South Carolina-based Trendco USA, a manufacturer of medical personal protective equipment, announced plans Wednesday to construct a manufacturing facility in Tuskegee.
The planned $43 million investment is expected to create nearly 300 jobs.
The facility will be constructed off of I-85 in Macon County in the new Regional East Alabama Logistics Park, a still-under-construction industrial site spanning 4 million square feet, and is expected to create 296 jobs over a period of five years.
“After considering many locations in other states, Trendco decided to locate its manufacturing facility in Tuskegee, and I am confident the company made the right choice for its investment project,” Gov. Kay Ivey said in a statement Wednesday. “I look forward to seeing the company grow and thrive here in Alabama.”
A minority owned company, Trendco currently manufactures medical-grade examination gloves in Louisiana through a partnership with another company. For its plans in Alabama, however, the company anticipates installing as many as ten glove production lines at its Tuskegee facility, and later expanding production into medical masks and gowns.
“We are very excited about our move to Alabama and look forward to building our PPE manufacturing facility in Tuskegee,” Trendco CEO Darryl Hunter said in a statement. “We believe the people of Tuskegee and the surrounding communities will play a vital role in our success in the medical technology sector.”
Joe Turnham, director of the Macon County Economic Development Authority, noted the importance of supporting American-based PPE manufacturers, given the decline of American manufacturing over the past four decades, particularly in the medical sector.
“Trendco USA is the only minority owned medical glove and PPE manufacturer in America and is one of the few companies offering ‘Made in the USA’ medical glove products,” Turnham said. “Now, these gloves will also carry a ‘Made in Tuskegee’ label.”
America’s lack of domestic PPE manufacturing was front and center during the COVID-19 pandemic, where lawmakers – at least rhetorically – reassessed foreign manufacturing dependence. Even before the pandemic, China was exporting more medical equipment than the rest of the world combined, according to the Peterson Institute for International Economics.
Tendco signed an agreement to lease more than 100,000 square-feet of space in REAL Park, which is estimated to be fully constructed in the next five to seven years. Greg Canfield, Alabama Department of Commerce secretary, said in a statement that he believes Tendco’s investment to be just the beginning of manufacturing in REAL Park.
“The park is perfectly positioned to capitalize on the growth of the I-85 corridor, and I believe other companies will be putting down roots there in the near future,” he said.
Locally, the Macon County government is fully supporting the project, with the County Commission, County Economic Development Authority and other local institutions funding $1.1 million’s worth of utility upgrades, industrial road access and more.
“We’re committed to seeing rural Alabama fully realize its growth potential, and this project headed to Tuskegee is another illustration of how we’re making progress on that front,” said Brenda Tuck, rural development manager at the Alabama Department of Commerce. “Opportunities are flourishing in the state’s rural communities, and the business world is paying attention.”
More than $4 billion in new capital investments were made in the last three years in rural areas of the state, $1.8 billion of which were made in 2022 alone. Ivey’s administration, as well as the State Legislature, have long targeted Alabama’s rural areas with economic development incentives, a key component of the governor’s economic incentive package passed this year known as ‘The Game Plan.’