Business Alabama - January 2026

JAN 2026

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34 RURAL HOSPITALS PROFITS 39 POULTRY FOR THE STATE

SPOTLIGHT ON AUTAUGA

45 AND ELMORE COUNTIES

COLLEGE TRAINING

ENGINE

KEITH PHILLIPS HEADS UP ALABAMA COMMUNITY COLLEGE SYSTEM’S WORKFORCE TRAINING INITIATIVES

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JANUARY 2026 BusinessAlabama.com Volume 41 / Number 1

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Volume 41 / Number 1

JANUARY 2026

CONTENTS 34

Joseph Marchant, president and CEO at Bibb County Medical Center, talks about challenges facing rural hospitals and efforts to overcome them.

Photo by Joe De Sciose.

Features 11

GOVERNMENT & POLITICS BIG IDEAS FROM THE BIG 10 MAYORS The leaders of Alabama’s largest cities come together to discuss issues and find solutions

27

WORKFORCE THE ACCS TRAINING ENGINE How Alabama’s community colleges have shaped and expanded their focus on workforce

31

34

WOOING WORKERS TO THE WORKFORCE Alabama’s new Department of Workforce hopes to increase the percentage of Alabamians in the workforce pool HEALTH CARE RURAL REHAB New initiatives offer relief for rural hospitals

4 | BusinessAlabama.com January 2026

39

42

66

AGRICULTURE CHICKEN! Alabama-grown chickens are among the state’s major exports RESTORING THE SOIL Robertsdale company puts flies to work to aid regenerative farming RETROSPECT EDISON’S ALABAMA PRODIGY When Miller Hutchison met the Wizard of Menlo Park

31

On the Cover: Keith Phillips leads the Alabama Community College System’s workforce and economic development programs and training initiatives.

Photo by Art Meripol.

39

31: Greg Reed heads the state’s new Department of Workforce. Photo by Art Meripol.

39: Chicken or egg? Alabama farmers raise both — broilers and egg producers — contributing a significant boost to the Alabama economy and export market. Courtesy of Alabama Farmers Federation.

66: Alabama inventor Miller Reese Hutchison spent several years in partnership with the legendary Thomas Edison. Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.

LISTINGS 14 ALABAMA’S CONGRESSIONAL MEMBERS 15 ALABAMA’S CONSTITUTIONAL OFFICERS 17 ALABAMA’S STATE SENATORS 20 ALABAMA’S STATE REPRESENTATIVES

Departments 6

GEOGRAPHIC SPOTLIGHT 45 AUTAUGA AND ELMORE COUNTIES SPECIAL SECTIONS 61 BUSINESS COUNCIL OF ALABAMA

66

BENCHMARKS: MONTHLY BUSINESS NEWS BRIEFING 65 CAREER NOTES: WHO’S MOVING UP 68 BA INDEX: HUNDREDS OF LEADS EACH MONTH 70 COMPANY KUDOS: A MONTH OF ACHIEVEMENTS 71 HISTORIC ALABAMA: A WALK DOWN MEMORY LANE 71 ALABIZ QUIZ: TEST YOUR KNOWLEDGE January 2026 BusinessAlabama.com | 5

Benchmarks Lilly announces $6B pharma plant in Huntsville

Rendering of the new Lilly plant in the Limestone County portion of Huntsville.

Pharmaceutical giant ELI LILLY unveiled plans in December to invest $6 billion in a new manufacturing facility in Huntsville.

It’s the largest initial investment in Alabama’s history, Gov. Kay Ivey said.

The Indiana-based Lilly firm plans to make key ingredients for anti-obesity drugs at the new plant, the third of four it is announcing this winter.

Lilly describes the project as a “next-generation synthetic medicine active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) facility” to make “small molecule synthetic and peptide medicines.”

“Some of our biggest medicines will come here,” Lilly CEO and Chair David A. Ricks said in Huntsville. “Those are GLP-1 weight-loss medications that are also being studied in all manner of other diseases — heart disease, inflammation and even brain

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DRONE DETERRENT The FBI cut the ribbon in November on its National Counter-Unmanned Training Center at Redstone Arsenal in Huntsville. The first-of-itskind center will prepare law enforcement and security professionals to detect, assess and counter emerging unmanned aircraft system threats.

Mobile’s Springhill Medical Center. DeWayne Cuffie has been named president and CEO of Alabama Goodwill Industries. He has more than 16 years of experience with Goodwill in Florida, Maryland and New York.

NEW AT THE TOP Birmingham-based Protective Life Corp. has named Paul Wells its president and CFO effective Jan. 1. Wells is currently executive vice president and CFO. Rich Bielin will remain CEO. Deanna Kyrimis has been named president and CEO at

PORT PROGRESS The Alabama Port Authority has launched a $100 million project to update cargo facilities at Pier B. It’s one in a long series of major upgrades at Mobile’s seaport.

GENEROUS Norfolk Southern has given $455,000 to Children’s of Alabama. The donation will go toward expanding the pediatric ICU at the Birmingham

6 | BusinessAlabama.com January 2026

diseases, addiction. … These drugs are transforming not just metabolic conditions, but so many others, and we’ll export those around the world. We’ll make them here and ship them to the planet.”

Ricks said Lilly picked Huntsville’s Greenbrier South site after considering some 300 proposals from around the country. It’s the third of four new U.S. sites the company is announcing.

“The key criteria for us came down to speed of delivery,” Ricks said of Huntsville, also citing an ecosystem that includes education and workforce initiatives. “Finally, of course, incentives and an environment of stability … There’s been a stable policy in Alabama of pro-industry. Here, we’re moving further up the value chain to really high-tech properties like ours, and we’re excited to get going.”

Ivey welcomed the project saying, “Our roots in the biosciences industry run deep, and Alabama’s contributions to this burgeoning sector continue. We are proud to welcome Lilly’s new U.S. manufacturing facility, which we are thrilled is the largest initial investment in our state’s history.”

Construction on the plant is expected to begin in 2026 and to be complete in 2032. The project is expected to add 3,000 construction jobs, and the firm plans to hire some 450 engineers, scientists, operations personnel and lab technicians.

children’s hospital. Billionaire Michael Bloomberg is investing in two K-12 public charter schools affiliated with HBCU campuses in Alabama, donating $20 million to a school at Stillman College in Tuscaloosa and one near Tuskegee University. Real estate developer and oilman Ric Mayers and his wife, Chloe, of Vernon, have given $1 million to private school Tuscaloosa Academy.

SCHOOL SUPPORT The University of Alabama Culverhouse College of Business has named its signature student leadership and professional development program after alumnus R. James Kelly, former president

of Family Dollar Stores, whose family has committed to a $5 million gift. The University of Mobile is establishing the Tom Elliff Center for Missions, thanks to an anonymous multimillion-dollar gift. Huntsvillebased SportsMED Orthopaedic Specialists PC has pledged $1.3 million for a new gym at University of Alabama in Huntsville.

ROYAL INVESTORS Birmingham’s Royal Cup Coffee & Tea has secured an investment from Braemont Capital, based in Dallas. The company will provide monetary and operational support to Royal Cup.

BENCHMARKS

Southwire $175M expansion in Heflin

Southwire is expanding for the fourth time in Heflin.

SOUTHWIRE, which makes wire and cable products, has announced plans for a $175 million expansion in the Cleburne County city of Heflin. This is the fourth expansion since the plant opened in 1996 as Forte Power Systems.

The 75-year-old Southwire company is adding 340,000 square feet plus upgrades including a cooling system and rainwater collection system.

“The re-electrification of America will bring unprecedented opportunity for the electrical industry, and we stand ready to meet the needs that lie ahead for the markets we serve,” said

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GROWING Birmingham-based Encompass Health, the largest owner and operator of inpatient rehabilitation hospitals in the U.S., has opened the Rehabilitation Hospital of Amarillo in Texas. The 50-bed inpatient facility is affiliated with the BSA Health System.

Center’s Mark C. Smith Concert Hall, the city of Huntsville is planning $4.5 million in renovations to the VBC’s Propst Arena, Playhouse and South Hall — including a new ice system and restroom improvements.

POWER PLAY Alabama Power plans to keep electricity rates where they are for the next two years. The utility filed its intent to freeze rates with the Alabama Public Service Commission.

SPRUCING UP HUNTSVILLE Coming on the heels of major renovations to the Von Braun

Southwire President and CEO Rich Stinson. “We continue to purposely invest in modernization — across our facilities, equipment, systems, technologies and more — allowing us to best serve our customers and help power a more sustainable future.”

Southwire COO Norman Adkins said, “Southwire has committed more than $1.8 billion into modernization efforts across our footprint thus far, and we continue to grow. This expansion in Heflin reaffirms our commitment toward creating an extraordinary place to work — today and for generations to come.”

Heflin Mayor Robby Brown added, “We are thrilled that Southwire has chosen to expand its operations in Heflin. Southwire’s nearly 30-year presence in Cleburne County has cultivated a strong and meaningful partnership with our community, contributing to economic growth and prosperity for many families who call Heflin home. This expansion brings new jobs and even greater opportunity to Heflin and the broader Cleburne County area. We look forward to further strengthening our relationship with the Southwire team as this exciting project comes to life.”

The project is slated for completion in 2027.

Southwire is headquartered in Carrollton, Georgia. 

and Alabama State Parks Foundation totaling $200,000.

The park continues to raise funds for the playground.

LAUNCHED AJ Singhal and his Kalm Therapeutics took the $100,000 prize in Alabama Launchpad’s Life Science Track. The Huntsville firm is developing a patch to treat eczema and psoriasis.

WAGE WOES A study of about 600 autoworkers in Alabama has found that the use of prison labor in Hyundai’s supply chain is driving down the wages of other workers. The study was conducted by Columbia University’s Labor Lab and Jobs to Move America.

PLAY PLACE A $450,000 playground will be built at Joe Wheeler State Park in Rogersville after contributions from the Daniel Foundation, Thompson Foundation

ON CAMPUS Two construction projects are ready to start at the University of Alabama in Huntsville, after system trustees approved plans. First is a $47.7 million

project to renovate Bevill Hall for the Center for Cybersecurity Research, Education & Advanced Training. Second is a $15 million track and field complex. The University of Alabama is creating a School of Leadership and Policy, set to launch in 2027. Troy University has been awarded three federal grants totaling almost $2.9 million to strengthen its rehabilitation counseling and rehabilitation and disability studies programs. Billboard magazine has named the University of North Alabama’s Department of Entertainment Industry program among 2025’s top music business schools.

Janna Malone chairs the department.

January 2026 BusinessAlabama.com | 7

BENCHMARKS

Southeast Health invests $81M in expansion SOUTHEAST HEALTH

has broken ground on an $81 million expansion of its emergency department and patient tower. It is the largest single construction investment in the hospital since it was established in 1957.

“As emergency room visits continue to increase nationally, we currently treat approximately 60,000 patients annually, and that number is expected to continue growing,” Emergency facilities and patient tower are slated for upgrades. said Dr. Foy G. Mann III, medical director of the ED. “This expansion allows us to keep pace with the increasing demand for emergency services.”

The multi-phase expansion, which is expected to be complete in 2027, will double the size of the emergency department to 38,000 square feet, allowing the facility to treat up to 75,000 patients annually.

The patient tower expansion will add two floors and 52 inpatient beds, bringing the facility’s capacity to 455.

“This project will also generate a positive economic impact

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SUNNY INVESTMENT Advantage Capital and Origis Energy, both based in New York, announced a $265 million commitment supporting three solar projects, including two in Alabama. The companies committed $200 million to the Walker Springs I and II solar projects in Clarke County.

SLOSS UPGRADE Birmingham’s Sloss Furnaces is planning a $12 million renovation that will turn it into a park. The Sloss footprint is 32 acres, and the renovation will include a trail, play area for children, maze, pedal cars and an elevator to the top of the furnace.

BEST OF THE SMALL The Business Council of Alabama and the Chamber of Commerce Association of Alabama recognized 40 businesses at the Alabama Small Business Awards. Top award-winners included Cloud 9 Aviation, Gllam Boutique, Ted’s Floors & Beyond and Valle Grande Mexican Grill.

BEACH TRANSFER Aurora Hospitality Partners, which includes Nick and Terry Saban, will acquire the Perdido Beach Resort in south Alabama.

Terms of the purchase were not announced.

UPTOWN UPSURGE Construction is set to begin next spring on 64 new homes at the former Carraway Hospital site in Birmingham. The Star Uptown

8 | BusinessAlabama.com January 2026

to the region by creating opportunities for local subcontractors, suppliers and vendors,” said Rick Sutton, medical center CEO. “As Houston County’s largest employer, with more than 3,400 dedicated team members, Southeast Health will continue to drive job growth with the addition of clinical and support staff.”

In addition to the ED and patient tower, the expansion will add a CT scanner to the ED, provide a safe environment for behavioral medicine patients, relocate the Southeast Health Medicine Shop to a convenient storefront location for easier access, and upgrade the waiting and seating areas

project will include homes and a clubhouse slated to be ready for occupancy in early 2027.

DATA DRIVE The plan to develop a $14.5 billion data center campus in Bessemer is moving forward after the rezoning of nearly 700 acres of land southwest of Birmingham. Logistics Land Investment, owned by an Atlanta company, is behind the redevelopment of mostly timber land.

MERGERS & ACQUISITIONS Dallas-based real estate firm Lincoln Property Co. has acquired Birmingham-based Capstone Development Partners, a student housing and university facilities

development and management company. Capstone will continue to operate under its current name. Miamibased Propy, an AI-powered title and escrow platform, has acquired Mobile-based Delta South Title as part of a $100 million expansion plan.

This marks Propy’s entrance into the Alabama real estate market. VisionFirst locations in Alabama will transition to the TriaVision brand by March 1, 2026. TriaVision was founded in 2024 by 14 former UAB Callahan Eye Hospital doctors. Montgomery-based CPA firm Jackson Thornton has acquired Jackson, Howard & Whatley, a CPA firm in Birmingham. Birmingham-

BENCHMARKS

Aquatic Leisure coming to Opp Australian swimming pool manufacturer AQUATIC

LEISURE TECHNOLOGIES GROUP has selected Opp for

its U.S. manufacturing home.

The 56,000-square-foot facility will be homebase for the firm’s Aqua Technics Pools.

Production is expected to begin in 2026.

“Since entering the U.S. market in 2018, ALT has supplied American distribuOpp will be Aquatic tors and dealers directly from Technics Pools’ its Australian facilities,” the manufacturing hub for Alabama Department of Comthe U.S. market. merce reported on its Made in Alabama website, noting that the site in Opp allows the company to shorten delivery time and provide better support as it expands across the U.S. “Establishing a manufacturing presence in the United States is a natural progression for our business,” said ALT President Lynley Papineau. “After two years of searching for the right property and the right community to call home, Opp, Alabama provides the ideal location — offering a strong local workforce, supportive community and excellent infrastructure that will help to facilitate our long-term vision for growth.”

“We are thrilled to welcome Aquatic Leisure Technologies to Opp, Alabama,” said Gov. Kay Ivey. “Their decision to build here

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based investment advisory firm Waverly Advisors has acquired certain business lines from Chicago-based Promus Holdings. The Baldwin Group, an independent insurance brokerage and advisory firm based in Tampa, will merge with the CAC Group in a deal worth just over $1 billion. Birmingham brokerage firm Cobbs Allen formed CAC Specialty in 2019, which became CAC Group in 2023 after a merger.

built at its Louisville, Kentucky, headquarters.

STEEL SUPPLY GE Appliances has awarded more than $150 million in contracts to U.S. suppliers, including to Choice Fabricators, a metal stamping firm based in Rainbow City. The contracts support GE’s new plant being

NEW DIGS The Auburn Chamber of Commerce is planning a new $3.5 million facility. The Chamber & Community Business Center will include a large meeting hall, indoor and outdoor gathering spaces, updated office spaces and two courtyards.

PLAY SPACE The Land, a $72 million sports complex in Saraland, is completely open to the public.

The complex includes indoor sports facilities, rock climbing walls and more.

LASER FOCUSED IPG Defense, which develops

underscores the strength of our state’s pro-business climate, our talented workforce and our commitment to fostering world-class manufacturing.”

Secretary of Commerce Ellen McNair added, “We are proud to support this landmark project, which will bring jobs, advanced technology and stronger capacity for our state’s manufacturing ecosystem.”

“We are committed to investing in American manufacturing and contributing to the region’s economic development,” Papineau added. “In 2026, we will be celebrating our 50th year as a family business, and we are incredibly excited to be able to offer more families our world-class pools to create lasting memories.”

and produces laser defense solutions, has opened an office and manufacturing facility in Huntsville. The 14,000-squarefoot facility is in the Redstone Gateway.

GIFTS FROM HOME Three Alabama firms have been chosen for the national Made in America holiday gift guide produced by the Alliance for American Manufacturing.

Alabama entries on the list are the fish finders, sonar systems and other fishing gear products

by Humminbird in Eufaula; Bourbon Pens made from whiskey barrels in Birmingham, and hot sauce and other cooking sauces created by Alabama Sunshine in Fayette.

SADLY MISSED Jerry Underwood, who after a long career as a reporter and business editor at The Birmingham News helped create and ran the Alabama Department of Commerce’s Made in Alabama website, has died at age 65.

Underwood is survived by his wife, Lisa; son, John; and daughter, Mary Margaret.

Ann Bedsole, the first woman to serve in the Alabama Senate and first Republican woman to serve in the Alabama House, died in December at age 95.

Bedsole was instrumental in the founding of the Alabama School of Math and Science in Mobile and organized Mobile’s TriCentennial celebration in 2002.

January 2026 BusinessAlabama.com | 9

GOVERNMENT & POLITICS

Big Ideas from the Big 10 Mayors The leaders of Alabama’s largest cities come together to discuss issues and find solutions

By CARY ESTES

I

f two heads are indeed better than one, then what about five heads? Or even 10?

That was the general thought process behind the creation more than a decade ago of what has evolved into the Big 10 Mayors organization, a coalition of the mayors of the 10 largest cities in Alabama who meet quarterly to discuss issues, challenges and potential solutions.

“It’s a great way to share knowledge and ideas and also try to find common solutions at the local and state level,” Montgomery Mayor Steven Reed says. “It also gives us the opportunity to collectively advocate on the behalf of cities when it comes to policy-making and other issues that may impact our residents.

It provides a collective voice to move forward and really look for better ways to make government more efficient and effective.”

Or as Dothan Mayor Mark Saliba puts it, “Even though all the cities are different, the issues are very similar. So, it’s all about working together to make our entire state better.”

The idea began late in 2013, shortly after Sandy Stimpson was first elected mayor of Mobile. While attending a Business Council of Alabama event, he struck up a conversation with Todd Strange, who at the time was the mayor of Montgomery. Strange suggested periodically bringing together the mayors of the state’s five largest cities — Birmingham, Huntsville, Mobile, Montgomery and Tuscaloosa — for a casual meeting to talk about the issues they were facing.

“He thought it would be a good way for us to all get to know each other better and talk about things that were going on in our

From left, Mayors Randall Woodfin, Sandy Stimpson, Walt Maddox and Tommy Battle participate in Gov. Kay Ivey’s press conference on Feb. 5, 2025, announcing the “Safe Alabama” package of bills, designed to address public safety issues across the state. The Big 10 Mayors were instrumental in helping to develop and pass this legislation. Courtesy of the Alabama Big 10 Mayors Association.

cities,” says Stimpson, who recently retired as Mobile mayor after 12 years in office. “We would be able to sit in a relaxed social setting and have a conversation with a free flow of ideas.”

Huntsville Mayor Tommy Battle was at that BCA meeting as well, and when Strange and Stimpson mentioned the suggestion to him, he agreed that it sounded like a good idea.

“I thought it would be a good way to compare notes about what’s happening in our communities,” Battle says. “We could talk about what you’re excelling in that we could all share in, and some of the challenges and how we could work together on them. Because what happens in one community often happens in another. Everybody has similar challenges, and similar ways that January 2026 BusinessAlabama.com | 11

G OV E R N M E N T & P O L I T I C S

The Big 10 Mayors Association met in October 2025 with incoming and outgoing members. At the time this photo was taken, they are, from left, Decatur Mayor-elect Kent Lawrence, Mobile Mayor-elect Spiro Cheriogotis, Dothan Mayor Mark Saliba, Mobile Mayor Sandy Stimpson, Madison Mayor Paul Finley, Madison Mayor-elect Ranae Bartlett, Tuscaloosa Mayor Walt Maddox, Hoover Mayor-elect Nick Derzis, Decatur Mayor Tab Bowling, Auburn Mayor Ron Anders and Huntsville Mayor Tommy Battle. Courtesy of the Alabama Big 10 Mayors Association.

we can look for solutions.”

