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Benchmarks
Warrior Met completes $1B Blue Creek Mine project
WARRIOR MET COAL, based in Brookwood, has completed its $1 billion Blue Creek Mine development in Tuscaloosa County, which will add more than 300 jobs to the area.
The Blue Creek Mine is a single longwall mine expected to have the capacity to produce an average of 6 million short tons annually of metallurgical coal. This would increase Warrior Met’s annual capacity by about 75%.
The project also includes a rail load-out facility in Fayette County, a barge load-out facility in Walker County and a curved overland belt to deliver coal to the rail load-out facility. The belt
BUSINESS BRIEFS
RURAL RELIEF
Alabama will receive $203 million in first-year funding for the federal Rural Health Transformation Program. The five-year program seeks to help improve health care access, quality and outcomes.
HUNTSVILLE GROWING
Construction projects in the Huntsville area topped $2.3 billion in 2025, according to Report Construction. The tally included permits filed in Madison, Limestone and Morgan counties.
BUSINESS BOOM
The Jefferson County Commission says preliminary estimates show more than $400 million in economic
development projects were announced during 2025. The projects were led by the recently announced $150 million Alabama Farm Center in Warrior.
RETIRING
Jack Hawkins, chancellor of Troy University for 35 years, will step down at the end of 2028. Before he leaves, he will help Troy find his successor.
NEW AT THE TOP
Deborah V. Bowie, once chief of staff to former Birmingham Mayor Larry Langford, has been named president and CEO of the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute. Bowie, a former news reporter, also was vice president at the former Birmingham Regional Chamber
reduces truck traffic and limits the impact on local communities, the company says.
“This transformational growth investment reinforces Warrior’s position as the premier U.S. pure-play producer of premium metallurgical coal products,” said Walt Scheller, CEO of Warrior. “From inception to completion, this project has been a collaborative effort with vendors, transportation partners, and state and federal agencies to ensure success for a project with an economic impact to rural Alabama for the next 40 years.”
of Commerce. Alan Alexander has been named president and CEO of accounting and consulting firm Jackson Thornton John Elbon has been named interim CEO of United Launch Alliance, following the resignation of Tony Bruno. ULA, in Decatur, is the world’s largest rocket factory, a joint venture between Lockheed Martin and Boeing. Dana Taylor has been named CEO of Birminghambased Jack’s Family Restaurants. Todd Bartmess will become executive chairman of the board. Teresa Williamson has been named the Mobile Chamber’s 2026 chairman of the board. Williamson is president of Roberts Brothers Inc.
SF TO BHAM
Mortgage financer Federal National Mortgage Association, or Fannie Mae, announced plans in December to move its San Francisco office to Birmingham.
MERGERS & ACQUISITIONS
Fort Payne-based FBDC Financial Corp., parent of First Fidelity Bank, will merge with and into Talladegabased FirstBanc of Alabama Inc., parent of First Bank of Alabama. FirstBanc of Alabama will pay $20.5 million or $52.56 per FBDC share. Mobilebased Thompson Holdings has acquired Sourcetoad, a software development company. Sourcetoad is
The longwall face at Blue Creek Mine. Photo courtesy of Warrior Met Coal.
Bad Boy Mowers investing $10.5 million in Monroeville facility
BAD BOY MOWERS is bringing a major new operation to rural Alabama.
Gov. Kay Ivey announced in December that the Arkansas-based manufacturer will invest $10.5 million to open a tractor assembly plant in Monroeville, creating 50 jobs in the former Vanity Fair distribution center.
Ivey called the project “a big win for Monroe County,” saying the new jobs will boost local families and build on economic momentum in the region. “Bad Boy came to the right place — Alabama’s workforce is ready to get to work and get the job done,” she said.
Site work is already underway, according to Mike Colquett, executive director of the Monroeville/Monroe County Economic Development Authority. He said the community is “truly excited” to welcome the company and expects production to begin soon. Bad Boy plans to assemble several tractor models in Monroeville and produce roughly 9,000 units a year.
company achieve its goals,” she said.
Ellen McNair, secretary of the Alabama Department of Commerce, said the move underscores the company’s confidence in Alabama’s rural communities. “Bad Boy builds innovative products, and Alabama’s workforce is the right choice to help the
BUSINESS BRIEFS
headquartered in Tampa, Florida, with offices in Australia and the Philippines. Mobilebased Threaded Fasteners has acquired TSA Manufacturing, a fastener manufacturer based in Omaha, Nebraska. It marks TFI’s 10th acquisition since 2012 and expands the company’s footprint to 10 states. Birmingham-based investment firm Waverly Advisors has acquired Forefront Wealth Management in Pennsylvania. It’s Waverly’s 20th acquisition since accepting an equity investment in 2021 from Wealth Partner Capital Group and HGGC’s Aspire Holdings platform. New York-based Blackstone has acquired the Decatur-based Alliance Technical Group, an environmental compliance provider.
HEALTH MOVE
UAB Health System has acquired Southview Medical Group, a multi-specialty practice that serves patients in central Alabama. The acquisition includes Southview’s providers and facilities, including its locations at UAB St. Vincent’s Birmingham and UAB Medicine St. Vincent’s One Nineteen.
NASA SUPPORTS UAB
The University of Alabama at Birmingham’s School of Engineering has landed a $37 million grant from NASA to support space travel to the moon. The award is to develop a freezer to return material from
Founded in 2002, Bad Boy is known for introducing zero-turn mowers to homeowners at an attainable price and has since grown into tractors, handheld tools and UTVs. The company recently was named Tractor Supply Co.’s top vendor of 2025.
Webster Fulfillment also recently announced that it had acquired a building that Vanity Fair once occupied.
the moon and the planned Gateway Space Station.
SCRUSHY DENIED
Richard Scrushy, the former CEO of Birmingham-based HealthSouth, has lost his effort to reopen the fraud case that resulted in a $2.8 billion judgment against him. Scrushy had asked a judge to disqualify the law firm Bradley Arant Boult Cummings from the case, which would have reopened the verdict.
BIGGER & BETTER
Defense tech provider Kratos is expanding its plant in the Oxmoor Valley area of Birmingham. The company will add a 40,000-square-foot facility, bringing the footprint of its
campus to about 150,000 square feet.
GROW WEST
Homewood-based ServisFirst Bank is expanding into Texas with the opening of a new office in Houston. In addition to Alabama and Texas, the bank has offices in Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia.
ARTS FUNDS
The Alabama Shakespeare Festival and Amp Up Arts, both in Montgomery, are two arts organizations out of 83 nationwide to receive grants from the Genesis Inspiration Foundation. The foundation’s grants nationally were for $3 million.
Assembly plant to create 50 jobs.
Samford gets new residence halls
ROBINS & MORTON
has completed new freshman and Greek housing residence halls on Samford University’s campus in Homewood.
The five story, 160,000-square-foot freshman halls include 513 beds. Two smaller residence halls for upper-division students in Greek letter societies include 140 beds. The project also added 550 spaces to the north parking facility.
The projects are part of phase one of the Samford Horizons: A Blueprint for Tomorrow campus master plan.
“Samford seeks to be the nation’s premier university in providing a Christ-centered, undergraduate residential experience. These new facilities deepen our commitment to that goal,” said Colin Coyne, Samford’s vice president for finance, business affairs and strategy.
Matt Self, project director for Robins & Morton, said, “We are honored to deliver these important projects to our Homewood neighbor Samford University to support their continued growth, and provide comfortable housing for students on campus.”
Birmingham-based Robins & Morton served as general contractor for the project, with Davis Architects Inc. serving as architect for the Greek housing residence halls. Perkins & Will was the architect for the freshman residence halls.
BUSINESS BRIEFS
CAMP FUNDER
Newly confirmed NASA Director Jared Isaacman has pledged to donate his salary to the U.S. Space and Rocket Center in Huntsville for Space Camp. Isaacman, CEO and founder of creditcard processor Shift4, in 2022 announced a gift of $10 million for a new Space Camp facility.
COASTAL BOOST
The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation will give $13 million in grants to Mobile County coastal restoration projects. The projects will reinforce eroding shorelines, restore marsh habitats and strengthen natural barriers.
LAYOFF WOES
UPS will lay off 130 workers at its Montgomery facility in February. UPS filed notice of the layoffs on the Alabama WARN list.
AIRPORT RISING
The cost of the Mobile International Airport’s terminal at Brookley Aeroplex is headed toward being $19 million under its original $381 million price tag. The airport is scheduled to open in August 2026.
TEA MOVE
Milo’s Tea Co. has closed its Homewood plant, a manufacturing and distribution center for the company. The company says more than half the employees
at the plant have been relocated to its Bessemer facility.
FARM FUNDS
The future Alabama Farm Center at Hallmark Farms in Warrior has received an $11 million grant for reclamation through the Abandoned Mine Land Program. The project is transforming a former coal mining-related site into farm property.
GENEROUS
The Poarch Creek Indians have donated $50,000 to the USA Health Children’s and Women’s Hospital in Mobile. The gift will go toward two new pediatric monitors for operating rooms.
An aerial view of the new Samford buildings.
HEAVY LIFTING
For 80 years, Conn Equipment
Rental has been focused on cranes, concrete and family clan
By CARY ESTES —
Cranes have been part of the Conn company since founder Fred Conn built one from scratch to launch a business just after World War II.
Photos by CARY NORTON
How does a family-owned company stay in business for 80 years? For Conn Equipment Rental in Sylacauga, it’s by being willing to do the heavy lifting, in more ways than one.
As a crane rental company, Conn Equipment can be hired to “lift and move almost anything imaginable,” according to company President Richard Conn, one of the three sons of founder Fred Conn (along with Frank and Alan) who currently run the business. This includes telephone towers, concrete walls, industrial heating and AC units, modular homes, fiberglass swimming pools, train cars, marble statues and a variety of items found at rock quarries and paper mills.
“It’s nothing for me to sit in a forklift and pick up half of an 80,000-pound press and move it out of the way,” says Richard Conn’s son, Jackson, who is part of the third generation of Conns working at the company. “That’s just a normal day here.”
Still, there are dozens of crane companies throughout Alabama that offer this type of service, so it must take something more than the basic equipment and knowledge to remain in business for eight decades. That, Richard Conn says, is where the true heavy lifting comes in.
“We’re hands-on. We’re right in the middle of everything we do,” Richard Conn says. “We’re the people who have to answer to our customers and make them happy. We listen to them and
Conn Equipment has been a family business from the outset. At 80 years old, the company is now in its third generation of Conn family leadership. The Conns, from left: Jacob, Alan, Jackson, Charlie, Richard, Frank and Luke.
do our best to give them exactly what they want. That’s how you’re in business for 80 years.”
Company founder Fred Conn was a young pipe welder in the late 1930s who expanded his skills during World War II by working at the Alabama Army Ammunition Plant in Childersburg. After the war was over, he opened his own welding and machine shop in the area.
At first, Fred Conn simply fabricated structural steel, but then he began receiving job opportunities to erect the steel as well. This created the need for the company to have a crane. Rather than trying to buy one, Fred Conn simply built his own.
Conn described the process in a 1996 article in Dixie Contractor magazine. He stated that he took a Dodge Power Wagon (a civilian version of the four-wheel drive military trucks from World War II), put an A-frame on the back and a winch on the front dumpster, then fabricated a truck crane from the upper arm of a crawler crane.
He took a Dodge Power Wagon (a civilian version of the four-wheel drive military trucks from World War II), put an A-frame on the back and a winch on the front dumpster, then fabricated a truck crane from the upper arm of a crawler crane. And just like that, a new business was born.
And just like that, a new business was born.
Most of Conn Equipment’s initial crane work took place at the various marble quarries located in the Sylacauga area. Then in the early 1960s, Conn began working with Birmingham-based Rust Engineering Co. on paper mill projects throughout southern Alabama and Georgia, which enabled Fred Conn to expand the business.
In 1971, the company added a seven-truck, ready-mix concrete plant at Conn Equipment’s current location just off U.S. Highway 280 approximately 10 miles north of downtown Sylacauga. That aspect of the business remains in operation and is promoted as “Conn-Crete.”
“It was an idea that the community had,” says company Vice President Frank Conn, who manages the concrete division. “Some of the locals around here told our father that if he would go into the concrete business, they’d support it. He didn’t really have a dream to do it. They just hit him up, and he said sure, he’d do it.”
Another key moment of growth for the company occurred in 1986, when Conn Equipment purchased its first hydraulic crane from Japanese manufacturer Tadano, which had just expanded into North America after nearly 70 years of operation. Tadano cranes were considered to be among the best in the world due to their reliability and innovative technology.
“A friend of my dad’s who was an equipment dealer showed one to our dad, and he recognized a good machine when he saw it,” Richard Conn says. “That was a big turning point for us. It got us into some more markets.”
In 1991, the company added a second crane-rental location in Montgomery. But other than replacing its original cement
operation with a new plant about five years ago, Conn Equipment has not undertaken many major changes in recent decades. The company currently has approximately 65 employees, including part-time drivers.
The one thing that has changed in recent years is the arrival of the family’s third generation into the business. Jackson Conn is one of three cousins now involved in the business, along with Jackson’s younger brother, Charlie, who has Down Syndrome but is often at the company’s offices. “He’s our morale booster,” Jackson says.
Having grown up around the business, Jackson Conn says he and his cousins are determined to keep Conn Equipment going for decades to come.
“There is a stigma of third generations (in family businesses) not making it,” Jackson Conn says, referring to an old adage that the third generation often lacks the motivation and determination of the first two. “That’s a challenge for me and my cousins.
“Knowing that our fathers have been holding the business together for this long and have gotten it to 80 years, that’s not possible without a lot of blood, sweat and tears. It’s a good feeling going home from work every day knowing we’ve been doing something most people wouldn’t have even attempted to do. They’ve given us a great start to life. Now we plan on keeping it going.”
Of course, it won’t be easy in this era of large corporations and conglomerates. Long-time family-run businesses are becoming increasingly rare throughout most industries. But Frank Conn says the key to the company’s longevity has been its willingness to put in the hard work needed to overcome any obstacles.
“It’s all about doing the things you don’t want to do. The things that are difficult but necessary,” Frank Conn says. “No matter what comes our direction – good, bad or ugly – we don’t run from our problems. We address everything that pops up on a daily basis.”
Richard Conn agrees. “We’ve probably all at one time or another wondered why we keep doing this,” he says with a smile. “Not all days are good. But we just keep going with it. Our motto is, ‘We at Conn Equipment have done so much for so long with so little, we are now qualified to do nearly everything with absolutely nothing.’
“The people here are what makes it work. That’s what a lot of the bigger companies don’t have. Others have cranes and trucks and forklifts and concrete plants. But they don’t have our people.”
Cary Estes and Cary Norton are Birmingham-based freelance contributors to Business Alabama.
The Coca-Cola Amphitheater, which opened in June 2025, hosted more than 30 shows in its first season.
Cool Builds
Four unique construction projects of 2025
By NANCY MANN JACKSON
Alabama’s built environment is constantly changing, as existing buildings are updated, renovated or demolished, and new construction is added. Despite uncertain economic news throughout 2025, the state of Alabama kept building, with more than $1 billion in new commercial construction in the Huntsville area alone.
We take a look at some of the most interesting construction projects completed in Alabama in 2025.
An inside glimpse of the Coca-Cola Amphitheater.
Relaxed seating on the grounds of the Coca-Cola Amphitheater.
Coca-Cola Amphitheater
Birmingham
The new Coca-Cola Amphitheater, which opened in June 2025, already is redefining Birmingham’s downtown music scene and skyline. During its first season, the 9,300-seat amphitheater hosted more than 30 shows including acts like Alabama Shakes, Luke Bryan, Def Leppard, Jason Isbell, Dave Matthews Band, Nelly, Rod Stewart and others.
Because the theater’s operator, Live Nation, had pre-booked shows beginning in June, construction was on a tight, inflexible deadline. Stone Building Co. had just 11 months to complete construction, finishing one day ahead of schedule. The amphitheater debuted on June 22.
“One of the amphitheater’s most defining features is its setting. Built into the existing topography of the Druid Hills neighborhood, fans enjoy a sweeping hillside view overlooking downtown Birmingham’s iconic skyline, offering a one-of-a-kind concert experience,” says Greg Magley, AIA, Coca-Cola Amphitheater project manager at Goodwyn Mills Cawood. “Adding to its unique atmosphere, the amphitheater sits beneath the Birmingham-Shuttlesworth Airport flight path, where planes often pass overhead during performances.”
The theater is located on the former Carraway Hospital site and is part of the Birmingham-Jefferson Convention Center campus, which also includes Protective Stadium and Legacy Arena. The amphitheater has a number of shows booked for its 2026 season,
which will run from April through October and include acts like Widespread Panic; Earth, Wind & Fire; Tyler Childers and Weird Al Yankovic.
Associate Architects: Goodwyn Mills Cawood and Studio 2H Designs
Consultants:
• Interior Design – Goodwyn Mills Cawood
• Civil Engineering – Schoel Engineering
• Landscape Architecture – Macknally Land Design
• Structural Engineering – MBA Engineers
• Electrical Engineering – Consulting Construction Engineering
• Mechanical, Plumbing & Fire Protection – MW/ Davis Dumas & Associates
Guardian Credit Union Headquarters Prattville
Founded in 1958 to serve the needs of the Alabama National Guard members and their families, Guardian Credit Union (GCU) has grown over the years, expanding to serve a broader member base. With various departments operating from disparate locations, leaders wanted to create a headquarters campus to foster collaboration and communication among various departments, support a positive workplace culture and provide room for continued growth.
Russell Construction and Foshee Architecture, both based in Montgomery, have worked for years with GCU to build unique branches. Credit union leaders turned to the same trusted partners
when they were ready to construct a new headquarters building.
“The headquarters project was exciting because we worked together to create a space that instilled the true values of Guardian Credit Union in its employees every day,” says Josie Young, president/CEO of Russell Construction. “We wanted to build a space that allowed every employee, from the CEO down, to feel special and excited to walk into their career daily.”
