The Birmingham Business Alliance (BBA) helps businesses start, stay and succeed in the Greater Birmingham Region, home to over 1.1 million people across its seven-county footprint. Part of the team that recruited Honda and Mercedes to set up shop in the region, the group is now showing a wider range of industries that Birmingham has even more to offer businesses.
Following the entry of Honda, more than 25 Japanese companies followed suit, including over 10 auto parts manufacturers, contributing more than $220 million in capital investment since 2011, among them Yorozu, which created 300 new jobs when it inaugurated its $100 million Walker County-plant in 2018.
“We continue to see organic growth from automotive suppliers working with Mercedes and Honda,” said BBA President and COO Emily Jerkins Hall.
Outside the automobile sector, Birmingham has also attracted investment from Japanese companies, like Dai-ichi Life, which acquired the financial service holding company Protective Life Corporation, currently one of Birmingham’s largest employers. This partnership has led to over $34 million of investments in the community, including a new downtown stadium and medical research at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) and Southern Research.
To expand its business network, the BBA regularly participates in trade missions and trade shows attended by Japanese-based companies.
“We are grateful for Japan’s continued interest in the Greater Birmingham Region and Alabama. Foreign direct investment makes our economy more resilient and generates more and better jobs for our people. We’re grateful for Japan’s contribution to our economic transformation and continued investment in the Greater Birmingham region,” Hall said.