The first meeting was held in January of 2014 at Stimpson’s hunting lodge in Clarke County. The gathering proved to be so productive that the mayors quickly agreed to make it a regular occurrence and began moving the gathering to various parts of the state.

“We realized that there was so much to be gained by having additional meetings,” Stimpson says. “Even if you’ve been involved in government before becoming mayor, there is decision-making that mayors have to make that’s different than anyone else in city government. So having those meetings was invaluable.”

In 2019, the group determined that it would be advantageous to double the size of its gatherings to include the mayors of the state’s next five largest cities: Auburn, Decatur, Dothan, Hoover and Madison. With that expansion, the metro areas of the organization’s 10 cities account for approximately 75% of Alabama’s population.

“As we looked at the breadth of our influence, we realized that there were things we needed to understand about the challenges 12 | BusinessAlabama.com January 2026

of that next group of cities,” Stimpson says. “We didn’t want to be so focused on what our problems were that we weren’t sensitive to what was going on in those cities. So, as we tried to move the entire state forward, it was important to have input from them as we chose issues to support and how to go about it.”

Saliba says that for a city the size of Dothan, it is helpful to have an opportunity to communicate regularly with the top officials from the state’s largest metro areas.

“I’m a big fan of associations,” Saliba says. “I’m a home builder (as president of the Alfred Saliba Corp., founded by his father) and have been part of the Home Builders Association of Alabama for 30 years. I’ve seen some of the same benefits with the Big 10 Mayors of having contacts throughout the state who you can call when you want to talk about issues, to let you know what’s worked for them and what hasn’t. That has been very helpful for me as mayor.”

Attending the meetings also can be valuable to mayoral newcomers who still are learning all the intricacies of the position, according to Spiro Cheriogotis, who replaced Stimpson as Mobile’s mayor in November.

“To sit in there and be able to discuss these issues with people who have been doing the job for a decade or more is invaluable,” Cheriogotis says. “We’re building relationships as colleagues. I want to understand their experiences. I want to know how things went when they tried different ideas. I love the opportunity to bounce ideas and potential procedures off them. It’s a true wealth of knowledge.”

While there certainly are benefits to the mayors individually, they say the true advantage of the organization is the ability to

G OV E R N M E N T & P O L I T I C S

On Oct. 24, 2022, the Big 10 Mayors held a press conference in Auburn in support of the Aniah’s Law constitutional amendment referendum. They were joined by the family of Aniah Blanchard. Courtesy of the Alabama Big 10 Mayors Association.

work together on a common goal. A prime example is the passage in 2022 of Aniah’s Law, which expanded the ability of state judges to deny bail to dangerous offenders. The Big 10 Mayors were a vocal proponent of the law.

“Public safety is one of the top issues that a mayor has,” Saliba says. “I’m not saying Aniah’s Law couldn’t have been passed without (the Big 10 Mayors), but it helped to have more of a collective voice sharing some of the challenges that we have and the need for passing that law.”

Moving forward, the organization has indicated that one of its primary goals will be to make changes to the state’s current Simplified Sellers Use Tax (SSUT) on internet sales, which the group says benefits large, out-of-state corporations such as Amazon and Walmart at the expense of local Alabama small businesses.

“This issue must be addressed, whether through the courts or through the legislature,” the Big 10 Mayors said in a statement released last July. “Every day the system continues to exist in its current form is another day where our schools, first responders and communities are losing the resources that they depend on and are rightly theirs.”

Regardless of the issue, Reed says the beauty of the Big 10 Mayors is they are able to put aside any personal differences they might have in terms of political beliefs in order to work together for the better for their communities and the state.

“Ultimately, people want mayors to get things done,” Reed says. “It doesn’t matter if you’re a Republican or Democrat. A pothole is a pothole and trash is trash. That doesn’t have a party identification. Your residents just expect you to get it done.

“So, when we’re together, that’s what we’re talking about. It’s about coming up with solutions.”

Cary Estes is a Birmingham-based freelance contributor to Business Alabama.

January 2026 BusinessAlabama.com | 13

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Alabama’s Congressional Members SENATOR

SENATOR

416 Russell Senate Office Building Washington, D.C. 20510 202-224-5744 Britt.senate.gov 321 Federal Bldg.

1800 5th Ave. N. Birmingham, AL 35203 205-731-1384

Russell Senate Office Building Suite 445 Washington, DC 20510 202-224-4124 Tuberville.senate.gov Frank M. Johnson Jr. Annex One Church St., Ste. 500-B Montgomery, AL 36104 334-523-7424

U.S. SENATORS

KATIE BRITT (R)

Committees: Appropriations; Judiciary; Banking, Housing and Urban Development; Rules and Administration Chief of Staff: Sean Ross Communications Director: Grace Evans

SHOMARI FIGURES (D)

District 4: Blount, Colbert, Cullman, DeKalb, Fayette, Franklin, Lamar, Marion, Marshall, Walker, Winston and part of Lauderdale and Tuscaloosa

District 2: Barbour, Bullock, Butler, Conecuh, Crenshaw, Macon, Monroe, Montgomery, Pike, Russell, Washington and part of Clarke and Mobile

Committees: Armed Services; Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry; Veterans’ Affairs; Health, Education, Labor and Pensions; Special Committee on Aging Chief of Staff: Jordan Doufexis Communications Director: Mallory Jaspers

Photo by AP Images

ROBERT ADERHOLT (R)

U.S. REPRESENTATIVES

TOMMY TUBERVILLE (R)

BARRY MOORE (R) District 1: Baldwin, Coffee, Covington, Dale, Escambia, Geneva, Henry, Houston and part of Mobile

272 Cannon House Office Building Washington, DC 20515 202-225-4876/Fax: 202-225-5587 Aderholt.house.gov 247 Carl Elliot Building 1710 Alabama Ave. Jasper, AL 35501 205-221-2310 Committees: Appropriations Chief of Staff: Chris Lawson Press Secretary: Lucy Allen

225 Cannon House Office Building Washington, D.C. 20515 202-225-4931 figures.house.gov 107 St. Francis St., Unit 1930 Mobile, AL 36602 251-283-6280

Committees: Transportation and Infrastructure; Agriculture Chief of Staff: Tristan Breaux Communications Director: Aryele Bradford

Committees: Agriculture, Judiciary Chief of Staff: Madison Green Communications Director: Ben Martin

MIKE ROGERS (R)

TERRI SEWELL (D)

DALE STRONG (R)

District 3: Calhoun, Chambers, Cherokee, Clay, Cleburne, Etowah, Lee, Randolph, St. Clair, Tallapoosa and part of Talladega 2469 Rayburn House Office Building Washington, DC 20515 202-225-3261/Fax: 202-226-8485 Mikerogers.house.gov 149 E. Hamric Dr., Ste. D Oxford, AL 36203 256-236-5655/Fax: 771-200-5538 Committees: Armed Services Chief of Staff: Haley Wilson Communications Director: Carrie Cole

District 7: Choctaw, Dallas, Greene, Hale, Lowndes, Marengo, Perry, Pickens, Sumter, Wilcox and part of Clarke, Jefferson and Tuscaloosa 1035 Longworth House Office Building Washington, DC 20515 202-225-2665 Sewell.house.gov 908 Alabama Ave., Fed. Building, Ste. 112 Selma, AL 36701 334-877-4414 Committees: Ways and Means, House Administration Chief of Staff: Hillary Beard Communications Director: Christopher Kosteva

14 | BusinessAlabama.com January 2026

1511 Longworth House Office Building Washington, DC 20515 202-225-2901 Barrymoore.house.gov 217 Graceland Dr., Ste. 5 Dothan, AL 36305 334-547-6630

District 5: Jackson, Lawrence, Limestone, Madison, Morgan and part of Lauderdale

449 Cannon House Office Building Washington, D.C. 20515 202-225-4801 Strong.house.gov 2101 Clinton Ave. W., Ste. 302 Huntsville, AL 35805 256-551-0190/Fax: 771-200-5717 Committees: Appropriations; Homeland Security Chief of Staff: Ella Sullins Communications Director: Madison Neal

GARY PALMER (R) District 6: Autauga, Bibb, Chilton, Coosa, Elmore, Shelby and part of Jefferson and Talladega

170 Cannon House Office Building Washington, DC 20515 202-225-4921/Fax: 202-225-2082 Palmer.house.gov 3535 Grandview Pkwy., Ste. 525 Birmingham, AL 35243 205-968-1290/Fax: 205-968-1294 Committees: Energy & Commerce, Oversight and Accountability Chief of Staff: Doug Coutts Communications Director: Caroline Tabler

SPONSORED BY

G OV E R N M E N T

Alabama’s Constitutional Officers GOVERNOR KAY IVEY

LIEUTENANT GOV. WILL AINSWORTH

State Capitol

11 S. Union St. # 725

600 Dexter Ave.

Montgomery, AL 36130

Montgomery, AL 36130

334-261-9590

334-242-7100

ltgov.alabama.gov

Fax: 334-353-0004 governor.alabama.gov

SECRETARY OF STATE WES ALLEN

STATE AUDITOR ANDREW SORRELL

600 Dexter Ave.

600 Dexter Ave.

Suite S-105

Room S-101

Montgomery, AL 36130

Montgomery, AL 36130

334-242-7200

334-242-7010

Fax: 334-242-4993

Fax: 334-242-7650

sos.alabama.gov

auditor.alabama.gov

ATTORNEY GENERAL STEVE MARSHALL

COMMISSIONER OF AGRICULTURE & INDUSTRIES — RICK PATE

STATE TREASURER YOUNG BOOZER III

501 Washington Ave. Montgomery, AL 36104 334-242-7300 / Fax: 334-242-4891 alabamaag.gov

1445 Federal Drive Montgomery, AL 36107 334-240-7100 / Fax: 334-240-7190 agi.alabama.gov

600 Dexter Ave., Room S-106 Montgomery, AL 36104 334-242-7500 treasury.alabama.gov

January 2026 BusinessAlabama.com | 15

G OV E R N M E N T

SPONSORED BY

Alabama’s State Senate

Compiled by NEDRA BLOOM

WILL BARFOOT

WILLIAM BEASLEY

LANCE BELL

TOM BUTLER

MERIKA COLEMAN

LINDA COLEMAN-MADISON

CHRIS ELLIOTT

VIVIAN DAVIS FIGURES

JOSH CARNLEY

GERALD ALLEN DONNIE CHESTEEN

SAM GIVHAN

GREG ALBRITTON CLYDE CHAMBLISS

SEVERAL PHOTOS COURTESY OF ALABAMA SENATE.

General address to reach all state senators in Montgomery is Alabama Legislature, 11 S. Union St., Montgomery, AL 36130.

SENATOR

DISTRICT

Listed in alphabetical order.

Greg Albritton

MONTGOMERY PHONE

EMAIL

22 R

Baldwin, Escambia, Mobile & Washington Counties 810 S. Pensacola Ave., Atmore, AL 36502

334-261-0483

gregalbrittonsenate22@gmail.com

Gerald Allen

21 R

Pickens & Tuscaloosa Counties P.O. Box 70007, Tuscaloosa, AL 35407

334-261-0889

gerald.allen@alsenate.gov

Will Barfoot

25 R

Crenshaw, Elmore & Montgomery Counties 11 S. Union St., Ste. 733, Montgomery, AL 36130

334-261-0895

will.barfoot@alsenate.gov

William Beasley

28 D

Barbour, Bullock, Henry, Houston, Macon & Russell Counties P.O. Box 606, Clayton, AL 36016

334-261-0868

billy.beasley@alsenate.gov

Lance Bell

11 R

Shelby, St. Clair & Talladega Counties

334-261-0789

lance.bell@alsenate.gov

Tom Butler

2

Limestone & Madison Counties P.O. Box 653, Madison, AL 35758

334-261-0884

senbutler@aol.com

Josh Carnley

31 R

Coffee, Covington, Dale & Pike Counties

334-261-0845

josh.carnley@alsenate.gov

Clyde Chambliss

30 R

Autauga, Chilton, Coosa, Elmore & Tallapoosa Counties

334-261-0872

clyde.chambliss@alsenate.gov

Donnie Chesteen

29 R

Dale, Geneva & Houston Counties P.O. Box 39, Geneva, AL 36340

334-261-0879

donnie.chesteen@alsenate.gov

Merika Coleman

19 D

Jefferson County

334-261-0793

merika.coleman@alsenate.gov

Linda Coleman-Madison

20 D

Jefferson County

334-261-0864

lcolemanmadison926@yahoo.com

Chris Elliott

32 R

Baldwin County 1100 Fairhope Ave., Fairhope, AL 36532

334-261-0897

chris.elliott@alsenate.gov

Vivian Davis Figures

33 D

Baldwin & Mobile Counties P.O. Box 7985, Mobile, AL 36670

334-261-0871

vivian.figures@alsenate.gov

Sam Givhan

7

Madison County

334-261-0867

sam.givhan@alsenate.gov

PARTY

COUNTY REPRESENTED/DISTRICT ADDRESS

R

R

January 2026 BusinessAlabama.com | 17

G OV E R N M E N T

STEVE LIVINGSTON BOBBY SINGLETON

KEITH KELLEY DAVID SESSIONS

WES KITCHENS

ANDREW JONES DAN ROBERTS

SHAY SHELNUTT

JAY HOVEY RANDY PRICE PARTY

KIRK HATCHER ARTHUR ORR DISTRICT

GARLAN GUDGER TIM MELSON

SPONSORED BY

COUNTY REPRESENTED/DISTRICT ADDRESS

MONTGOMERY PHONE

EMAIL

4

R

Cullman, Marion & Winston Counties

334-261-0855

garlan.gudger@alsenate.gov

Kirk Hatcher

26 D

Montgomery County P.O. Box 6213, Montgomery, AL 36106

334-261-9001

kirk.hatcher@alsenate.gov

Jay Hovey

27 R

Lee, Russell & Tallapoosa Counties

334-261-0865

jay.hovey@alsenate.gov

Andrew Jones

10 R

Cherokee, DeKalb & Etowah Counties

334-261-0857

andrew.jones@alsenate.gov

Keith Kelley

12 R

Calhoun & Talladega Counties

334-261-0846

keith.kelley@alsenate.gov

Wes Kitchens

9

R

Blount, Madison & Marshall Counties 412-A Gunter Ave., Guntersville, AL 35976

334-261-0876

wes.kitchens@alsenate.gov

Steve Livingston

8

R

DeKalb, Jackson & Madison Counties P.O. Box 8, Scottsboro, AL 35768

334-261-0858

steve.livingston@alsenate.gov

Tim Melson

1

R

Lauderdale & Limestone Counties P.O. Box 550, Florence, AL 35631

334-261-0888

tim.melson@alsenate.gov

Arthur Orr

3

R

Limestone, Madison & Morgan Counties P.O. Box 305, Decatur, AL 35602

334-261-0758

arthur.orr@alsenate.gov

Randy Price

13 R

Chambers, Clay, Cleburne, Lee & Randolph Counties P.O. Box 429, Opelika, AL 36801

334-261-0874

randyprice.sd13@gmail.com

Dan Roberts

15 R

Jefferson & Shelby Counties P.O. Box 43186, Birmingham, AL 35243

334-261-0851

dan.roberts@alsenate.gov

David Sessions

35 R

Mobile County 104 Lawrence St., Mobile, AL 36602

334-261-0882

d.r.sessions@att.net

Shay Shelnutt

17 R

Blount, Jefferson & St. Clair Counties P.O. Box 120, Trussville, AL 35173

334-261-0794

shay.sd17@gmail.com

Bobby Singleton

24 D

Choctaw, Greene, Hale, Marengo, Sumter & Tuscaloosa Counties

334-261-0335

bsingle362@gmail.com

SENATOR

Garlan Gudger

18 | BusinessAlabama.com January 2026

G OV E R N M E N T

SENATOR

DISTRICT

Rodger Smitherman

MATT WOODS

JACK WILLIAMS

APRIL WEAVER

J.T. “JABO” WAGGONER

LARRY STUTTS

ROBERT STEWART

RODGER SMITHERMAN

SPONSORED BY

MONTGOMERY PHONE

EMAIL

18 D

Jefferson County 2029 2nd Ave. N., Birmingham, AL 35203

334-261-0870

rodger.smitherman@alsenate.gov

Robert Stewart

23 D

Butler, Clarke, Conecuh, Dallas, Lowndes, Marengo, Perry, Washington & Wilcox Counties

334-261-0860

robert.stewart@alsenate.gov

Larry Stutts

6

Colbert, Franklin, Lawrence & Limestone Counties 1120 S. Jackson Hwy., Ste. 104, Sheffield, AL 35660

334-261-0862

larry.stutts@alsenate.gov

J.T. "Jabo" Waggoner

16 R

Jefferson & Shelby Counties P.O. Box 660609, Vestavia Hills, AL 35266

334-261-0892

jabo.waggoner@alsenate.gov

April Weaver

14 R

Bibb, Chilton & Shelby Counties P.O. Box 2050, Alabaster, AL 35007

334-261-0886

april.weaver@alsenate.gov

Jack Williams

34 R

Mobile County 10095A Wilmer Georgetown Rd., Wilmer, AL 36587

334-261-0829

jackwilliams55@icloud.com

Matt Woods

5

Fayette, Jefferson, Lamar, Tuscaloosa & Walker Counties

334-261-0894

matt.woods@alsenate.gov

PARTY

COUNTY REPRESENTED/DISTRICT ADDRESS

R

R

*Editor’s Note: For updated information, visit alison.legislature.state.al.us.

January 2026 BusinessAlabama.com | 19

G OV E R N M E N T

SPONSORED BY

Alabama State Representatives NAPOLEON BRACY JR.

RON BOLTON STEVE CLOUSE

BROCK COLVIN

CHRIS BLACKSHEAR ADLINE CLARKE

BARBARA BOYD

RUSSELL BEDSOLE PRINCE CHESTNUT

TERRI COLLINS

GREGORY BARNES

ALAN BAKER MACK BUTLER

JIM CARNS

HEATH ALLBRIGHT

CHIP BROWN

BRYAN BRINYARK

Compiled by NEDRA BLOOM

MANY PHOTOS COURTESY OF ALABAMA HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OR ALABAMA RURAL ELECTRIC ASSOCIATION OF COOPERATIVES

General address to reach all state representatives in Montgomery is Alabama Legislature, 11 S. Union St., Montgomery, AL 36130.

PARTY

REPRESENTATIVE

DISTRICT

Listed in alphabetical order.

COUNTY REPRESENTED OR DISTRICT ADDRESS

MONTGOMERY / DISTRICT PHONES

EMAIL

Heath Allbright

11 R

Blount & Cullman Counties

334-261-0530

heathallbright@gmail.com

Alan Baker

66 R

Baldwin & Escambia Counties P.O. Box 975, Brewton, AL 36427

334-261-0420

staterep@co.escambia.al.us

Gregory Barnes

13 R

Walker County

334-261-0495

Russell Bedsole

49 R

Bibb, Chilton & Shelby Counties 417 Sterling Park Circle, Alabaster, AL 35007

334-261-0491

russell.bedsole@alhouse.gov

Chris Blackshear

80 R

Lee & Russell Counties P.O. Box 1178, Smiths Station, AL 36877

334-261-0428/706-464-8941

chris.blackshear@alhouse.gov

Ron Bolton

61 R

Pickens & Tuscaloosa Counties 11240 Davis Place, Northport, AL 35476

334-261-0403/205-242-9896

ronaldbolton1@gmail.com

Barbara Boyd

32 D

Calhoun & Talladega Counties P.O. Box 4085, Anniston, AL 36204

334-261-0592

barbara.boyd@alhouse.gov

Napoleon Bracy Jr.