The building is the result of years of collaboration, as the project began before the COVID-19 pandemic. As the pandemic restructured the world of work, the team “was confronted with the uncertainty of what the future entailed, including whether work-from-home would be the new normal,” says Daniel Beeker, architect at Foshee Architecture. “In the face of this, GCU held strong to the belief that being in an office together was important to their future success. The design was approached as a living building that can readily change and evolve as the spaces are used and needs change or are refined over time.”
In an effort to incorporate the natural surroundings into the structure to relieve work stress, the glass fronts overlook ponds to the north and south of the building, and a bend in the building footprint opens up the central atrium to the view of nature beyond, Beeker says. The central atrium is open to all floors and helps to interconnect various departments and wings, and all private offices feature glass fronts with sliding doors to help to support approachability and team communication.
Guardian Credit Union’s facility incorporates views of the outside ponds.
The interior provides the flexibility to change as needs are refined over time.
Guardian
Guardian Credit Union Headquarters
FACTS
Owner: Guardian Credit Union
General Contractor: Russell Construction Architect: Foshee Architecture
Square Footage: 58,000 square feet
Consultants and Subcontractors:
• Interior Design – Foshee Architecture
• Civil Engineering – Flowers and White Engineering
• Structural Engineering – Ke’Ano Engineering
• Mechanical, Electrical and Plumbing Engineering –Pursuit Engineering
• Civil – W.S. Newell & Sons Inc.
• Concrete - MSE Building Co. Inc.
• Steel – Holley Steel Inc.
• Roof – Roofscapes Inc.
• HVAC and Plumbing – James B. Donaghey
• Electrical – Dixie Electric
Open spaces create collaboration between departments at Guardian Credit Union’s headquarters.
Credit Union set out to build a facility to house their team under one roof.
UAB Altec/Styslinger Genomics and Precision Medicine Building and the Marnix E. Heersink Institute for Biomedical Innovation Conference Center Birmingham
When the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) wanted to transform a highly complex, aging research structure on campus into a modern gateway for precision medicine, it turned to local partners, Williams Blackstock Architects and MJ Harris Construction Services.
“This project was about more than renovation; it was about repositioning an important but constrained building to support genomics, informatics and data sciences, while strengthening UAB’s research mission,” says Binx Newton, principal, Williams Blackstock Architects. “We aimed to preserve the building’s urban presence and structural framework while reimagining it as a collaborative hub that bridges laboratory research, clinical care and academic engagement. The project also needed to align with UAB’s long-term campus standards, sustainability goals, and its role as a major economic driver for Birmingham and the state.”
The narrow building spans over a street and is physically connected to four other buildings, which presented a number of design and construction challenges. The team started by stripping the building down to its structural frame, which revealed the inherent challenges of adapting an older, unconventional structure
UAB Altec/Styslinger Building FACTS
Owner: University of Alabama at Birmingham
Contractor: MJ Harris Construction Services
Architect: Williams Blackstock Architects, Allison Chang-Roberts and Binx Newton
Project Size: Approximately 175,000 square feet
Project Value: Approximately $80 million, including a $50 million investment from the state of Alabama via the Public School and College Authority. Additional support came from the Styslinger Family, Altec/Styslinger Foundation, Jefferson County, Marnix and Mary Heersink and the city of Birmingham.
The glass facade of the building incorporates a righthanded double-helix design, denoting the genetic work going on inside.
Above the main entrance doors, the metal panel features a genetic sequencing pattern.
to modern codes, systems and programmatic needs.
“Floor-to-floor alignment, vertical circulation and basement-level infrastructure were particularly difficult, especially when integrating a new addition with existing conditions,” Newton says. “As with most renovations of this scale, unforeseen conditions emerged once construction was underway, requiring flexibility and quick decision-making. We overcame these challenges through close collaboration among UAB, the contractor, and the full consultant team, with a shared understanding that adaptability and transparency were essential. That collaborative mindset allowed us to address issues efficiently while maintaining
the design intent and the overall project goals.”
The project is unique because it serves as a bridge, connecting research buildings with hospital and clinic facilities, and symbolizing the connection between scientific discovery with patient care. Scientific language was integrated into the architecture, Newton says. For example, the glass façade incorporates a right-handed double-helix, referencing DNA as the “code of life,” and the metal panel façade over the main entrance features a genetic sequencing pattern that continues from the exterior into the interior across the ceiling, wall and floor. “These building elements represent the important work happening within,” Newton says.
Inside the main entrance, the color pattern replicating a genetic sequence continues, indicating the work being performed within the building.
The narrow building spans a city street.
The building adheres to UAB’s sustainability goals.
Huntsville’s new city hall was designed to blend with the existing historic architecture downtown.
Huntsville City Hall Huntsville
In an effort to consolidate seven departments under one roof to function as a centralized hub for development, business and city services, the city of Huntsville needed a new City Hall building. Bringing all city departments under one roof simplifies access to municipal services for local residents, making it easier to renew licenses, pay taxes, obtain building permits and conduct other city business. Consolidating city resources also streamlines operations and fosters collaboration across departments.
“The building was truly designed for the citizens of Huntsville, with emphasis on gathering feedback about the project from community members,” says Mark Coyle, AIA, project manager and architecture practice leader at Goodwyn Mills Cawood. “The new city hall was designed to last 100 years and blend with the existing historic architecture, while also representing Huntsville’s identity as a hub of innovation and forward thinking.”
One challenge presented by the project was the location of City Hall near Big
The citizens of Huntsville were asked for feedback about the new city hall project.
Spring Park, which required extensive rock removal in a sensitive part of downtown. While the parkside location helps connect the building to the community, preparing the site was challenging, Coyle says. Contractors used vibration monitors to track and minimize any disturbance to neighboring buildings and worked with other nearby businesses to minimize potential disruptions.
In addition to simplifying access to city resources, the new City Hall also provides a city landmark with a unique cultural fit. “A defining piece of Huntsville City Hall is the integration of public art on display throughout the facility,” Coyle says. “Partnering with ArtsHuntsville, the city of Huntsville commissioned nine pieces of public art that are now proudly displayed throughout the building to enhance the community’s cultural experience. Each piece tells Huntsville’s story and spotlights characteristics that make the city unique, and the art installation serves as a natural gathering place.”
Nancy Mann Jackson is a Madison-based freelance contributor to Business Alabama
The new city hall was designed to be userfriendly for city residents, with multiple departments under one roof.
The downtown location proved a challenge for the builders.
The council chambers for the city of Huntsville.
Building the Future
Construction companies in Alabama cautiously optimistic in 2026
By GAIL ALLYN SHORT
Though the Federal Reserve cut interest rates three times in 2025, the construction industry in the United States generally faced strong headwinds that year stemming from everything from tariffs and rising building material costs to labor shortages and tough new federal immigration enforcement policies.
Even housing starts last August decreased 1.0% year-over-year from 1,470 to 1,304 units and were down 7.6% year-to-date, according to the Alabama Center for Real Estate.
But the leaders of the Associated Builders and Contractors Inc. Alabama Chapter and of the Alabama Associated General Contractors say their members are remaining cautiously optimistic that the industry will nonetheless thrive in 2026.
“We all, at the end of the day, expect modest growth in 2026,” says Billy Norrell, CEO of Alabama Associated General Contractors.
The Alabama AGC represents 1,000 members, including general contractors, sub- and specialty contractors, supply affiliates that supply the materials for projects, as well as accountants, attorneys, insurance professionals and others.
“We’ve also got some big infrastructure jobs underway like the West Alabama Highway and the proposed I-10 Mobile River Bridge down over the causeway,” says Norrell. “We’re building a new state house in Montgomery, and we’re building a couple of new prisons in the state.”
Just recently, Eli Lilly and Company announced its plans to spend more than $6 billion to build a pharmaceutical manufacturing plant in Huntsville, and last May, the Alabama School of Healthcare Sciences broke ground to construct a new specialized, residential high school in Demopolis. Birmingham-based Brasfield & Gorrie is the general contractor on the project that is estimated to cost $62 million.
“There are plenty of workload anchors out there that are great for the industry,” Norrell says.
But Jay Reed, president of the Associated Builders and Contractors Inc., Alabama Chapter, says the larger companies — contractors handling $20 million to $60 million projects and a lot of bid work — will likely see more opportunities and more business development efforts in 2026 than their smaller counterparts.
Reed points to a recent construction backlog indicator report from the national ABC, an economic indicator that shows what commercial and industrial construction firms will work on in the coming months.
“It says the smaller the contractor, the less work they are currently performing or have as backlog for the next six months,” Reed says.
Reed says smaller investors and developers are holding their coins closer to the vest than the larger contractors that are doing long-term build outs for projects like data centers and hospitals and other health care facilities.
“However, the smaller developers are more apt to [put] a few projects on hold next year,” Reed said in December.
Meanwhile, despite the lengthy federal government shutdown last year, many highway and bridge projects continued being funded due to monies from the Highway Trust Fund, says a report by the International Bridge, Tunnel and Turnpike Association.
Norrell says, “When the slow down and the shutdown occurred, that could have had some impact on federal funding for highway projects and certain other government projects that are funded through the legislative process. But fortunately, the highway jobs continued, and those were not impacted directly by that.”
Another bright spot was the Federal Reserve interest rate cuts in 2025, Reed says.
“The mortgage rate drop has the industry a little bit more excited toward the end of the year, so we’re starting to hear more optimism from my small to medium contractors,” Reed says.
TARIFFS
A focus on tariffs loomed large throughout much of 2025, including on construction materials. In fact, just last year the United States raised the tariff rates on aluminum and steel from 25% to 50%.
A report by the firm Cushman and Wakefield predicted that tariff rates as of September 30, 2025, would increase the cost of construction materials by 9% relative to average materials costs in
“When
the slow down and the shutdown occurred, that could have had some impact on federal funding for highway projects and certain other government projects that are funded through the legislative process. But fortunately, the highway jobs continued, and those were not impacted directly by that.”
—
Billy Norrell, Alabama Associated General Contractors
“Whether it was impacts due to tariffs or impacts due to COVID, we learned to get ahead of material procurement, whether it’s ordering material or equipment early in design planning. We’ve just had to adapt, and I feel like, as an industry, we’ve figured out how to do that and how to get ahead.”
— Ed Hauser, Brasfield & Gorrie
2024, and that total project costs would rise about 4.6%.
Besides raising the cost of construction materials, experts in the industry say tariffs can result in difficulties with pricing, scheduling projects, project delays and even cancelled contracts by project owners.
The AGC reports that many of its members stored up materials ahead of time to protect against unexpected tariffs and escalating costs.
Ed Hauser is regional president for Birmingham-based Brasfield & Gorrie, one of the largest privately-held construction companies in the United States, and chairman of Associated Builders and Contractors’ executive committee. He says early material procurement is a strategy his firm adopted.
“Whether it was impacts due to tariffs or impacts due to COVID, we learned to get ahead of material procurement, whether it’s ordering material or equipment early in design planning. We’ve just had to adapt, and I feel like, as an industry, we’ve figured out how to do that and how to get ahead,” Hauser says.
But, he says, “As a whole, tariffs have not had, at least on what we’ve seen, a major impact on project costs.”
In a November press release, the national ABC’s chief economist Anirban Basu said, “Unfortunately, it’s unclear how higher tariffs on key materials like iron and steel and aluminum and copper will affect prices over the next several months, and it’s noteworthy that commodities related to those materials have exhibited significant year-over-year price increases.”
FEWER REGULATIONS
Another major change is the softening of regulations, which is impacting the construction industry.
Last July, for example, President Donald Trump signed an executive order to accelerate the federal permitting of data center infrastructure.
“The regulatory decisions being made by the current federal administration has certainly been a breath of fresh air as they look to expedite projects, streamline permitting, cut back on the EPA overreach that we were seeing by the prior administration,” Reed says.
With the streamlined permitting process, large commercial development projects can be shovel-ready quicker, Reed says.
LABOR SHORTAGES AND IMMIGRATION
One area of concern in the construction industry is the shortage of skilled workers.
A 2025 Workforce Survey Analysis by the AGC and the National Center for Construction Education and Research found that 88% of firms that directly employ craft workers reported having openings for those workers and 83% with job openings for craft workers said the positions were either hard or harder to fill than the previous year. In addition, 84% of firms reported that finding salaried workers was hard or harder to find than the prior year.
One contributor to the labor shortage is the Trump administration’s new mass deportation policy.
The construction industry has for years relied heavily on immigrant workers for many skilled tasks, but under President Trump’s new policy, agents from the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement or ICE, under the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, have been rounding up and arresting noncitizens and anyone who lacks the legal status to live and work in the country.
The Workforce Survey Analysis reported that 28% of respondents said they had been impacted directly or indirectly by the ICE raids. Five percent of those polled reported having a jobsite or offsite visited by immigration agents while 20% said their subcontractors lost workers. Another 10% say workers had either left or stopped showing up for work due to either actual or rumored immigration actions.
“I can’t say that, to date, we’ve had any specific delays due to not having labor,” says Hauser, “but I’ve certainly seen it become a real challenge to some of our subcontractor partners.”
Reed says his members in Alabama have been impacted by the new immigration policies, as well.
“We heard loud and clear over 2025 that the immigrant workforce was negatively impacted with the current administration’s efforts to ensure legal immigrants were in the United States,” says Reed. “We did see a downturn in some projects. We did see some projects missing completion dates.
“But I’ll be clear” says Reed, “This association does support the federal administration’s efforts to secure the border. However, while doing that, we’ve got to be real about the number of
immigrants needed to perform skilled trades on our projects in Alabama, and that’s certainly been negatively impacted recently.”
Reed says a path to get workers to job sites seamlessly and quickly is needed to fill positions currently available.
To help contractors navigate the country’s new immigration policy, the AGC of America has launched a new online resource center containing information that teaches contractors how to stay in compliance with immigration rules and how contractors should respond during such raids.
But the construction labor shortages are also attributable to a lack of skilled candidates in Alabama as well as around the nation.
“I think a lot of it has to do with a stigma of being in construction. Everybody’s supposed to go to college, and everybody’s supposed to be a doctor or a lawyer. We’ve tried hard to rebrand the path into construction because it’s lucrative, and you can have a great career,” Norrell says.
Norrell says the AGC of Alabama, for example, has formed relationships with schools around the state to expose students to the world of construction for their consideration.
One such effort is the Alabama AGC’s summer boot camps that introduces high school students to the many career opportunities available in nonresidential construction. The topics include plumbing and HVAC, nonresidential carpentry, electrical and construction related math.
Another initiative is the Associated Builders and Contractors’ Academy of Craft Training that targets high school students and gives them hands-on experience in the trades.
“We’re taking in about 750 students a year across Birmingham, Decatur, Mobile, and we’re about to open one up in Montgomery. We graduate about 600 a year and there’s 100% placement rate for those students seeking to stay in construction,” Hauser says.
Gail Allyn Short is a Birmingham-based freelance contributor to Business Alabama.
E
BY ENGINEERS, FOR ENGINEERS
Huntsville engineer creates resource website for his industry
By DEBORAH STOREY
ngineers like watching movies about other engineers solving problems that seem impossible — as in “Apollo 13” or “The Martian.”
A young Madison County engineer has created a website with dozens of resources for other engineers, such as scholarships, lists of professional organizations and continuing education opportunities. Just for fun, it includes links to more than 80 movies showing dramatic feats of engineering. Who knew there were so many?
Maxwell R. Carter, of Huntsville, launched the website engineeringresource.org about a year ago. He is a professional engineer licensed in Alabama and Tennessee and a certified floodplain manager who began his civil engineering career after graduating from The University of Tennessee in 2018.
The 31-year-old works on his website at night and on weekends.
Its mission, he explains, “is to help engineering professionals, students or the general public find the best information sources for whatever engineering-related topic they are searching the
internet for — whether they are seeking something technical, educational or even inspirational.
“I have become familiar with different government agencies and their engineering associations” through college and career, Carter explains during a coffee shop chat. “I’m a PE, so I have to do professional development. I’ve been on their websites and looking at different training options and found there’s free resources out there.”
Resources for engineering students include lists of free and discounted professional association memberships, plus scholarships and fellowships. The site has information for educators, too, and a dedicated link for women in engineering.
Professional engineers will find links on conferences, licenses, certifications, training and webinars, as well as more than 100 job boards from engineering organizations. State and government job links also are included. Other resources are helpful podcasts, magazines, news sites, books and software.
The site covers multiple types of engineering, including aerospace, bioengineering, chemical, civil, electrical, industrial,
material science, mechanical, nuclear and software.
“There’s over a hundred engineering job boards and then fields of engineering where I’ve linked to all the organizations for different disciplines,” he explains.
Site analysis tells Carter what topics inspire the most clicks. Webinars with certificates, nuclear engineering scholarships, fellowships and software are popular.
He sees bumps in views from time to time. When Amazon announced a layoff of 14,000 employees, a conversation on the social media site Reddit mentioned Carter’s website as a resource.
“It got upvoted, so it got shared,” Carter says. “I have seen Seattle popping up on the Google analytics.”
Carter launched the site in December 2024 after working on it for a couple of months. In just a year, Carter had more than 190 web page references to include.
— Maxwell R. Carter, engineeringresource.org “
The website is going to be mainly focused on trying to help people find experts instead of being the expert. I just wanted it to be really hands off,” he adds. “This stuff’s just there for them to find. I feel like it’s going to be a continuous work in progress and so I just keep adding things as I go.”
“I found a bunch of really useful things, and I thought, I want to tell people about this one or that one,” he says. “I’m just trying
to help people find the best sources for content.”
If such a resource existed when Carter was in college, he wasn’t aware of it. In the early days of his personal research, he came across a list of engineering organizations on the Department of Labor website and figured “maybe I should just combine everything” in a central location.
“I wasn’t really looking too far down the road. I just started making it and had the idea from things I had learned about just while in school and through working the last seven years.”
Carter isn’t necessarily interested in providing his own original content other than a few blog observations. He sees himself as more of an aggregator of the useful material already out there.
