By Sarrah Peters, News Editor
At the Gadsden City Council Meeting on Tuesday, July 16, the City of Gadsden announced that Motus Integrated Technologies, an automotive interior supplier, will be locating its new facility in Gadsden. Motus will invest over $15 million dollars in the community and create over 90 new jobs in the area.
“This is a great day for Gadsden and Etowah County,” said Gadsden Mayor Sherman Guyton. “We are proud to be able to recruit high paying jobs and welcome a company like Motus to our area. Our ongoing investment in infrastructure, education and quality of life has enabled us to compete with other areas to land this important worldwide automotive supplier. We are thankful for the support and trust of Governor Kay Ivey and the Alabama Commerce Department and for Motus in locating this important project in our city.”
Governor Ivey and state officials also weighed in on the new facility.
“Motus is a premier global automotive supplier and we are thrilled that they have selected the state of Alabama and Gadsden as the site for their new facility,” said Ivey. “We’re excited to partner with the company as they invest millions into a new manufacturing plant in Gadsden and create 90 new jobs. This is yet another example of how Alabama continues to lead the way in growing manufacturing here at home.”
The mayor and city council members thanked the Gadsden-Etowah County Industrial Development Authority members, the Etowah County Mayors’ Association, city employees, state officials and the local legislative delegation for working hard for over a year to bring Motus to the area.
“I’d like to thank Mayor Guyton and the Gadsden City Council for continuing to invest in the Gadsden-Etowah County Industrial Development Authority, education, infrastructure and quality of life issues that enable Gadsden and the Etowah County area to compete for quality, high-paying jobs,” said Frankie Davis, who oversees governmental affairs and economic development for Mayor Sherman Guyton’s office.
Motus engineering manager Brent Turner said that Motus is excited to be building its new facility in Gadsden.
“We’re excited to be part of the community and a part of the state,” said Turner. “It’s exciting.”
“It was clear from the beginning of our process to find a location for this new facility that Governor Ivey, Alabama Commerce Secretary Greg Canfield, the State of Alabama and the leaders in Gadsden wanted Motus to call their community home, and we are excited to make that happen,” said Shannon White, CEO of Motus. “Motus prides itself on ensuring the safety of our team each day, the superior quality of our products, the leadership with our community and the outstanding service we provide to our customer. This new plant will allow for each of those principles to be achieved. We cannot wait to welcome new colleagues and get to work in Gadsden.”
The facility construction will begin in a few weeks and is slated for completion in mid-2020. City leaders were excited about the quality of jobs the new facility will provide, with the jobs anticipated to offer an average of over $20 an hour.