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    1. Earthmoving

    Liebherr Breaks Ground on Mississippi Manufacturing Center

    Dec. 10, 2024
    The 1-million-square-foot facility will invest $176 million in the county.
    Liebherr
    Liebherr Breaks Ground on Mississippi Manufacturing Center

    By: Caleb McCluskey
    Source: Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal, Tupelo (TNS)

    A crowd of business professionals, community leaders, and local, regional and state elected officials gripped shovels and stood in the frigid morning air at The HIVE Thursday for the groundbreaking ceremony of the new location for international manufacturing company Liebherr.

    The Liebherr Group, one of the largest manufacturers of construction equipment in the world, plans to build a 1-million-square-foot distribution and manufacturing operation at the Lee County business park. The Swiss-headquartered company expects to invest $176 million in the county and create 180 jobs, with the potential to grow to $240 in investments and 342 jobs in the future.

    “Economic development is a team sport, and what we are seeing happening in the great state of Mississippi today is evidence that we have a great team,” Gov. Tate Reeves said during the ceremony. “This is going to be state-of-the art, and it is that something we can be proud of.”

    Reeves said the establishment of Liebherr is the next in a long-line of economic development projects he hopes to see across the state, adding that he believes Mississippi is positioned as a business-friendly state.

    “Liebherr is one of the largest manufacturers of construction equipment in the world, and they will be locating their distribution and manufacturing operations right here in Tupelo,” Reeves said. “They could have chosen anywhere in North America for these operations, and they chose to come right here to Mississippi … This is a gigantic impact on this community.”

    The development is the first major project to commit to the industrial park outside of the Lee County Career & Technical Education Center, which broke ground in 2020 and opened its doors the following year.

    Community Development Foundation CEO and President David Rumbarger said Thursday’s groundbreaking represented nearly a decade of work to establish The HIVE.

    “It is exciting to stand before you today to mark this milestone,” he said. “This moment represents years of vision, collaboration and investment by our community and its partners at every level.”

    Liebherr was founded in 1949 by Hans Liebherr in West Germany. Philipp Liebherr, grandson of Hans Liebherr, is on the administrative board for the company. He said he was delighted to come to Lee County and build this partnership with businesses and elected officials.

    “The new logistics center, which will be here in The HIVE Business Park in Tupelo, Mississippi, is particularly significant to the whole group,” Liebherr said. “If we can implement our ambitious plans, we see potential to create even more jobs here in Tupelo. But as my grandfather always said, ‘One step at a time.’ We have a little bit of work ahead, but I’m confident once it is done, we keep going.”

    While this development represents Liebherr’s first in Mississippi, they currently have about 1,600 employees in the United States, located in cities such as Houston, Kansas City, Miami, Baltimore and Seattle. Liebherr said the company began business dealings in America in 1970.

    Meanwhile, the county has continued its efforts to build out the infrastructure at the industrial park through a $2.2 million contract with Cook & Son for safety improvements to the entrance, which officials say will see a significant boost in traffic with the multi-million company entering the county.

    Lee County Board of Supervisors President and District 3 Supervisor Wesley Webb welcomed Liebherr to the county, and Tupelo Mayor Todd Jordan called Thursday a “proud day” for the city and county, calling Liebherr the future cornerstone of The HIVE industrial park.

    “The decision of a global powerhouse like Liebherr to invest here, speaks volumes about the strength of our region, about our business friendly climate, about the strategic location and also most importantly, our talented and skilled workforce,” Webb said.

    With the ground broken and construction soon beginning, the company and county expect the building to be complete in 2026. 

    (c)2024 the Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal (Tupelo, Miss.)
    Visit the Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal (Tupelo, Miss.) at www.djournal.com.
    Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.