Hyundai in High Gear Part 3: Plant makes big impact on small towns
The city of Greenville in Butler County is home to two Tier 1 Hyundai suppliers.
“When I think of Hyundai, I think about being at an Auburn football game when U.S. Sen. Jeff Sessions pulled me over to the side,” Greenville Mayor Dexter McLendon told Action 8 News. “I was just glad he knew who I was. He said, ‘How would you think about Hyundai coming south of Montgomery?’ And I just stopped. I get chill bumps now talking about it. I said, ‘That’d be the greatest thing that could happen to our area. We need jobs. At that time, our unemployment in Butler County was 18%.”
McLendon says today, the unemployment rate in the area is around 3%, and that’s due in large part to the impact of Hyundai. He says that translates to 1,500 to 1,600 people with jobs.
Crenshaw County is also reaping the benefits of having two Tier 1 Hyundai suppliers. The impact has transformed the town of Luverne.
“But it’s kept its small town charm,” Luverne worker Gina Gorum said. “But we have had more opportunities for business to come in and be lucrative. But also to help to help support the people, so they don’t have to go to bigger towns. So, it’s made Luverne grow.”
Good jobs have increased the buying power of people who live in the Luverne area. That has attracted even more business along with the jobs and services they provide.
SOT- It’s just kind of a ripple effect. We have more restaurants, we have especially fast food. We have more dollar stores, we’ve had more actual retail stores come in. So, it’s helping everyone.
Mike Money is the owner of the popular Luverne restaurant, the Chicken Shack. His family has owned the business for more than 20 years. He says before the plant and its suppliers opened, no one realized what impact Hyundai would have in Luverne.
“It helped with business. I mean, we have more customers because we have more of a following, more the community is able to spend,” he said.
The Hyundai effect has been similar in Lowndes County. Tier 1 supplier Daehan Solution is in the Hayneville area and Sejong Alabama is in Fort Deposit. In addition to providing much-needed jobs and sparking economic growth, another by-product is the increase in tax revenue.
“We’re able to get our tax dollars,” Lowndes County Commission Chairman Charlie King said. “We’re able to get people hired from Lowndes County. And both of those businesses are doing a tremendous job for the county.”
Revenue that government uses to maintain roads and bridges and help fund schools and other services to improve the quality of life for people in the community.
Greenville Mayor Dexter McLendon says there’s other benefits, too.
“It goes down to people having dental insurance and being able to go and see the dentist, and health insurance and all the benefits. It’s made a difference in a lot of lives in Greenville. And they continue to make great vehicles, for a good price and put our people to work. It doesn’t get any better than that.”
