September 04, 2009

Governor Riley Going to Europe to Pursue Economic Development Project

MONTGOMERY - Governor Bob Riley is traveling to Europe next week to meet with an economic development prospect that could result in hundreds of new jobs for Alabama and to visit with executives of three of Alabama’s key existing European-based companies.

“It’s more important than ever to keep working to bring jobs and investment to Alabama,” said Governor Riley. “Now is not the time to pull back our recruiting efforts. Now is the time to magnify them so we keep Alabama in the competition for jobs, and we are doing just that.”

Governor Riley will arrive in Germany on Wednesday, September 9. During his visit there, the Governor will also meet with Dr. Dieter Zetsche, the chairman of the board of management of Daimler AG and head of Mercedes-Benz Cars, to discuss the Mercedes plant in Vance. Later he will travel to Madrid, Spain for meetings with officials of two other businesses with operations in the state: aerospace giant EADS and BBVA, the Spanish bank that bought Birmingham-based Compass Bancshares in 2007.

EADS is bidding with Northrop Grumman Corp. for a Pentagon project to build refueling tankers for the U.S. Air Force. If successful, the partners will assemble and configure the tankers at a facility that will be constructed in Mobile with more than 1,500 new jobs created in south Alabama.

At the company’s tanker conversion center in Spain, the aircraft are being modified for military use for the Royal Australian Air Force. The tankers are undergoing test flights over waters off the coast of southwest Spain and Governor Riley will fly on one of the test flights.

BBVA Compass is headquartered in Birmingham and is among the top 25 largest banks in the U.S. based on deposit market share.

Governor Riley will return to the state on Sunday, September 13.