When Hyundai was considering where to build its new Santa Cruz concept truck two years ago, the company’s top U.S. executive said he feared there just weren’t enough trained workers in central Alabama to support that kind of project.
The comments from then-Hyundai Motor America President Dave Zuchowski surprised state and local leaders at the time. And it led state Commerce Secretary Greg Canfield to defend the workforce pipeline in a state where nearly 40,000 people work in the auto manufacturing industry.