98 D

Mobile County 104 S. Lawrence St., Mobile, AL 36602

334-261-0556/251-327-2794

napolean@napoleonbracy.com

Bryan Brinyark

16 R

Fayette, Jefferson & Tuscaloosa Counties 31 McFarland Blvd., #200, Northport, AL 35476

334-261-0482/205-759-5773

bryan.brinyark@alhouse.gov

Chip Brown

105 R

Mobile County 104 S. Lawrence St., Mobile, AL 36602

334-261-0447

chip.brown@alhouse.gov

Mack Butler

28 R

Etowah County P.O. Box 7184, Rainbow City, AL 35906

334-261-0490/256-312-3128

mack.butler@alhouse.gov

Jim Carns

48 R

Jefferson & Shelby Counties 1713 Pump House Ln., Vestavia Hills, AL 35243

334-261-0429

jwcarns@gmail.com

Prince Chestnut

67 D

Dallas & Perry Counties P.O. Box 628, Selma, AL 36702

334-261-0598/334-874-2569

chestnut4house@gmail.com

Adline Clarke

97 D

Mobile County P.O. Box 40748, Mobile, AL 36640

334-261-0549/251-208-5481

adline.clark@alhouse.gov

Steve Clouse

93 R

Dale & Houston Counties P.O. Box 818, Ozark, AL 36361

334-261-0488/334-774-7384

steve.clouse@alhouse.gov

Terri Collins

8

Morgan County 2128 6th Ave. SE, Ste. 504, Decatur, AL 35602

334-261-0472/256-260-2146

terri@terricollins.org

Brock Colvin

26 R

Marshall County 412A Gunter Ave., Guntersville, AL 35976

334-261-0438/256-582-0619

bcolvin@mclo.org

R

20 | BusinessAlabama.com January 2026

G OV E R N M E N T

CHRISTOPHER ENGLAND

PHILLIP ENSLER

JUANDALYNN GIVAN

DONNA GIVENS

BRETT EASTERBROOK DANNY GARRETT

CORLEY ELLIS

SUSAN DUBOSE BERRY FORTE

MARK GIDLEY

BARBARA DRUMMOND BOB FINCHER

KELVIN DATCHER JENNIFER FIDLER PARTY

ANTHONY DANIELS DAVID FAULKNER

DISTRICT

DANNY CRAWFORD TRACY ESTES

SPONSORED BY

Danny Crawford

5

R

Limestone County 113 Lindsay Ln. N., Athens, AL 35613

334-261-0516/256-871-1944

Danny.F.Crawford@gmail.com

Anthony Daniels

53 D

Madison County 726 Madison St., Huntsville, AL 35801

334-261-0522/256-539-5441

anthony.daniels@alhouse.gov

Kelvin Datcher

52 D

Jefferson County 214 24th St. N., Birmingham, AL 35211

334-261-0387

kelvin.datcher@alhouse.gov

Barbara Drummond

103 D

Mobile County 1266 Horton Dr., Mobile, AL 36605

334-261-0564/251-208-5481

drummondbarbara@comcast.net

Susan DuBose

45 R

Jefferson, Shelby & St. Clair Counties 5378 Greystone Way, Hoover, AL 35242

334-261-0527/205-612-2433

susan.dubose@alhouse.gov

Brett Easterbrook

65 R

Baldwin, Choctaw, Clarke & Washington Counties 633 Escatawpa Rd., Fruitdale, AL 36539

334-261-0402

brett.easterbrook@yahoo.com

Corley Ellis

41 R

Shelby County P.O. Box 1177, Columbiana, AL 35051

334-261-0560

corley.ellis@alhouse.gov

Christopher John England

70 D

Tuscaloosa County 2201 University Blvd., Tuscaloosa, AL 35401

334-261-0503/205-248-5140

cengland1@hotmail.com

Phillip Ensler

74 D

Montgomery County P.O. Box 20185, Montgomery, AL 36120

334-261-0569/334-235-9814

phillip.ensler@gmail.com

Tracy Estes

17 R

Lamar, Marion & Winston Counties 202 Arrowhead Village, Winfield, AL 35594

334-261-0434

jtracyestes@gmail.com

David Faulkner

46 R

Jefferson County 505 N. 20th St., Ste. 1800, Birmingham, AL 35203

334-261-0442/205-250-6604

david@davidfaulkneral46.com

Jennifer Fidler

94 R

Baldwin County 1100 Fairhope Ave., Fairhope, AL 36532

334-261-0409/251-620-9384

jennifer.fidler@alhouse.gov

Bob Fincher

37 R

Chambers, Lee & Randolph Counties 11823 County Rd. 59, Woodland, AL 36280

334-261-0538/256-201-0154

rsfincher77@gmail.com

Berry Forte

84 D

Barbour, Bullock & Russell Counties 620 Davis Ln., Eufaula, AL 36027

334-261-0566

berry.forte@alhouse.gov

Danny Garrett

44 R

Jefferson County P.O. Box 531, Trussville, AL 35173

334-261-0524/205-410-4637

dannygarrett44@gmail.com

Mark Gidley

29 R

Calhoun & Etowah Counties P.O. Box 2671, Gasden, AL 35903

334-261-0432

mark.gidley@alhouse.gov

Juandalynn Givan

60 D

Jefferson County 63 Greenleaf Dr., Birmingham, AL 35214

334-261-0584

juandalynn@givanlaw.com

Donna Givens

64 R

Baldwin County P.O. Box 8261, Loxley, AL 36551

334-261-0445/251-952-2210

donnagivens64@gmail.com

REPRESENTATIVE

COUNTY REPRESENTED OR DISTRICT ADDRESS

MONTGOMERY / DISTRICT PHONES

EMAIL

January 2026 BusinessAlabama.com | 21

FRANCES HOLK-JONES

ROLANDA HOLLIS MARILYN LANDS

TRAVIS HENDRIX JAMIE KIEL

BILL LAMB

KENYATTÉ HASSEL SAM JONES

JIM HILL

BEN HARRISON THOMAS JACKSON

COUNTY REPRESENTED OR DISTRICT ADDRESS

MIKE KIRKLAND

MATTHEW HAMMETT REED INGRAM PARTY

LAURA HALL STEVE HURST

REPRESENTATIVE

SPONSORED BY

DISTRICT

JEREMY GRAY

LEIGH HULSEY

G OV E R N M E N T

MONTGOMERY / DISTRICT PHONES

EMAIL

Jeremy Gray

83 D

Lee & Russell Counties P.O. Box 1834, Opelika, AL 36803

334-261-9505/256-247-5059

jeremy.gray@alhouse.gov

Laura Hall

19 D

Madison County 726 Madison St., Huntsville, AL 35801

334-261-0517/256-539-5441

annihall19@gmail.com

Matthew Hammett

92 R

Coffee, Covington & Escambia Counties 24901 County Rd. 62, Dozier, AL 36028

334-261-0421/334-496-3649

matthew.hammett@alhouse.gov

Ben Harrison

2

R

Lauderdale & Limestone Counties 23029 AL Hwy. 89, Elkmont, AL 35620

334-261-0476/256-614-9087

votebenharrison@gmail.com

Kenyatté Hassell

78 D

Montgomery County 1200 Hugh St., Montgomery, AL 36108

334-261-0506/334-834-8494

ken.hassell@alhouse.gov

Travis Hendrix

55 D

Jefferson County 1710 1st Ave., Birmingham, AL 35203

334-261-0452/205-254-2684

hendrixfor55@gmail.com

Jim Hill

50 R

St. Clair County 2603 Moody Pkwy., Moody, AL 35004

334-261-0494/205-838-1990

jimhill@alhouse.gov

Frances Holk-Jones

95 R

Baldwin County 315 E. Laurel Ave., Ste. 101, Foley, AL 36535

334-261-0523/251-620-7470

frances.holk-jones@alhouse.gov

Rolanda Hollis

58 D

Jefferson County 524 Red Lane Rd., Birmingham, AL 35215

334-261-9520

rolanda.hollis@alhouse.gov

Leigh Hulsey

15 R

Jefferson & Shelby Counties 1134 County Services Dr., Pelham, AL 35124

334-261-0474

leigh.hulsey@alhouse.gov

Steve Hurst

35 R

Calhoun, Clay & Talladega Counties 155 Quail Run Rd., Munford, AL 36268

334-261-0415/334-280-3276

repstevehurst98@gmail.com

Reed Ingram

75 R

Elmore & Montgomery Counties 85 Meriwether Rd., Pike Road, AL 36064

334-261-0507

reedingram75@gmail.com

Thomas E. Jackson

68 D

Clarke, Conecuh, Marengo, Monroe, Perry & Wlcox Counties P.O. Box 636, Thomasville, AL 36784

334-261-0437/334-222-0111

jthomase68@gmail.com

Sam Jones

99 D

Mobile County 1 Southern Way, Mobile, AL 36619

334-261-0963

SL Jones@ballhealth.com

Jamie Kiel

18 R

Colbert & Franklin Counties 14696 Hwy. 43, Russellville, AL 35653

334-261-0521

jamie.kiel@alhouse.gov

Mike Kirkland

23 R

Jackson County 100 E. Peachtree St., Scottsboro, AL 35768

334-261-0551/256-218-3090

kirklandmike75@gmail.com

Bill Lamb

62 R

Tuscaloosa County 7402 Marigold Ln., Tuscaloosa, AL 35405

334-261-0481/205-361-5262

lambbama@gmail.com

Marilyn Lands

10 D

Madison County 726 Madison St., Huntsville, AL 35801

334-261-0483/256-539-5441

marylin.lands@alhouse.gov

22 | BusinessAlabama.com January 2026

G OV E R N M E N T

A.J. McCAMPBELL

PATRICE “PENNI” MCCLAMMY PHILLIP PETTUS

JOE LOVVORN ED OLIVER

KENNETH PASCHAL

JAMES LOMAX CINDY MYREX

RHETT MARQUES

CRAIG LIPSCOMB TASHINA MORRIS

COUNTY REPRESENTED OR DISTRICT ADDRESS

MARCUS PARAMORE

PAUL LEE PARKER MOORE PARTY

NATHANIEL LEDBETTER MARY MOORE

REPRESENTATIVE

DISTRICT

KELVIN LAWRENCE

ARNOLD MOONEY

SPONSORED BY

MONTGOMERY / DISTRICT PHONES

EMAIL

Kelvin Lawrence

69 D

Autauga, Lowndes, Montgomery & Wilcox Counties P.O. Box 1010, Hayneville, AL 36040

334-251-0536/256-638-6397

kelvinj73@gmail.com

Nathaniel Ledbetter

24 R

DeKalb County P.O. Box 725, Rainsville, AL 35986

334-261-0505/334-792-0022

nathaniel.ledbetter@alhouse.gov

Paul W. Lee

86 R

Houston County 304 Ashborough Circle, Dothan, AL 36301

334-261-0488/334-792-9682

pleed86@gmail.com

Craig Lipscomb

30 R

Etowah & St. Clair Counties 422 Chestnut St., Gadsden, AL 35901

334-261-0546/334-501-7133

info@craiglipscomb.com

James Lomax

20 R

Madison County P.O. Box 875, Huntsville, AL 35804

334-261-0444/256-503-6088

jamesoliverlomax@gmail.com

Joe Lovvorn

79 R

Lee County 515 Ogletee Rd., Auburn, AL 36830

334-261-0540

joe.lovvorn@alhouse.gov

Rhett Marques

91 R

Coffee County 1161 Geneva Hwy., Enterprise, AL 36330

334-261-0473/334-289-5664

rhett.marques@alhouse.gov

Artis "AJ" McCampbell

71 D

Marengo, Pickens, Sumter & Tuscaloosa Counties P.O. Box 487, Demopolis, AL 36732

334-261-0547/334-261-0580

acmc1@bellsouth.net

Patrice McClammy

76 D

Montgomery County 530 S. Union St., Montgomery, AL 36125

334-261-0580/334-414-7345

patrice.mcclammy@alhouse.gov

Arnold Mooney

43 R

Shelby County 1134 County Services Dr., Pelham, AL 35124

334-261-9512/205-620-6610

arnoldmooney@alhouse.gov

Mary Moore

59 D

Jefferson County 1622 36th Ave. N., Birmingham, AL 35207

334-261-0508

mamoore48@bellsouth.net

Parker Moore

4

R

Limestone, Madison & Morgan Counties 304 Dominion Dr. SE, Hartselle, AL 35640

334-261-0579/256-227-6674

parker.moore@alhouse.gov

TaShina Morris

77 D

Montgomery County 1320 Jordan St., Montgomery, AL 36108

334-261-0597/256-328-1653

tashinamorris1@yahoo.com

Cindy Myrex

12 R

Cullman County

334-261-0578

cindy.myrex@alhouse.gov

Ed Oliver

81 R

Lee & Tallapoosa Counties P.O. Box 277, Dadeville, AL 36853

334-261-0471

ed.oliver@alhouse.gov

Marcus Paramore

89 R

Dale & Pike Counties P.O. Box 211, Troy, AL 36081

334-261-0593/334-546-1242

marcusforhouse@gmail.com

Kenneth Paschal

73 R

Shelby County 1134 County Services Dr., Pelham, AL 35124

334-261-0469/205-626-9458

kenneth.paschal@alhouse.gov

Phillip Pettus

1

Lauderdale County 771 County Rd. 144, Killen, AL 35645

334-261-0591/256-757-6679

phillip.pettus@alhouse.gov

R

January 2026 BusinessAlabama.com | 23

JEANA ROSS

PATRICK SELLERS DAVID STANDRIDGE

BEN ROBBINS IVAN SMITH

SCOTT STADTHAGEN

PHILLIP RIGSBY MATT SIMPSON

CHAD ROBERTSON

REX REYNOLDS MARK SHIREY

COUNTY REPRESENTED OR DISTRICT ADDRESS

JEFF SORRELLS

RICK REHM MIKE SHAW PARTY

NEIL RAFFERTY GINNY SHAVER

REPRESENTATIVE

SPONSORED BY

DISTRICT

CHRIS PRINGLE

CHRIS SELLS

G OV E R N M E N T

MONTGOMERY / DISTRICT PHONES

EMAIL

Chris Pringle

101 R

Mobile County 4 Princess Anne Rd., Mobile, AL 36608

334-261-0489

chris.pringle@alhouse.gov

Neil Rafferty

54 D

Jefferson County P.O. Box 321579, Birmingham, AL 35232

334-261-0543

reprafferty@gmail.com

Rick Rehm

85 R

Henry & Houston Counties 2115 Cecily St., Dothan, AL 36303

334-261-0513/334-797-7770

rrehm46@gmail.com

Rex Reynolds

21 R

Madison County P.O. Box 18743, Huntsville, AL 35804

334-261-0571/256-539-5441

reynoldsdist21@gmail.com

Phillip Rigsby

25 R

Limestone & Madision Counties 800 Dr. Joseph Lower Blvd., Ste. D, Huntsville, AL 35801

334-261-0514/256-714-6376

reprigsbydistrict25@gmail.com

Ben Robbins

33 R

Coosa & Talladega Counties 29 W. 3rd St., Ste. C, Sylacauga, AL 35150

334-261-0477/205-907-5091

ben.robbins@alhouse.gov

Chad Robertson

40 R

Calhoun & Cleburne Counties 21 Anna Faith Ln., Heflin, AL 36264

334-261-0496/256-201-1116

ChadrobertsonD40@gmail.com

Jeana Ross

27 R

Marshall County 524 Gunter Ave., Guntersville AL 35976

334-261-0539/256-582-0619

jeana.ross@alhouse.gov

Patrick Sellers

57 D

Jefferson County 3428 Maple Ave. SW, Birmingham, AL 35221

334-261-0589/205-370-5370

sellersfor57@yahoo.com

Chris Sells

90 R

Butler, Coffee, Conecuh, Crenshaw & Montgomery Counties 271 N. Mt. Zion Rd., Greenville, AL 36037

334-261-0568

repsells@gmail.com

Ginny Shaver

39 R

Cherokee & DeKalb Counties P.O. Box 348, Leesburg, AL 35983

334-261-0413

ginny.shaver@alhouse.gov

Mike Shaw

47 R

Jefferson County P.O. Box 660082, Vestavia Hills, AL 35266

334-261-0439/205-541-6542

mike.shaw@alabama47.com

Mark Shirey

100 R

Mobile County 312-T Schillinger Rd. S., Box 301, Mobile, AL 36608

334-261-0563

mark.shirey@alhouse.gov

Matt Simpson

96 R

Baldwin County 109 Tomrick Circle, Daphne, AL 36526

334-261-0424

MattSimpsonAL96@gmail.com

Ivan Smith

42 R

Autauga & Chilton Counties 2223 County Rd. 19 N., Prattville, AL 36067

334-261-0459

vansmith53@gmail.com

Jeff Sorrells

87 R

Geneva & Houston Counties 101 3rd Ave., Hartford, AL 36344

334-261-0542/205-620-6610

jeffs@fnbhartford.com

Scott Stadthagen

9

Morgan County P.O. Box 114, Hartselle, AL 35640

334-261-9506

alhouseleader@gmail.com

David Standridge

34 R

Blount County P.O. Box 76, Hayden, AL 35079

332-261-0446/205-543-0647

david.standridge@alhouse.gov

R

24 | BusinessAlabama.com January 2026

G OV E R N M E N T

ALLEN TREADAWAY RANDY WOOD

TIM WADSWORTH

CURTIS TRAVIS DEBBIE HAMBY WOOD

KERRY UNDERWOOD

ONTARIO TILLMAN MARGIE WILCOX

COUNTY REPRESENTED OR DISTRICT ADDRESS

ERNIE YARBROUGH

TROY STUBBS RITCHIE WHORTON PARTY

SHANE STRINGER ANDY WHITT

REPRESENTATIVE

DISTRICT

JERRY STARNES PEBBLIN WARREN

SPONSORED BY

MONTGOMERY / DISTRICT PHONES

EMAIL

Jerry Starnes

88 R

Autauga & Elmore Counties 1695 Windstone Way, Prattville, AL 36066

334-261-0499/334-549-0782

jerry.starnes@alhouse.gov

Shane Stringer

102 R

Baldwin & Mobile Counties 104 S. Lawrence St., Mobile, AL 36602

334-261-0594/251-208-5480

shane.stringer@alhouse.gov

Troy Stubbs

31 R

Elmore County 1761 E. Main St., Prattville, AL 36066

334-261-0595/334-451-4589

troy.stubbs@hotmail.com

Ontario Tillman

56 D

Jefferson County 2326 2nd Ave. N., Birmingham, AL 35020

334-261-0529/205-417-1032

ojtillman@gmail.com

Curtis Travis

72 D

Bibb, Greene, Hale & Tuscaloosa Counties 620 Haymarket Ln., Tuscaloosa, AL 35405

334-261-0559/205-349-9183

cltravis620@charter.net

Allen Treadaway

51 R

Jefferson County P.O. Box 126, Morris, AL 35116

334-261-0585/205-566-6835

allen.treadaway@alhouse.gov

Kerry Underwood

3

Colbert & Lauderdale Counties 102 N. Main St., Tuscumbia, AL 35674

334-261-0435/256-248-4891

kerryucpa@me.com

Tim Wadsworth

14 R

Winston, Walker, Cullman & Jefferson Counties 1175 Helicon Rd., Arley, AL 35541

205-300-4008

wadsworth.tim654321@gmail.com

Pebblin Walker Warren

82 D

Lee & Macon Counties P.O. Box 1328, Tuskegee Institute, AL 36087

334-261-0541

pebblenwarren@gmail.com

Andy Whitt

6

Madison & Limestone Counties P.O. Box 306, Harvest, AL 35749

334-261-0404/256-539-5441

andy.whitt@alhouse.gov

Ritchie Whorton

22 R

Jackson & Madison Counties 134 Rock Spring Rd., Owens Cross Roads, AL 35763

334-261-0553/256-679-6490

ritchiewhorton@gmail.com

Margie Wilcox

104 R

Mobile County 104 S. Lawrence St., Mobile, AL 36602

334-261-0577

margie.wilcox@alhouse.gov

Randy Wood

36 R

Calhoun, St. Clair & Talladega Counties P.O. Box 4432, Anniston, AL 36204

334-261-0552/256-239-9190

strep36@gmail.com

Ernie Yarbrough

7

Colbert, Lawrence & Morgan Counties 1332 Old Hwy. 24, Trinity, AL 35673

334-261-0454

yarbrough4house@gmail.com

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R

R

**District 63, Tuscaloosa County, vacant after Cynthia Almond appointed to Public Service Commission. The election is slated for Jan. 13, 2026. **District 38, Chambers & Lee Counties, vacant after resignation of Debbie Wood. The election is slated for Feb. 3, 2026

*Editor’s Note: For updated information, visit alison.legislature.state.al.us.

January 2026 BusinessAlabama.com | 25

SOUTHERN UNION STATE COLLEGE

26 | BusinessAlabama.com January 2026

WORKFORCE

THE ACCS TRAINING ENGINE How Alabama’s community colleges have shaped and expanded their focus on workforce

By ALEC HARVEY — Photos by ART MERIPOL Keith Phillips spearheads workforce and economic development programs across the community college system in Alabama.

January 2026 BusinessAlabama.com | 27

WO R K FO RC E

W

hen Keith Phillips talks about workforce development, he doesn’t begin with strategy documents or economic forecasts. He starts in Skipperville, a tiny dot on the map in Dale County where he grew up and graduated from George W. Long High School. He also starts with Wallace Community College in Dothan, where he earned an associate degree before life sent him into teaching, then banking and eventually back to the Alabama Community College System to work.

That was 15 years ago, and now Phillips is deputy chancellor for workforce and economic development for ACCS, as well as executive director of ATN (recently rebranded from the Alabama Technology Network to the Alabama Training Network). In those positions, he oversees the extensive workforce programs that have evolved under the tenure of Chancellor Jimmy Baker.

OWNING THE MISSION

it’s a network with several connected pieces.