“The website is going to be mainly focused on trying to help people find experts instead of being the expert,” he says.
“I just wanted it to be really hands off,” he adds. “This stuff’s just there for them to find. I feel like it’s going to be a continuous
work in progress and so I just keep adding things as I go.”
Carter finds many links through professional organizations like the Federal Highway Administration or American Concrete Institute.
“Those are organizations that I’m familiar with,” he says, so the information is likely to be reliable.
“The only businesses I would say I’ve linked to would be educational products and software.”
Carter did add two of his own blog posts aimed at students. One addresses the differences between the college experience and reality.
“It’s a lot about how I don’t use very much math anymore” in his job with an area municipality. “I use a lot of software,” he says.
Like many professionals, Carter uses AI tools like Chat GPT to provide at least some basic information for reference. While advanced in many areas, artificial intelligence is still an imperfect tool, he finds.
“I’m wanting to make a blog post about just my experience using AI and the pitfalls,” he says.
Carter’s website does not include advertisements. Any users moved to donate are directed to the Grant Hill Memorial Fund, which supports mental health care for foster and special needs families. Hill and Carter were friends.
“I don’t receive any money from anything that is on it. It seems like people like it, but it’s not commercialized,” he says.
“I’m thinking about just keeping it that way. I kind of like that it’s just really simple. I don’t have to have employees.”
His annual budget of $20 pays for the domain name.
Carter would love to see engineering firms link to his site. He’s had some success through affiliation with university career centers.
Dartmouth College, Harvard University, the University of Tennessee and the University of Florida have website links to engineeringresource.org.
“Harvard was the first to link to my website,” he says. “I was really surprised. I thought they would be the last one.”
A career coach at Santa Fe College called Carter’s site “the best organized and most thorough engineering resource that I have seen.” The University of Florida calls the site’s links to jobs “a great place to start.”
The site’s homepage features a large picture of Carter’s grandfather, who was an engineer and built runways in World War II. He was a construction project estimator in the facilities department at Redstone Arsenal.
In the photo, the man pinning a service award on the elder Carter is none other than one of the most famous engineers in history — space pioneer Dr. Wernher von Braun.
Deborah Storey is a Huntsville-based freelance contributor to Business Alabama.
A STELLAR MEETING VENUES
How three major venues work to attract meetings to their facilities and cities
By NANCY RANDALL
labama’s venues step up each year to satisfy thousands of meeting requests from a variety of organizations.
Three venues, highlighted here, discuss what makes their facilities and cities stand out.
VON BRAUN CENTER, HUNTSVILLE
With multiple conference spaces within it, the downtown Von Braun Center offers meeting planners a medley of options. The center’s in-house event team works to pull off some massive events, some even on short notice.
“We really focus on showcasing the Von Braun Center as a premier meeting destination,” says Samantha Nielsen, director of marketing and public relations. “We lean into [our multiple venues], that we can be extremely versatile. We can support anything from a small meeting to a multi-thousand-person conference,” she explains.
Connecting with meeting planners nationally and internationally is made easier by Von Braun’s strong partnership
with the Huntsville-Madison County Convention and Visitors Bureau, notes Nielsen. The two attend industry trade shows to seek out business and partner on targeted advertising to showcase the Huntsville area.
If meeting planners are interested in area attractions like the Space and Rocket Center or brewery tours, Von Braun connects them to the visitors bureau to help curate these activities, Nielsen explains.
Planners are interested in downtown walkability and accessibility to nearby restaurants and attractions for their attendees, regardless of meeting size. These factors, as well as the area’s safety, are the top two concerns Von Braun hears from planners, Nielsen says. “Huntsville really shines in both of those regards.”
Planners wishing to keep attendees in place can build from a variety of Von Braun’s on-site venues like Rhythm on Monroe. The restaurant features large windows offering downtown views and a rooftop bar. Usually closed for lunch weekdays, it can be opened for conferences, Nielsen says.
In the Propst Arena, planners might
reserve a block of tickets to a Huntsville Havoc ice hockey game or a major concert already scheduled in the arena.
In tandem with Von Braun’s flexibility is its hospitality focus, says Nielsen. “We really have the mentality of ‘we don’t want to say no.’ If it’s something that we can’t do, we’re going to find another option,” she explains.
This mantra came to life during a national sorority’s Southeast regional conference. The group was scheduled for a seated dinner in the South Hall. The venue, usually hosting events like the boat show, was spiffed up with carpet, floor-toceiling draping and extra lighting, Nielsen says.
Then, two days before the dinner, the group notified Von Braun: Six hundred more people were attending the meal.
The Von Braun food and beverage team quickly reworked the entire service plan and borrowed extra hot boxes and china place settings from others in the local hospitality industry, Nielsen details. She and fellow administration team members helped serve the meal.
“We set a record that night. We
Von Braun Center Propst Arena. Photo by Dragonfly Imagery.
served 4,400 people in 45 minutes,” she explains. “The client was very happy. It was a really good example of our staff’s creativity, being flexible and committing to exceeding the client’s expectations.”
BRYANT CONFERENCE CENTER, TUSCALOOSA
Located on the University of Alabama campus, the Bryant Conference Center executed more than 4,000 events last year, according to Ashley Olive, director of conference services. As might be expected, the university generates about 60% of the center’s business, she notes, although the venue also hosts external groups.
“We really try to find groups that are aligned with our educational mission,” Olive explains. Groups involved in continuing education or other education-related conferences, trainings and workshops are a good fit for the center, she says. “Education [events] aren’t the only thing we do, but [they] definitely align with what we do best.”
The A+ Education Partnership, the Alabama Water Institute, the Alabama Association of School Business Officials and the ACT (college entrance exam testing) are among the organizations who hold training or conferences at Bryant, Olive notes.
Fans of the Crimson Tide will certainly know Bryant for hosting “Tide Talk” with head football Coach Kalen DeBoer. Held on Fridays before home football games, the luncheons feature an interview with DeBoer and other speakers, Olive explains.
The center’s location makes it unique among other venues across the state. “Being situated on the University of Alabama campus allows folks to experience that ‘capstone of education’ environment,” Olive states.
It also enables Olive
and her staff to connect with various groups on campus. For example, a client may want to tour an athletic facility or hear a professor who is an expert in a specific field.
Olive’s team has met some unusual client requests over the years:
• Heating water to 110 degrees for immersion baptisms
• Pulling full-size vehicles and four-wheelers into Sellers Auditorium
• Hanging chandeliers from the Sellers Auditorium ceiling
Excellent customer service and the latest AV technology set Bryant apart from other venues, Olive says. Satisfaction surveys routinely result in a net promoter score in the nineties. “It’s higher than Disney’s, so we’ll take it,” she says proudly.
On the technology front, Bryant offers:
• Video and audio integration shareable between spaces
• PTX facial tracking cameras that follow the presenter
• Virtual participation for attendees
• An AV help button in each room that alerts the AV team of issues Bryant can accommodate single- and multi-day events, Olive says. Its largest space holds a thousand people.
When it comes to fueling attendees,
Bryant offers clients a lot of flexibility. The venue has an on-site catering kitchen for basic needs like breakfast, snacks and beverages, Olive explains. But if they are looking for a more “elaborate” choice or want to try the flavors of West Alabama, they can choose any external caterer on UA’s approved catering list, she says.
Clients needing hotel rooms have many options as well, Olive notes. Hotel Capstone is right next door to Bryant. Hotels downtown and across Tuscaloosa are within five miles or less of the UA campus and meet most budgets, she says.
While the campus offers much to see and do, Olive’s team welcomes the opportunity to promote the larger community. “We are fortunate to have some great partnerships with Visit Tuscaloosa [and] a lot of the hotels in town,” she says. “We live and work in this community — we love it — and we want people to enjoy it, too.”
MOBILE CONVENTION CENTER, MOBILE
Mobile’s location on the Gulf’s Mobile Bay is a unique selling point among other Alabama meeting spots, enabling its place in destination tourism, according to Matthew Bryant, general manager of the Mobile Convention Center.
Bryant Conference Center is ready for the local chamber’s annual awards banquet.
“We are a hidden gem, and I think the core downtown is really much like a New Orleans, but yet cleaner with less crime,” Bryant brags.
In addition, Mobile offers a more laidback atmosphere for meetings vs. the more formal city experience attendees get with say, Birmingham or Montgomery, he notes. The seafood bounty of Mobile and its walkability from the convention center to downtown hotels also are pluses in the sales equation, Bryant says.
“We want to sell the whole city for a complete stay. You could be at a meeting [during the day], but then, what do you do at night?” he asks. His team promotes to meeting planners all that Mobile has to offer, from a Mobile River dinner cruise on the Perdido Queen paddlewheel riverboat to a Maritime Museum visit and more.
Bryant’s team also ensures that meeting participants know about the local dining scene. Looking for great oysters or the best gumbo in town? The team will help guide you to the right eateries.
Inside the convention center, all catering is handled by OVG Hospitality, Bryant says. No other caterers are allowed. “Our food menu adapts to the region and then to our customers’ requests. Our strength is our flexibility to cook multiple foods,” he says. The center uses beef grown in Alabama and also partners with local fisheries, he adds.
Attracting meetings to the convention center requires a multi-pronged partnership among the center, Visit Mobile, the Mobile Sports Authority and Mobile’s hotel community, Bryant explains. Depending on the target market, one or more representatives of these entities will attend national conventions and trade shows to solicit business.
When requests for proposals arrive from corporations and associations, this Mobile partnership collaborates to complete them, Bryant shares. “We don’t have a lot of money individually, but together we have a lot of money [where] we can market the region and bring business in. We work together to be successful.”
Nancy Randall is a Tuscaloosa-based freelance contributor to Business Alabama.
Mobile Convention Center.
Alabama’s Largest Meeting Facilities
Ranked by total square footage of meeting space. Source: Business Alabama survey and facility websites.
compiled by ERICA JOINER WEST
1 Von Braun Center 700 Monroe St. Huntsville, AL 35801
2 Arthur R. Outlaw Mobile Convention Center 1 S. Water St. Mobile, AL 36602
3 Birmingham-Jefferson Convention Complex 2100 Richard Arrington Jr. Blvd. N. Birmingham, AL 35203
4 Renaissance Montgomery Hotel & Spa at the Convention Center 201 Tallapoosa St. Montgomery, AL 36104
5 Foley Event Center
6 Hoover Met Complex
1001 E. Pride Blvd. Foley, AL 36535
asmglobalmobile.com
marriott.com
251-970-3042 foleysportstourism.com
5508 Stadium Trace Pkwy. Hoover, AL 35244 205-739-6400 hoovermetcomplex.com
7 Shocco Springs Baptist Conference Center 1314 Shocco Springs Rd. Talladega, AL 35160
8 Perdido Beach Resort 27200 Perdido Beach Blvd. Orange Beach, AL 36561
9 17 Springs 120 Champions Dr. Millbrook, AL 36054
10 Lodge at Gulf State Park 21196 E. Beach Blvd. Gulf Shores, AL 36542
256-761-1100 shocco.org
251-981-9811 perdidobeachresort.com
334-922-8123 17springs.org
100,000 sq. ft. meeting and convention space; 1,800-seat Performing Arts Center.
90,000+
sq. ft. of continuous space; 4,000+ parking spaces; event lawn area; access to Hoover Met Stadium; concourse and banquet rooms; equipped to handle sporting events, concerts, trade shows.
sq. ft. on 800 acres including chapel, meeting rooms, lodges and classrooms.
42,996 sq. ft. total of meeting space, including ballroom and meeting rooms that accommodate 25 to 900; outdoor space available.
40,600 sq. ft. accommodating 2,500-person capacity. Event space can be split to accommodate smaller groups. There are two other conference rooms, at 1,260 sq. ft. accommodating 50 people and 600 sq. ft. accommodating 25 people.
251-540-4000 lodgeatgulfstatepark.com 40,000 sq. ft., including 12,160 sq. ft. Gulfview ballroom, accommodating groupsfrom 10 to 800.
11 Renaissance Mobile Riverview Plaza 64 S. Water St. Mobile, AL 36602 251-438-4000 marriott.com
12 Fox Sports 1 Dome at International Motorsports Hall of Fame P.O. Box 1018 Talladega, AL 35161
12 Pelham Civic Complex 500 Amphitheater Rd. Pelham, AL 35124
12 Grand Hotel Golf Resort & Spa One Grand Blvd. Point Clear, AL 36564
256-362-5002 motorsportshalloffame. com 37,000 sq. ft. total; 1,500 for dinner setting and 2,500 for seminar setting; 30x50 stage 5 ft. high; wired for live TV production; dressing rooms; holding kitchen; 12 ft. loading doors.
205-620-6448 pelhamciviccomplex.com
grand1847.com
15 Barber Vintage Motorsports Museum 6030 Barber Motorsports Pkwy. Birmingham, AL 35094 205-699-7275 barbermuseum.org
16 Renaissance Shoals Resort & Spa 10 Hightower Place Florence, AL 35630
256-246-3600 renshoals.com
17 Garrett Coliseum 1555 Federal Dr. Montgomery, AL 36107 334-356-6866 thegarrettcoliseum.com
18 Bryant Conference Center 240 Paul Bryant Dr. Tuscaloosa, AL 35487
19 University of South Alabama Mitchell Center 5950 Old Shell Rd. Mobile, AL 36688
20 Battle House
Florentine Building
bcc.ua.edu
southalabama.edu
banquet hall 7,000 sq. ft.; 30,000-sq.-ft. trade show/convention services (interchangeable floor) arena can seat 3,000.
sq. ft., with five meeting rooms and banquet seating for 750; motorcycle museum with motorsports track view; theater; motorsports facility and track. Amenities include presentation theater, parking.
Alabama’s Largest Hotels
Ranked by Number of Hotel Rooms. Source: Business Alabama survey and hotel websites.
1 Sheraton Birmingham Hotel 2101 Richard Arrington Jr. Blvd. N. Birmingham, AL 35203
2 Grand Hotel Golf Resort & Spa, Autograph Collection One Grand Blvd. Point Clear, AL 36564
3 Renaissance Riverview Plaza Hotel 64 S. Water St. Mobile, AL 36602
4 The Lodge at Gulf State Park, A Hilton Hotel 21196 E. Beach Blvd. Gulf Shores, AL 36542
5 Renaissance Montgomery Hotel & Spa at the Convention Center 201 Tallapoosa St. Montgomery, AL 36104
6 Perdido Beach Resort 27200 Perdido Beach Blvd. Orange Beach, AL 36561
7 Hyatt Regency BirminghamThe Wynfrey Hotel 1000 Riverchase Galleria Hoover, AL 35244
8 Phoenix All Suites
9 Hilton Birmingham Downtown at UAB
9 Marriott
9 Embassy Suites by Hilton Huntsville
12
compiled by ERICA JOINER WEST
grand1847.com
marriott.com
lodgeatgulfstatepark.com
perdidobeachresort.com
hyatt.com
E. Beach Blvd. Gulf Shores, AL 36542
S. 20th St. Birmingham, AL 35205
Monroe St. SW Huntsville,
20 Wind Creek Casino and Hotel Atmore 303 Poarch Rd. Atmore, AL 36502
2026 H onorees
Large Company of the Year Airbus
In 2025, Airbus marked 10 years of producing aircraft in Mobile, launching with a team of about 300 people and now employing more than 2,000. The company has opened a new final assembly line, the second for its A320 aircraft. The new facility doubles Mobile’s potential A320 output to up to 16 planes per month, making Mobile the world’s fourth-largest aircraft manufacturer (behind
The Finalists
Seattle, Washington; Toulouse, France; and Hamburg, Germany). “To reach a monthly production rate of 75 A320 Family aircraft in 2027, we have developed a resilient, efficient and globally diversified network, and with the launch of this second line, Mobile’s production capacity for the A320 Family is effectively doubled,” Christian Scherer, Airbus’ commercial aircraft CEO, said when the line opened. Airbus has in-
Birdon
Australian shipbuilder Birdon has had a significant presence in Mobile County since 2023, when it acquired a 32-acre shipyard in Bayou La Batre after win-
vested more than $1 billion in its Alabama manufacturing facility. In addition to the third final assembly line that came online in October 2025, Airbus recently delivered its 100th A220 airplane from the Mobile manufacturing facility, and the company forged a major partnership with the University of South Alabama to provide educational and training opportunities for future employees of Airbus.
ning a $1.2 billion contract to build 27 Waterways Commerce Cutters for the U.S. Coast Guard. The company has committed to more than $27 million in capital improvements to upgrade the site into a shipyard that can build up to six
BUSINESS ALABAMA AWARDS 2026
vessels simultaneously. Improvements underway now include a steel processing and fabrication facility, a blast and paint facility, and two final assembly buildings. Birdon is building the WCC vessels over a 10-year period.
Hyundai Motor
Manufacturing alaBaMa
As Hyundai Motor Manufacturing Alabama marked its 20th year of automobile production in Montgomery in 2025, the company welcomed a new CEO, Mark Rader. In those 20 years, the company has produced more than 6 million vehicles and has grown to more than 4,000 employees. Hyundai Alabama produces about 360,000 vehicles annually for the North American market. Models produced in Alabama include the Hyundai Santa Fe, Santa Fe Hybrid, Tucson
and Santa Cruz, as well as the Genesis GV70 and Electrified GV70. Over its two decades, the company has invested more than $3 billion in expansion and new technologies in Alabama.
Protective life
Birmingham-based Protective Life Corp. announced a major acquisition in 2025 — the purchase of Portfolio Holding Inc., a leading national provider of reinsurance management services and finance and insurance products. In addition, Protective and its ShelterPoint Life were named to Ward’s 50 list of Top-Performing Life-Health Insurers. The 118-year-old company, a U.S. subsidiary of Dai-ichi Life Insurance Co. of Tokyo, Japan, is an insurance and investment firm that serves nearly 17 million people through a wide range of life and retirement products.
Rich Bielen has been president and CEO of Protective since 2017.
