DevLee

Opelika residents with a craving for burgers and french fries will soon have a new way to satisfy their fast food desires with the arrival of a new McDonald’s in Opelika and the possibility of Bojangles’ franchises in Auburn, Opelika and Smiths Station.

Dolly Marshall plans to open a new McDonald’s franchise in TigerTown by the loading docks of Office Depot.

“We’ve been looking into this for sometime,” she said.

Groundbreaking on the fast-food restaurant will be next week. Marshall said she hopes to have her latest franchise open by the end of June. “Things are moving very quickly,” she said.

The TigerTown McDonald’s location will be Marshall’s seventh. She also owns restaurants in Auburn, Opelika and Tuskegee.

Marshall said she believes there is a good amount of traffic in TigerTown, which she hopes will bring in customers.

SOURCE: OANOW.com

The Opelika BFGoodrich plant will officially close its doors Friday afternoon, said Tate Hoxworth, a representative of Michelin North America, the parent company of BFGoodrich.

View Article at OANOW.com

The new Waffle House in Tigertown is coming together. Construction seems to be complete but I have no opening date at this time. There is speculation that it replaced the proposed Waffle House that was to inhabit the old Daylight Dounuts on Glenn but that has not been confirmed.

There is a new traffic light being installed on Frederick Rd. on the way to Tiger Town if you are coming from Auburn. Coming from that direction there is senior living housing to the left and I suppose a future enterence to the new Tiger Town business park to the right (currently a cleared lot).

Auburn, Ala. – Straehle + Hess USA, Inc. has announced plans to expand its Auburn operations, currently housed in the Auburn Center for Developing Industries on Pumphrey Avenue, to an existing facility in Auburn Technology Park North. City of Auburn and company officials made the move official at a signing ceremony held at Auburn City Hall this afternoon.

Straehle + Hess specializes in high-end textiles for automobile manufacturers such as Aston Martin, Audi, Mercedes Benz, and Porsche. In 2004, Straehle + Hess located in Auburn as part of the City’s industry incubator program. The program allows companies to ramp up operations in an existing incubator facility before constructing a permanent facility. Over the last 20 years, the City of Auburn has graduated more than 10 companies from its incubator program, many of which have gone on to further expand their operations. Kirsten Schoenharting, Managing Director of the German parent company for Straehle + Hess, commented at the signing, “The City of Auburn has been a tremendous partner in our attempt to build a larger footprint for our company in the North American market. Auburn is an ideal environment for our business. Auburn University’s Samuel Ginn College of Engineering, particularly the Department of Polymer and Fiber Engineering, has been a great resource for us over the last five years.” “I am pleased to see the investment in our incubator program is paying dividends,” said Mayor Bill Ham, Jr. “We congratulate Straehle + Hess on their expansion and look forward to seeing their production and hiring process ramp up.” The company was awarded a large contract for the new M-Class vehicle that will be produced by Mercedes Benz US International in Vance, AL. The expansion is expected to bring 20 new jobs and an additional capital investment of more than $500,000. Company officials expect to begin the hiring process in the fourth quarter of 2009. For more information, please contact the City of Auburn’s Workforce Development Division at (334) 501-7300.

Company Contact:
Straehle + Hess USA, Inc.
1490 Pumphrey Avenue
Auburn, AL 36832
(334) 501-0916

Opelika mayor Bill Ham says he is to meet with the United Steel Workers Local 753 President William Hart on Wednesday to discuss the jobs of the soon to be ex-BFGoodrich employees according to a recent AP article.

Opelika Mayor Gary Fuller says he’s working on plan to secure jobs for those tire workers. He says about 66 percent of them live in Lee County.

The BFGoodrich plant is closing October 31st and will put out around 1,000 employees. The city will also have to do without the money the company has been contributing to the city in taxes each year. Last year they paid in the ballpark of $850,000 to the city.

WSFA: BFGoodrich officials have confirmed that the company’s Opelika plant, which employees around 1,000 workers, will close its doors.

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