“It’s kind of a three-, maybe four-legged stool,” Phillips says, and it begins with the colleges, most of which have a workforce development office and provide non-credit training (Phillips prefers “professional credit”) for business and industry. That might include OSHA refreshers, forklift certifications, basic electrical instruction and much more.

ACCS INNOVATION CENTER

The second leg is the ACCS Innovation Center in Decatur. Born out of a dinner conversation, in just over four years the center has grown from zero to more than 80 short courses known as Skills for Success.

Each course begins with a statewide industry task force that identifies the skills employers want. A subject matter expert works with course designers while the training is developed. Students taking the courses complete online theory at their own pace, then report to a college campus for hands-on labs where they demonstrate they can perform the work. More than 50,000 Alabamians have enrolled so far. More than 23,000 credentials have been issued.

“If somebody needs to change careers or get a marketable skill, these courses can get them there in 40 to 80 hours,” Phillips says.

“The idea is to get people to an employable skill and credential as quickly as possible, so it’s creating mobility for people who might be under-skilled or unskilled or not in the labor force.”

Over the past decade, the state’s 24 community colleges have expanded their scope, building on the workforce training components that they offer, Phillips says.

“We’re listening to what our communities and our business and industry partners need, and we’re aligning what we do to that,” he says. “That’s ultimately creating success for our colleges, but most importantly, for our students.”

Part of the change has come from leadership at the ACCS, including Baker and members of the board of trustees who come ALABAMA TRAINING NETWORK (ATN) from business and industry, Phillips says, but another part came ATN, which Phillips leads, delivers most of the system’s advanced from industry itself. Employers facing tight labor markets and industry training — everything from robotics to industrial hyincreasingly complex technologies needed partners who could respond quickly, train effectively draulics to ISO certification. and deliver job-ready people.

The name is changing to the If Phillips has a mantra, it Alabama Training Network is this: No one trains for the (from Alabama Technology sake of training.

Network) in early 2026 to Companies call when make its purpose clearer. something needs to get better ATN’s staff of 66 is — productivity, equipment spread across college camuptime, safety, employee puses statewide. Collectively, retention or simply the confithey bring more than 1,300 dence of supervisors trying to years of manufacturing lead. Every training request and technical experience to has a “why,” and ACCS starts their classrooms, which are there. usually the factory floors “When you understand of the companies they the reason behind the serve. Ninety-nine percent request,” Phillips says, “you of training takes place on “We’re listening to what our know what success looks like site, using either company communities and our business for that company.” equipment or ATN’s mobile and industry partners need, and we’re aligning what we teaching tools. do to that. That’s ultimately MULTI-PRONGED “That’s one thing our creating success for our APPROACH BEGINS clients really like, the colleges, but most importantly, WITH COLLEGES real-world training,” Phillips for our students.”

Workforce development at says. “We train in a produc— Keith Phillips, ACCS ACCS isn’t a single office — tion environment.”

28 | BusinessAlabama.com January 2026

ADULT EDUCATION

Behind all the technical training is a fourth element: adult education. Though not officially a workforce program, Phillips says it is, with ACCS helping Alabamians earn their GEDs and build soft skills — punctuality, workplace communication and digital readiness — that will help get them ready to work.

“When you talk to business and industry, the development of soft skills is high on their list,” Phillips says. “Many have identified the lack of soft skills as one of their largest barriers to hiring good talent.”

STAYING RELEVANT IN THE WORKFORCE

Ask Phillips what’s coming, and he doesn’t hesitate. Technology is changing faster than training systems have ever had to adapt — automation, artificial intelligence, machine learning, data analytics.

Not every job will survive that shift.

But the jobs that do survive will require higher skills, sharper thinking and the ability to apply theory in hands-on settings.

“AI can tell you something’s about to break,” he says. “But AI can’t fix the machine.”

The challenge — and opportunity — is to help workers who may be displaced by automation move into new technical roles, and ACCS is designing its programs for exactly that: short, competency-based training that teaches people how to troubleshoot, apply concepts and stay employable in a world that isn’t slowing down.

“Workforce has to be focused on industry needs and the student, meeting industry where they are and meeting the students or incumbent workers where they are, with training delivered in a timely way,” Phillips says. “Someone with true skill and knowledge is going to be hard to replace by AI. Everyone is going to have to look at opportunities to stay relevant and valuable in the workforce.”

Alec Harvey is executive editor of Business Alabama, working from the Birmingham office and Art Meripol is a Birmingham-based freelance contributor.

January 2026 BusinessAlabama.com | 29

30 | BusinessAlabama.com January 2026

WO R K FO RC E

WOOING WORKERS TO THE WORKFORCE

Greg Reed leads the state’s Department of Workforce, aimed at increasing the number of workers in the labor pool.

Alabama’s new Department of Workforce hopes to increase the percentage of Alabamians in the workforce pool

T

By KATHY HAGOOD — Photos by ART MERIPOL

he newly renamed and reorganized Alabama Department of Workforce (ADOW) is starting the year with a strategic plan to enlarge and develop the state’s workforce as part of ongoing efforts to foster the health of Alabama’s economy.

Led by ADOW Secretary Greg Reed, who stepped down as Senate president pro tempore to take the position Jan. 1, 2025, the agency has undergone a transformation since the Department of Labor officially became the Department of Workforce last Feb. 1.

Since then, the agency has been reinvented to streamline the state’s workforce development efforts. “Now we are a repository for all things workforce for job seekers and employers,” Reed says. “We have begun marketing what the new department has to offer. Our ultimate goal is for Alabama to have one of the besttrained, highest-educated workforces in the country.”

The department’s overhaul is part of the bipartisan Working for Alabama package of six key bills, signed into law by Gov. Kay

Ivey in May of 2024. One of the new laws, the Alabama Workforce Transformation Act, called for the department’s changes.

“The government has meant well but being well organized and moving quickly is not what it’s best known for,” Reed says.

“Our consolidation is designed to make sure we are all working in concert with a strategic plan.”

As part of the changeover, several workforce development programs and related staff from the Department of Commerce (ADOC) were transferred into ADOW. Among additional changes, ADOW took on the responsibility of administering the Alabama Workforce Board with oversight and guidance from an executive committee. The committee also will work with the secretary on the state plan for federally funded Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act programs.

“Our focus, our role is to promote workforce growth and collaborative education as well as engaging stakeholders,” Reed says.

Last year Reed led the transfer of 450 of the department’s 850 employes from four Montgomery locations to one central January 2026 BusinessAlabama.com | 31

WO R K FO RC E

Greg Reed talks with employees in the department’s Montgomery location.

location. The department’s other 400 employees are assigned to 59 offices in 57 counties. Legal requirements had to be fulfilled so that federally funded programs could be moved from the ADC to ADOW. “We had a busy year,” he says. “I really appreciated how my fantastic staff came together and were willing to do things in a different way.”

Following the consolidation, the only state-run workforce training now not under ADOW is the Alabama Industrial Development Training program, which provides job-specific training packages for new and expanding businesses as part of ADC’s economic development mission. “This has been the largest reorganization and consolidation in the state since legislation required the consolidation of all law enforcement to ALEA (Alabama Law Enforcement Agency),” Reed says.

ADOW continues its legacy role in overseeing mining and 32 | BusinessAlabama.com January 2026

reclamation, including its Abandoned Mine Land Economic Revitalization Program, which provides federal funding to help transform abandoned mine lands for economic development, community and environmental uses. “As I represented the 5th District during my tenure in the Senate, I was well versed in the program,” Reed says.

Before the creation of ADOW, the state had supported numerous helpful workforce development programs, but there was neither a coordinated effort nor an overall plan for growing the workforce, Reed says. That left significant gaps in the availability of skilled workers for employment in some industries. “It’s been a business challenge in Alabama to get the right number of workers with the right skill sets to support our economy,” he says.

Part of the workforce shortfall is Alabama’s low workforce participation rate. While Alabama is ranked highly nationally for its business-friendly environment attractive to investment and development, the percentage of adults who participate in the workforce or are looking for a job is lower than most other states. That could put a damper on the state’s economic health over time, Reed says. “A lot of good things have been going on for Alabama’s economy, but it could be a lot better if we could get more people participating,” he says. “All hands on deck.”

On the positive side, Alabama was ranked No. 8 in the nation overall in Area Development Magazine’s 2025 Top States for Doing Business Report. The state notably ranked among the top four states in the 2025 report for individual economic development indicators like favorable property tax rate, overall cost of doing business, favorable regulatory framework and business incentive programs. Alabama typically ranks as one of the top 10 states for business annually.

The opposite is true for Alabama’s workforce participation statistics. The state’s seasonally adjusted labor force participation rate was at about 57.7% of adults for August, according to the Federal Reserve Bank report. By comparison, the District of Columbia had a participation rate of 71.6%. “Labor force participation rates are down across the country in general, but we have more of a problem here,” Reed says. “We have a low unemployment rate but there’s also a low participation rate.”

Alabama’s low participation rate is caused by several factors, according to a gap analysis study, Reed says. He points to wouldbe-worker challenges, in addition to education and training needs, such as lack of affordable childcare and housing and lack of reliable transportation. Working for Alabama childcare and housing expansion tax credits could help over time, Reed says.

The state also is looking at ride-to-work programs, and some businesses are offering transportation subsidies.

“For those who want to get ahead, we say let us help you access programs that can make that possible,” Reed says. “We want to identify and recruit the underemployed who are looking for a better opportunity.”

For example, one state workforce program seeks to place those willing to take six weeks of training to become a Certified Nursing Assistant with the incentive that their new employer will help them get the training they need to become a nurse. A variety of apprenticeships are available that can help workers who must

WO R K FO RC E

“learn and earn” at the same time, Reed says.

The department is reaching out to high school students by enlisting career coaches in high schools to help students that don’t understand the workplace. Industry partners like trade unions are encouraged to speak to students about job opportunities in their fields. Students are being allowed to serve as industrial apprentices in applied skills like welding and pipe fitting four months a year during high school to get a jump on a good-paying career, Reed points out.

Reed stepped down as Senate president pro tempore to assume his current position Jan. 1 of last year at the request of Governor Ivey. Reed says he gladly took the lead in overseeing the reinvention of the agency. “My serving in this role is a great fit as I have cosponsored a lot of workforce legislation during my 14-year tenure in the Senate,” says Reed. “I consider my work in job recruiting and development as the hallmark of my Senate service,” he says.

The former Republican Senator served as the legislative leader in the Working for Alabama bill package and sponsored the Alabama Growth Alliance Act. The alliance is designed to serve as the state’s advisory council for long-term economic and workforce development plans.

Kathy Hagood and Art Meripol are freelance contributors to Business Alabama. Both are based in Hoover.

“We want to identify and recruit the underemployed who are looking for a better opportunity.”

— Greg Reed, Alabama Department of Workforce

January 2026 BusinessAlabama.com | 33

HEALTH CARE

RURAL REHAB New initiatives offer relief for rural hospitals

By NANCY MANN JACKSON Photos by JOE DE SCIOSE

Bibb County Medical Center President and CEO Joseph Marchant chats with hospital receptionist Aubrey Dunkin.

34 | BusinessAlabama.com January 2026

I

n 1980, 45 of Alabama’s 55 rural counties were home to hospitals that offered labor and delivery services. In 2025, only 15 of those counties have hospitals providing obstetrical services, according to data from the Alabama Department of Public Health.

The loss of obstetric services in rural counties means expectant mothers must travel farther to access maternal care, including labor and delivery services as well as vital prenatal and postnatal care. In a state with some of the country’s highest rates of infant mortality and maternal mortality, the loss of local maternal health is especially troubling.

But the disappearance of maternal health care is only one indication of the challenges of providing health care in

rural Alabama. More than 50 hospitals in the state are considered rural, and many are struggling to provide the services needed by their communities — or even to keep their doors open.

Fortunately, the state government and the federal government have each introduced a new funding initiative that offers potential help for rural hospitals. And with the state plan, Alabama corporations can access tax credits to help rural hospitals better serve their communities.

The Alabama Rural Hospital Investment Program (RHIP) was established by the Rural Hospital Investment Act of 2025, and the federal Rural Health Transformation Program was created by the One Big Beautiful Bill passed in July 2025.

Marchant and other hospital executives worked with state officials to create funding programs that will help rural hospitals continue providing needed services close to home.

January 2026 BusinessAlabama.com | 35

H E A LT H C A R E

45 of the 55 counties currently considered rural had hospitals providing obstetrical service in 1980.

15 of the 55 counties currently considered rural had hospitals providing obstetrical service TODAY.

A PICTURE OF THE LOSS OF RURAL OBSTETRICAL SERVICE IN ALABAMA 1980 TO 2025

Produced by the Alabama Department of Public Health, Office of Primary Care and Rural Health, March 17, 2025. The defining of counties as rural or urban is based upon a definition that is used by the Alabama Rural Health Association.

36 | BusinessAlabama.com January 2026

“When we were working on the state bill, we didn’t know there would be a federal bill that would create another funding opportunity for rural hospitals,” says Joseph Marchant, president and CEO at Bibb County Medical Center in Centreville, who spent three years working with State Senator April Weaver and Representative Terri Collins to develop the RHIP. “But we’re very pleased by the support and the leaders who are coming together and recognizing that we can’t stand by and watch more hospitals close.”

CHALLENGES FACED

BY RURAL HOSPITALS

The health care industry continues to face a widespread labor shortage and intense cost pressures. “All costs are up, including labor, drugs and supplies,” Marchant says.

“Despite state investments in workforce, the labor shortage remains a big issue.

There is a shortage of nurses and doctors and other skilled labor, but we also have a shortage of workers for housekeeping, foodservice and other roles throughout the hospital.”

While these issues exist throughout the health care industry, they deliver a harder blow to smaller hospitals in rural areas. “Rural hospitals struggle more than others because they have lower utilization,” Marchant says. “We don’t have the volume that bigger hospitals have.”

At the same time, hospitals’ bottom lines are determined by the reimbursements they receive from insurance companies and federal programs like Medicare — and Alabama has the lowest level of Medicare reimbursements in the country, Marchant says.

“Other types of businesses can raise their rates to adjust to inflation and other cost pressures,” says James Clements, CEO of Cullman Regional Medical Center, the largest independent rural hospital

in the state. “But hospital rates are determined by the federal government and the managed care industry, so we don’t have that option.”

Some health care services are reimbursed at higher rates than others, relative to the cost of providing the service. So, funding generated by those services, such as surgery, can help support others that are more costly for hospitals to provide.

Rural areas also are disproportionately affected by the adoption of Medicare Advantage plans run by out-of-state insurance companies, which often don’t provide the coverage expected by policyholders, Marchant says. When those policyholders are older adults living on fixed incomes, the local hospital is often left to foot the bill for their care.

“There’s a higher penetration of Medicare Advantage plans in rural counties,” Marchant says. “In our community, 60% of Medicare customers are now in Medicare Advantage plans, up from about 40% a decade ago. Many policyholders don’t realize that their Medicare Advantage plan replaces Medicare and allows the insurance company to administer their Medicare benefit and decide what to cover.” And since many of these plans are run by large out-of-state companies, local hospitals don’t have the relationships to work through the issues with them.

HELP FOR RURAL HOSPITALS

Despite the challenges, rural hospitals in Alabama have new reasons for optimism.

The Alabama Rural Hospital Investment Program (RHIP) is a state program that provides dollar-for-dollar tax credits to individuals and businesses that donate to eligible rural hospitals. It was modeled after the Georgia HEART Program, which has generated more than $400 million for rural hospitals in Georgia over the past eight years.

To participate in the program, rural hospitals submit applications to the state detailing the projects they hope to fund.

Beginning on Jan. 5, 2026, individuals and corporations can make donations through an Alabama Department of Revenue online portal to the rural hospital of their choice. (Contributions that are not designated for a specific hospital January 2026 BusinessAlabama.com | 37

will be routed to a rural hospital with a high financial need.) In 2026, each eligible hospital may receive donations up to $750,000. The donation limit per participating hospitals will increase to $1 million in 2027 and $1.25 million in following years.

“One of the things we’re most proud of with this program is the broad utilization that we were afforded,” Marchant says.

“The program gives rural hospitals the flexibility to use the funds to invest in the workforce, aging infrastructure, new services or whatever they need in their local community.”

Bibb County plans to use any awarded monies toward adding a dialysis center.

“We want to create a service that doesn’t exist in our county right now,” Marchant says. “So many people have to travel so far to get the services they need, and we want to remove that burden for our community members who need dialysis.”

Cullman Regional plans to use potential funding from the initiative to ensure the long-term availability of maternal and child health services at its hospital. “It’s the best opportunity we have to offset losses from our obstetrics and neonatal intensive care unit,” Clements says. “The new funding programs will help us increase the probability of sustainability for these programs.”

The Rural Health Transformation Program, created by the OBBA in July 2025, designated $50 billion to be allocated to approved states over five years, with $10 billion available each year from 2026 and through 2030. The goal of the program is to empower states to strengthen rural communities by improving health care access, quality and outcomes by transforming the health care delivery ecosystem. Details about how to apply for the funding have not yet been released, but Clements forecasts that the program could bring $500 million in federal funding to the state over the next five years.

And that funding could be just what the doctor ordered for these rural hospitals.

Nancy Mann Jackson and Joe De Sciose are freelance contributors to Business Alabama. She is based in Madison and he in Birmingham.

38 | BusinessAlabama.com January 2026

AGRICULTURE

Ray (left) and Ronald Hilburn raise chickens on the Hilburn Farm in Luverne.

CHICKEN!

F

Alabama-grown chickens are among the state’s major exports

By CAROL MUSE EVANS — Photos by JULIE BENNETT

or people in agriculture in Alabama, it is no secret that It is no secret that Alabama farmers know their chickens. chicken/broiler farming and exporting are big in the While beef farmers and row farmers may get paid once or twice a state, with Alabama holding the number two spot in year, according to state farmers, many beef and row farmers have the U.S. for production and exports, according to the even diversified and added poultry farming to the mix to secure Alabama Poultry and Egg Association (AP&EA). the financial security of Alabama farms, Hilburn says.

The poultry industry in Alabama has “Poultry farmers get paid five to seven more than a $15 billion impact on the state times a year,” according to Hilburn, whose and represents 1/8th of Alabama’s economy, chicken farm and his son’s farm are in With 1.2 Billion head according to the AP&EA. The revenue genLuverne. (chickens/broilers), erated from the poultry industry is in turn “I grew up in the chicken business,” Alabama is number 2 re-invested in financial institutions, used to Hilburn explains. “While not as labor in chicken/broiler purchase vehicles, homes and groceries. In intensive as it once was (a lot of it is fact, most of the revenue generated is spent automated and run by computers), income farming and export in at the local level. The poultry industry is from chicken farming has really helped the the United States. one of the largest industries in Alabama, Alabama farmer.”

While the first part of the 1900s had responsible for some 86,000 jobs and – Alabama Department of Alabama highly focused on egg producproducing more than one billion birds each Agriculture & Industries from tion when it came to poultry husbandry, year, according to AP&EA statistics.

2022 statistics beginning around 1910 it became clearer to To put it in perspective, on average, state farmers that poultry could be a comeach American consumes approximately mercial business, Hilburn says. The federal 93 pounds of chicken meat and more than government had established land grant acts, 267 eggs each year, says Ray Hilburn of extension and research facilities as well as Luverne, a chicken farmer and associate vocational training at schools like Alabama director at the AP&EA. January 2026 BusinessAlabama.com | 39

AG R I C U LT U R E

Ray Hilburn checks conditions in the chicken houses on his Luverne farm. The chicken houses are fully automated to provide food, water and temperature control for the chicks.

Polytechnic Institute (now Auburn University) and Tuskegee Institute (now Tuskegee University). The government also established the Alabama Extension Service, according to the AP&EA. But the biggest factor in chicken farming as a major commercial business in Alabama came with “vertical integration,” according to the AP&EA. The system has breeding farms, feed mills and hatcheries all owned and managed by a single company.

Then this company, or integrator, would provide the chicks and feed to a farmer with whom they contracted. It shifted more of the financial risk from the farmer to the company, giving more stability to the process.

By the 1950s and 1960s, almost all of the U.S. poultry companies had this vertical integration, according to Hilburn. And by 2018, Alabama was second in broiler production and exporting the birds, he adds. Today, poultry in Alabama generates $1.3 billion annually, according to AP&EA stats.

THE CHICKEN OR THE EGG?

There are two types of chickens, essentially, according to Hilburn — those for eggs, which are usually 3-4 pounds, and those grown to be broilers, which are about 8-9 pounds. There are different breeds of chickens for each purpose, he explains. Birds are bred to produce either eggs or broilers, but not both.

Broilers are then purchased by third-party companies like Pilgrim’s Pride or Tyson Foods and then exported domestically and internationally, Hilburn explains. “I would guess about 15% of Alabama birds are shipped out of Mobile Bay to Cuba,” he adds.

Other key export destinations are Southeast Asia, Vietnam, Korea, Canada and South Africa, Hilburn says.