Warrior Met coal
Brookwood-based Warrior Met Coal, which produces metallurgical coal used for steel production, opened a third mine, Blue Creek, in Fayette County, in 2025. In addition, the company is investing millions to offer the option of railcar transportation between its Blue Creek Coal reserves and its longwall mines in northern Tuscaloosa County. “The Blue Creek project is the future for Warrior Met Coal,” says D’Andre Wright, vice president, external affairs and communications. “The project has a 40-year mine life, allowing the company to continue employing coal miners in West Alabama for the next four decades.”
Small Company of the Year
Noah Basketball
Athens-based Noah Basketball is making waves in the basketball world, with teams, coaches and players using the system to hone the perfect arc for a basketball shot. The system is used by 28 of 30 NBA teams, several WNBA teams, more than 200 college programs and more than 1,000 high-school teams. “I pinch myself occasionally, because I’m just a guy from Elkmont, Alabama, who loves basketball and engineering, and now I have NBA coaches who want to talk
with me,” CEO John Carter said in a Business Alabama story. Players and coaches get immediate, data-driven feedback, and Carter’s system can track every shot on the court. Over time, the system has been refined and expanded, and it now uses facial recognition to ID who is shooting, and a single sensor attached to a backboard collects needed information. The company’s 12,000-square-foot facility in Athens includes an indoor basketball court.
The Finalists
Bayonet
Bayonet, the new seafood restaurant and raw bar run by Chef Rob McDaniel and his wife, Emily, is only about a year old, but it’s racking up the accolades. Eater.com named it one of the 15 best new restaurants in America, The New York Times named it one of the 50 best restaurants in the country, and James Beard Award-nominated McDaniel, whose other restaurants include Helen and SpringHouse, and the restaurant was featured on “CBS Mornings.”
PrisM systeMs
Mobile-based Prism Systems is an automation company that works with major theme parks around the world. The company, which has offices in Orlando, Hong Kong, Los Angeles and Beijing, recently moved its headquarters to downtown Mobile, investing $6.4 million in its move. The company has done work on major theme-park rides, including Avatar – Flight of Passage, Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance and Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway, but it provides many other automation and engineering services.
Projectxyz
With headquarters in Huntsville, ProjectXYZ offers a number of services, including engineering, logistics, manufacturing, IT, alternative energy and foreign military sales. Founded by Kim Caudle Lewis and Larry Lewis, who are CEO and president, respectively, ProjectXYZ has won the Department of Defense Nunn-Perry Award, the Huntsville/ Madison Chamber of Commerce Small Business of the Year award and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Woman Owned Business Achievement Award. In 2025, the Lewises were named Small Business Person of the Year for Alabama by the U.S. Small Business Administration.
skyfire ai
Huntsville-based Skyfire AI specializes in drone solutions. In the public safety sector, the company offers drones equipped with advanced technology to assist emergency personnel. In defense, they develop autonomous systems for military operations in demanding environments. Skyfire AI also works with utilities, oil and gas companies, energy, logistics, construction and more. In 2025, Skyfire AI crews were dispatched to North Carolina in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene. The company recently was chosen to manage Ohio’s Drone as First Responder Program, and it partnered with the U.S. Space & Rocket Center for drone training.
CEO of the Year
Ralph
A. Hargrove,
Hargrove Engineers & Constructors
The Finalists
jiMMy Baker, alaBaMa coMMunity college systeM
Jimmy Baker has been chancellor of the Alabama Community College System since 2017, overseeing the state’s 24 community and technical colleges. Under Baker’s leadership, the system has established itself as a leading player in workforce training in Alabama, including creating the ACCS Innovation Center, which offers many Skills for Success programs. A native of Coffee County, Baker is a graduate of Troy University and Auburn University and was named Troy’s Alumnus of the Year. He is married to Joy, a retired teacher, and they have two daughters and four grandchildren.
cHiP cHerry, Huntsville/Madison county cHaMBer
Chip Cherry was named president and CEO of the Huntsville/Madison County
Hargrove Engineers & Constructors has come a long way since its founding 30 years ago. Ralph A. Hargrove started the company in his attic, and now the Mobile firm is the largest engineering firm based in Alabama. Hargrove’s company is 100% employee-owned, with 2,700 employees in 19 offices, as well as three subsidiaries. In 2025, Engineering News-Record Sourcebook rankings placed Hargrove at No. 1 in the Chemicals sector, as well as among the top firms in Industrial Process, Pulp & Paper, Refining, Aerospace, Pharma and Fossil Fuel. Hargrove has served on the national board and executive advisory board for the Engineering and Construction Contracting association. He’s a graduate of Leadership Alabama and is a recipient of the V. Gordon Moulton Distinguished Service Award at the University of South Alabama, the ECC Achievement Award and the Engineering Council of Birmingham’s Leadership Award. Hargrove also was integral in founding the Hargrove Foundation, which has given more than $4 million to charities nationwide. Hargrove and his wife, Kimberly, live in Perdido. They have two children and seven grandchildren.
Chamber of Commerce in 2011. In recent years, Huntsville has been one of the fastest growing cities in the United States and becoming Alabama’s largest city. In just the past few months, the city has been named the headquarters of U.S. Space Command, and pharmaceutical giant Eli Lilly announced it will build a $6 billion pharmaceutical facility in the area. Cherry served as board chair for the Association of Chamber of Commerce Executives and was presented that organization’s Chairman’s Award in 2024. He holds degrees from North Carolina Wesleyan College and Mercer University.
karen Hong, continental aerosPace tecHnologies
Karen Hong has been president and CEO of Continental Aerospace Technologies in Mobile since 2022. Prior to coming to Continental, she held executive positions at Fiat Chrysler Automobiles. During her time at Continental, she has managed the finance, accounting and IT teams and played a significant role in Continental’s
public listing. Hong holds degrees from the University of Detroit and the University of Michigan. In 2025 Hong was named Industry Leader of the Year by Flieger Magazine, recognizing leadership in the aerospace sector.
Mike suco, coca-cola Bottling coMPany united
Mike Suco is president and CEO of CocaCola Bottling Company United, among the largest Coke bottlers and distributors in the U.S. He began his career in the Coca-Cola system in 1996 and joined Coca-Cola United in 2000. Suco grew up in Jacksonville and is a graduate of Jacksonville State University. He serves on the boards of several industry organizations, including the Coca-Cola Bottlers’ Association, the Dr Pepper Bottlers Association and the American Beverage Association. His leadership and board affiliations have included Oglethorpe University, YMCA of Greater Birmingham and Fiesta Hispanic Cultural Festival.
Startup of the Year Kalm Therapeutics
In 2025, Kalm Therapeutics was a big winner in the Alabama Launchpad competition, earning $100,000 in non-dilutive funding in the new Life Sciences Track of the startup funder. AJ Singhal founded the Huntsville-based company, which is developing the first naturally derived prescription eczema and psoriasis patch to protect and treat skin. The patch will protect the skin from scratching, environmental irritants, moisture loss and infection while delivering a natural medicine to the epidermis. “This award will allow Kalm to treat more
patients and run more biomarker tests during our upcoming clinical trial for people suffering with chronic eczema,” Singhal said. Another grant in 2025 came from Southern Research’s Therapeutics Development Fund, which will support an in vivo GLP study on the company’s topical patch system. This all comes on the heels of a $1.4 million grant from the NIH National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health in late 2024. Kalm Therapeutics is based at the HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology in Huntsville.
BUSINESS ALABAMA AWARDS 2026
The Finalists
auditocity
HR management and compliance meet software and AI at Auditocity, a firm founded by Gia Wiggins, CEO of the Fairhope-based company. A graduate of Grambling University, California State University and the University of South Alabama, Wiggins has been in HR since graduating from Grambling in 1998. At Auditocity, a platform that serves up custom audits and comprehensive HR reporting, Wiggins is using artificial intelligence to uncover risks, standardize best practices and save time and money. Auditocity recently raised $2 million in seed funding, “a validation of our vision to make compliance intelligent, actionable and empowering for every organization,” according to Wiggins.
gulf solar
Edward Powell and Nathan Preyer are the founders of Gulf Solar, which has the following mission: To expedite the transition to all-electric transportation in the heavy-duty trucking industry by harnessing technology and data to drive positive environmental, social and governance impacts for people and the planet. The company has worked with Innovation Portal in Mobile, Gener8tor, Alabama Power, the University of South Alabama and the Alabama Clean Fuels Coalition, among others. The goal is to develop a fleet of 300 electric trucks in a few years, with Gulf Solar also building charging stations.
Proxylink
Founded by attorney John Walter, ProxyLink develops software for AI customer support. In 2025, the company won $75,000 in Alabama Launchpad’s inaugu-
ral technology track competition. Walter said, “The AI industry is fast-moving and competitive. We are building a talented team in Birmingham to stay at the front of the curve.” The company is based out of Birmingham’s Innovation Depot.
vroBotics
A $50,000 winner in Alabama Launchpad’s Consumer Goods Track, VRobotics was founded by Stephane Lee. The Foley-based company produces VizBack, a smart LED backpack that enhances visibility, safety and personal expression for motorcycle riders. Describing the win as “surreal,” Lee said, “This validation means a lot as it shows that innovation, safety and design can start right here in Alabama and reach riders everywhere. With this win, we are focused on finalizing production and creating a product that saves lives by making riders more visible on the road.”
Noopur Davis Expat of the Year
Noopur Davis is executive vice president, chief information security and product privacy officer, Comcast Corporation and Comcast Cable. In this role, she is responsible for overseeing the full range of cybersecurity and product privacy functions for all Comcast Cable businesses, including all products and services delivered to residential and business customers. Davis joined Comcast from Intel, where she served as vice president, global quality, Intel Security Group. Previously, she held leadership and technical positions in academia and industry. Davis holds a bachelor’s in electrical engineering from Auburn University and a master’s of science in computer science from the University of Alabama in Huntsville. She is a member of the board of directors of Regions Financial and of Entrust. Davis received the AICT/SCTE-ISBE/Cablefax Women in Technology Award and has been featured on multiple lists, including Cablefax 100 and Most Powerful Women.
Noopur Davis
Project of the Year Port of Mobile deepening, widening projects
In October, the Port of Mobile and Alabama Port Authority celebrated completion of the $366 million Mobile Harbor Modernization Project. The project included deepening the channel to 50 feet, making the port the deepest container terminal in the Gulf. “The project is a game changer for Alabama,” Gov. Kay Ivey said. “A deeper channel means stronger trade, more jobs and a brighter future for our state.” The modernization project
represents a state-federal partnership between the Alabama Port Authority and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The deepening and widening of the Mobile Ship Channel improves navigational efficiency and allows accommodation of larger vessels. Dredging for the project began in 2020. The dredged material is being used for shoreline restoration at Dauphin Island.
BUSINESS ALABAMA AWARDS
The Finalists
alaBaMa state
university receives $38 Million froM Mackenzie scott
In 2025, Alabama State University in Montgomery received the largest single gift in the university’s history when philanthropist MacKenzie Scott gave the university $38 million, one of a number of gifts she gave to Historically Black Colleges and Universities. “Today marks a defining moment in the history of Alabama State University,” ASU President Quinton Ross said at the time. “Ms. Scott’s generosity affirms Alabama State University’s reputation as a catalyst for excellence and innovation in higher education. This is truly a pivotal moment in ASU’s history.” Scott is the exwife of Amazon founder Jeff Bezos.
austal usa Produces
first steel sHiP
After adding a steel production line three years ago, Austal USA in Mobile christened its first steel-hulled ship, the USNS Billy Frank Jr., or T-ATS 11, a Towing, Salvage and Rescue ship. “Austal USA is excited to christen our first steel ship,” said Dave Growden, vice president of surface programs. “We look forward to completing T-ATS 11 and delivering her to the fleet.” Including T-ATS 11, Austal has two
T-ATS ships in progress and contracts for two more. Billy Frank Jr., the first ship’s namesake, is a member of the Nisqually Indian Tribe and served in the U.S. Marine Corps in the Korean War.
coca-cola
aMPHitHeater oPens in BirMingHaM
The $46 million Coca-Cola Amphitheater opened in Birmingham’s Druid Hills Neighborhood, the centerpiece (so far) of the redevelopment of the old Carraway Hospital campus. Stone Builders, in Vestavia Hills, was general contractor for the facility, which has a capacity of 9,380. The amphitheater opened with comedian Matt Rife, and the first season included shows by Jason Isbell, Luke Bryan, Rod Stewart, Riley Green, Dierks Bentley, James Taylor, Jason Aldean and many more. The amphitheater is close to Birmingham’s Uptown District and is a collaborative effort among the Birmingham-Jefferson Convention Complex, the city of Birmingham, Jefferson County and entertainment company Live Nation. Stone Building Co. was the builder.
fBi national counterunManned training center oPens in Huntsville
The Federal Bureau of Investigation opened its National Counter-Unmanned
Training Center at Huntsville’s Redstone Arsenal in November. The new center will serve as the country’s hub for preparing law enforcement and security professionals to detect, assess and counter unmanned aircraft system (drone) threats. “This center represents a major step forward in how we prepare our law enforcement and security professionals to confront new and evolving threats,” U.S. Rep. Dale E. Strong said at the building’s ribbon-cutting. The center will play a key role in supporting security efforts for upcoming events such as the 2026 FIFA World Cup and the 2028 Summer Olympics.
17 sPrings develoPMent in MillBrook oPens
The final phase of the 17 Springs development in Millbrook opened in 2025. The first phase of the $100 million project was finished in 2023, featuring tennis, pickleball and multipurpose fields. The new phase includes a 5,500-seat stadium with a turf field and an eight-lane track. In addition to the stadium — home of the Stanhope Elmore High School football team — six turf fields can be used for baseball and softball, and an 87,000-square-foot field house can host volleyball, wrestling, basketball and non-sporting events. Next to the 200-acre complex is the Marketplace at 17 Springs, which will feature hotels, restaurants and other businesses. Goodwyn Mills Cawood is the designer and developer of 17 Springs, and SS&L Architects is the architect.
soutHern researcH oPens $98 Million facility in BirMingHaM
In August, Southern Research celebrated the opening of its new biotechnology center in Birmingham. The $98 million facility doubles the organization’s laboratory capacity and expands its ability to combat chronic illnesses, cancer and infectious diseases. The structure stands prominently at the corner of Richard Arrington Jr. Boulevard and Ninth Avenue South. “Southern Research and the University of Alabama
BUSINESS ALABAMA AWARDS 2026
at Birmingham continue to partner in groundbreaking discoveries that impact lives throughout Alabama and beyond,” said UAB President Ray L. Watts, who is serving as interim CEO of Southern Research. “This new, world-class facility will accelerate those efforts dramatically, as we work together to become the biotech commercialization leader in the Southeast.”
titoMic usa Builds neW Headquarters in Madison
Australian industrial machinery manufacturer Titomic picked Madison for its Titomic USA headquarters and moved into its $20 million facility. The 59,000-squarefoot facility supports Titomic’s commercial and defense initiatives. The company said it will be the only facility where all of the Titomic Kinetic Fusion products are produced. “This is more than just a facility opening,” Titomic CEO and Managing Director Jim Simpson said at the rib-
bon-cutting. “It’s a launchpad for the next generation of high-performance manufacturing technologies in the United States.
tuskegee university’s neW Pilots PrograM
Tuskegee University has partnered with Republic Airways’ Leadership in Flight Training (LIFT) Academy to reinstate flight training at the historic Moton Field for the first time since 1946. Moton Field was the training ground for the Tuskegee Airmen, the first Black military aviators in U.S. history. The new program addresses the need for skilled pilots in the commercial and military sectors. “Tuskegee University is proud of its heritage of training pilots who serve our country,” said Dr. Mark A. Brown, president and CEO of Tuskegee. “As North America faces a pilot shortage of about 130,000 in the next 20 years, our new degree program will prepare aviators to serve their country through the
defense or commercial aviation industry, which is in need of rebuilding pilot programs to meet the demand.”
uaB oPens science and engineering, altec/ styslinger Buildings
Within months of each other, the University of Alabama at Birmingham opened two buildings that change the face of the university’s downtown campus. Frances and Miller Gorrie Hall, which houses the School of Engineering, is Phase 2 of the Science and Engineering Complex. It’s named after the founder of Brasfield & Gorrie and his wife. The Altec/Styslinger Genomic Medicine and Data Sciences Building, named for the Styslinger family and their company, Altec Inc., features an iconic double-helix design, a nod to the biomedical research and innovation housed in the complex.
Philanthropic Project of the Year
Russell Medical Foundation Gift
In February 2025, Russell Lands Inc. and the Adelia Russell Charitable Foundation/Ben and Luanne Russell gave $3.2 million to the Russell Medical Foundation to help bolster health care efforts at the 81-bed Russell Medical in Alexander City. “Their generosity enables us to advance our mission and continue delivering high-quality care that our community deserves,” said Russell Medical President and CEO Jim Pearce. “This contribution not only supports our current
The Finalists
leidos gift to drake state
Leidos, headquartered in Virginia but with a facility in Huntsville, gave $1.75 million to Drake State Community & Technical College in Huntsville for hands-on training oppor-
endeavors but also helps secure a brighter future for health care in our region.” The gift is particularly important for a non-urban area such as Alexander City. “It is … extremely rare for a community of our size to have access to so many medical specialists without having to leave town,” said Russell Lands President David Sturdivant. “Quality health care is critical to our residents and to the Lake Martin area in general, and we are proud to continue to support Russell Medical Center.”
tunities with complex technical and manufacturing projects. In recognition of the gift, Drake State named its new advanced manufacturing facility the Leidos Advanced Training Complex. The Leidos gift will help fund advanced manufacturing and IT programs, student apprenticeships, campus technical and infrastructure upgrades, scholarships and faculty development opportunities.
