Large company eyeing northwest Alabama

The opportunity is one that Humphrey Lee and other leaders in the Shoals do not want to miss.

A large heavy steel fabrication company has its eyes on northwest Alabama as a possible site for a major operation. The company will need 1,000-plus workers, according to Lee, president at Northwest-Shoals Community College.

One significant question needs to be answered, though: Does the area have enough workers with desired skills to meet that demand?

In particular, the company needs welders, and a lot of them.

"When an industry is looking at an area, the first thing they ask about is the trained work force and if those skills match the skills they need," Lee said. "They know our unemployment rate is 3.9 percent, and there is a question about whether we have available workers for the project."

Lee has been asked to help determine the availability of the northwest Alabama work force and the number of those workers who have welding skills or would be willing to learn those skills quickly.

Northwest-Shoals is conducting a survey to help answer the question. Those with welding experience or an interest are asked to call 331-5444 or log on to wdt@nwscc.edu by the end of the workday Wednesday.

The Shoals appears to be among the top five possible sites for the project, local officials said. It's unclear when the company plans to make a decision, though.

Forrest Wright, executive director of the Shoals Economic Development Authority, confirmed that a heavy metal company has sent representatives to the Shoals for a site visit within the past two months. He said his agency has a policy not to discuss details of possible projects, though.

Lee said the survey could assist the area in its pursuit of the project. At the same time, a negative response to the survey would not.

"A lot of places will promise all sorts of things, but we want to provide substantive numbers, and we want to be able to back them up," Lee said.

Lee said he's confident the area can meet the need. He said 2,700 people showed up on campus last year when the college recruited

possible candidates for positions at North American Lighting, which is building a new plant in Muscle Shoals. The operation will have 320 workers initially, with plans to expand beyond 500 by 2010.

Northwest-Shoals is running an advertisement in today's TimesDaily seeking information from workers who have an interest in welding. Lee said he also will contact technical schools within a 50-mile radius of the Shoals to determine the number of students who have gone through technical programs in the past five years.

When the numbers are tabulated, Lee said a report will be forwarded to SEDA, which will pass on the information to the company involved.

"We have a lot of people in the work force who are underemployed right now," Lee said. "They may have these skills, or want to learn these skills, but may be working a service job where the average salary is not as high as these jobs would likely pay."

Keith May, a welding instructor at Allen Thornton Vocational Center, is convinced the area has the number of qualified workers the company will need. May, in addition to teaching welding classes for high school students in Lauderdale County, also teaches classes at Northwest-Shoals.

"We have quite a few welders that complete our program here or at other high school tech programs and then go on to Northwest-Shoals or to Calhoun (Community College),'' May said.

May said he now has about 25 students in the program at Allen Thornton and usually graduates 10-15 each year.

He said the other area technical programs -- Franklin County, Colbert County, Florence, Lawrence County and Limestone County -- probably graduate as many or more each year.

"If everyone graduates 10-15 a year, we can meet any demand (for welders),'' May said.

School officials say the popularity of skilled labors such as welding has increased over the past few years.

"When I went to Muscle Shoals Tech in 1977, I had to wait a year to get into the program,'' May said. "There was a lull (in the mid-1980s and early 1990s), but over the past few years, more and more students seem to be interested in taking welding again."

Tom Smith can be reached at 740-5757 or tom.smith@timesdaily.com.