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Mayor announces manufacturer (transcript: "Mint/Minth") to locate in Gadsden, promising hundreds of jobs
Summary
Mayor Craig Ford said a company identified in the transcript as "Mint" (pronounced/spelled by him as "Minth") purchased the Gulf State property, plans to place a headquarters in Gadsden and will bring up to about 800 jobs initially at roughly $25 an hour with potential growth to 1,400 jobs.
Mayor Craig Ford announced that a major manufacturing company identified in the meeting transcript as "Mint" (also pronounced or spelled by the mayor as "Minth") has purchased the former Gulf State property and plans to establish a presence in Gadsden, bringing hundreds of jobs to the city.
Ford said the company will initially bring "up to 800 jobs" with starting pay of about $25 an hour and that employment could grow to roughly 1,400 positions. "This is the biggest news for Gadsden, Alabama in my lifetime," Ford said, adding that the project was the result of two years of recruitment and coordination with local and state partners.
Why it matters: The mayor cast the investment as a major economic-development win that would revive an industrial site and expand local employment opportunities. Ford credited David Hooks of the Industrial Development Authority, Bill Green, developer George King and Councilwoman Dixie Menacher for helping to land the project and thanked state and federal officials for support.
Details provided in the update were limited to the mayor's account: he said the company purchased the whole property and plans to locate a headquarters in Gadsden. Ford did not supply a formal company press release, a written incentive package, or a timeline for construction and hiring during the remarks.
Quotes and attributions: "They purchased the whole property. They're bringing up to 800 jobs initially, starting pay $25 an hour, and then they're going up to 1,400 jobs," Ford said. He also said, "We're so excited about this" and called the arrival of the plant a top development for the city.
What remains unclear: The transcript identifies the company by the spoken form "Mint" (spelled in the recording as "Mint, m I n t h"). The mayor encouraged listeners to "look them up" but did not provide a formal company name spelling, executive contact, or a publicly filed incentive agreement in the update. The city's role in incentives was described by Ford as significant but he did not specify dollar amounts or contract terms.
Next steps: Ford said state and local officials have been involved and credited several named individuals; no date for a public announcement by the company or a city incentive vote was provided during the update.