Milo’s tea Bottles
Water for flood relief
In the wake of flooding in Texas, Milo’s Tea Co. paused production at one of its plants to bottle water for flood relief. “Our neighbors in Texas need clean drinking water more than anything else right now, and disaster relief is something we feel strongly about,” said Tricia Wallwork, Milo’s Tea CEO and granddaughter of the company’s founder. The plant in Tulsa, Oklahoma, shut down tea production to shift to bottled water. The result? More than 119,000 bottles of water sent to the San Antonio Food Bank to support flood relief efforts in the community.
norfolk soutHern gift to cHildren’s of alaBaMa
Norfolk Southern Corp. gave Children’s of Alabama more than $450,000, a gift the hospital says will directly enhance its ability to provide life-saving care to critically ill children and strengthen its medical training capabilities. The funds will support the
completion of the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit at the hospital. In addition, it will provide funding for two high-tech simulation training mannequins for medical education across the state through the Pediatric Simulation Center and the Children’s of Alabama Community Healthcare Education Simulation Program.
toyota USA foundation gift to Huntsville scHools
The Toyota USA Foundation and its Driving Possibilities initiative donated $4.2 million to Huntsville City Schools to expand access to STEM education and career pathways. The gift built on a previous $6.7 million commitment, bringing the investment into Huntsville’s schools to nearly $11 million. “Toyota is assembling more than just engines in Huntsville — we’re investing in our future,” said Marc Perry, Toyota Alabama president. “Engaging students early nurtures curiosity and equips them with essential skills to support their academic journey and help prepare them for future success in STEM careers.”
Centennial Club
Our new Centennial Club honors businesses in Alabama that are at least 100 years old.
aMerican cast iron PiPe coMPany
Founded in Birmingham in 1905, American Cast Iron Pipe Company has 16 manufacturing and research facilities in 10 states that manufacture ductile iron pipe, spiral-welded steel pipe, valves and hydrants for the waterworks industry and steel pipe for the energy industry. The company’s product line also includes fire pumps, structural casing and piling, casting for large machinery and specialty rubber products. The company’s Birmingham plant is on a 2,000-acre site just north of downtown, where American employs about 1,700 people. The company is involved in community outreach in the areas surrounding its plant.
autry greer and sons
In 1916, Autry Greer opened a grocery store at the corner of Water and St. Michael Streets in Mobile. That first store was a pioneer in the cash-and-carry and self-service food store concept. Today, still owned by the Greer family, Greer’s operates 29 stores in Alabama, Mississippi and Florida, with Greer’s Ace Hardware Express locations in Alabama and Mississippi. The company has more than 750 employees, many of whom, company spokesperson Lucy Greer told Alabama Retail in 2016, have had parents and grandparents who have worked at Greer’s over the past 100 years. The grocery chain has been named the Nappie Award winner for Best Local Grocery Store since 2015, given by Mobile’s Lagniappe newspaper.
Photos
troWBridge’s
In 1917, Texas dairy entrepreneur Paul Trowbridge stopped in Florence on his way to a dairy farmer’s convention in North Carolina. A year later, after relocating his family to the city he was charmed by, he built and launched Trowbridge’s Creamery on Court Street. The ice cream shop featured Paul’s own recipes, including Trowbridge’s famous orange pineapple ice cream, a staple on the menu to this day. More than a century later, Trowbridge’s — which added hot dogs and sandwiches to the menu during World War II — is owned by Paul’s grandson, Don Trowbridge, and managed by Don’s daughter, Pam, marking a fourth generation of family management.
tHe Westervelt coMPany
Founded in 1884 in Indiana as The South Bend Paper Company, The Westervelt Company traces its roots to a self-opening paper bag machine. In 1915, the company began producing pulp from Southern pine near New Orleans, but repeated flooding prompted a strategic shift. Construction of a Tuscaloosa paper mill began in 1928, and the operation soon became Gulf States Paper. After founder H.E. Westervelt’s death in 1938, his daughter, Mildred Westervelt Warner, assumed leadership. By mid-century, the company expanded into forestry, land management and timber farming, with Jack Warner becoming president in 1957. Following the sale of most manufacturing assets in 2005, the company adopted its current name and broadened its portfolio. Today, under fourthgeneration leader Cade Warner, Westervelt’s reach spans sustainable forestry, real estate and ecological services worldwide.
Lifetime Achievement
rayMond j. HarBert
Raymond J. Harbert is the founder, executive chairman and former chief executive officer of Harbert Management Corporation. After graduating from Auburn University, Harbert went to work for Harbert International Inc., the construction subsidiary of Harbert Corporation, the company founded and built by his father, John Harbert. In 1990, at the age of 31, Harbert was promoted to president and CEO of Harbert Corporation, which was a multi-billion-dollar diversified conglomerate. In 1993, Harbert launched Harbert Management Corporation, the first multi alternative asset investment management firm in Alabama. Today, HMC manages eight different investment strategies from eight U.S. and four European offices with over $8 billion of assets under management. Harbert serves on the boards and executive committees of the Robert Meyer Foundation, Children’s of Alabama and Birmingham Business Alliance. Harbert is a trustee emeritus at Auburn, where the College of Business is named in his honor. Harbert was inducted into the Alabama Academy of Honor in 2015, and in 2024, inducted into the Alabama Business Hall of Fame. Raymond and Kathryn Harbert are active philanthropists, having made significant gifts both in time and capital to numerous organizations, including Auburn University, Red Mountain Theatre, Children’s of Alabama, University of Alabama at Birmingham and United Way of Central Alabama. They have three children and nine grandchildren and live in Birmingham.
dr. Marnix e. Heersink
Marnix E. Heersink, M.D., graduated Magna Cum Laude with a B.A. degree and an M.D. degree from the University of Western Ontario in London, Ontario. In 1978, he and his wife, Mary Parks Heersink, moved to Dothan, where he founded Eye Center South. Dr. Heersink has served on numerous boards and institutions, including Wallace Community College, Troy University, Marion Military Institute, the University of Alabama at Birmingham and Wiregrass Museum of Art. Several buildings have been named for the Heersink family, and they have funded the Heersink Family Foundation, which has endowed scholarships and fellowships. In 2023, the Heersink family created and funded a Pathways to Optometry program with Wallace Community College, Troy University Dothan and University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Optometry. Dr. Heersink also founded The Eye Education Foundation, a nonprofit educational institute for eye care professionals. Two years ago, Dr. Heersink made major transformative gifts to two universities. The University of Alabama at Birmingham named its medical school the Marnix E. Heersink School of Medicine as well as the UAB Marnix E. Heersink Institute for Biomedical Innovation. McMaster University, in Hamilton, Ontario, named the Marnix E. Heersink School of Biomedical Innovation and Entrepreneurship after Dr. Heersink. In 2024, Dr. Heersink was inducted into the Alabama Business Hall of Fame and the Alabama Healthcare Hall of Fame. Dr. and Mrs. Heersink have six children and 12 grandchildren.
Lifetime Achievement
e. grace Pilot
E.Grace Pilot, co-founder of The Pilot Family of Companies, is a native of Silas in Choctaw County. She married her high-school sweetheart, Walter Davis Pilot Sr., and they moved to Mobile. In 1964, the Pilots formed Burch and Pilot and Pilot Adjustment Services in Mobile, as an independent adjusting firm. In 1983, at their kitchen table, they made the decision to go into business on a national level and founded Pilot & Associates Inc., which became Pilot Catastrophe Services Inc. Their children — Daphne, Davis, Curtis and Rodney — joined the family business, and after Walter Pilot’s death in 1991, Grace Pilot and her children continued to build the company. Today, Pilot is the largest catastrophe adjusting firm in the nation. Grace Pilot’s civic and philanthropic efforts are far-reaching, including serving on the board of the Alabama Baptist Children’s Home for 16 years, and, in 1997, helping to establish the Pilot House of Hope, a facility for unwed mothers that now serves homeless mothers and their children. She has an honorary doctorate from Howard Payne University in Brownwood, Texas, where the Grace Chapel on campus was named in her honor. In 2005, the Mobile City Council of Beta Sigma Phi honored her as the First Lady of Mobile. In 2012, she was inducted into the Alabama Business Hall of Fame. The E. Grace Pilot Foundation supports her efforts to create a positive change in the communities in which she serves, providing financial support primarily in the areas of education, economic community needs and Christian ministry. In addition to her children, Grace Pilot has 23 grandchildren and 22 great grandchildren.
Bill roark
Bill Roark is the founder and executive chairman of the board of Starfish Holdings, the parent company of Torch Technologies Inc. (Torch), one of the nation’s top defense contractors; Freedom Real Estate & Capital LLC, a commercial real-estate brokerage, development, construction, consulting and property management company; and SIMVANA, a company specializing in virtual reality training for medical applications. Roark also serves as CEO of Freedom Real Estate & Capital. While serving as CEO of Torch, Roark guided the company to national recognition as one of Entrepreneur Magazine’s Top 100 Fastest Growing Companies in America and 15 consecutive selections on the Inc. 5000 list, which recognizes the Fastest Growing Private Companies. Additionally, Torch was recognized as the No. 1 Fastest Growing Privately Held Defense Contractor in the Southeast Region. In May 2024, Roark released “Built With Purpose,” chronicling the first 10 years of Torch Technologies’ history. The book focuses on Torch’s formation and transition to a 100% employee-owned company. Roark’s philanthropic efforts include the American Heart Association Heart Walk, the Liz Hurley Ribbon Run and the Huntsville Hospital Foundation, among others. Roark has received numerous honors and awards for his philanthropic efforts, most recently being inducted into the Greenleaf Center for Servant Leadership Hall of Fame. Additionally, his wife, Brenda, and daughters, Amy and Kaitlynn, were named Philanthropists of the Year by the North Alabama Chapter of the Association of Fundraising Professionals.
CHARTING A NEW COURSE FOR BIRMINGHAM TOURISM
By
Dan Williams takes the reins at the Greater Birmingham Convention & Visitors Bureau
ALEC HARVEY — Photos by ART MERIPOL
Dan Williams.
When Dan Williams arrived in Birmingham six months ago to take the helm as president and CEO of the Greater Birmingham Convention & Visitors Bureau, he didn’t just bring nearly three decades of experience in destination marketing. He brought a perspective shaped outside the South, forged in Midwestern cities, and sharpened by a belief that tourism is far more than filling hotel rooms. It is economic development. It is workforce strategy. It is storytelling. And, when executed with intention, it is a powerful way to move an entire community forward.
“I’ve been in the industry almost 30 years now,” Williams says. His path into hospitality was anything but traditional. Rather than starting in hotels or visitor bureaus, Williams entered the industry through technology, spending seven years with a hospitality-focused tech startup.
Eventually, he went to work in the destination marketing world, first in Cleveland. Over seven years there, Williams says, he built his foundation in the DMO (destination marketing organization) business, learning the mechanics of sales, convention recruitment and stakeholder engagement. From Cleveland, he moved to Columbus, Ohio, where he spent 13 years in sales and management at Experience Columbus.
He learned a lot from his time there.
“Columbus showed me how when people truly are aligned,
and when a community is truly aligned and works together, you can do big things in a community,” Williams says.
Leaving after more than a decade was not easy, Williams says. But Birmingham represented a new challenge — and an opportunity to help shape a city still defining how it sees itself and how it wants to be seen.
A native of the Midwest, Williams acknowledges that he arrived with perceptions of his own. “There’s a belief … that the South is what it was, that it never progressed,” he says. His father, he notes, still hasn’t visited Birmingham, holding onto an image formed decades ago.
Williams’ own perceptions shifted quickly.
His first real exposure came during a visit to the Magic City last November for a National Coalition of Black Meeting Professionals event. “I remember thinking, wow,” he says. “The diversity of the community, the dining options, the assets and resources … My perception of this community is totally off.”
As the opportunity to lead the GBCVB became real, Williams spent more time in Birmingham, meeting business leaders, touring neighborhoods and listening. “What Birmingham has is truly amazing,” he says. “It’s diverse. It’s eclectic. The food scene is phenomenal. The business and corporate communities are strong. And people here are incredibly welcoming.”
That outsider’s perspective, Williams believes, is something the area needs. “Sometimes Birmingham can be its own worst enemy,
“
What Birmingham has is truly amazing. It’s diverse. It’s eclectic. The food scene is phenomenal. The business and corporate communities are strong. And people here are incredibly welcoming.”
— Dan Williams, Greater Birmingham Convention & Visitors Bureau
kind of wanting to keep everything a secret,” he says. “We need to tell a different story. Let’s move things forward and talk about all of the great things in this community.”
Telling that story, Williams insists, means continuing to embrace the city’s civil rights history. “Birmingham’s history is nothing to hide from,” he says. “How Birmingham handled civil rights changed how civil rights are addressed around the world. Civil rights here changed the world and how it’s viewed.”
“
We also have to show how far this community has come, where it’s going, how innovative and forward-thinking it is. We need to talk about the new South — and how Birmingham is helping lead that.”
The city’s role in the Civil Rights Movement is one of its most powerful tourism draws, and Williams believes it should remain central to Birmingham’s identity. But it cannot be the only chapter. “We also have to show how far this community has come, where it’s going, how innovative and forward-thinking it is,” he says. “We need to talk about the new South — and how Birmingham is helping lead that.”
That mindset shapes Williams’ view of what a modern convention and visitors bureau should be. For decades, CVBs were measured almost exclusively by “heads in beds” — hotel occupancy and room nights. “That’s been the mantra for years,” Williams
says. “But the job has changed.”
Today, he says, destination organizations sit at the intersection of tourism, economic development and workforce growth. They generate jobs, drive tax revenue, support small businesses and act as conveners — bringing together stakeholders who might otherwise operate in silos.
“I don’t want to say it’s a thankless job, because everyone I know that does this absolutely loves it, but it is a job that you get blamed for something and don’t get a lot of credit, and that’s OK, as long as the community benefits,” Williams says.
In Birmingham, Williams has identified several priorities that will guide the GBCVB over the next few years. At the top of the list is workforce development, particularly rebuilding the hospitality workforce. The pandemic pushed workers out of the industry, and many never returned.
“There are still service issues, still labor shortages,” he says. “So again, it’s coming down to workforce development.” To address that, the bureau plans to create a foundation that can accept grants, offer scholarships and support educational initiatives. The GBCVB already is partnering with Wenonah High School and Birmingham City Schools to bring interns into the organization.
“We want young people to see all of the possibilities in hospitality, not just the front-line jobs,” Williams says. “There’s IT, HR, sales, marketing. You can be a CEO. There are so many paths, and we need to showcase that.”
Another priority is alignment across the community. Williams is clear that nothing the bureau does will happen in isolation. He and his team are strengthening relationships with the city of Birmingham, Jefferson County, neighboring counties, the Birmingham Business Alliance, civil rights institutions, the tech community and state tourism leaders.
Sports tourism is another major focus. Williams believes Birmingham’s passion for sports — from college athletics to youth tournaments to major national events — warrants the creation of a centralized sports commission. Such a body would serve as a clearinghouse, allowing partners to collaborate, pursue more events and maximize impact.
The bureau also is revisiting discussions around a tourism improvement district, a funding mechanism that could provide additional resources for marketing and destination development. “The more resources you have, the more you can showcase the community nationally,” Williams says.
Finally, Williams sees rebranding as essential. In 2026, the GBCVB plans to launch a comprehensive rebrand — one that could take 12 to 18 months and will be driven by community input. “Nothing that we do will be in a silo,” he says. “It will all be with buy-in from the community, voices from the community.”
Rallying the community will be key to the GBCVB’s success, Williams believes.
“We’re going to bring people together and work to move this community along,” he says. “It’s here. We just need to come together. … People have been successful in their silos. Just think about if we come together and bring some of those resources together, where we could be.”
Alec Harvey is executive editor of Business Alabama, working from the Birmingham office. Art Meripol is a Birmingham-based freelance contributor.
ALABAMA
After seeing the state’s most popular tourist attractions, try a few of these lesser-known sites
By CARY ESTES
The beaten path in Alabama is filled with well-known tourist attractions. There is that battleship in Mobile and rocket ships in Huntsville. Numerous Civil Rights sites can be found in Birmingham, Montgomery and Selma. The Swampers picked a song or two in Muscle Shoals, while farmers picked peanuts in Dothan, and both are now popular places for tourism. And there’s the beach.
Venture off that path, however, and there is still plenty to see and do. In fact, some of Alabama’s most interesting attractions are unknown even to longtime residents of the state. Yes, we’re all likely to head to the beach or mountains at some point. But here are some suggestions of other places to visit as well. Call it Alternative Alabama.
Dauphin Island Audubon Bird Sanctuary | Visitors to secluded Dauphin Island usually cross the bridge and then turn right, heading down the narrow stretch of road leading to vacation homes and rentals. Next time, start by turning left, and within minutes you will be at this beautiful 164-acre woodland sanctuary.
In place of white sand, visitors are greeted by pines, oaks and magnolias. And lots of birds, especially during the spring and fall migration periods, when the entire island is transformed into a rest area for the feathered flocks. A highlight of the sanctuary is a 1,000-foot-long, handicap accessible boardwalk that leads to a wharf overlooking Galliard Lake.
Dauphin Island Audubon Bird Sanctuary.
Dismals Canyon (Phil Campbell) | Despite its name, there is nothing dismal about this 85-acre nature conservatory, which was designated a “National Natural Landmark” in 1975. Instead, the sandstone gorge is filled with forests, large boulders, grottos, caves, bluffs and a few waterfalls.
Of special interest is the light show put on by the area’s glowworms, known as Dismalites. Found in only a handful of locations around the world, particularly Australia and New Zealand, these glowworms illuminate the night with their blue-green bioluminescence. Guided tours are offered to see the creatures, with peak seasons taking place in late spring and early fall.
Dismals Canyon.
Hank Williams Memorial & Gravesite (Montgomery) | Mississippi and Tennessee have plenty of places honoring Elvis Presley. But nearly a decade before the “King of Rock ’n Roll” became famous, Alabama had the “King of Country Music” in Hank Williams.
Born in Mount Olive, Williams’ final resting place is at the Oakwood Cemetery Annex near downtown Montgomery. The distinctive gravesite has two marble monuments (one for his wife Audrey), a marble replica of his cowboy hat, engraved song titles and lyrics, and Astroturf on the ground because fans kept pulling out the natural grass to keep as a souvenir.
