Industry News

The Kansas Air National Guard will break ground on a $7.8 million intelligence facility in Wichita in August 2004. The facility will receive top-secret information transmitted from a battle zone from sources like the Predator remotely-piloted vehicle, analyze the information, and send it to the field units. Construction is expected to reach completion in one year. Housing between 60 and 80 personnel, the building will be constructed with the capability to expand to accommodate 220 personnel as the mission expands.

Time Warner Cable is expanding with the construction of a $36-million facility adjacent to its existing offices in Charlotte, N.C. Time Warner, the second-largest operator of cable systems in the nation, currently employs 700 workers in Charlotte and plans to expand operations with 350 new jobs to include additional functions.

BPB, a wall and ceiling products manufacturer, will construct a $100-million gypsum wallboard plant in Roxboro, N.C. Slated to open in 2007, the facility will produce 700 million-sf of gypsum wallboard annually.

Albuquerque-based TCI Medical plans to break ground on a Carlsbad, Calif., manufacturing plant by June 2004 to produce its medical products. TCI, a startup nuclear pharmaceutical company, provides radioactive isotopes for the diagnosis and treatment of heart ailments, cancer, and circulatory problems.

Cullman, Md.-based Webb Wheel Products is planning to build a $22.5-million manufacturing facility in Tell City that will produce wheel and drum components for the heavy truck industry. The $2.5-million project is slated for completion in January 2005. Perry County, Ind., gave the site to the company and is underwriting site preparation. Webb Wheel Products is a unit of Marmon Highway Technologies of Chicago.