As exporters, both Hilburn and Dorman Grace, a seventhgeneration chicken farmer in Jasper and owner of Grace Farming Co. LLC, say recent tariffs really have not affected the chicken 40 | BusinessAlabama.com January 2026

export industry. “High prices of beef have made chicken even more popular,” Hilburn says.

CHALLENGES

“One of our biggest challenges,” according to Grace, “is always finding quality chicken with a low mortality rate … Most Alabama farmers were fortunate not to be affected by the Avian flu.”

Research in Alabama has helped alleviate and eliminate other potential bird diseases that affect farming, according to the AP&EA. “Our biggest obstacles are extreme heat and cold, as well as natural disasters like tornadoes that are really beyond our control,” Grace says. “Computerization of temperature control has helped a lot with the heat and cold issues.”

Both Hilburn and Grace say Avian flu has not been a big factor in Alabama birds; however, disease was a huge factor in the 1930s and 1940s. In fact, the AP&EA states it was the biggest hurdle during the early to mid-20th century. Research and government programs, such as the National Poultry Improvement Plan (NPIP), helped eradicate those early diseases and set a precedent for researchers today to help develop vaccines, medications and practices to help fight and eradicate diseases as the poultry industry grew dramatically, according to the AP&EA. The AP&EA states that while Alabama is still an egg producer, as well as a broiler producer, egg production has decreased by about 3% each year. This was a result of Alabama moving toward the production of chickens/broilers for meat rather than eggs.

When asked about their labor force, both men say that their labor obstacles are the age-old ones and really have nothing to do with current events. “Things like absenteeism, etc., are the issues we face,” Hilburn says.

However, the human work force for chicken farms has been drastically reduced by the same technology that has helped them

AG R I C U LT U R E

protect from heat and cold — automation and computerization. Many farms today have fewer employees, and some are almost all family run, like Grace’s farm in Jasper.

The biggest challenge in chicken farming in Alabama today, with changing times and technology, might well be the cost of chicken farming itself, both men say. From the technology to the houses and more, Grace says the cost of a chicken house he built in 1978 was about $120,000. Today, “mega farms,” as he describes them, can come in just shy of $1 million.

According to AP&EA statistics, the poultry industry in Alabama today is exclusively broilers and commercial layers — much of egg production has moved to the Midwest, though Alabama is still approximately number 14 in egg production in the U.S. Today, approximately 3,000 poultry growers are in Alabama, primarily in Cullman, DeKalb, Marshall and Coffee counties, though nearly 50 of Alabama’s 67 counties have producers.

Carol Muse Evans and Julie Bennett are freelance contributors to Business Alabama. Evans is based in Clanton and Bennett in Auburn.

Chicken farmers can be found in about 50 of Alabama’s 67 counties, with the majority in Cullman, DeKalb, Marshall and Coffee counties. Photo by Keith Weller, USDA Agricultural Research Service.

January 2026 BusinessAlabama.com | 41

AG R I C U LT U R E

The granulated soil additive produced in Baldwin County

by Chonex is ripe for farming developments.

RESTORING THE SOIL

Robertsdale company puts flies to work to aid regenerative farming

W

By JIM HANNAFORD — Photos by MEGAN SMITH

hen Lori Moshman wants to quickly describe what they’ve been doing at the Chonex facility in rural Baldwin County, she calls it running a fly farm.

If you find yourself swatting them away from time to time, you may wonder why in the world anyone would want to breed more flies, but theirs are performing a valuable service. It might sound like a long shot, but she and her co-workers believe these small, shiny insects can play a significant role in helping to feed the world.

In the Elsanore community east of Robertsdale, the 34-yearold Moshman is an entomologist who has devoted many hours working with the black soldier fly and chicken manure.

The objective is producing effective fertilizer products that can enhance and improve agricultural production in ways that are more natural and healthier for crops and soil than other products. She’s in charge of the breeding program for fly larvae, which happen to have a voracious appetite for the tons of chicken droppings that Chonex conveniently obtains

42 | BusinessAlabama.com January 2026

from the Cal-Maine Foods egg production facility that lies just to the east over the rolling pastureland.

The object of so much attention is longer, darker and more slender than an ordinary housefly, and not as familiar.

“It’s a very common insect, but most people, unless they have a particular interest in them, don’t notice them that much,” says Moshman. “They look like a fly or a wasp or something that’s just kind of commonplace.”

But it’s what they do, and not what they look like, that has made them the agribusiness firm’s star attraction. These wriggling little critters that resemble miniature caterpillars have something of a superpower that allows them to consume other animals’ waste and filter out pathogens that can be harmful to humans.

With a degree in entomology from Cornell University and a master’s from LSU, Moshman can easily go over the heads of most people when describing the insects’ behavior and physiology. For audiences with less scientific expertise, she can greatly simplify what Chonex is doing.

“We’re raising insect larvae to eat chicken manure and

AG R I C U LT U R E

they poop it out. That poop is called frass, and it has lots of unique physical and biological properties that make it very useful as an organic fertilizer, or what they’re calling a bio-stimulant. What they poop out has a superior microbial profile than the chicken manure itself by way of it having been digested by an insect.”

From this cleaner, next-generation waste that’s excreted from the fly larvae, the company produces a nutrient-rich organic product called StrongSoil. Chonex markets it as a key to regenerating farmlands that have deteriorated in productivity after decades of reliance on chemical-based fertilizers.

Chonex CEO Michael Lynch calls Moshman a pivotal member of his team that also includes an agronomist, a microbiologist, longtime farmers and others with varied experience in sales and biotech. A native of Birmingham, the entrepreneurial Lynch has boots-in-the-dirt experience doing farm chores in Alabama’s Black Belt region. He also has worked in real estate and was a driving force in the rural education and leadership development program called Teach for America. He says he first learned about the black soldier fly and its potential through a personal association with Dr. Frank Franklin, a retired pediatric gastroenterologist and professor emeritus of public health at the University of Alabama at Birmingham.

This was about eight years ago, Lynch says, and back then their early discussions involved using the fly larvae as a food source for people, in particular the millions of malnourished children in Africa. Later, the ideas evolved into using the fly larvae to convert hog waste into feed for catfish farms, Lynch says, and he ultimately settled on something that to him makes a lot of economic sense for farmers across the United States.

StrongSoil is already in use in many areas, Lynch says, but he is seeking additional investors to grow their fertilizer production to a much larger scale. They are marketing to growers of row crops like corn, peanuts, cotton and cucumbers as well as specialty crops such as blueberries, grapes and citrus trees. The customers so far are largely farmers who have taken part in trials or are what Lynch calls “early adopters” of a product that seems to be showing lots of promise as it spreads to many areas.

“We’re all over Alabama, we’re all over Georgia, we’re in parts of Mississippi and Tennessee,” he says. “We’re also working with vendors in the Napa Valley area and we’re starting to get some pretty big orders from that part of the world, and we’re working with the fruit and vegetable producers in Arizona, Texas and Florida.”

By design, it takes only a relatively small amount of the granules that Chonex produces (with the indispensable help from the soldier fly larvae, of course), and nature does the rest. “It’s concentrated, so it mixes with whatever the farmers are putting out, such as the herbicide, the fungicide, the insecticide, the fertilizer,” says Lynch. “It requires 1.6 ounces an acre for row crops, and then for specialty crops sometimes four to 12 ounces per acre.”

To paraphrase how Moshman describes its biological impacts, it seems like a gift to the soil that keeps on giving. “The quan-

Entomologist Lori Moshman hopes the work they are doing in Robertsdale will help revitalize farming worldwide.

tity that you’re applying is not going to provide any substantial amount of nutrients,” says Moshman. “Rather, what you’re applying is more a source of beneficial bacteria or other compounds that, even in those tiny quantities, can stimulate additional biological activity in the soil, and that is what’s promoting the plant growth.”

Lynch says the HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology has been tracking what’s been grown on the farms where StrongSoil has been used, and he is encouraged by the results. Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey recently announced a state grant of $300,000, administered through HudsonAlpha, that will allow them to expand their testing to more crops in more areas.

“To really prove it to farmers that it works, we can take a soil sample at a farm and do a DNA sequencing, and we can look at every living organism in that soil before we apply our product,” says Lynch. “And then we apply the product and, two weeks later or four weeks later or six weeks later, come back and look at the soil. We can see that we’ve added 200 to 300% more biology, that we have all these new living organisms.”

Though the affable Lynch moves comfortably in the corporate world, he also has spent much of his life on and around family farms. He says he’s seen first-hand the effects of the overuse of chemical fertilizers, which has persisted for the better part of a century. He sees StrongSoil as an effective step toward reversing damage done by other farming methods.

“We’re figuring out how to optimize the chemistry that we’ve been using for the last 70 years with biology,” Lynch says, “and this biology we can add to what the farmers are using is increasJanuary 2026 BusinessAlabama.com | 43

AG R I C U LT U R E

ing the health of the soil. It allows them to use a lot less chemicals and a lot less synthetic fertilizers. It’s a transition to regenerative agriculture and restoring soil health so we can grow the food in a more natural way and significantly increase the nutrition density of the food and have food that’s more flavorful.”

Though he’s run into some obstacles with financing and expenses during Chonex’s early phases, Lynch seems very optimistic about the company’s future.

“Right now, I have enough product bagged and in storage to cover roughly 200,000 acres, and we’re negotiating deals with the big distributors,” says Lynch. “We’re looking to close out about a million dollars in sales at the end of this year and we’re in the process of building a 25,000-square-foot commercial plant that would do roughly two tons of manure a day, or $40 million in revenue. It would employ about 20 folks in Baldwin County.”

He offers more details that probably play very well in his pitches to potential investors: “We’re selling StrongSoil for $10 an ounce, and so basically, I can take one ton of manure that costs me $20 from Cal-Maine and is 70% water and I can turn it into $50,000 worth of product,” says Lynch. “It’s a pretty remarkable business model with a super-high profit margin and it’s solving a pretty big need that farmers have.”

For Moshman, her important role with Chonex is the latest leg of a biological sciences journey that started when she was a

44 | BusinessAlabama.com January 2026

little girl in Brooklyn, New York, spending time with her father in their garden. That’s when she first got bitten by the bug, so to speak, toward her chosen field of expertise.

“My dad was very interested in insect collecting when he was growing up in the 1950s and ‘60s and he taught me a lot about insects,” she says. “He gave me my first pocket guide for insect identification when I was 6 years old, so that was kind of special to me. It was a soft-cover book with pictures.”

During her time away from Chonex and its focus on black soldier flies and their offspring, she has an organic farm near Magnolia Springs. She and her husband stay busy tending to a garden and orchard while raising goats, cows, chickens and bees.

She appreciates how her work with Chonex lines up with her own personal goals of finding more sustainable ways of living.

“I think it’s always something we should strive for, to find better ways to grow food that is better and more nutritious and with more environmental production practices,” she says. “With what we’re doing at Chonex, we are promoting better farming practices, and I do think that is important, especially with all the big industrial stuff that’s going on all around us.”

Jim Hannaford and Megan Smith are freelance contributors to Business Alabama. He is based in Foley and she in Fairhope. This story also appears in the January 2026 edition of Mobile Bay magazine.

SPOTLIGHT AUTAUGA COUNTY

ELMORE COUNTY

Home Place is a master-planned, mixed-use development in Prattville that features retail, business parks and residential areas.

Pictured is the clock tower at the development.

A

utauga and Elmore counties are both fast-growing regions of Central Alabama that are serving as hubs for manufacturing companies and much more.

In Autauga County, for instance, in the city of Prattville’s West Industrial Park, companies like the logistics firm Versatile Solutions, Central States Bus Sales Inc., Frasle Mobility, which is a Brazilian-owned automotive company, and VP Products & Sales maintain facilities and warehouses.

“So, we have about six in the West Industrial Park,” says Amy Hilliard, director of economic development for the city of Prattville.

The South Industrial Park, located off Highway 82, is a larger facility in Prattville that is generally used for heavy industry, Hilliard says.

“Manufacturing is a critical sector to the economy in Autauga and Elmore counties,” says Hilliard, “and some of the folks there are James Hardie Building Products, Medline Industries, Affinity Chemical and Pearson Industries.”

The South Industrial Park will soon have a new tenant. In September, the city of Prattville announced that Owens Corning would locate an advanced asphalt roofing shingle plant there on about 200 acres.

“Autauga County continues to experience strong momentum, driven by strategic investments in infrastructure, workforce development, education, industrial growth and community enhancement,” says Kristi Pieper, director of economic and community development for Autauga County. “Across all four municipalities — Autaugaville, Billingsley, Pine Level and Prattville — regional and state partners are working together to ensure our county remains a destination for business, talent and quality of life.”

One of the largest employers in Autauga County is International Paper, which anchors the county’s manufacturing economy with its large containerboard mill just outside of Prattville. There, about 670 employees produce fiber-based packaging for regional and national customers.

Meanwhile, one of the largest employers in neighboring

Autauga & Elmore Counties

by GAIL ALLYN SHORT

Elmore County is GKN Aerospace that employs about 1,000 workers at its Tallassee facilities, producing composite and metal structures for commercial and military aircraft.

Other manufacturing companies in Elmore County include MADIX Inc., Hanil USA, YESAC Corp. and AG Manufacturing.

But Elmore County reports that it is experiencing a growth spurt, with about 100 people moving in every month, including families, first-time home buyers and retirees.

Why? “I think it is the natural resources, and I think it’s the tax structure that’s here. We’re the lowest ad valorem rate county in the state, and our school systems are great, between the public and the handful of private schools we have. I think it just creates an environment that people want to strive and move to,” says Richie Beyer, the COO of the Elmore County Economic Development Authority.

As a consequence, the focus for the county’s economic development authority has changed from a heavy focus on industrial development, Beyer says.

“For the last several years, there’s been an increased investment in what the commission and our municipal partners and our board of education have deemed quality of life projects, and that was mainly because the unemployment rate in Elmore County has been traditionally one of the lowest in the state.”

Among the quality-of-life projects is the opening of Phase 2 of the 17 Springs sports complex in Millbrook that is already a recreational tourist destination.

The facility includes tennis and pickleball courts, turf fields for softball and baseball, a nearly 6,000-seat football stadium and a field house with space for basketball and volleyball games and meeting and event spaces as well.

Now, construction is starting on 17 Springs Marketplace, to add retail establishments, restaurants and hotels to attract even more people to the sports complex.

Besides sports tourism, Wind Creek Wetumpka, the hotel and casino, is another major attraction in Elmore County, drawing January 2026 BusinessAlabama.com | 45

S P O T L I G H T: OV E R V I E W

M E D I A N H O U S E H O L D I N CO M E

P O P U L AT I O N Total Alabama Population: 5,108,468

Madison County: $86,192 Baldwin County: $72,915 Elmore County: $72,478 Autauga County: $69,841 Jefferson County: $64,623 Chilton County: $61,873 Montgomery County: $60,739 Tallapoosa County: $57,185 Coosa County: $57,063 Mobile County: $55,352 State of Macon County: $45,951 Alabama Dallas County: $36,810 $62,212 Lowndes County: $35,160 Source: Census Reporter/U.S. Census Bureau

Jefferson County: 662,895 Madison County: 412,600 Mobile County: 411,640 Baldwin County: 253,507 Montgomery County: 224,980 Elmore County: 90,441 Autauga County: 59,285 Chilton County: 45,500 Tallapoosa County: 41,070 Dallas County: 37,536 Macon County: 18,951 Coosa County: 10,323 Lowndes County: 10,008 Source: Census Reporter/U.S. Census Bureau

visitors from within and outside the state.

Back across the county line, in Prattville, the Autauga County Heritage Association is preparing to launch a capital campaign effort to build The Pratt in downtown Prattville as a salute to the city’s founder, cotton gin manufacturer Daniel Pratt. The project will include a museum and a renovation of the historic Continental Gin Company R&D buildings. Construction is set to begin in 2026.

Construction also is set to begin on the new Applied Science Livestock Teaching Lab at Billingsley School. The $2 million project by the Autauga County Schools will result in a center where students will get hands-on experience learning concepts in agriscience.

46 | BusinessAlabama.com January 2026

Gail Allyn Short is a Birmingham-based freelance contributor to Business Alabama.

Economic Engines The firm prioritizes locally sourced materials, EVP Ryan Kilcullen said, adding, “Approximately 83% of our raw materials are purchased within 100 miles of our plants, supporting The Alabama Agricultural Experiment Station purchased 904 local businesses acres in Autaugaville in May 2024 to expand row-crop research. and minimizing the length of haul and carbon INTERNATIONAL PAPER/ footprint,” Kilcullen says.

PACKAGING/AGRICULTURE “James Hardie, as of next year, when A major job creator in Autauga County’s they flip the switch on their fourth line, manufacturing sector is Memphis-based they’ll be the largest fiber cement board International Paper, which operates a conmanufacturer of any brand in the world, tainerboard mill just outside of Prattville. right here in Prattville,” Amy Hilliard, The Prattville mill is the largest maneconomic development director for the ufacturing employer in the county with city of Prattville, says. around 670 workers.

Agriculture is another large industry in Autauga County also is home to both counties. Cotton farming is promiGraham Packaging and UFP Packaging, nent in the county along with cattle, hay both in Prattville. Graham makes plastic and various kinds of produce. packaging for a variety of industries and “What’s interesting about the PrattUFP makes pallets and custom crates and ville-Autauga County market is you can boxes. be at a Target and in seven miles you can be in the county with 200 acres around BUILDING PRODUCTS you, so you have the opportunity to live In Autauga County, another major emin whatever lifestyle you choose to live. ployer is James Hardie, which makes fiber But agriculture is a huge driver for us as a cement products and employs around 310 county,” Hilliard says. people at its Prattville facility. An expanTOURISM sion in progress will allow the company In Elmore County, Wind Creek Weto double capacity to about 1 billion stantumpka is a casino and resort located on dard feet of siding annually and to double the banks of the Coosa River. The Poarch its workforce.

B U S I N E S S OCTOBER 2025: Autaugavillebased MRaine Industries, which bottles Eleven86 Real Artesian Water, is named the 2025 Small Manufacturer of the Year by the Business Council of Alabama.

OCTOBER 2025: Central States Bus Sales, a Blue Bird School Bus dealer, opens a new 15,000-square-foot sales, parts and service center in Prattville, bringing 20 new jobs.

TAXES PROPERTY TAX NOT INCLUDING SCHOOLS OR MUNICIPALITIES

AUTAUGA COUNTY Outside Prattville: 10.5 mills Inside Prattville: 7.5 mills ELMORE COUNTY: 8.5 mills

STATE OF ALABAMA: 6.5 mills

SALES TAX AUTAUGA COUNTY: 2% Cities within the county:

AUTAUGAVILLE: 4% BILLINGSLEY: 3% PRATTVILLE: 3.5% ELMORE COUNTY: 1% Cities within the county:

COOSADA: 5% DEATSVILLE: 1% ELMORE: 3% ECLECTIC: 5% MILLBROOK: 4.5% TALLASSEE (INSIDE ELMORE COUNTY): 5% WETUMPKA: 4% STATE OF ALABAMA: 4%

Source: Alabama Department of Revenue

Band of Creek Indians owns the complex, with a casino offering more than 2,000 games on its floor and a four-diamond hotel, spa, restaurants and live performances by popular entertainers.

Elmore County also is the place for sports entertainment. 17 Springs in Millbrook is a complex for youth and adult sports and tournaments that is growing into a place for dining, lodging and retail as well.

B R I E F S SEPTEMBER 2025: Toledo, Ohio-based Owens Corning announces plans for a shingle manufacturing plant in Prattville, bringing100 skilled jobs to the city. Construction is to begin in early 2026.

AUGUST 2025: River Bank & Trust, headquartered in Prattville, announces plans to open its first out-of-state office in Destin, Florida. Brad Hayes will lead the Florida office as region president.

JULY 2025: Home and farm supplier Rural King selects Prattville as the location for a new store. The store will open in the Prattville Plaza Shopping Center.

JUNE 2025: Guardian Credit Union breaks ground for its new branch in the town of Pine Level in Autauga County with plans to open by the end of 2025.

JUNE 2025: Southern Orthopaedic Surgeons is coming to Millbrook. The new medical complex will feature orthopedic and therapy services, as well as urgent care and family medicine clinics.

MAY 2025: Officials break ground for the new First Community Bank branch in the town of Pine Level. The new bank will be in the Interstate Business Park.

January 2026 BusinessAlabama.com | 47

S P O T L I G H T: ECO N O M I C E N G I N E S

The complex features baseball and softball fields, football stadium, field house, a multi-purpose grass field for soccer and other sports, as well as tennis and pickleball courts.

Now, Marketplace at 17 Springs is under development and will include restaurants, retail and hotels to encourage visitors to stay in the area.

