO John Shegerian provides a "Green is Good" t-shirt to 

State Representative Justin Burr during a press conference in Badin on Monday. 

"We're going to help recycle this plant, recycle that building right there and we're going to help recycle the community and bring brand new jobs," said ERI chairman and CEO John Shegarian.  Shegerian made the announcement before a crowd of 100 community leaders and local officials, including U.S. Congressman Larry Kissell, State Sen. Bill Purcell, State Rep. Justin Burr, Stanly County Commissioner Josh Morton, Badin Mayor Jim Harrison and Albemarle Mayor Whit Whitley. 

 

Alcoa is investing more than $10 million to redevelop the former plant site and continues to actively recruit businesses to the Badin site.

 

"We have an obligation to make sure that this site is redeveloped," said Kevin Anton, Alcoa's chief sustainability officer.

 

Read the press release.

Read the Salisbury Post editorial, Generating jobs in Badin

Read the AP article, Recycling company adding 200 jobs in Stanly County