Minth Gadsden hiring expected to begin around January; production targeted for June 2027

GADSDEN, AL – The people gathered at the old steel mill site this month had one question on their minds more than any other, and it was not about the dirt being turned. It was about when they can apply.

Minth Group broke ground Aug. 3 on a $430 million automotive manufacturing campus at the former Republic Steel and Gulf States Steel property, a project expected to create between 1,100 and 1,300 jobs on more than 400 acres that have sat largely idle since the steel industry left. The company is targeting June 2027 to begin production, and hiring will ramp up along the way. GadsdenThrive covered the details of the Aug. 3 groundbreaking when the project broke ground.

When will Minth start hiring, and how?

David Hooks, executive director of the Gadsden-Etowah Industrial Development Authority, said hiring is expected to begin around the first of January and scale up over time as the company builds toward production.

Historically, Minth has posted openings through its LinkedIn page, so job seekers should follow that page directly. Because this project will require a large number of workers, much of the hiring will also run through Alabama Industrial Development Training, known as AIDT, which typically holds job fairs for hires of this size. Hooks said anyone seeking employment should start watching Minth’s LinkedIn page and AIDT postings around the first of the year. GadsdenThrive has looked at how workforce training supports manufacturing growth in the area.

What will the plant make?

The facility will produce plastic and aluminum trim and structural components for vehicles, supplying automakers’ United States plants including Hyundai in Montgomery and Kia in West Point, Georgia.

The work will be phased. According to Hooks, the first phase renovates an existing 300,000-square-foot building for early production. A second phase will add roughly 700,000 square feet, bringing the campus to about 1 million square feet within three years. The roughly $430 million investment and the job totals are figures Minth has committed to reach over a three-to-five-year period, with year three the likely target. GadsdenThrive has broken down what those jobs could mean for Etowah County.

What does it mean for local schools?

City figures have referenced a benefit of about $1.3 million to the Gadsden school system tied to the project. Hooks confirmed that figure is an IDA projection, based on a cost analysis using the company’s committed investment numbers and what the built-out site would generate in taxes.

He stressed that the IDA calculates the figure the same way for every project, and that the final number could be higher or lower depending on how the project develops.

How big could this get?

The numbers announced so far represent only about 25 percent of the total property Minth purchased, Hooks said. The company has indicated it would like the Gadsden site to become its flagship facility for North America, covering the United States, Mexico and Canada. In other words, the long-term growth potential reaches well beyond the first phase. For the fuller picture, see GadsdenThrive’s coverage of the plant and the city’s outlook for 1,300 jobs.

Minth CEO Esther Chin called the groundbreaking a major milestone. “What started as a family business has now grown to be one of the top 100 auto suppliers in the world,” Chin said. “Today we celebrate a new milestone, breaking ground on what is the largest land footprint Minth has globally.”

Greer Building Contractors, a Gadsden firm, has been confirmed as the general contractor for the project.

Frequently asked questions

When will Minth start hiring in Gadsden? Around the first of January, scaling up over time, according to the Gadsden-Etowah IDA. Production is targeted for June 2027.

Where will jobs be posted? Through Minth’s LinkedIn page and through AIDT, which is expected to hold job fairs for the larger hiring waves.

How many jobs will the campus create? Between 1,100 and 1,300, committed over a three-to-five-year period.

How large will the campus be? About 1 million square feet within three years, on a property where the current plans use only about a quarter of the land.

GadsdenThrive will continue to follow the project and will report hiring details, including AIDT job fair dates, as they are announced.