The county estimates that the Marketplace will attract more than 400,000 visitors a year and generate $166 million in economic activity, that will ripple through the community.

GKN AEROSPACE

GKN Aerospace is another major manufacturing employer in Elmore County with two plants in Tallassee that specialize in advanced composite and aerostructure production for civil and military aircraft programs.

About 1,000 people work at GKN in Tallassee in roles that include machinists, warehouse logistics and supply chain personnel and quality and manufacturing engineers.

DIVERSE MANUFACTURERS/SECTORS

Some of the largest companies in the manufacturing sector in Autauga and Elmore counties include Medline Industries in Prattville, a medical supply distribution center, and Kinedyne LLC, also in Prattville, which makes cargo control equipment.

In Eclectic, workers at Madix Inc. manufacture retail wood and metal shelving and displays, while in Tallassee, Neptune Technology Group makes water

B U S I N E S S MARCH 2025: The sportsthemed restaurant chain Baumhower’s Victory Grille announces plans to open a new location at The Marketplace at 17 Springs in Millbrook in the fall.

APRIL 2025: The private equity real estate firm Sage Lane Partners and ARK Holdings acquire the Hampton Inn & Suites Prattville hotel in a joint venture.

meters, and AES Industries offers a line of adapter curbs.

And at a plant in Autaugaville, Eleven86 Real Artesian Water is bottled by MRaine Industries. The company was named the Alabama Small Manufacturer of the Year in 2025 by the Business Council of Alabama and Manufacture Alabama.

Autauga and Elmore counties also are home to several automotive suppliers.

Among the largest are Frasle Mobility in Prattville, which manufactures friction solutions for automobiles, and the Japanese manufacturer Kasai North America Inc., also in Prattville, which produces plastic injection molding.

Old World Industries, based in Illinois, is a company in the automotive aftermarket sector that supplies products such as antifreeze, coolant, diesel exhaust fluid and automotive headlights and operates a facility in Prattville. In 2025, Old World Industries announced its plans to expand its Prattville facility with a $20 million investment.

In Tallassee in Elmore County, Hanil USA assembles brake and fuel line bundles, and YESAC Corp. produces automotive jigs and pallets.

In Wetumpka, AG Manufacturing makes automotive electrical wire harnesses, and, in the town of Pine Level, SignMaster offers wholesale printing of signs made with aluminum, plastics and other materials, as well as banners, decals and posters.

SignMaster was a finalist for the 2025 Alabama Small Manufacturer of the Year contest.

JUNE 2024: The city of Wetumpka breaks ground on the new River Town Center, a commercial complex to feature retail stores, restaurants, a fun park and more.

48 | BusinessAlabama.com January 2026

AUTAUGA COUNTY

International Paper | PRATTVILLE Boxboard • 670 employees

James Hardie Building Products PRATTVILLE

Cement fiber • 310 employees

Medline Industries | PRATTVILLE Medical products • 258 employees

Kinedyne LLC | PRATTVILLE Cargo control equipment 140 employees

Frasle Mobility | PRATTVILLE Brake pads • 70 employees

Kasai North America Inc. PRATTVILLE

Plastic injection molding • 68 employees

ELMORE COUNTY

GKN Aerospace | TALLASSEE

Aircraft composites • 1,000 employees

MADIX Inc. | ECLECTIC

Store shelving • 694 employees

Neptune Technology Group TALLASSEE

Water meters • 540 employees

Hanil USA | TALLASSEE Brake wires • 330 employees

B R I E F S

JANUARY 2025: Trophies and gifts retailer Sunrise & Sheridan opens its new location in downtown Prattville.

Largest Industrial Employers

AUGUST 2024: Industrial packaging manufacturer UFP Packaging opens its new 50,000-square-foot facility in Autauga County in the Interstate Business Park.

MAY 2024: The Auburn University Alabama Agricultural Experiment Station closes on a $5.15 million, 904-acre property in Autaugaville.

Scientists will use the property for row crop research.

YESAC Corp. | TALLASSEE Automotive jigs and pallets 80 employees

AES Industries | TALLASSEE Adapter curbs • 74 employees

AG Manufacturing | WETUMPKA Automotive electrical wire harnesses 64 employees

Source: Economic development officials

Movers & Shapers RICHIE BEYER is the COO of the

Elmore County Economic Development Authority. Prior to joining the agency, he worked 22 years as the Elmore County engineer and as COO for Elmore County. Beyer has served as president of the National Association of County Engineers and of the Alabama County Engineers Association. In addition, the National Association of County Engineers named him Rural County Engineer of the Year in 2014. Besides his work in local government, Beyer has been a board member of the YMCA of Greater Montgomery Association. Beyer is a graduate of Florida State University.

ZACHARY BIGLEY is the first mayor

of the newly incorporated town of Pine Level in Autauga County. Bigley studied business administration and management at Auburn University at Montgomery and earned his associate degree in pastoral studies and counseling at Rhema Bible Training Center. He founded Zachary Bigley Ministries Inc., in 2011 and hosted the “Generation Next” television show.

He also has worked as a real-estate agent and coached his daughter’s softball team.

BRENDA ROBERTSON DENNIS

is president and CEO of the Millbrook Area Chamber of Commerce.

A freelance writer, Dennis has published articles in

magazines in Alabama and Florida such as Alabama Metro360, Joy to Life and Alabama Living, and she has worked in public relations and development. She also was a staff writer and editor for the Junior League publication League Logs and a member of the Junior League of Montgomery. Dennis is past treasurer of the Prattville-Millbrook Sunrise Rotary Club and a member of the West Elmore County Food Pantry Capital Campaign Committee. Dennis graduated from Huntingdon College in Montgomery.

RICHARD DENNIS is superintendent

of Elmore County Schools.

Previously he worked as the principal at Prattville High School, Wetumpka High School and Holtsville High School. He earned his bachelor’s degree in English and history in education from the University of Alabama. Dennis was named Alabama’s Principal of the Year in 2012 by the Council for Leaders in Alabama Schools.

In addition, he received the Outstanding Alumni Award from Auburn University at Montgomery’s School of Education.

KENDAL ENTREKIN is the director

of enrollment services at Central Alabama Community College. Before coming to the college, Entrekin worked as an admissions counselor at Auburn University at Montgomery. She earned her bachelor’s degree at the University of Alabama and her Master of Education at the University of West Alabama. She was recognized in 2024 as a Top 20 Under 40 honoree by the Prattville Area Chamber of Commerce.

MARQUIS FORGE is founder and

CEO of MRaine Industries, which bottles Eleven86 Real Artesian Water. The company won the 2025 Small Manufacturer of the Year Award from the Business Council of Alabama, Alabama Technology Network and Manufacture Alabama.

He is a licensed ordained apostle at his church and vice president of 100 Black Men of West Alabama. He also teaches financial wisdom sessions to students in Autaugaville and Tuscaloosa. Forge recently purchased the old Autaugaville School with plans to start a private Christian school. Forge studied and played football at the University of Alabama.

AMY HILLIARD is economic

development director for the city of Prattville.

Earlier, Hilliard was the workforce development and business recruitment director for the city of Auburn and economic development director for the Prattville Area Chamber of Commerce. She has worked to market the city of Prattville and overseen announcements and expansions for Owens Corning, Old World Industries, Rural King, James Hardie Building Products, Long Lewis and many new restaurants and retail establishments in the local area. Hilliard holds a bachelor’s degree from Auburn University, a master’s from Troy University and an Ed.D. from the University of Alabama.

DESIRAE JACKSON is the youngest person ever elected to the Elmore County Commission and is in her second term.

A University of Alabama graduate, she January 2026 BusinessAlabama.com | 51

S P O T L I G H T: M OV E R S & S H A PE R S

earned her J.D. degree from the Jones School of Law at Faulkner University before opening her own practice in her hometown of Wetumpka. Jackson has served as president of the Elmore County Bar Association, chair of the Elmore County Mental Health Task Force and the Health Care Task Force. She is president of the Elmore County Emanon Group, the Elmore County Children’s Policy Council and a founding member of the West Elmore Lions Club. Jackson also is a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc. AL KELLEY is long-time mayor of

Millbrook. He has served in the role since 1996. Kelley’s memberships have included the Millbrook Area Chamber of Commerce, Millbrook Civitan Club and the National Association of Tax Practitioners. He also has served on the Montgomery Metropolitan Planning Organization and the Central Alabama Regional Planning and Development Commission’s board. In addition, he is a member of the Sons of the American Legion. Kelley attended the University of Alabama and Troy State University, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in accounting.

CORY LUCKIE is a family medicine

physician at Baptist Health Primary Care Partners at the Prattville Medical Park.

Board certified by the Alabama 52 | BusinessAlabama.com January 2026

Board of Family Medicine, Luckie is a member of the American Academy of Family Physicians and serves as district representative for the organization. He also has served on the Prattville Autauga Character Coalition, which promotes character education. An Auburn University graduate, Luckie earned his medical degree from the University of Alabama at Birmingham Heersink School of Medicine and completed his residency in family medicine at the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa.

JIMMY MORRIS JR. is the owner

and managing member of Morris Builders LLC, in Prattville. He is a member of the Prattville Area Chamber of Commerce executive committee, Prattville Baptist Hospital advisory board and the Brantwood Children’s Home.

He also is a certified hospital trustee with the Alabama Hospital Association and a former board president for the Habitat for Humanity Autauga and Chilton county chapters. An Alabama State University graduate, he holds a master’s from Columbia Southern University and additional credentials from Babson College Goldman Sachs 10KSB program and the Turner School of Construction Management.

REBECCA SPEAR is the vice president

and office manager at River Bank & Trust in Wetumpka.

Prior to joining River Bank & Trust, Spear served as the branch sales manager at CB&S Bank. In addition, she has been a member of the Kiwanis Club, served on the board of a local children’s advocacy center and was

an ambassador for the Wetumpka Area Chamber of Commerce. She is a member of the chamber’s board of directors. Spear is a graduate of Alabama Banking School of the Alabama Bankers Association.

JOEY WIGINTON is the newly elected

mayor of Tallassee, taking office Nov. 3.

He is retired from Faulkner University, where he was assistant to the president for alumni relations, a senior advancement office and vice president for student services. He and his wife purchased and refurbished the Mount Vernon Theatre. Built in 1935, the theater reopened in 2024 and now hosts live performances again. Wiginton earned a master’s degree in human resources management and services from Faulkner University.

LYMAN WOODFIN is superintendent

of Autauga County Schools.

Earlier, he worked as a teacher, a mentor teacher for at-risk students, basketball coach and eventually assistant principal of Prattville High School, where he also worked as the school’s athletics director. He became the principal at Marbury High School in 2018. There, he worked to revamp the curriculum, add vocational classes and oversee campus facility improvements.

Woodfin holds a bachelor’s degree from Huntingdon College and a master’s from Auburn University at Montgomery. He also earned an instructional leadership certification from the University of West Alabama.

Health Care this honor.

The hospital also won the Best Hospitals Women’s Choice Award for Outpatient Experience in 2023.

COMMUNITY HOSPITAL TALLASSEE

Community Hospital Tallassee is a not-for-profit, acute care hospital with a 24-hour emergency room and intensive care unit.

Hospital services include surgical services; cardiopulmonary; radiology; skilled care and rehabilitation; occupational, physical and speech therapy; hospice care; home care; and senior care.

The home care service for adults recovering from serious illnesses or injuries provides nursing and personal care as well as physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech therapy and other services, all directed by the physician.

The hospital also offers New Day Senior Care for adults age 55 and over with a psychiatric diagnosis and in need of behavioral health services.

Prattville Baptist Hospital.

ELMORE COMMUNITY HOSPITAL

Elmore Community Hospital.

PRATTVILLE BAPTIST HOSPITAL

Prattville Baptist Hospital is an acutecare, community hospital serving patients both in Autauga and Elmore counties.

Prattville Baptist is accredited by the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations. The hospital offers a host of services, from 24-hour emergency room care, outpatient surgical care and cardiopulmonary services to dialysis, radiology and geriatric behavioral health.

The hospital also operates a sleep disorder clinic for patients suffering from sleep apnea and other related disorders.

In 2025, Prattville Baptist Hospital

achieved a KultureCity Sensory Inclusive certification. KultureCity is a nonprofit organization that teaches organizations how to create sensory inclusive environments, and the certification is for any organization seeking to serve and provide resources for individuals with sensory processing needs.

Also in 2025, Prattville Baptist Hospital won a Healthgrades Patient Safety Excellence award. The award honors hospitals around the country that have the lowest incidents of 14 patient safety events. It is the second year in a row that Healthgrades listed Prattville Baptist for

Elmore Community Hospital in Wetumpka is part of the Ivy Creek Healthcare system. The hospital offers surgical services, radiology and emergency care and respite care.

In addition, Ivy Creek operates a number of clinics and health services in Elmore County. They include several pediatric clinics, a chemical detox clinic, Wetumpka Urgent Care, River Oak Family Medicine, Ivy Creek Medical Associates and Ivy Creek Palliative Care in Wetumpka; Ivy Creek Hospice Elmore; Ivy Creek Home Health of Elmore; and Ivy Creek Family Care of Wetumpka, Millbrook and Tallassee.

January 2026 BusinessAlabama.com | 53

Higher Education

Central Alabama Community College.

CENTRAL ALABAMA COMMUNITY COLLEGE

Open since 2022, the Prattville campus of Central Alabama Community College sits on 124 acres in the city.

The college is a public, two-year institution accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges with four campuses in Childersburg, Talladega, Alexander City and Prattville.

Student enrollment at Central Alabama reached 3,050 students during the 2024–2025 academic year and saw a 45% jump over the last four years.

The college maintains a 17:1 studentto-instructor ratio, and during the 2024-2025 school year, it awarded 409 diplomas and certificates.

At Central Alabama Community College, students can choose among 14 degree programs to earn an associate of arts degree, an associate of science degree or credentials in one of the many career technical programs.

Specialty programs include a Federation for Advanced Manufacturing Education chapter set to launch in fall 2026 with support from more than 20 local companies.

The college’s Skills for Success programs provide training in fields such as truck driving, heavy equipment, carpentry, manufactured housing, hospitality and more.

But for students wanting to complete their high-school education, Central Alabama Community College’s Adult Education program offers classes where they can earn a high-school diploma or GED while gaining digital literacy and job-readiness skills.

This year, CACC’s Adult Education program launched a new initiative called Setbacks to Scholarships in partnership 54 | BusinessAlabama.com January 2026

J. F. Ingram State Technical College.

with the Elmore County Juvenile Court and the Elmore County Family Resource Center. The program will give justiceinvolved youth the chance to continue their education and prepare for the workforce.

Dual enrollment has surged by more than 98% in the last four years, supported by strong partnerships with Autauga County Schools and Elmore County Schools, say school officials. The college also has launched a dual enrollment program with Prattville Christian Academy.

Earlier this year, the college broke ground on a 50,000-square-foot Center of Excellence for Innovation and Technology, a major investment set to open in summer 2027. Once complete, the center will feature labs, workspaces and training environments designed to prepare students for high-demand careers and support workforce needs across Central Alabama.

CACC’s commitment to student life also is expanding. Beginning in Fall 2026, the college will introduce new athletic programs, including volleyball, men’s and women’s cross country and women’s flag football.

J. F. INGRAM STATE TECHNICAL COLLEGE

J.F. Ingram State Technical College, in Deatsville in Elmore County, is the only educational institution exclusively for students in the Alabama state corrections system. The college offers adult education and GED preparation programs, soft-skills classes and 19 career technical programs for 17 correctional facilities and 12 Alabama Bureau of Paroles facilities.

All classes are held within prison grounds and facilities.

Students enrolled in Ingram State’s career technical program can earn certification in fields such as automotive

mechanics, automotive body repair, carpentry, barbering, cosmetology, electrical technology, logistics, utility tree trimming, welding, cabinetmaking, HVAC, office administration and plumbing. Students also can earn their credentials in OSHA-10 general safety and forklift operation.

Ingram State’s career technical training program’s stated aim is to raise graduates’ chances for landing jobs and lowering the rate of recidivism.

Each year, nearly 3,000 students attend classes at Ingram State, which is accredited by the Alabama Community College System. Last fall, Ingram State reported a 33.3% increase in enrollment from the previous year.

In July, Ingram State became the first college in Alabama to win a Lowe’s Foundation Gable Grant, a competitive award that supports training in the trades.

The college will use the grant to purchase virtual reality simulation software and offer more shop learning opportunities to give students more simulated, workplace experiences to be job ready.

Then, in October, the Ingram State Technical College Foundation hosted the 8th annual Golf Scramble at the Robert Trent Jones Capitol Hill Golf Course.

Thirty-two teams participated in the event, which raised money to support Ingram State’s education, training and job placement programs.

In July 2024, Ingram State’s Draper Instructional Service Center hosted a job and resource fair with several dozen vendors from around the state participating.

The event was open to more than 200 Ingram State graduates who talked with the vendors about job possibilities once they completed their sentences.

January 2026 BusinessAlabama.com | 55

Community Development

The town of Pine Level celebrates the opening of its new town hall in September 2025.

L

eaders across Autauga and Elmore counties are working to boost their economies, strengthen educational outcomes and enhance the quality of life in their communities.

AUTAUGA COUNTY

In August, the Autauga County Heritage Association announced a five-year capital campaign to create a new downtown Prattville campus called The Pratt, honoring city founder Daniel Pratt. The project includes a museum, archival library and event venue. In addition, the historic Continental Gin Company R&D buildings will be renovated to house STEM programs and displays of various artifacts.

Construction on the museum, archive building and event hall at 201 Gin Shop Hill Road is scheduled to start in spring 2026, with the opening planned for spring 2027.

In Autaugaville in 2025, leaders unveiled the final Autaugaville Park Master Plan. Based on public comments and suggestions, the plan includes constructing a walking trail loop and moving the playground to the front of the park for greater safety and visibility.

And, working with the Central Alabama Regional Planning Commission, Autauga County is exploring opportunities for brownfield redevelopment at the historic Autaugaville School site to

help revitalize the area and make future development possible.

The city of Prattville opened Spillway Park in December. Situated along Autauga Creek, the new park features pedestrian walkways, a boardwalk, seating areas and a play area for children.

Autauga County’s newest municipality, the town of Pine Level, opened a new town hall in 2025 and placed a new roof on the town’s Community Center, a historic structure that is nearly 100 years old.

Autauga County Schools broke ground on a nearly $2 million Applied Science Livestock Teaching Lab at Billingsley School. The lab will provide students an agriscience education through hands-on learning experiences such as raising and managing livestock on campus. Officials say the Applied Science Livestock Teaching Lab is scheduled to open at the start of the 2026–2027 school year.

Billingsley School also achieved a statewide first recently by administering National Occupational Competency Testing Institute’s Ready for Industry assessment, a certification aimed at boosting students’ career preparation.

The Ready for Industry program, which is administered online, gives students job-awareness skills and teaches them what today’s employers expect from

the workforce. The Ready for Industry program includes a science intervention course combined with academic support, and it provides students with hands-on exposure to STEM career paths.

Autauga County Schools scored an 87 on the 2024–2025 state report card.

School officials say the test scores are the best performance since the pandemic and the second-highest score recorded under the current accountability system. The latest results mark a three-point improvement from the previous year.

In 2024, Autauga County Schools opened a new $30 million kindergarten in Prattville. The 87,000-square-foot school building accommodates around 400 children and houses 32 classrooms, a lunchroom and several play areas.

ELMORE COUNTY

In Elmore County, the sports complex 17 Springs in Millbrook is designed to attract those who love to play sports and those who love to watch others play. Now the county is looking to make 17 Springs an even more desired recreational tourist destination.

Phase 1 construction in 2023 brought tennis and pickleball courts and multi-purpose fields to the space.

Phase 2 of the project development opened in 2025 with new turf fields for softball and baseball, a football stadium with seating for almost 6,000 people, January 2026 BusinessAlabama.com | 57

S P O T L I G H T: CO M M U N I T Y D E V E LO PM E N T

an 86,000-square-foot field house and a 40,000-square-foot event center in the field house that can accommodate basketball and volleyball games and wrestling matches, as well as conferences, meetings and trade shows.

“The entire intent of the recreational tourism is bringing in those individuals that want to come and have an experience and spend some money while they’re here, and then when they leave, the facilities and the amenities are there for the locals,” says Richie Beyer, COO for the Elmore County Economic Development Authority.

17 Springs represents a $90 million investment and now17 Springs Marketplace is under construction. Marketplace will include restaurants, retail stores and hotels. Beyer says Baumhower’s Victory Grill is just one of the restaurants that plans to move into the development.

“The intent of that whole development is so people can park for an event, and they can do everything else they want to

58 | BusinessAlabama.com January 2026

do while they’re there, including stay on property at one of the two hotel sites,” Beyer says.

