Grant to help with utilities for Tuskegee’s first Hyundai supply plant

Tuskegee will be getting a $500,000 grant for industrial site development for a new Tier I automotive supplier plant.

The Community Development Block Grant will provide infrastructure needed for the $128 million plant being built by Samkee in Tuskegee’s Commerce Park. Samkee will serve as an automobile parts supplier to the Hyundai assembly plant in Montgomery and will hire about 170 people.

Gov. Kay Ivey made the announcement this week.

“In February, I was pleased to announce Samkee Corporation’s plans to build Tuskegee’s first auto parts manufacturer, ushering in 170 good-paying jobs,” Gov. Ivey said. “The location of Samkee in Tuskegee Commerce Park will open the door to future development in the city and in Macon County.  Today, I follow that good news with more as I award a $500,000 grant to provide utility services to fully supply the needs of the plant and the industrial park.”

CDBG funds will be used to expand water and sewer service to Samkee and Tuskegee Commerce Park, both of which are located off Alabama Highway 81 and a short distance from I-85.

Samkee is a major South Korean automobile supplier, and the Tuskegee site is its first factory in the United States. Samkee will construct high-pressure, die-cast aluminum components used in automobile engines, transmissions and electric vehicles.

The Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs is administering the grant from funds made available by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

Ivey notified Mayor Lawrence “Tony” Haygood that the grant had been approved. The city has pledged $88,114 in local funding for the project.