Natural Bridge Park (near Haleyville) | One issue involving many natural attractions is they are not easy to reach. That definitely is not the case with this 148-foot-long, 60-foothigh sandstone bridge. The park is located less than a half-mile off U.S. Highway 278, and the bridge itself is just a few hundred yards from the parking lot.
For those who want to hike, the 150-acre park also has a 2-milelong trail that leads to a waterfall. There is a picnic area as well. But if all you want to do is take a quick look at the longest natural bridge east of the Rocky Mountains, it can be done in about 15 minutes.
Hank Williams.
Natural Bridge Park.
Orbix Hot Glass (Fort Payne) | Little River Canyon National Preserve is one of those “beaten-path” attractions that is well known throughout the state. Right next to it on 26 acres of land is the much lesser-known Orbix Hot Glass shop, a glassblowing studio and gallery that has been in business for nearly 25 years.
A wide variety of colorful glass objects are available for purchase (or to just admire), including pitchers, vases, ornaments, decanters and paperweights. In addition, the shop produces special glass items as part of its University of Alabama and Auburn University collections.
Rosenbaum House (Florence) | According to the Frank Lloyd Wright Trust, more than 60 structures in the United States that were designed by the famed architect are currently open to the public for viewing. Only one, the Rosenbaum House, is located in Alabama.
Built in 1939-40, the Rosenbaum House is considered to be one of the best examples of Wright’s style of Usonian architecture, which emphasizes flat roofs, low ceilings, open floor plans, and large windows. And unlike most FLW public homes, the Rosenbaum House also contains many pieces of the original furniture designed by Wright.
Rosenbaum House. Orbix Hot Glass.
Shell Belt Road (Bayou La Batre) | Sometimes it is more about the journey than the actual destination. An example is the barely 5-milelong trip along Shell Belt Road from Bayou La Batre to the shores of Portersville Bay.
This road runs alongside the Mississippi Sound, passing shrimp boats and seafood shacks along the way. You also will see a few major ship builders working on massive vessels located just off the road. And, of course, there will be numerous waterbirds sunning themselves on old piers, wondering how someone discovered their secret hideaway.
Tannehill Ironworks Historical State Park (McCalla) | The steel industry in Birmingham is honored through such popular sites as Sloss Furnaces and the Vulcan statue. A lesser-known tribute can be found about 30 miles southwest of Birmingham at Tannehill, which showcases the preserved remnants of an old iron-making complex.
The 1,500-acre park offers many traditional outdoor activities such as hiking, fishing and camping. But visitors also can explore the 19th-century furnace stacks and coke ovens, and learn more about the history of the site through blacksmith and other trade demonstrations.
White Cliffs of Epes | While most people have heard of England’s White Cliffs of Dover, few are familiar with Alabama’s White Cliffs of Epes, which stretch for about a mile along the
Tombigbee River near Livingston. But the two attractions are basically the same: picturesque bluffs coated with a distinctive white-chalk limestone.
Alabama’s white cliffs are not well publicized, and also not easy to see from land. U.S. Highway 11 near Interstate 20 runs nearby, but good views from the road are limited. Still, even a glimpse of the striking white bluffs shimmering in the sun makes this one of the state’s most distinctive scenic attractions.
Wilson Dam and Waterfall (Muscle Shoals) | For an up-close look at a state attraction, there is the man-made Wilson Dam and the nearby natural waterfall. The dam, which was built in the early 1920s, remains an impressive visual, stretching for more than 4,500 feet across the Tennessee River.
On the southern side of the river, Rock Pile Road leads to an easy walking path that visitors can take to near the edge of the dam. Along the way, a small waterfall emerges from a high rock cliff, providing an intriguing contrast between man and nature visible from one location.
Cary Estes is a Birmingham-based freelance contributor to Business Alabama.
Bayou La Batre.
White Cliffs of Epes.
Inside Wilson Dam.
Tannehill Ironworks Historical State Park.
Instead, he has long been fascinated by the actual process of beekeeping, to the point that more than a decade ago he started a small part-time business called Foxhound Bee Company out of his garage (actually, at first it was just a shelf in his garage). Foxhound focused as much on beekeeping equipment and education as it did on the honey itself.
“Producing honey was not my goal. It was just an awesome side effect,” Hickman says. “The stuff I focused on the most was teaching and equipping other beekeepers. There are more beginning beekeepers than there are people to help them. So, I spent a lot of my time getting them started and walking them through their first few years.”
His business created a buzz and steadily grew. So much so, in fact, that in 2020 Hickman decided to make running Foxhound his full-time job. He moved the company out of his home and into Hardware Park, a business incubator located in downtown Birmingham. He hired his first employees and developed a loyal local following, along with a strong e-commerce business.
It did not take long before Hickman began seeking his own place for Foxhound. That recently occurred with the opening this past November of a 5,000-square-foot retail store in the Birmingham suburb of Irondale, along with three adjacent 9,000-square-foot warehouses for manufacturing, storage and potential future expansion.
“We are basically a supply business for beekeepers,” Hickman said on the day of the store’s grand opening, which he estimated drew more than 500 visitors. “We will sell you equipment and supplies, teach you how to keep bees, sell you queens and nucs (short for “nucleus colony”). We have a small brand of protective gear called Sting Stopper. And we sell merchandise like Foxhound mugs and stickers and towels.
“We also sell a line of solitary bee houses and the bees that go with them. Mason bees and leaf-cutter bees. Those bees don’t sting or make honey, but they’re excellent pollinators for people who have gardens. It’s just a miniature bee house that you put next to your garden.”
Hickman’s interest in beekeeping began when he stumbled upon some old equipment in his father’s garage. Hickman discovered that his great-grandfather had worked as a beekeeper in North Carolina. Much like the ancient Egyptians, Hickman says his great-grandfather would move the bees to follow the sourwood bloom throughout the Carolinas.
“My dad still had his old smoker, and an extractor to spin the honey out of the frames,” Hickman says. “I asked my dad what they were and he explained it to me. That’s what got me into it, and it became a passion.”
Beekeeping became enough of a passion that in 2023, Hick-
Top, left: Beeswax products are another byproduct for beekeepers.
Top, right: Customers can watch bees at work when they visit Foxhound Bee Company in Irondale.
man was hired to work as a consultant on the movie “The Rivals of Amziah King.” Filmed in Birmingham, the movie is about a character — played by Matthew McConaughey — who operates a honey business and has his hives stolen. The old smoker once used by Hickman’s great-grandfather was utilized in the movie (which premiered at the 2025 South by Southwest festival) and is now on display at Foxhound.
That smoker is an example of the type of equipment that initially attracted Hickman to the practice of beekeeping. It is an odd-looking contraption: basically a metal can with a lid and spout that resembles The Tin Man’s hat in “The Wizard of Oz,” connected to an accordion-like bellow on the side.
“Most beekeepers use them,” Hickman says. “You don’t always need smoke, but it’s good to have it on hand just in case. They’re meant to pacify the bees. Smoke makes bees think a fire is coming, so it preoccupies them and distracts them from (the perceived threat of) the beekeeper, making them easier to handle.”
These are the types of tidbits that make beekeeping interesting, but also not necessarily the simplest activity to do, especially for newcomers.
“It’s not like putting up a birdhouse. There is a lot of management involved,” Hickman says. “The people who do beekeeping either do it for a year and decide it’s too hard, or they do it for 20 years and absolutely love it.”
One thing that many novice beekeepers must overcome is the
fear of being stung. Hickman says he teaches classes that discuss this issue and show that how with proper instruction, stinging does not have to be a major problem.
“Bees are vegetarians. They don’t want to sting humans,” Hickman says. “And bees are not naturally aggressive. They’re only defensive.”
In addition, Hickman says, bees are fascinating little creatures.
“They have a vested interest in their colony. They work until they die for the greater good of the colony,” Hickman says. “They will go out and forage and then come straight back.
“It’s like when you pull into your driveway and you don’t really remember driving home. You’re on autopilot and just know where to turn. Bees kind of do the same thing. They know the trees and buildings around them, and they just go back to their hive. They’re on autopilot, and they just want to bring that nectar back so they can turn it into honey.”
And in the end, it is the honey that makes being a beekeeper so sweet.
“You don’t have to do anything to the honey,” Hickman says. “You just strain it and put it in a bottle and sell it. You can also take the wax and make candles. There are a lot of ways that people can be interested in this one hobby.”
Cary Estes and Cary Norton are Birmingham-based freelance contributors to Business Alabama.
Fayette, Lamar & Marion Counties
Fayette, Lamar and Marion counties boast a variety of scenic wonders and outdoor fun. But since the opening of Interstate 22, a direct route between Birmingham and Memphis, all three have seen business growth, too.
While each county enjoys its own personality, the three have banded together for economic development purposes — creating the Northwest Alabama Economic Development Alliance. And now the counties anticipate an additional economic boost as the West Central Alabama Highway takes shape.
“We have high hopes for the highway, especially the connector road from Fayette to I-22,” says Tom Wisemiller, president/CEO of the Northwest Alabama Economic Development Alliance.
“Not only will it help with access to industrial parks, but also the potential for growth,” Wisemiller adds.
The region also expects an economic boost from the newly opened Blue Creek mine, a project of Warrior Met Coal near Berry in Fayette County. The company invested some $1 billion in the project, which includes a rail load-out facility in Fayette County plus other features.
In June 2025, the Lamar County Airport received some maintenance work performed by the city of Vernon, including the installation of a windsock and painting numbers on the ends of the runway.
Metals are a key element in the regional economy along with a specialty in manufactured housing and furniture, particularly cabinets.
The region has also seen recent connectivity improvements as Tombigbee Communications celebrated the completion of a $145 million fiber internet project spanning 4,200 miles of fiber
The Fayette County Courthouse was built in 1912. According to the Alabama Department of Archives and History, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1976.
MEDIAN HOUSEHOLD INCOME
Madison County: $83,528
Baldwin County: $75,019
Jefferson County: $64,589
Tuscaloosa County: $63,947
Montgomery County: $58,153
Mobile County: $58,119
Walker County: $54,509
Franklin County: $51,493
Fayette County: $50,733
Marion County: $50,714
Winston County: $48,032
Lamar County: $47,447
Pickens County: $47,014
serving 100,000 residents across eight Alabama counties. With that project, the Northwest Alabama EDA region has among the best rural broadband coverage in Alabama. Lamar County currently has 100% coverage; Marion County, 100% coverage; and Fayette County, 95% coverage and growing.
The counties also are home to two campuses of Bevill State Community College, one in Hamilton in Marion County and one in Fayette in Fayette County, and three hospitals, North
Jefferson County: 664,744
Madison County: 423,355
Mobile County: 411,640
Baldwin: 253,507
Tuscaloosa County: 241,112
Montgomery County: 225,894
Walker County: 65,342
Franklin County: 32,113
Marion County: 29,233
Winston County: 23,540
Pickens County: 19,123
Fayette County: 16,321
Lamar County: 13,972
Mississippi Health Services-South Marion, North Mississippi Medical Center-Hamilton and Fayette Medical Center.
Even as business opportunities grow, the region treasures its scenic wonders — the Sipsey Valley River Wilderness Area, Bear Creek Lakes and the Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway all offer opportunities to take to the water, whether by canoe, kayak, tube or powerboat. And the region is home to the state’s largest deer population.
Economic Engines
Local and state officials were
hand
celebrate
DIVERSE INDUSTRY/ ADVANCED MANUFACTURING
About a third of the workforce in this region is employed in manufacturing, making a variety of products — from automotive, dump truck and forklift parts to cabinets, signs, shower stalls, recreational vehicles, clothing, utility poles, gourmet foods and more.
Manufacturing should continue to grow, with several exits to these counties via Interstate 22, which connects Birmingham via I-65 to Memphis. These exits already have seen growth since the new interstate opened about 10 years ago, and more growth is expected as the West Central Alabama Highway project creates more connections.
“We have high hopes for the highway, especially the connector road from Fayette to I-22,” says Tom Wisemiller, president/ CEO of the Northwest Alabama Economic Development Alliance.
Many companies that deal in metals are among the area’s largest manufacturing employers, including Komatsu Mining Corp., Ox Bodies/TBEI, products fabrica-
tion, wire die repair, wiring harnesses, forklift parts, zinc oxide/steel dust recycling and metal roofing. There are several metal related manufacturers, and they work in many different areas, including forklift parts, mining conveyor systems, metal roofs, shipping container trailers, farm equipment, onsite waste compacting and recycling systems, dump truck bodies and beds and more.
One of the newest announcements involves Warrior Met Coal, which opened a third coal mine, Blue Creek, and has spent about $100 million building a connector system between Fayette and Tuscaloosa County’s longwall mines.
“These are high-paying jobs and will have a positive impact on Fayette County and the region,” Wisemiller says. “It also will help residential growth and other businesses.”
MANUFACTURED HOUSING/ LUMBER/FURNITURE
Several companies in the region are involved in this sector, which continues to grow. In Marion County, Deer Valley Homebuilders, Buccaneer Homes, Clayton Homes and Hamilton Home Builders are among the largest manufacturers, building a variety of manufactured homes to meet the needs of homebuyers and the commercial sector.
In Fayette County, Interfor is a sawmill that is one of the county’s largest employers. And in Lamar County, larger
BUSINESS BRIEFS
DECEMBER 2025: The Marion County-Rankin Fite Airport receives an $829,255 grant from the state’s Alabama Airport Improvement Funding program to upgrade its runway and the apron area.
DECEMBER 2025: The Lamar County Airport reopens after repairs and improvements to its runway.
DECEMBER 2025: Showa Best Glove announces the permanent closure of its Fayette facility, ending a long period of sterile and surgical type gloves made in the city.
NOVEMBER 2025: U.S. Rep Robert Aderholt announces grant funds for two projects, which includes $5,551,812 for a new 16,500-square-foot rural health clinic, and new
TAXES
PROPERTY TAX
NOT INCLUDING SCHOOLS OR MUNICIPALITIES MARION COUNTY: 10.5 mills
LAMAR COUNTY: 15 mills
FAYETTE COUNTY: 11.5 mills
STATE OF ALABAMA: 6.5 mills
SALES
TAX
MARION COUNTY: 2%
CITIES WITHIN THE COUNTY: BEAR CREEK: 3% BRILLIANT: 3%
3%
3%
5% FAYETTE COUNTY: 2% CITIES WITHIN THE COUNTY: BELK: 1%
3%
3.5%
ALLEN: 1%
LAMAR COUNTY: 2%
CITIES WITHIN THE COUNTY: BEAVERTON: 2% DETROIT: 2% KENNEDY: 3% MILLPORT: 3% SULLIGENT: 3.5% VERNON: 3%
STATE OF ALABAMA: 4%
Source: Alabama Department of Revenue
employers in this sector include lumber mill Weyerhaeuser Company in Millport and Brown Wood Preserving in Kennedy, which makes treated utility poles. Millport Lumber makes pallets. And K&S Lumber is one of the newest in Vernon.
As for home furnishings, the largest
MRI equipment for Northwest Regional Health in Winfield.
SEPTEMBER 2025: The new Marion County Detention Center opens, also housing the Marion County Sheriff’s Department and the EMA.
SEPTEMBER 2025: The city of Hamilton, Hamilton Parks & Recreation and Marion County Schools open the Buttahatchee
River Sportsplex, a multi-purpose sports facility available for use by all Marion County schools.
AUGUST 2025: Marion County schools, in conjunction with Bevill State Community College, is working to open a new college and career academy by the 202627 academic year. The center will enhance dual enrollment, as well as offer a range of career technical programs.
on
to
Tombigbee Communications’ completion of 4,200 miles of fiber internet service to the northwest Alabama region. Photo courtesy of Alabama Rural Electric Association.
manufacturer in Marion County, Kith Kitchens, makes cabinet doors and sets in Haleyville, Hamilton Bath Ware makes tubs and shower stalls, and Max Home Furniture, in Sulligent in Lamar County, makes upholstered furniture.
HIGH-SPEED FIBER OPTIC
Tombigbee Communications and federal and state officials hit a major milestone in 2025, celebrating the completion of a $145 million fiber internet project spanning 4,200 miles of fiber serving 100,000 residents across eight Alabama counties. The Northwest Alabama EDA region has among the best rural broadband coverage in Alabama. Lamar County currently has 100% coverage; Marion County, 100% coverage; and Fayette County, 95% coverage and growing.
It is a major economic development catalyst and helps residents, school systems and industry/business work more efficiently.
HIGHER EDUCATION
Bevill State Community College, with campuses in Fayette, Marion and Walker counties, along with an instructional site in Pickens County, is a very important economic driver in the community, not only for its own employees and student body, but also its role in workforce development and education for high school students and adult education/training. It works closely with industry to ensure that the area has a trained workforce for all types of needs and offers dozens of workforce training and retraining courses, as well as degree programs and academic transfer to a four-year university.
Largest Industrial Employers
MARION COUNTY
Door Components LLC/Kith Kitchens HALEYVILLE Cabinet doors and sets • 600 employees
Deer Valley Homebuilders Inc. | GUIN Manufactured homes • 360 employees
3M Company | GUIN
Reflective signs and sheeting 302 employees
Continental Mining | WINFIELD Mining conveyors and equipment 257 employees
Buccaneer Homes | HAMILTON Manufactured homes • 250 employees
Tiffin Motorhomes | WINFIELD Class C motorhomes • 210 employees
FAYETTE COUNTY
Ox Bodies/TBEI | FAYETTE
Dump truck bodies • 190 employees
Interfor | FAYETTE Lumber mill • 140 employees
HEALTH CARE
Three hospitals serve the three counties and surrounding areas — North Mississippi Health Services-South Marion, North Mississippi Medical Center-Hamilton and Fayette Medical Center. These facilities are among the largest employers in the area and have a significant economic impact on their communities.
Each of these facilities offers other services such as rehab centers, nursing homes and specialty clinics. This sector continues
BUSINESS BRIEFS
OCTOBER 2025: Tombigbee Communications and federal and state officials celebrated the completion of a $145 million fiber internet project spanning 4,200 miles of fiber serving 100,000 residents across eight Alabama counties.