The city of Wetumpka also has a robust recreational system in its city limits, Beyer says. Wetumpka Sports Complex, for example, contains baseball and softball fields, a football stadium and soccer fields.

“There’s a project right now being completed that’s about halfway done, that will resurface all the fields in the diamond complex for Wetumpka, which will end up giving us close to 20 turf diamond fields throughout the county,” he says.

In 2025, Elmore County debuted the Enhance Elmore initiative to meet the needs of a rapidly growing population.

The plan includes construction of a new county jail, more funding for fire departments, more judicial and administrative space for two new circuit judges and the completion of more road and bridge projects.

In April 2025, leaders from Elmore

County and the city of Prattville held a groundbreaking for Riverfell, a $500 million, 232-acre master-planned mixed-use development along the Alabama River.

Riverfell is designated as a federal Opportunity Zone and its amenities will include commercial, retail businesses, restaurants, a boutique hotel and a medical office tower. Plans also call for more than 400 single-family homes, 350 multi-family units and an assisted living community.

Last March in the town of Deatsville, Recovery Alive opened Still Waters, an addiction recovery and sober living community for men. The faith-based Christian home is the second Recovery Alive facility in the area, behind the Ray of Hope home for women in recovery.

Also in Elmore County, Central Alabama Community College’s Adult Education program introduced a new scholarship initiative in collaboration with the Elmore County Juvenile Court and the Elmore County Family Resource Center. Launched in August 2025, the “Setbacks to Scholarships” program aims to help justice-involved youth resume their education and build workforce skills.

Participants in the program can receive GED preparation, pursue high school diploma options, and take part in digital literacy and job-readiness training. The program is designed to support justiceinvolved individuals as they move from their past and gain the skills needed to succeed academically, professionally and personally.

The Elmore County Commission committed $20 million in 2024 for several projects in the towns of Holtville, Eclectic and Tallassee to meet the recreational needs of the citizens and boost economic development at the same time. Funding for the projects is set to come from a lodging tax.

The projects will include converting several athletic fields in all three towns to turf.

In Holtville, the town listed its priorities, which included adding batting cages and a pavilion and building a multipurpose walking path and trail.

In Eclectic, the projects will include improved walking paths and trails, and Tallassee is seeking to reconstruct its community center and build a splash pad.

Culture & Recreation

The Mill at Prattville is now leasing apartments in the historic building.

A

utauga and Elmore counties are neighboring regions north of Montgomery that offer an abundance of attractions to satisfy almost everyone, from history buffs and lovers of the theater to hunters, anglers, kayakers, golfers, hikers and team sport fanatics.

AUTAUGA COUNTY

The Fountain of Youth may be a myth, but “The Fountain City” — well, that’s a real thing. It’s the nickname for Prattville, the county seat of Autauga County.

Prattville earned its nickname for the many artesian wells that exist across the community. Today, residents are still able to collect fresh, clear water from several public wells, including those at the Doster Road Artesian Wellhouse, in Heritage Park near Autauga Creek, and behind the Prattaugan Museum and Visitor Center.

The Prattaugan Museum in Prattville lies inside a Greek Revival home constructed in the 1840s. The museum tells the story of the city’s founder, the cotton gin manufacturer Daniel Pratt.

You can also tour the Daniel Pratt

Historic District, encompassing more than 200 restored historic homes and commercial, institutional and industrial buildings downtown that were constructed between 1840 and 1930.

Many of the industrial buildings are now loft apartments. The district is on the National Register of Historic Places, and visitors can take a guided walking tour, shop and dine at a restaurant.

In fact, the district is the place for music and art festivals and other cultural events in Prattville. Such events include Prattville CityFest and the annual Wilson Pickett Music & Arts Festival that celebrates the life and legacy of Prattville native, singer and songwriter Wilson Pickett.

Performing arts enthusiasts can see live theater and dance at Prattville Cultural Arts Center or the Way Off Broadway Theatre in Prattville.

Another attraction is Buena Vista.

Once called, “The Montgomery Place,” Buena Vista is a Greek-Revival-style home built in the 1840s. The home is often used today for tours, weddings, receptions and other events.

Autauga County also has several golf courses, including three championship courses at Capitol Hill, a premier stop on the Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail. Golf fans also can check out the course at the Prattville Country Club.

Those who love the outdoors can enjoy the wonder of Autauga Creek Canoe Trail in downtown Prattville. This waterway is a favorite among those who enjoy canoeing, kayaking and tubing.

Prattville has an extensive park system that includes Cooter’s Pond, a park along the Alabama River with amenities that include a riverwalk, docks, boat ramps and pavilions. Other parks in the city include Pratt Park Splash Pad and the Wilderness Park with its towering bamboo forest and diverse plant species.

Meanwhile, attractions like the Autauga Bluebird Trail, the seasonal Sunflower Field in Autaugaville, the Autauga Creekwalk and Prattvillage Garden are places to walk and observe the indigenous plants and wildlife.

And for those looking to shop, options range from the national retailers to a variety of antique and flea markets.

January 2026 BusinessAlabama.com | 59

S P O T L I G H T: C U LT U R E A N D R EC R E AT I O N

Events and Festivals in Autauga and Elmore Counties

17 Springs, in Millbrook, offers a football stadium, baseball and softball fields and more.

PRATTVILLE MARDI GRAS PARADE AND CELEBRATION – Jan. 31, 2026.

The party will include a parade, music, food and arts and crafts.

ALABAMA COTTON FESTIVAL – The annual event in October, in downtown Eclectic in Elmore County, includes exhibits on the cotton industry, arts and crafts, classic car show and parade and live music.

ELMORE COUNTY

One of the biggest draws to Elmore County is the Wind Creek Casino and Hotel Wetumpka. Wind Creek features a casino floor with more than 2,000 games, plus a hotel, restaurants, live performances, spa, pool and fitness center.

The county also is home to 17 Springs, a sports complex in the city of Millbrook that features a football stadium, turf fields for baseball and softball, a multi-purpose grass field for sports like soccer, tennis and pickleball courts, a picnic pavilion, field house and concession stand.

Elmore County also is an angler’s dream. The county has hosted a number of national fishing tournaments over the years. That is because Elmore County is home to Lake Martin, Lake Jordan, Yates Lake, Jackson Lake and several smaller lakes.

The island in Jackson Lake near Millbrook once served as a movie set for the Hollywood film “Big Fish.”

In addition, three rivers run through Elmore County: the Tallapoosa River runs along the eastern edge of the county, the Alabama River meanders along the county’s western edge, and the Coosa River flows along the county’s northwest border.

The Coosa River regularly attracts kayakers and canoers looking for adventure. And, they and other lovers of the great outdoors can spend a weekend at Camp Sherrye on the Coosa, a 60 | BusinessAlabama.com January 2026

campground and RV park on the banks of the Coosa River in Wetumpka.

Other local campgrounds include K&K Camping Center in Millbrook and the Swayback Campground and Thornhill Ridge in Wetumpka.

Elmore County also is an ideal place for those who love to hike and bike.

The John B. Scott Trail along the Tallapoosa and the Cherokee Bluffs Dam Railroad Trail are options as well as the two-mile Wetumpka Riverwalk along the Coosa River, and the Swayback Bridge Trail, which is an eight-mile trek.

In addition, the county is part of the Piedmont Plateau Birding Trail and bird watchers can visit locations like the Alabama Nature Center in Millbrook, Gold Star Park in Wetumpka and the Yates Lake Forever Wild Tract in Tallassee to catch a glimpse of feathered fowl like the great crested flycatchers, wood thrushes, hooded warblers and Carolina chickadees.

One trail to explore in Autauga and Elmore counties that is a bit more cosmopolitan is the Alabama Mural Trail. The trail features artists’ colorful and whimsical works displayed on the sides of downtown buildings in Wetumpka, Millbrook and Prattville.

Another tourist attraction is the Wetumpka Impact Crater Discovery and Visitor Center. At that site, approximately 85 million years ago, a 1,000-foot asteroid smashed into the

ground in Wetumpka, leaving a fivemile-wide crater. Visitors can tour the crater today to see and learn about the geological formations that resulted from this phenomenal event.

For youngsters, Blue Ribbon Dairy is a fun and educational destination.

Located in Tallassee, this family-owned farm is a place where visitors can take a tour, bottle feed a calf and learn how milk goes from the cow to the grocery store.

In Wetumpka, history lovers can visit the Black History Museum with its many artifacts and materials that tell the story of the Civil Rights Movement and the local individuals who fought for equality.

Other Elmore County attractions include The Pines Golf Club, a public 18-hole course owned by the city of Millbrook. And the Wetumpka Sportsplex offers space to play whatever sport you love — football, baseball, softball, soccer fields, tennis and pickleball facilities share space with a splash pad and an arena for rodeos and other sporting events.

Elmore County also offers several venues for those who enjoy a night at the theater. The Wetumpka Depot Players perform throughout the year. In 2025, they debuted a tribute to the late Jimmy Buffett, “Escape to Margaritaville.”

Meanwhile, the Millbrook Community Players have a 2026 season that will include plays, musicals and a show by comedian Lee Hardin.

Career Notes

by ERICA JOINER WEST

as political director.

REAL ESTATE

MELANIE WEED

MARY FRANCES CLARKE

ANDREW HUFFMAN

ANNETTE FUNDERBURK

TIFFANY BAIN

AUGUSTA WATTERS

ROBERT McGINLEY

MADELINE PRIESTLEY

RICH HOLT

JEFF LEA

DIRK WILLETT

KEYARROW MOORE-BONNER

ACCOUNTING Melanie Weed has been named a principal at Jackson Thornton.

Troy Regional Medical Center has hired Dr. Michael Williams, to join its team at Troy Primary Care.

AVIATION

LEGAL

Flight Works Alabama, a nonprofit aviation workforce education hub, has named Mary Frances Clarke as its new managing director.

BANKING Andrew Huffman has been named vice president, digital banking product manager for Renasant Corp.

BIOTECH Kalm Therapeutics has added Dr. Peter Lio, a dermatologist and clinical researcher, as an investor and to its board.

EDUCATION Annette Funderburk has been named interim president of Chattahoochee Valley Community College. Funderburk succeeds Jacqueline Screws, who retired in late 2025.

Calhoun Community College has named Tiffany Bain dean of Health Sciences.

Augusta Watters, of Reid State Community College, has been selected for the Delta Leadership Institute Executive Academy of the Delta Regional Authority.

HEALTH CARE Angela Kinnison, a caregiver in the Mobile office of Cornerstone Caregiving, has been named 2025 Caregiver of the Year by the company, which has 400 locations nationwide.

Barrett Bowdre has been promoted to solicitor general of Alabama.

Burr & Forman has hired the following associates for its Birmingham office: Maddison Booth, Alisha Clay, Kyra Lockhart, Guadalupe Orozco Rosiles, Anna Robinson, Mckenzy Smith and Alli Swann.

Butler Snow LLP has hired attorneys Madison King in its Birmingham office and Synclair Goyer in its Huntsville office.

Jones Walker LLP has hired Robert McGinley as special counsel in the corporate practice group and a member in the firm’s real estate team based in Mobile.

MUNICIPALITIES Ken Grimes, Hoover’s city administrator, has been named economic development manager for the city.

ORGANIZATIONS Mark Drew, of Protective Life Corp., has been elected chairman of the Business Council of Alabama for 2026. In addition, BCA has hired Tim Howe as its new chief advocacy officer.

POLITICS The Alabama Republican Party has hired Madeline Priestley as director of member services and data and Rich Holt

Vaughn Poe, executive director of the Alabama Real Estate Commission, has been accepted to the Center for the Advancement of Leadership Skills Class of 2025.

MICHAEL WILLIAMS

Zackery Burr, an assistant attorney general of the Alabama Real Estate Commission, has completed Auburn University at Montgomery’s Certified Public Manager training program.

RESTAURANTS Chester’s Chicken has named Kevin O’Connor as its new executive vice president, following the retirement of Bill Rice.

SECURITY Valentino Corbett, an employee of Pride Industries in Dothan and a locksmith II at Fort Rucker, is a finalist for the 2026 SourceAmerica Achievement Award, which honors employees, nonprofit agencies and business partners for creating lasting change in disability employment.

TOURISM Karen Beasley, vice president of marketing and communications for the Alabama Mountain Lakes Tourist Association, has been named Tourism Promoter of the Year by the Alabama Restaurant and Hospitality Association.

TRANSPORTATION AAA Cooper Transportation has promoted Jeff Lea to regional vice president, Dirk Willett to vice president of national sales and John Hansen to director of strategic channel solutions.

WORKFORCE The Alabama Department of Workforce has appointed Keyarrow Moore-Bonner as chief labor officer.

January 2026 BusinessAlabama.com | 65

RETROSPECT

Edison’s Alabama Prodigy When Miller Hutchison met the Wizard of Menlo Park

T

By SCOTTY E. KIRKLAND

he automatic telegraph. The motion-picture machine.

The alkaline battery. The light bulb. From his research laboratory, inventor and businessman Thomas Edison made the modern world possible. For more than a decade in the early 20th century, an ambitious young electrical engineer from Alabama was among his most trusted associates.

Miller Reese Hutchison was born in August 1876 in Montrose, where his parents had a summer home. His father was a broker in Mobile. His mother’s family were landowners near Tuskegee. In machine shops and foundries around Mobile, an inquisitive young Miller Hutchison spent his childhood years. As an adolescent, he enrolled at Marion Military Institute. He later took classes closer to his Mobile home, at Spring Hill College and the University Military School. He studied electrical engineering at Alabama Polytechnic Institute (API) as part of the Class of 66 | BusinessAlabama.com January 2026

1897. There, before his 20th birthday, Hutchison received his first patent for a device to protect telegraph wires from power surges and lightning.

The Alabama inventor’s two greatest contributions came in the years before his association with Edison. The first was an electrical hearing aid marketed as the Acousticon. Hutchison spent time at Mobile’s Medical College studying the anatomy of the ear to create the device. Patented in 1902 and widely distributed, the device garnered acclaim on two continents and made Hutchison a rich man. Queen Alexandra of England bestowed upon him a medal of merit in recognition of his work to assist the deaf. Only after her death in 1925 was it revealed that the queen had availed herself of Hutchison’s invention. It was a secret well kept.

Hutchison transferred the Acousticon’s commercial rights to an associate in 1905. The following year, he filed a patent application

R E T RO S PE C T

for a new invention: the Klaxon horn. In the Greek language, klaxo means “shriek.”

The horn, with its distinctive, ahh-ooohgahh sound, was appropriately named and designed to rise above the noise of the street. American humorist Mark Twain once suggested that Hutchison created the Klaxon horn to drum up business for his hearing aids. In 1910, Hutchison’s Klaxon royalties exceeded $41,000 (nearly $1.5 million today). By 1912, Klaxons were standard on all new General Motors vehicles.

He was 34 when he walked into Edison’s lab in West Orange, New Jersey, with a new proposal in the summer of 1910. By that time, Hutchison was a respected engineer and inventor and a wealthy, well-connected man. He proposed a partnership to outfit submarines and other naval vessels with versions of Edison’s electric batteries. The possibility of lucrative military contracts was too good to ignore.

The business-minded Edison agreed and retained Hutchison.

Hutchison proved himself a keen interlocutor, particularly in the halls of government. The taciturn Edison came to enjoy the company of the man from Alabama. “They presented an amusing contrast when seen together,” wrote Edison biographer Edmund Morris. “The younger man, saturnine, elegant in dress and manners, smoking choice Havana cigars; the older white-haired and slovenly in suits that had often been slept in, chomping on a wad of the cheapest tobacco.”

For the next several years, they worked alongside each other and traveled together in Hutchison’s Packard. “He is opening up to me more and more all the time,” Hutchison wrote in his diary.

By the time of their association, Edison was quite deaf and refused the use of any hearing aid. In meetings, “Hutch,” as he was called, would sit at Edison’s right side, tapping out pertinent details in Morse code onto the great inventor’s knee. “I am ensconced here,” Hutchison wrote in his diary in 1912, the same year Edison named him as his chief engineer, “right next to the greatest living inventor & apt to step into his shoes when he passes away. Brillant future ahead of me.”

Edison’s family had something to say about this plan of succession. The inventor’s wife, Mina, feared “Hutch” might supplant Edison’s son, Charles, as heir apparent. But this was not to be. A deadly 1916 accident aboard a submarine outfitted with an Edisonmade battery damaged the relationship between the two inventors. Although blamed on improper ventilation rather A version of Hutchison’s Acousticon. Photo courtesy of the Alabama Department of Archives and History.

On preceding page, Miller Hutchison is seen in a 1914 photo communicating with Thomas Edison by tapping Morse code on his knee. At left, Hutchison in 1916. Photos courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.

than manufacturer error, the incident marred the reputations of Edison and Hutchison. The U.S. Navy’s inquiry into the explosion lasted for some time. “We were in no way to blame,” Hutchison wrote in his diary, “but the odium has gone all over.”

Hutchison’s association with Edison Labs came to an end in 1918, after eight years, including six as chief engineer.

Charles Edison, now chairman of the board, canceled Hutchison’s commission.

The elder Edison offered no protest. The split was amicable; the severance was substantial. But “Hutch” departed West Orange with more than money, however. “I spent the happiest days of my life with Edison,” he later recalled.

He settled in New York City, hanging his own corporate shingle on the 51st floor of the Woolworth Building. At the time, it was the tallest building in the world, a fitting location for a man of such ambition who had achieved so much by the age of 42. There he continued in his own inventions for many years, including enhanced safety devices for aircraft and a compound to reduce the amount of carbon monoxide in fuel exhaust, to name only two.

Although his work had taken him far from the Yellowhammer State, Hutchison maintained close Alabama ties. Hutchison donated frequently to API fundraising campaigns and spearheaded a gathering of alumni in Manhattan. He accepted many a speaking invitation postmarked from his native land. At commencement exercises at Mobile’s University Military School, Hutchison urged graduates “Stay South, young man, stay South…. Here there are great possibilities.” He lent his expertise to ridding the land of the boll weevil, the tiny, foreign scourge that had so devastated Alabama farms. At the State Capitol, he lobbied legislators to raise the educational standards in Alabama’s public schools.

Miller Reese Hutchison died in February 1944 at the age of 67. Observers praised him as one of the most creative and consequential minds Alabama ever produced.

Historian Scotty E. Kirkland is a freelance contributor to Business Alabama. He lives in Wetumpka.

