San Diego-based Helix Electric has broken ground on a $45.3 million advanced manufacturing campus in Hollywood, Alabama.
The project will initially create 160 jobs, with plans for a massive 1.2-million-square-foot complex.
The company manufactures electrical components and modular assemblies used in major construction projects.
Helix says Alabama provides access to East Coast customers, a growing regional market and an available workforce.
And Helix employees will get a chance to buy a house, pay lower personal income taxes and send their children to school without state-sponsored indoctrination classes, like Ethnic Studies.
Alabama has some of the lowest residential property taxes in the country, making it attractive for homebuyers relocating from California.
A newly purchased $500,000 California home would be taxed $5,000 annually before additional assessments, versus an $1,900 in Alabama.
A home for $250,000 in Alabama is taxed at an annual rate of $950, 62% less than a similar home in California. Over 10 years, that’s $15,500 in savings on the same-priced home.
Helix isn’t totally abandoning California. Its headquarters remain in San Diego.
