CHEROKEE — U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) administrator Kelly Loeffler visited Cherokee on Friday to tour the new Hadrian Factory 4(F4) facility.
Loeffler was joined by Hadrian vice president of Federal Michael Manazir, SBA Region 4 administrator Terry Teresa, Kreg Kennedy, senior district field representative for U.S. Rep. Robert Aderholt (R-Haleyville), along with other community and business leaders.
Loeffler took the opportunity before Tax Day to highlight how the Trump administration's Working Family Tax Cuts are driving hiring and growth for American businesses, both small and large.
"You might say, well, what does this [tour] have to do with Tax Day? Look, next Wednesday, April 15, Americans will see tremendous relief in their tax bills, already seeing 15% higher refunds, averaging about $3,500, about 20 million workers are already taking advantage of No Tax on Overtime. Those workers tend to work in places like this great manufacturing facility," Loeffler said.
As 1819 News reported, Hadrian officially cut the ribbon in March on this 2.2-million-square-foot F4 facility, which will serve as the flagship headquarters for shipbuilding and maritime production for the United States Navy. The AE Shoals facility previously housed the FreightCar America Railcar plant, which moved its operations to Mexico in 2020.
Loeffler discussed how a defense manufacturer like Hadrian contributes to the reignition of industry in a region that had previously been left behind, and how the defense facility will only strengthen the small business community.
"This industrial output and production raises: that rising tide raises all boats," Loeffler said. "And that supports everyone from small to big business, and most importantly, the American worker."
Manazir affirmed Hadrian's commitment to President Donald Trump's vision to return manufacturing and jobs back to America.
"Hadrian is committed to reindustrializing America. That's what we're doing here. We have recognized it over the last 40 years. We have deindustrialized, to your point, this rail car went somewhere else. It went offshore," Manazir said.
In the midst of Operation Epic Fury, the need to return American manufacturing to American shores has reached critical mass. Loeffler spoke to this not just as part of President Trump's economic agenda but also as part of his national security agenda.
"This is about rebuilding jobs in America, and that's exactly what's happening. Think about a thousand jobs impacting a rural community. That's absolutely critical," Loeffler said.
Manazir said, "We've recognized for national security we need to reindustrialize and onshore, as the administrator just said. That's why Hadrian, as the anchor tenant here at A.E. Shoals, is to bring those jobs back, to bring that manufacturing capacity back, to partner with small businesses, because we are the anchor tenant here."
Loeffler said Hadrian was a shining example of how this partnership between large and small businesses can be replicated across America to strengthen national security and the economy.
"The private sector has the incentives to do that now, to do it not just in this community, but in thousands of places across America, and it's everything from defense to let's say our pharmaceutical industry, which has moved overseas. I'm seeing it happen in industry after industry, and it's creating thousands of new jobs," Loeffler said.
Manazir recognized the F4 facility's great potential to serve as an anchor point for Colbert County.
"We're going to build this factory out. We're going to attract more small businesses back," Manazir said.
Loeffler concluded, "Right now we have seven million open jobs in America, about half a million in the manufacturing sector. This is an incredibly powerful sector to be joining right now."
Jennifer Oliver O'Connell, As the Girl Turns, is an investigative journalist, author, opinion analyst, and contributor to 1819 News, Redstate, and other publications. Jennifer writes on Politics and Pop Culture, with occasional detours into Reinvention, Yoga, and Food. You can read more about Jennifer's world at her As the Girl Turns website. You can also follow her on Facebook, Twitter, and Telegram.
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