Toyota has awarded its sixth local construction contract for its new Highlander vehicle assembly plant in Blue Springs, Miss.

Harrell Contracting Group, based in Ridgeland, Miss., has formed its third partnership with Homewood, Ill.-based Graycor Construction Company Inc. for construction of the plant’s utility building. Work for this project was to begin in February. Harrell employs 150 people in the state of Mississippi.

“Awarding six construction contracts to Mississippi-based firms demonstrates our confidence and commitment to working with local companies,” said Bill Jilbert, assistant general manager at Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing North America Inc. “As we prepare for peak construction this summer, we are grateful for the community’s interest in Toyota and ask for their continued support.”

Site preparation will continue into this spring and at peak construction this summer approximately 2,000 workers will be on-site. The majority of these workers will be from the local area.

In February 2007, Toyota announced that it had chosen a 1,700-acre site in Blue Springs to build the Toyota Highlander SUV. The new plant represents a $1.3 billion investment by Toyota that is expected to hire around 2,000 team members. Vehicle production is scheduled to start by 2010 with annual capacity of 150,000 units.