Alex B. Leath

Partner

aleath@bradley.com

Birmingham P: 205.521.8899 M: 205.329.3131 F: 205.488.6899

Legal Assistant

Amanda Kilgo

P: 205.521.8150 akilgo@bradley.com

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Since 1987, Alex Leath’s law practice has primarily focused on economic development, site selection and incentive negotiation. From the start of his career working as part of the team to recruit Mercedes-Benz to Alabama, Alex has had a significant role in projects of all scopes and sizes for companies, including Airbus/EADS, Boeing, Booz|Allen|Hamilton, Canoo, Daiken, Dollar General, Fiserv, Form Energy, Georgia-Pacific, Honda, Isuzu, Northrop Grumman, Ogihara, Panasonic Energy, Qualitest, RAUMEDIC AG, Raytheon, REHAU, Rockwool International, RxBenefits, Tesla, Thyssenkrupp, PowerCo SE, Torch Technologies, Toyo Tire, Toyota, VF Corporation, Vinfast, Volkswagen and one of the world’s largest e-commerce companies. Excluding his work on the search for the second headquarters for the e-commerce company, Alex has worked on projects in 36 states that have invested over $55 billion and created over 50,000 jobs.

Alex and his team have handled some of the largest deals in the country. His economic development work includes the representation of:

Panasonic Energy, in choosing to locate its $4 billion dollar battery manufacturing facility near Kansas City, Kansas
Telsa Motors, in choosing to locate it’s $5 billion Gigafactory near Reno, Nevada
Volkswagen, when it located and then expanded its automotive assembly facility in Chattanooga, Tennessee
Scout Motors, in locating a $2 billion electric vehicle manufacturing plant in Columbia, South Carolina
PowerCo SE in locating a $5 billion battery manufacturing facility in Ontario, Canada

Among the many successes Alex has achieved for his clients in almost 40 years of practice, 2008, 2015, 2018, 2020, 2021, 2022, and 2024 were particularly rewarding years. Site Selection magazine recognized the Volkswagen Passat project in Tennessee as one of the “Top Deals of 2008 in North America.” Site Selection magazine also recognized the Tesla Gigafactory in Nevada and the Volkswagen Atlas SUV project in Tennessee as two of its “Top 10 Business Deals of 2015 in North America.” In 2018, the second headquarters project for the e-commerce company was named “Deal of the Year” in numerous economic development publications. In 2020, Site Selection magazine recognized the Volkswagen EV project in Tennessee as one of the “Top Deals of 2020 in North America.” In 2021, the EV startup Canoo announced a multi-facility project in Oklahoma and Northwest Arkansas that projected the creation of 2,500 jobs. And in 2022, the Vietnamese startup Vinfast announced an EV and battery manufacturing campus outside of Raleigh, North Carolina that projected the creation of 6,000 jobs, and Panasonic Energy announced its first stand-alone battery manufacturing facility outside of Kansas City, Kansas that projects the creation of 4,000 jobs. In 2024, Fortune 500 financial services company, Fiserv announced a new strategic fintech hub in Overland Park, Kansas that is projected to create 2,000 jobs. Alex and his team worked on all of these projects.

Through his economic development practice, Alex and his team provide legal and consulting services during all phases of the site selection, incentive negotiation, and incentive implementation process. He assists with labor analysis, logistics analysis, cost modeling, tax structuring, real estate acquisition, environmental review, and a myriad of other issues that arise during the process of developing a project in North America.

Alex and his team strive to empower clients by lending their experience to all stages of project development. They routinely assist the client’s site selection team in every aspect related to a new project or expansion, including real estate, tax, governmental, planning and zoning, environmental, permitting, financing, labor and employment, and construction matters.

Martindale-Hubbell® AV Preeminent Rated Listed in The Best Lawyers in America® Corporate Law, 2007-2025 Economic Development Law, 2015-2025 Project Finance Law, 2007-2025 Public Finance Law, 2007-2021, 2023 Tax Law, 2007-2025 "Lawyer of the Year," Birmingham, Project Finance Law, 2016, 2021, 2024 Listed in Chambers USA® Corporate Law, 2007-2014 Project Finance Law, 2007-2014 Public Finance Law, 2007-2014 Tax Law, 2007-2014 Listed in The Business Journals, "Influencers: Law List," 2018 Listed in B-Metro,"Top Lawyers," 2019-2020 Counsel to one of the largest e-commerce companies in the US Counsel to the largest e-commerce company in the world in locating a second headquarters in Crystal City, Arlington, Virginia. The team successfully negotiated the project agreement and the related incentive package with the State of Virginia and local governments. We also provided counsel with respect to real estate, labor and employment, choice of entity and state and local tax issues. In 2018, the second headquarters project for the e-commerce company was named “Deal of the Year” in numerous economic development publications. Counsel to Canoo Technologies, Inc. Counsel to Canoo Technologies in the identification and selection of locations for its manufacturing, research and development, customer service, and headquarter facilities in Oklahoma and Arkansas. In total, Canoo estimates investing approximately $1.5 billion and creating over 2,500 jobs. Bradley attorneys are currently implementing the incentive packages negotiated in Oklahoma and Arkansas. Corporate Relocation Counsel to VF Sportswear, Inc., an apparel company with numerous recognizable brands such as Nautica and Kipling, in relocating its corporate headquarters from Manhattan to Jersey City, New Jersey. Approximately 160 employees, earning an average annual base compensation of more than $92,500, will be relocated. The team successfully negotiated the incentive package with the State of New Jersey and the local governments and provided counsel with respect to environmental, labor and employment, real estate, construction, corporate, and state and local tax issues. Counsel to Commercial Jet Services, LLC Counsel to Commercial Jet Services, LLC in locating a $12 million aircraft MRO facility to Dothan in 2013. At full production, the facility will employ approximately 500 people. The team successfully negotiated a project agreement with the State of Alabama and the local governments and provided counsel with respect to workforce development, state and local tax issues, corporate, and real estate. Counsel to Qualitest Pharmaceuticals Counsel to Qualitest Pharmaceuticals in securing statutory incentives for its $43 million pharmaceutical manufacturing and distribution facility expansion in Huntsville in 2013. Counsel to Tesla Motors, Inc. Counsel to Tesla Motors, Inc., an electric automobile manufacturer, in locating a lithium ion battery manufacturing facility to Storey County, Nevada. The Gigafactory will cost $5 billion to construct and equip and another $5 billion will be invested during the first 10 years of operations. At full production, the Gigafactory will employ approximately 6,500 people. The team successfully negotiated the incentive package with the State of Nevada and the local governments and provided counsel with respect to real estate, corporate, construction, choice of entity and state and local tax issues. Structuring incentives Counsel to REHAU Incorporated in negotiating and structuring separate incentive packages with Cullman, Alabama in 2013 and 2014 for a $120 million automotive parts manufacturing plant expansion that will create 250 new jobs and a $1.8 million technical center that will create 160 additional jobs. The team also provided counsel with respect to real estate, corporate and state and local tax issues Tax incentives Counsel to Carpenter Technology Corporation in 2012, successfully negotiating the incentives package and all other associated agreements with the State of Alabama and local governments to locate a $500 million steel manufacturing plant in Limestone County with 200 employees, as well as the recent $20 million expansion of the same in 2014.