POWERGRAMS

14 a potentially difficult situation for Alabama Power into a positive one," said Haynes. "Kamtek's production team said they had beaten their extremely aggressive timeline to produce parts by one day, with no time to spare. "Kamtek executed one of the most aggressive construction project timelines I have witnessed. It was an amazing feat," Haynes said. Amazing feats are what Kamtek officials have come to expect from local government and businesses. Others involved included Birmingham Mayor William Bell; Lisa Cooper and her team from the Birmingham Office of Economic Development; Jefferson County Commissioners David Carrington and Joe Knight; and Brian Hilson, president and CEO of the Birmingham Business Alliance. "Our success would not be possible without this ongoing support," Zimmerman said. Kamtek's presence in the area has been steadily growing since 2008, when the company came to Birmingham, buying the 460,000-square-foot Ogihara plant that stamped metal auto parts. Kamtek expanded the next year by 65,000 square feet. In 2012, Kamtek bought the former Del Monte distribution building next door, transforming it into a distribution and manufacturing facility. Kamtek then bought a large parcel across the street to construct its newest addition, the casting facility. "We have been extremely fortunate that as we have had the opportunities to grow, we were in an area that could support it," Gibson said. Kamtek has seled in so much that the company applied with county officials to close its end of Sterilite Drive to improve traffic flow, safety and logistics. The Gardendale Line Crew includes front row, from left to right, Michael Sanford, Matt Wilson and Wesley Boatwright; and in back Foreman Robert Hollis, Tim Stewart, Mike Belcher, Brett Briner, Lee Blakey and Scot McCoy.

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