MAY 2025: Bevill State Community College and Northwest Alabama Economic Development Alliance (C3)
announce Career BOO$T, a new tuition reimbursement program. It’s the latest initiative under C3’s TIME (Tech Innovation Means Employment) Program, which focuses on attracting more students in high-demand technical fields.
JUNE 2025: The city of Hamilton, in Marion County, received nearly $1.47 million from the Growing Alabama program for
Source: Northwest Alabama Economic Development Alliance
to grow, with primary care clinics and rural health clinics in underserved areas. Efforts to boost access to medical care in rural areas continue. In November 2025, U.S. Rep. Robert Aderholt announced grant funds for two health care-related projects, which includes $5,551,812 for a new 16,500-squarefoot rural health clinic in Fayette, and $1,147,500 for new MRI equipment to North Mississippi Health Services-South Marion, formerly Northwest Regional Health in Winfield.
site preparation at the Hamilton I-22 Industrial Park.
JUNE 2025: The city of Fayette is looking at redesigning the northwest corner of Alabama 171 and Highway 18 to provide a welcome gateway to the city.
MARCH 2025: Alabama’s SEEDS program provides a $733,700 grant that will enable the city of Fayette to buy property for a
prime industrial site to promote growth. The city’s industrial development board plans to purchase 76 acres that will be called the North Fayette Industrial Site.
Sources: Northwest Alabama Economic Development Alliance (C3)
Health Care
NORTH MISSISSIPPI HEALTH SERVICES – SOUTH MARION
In May 2025, North Mississippi Health Services entered into a long-term lease agreement with UAB to operate Northwest Regional Health in Winfield. It became North Mississippi Health Services – South Marion, the group’s second hospital in Marion County, joining North Mississippi Medical Center - Hamilton.
North Mississippi Health Services – South Marion is a 49-bed acute-care hospital that provides a full-service surgery department, including general, endoscopic, orthopaedic, ophthalmologic, gynecologic and plastic surgery, among other specialties.
A $4 million emergency department opened in 2023 and includes 10 beds. The 9,500-square-foot facility features trauma bays and all-private exam rooms, among other services.
In November, U.S. Rep. Robert Aderholt announced a grant to fund new MRI equipment for the hospital.
Cathy Mitchell has been hospital administrator since 2024.
NORTH MISSISSIPPI MEDICAL CENTER – HAMILTON
North Mississippi Medical Center - Hamilton is a 49-bed acute care, not-for-profit hospital affiliated with North Mississippi Health Services, which is based in Tupelo, Mississippi.
Services at the hospital include general surgery, mammography, endoscopy, physical therapy and more. The hospital’s equipment includes a CT scanner and MRI.
The medical center also has a 79-bed nursing home, wellness center and primary care center.
Robin Mixon has been hospital administrator since 2023.
FAYETTE MEDICAL CENTER
Fayette Medical Center, in operation since 1958, is part of the DCH Health System. The hospital has 61 beds, plus a 122-bed nursing home and a five-suite surgical department. In addition to general surgery and advanced endoscopic procedures, weekly eye surgery and orthopedic surgery are performed by surgeons from DCH Regional Medical Center in Tuscaloosa.
The hospital’s Radiology Department houses an MRI and a CT scanner. Patients also have access to nuclear medicine, angiography, mammography, ultrasound, bone densitometry and fluoroscopic equipment, among other services.
The hospital’s laboratory is CAP certified and can provide testing in the areas of chemistry, bacteriology, hematology and blood banking. The Respiratory Department houses the pulmonary functions lab.
In addition, the hospital has an eightbed intensive care unit and an emergency department staffed full-time by physicians. Services also include physical, occupational and speech therapy.
The hospital has been on Newsweek’s list of Best-In-State Hospitals since 2020.
Rodney Clark became the hospital’s administrator in 2024.
Fayette Medical Center.
North Mississippi Medical Center – Hamilton.
North Mississippi Health Services – South Marion.
Movers & Shapers
RONNI RENA BRASHER is the county extension director for Fayette County with the Alabama Cooperative Extension System at Auburn University. A graduate of the University of Alabama, she has a master’s from Auburn University. Brasher serves on the Northwest Alabama Economic Development Alliance board, Fayette County Chamber of Commerce, Fayette County Farmers Federation board, the Fayette County Farmers Market steering committee and co-facilitates the Leadership Fayette County program. Brasher played a key role in revitalizing the Fayette County Farmers Market, expanding access to fresh food for underserved populations. In 2024 she earned the 2024 Distinguished Service Award from the National Association of County Agricultural Agents.
RODNEY CLARK is administrator of Fayette Medical Center, part of the DCH System. Clark came to Fayette in 2024 after serving as chief operations officer at Sunflower Medical Center in Ruleville, Mississippi. During his tenure, the hospital was honored by state nursing groups. Clark is a graduate of Delta State University and worked in banking and finance before turning to health care, where he is highly regarded for his expertise in rural health care issues.
CONLEY ELLIS is chair of the board of Hamilton Area Chamber of Commerce.
He also is a business development officer at Peoples Trust Bank. Ellis is a graduate of Hamilton High School, Bevill State Community College and the University of North Alabama.
KELLI COLBAUGH FOSTER is regional director at Alabama Credit Union, overseeing branches in Fayette, Lamar and Tuscaloosa counties. A
University of North Alabama graduate, she is currently pursuing her Certified Credit Union Executive (CCUE) designation. Foster has served on the Fayette Area Chamber of Commerce board for 11 years, including four years as president. In 2025, she was chair of the C3 of West Alabama board and she is a member of the Ashcraft Two Trust Board. She has helped create Senior and Junior Leadership programs at South Lamar School, creating volunteer opportunities for students. She also works with local food pantries and in other community service.
WILL GILMER co-owns and operates Gilmer Family Farm in Lamar County’s Shiloh community.
A graduate of Lamar County High School and Mississippi State University, Gilmer managed the family’s dairy with his father for more than 20 years before transitioning the farm’s focus exclusively to beef and forage production in 2023. Gilmer serves as a member of the board of directors for the Alabama Farmers Federation and ALFA Insurance, as a deacon of Fellowship Baptist Church in Vernon, and will serve as the board chairman for the C3 Northwest Alabama Economic Development Alliance in 2026.
JOEL HAGOOD is president of Bevill State Community College, which has campuses in Marion and Fayette counties. Before joining Bevill State in 2020, he worked in the Walker County Public Schools, completing his tenure there as superintendent. He was named District 7 Superintendent of the Year and was a finalist for state Superintendent of the Year. He holds undergraduate and master’s degrees from the University of Alabama, education credentials from the University of Alabama at Birmingham and a doctorate from Samford University.
VANCE HERRON is Lamar County Schools superintendent. He is a lifelong resident of the county and a graduate of Lamar County High School. He served as a teacher, principal and coach before being named superintendent. Herron is a University of Alabama graduate with a master’s from the University of West Alabama.
BRITTON LIGHTSEY is CEO of the Tombigbee Electric Cooperative. He began work with Tombigbee as chief operating officer in 2022, after 15 years with Alabama Power Co. He has played a key leadership role in the development of fiber optic cable throughout the area. He has served on the boards of the Northwest Alabama Economic Development Alliance, regional workforce agencies and the Winfield, Hamilton and Walker County chambers. He is a graduate of the University of Montevallo.
CATHY MITCHELL is administrator of North Mississippi Health Services-South
Marion. She began her health care career in nursing, eventually becoming chief nursing officer at Lakeland Community Hospital. She also has worked with Lifepoint Corp., working as chief operating officer over facilities in Tennessee. She holds nursing credentials from Bevill State Community College and Itawamba Community College, a bachelor’s degree from South University and a master’s from the University of Texas at Arlington. She serves on the Chamber of Commerce board and is active in other community projects.
ROBIN MIXON is administrator of North Mississippi Medical Center’s facility in Hamilton. She is a fellow of the American College of Health Care Administrators and the American College of Health Care Executives. A native of Natchez, Mississippi, she earned an undergraduate degree from Mississippi University for Women. She holds a master’s degree in health care administration from Trident University International. She is a certified health safety professional and a certified rural health care professional and is active in a variety of civic organizations.
HEATH REED is general manager of Northwest Alabama Gas District, which serves more than 15,000 customers across the state. In 2024, he served as chair of the C3 board (now Northwest Alabama Economic Development Alliance). He also is president of the Alabama Natural Gas Association. In 2020, he received the Alabama Natural Gas Association’s Person of the Year Award.
GLENDA ROBERTSON is director of the Fayette Civic Center, which is housed in the former Fayette Grammar School building built in 1930. It’s home to the Fayette Art Museum and can host meetings, banquets, seminars and special events. Robertson is a graduate of Fayette County High School.
FLOYD RODGERS JR. is an elected city councilman representing Ward 5 in Fayette, and serves as the Alabama Communities of Excellence (ACE) coordinator for the city of Fayette, focusing on economic development, infrastructure and leadership initiatives. He is the husband of attorney Ebony Rodgers and father of two. A committed business leader, he is the founder and managing member of Dominion Real Estate LLC and co-founder of Kings & Queens Family Childcare, supporting working families through early childhood, after-school and extended childcare services.
BILL SHOOK is CEO of Tombstone Group. He was honored as Champion of the Year by the Northwest Alabama Economic Development Alliance in 2025 for his work to develop a commercial corridor at Exit 30 from Interstate 22. He is credited with investing $3.5 million and working with the city of Winfield and the town of Brilliant to attract new business to the region.
PATRICK SUTTON is superintendent of the Marion County Schools. Earlier he served as coordinator of prevention and support services for the schools. In his previous position, his duties included truancy and
attendance, alternative and virtual schools, safety, policy and athletics. He also serves as pastor of Happy Hill Church.
TAMI LEWIS WILLIAMS is the newly elected mayor of Hamilton in Marion County. Earlier she served on the Hamilton City Council and on the boards of the Hamilton Chamber of Commerce and the Northwest Alabama Gas District. A graduate of Hamilton High School, Williams holds a degree in early childhood education from the University of North Alabama. She also is a certified grant writer and serves as office manager for a veterinary practice owned and operated by her family.
TOM WISEMILLER is president and CEO of Northwest Alabama Economic Development Alliance. Prior to joining the Northwest Alabama EDA, he served as development project coordinator for the Marysville, Ohio-Union County economic development office. He spearheaded efforts to attract and retain industry in Union County, a rapidly growing rural/suburban area near Columbus. Notably, he played a key role in bringing a Spanish automotive supplier to Marysville. Wisemiller also worked 12 years for the city of Greenville, North Carolina, in economic development and downtown revitalization roles. He is a graduate of Ohio State University with a master’s from Cornell University.
Higher Education
BEVILL STATE COMMUNITY COLLEGE
Bevill State Community College is a major economic driver in west Alabama, with four main campuses and one instructional site in a seven-county area. Its service area spans more than 4,600 square miles, from the Birmingham city limits to the Mississippi state line.
It has a campus in Hamilton in Marion County and a campus in Fayette County. It also has two campuses in Walker County in Jasper and Sumiton, and an instructional site in Carrollton, in Pickens County.
That geographic reach alone provides lots of education opportunities for stu-
dents, but Bevill offers dozens of workforce training and retraining courses that include basic skills education, occupational, career technical and pre-baccalaureate programs. It has degree programs in several disciplines, including health sciences, and offers dual enrollment in academic and career technical fields for high school students. It offers academic transfer to a four-year university. Online courses also are available. The school is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges.
Bevill State works extensively with K-12 education to help students enter the workforce via dual enrollment and college preparation. For example, the college and Marion County Schools recently entered into a new agreement to expand dual enrollment opportunities through the Marion County College & Career Academy on the Bevill State Hamilton campus. It is scheduled to launch in the fall.
The school is constantly seeking partnerships and opportunities to help students begin working in their chosen field as soon as possible. One of the most
recent is a 3M MAP (Manufacturing and Academic Partnerships) program grant, which will benefit the school’s electrical systems technology program on the Fayette and Hamilton campuses. 3M, located in Guin, also is a major employer in the region.
In addition, Bevill State and the Northwest Alabama Economic Development Alliance (C3) recently launched Career BOO$T, a new tuition reimbursement program. It supports workforce development and economic growth across Fayette, Lamar and Marion counties. It encourages enrollment in high-demand technical fields and helps reduce financial barriers for those who want to pursue skilled trades.
Bevill State’s automotive technician training program on the Hamilton campus recently received Master Automobile Service Technician reaccreditation through 2027 from the Automotive Service Excellence Education Foundation. It is the highest level of program accreditation recognized by the National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence.
BSCC also has agreements with several colleges and universities, designed to help students make a seamless transfer to a bachelor’s degree program. Among those is a partnership with the University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Nursing — part of the UAB School of Nursing/ Community College Joint Enrollment Pathway — offering Bevill State students a way from an associate degree to a bachelor’s degree in nursing.
Bevill State offers both short-term and long-term certificates in welding technology.
Fayette Campus.
Hamilton Campus.
Community Development
FAYETTE COUNTY
Fayette County has a beautiful historic courthouse and the city of Fayette has a picturesque downtown, with city officials investing in sidewalk improvements to walking trails, says Mayor Rod Northam. The city recently opened Bill’s Trail, a path that connects downtown Fayette at the Historic Depot Museum to Martin Luther King Drive. The city also opened
an 18-hole disc golf course at Guthrie Smith Park.
Fayette is expected to complete its $3 million wastewater treatment facility in March and the Richard Arthur Field, the city’s airport, received an apron expansion and a new hangar installation is expected to be complete by April, Northam says.
Future projects include more side-
walks and a beautification project at the intersection of Alabama 18 and Alabama 171 that adds a mural, public art and improved parking, along with a roundabout on Highway 171 South, Northam says.
There also will be a new rural health clinic near Fayette Medical Center through an appropriation by U.S. Rep. Robert Aderholt, Northam says.
Two other projects hold a great deal of possibility, says Tom Wisemiller, president and CEO of the Northwest Alabama Economic Development Alliance. One is the expected impact of the ongoing four-lane West Central Alabama Highway project that includes a connector from Fayette to Interstate 22.
“We have high hopes for this highway and not only will it help with access to industrial parks, but also the potential for growth,” Wisemiller says.
Another project that should positively impact the area is Warrior Met Coal’s huge investment in opening a third mine, Blue Creek, in Fayette County near the town of Berry, Wisemiller says. The company has a conveyor system between Blue Creek and longwall mines in Tuscaloosa County. The company produces metallurgical coal for steelmaking.
“We think this will have a positive impact on the county, both in high-paying jobs and the potential for more residential, retail and business growth,” he says.
The town of Berry has a new mayor, Mary Lollar. Berry recently secured a grant from the Alabama Association of Resource Conservation and Development Councils to address flooding issues. Lollar says installation of a new culvert, construction of a drainage ditch and reworking of the adjacent road and lot to improve water flow are nearing completion. In addition, several street resurfacing projects are completed or underway to improve safety and accessibility.
The Berry Water Department has been awarded the Eight-Year Optimized Plant Award from the Alabama Department of Environmental Management.
Some new small businesses also have located in Berry, including JJ and Nona’s and Anthony Hardware & Auto Parts. In addition, Lollar says the Berry Industrial Development Authority is securing fund-
Warrior Met Coal just finished work on its Blue Creek Mine.
ing for and planning a Berry Community Pavilion for town events, private gatherings and community activities.
She also says that Berry is developing an ecopark for school and public use, designed to include areas focused on environmental education, conservation and recreation. And the Berry Women’s Club has provided 10 cement planters around town as a beautification project.
LAMAR COUNTY
In Lamar County, architects will be presenting plans and estimates for the county’s courthouse, says Suzanne Otts, county administrator. The courthouse stands empty at this point because of several needed repairs and overhauls. Employees and departments are being housed in an annex building.
“We will get recommendations to either build a new courthouse or renovate the existing courthouse,” Otts says. “The courthouse is very old, and we just want to be sure we do what truly needs to be done.” One thing is for sure — the county courthouse will stay in the same location, Otts says.
Lamar County recently reopened its airport after repairs and improvements.
The city of Vernon, the county seat, has experienced growth over the past four years. The city has invested $1.5 million on several projects and new businesses have increased, says Mayor Glenn Crawford.
Several small retail storefronts have been attracted to the area that is also home to the city pool, splash pad and other amenities, resulting in an increase in sales tax, says Crawford.
“Traffic counts are up and the city is growing,” Crawford says. “New homes and new families are coming also. We are a small city with big city plans and ways, while keeping life simple.”
The city of Sulligent has a new mayor, Randy Otts.
MARION COUNTY
In September 2025, the city of Hamilton, Hamilton Parks & Recreation and Marion County Schools cut the ribbon for the Buttahatchee River Sportsplex, a multi-purpose sports facility available for
use by all Marion County schools and more. The $8.775 million facility has a high-tech competition level running track, a jumbotron, fiber and advanced lighting, officials say. There also are covered areas for various community events and offices.
Local schools are holding events there now, and officials also hope that the sportsplex will become a destination attraction for larger sports events and activities around the state and region, generating more tourism dollars and growing the area.
Marion County schools also are busy working with Bevill State Community College to develop the Marion County College and Career Technical Academy, hoping to be open by this fall on the BSCC Hamilton campus. While the system already offers several career technical programs, this center will enhance those opportunities and offer more dual enrollment.
Also in 2025, the new Marion County Detention Center opened, primarily housing individuals awaiting trial or sentencing. It also will help relieve overcrowding. The $17 million facility can house more than 200 individuals. The building also houses the Marion County
Sheriff’s Department and the EMA, officials say. It is in Bedford Industrial Park in Hamilton.
In the city of Winfield, police and court facilities are now out of city hall, moving into a former National Guard armory that is now city owned. And a new Pilot Travel Center on the I-22 Winfield exit has resulted in ALDOT grants to beef up the interchange, with hopes of attracting more hotels and other businesses, officials say.
