Gov. Riley served barbeque to employees of GKN Aerospace in Tallassee on Wednesday in honor of the company’s expansion. Serving lunch with the Governor is Tallassee Mayor George McCain.

TALLASSEE - Governor Bob Riley once promised employees of GKN Aerospace in Tallassee that if the company ever grew to 1,000 employees, he would throw them a barbeque lunch. On Wednesday, he fulfilled that promise with a special barbeque lunch for the company’s 1,000 employees.

In remarks to the employees, Governor Riley called GKN one of the many “bright spots” in Alabama’s economy today.

“We have certainly been affected by this recession and there are a lot of people having a tough time. But when you look closely at this state, there are bright spots in this economy and GKN is definitely one of them,” the Governor said.

Governor Riley also told employees about a recent report from Moody’s Economy.com that predicts Alabama will be one of the first states to emerge from the recession.

“This economy will turn around, and when it does Alabama is positioned to come out ahead of most every other state because of the foundation for success we’ve built over the last few years,” Governor Riley said. “The fact that we are here today celebrating 1,000 jobs is a tribute to the commitment GKN made - and lived up to - in this community. It is also a tribute to each and every one of you, from the factory floor to the corporate office.”

GKN Aerospace produces composite components for commercial and military aircraft. The workforce at the company’s Tallassee plant has grown from less than 500 employees in 2004 to 1,000 today.