LoginGeneral Motors recently announced that the addition of an assembly plant for the production of Chevrolet Colorado pick up trucks will result in 1,260 new jobs in the Wentzville, Missouri region, St. Louis Today reports.
According to the news source, the company plans to invest $380 million into the new plan, and is currently in talks with the Missouri government regarding tax incentives that would help further develop the expansion.
"The future of the American auto industry starts right here, right now," Missouri Governor Jay Nixon said at a recent press conference.
In nearby Mississippi, one Toyota plant has secured careers for hundreds, according to The Associated Press.
The plant has already hired about 1,250 employees to assemble test cars at the facility. By the end of 2011, the plant expects to hire another 280 workers, while even more jobs will be created in the near future.
In a time when economic uncertainty is rampant and the region's unemployment level has struggled to dip below 20 percent, the facility has local officials hopeful.
"It's a Godsend to us," said Mayor Jack Reed Jr. of Tupelo, the biggest city near the plant. "People around here certainly have a little more bounce in our steps now."