The city of Winfield’s highly ranked city schools have a new home for career technical offerings as well as new offices for the board of education. The system purchased the 85,000-square-foot former SITEL call center building, and it has been converted into two floors of training classrooms and more, says Stefanie Weeks, career technical school principal. “We are fully into the building, and we are offering seven programs so far.” About 90% of Winfield city schools students participate, and the center is open to Marion County High School and Brilliant High School students as well. The other half of the building houses the board offices.
Tami Williams is the new mayor of Hamilton, and Bobby Bellew is the new mayor of Guin.
The Winfield City School System recently bought and renovated the former SITEL call center building.
Culture & Recreation
STEP OUTDOORS
With several well-managed lakes and 170,000 acres of wildlife management areas and national forests, these three counties have an abundance of natural resources, including the largest deer population in the state, many opportunities to canoe, kayak and tube, several campsites and more. Sipsey Valley River Wilderness Area, in the Bankhead National Forest, offers 12 trails and more.
EYE TREAT
Guin, Hamilton and Winfield are home to about a dozen murals on the North Alabama Mural Trail.
TAKE TO THE WATER
The 234-mile Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway, running from the Tennessee River to the junction of the Black Warrior-Tombigbee River, offers all types of water recreation. Bear Creek Lakes, in the pine hills of Northwest Alabama, offer camping, fishing, cabins, hiking and more. The four interconnected reservoirs — Bear Creek, Upper Bear Creek, Little Bear Creek and Cedar Creek — are rated among the cleanest recreational waters in the South.
JUMP IN
Fayette Aquatic Center, at Guthrie Smith Park, features a multi-purpose pool, interactive play features, a lazy river,
multiple water slides and a splash pad. It opens for the season in May. Hayden Riley Park, in Guin, features an Olympic-size pool with two diving boards, a large waterslide and a raintree, as well as walking trails, picnic areas, playgrounds and more.
HISTORIC HIGHLIGHTS
Fayette Depot Museum is in the restored, historic train station that was built in 1887. It has many local historical artifacts, including a mint condition still, a Civil War-era drum and more. It is maintained by the Fayette Historical Society. In Hamilton, Hamilton-Sullins House, managed by the Marion County Historical Society, is the historic home of Captain A.J. Hamilton, built in 1875.
CATCH A SHOW
Pastime Theatre Complex, in downtown Winfield, is a historic theater dating to the 1930s and restored in 2002 by Winfield Main Street. The Pastime hosts children’s events, concert series and theatre productions. The Fayette Civic Center/Fayette Art Museum also sponsors performances year-round in a renovated 1930 school building with a 365-seat auditorium and more.
JUST FOR FUN
Fayette Multi-Purpose Complex features 80,000 square feet for horse shows, livestock exhibitions, the county fair and more.
OUTDOOR MOVIES
Blue Moon Drive-In offers the nostalgic view-from-your-car experience at its twinscreen drive-in.
SOMETHING OLD
Falkner Antique Mall, in Vernon in Lamar County, is home to more than 70 dealers offering antiques and collectibles.
festivities and events:
NEIGHBOR DAY — Spring | Hackleburg
No one is sure how Neighbor Day began in Hackleburg, but this event is all about caring and getting to know your neighbor better.
SPRING FEST — Spring | Guin This annual festival in Guin features live entertainment, music, food vendors, games, carnival and more.
HERITAGE FESTIVAL — April | Berry
This two-day annual event hosts vendors, exhibits, live entertainment and food trucks.
MULE DAY — September | Winfield
This popular event began in 1975 when two citizens wanted to honor the hard-working mules of the day. Today, crowds of 25,000 enjoy arts and crafts, Civil War re-enactments, a pageant, a Pre-Mule Night Madness Sale from area business owners and more.
FAYETTE ARTS FESTIVAL — September
| Fayette One of the oldest, continual art festivals in Alabama, this popular festival includes a juried outdoor arts and crafts show with free art lessons/ activities for K-6th graders and live entertainment.
BUTTAHATCHEE RIVER FALL FEST — Fall | Hamilton This annual festival features arts and crafts, a motorcycle/ tractor/car show, live entertainment, food, kid’s area and more.
FROG LEVEL FESTIVAL — October
| Fayette Live entertainment, an antique car/truck/motorcycle show, frog jumping contest, bed race, a 5K run, arts and crafts and more can be found at this festival.
OLD FASHIONED DAY — October
| Sulligent This event features live entertainment, a carnival, parade, barbecue, arts and crafts, a 5K run, games and more.
Pastime Theatre Complex in Winfield.
Career Notes
by ERICA JOINER WEST
ACCOUNTING
Holly Henderson, of Wilkins Miller LLC, has completed and passed the Uniform Certified Public Accountant examination. She joined the firm in 2022.
BANKING
ServisFirst Bank announced several leadership changes. Hal Clemmer was appointed chief banking officer, Jim Holtkamp regional CEO for Huntsville and executive vice president, Harrison Morris regional CEO for South Alabama and Bart McBride sales manager. The bank also announced the retirement of Donna Cooper, market president in Montgomery.
CONSTRUCTION
Birmingham-based HPM has hired Hector Arvizo as director of project controls.
EDUCATION
Shankar Mahalingam, dean of the College of Engineering at the University of Alabama in Huntsville, has retired after 15 years of service.
Beckie Share, head of school at Tuscaloosa Academy and Florida State University alumnae, has been named to FSU’s 2026 Seminole 100.
Reid State Community College bookstore manager Laushaun Watson has received a National Association of College Stores Foundation grant for training at the Campus Market Expo (CAMEX26) in Phoenix early in 2026.
ENGINEERING
Neel-Schaffer has hired Tara Chrisco as senior manager, talent and organizational development for the firm. The firm has offices in Birmingham, Huntsville, Mobile and Tuscaloosa.
GOVERNMENT
Gov. Kay Ivey has received the inaugural Capital Legacy Impact Award, presented by the Montgomery Regional Chamber
LEGAL
Rebecca Beers, a Birmingham-based partner with RumbergerKirk, has been named president of the Birmingham Bar Association. She will serve with Presidentelect Leslie Rubio of Rubio Law Firm, Secretary/Treasurer Virginia Miller of Anderson Miller, and executive committee members Denzel Okinedo, Ben Goldman, Darius Crayton and Brandy Robertson.
Gov. Kay Ivey has appointed Ronald Smith the 23rd Judicial Circuit Court Judge. Cunningham Bounds has added Carmen Chambers to the firm as a litigator.
REAL ESTATE
Stirling CEO Townsend Underhill has been named to the International Council of Shopping Centers board of trustees. Stirling has an office in Daphne.
SECURITY
Dothan-based DSI Security Services CEO Eddie Sorrells has been elected president of ASIS International, an association for security management professionals.
TOURISM
Oak View Group has named Erik Hudson general manager and Willie J. Williams assistant general manager of the new Mobile Arena
TRANSPORTATION
Pitts Trailers, of Pittsview, has promoted Taylor Chambers to supply chain manager, overseeing strategic planning, vendor relationships and material flow to support production efficiency.
Robert Gray has been promoted to vice president of systems and field services at AAA Cooper Transportation.
HARRISON MORRIS
TARA CHRISCO
WILLIE J. WILLIAMS
ROBERT GRAY
HAL CLEMMER
HECTOR ARVIZO BECKIE SHARE
EDDIE SORRELLS
HOLLY HENDERSON SHANKAR MAHALINGAM
TOWNSEND UNDERHILL
JIM HOLTKAMP
LAUSHAUN WATSON ERIK HUDSON
TAYLOR CHAMBERS
RONALD SMITH
BART MCBRIDE DONNA COOPER
GOV. KAY IVEY
CARMEN CHAMBERS
Company Kudos
by ERICA JOINER WEST
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has extended the Tennessee Valley Authority’s Browns Ferry Nuclear Plant operating license for another 20 years, providing continued operation through the mid2050s. The license covers all three units at the site, which provides electricity to more than 2.2 million homes, according to TVA. Browns Ferry, which is the third-largest nuclear power producer in the U.S., according to TVA, is located in Athens.
Faulkner University’s Thomas Goode Jones School of Law has been ranked No. 10 in the nation for its trial advocacy program by Gavel Rankings. In addition, the law school has reported record enrollment growth, with the first-year class growing to 167 students, representing a 49.11% increase over last year’s entering class. This brings the school’s total enrollment to 411 students, reflecting a 20.2% increase from the previous year.
Jackson Thornton Wealth Management and RFG Advisory have been named to the 2025 Financial Planning Best RIAs to Work For list. Jackson Thornton was No. 25 and RFG Advisory was No. 41.
Montgomery City/County Emergency Management Agency has been recognized as StormReady by the National Weather Service. The designation, valid through Nov. 7, 2029, acknowledges the steps taken by Montgomery EMA to enhance emergency planning, community education and weather awareness.
UAB Hospital was the only Alabama hospital to be listed on Becker’s Hospital Review’s Great Hospitals in America
list for 2025. Hospitals making the list stand out for their clinical performance, focus on patient safety and dedication to innovation, research and education. To make the list, hospitals must have awards from U.S. News & World Report, Healthgrades, CMS and/or The Leapfrog Group.
The University of Alabama in Huntsville is launching the Southeastern Quantum Collaborative, a regional initiative to accelerate the advancement and application of quantum information science and technology. Other founding members are IBM, Davidson Technologies, Alabama A&M University, University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, Oak Ridge Associated Universities, IonQ and Leidos.
Wallace Community College-Dothan’s medical assistant program has been recognized as one of the Best Medical Assistant Programs in Alabama in EduMed.org’s 2025 national ranking. In addition, the college has been ranked No. 24 in the national ranking of the 100 Best Community Colleges by Stacker. It was the only Alabama college to make the top 50 on the list.
MARCH
Driving Forward: Alabama’s Automakers
Financial Focus: Credit Unions
Homegrown: Portrait of an Alabama Small Business
Geographic Spotlight: Choctaw, Clarke, Conecuh, Escambia & Monroe Counties
STEM in schools and workplace
Accounting: Where the Numbers matter
Community Colleges Help Job Seekers Up Their Skills
One of Alabama’s most notable 20th-century inventors was born enslaved on a Jefferson County plantation. Inventions made by Andrew Jackson Beard to enhance railroad safety are credited with saving countless lives. Like many people born in bondage, Beard never had an opportunity for education. He possessed clear mechanical abilities, but he could neither read or write.
Beard was born in 1849 to Creasey Tatum and Milton Beard. After emancipation and the end of the Civil War, Beard became a sharecropper, tending some of the same land upon which he had once been forced to work. He later owned a farm of his own near Center Point. He and his wife, Edie, raised a family of three sons. Beard gave up farming in the early 1870s. He relocated his
family to Hardwick, in St. Clair County, where he operated a flour mill. Back and forth the Beards went, between homes and work in the neighboring counties.
Success afforded Andrew Jackson Beard time to pursue his inventive side in ways that the harder labors of his early years often prevented. He first began making improvements to farming implements and other tools, designing ways to make the work easier, more cost effective. Beard received his first patent in 1881, for improvements to a simple double plow. A few years later, he sold the rights to the patent for $4,000. The inventor repeated the process in 1886, receiving another patent for a farm implement, this time a cultivator, and then selling the rights to the invention for $5,200.
A model of Andrew Jackson Beard’s railroad coupler on display at the Alabama Men’s Hall of Fame luncheon in 2025. Photo courtesy of the Alabama Men’s Hall of Fame.
Beard reinvested the profits from his inventions into real estate and other ventures, including a jitney, or taxi, service operating from a building on 18th Street North in Birmingham. And he gave liberally to causes that mattered to him. At an 1889 meeting of Black businessmen, Beard made a substantial $3,000 contribution to aid in the construction of what became Alabama State University in Montgomery. The donation was given in honor of one of his sons “who died just on the threshold of manhood” while a student at Talladega College.
What became of the flour mill in Hardwick is unclear. Beard may have left it in the hands of one of his other sons or sold it. But by the 1890s, he was working for various railroad companies, including the Alabama & Chattanooga Railroad. Managers valued his mechanical abilities.
Around the railyards of Central Alabama, Beard was daily exposed to one of the most dangerous occupations of the age. Heavy railroad cars made of iron and steel, powered by hot engines, all operating in cramped quarters, too often made for a lethal combination for workmen. Some accounts of Beard’s life suggest the inventor himself may have been injured in some way on a railyard.
Among the most dangerous aspects of railroad work came in the hooking and unhooking, or coupling, of railroad cars. This was typically done with a simple steel pin, placed by hand, linking the ends of cars. It was a precise, dangerous job in the tightest of spaces. Hands, arms and legs were often crushed or severed in the process; fatalities were not uncommon.
Beard set his mind to addressing this hazardous problem, not just at his workplace but for railyards across the nation. After months of work, in September 1897 he submitted a new patent for a railroad car-coupling device. He received notice of his success just eight weeks later, a remarkably fast turn of the governmental wheel.
The timing of Beard’s patent for his railroad coupler was no coincidence. Four years earlier, the U.S. Congress passed new railroad regulations that, among other safety measures, required the use of automatic coupler devices that could operate “without the necessity of men going between the ends of the cars.” With full compliance with the law mandated by 1900, hundreds of automatic couplers were coming into production. Many, Beard’s included, were a modification of a knuckle-type
One of the few known images of Andrew Jackson Beard, the cover of a brief biography. Photo courtesy of the Birmingham Public Library Archives.
coupler, first patented by Eli Janney in 1873, that opened upon contact and grappled the coupler on the other car. What made Beard’s version different was that his coupler was assembled in several smaller parts, held together by simple pins. Thus, one broken part could be replaced without the time and expense of replacing the entire coupler.
Industry experts proclaimed Beard’s coupler the best yet produced. Newspapers around the country carried brief notes touting the inventor’s ingenuity. Most of the articles mentioned that Beard was illiterate; all noted his race.
In 1898, C. A. Wickersham, superintendent of the Alabama Great Southern Railroad, arranged for a public demonstration of Beard’s coupler in Birmingham. A Post-Herald reporter on hand stated that it “worked to perfection,” on both straight tracks and in curves. There being few long, straight lines in crowded railroad yards, this was an important announcement, indeed.
Later, Wickersham and other local railroad executives lent their names to the creation of the Beard Automatic Car Coupling Company to build and market the invention. Andrew Jackson Beard was the vice president of the corporation and entitled to half of its profits. Initial capital stock was a reported $100,000.
Despite the initial publicity, further announcements from the company were few. Beard eventually sold the rights to his patent to a New York-based railroad corporation for $50,000, equivalent to almost $2 million today. He continued making additional improvements to the coupler — patenting and selling each — until 1905.
What became of his fortune in the last two decades of his life is unknown. Beard spent his final years impoverished and in poor health. He died on May 10, 1921, at the Jefferson County Alms House and is buried in an unmarked grave in Birmingham’s Woodlawn Cemetery.
Recognition of his many achievements only came years after Beard’s death. He was inducted into the prestigious National Inventors Hall of Fame in 2006. Last year, Beard joined the Alabama Men’s Hall of Fame, alongside inductees Dr. Charles McCallum, third president of UAB, and Mobile civil rights leader John LeFlore.
Historian Scotty E. Kirkland is a freelance contributor to Business Alabama. He lives in Wetumpka.
Andrew Jackson Beard received his first patent in 1881. Photo courtesy of the Alabama Men’s Hall of Fame.
17 Springs, Millbrook ......................................41
North Alabama’s Wheeler Dam turns 90 this year, but here’s a “childhood” photo of the Tennessee River fixture. This is an excursion steamer from Cincinnati in the dam’s lock in 1942, six years after the dam opened. The photo was taken by Arthur Rothstein. Photo courtesy of the Library of Congress.
Do you have a photo you’d like us to consider for Historic Alabama? Send it to Erica West at ewest@pmtpublishing.com.
Alabiz Quiz
Challenge yourself with these puzzlers from past issues of Business Alabama magazine. Beginning Feb. 20, work the quiz online and check your answers at businessalabama.com.
February 2026:
Q: Dismals Canyon, near Phil Campbell in Franklin County, is one of Alabama’s lesser-known tourist attractions and home to dismalites found in only a few places on earth. What’s a dismalite?
A) A canyon where sun never reaches the bottom.
B) A bioluminescent type of glow worm.
C) A cave-like rock growth similar to stalactites and stalagmites.
D) A creek that flows partly above ground and partly underground.
January 2026 (one month ago):
Q: Southwire announced plans for a $175 million expansion in Heflin. It’s the fourth expansion at the plant since it was founded in 1996. What was the company name at the time it opened?
A) Alabama Cable Company
B) Connections Inc.
C) Forte Power Systems
D) Wire Works Southeast
February 2025 (one year ago):
Q: In our annual construction issue, we featured an engineering firm that was celebrating 100 years in business. Among its projects over the years are the Mobile Causeway, the Sugar Bowl in New Orleans, Robert F. Kennedy Stadium in Washington D.C., Interstate 565 in Huntsville and the Cochrane/ Africatown Bridge in Mobile. What firm?
A) Bridge Builders Alabama
B) Engineers of Excellence
C) Highway & Bridge Works
D) Volkert
February 2021 (five years ago):
Q: Resource Fiber announced plans for a multimillion-dollar plant in Sulligent in Lamar County, but the firm filed for bankruptcy shortly thereafter. What was Resource Fiber to produce?
A) Bamboo products
B) Data center equipment
C) Fiber optic communication cables
D) High-fiber breakfast cereals
February 2016 (10 years ago):
Q: We featured Dan Starnes, a former golf instructor who created a new career with a set of related businesses encircling Birmingham — with operations in the 280 corridor, Homewood, Vestavia Hills, Mountain Brook, Hoover, Cahaba Heights, Trussville and nearby communities. What sort of business does Starnes operate?
A) Fast-food operations
B) Car washes
C) Community newspapers
D) Grocery stores
February 2001 (25 years ago):
Q: Twenty-five years ago, our “Memoranda” section featured comments about a new necessity for business success? What did the expert consider a new fundamental for success?
