Helix Electric Plans $45.3M Plant, 160 Jackson County Jobs

TL;DR: Helix Electric has broken ground on a $45.3 million factory in Jackson County. The project is expected to create 160 jobs, with plans to recruit workers from a nearby career academy.

Helix Electric has broken ground on a $45.3 million factory in Jackson County, bringing plans for 160 jobs and a new market for local workers trained in skilled trades.

Governor Kay Ivey announced the project Oct. 27. The California-based electrical contractor will build its Advanced Fabrication Campus in Hollywood, where it will make electrical parts and large assemblies for construction and industrial projects.

Products will include underground duct banks, risers, hangers, electrical devices and modular electrical skids. The plant will also put Helix’s production closer to its East Coast customers and existing teams.

“Hollywood, Alabama, is exactly the kind of community where Helix Electric belongs,” CEO Boris Shekhter said. “The people here are hardworking, the region is growing, and local leaders have made it clear they want to build something that lasts. That is the same standard we hold ourselves to every single day. We are not just building a facility in Jackson County. We are making a long-term commitment to the people, the families and the future of this region.”

The site’s location near the Kevin Dukes Career and Innovation Academy played a key role in the company’s choice.

According to The Clarion, Helix weighed sites in Tennessee, Georgia and Alabama before choosing Jackson County. Company executive Casey Long said a visit to the academy helped seal the decision. He pointed to the chance to link students’ trade training with jobs close to home.

“When they’re ready, we’ll be here to hire them,” Long told school officials.

The first phase is expected to offer work for electricians, welders, computer-aided design staff and building information modeling staff. The latter use digital models to help plan building systems, according to the newspaper’s account of the groundbreaking.

WAFF 48 reported that Helix plans three phases of construction, with the completed facility expected to cover roughly 1 million square feet. The first phase is expected to take just under two years. Further growth could bring hundreds of additional jobs, the station reported. Those positions would come beyond the initial hiring plans.

The project also follows work to prepare the industrial park for new tenants. The Clarion reported that Alabama’s Site Evaluation and Economic Development Strategy (SEEDS) program helped fund clearing and site improvements after local leaders learned what Helix needed.

State officials said the investment fits Alabama’s broader effort to bring jobs to rural counties. Jackson County is a designated Target County under the State’s economic development efforts.

Commerce Secretary Ellen McNair said the plant could also create work for local suppliers and contractors while giving residents more options to build careers near home. The governor’s announcement did not list pay ranges or a hiring start date.