January 2026 BusinessAlabama.com | 67

Index 100 Black Men of West Alabama.......................51

Autauga County...............................................45

Cherokee Bluffs Dam Railroad Trail...................59

Family Dollar Stores...........................................6

17 Springs, Millbrook........................... 45, 47, 59

Autauga County Heritage Association..........45, 57

Chester’s Chicken.............................................65

Faulkner University..........................................51

AAA Cooper Transportation...............................65

Autauga County Schools....................... 51, 54, 57

Children’s of Alabama........................................6

Federal Reserve Bank.......................................31

Adkins, Norman..............................................................7

Autauga Creek Canoe Trail................................59

Choice Fabricators..............................................9

Finley, Paul...................................................................11

Advantage Capital..............................................8

Autauga Creekwalk..........................................59

Chonex Inc.......................................................42

First Community Bank......................................47

AES Industries............................................47, 48

Autaugaville, Town of.......................................45

Clarke, Mary Frances.....................................................65

Flight Works Alabama......................................65

Affinity Chemical LLC........................................45

Babson College................................................51

Clay, Alisha...................................................................65

Florida State University....................................51

AG Manufacturing Inc.................................45, 48

Bain, Tiffany .................................................................65

Clements, James..........................................................34

Forge, Marquis.............................................................51

Alabama Bankers Association...........................51

Baker, Jimmy................................................................27

Cloud 9 Aviation.................................................8

Fort Rucker.......................................................65

Alabama Big 10 Mayors Association..................11

Baldwin Group...................................................8

Cobbs Allen........................................................8

Forte Power Systems...........................................7

Alabama Bureau of Prisons...............................54

Baldwin, Joe.................................................................70

Collins, Terri..................................................................34

Franklin, Frank..............................................................42

Alabama Community College System.......... 27, 54

Baptist Health Primary Care Partners, Prattville.......................................51

Columbia Southern University..........................51

Frasle Mobility........................................... 45, 48

Columbia University...........................................7

Full Moon Bar-B-Que.........................................70

Community Hospital Tallassee..........................53

Funderburk, Annette....................................................65

Continental Gin Co.....................................45, 57

GE Appliances.....................................................9

Coosa River......................................................59

General Motors Corp.........................................66

Cooter’s Pond, Prattville...................................59

GKN Aerospace Inc................................ 45, 47, 48

Corbett, Valentino.........................................................65

Gllam Boutique..................................................8

Cornell University............................................42

Gold Star Park, Wetumpka................................59

Cornerstone Caregiving....................................65

Government Finance Officers Association..........70

Council for Leaders in Alabama Schools.............51

Goyer, Synclair..............................................................65

Cuffie, DeWayne.............................................................6

Grace Farming Company LLC.............................39

Cullman Regional Medical Center.....................34

Grace, Dorman..............................................................39

Daniel Foundation..............................................7

Graham Packaging...........................................47

Daniel Pratt Historic District..............................59

Greenbrier South, Huntsville..............................6

Dassault Systemes............................................70

Grimes, Ken..................................................................65

Davis, South, Barnette & Patrick........................70

Guardian Credit Union......................................47

Decatur, City of.................................................11

Habitat for Humanity........................................51

Delta Regional Authority..................................65

Hampton Inn & Suites......................................47

Delta South Title.................................................8

Hanil USA LLC............................................. 45, 48

Dennis, Brenda Robertson...........................................51

Hansen, John...............................................................65

Dennis, Richard............................................................51

Harden, Lee..................................................................59

Derzis, Nick...................................................................11

Heflin, City of.....................................................7

Doster Road Artesian Wellhouse, Prattville........59

Helena, City of.................................................70

Dothan, City of.................................................11

Heritage Park, Prattville...................................59

Drew, Mark...................................................................65

Hilburn, Ray..................................................................39

Dunkin, Aubrey.............................................................34

Hilburn, Ronald............................................................39

Eclectic, Town of...............................................57

Hilliard, Amy.....................................................45, 47, 51

Edison Labs......................................................66

Holt, Rich......................................................................65

Edison, Charles.............................................................66

Holtsville High School......................................51

Edison, Mina.................................................................66

Home Builders Association of Alabama.............11

Alabama Cotton Festival...................................59 Alabama County Engineers Association.............51 Alabama Department of Commerce...............9, 31 Alabama Department of Labor..........................31 Alabama Department of Public Helath........ 34, 70 Alabama Department of Revenue.....................34 Alabama Department of Workforce............. 31, 65 Alabama Goodwill Industries..............................6 Alabama Hospital Association.....................51, 70 Alabama Industrial Training Program................31 Alabama Launchpad...........................................7 Alabama League of Municipalities....................70 Alabama Living Magazine................................51 Alabama Metro360 Magazine...........................51 Alabama Mountain Lakes Tourist Asssociation...65 Alabama Mural Trail.........................................59 Alabama Nature Center, Millbrook....................59 Alabama Polytechnic Institute....................39, 66 Alabama Port Authority......................................6 Alabama Poultry & Egg Association...................39 Alabama Power Co..............................................7 Alabama Public Service Commission...................7 Alabama Real Estate Commission......................65 Alabama Republican Party................................65 Alabama Restaurant & Hospitality Association............................................65, 70

A guide to businesses (bold) and individuals (light) mentioned in this month’s issue of Business Alabama.

Bartlett, Ranae..............................................................11 Battle, Tommy...............................................................11 Baumhower’s Victory Grille........................ 47, 57 Beasley, Karen..............................................................65 Bedsole, Ann..................................................................9 Bessemer, City of................................................8 Beyer, Richie.....................................................45, 51, 57 Bibb County Medical Center..............................34 Bielin, Rich.....................................................................6 Bigley, Zachary..............................................................51 Billingsley, Village of.......................................45 Birmingham News.............................................9 Birmingham, City of.........................................11 Black History Museum, Wetumpka....................59 Bloomberg, Michael.......................................................6 Blue Cross and Blue Sheild of Alabama.............70 Blue Ribbon Dairy............................................59 Board of Certified Safety Professionals..............70 Booth, Maddison..........................................................65 Bourbon Pens/Joel Lockridge..............................9 Bowdre, Barrett.............................................................65 Bowling, Tab.................................................................11 Braemont Capital...............................................6 Brantwood Children’s Home.............................51 Brown, Robby.................................................................7

Alabama River.................................................59

BSA Health System.............................................7

Alabama Rural Health Association.....................34

Buena Vista, Prattville......................................59

Alabama Rural Hospital Investment Program....34

Buffett, Jimmy..............................................................59

Alabama School of Math & Science......................9

Burr & Forman..................................................65

Alabama State Parks Foundation.........................7

Burr, Zackery.................................................................65

Alabama State University..................................51 Alabama Sunshine Inc........................................9

Edison, Thomas.............................................................66

Hoover, City of........................................... 11, 65

Business Council of Alabama...........11, 47, 51, 65

Eleven86 Real Artesian Water/MRaine Industries..............................................47, 51

Howe, Tim.....................................................................65

Butler Snow LLP...............................................65

Eli Lilly and Company.........................................6

HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology....................................... 42, 70

Alabama Technology Network.....................27, 51

CAC Group..........................................................8

Elmore Community Hospital.............................53

Huffman, Andrew.........................................................65

Alabama Training Network...............................27

Cal-Maine Foods...............................................42

Elmore County.................................................45

Humminbird/Johnson Outdoors Inc....................9

Alfred Saliba Corp.............................................11

Calhoun Community College............................65

Elmore County Bar Association..........................51

Huntingdon College.........................................51

Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc.........................51

Camp Sherrye on the Coosa...............................59

Elmore County Children’s Policy Council............51

Huntsville, City of............................................11

American Academy of Family Physicians...........51

Capstone Development Partners.........................8

Elmore County Commission..............................51

Hutchison, Miller Reese...............................................66

Anders, Ron..................................................................11

Carraway Hospital..............................................8

Aquatic Leisure Technologies Group....................9

CB&S Bank.......................................................51

Elmore County Economic Development Authority................... 45, 51, 57

Area Development Magazine............................31

Center for Advancement of Leadership Skills.....65

ARK Holdings...................................................47

Central Alabama Community College.... 51, 54, 57

Auburn Chamber of Commerce...........................9

Central Alabama Regional Planning and Development...............................................51

Auburn University................................ 39, 47, 51 Auburn University at Montgomery..............51, 65

Central Alabama Regional Planning Commission..................................57

Auburn, City of...........................................11, 51

Central States Bus Sales Inc.........................45, 47

Aurora Hospitality Partners................................8

Chattahoochee Valley Community College........65

Autauga Bluebird Trail......................................59

Cheriogotis, Spiro.........................................................11

68 | BusinessAlabama.com January 2026

Elmore County Emanon Group..........................51 Elmore County Family Resource Center....... 54, 57 Elmore County Juvenile Court.................... 54, 57 Elmore County Mental Health Task Force...........51 Elmore County Schools............................... 51, 54 Encompass Health..............................................7 Entrekin, Kendal...........................................................51 Escape to Margaritaville...................................59 FAME/Federation for Advanced Manufacturing..54

Hyundai Motor Manufacturing Alabama.............7 Ingalls Shipbuilding, Decatur...........................71 International Paper Co.......................... 45, 47, 48 Interstate Business Park, Pine Level..................47 IPG Defense.......................................................9 Ivey, Gov. Kay............................................6, 9, 11, 31, 42 Ivy Creek Healthcare.........................................53 J.F. Ingram State Technical College....................54 Jackson Lake....................................................59 Jackson Thornton.........................................8, 65

Jackson, Desirae...........................................................51 Jackson, Howard & Whatley................................8 James Hardie Building Products......45, 47, 48, 51 Jim Wilson & Associates LLC..............................70 Joe Wheeler State Park.......................................7 John B. Scott Trail.............................................59 Jones School of Law..........................................51 Jones Walker LLP.............................................65 Jones, John..................................................................70 Joy to Life Magazine.........................................51 Junior League..................................................51 K&K Camping Center, Millbrook.......................59 Kalm Therapeutics........................................7, 65 Kasai North America Inc....................................48 Kelley, Al.......................................................................51 Kelly, R. James................................................................6 Kilcullen, Ryan..............................................................47 Kinedyne LLC.............................................47, 48

Montgomery Metropolitan Planning Organization.................................51 Montgomery, City of...................................11, 70 Moore-Bonner, Keyarrow..............................................65 Morris Builders LLC..........................................51 Morris, Edmund............................................................66 Morris, Jimmy Jr...........................................................51 Moshman, Lori.............................................................42 Mount Vernon Theatre......................................51 MRaine Industries......................................47, 51 National Association of County Engineers..........51 National Association of Tax Practitioners............51 National Counter-Unmanned Training Center......6 Neptune Technology Group.........................47, 48 Norfolk Southern...............................................6 Nuclear Regulatory Commission.......................70 O’Conner, Kevin............................................................65 Oakworth Capital Bank.....................................70

Redstone Gateway..............................................9

Troy Regional Medical Center............................65

Reed, Greg....................................................................31

Troy University.............................................7, 51

Reed, Steven.................................................................11

Turner School of Construction Management......51

Rehabilitation Hospital of Amarillo, Texas...........7

Tuscaloosa Academy...........................................6

Reid State Community College....................65, 70

Tuscaloosa, City of............................................11

Renasant Corp..................................................65

Tuskegee University.....................................6, 39

Rhema Bible Training Center............................51

Twain, Mark..................................................................66

Rice, Bill........................................................................65

Tyson Foods.....................................................39

Ricks, David A..................................................................6

U.S. Navy.........................................................66

River Bank & Trust...................................... 47, 51

UAB Callahan Eye Hospital..................................8

River Oak Family Medicine...............................53

UFP Packaging.................................................47

River Town Center, Wetumpka..........................47

Underwood, Jerry...........................................................9

Riverfell, Prattville...........................................57

University Military School.................................66

Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail Capitol Hill...... 54, 59

University of Alabama.............................. 6, 7, 51

Robinson, Anna............................................................65

University of Alabama at Birmingham...............51

Rotary International.........................................51

University of Alabama in Huntsville.......... 6, 7, 70

Royal Cup Coffee & Tea........................................6

University of Mobile...........................................6

Rural King/RK Holdings LLP........................47, 51

University of North Alabama.........................7, 70

Saban, Nick.....................................................................8

University of West Alabama........................ 51, 70

King, Madison..............................................................65

Occupational Safety and Health Administration.................................27

Kinnison, Angela..........................................................65

Old World Industries........................................51

Saban, Terry....................................................................8

Valle Grande Mexican Grill..................................8

Kiwanis International.......................................51

Opp, City of........................................................9

Sage Lane Partners...........................................47

Versatile Solutions LLC.....................................45

Kyrimis, Deanna.............................................................6

Origis Eneergy...................................................8

Saliba, Mark..................................................................11

VisionFirst.........................................................8

Lake Jordan.....................................................59

Orozco Rosiles, Guadalupe................................65

Saraland, City of...............................................70

Von Braun Center...............................................7

Lake Martin......................................................59

Owa Parks & Resort..........................................70

Screws, Jacqueline.......................................................65

VP Products & Sales..........................................45

Land, The, Saraland............................................9

Owens Corning .................................... 45, 47, 51

Singhal, AJ......................................................................7

Walker Springs I and II Solar Projects..................8

Lawrence, Kent.............................................................11

Papineau, Lynley............................................................9

Sloss Furnaces....................................................8

Wallace Community College-Dothan.................70

Lea, Jeff........................................................................65

Pearson Industries...........................................45

Smith Family Clinic for Genomic Medicine.........70

Watters, Augusta..........................................................65

Lincoln Property Co............................................8

Perdido Beach Resort..........................................8

Smith, Mckenzy............................................................65

Waverly Advisors...............................................8

Lindquist, Robert..........................................................70

Phillips, Keith...............................................................27

Sons of the American Legion.............................51

Way Off Broadway Theatre, Prattville................59

Lio, Peter.......................................................................65

Pickett, Wilson..............................................................59

South Industrial Park, Prattville........................45

Weaver, April................................................................34

Lions Club........................................................51

Piedmont Plateau Birding Trail.........................59

Southeast Health Medical Center..................8, 70

Weed, Melanie.............................................................65

Lockhart, Kyra...............................................................65

Pieper, Kristi.................................................................45

Southern Association of Colleges and Schools....54

Wells, Paul......................................................................6

Logistics Land Investment..................................8

Pilgrim’s Pride.................................................39

Southern Orthopaedic Surgeons.......................47

West Elmore County Food Pantry.......................51

Long Lewis Auto Group.....................................51

Pine Level, Town of............................... 45, 51, 57

Southwire Co. LLC...............................................7

West Industrial Park, Prattville.........................45

Louisiana State University................................42

Poarch Band of Creek Indians............................47

Spear, Rebecca..............................................................51

Wetumpka Area Chamber of Commerce............51

Lowe’s Foundation...........................................54

Poe, Vaughn.................................................................65

Spillway Park, Prattville....................................57

Wetumpka Depot Players.................................59

Luckie, Cory..................................................................51

Pratt Park Splash Pad, Prattville........................59

SportsMED Orthopaedic Specialists PC.................6

Wetumpka High School....................................51

Lynch, Michael..............................................................42

Pratt, Daniel............................................................45, 59

Spring Hill College...........................................66

Maddox, Walt...............................................................11

Prattaugan Museum and Visitor Center.............59

Springhill Medical Center...................................6

Wetumpka Impact Crater Discovery and Visitor Center.........................59

Madison, City of...............................................11

Prattvillage Garden..........................................59

Star Uptown.......................................................8

Madix Inc............................................. 45, 47, 48

Prattville Area Chamber of Commerce...............51

Still Waters, Deatsville......................................57

Malone, Jenna................................................................7

Prattville Autauga Character Coalition...............51

Stillman College.................................................6

Maluff, David................................................................70

Prattville Baptist Hospital...........................51, 53

Stimpson, Sandy...........................................................11

Maluff, Joe....................................................................70

Prattville Christian Academy.............................54

Stinson, Rich...................................................................7

Mann, Foy G....................................................................8

Prattville CityFest.............................................59

Strange, Todd................................................................11

Manufacture Alabama......................................51

Prattville Country Club.....................................59

Sunflower Field, Autaugaville...........................59

Marbury High School........................................51

Prattville Cultural Arts Center...........................59

Sunrise & Sheridan...........................................47

Marchant, Joseph.........................................................34

Prattville High School.......................................51

Sutton, Rick.....................................................................8

Marion Military Institute..................................66

Prattville Medical Park......................................51

Swann, Alli....................................................................65

Wind Creek Casino and Hotel Wetumpka.............................. 45, 47, 59

Mayers, Chloe.................................................................6

Prattville Plaza Shopping Center.......................47

Swayback Bridge Trail.......................................59

Woodfin, Lyman...........................................................51

Mayers, Ric.....................................................................6

Prattville, City of.............................45, 51, 57, 59

Swayback Campground, Wetumpka..................59

Woodfin, Randall..........................................................11

McGinley, Robert..........................................................65

Pride Industries...............................................65

Tallapoosa River...............................................59

Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act........31

McNair, Ellen..................................................................9

Priestley, Madeline.......................................................65

Tallassee, City of.........................................51, 57

World Waterpark Wave Review.........................70

Medline Industries............................... 45, 47, 48

Promus Holdings...............................................8

Ted’s Floors & Beyond.........................................8

Yates Lake........................................................59

Millbrook Area Chamber of Commerce..............51

Propy Title and Escrow Agency Inc.......................8

Tennessee Valley Authority...............................70

Yates Lake Forever Wild Tract.............................59

Millbrook Civitan Club.....................................51

Protective Life Corp.......................................6, 65

The Pines Golf Club, Millbrook..........................59

YESAC Corp................................................. 45, 48

Millbrook Community Players..........................59

Puleo, David.................................................................70

The Pratt, Prattville..................................... 45, 57

YMCA...............................................................51

Millbrook, City of.............................................51

Recovery Alive..................................................57

Thompson Foundation........................................7

Zachary Bigley Ministries Inc............................51

Mobile TriCentennial..........................................9

Redstone Arsenal...............................................6

Thornhill Ridge, Wetumpka..............................59

Mobile, City of..................................................11

Wetumpka Riverwalk.......................................59 Wetumpka Sportplex........................................59 Wetumpka Urgent Care....................................53 Wetumpka, City of ..................................... 47, 57 Wiginton, Joey.............................................................51 Wilderness Park, Prattville................................59 Willett, Dirk..................................................................65 Williams, Michael.........................................................65 Wilson Pickett Music & Arts Festival..................59

TriaVision...........................................................8

January 2026 BusinessAlabama.com | 69

Company Kudos

by ERICA JOINER WEST

FEBRUARY The 2026 Business Alabama Awards Construction Builds Alabama Tourism Draws a Crowd What’s Where In Meeting Space?

Geographic Spotlight: Fayette, Lamar & Marion Counties

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 Check BusinessAlabama.com for daily business headlines and additional content

Follow us: Business Alabama @BusinessAlabama

70 | BusinessAlabama.com January 2026

The University of Alabama in Huntsville has been designed at 3DEXPERIENCE Edu Center of Excellence

by Dassault Systèmes. This label enhances UAH’s capacity to deliver hands-on training in modelbased systems engineering, simulation, virtual twin technology and manufacturing.

On hand for the announcement were, from left, UAH Vice President for Research and Economic Development Robert Lindquist, Dassault Systèmes Manager of North American Education Accounts Joe Baldwin, UAH Aviation Test Laboratory Director John Jones and UAH Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs David Puleo. Photo by Michael Mercier/UAH. Full Moon Bar-B-Que co-owners David and Joe Maluff have received the 2025 Lifetime Achievement award and the Humanitarian of the Year award from the Alabama Restaurant & Hospitality Association.

Jim Wilson & Associates LLC is celebrating its 50th anniversary.

The city of Montgomery has been awarded the Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting by the Government Finance Officers Association.

Oakworth Capital Bank has been ranked No. 2 in the nation for Best Banks to Work For by American Banker.

Owa Parks & Resort has been honored in the Print Advertising category by the World Waterpark Wave Review Awards.

Creating the advertisement was agency Davis, South, Barnette & Patrick.

Reid State Community College has been named among the top 200 U.S. Community Colleges eligible for the 2027 Aspen Prize for Community College Excellence.

The cities of Helena and Saraland have been designated as Healthy Alabama Communities. The recognition is presented by the Alabama Hospital Association, the Alabama Department of

Public Health and Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Alabama in partnership with the Alabama League of Municipalities.

The Smith Family Clinic for Genomic Medicine at HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology is celebrating its 10th anniversary.

Southeast Health Medical Center has earned an “A” for a second consecutive grading period in 2025 by Leapfrog.

The license for Tennessee Valley Authority’s Browns Ferry Nuclear Plant has been renewed by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

The University of North Alabama’s Bachelor of Science in Engineering Technology, Occupational and Environmental Health and Safety option has received approval as a Graduate Safety Practitioner Qualified Academic Program from the Board of Certified Safety Professionals.

The University of West Alabama is celebrating an enrollment increase of 5% from Fall 2024, with 7,167 students in programs ranging from associate to doctoral degrees.

Wallace Community College-Dothan has been ranked No. 24 in the rankings of the 100 best community colleges by Stacker.

Historic Alabama

SHIP SHAPE

A barge is under construction at Ingalls Shipbuilding Co. in Decatur in this 1942 photograph. Ingalls operated a shipyard in Decatur from the 1930s until 1980. Located on the Tennessee River, the facility focused on building small vessels, like barges, while its bigger yard in Pascagoula, Mississippi, built larger ships. 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 Jan. 20, work the quiz online and check your answers at businessalabama.com.

January 2026:

January 2025 (one year ago):

January 2016 (10 years ago):

Q: A major pharmaceutical firm announced plans for a $6 billion investment — the largest initial investment in Alabama ever — in a new plant in Huntsville. What company?

A) Bristol Myers Squibb B) Eli Lilly C) Merck D) Pfizer

Q: DC Blox announced plans for two new hyperscale data centers in Alabama — one in Montgomery and one in Huntsville. In addition to its two data centers already operational in Alabama. One of those is in Huntsville. Where is the other?

A) Auburn B) Birmingham C) Mobile D) Tuscaloosa

Q: We reported on the controversy over a new novel by a famous Alabama author. Who wrote “Go Set a Watchman?”

A) Rick Bragg B) Fannie Flagg C) Winston Groom D) Harper Lee

January 2021 (five years ago):

Q: We reported on a major push for reform, one that had previously been led by “professors, populists and preachers.” It gained the voice of business — Chambers of Commerce across the state and the Business Council of Alabama. What were they seeking to reform?

A) Alabama’s tax code B) Alabama’s capital punishment laws C) Alabama’s constitution D) Alabama’s voting maps

December 2025 (one month ago): Q: Even as it finalized details to be acquired by Nippon Steel, U.S. Steel announced plans for a $75 million investment in its Alabama mill. Where is that mill??

A) Fairfield B) Fairhope C) Florence D) Foley

Q: First it was Compass Bancshares, then Compass was purchased by BBVA. In 2021, BBVA was purchased. By whom?

A) Bank of America B) PNC C) Regions D) ServisFirst

January 2001 (25 years ago):

Answers from December: A, B, D, D, C, C January 2026 BusinessAlabama.com | 71