WOODSTOCK, Alabama – Bibb County is adding hundreds of new jobs, significant capital investment and next-generation automotive industry technology, thanks to the vision of a local timber magnate.
More than a decade ago, Scott G. Davis began working to build the 564-acre industrial park near Woodstock that now bears his name. What was once hilly forest and hunting land today is home to major corporations that plan to spend $614 million and create nearly 1,300 jobs at the site.
Davis, founder of Scott Davis Chip Co., Scott Davis Timber Co., and other businesses, was an entrepreneur and philanthropist in the Centreville and Brent communities, and also was involved in a wide range of development projects throughout central Alabama.
He believed rural Bibb County should capitalize on its proximity to the Mercedes-Benz U.S. International auto plant in neighboring Tuscaloosa County, and he developed a large tract of land that had been used for skeet shooting, sporting clays and hunting.
Davis died in 2011, before the industrial park officially opened, but he laid the foundation for the pivotal project.
Jeff Traywick, vice president of economic development for the Birmingham Business Alliance, said it’s one of the most visionary industrial park projects he has seen.
“That’s because it’s been incredibly impactful, creating a lot of good-paying jobs in an area that needs them and because of the personal commitment of Scott Davis, who had the vision to team up with the county and get the ball rolling on it,” Traywick said. “I can only imagine how giddy he would be now.”
Historically, wood chipping and processing and other timber operations have been the biggest industry in Bibb County, Traywick said. Even when Mercedes started up nearly 25 years ago in Vance, a 12-minute drive from Woodstock, there was little spinoff in Bibb County.
But then Davis partnered with the county to change that.
His longtime friend and former Bibb County Commissioner Ricky Hubbard had been talking to Davis about possibly purchasing some land the county owned but had not developed. Davis ended up buying different property nearby, but he and Hubbard worked together to turn that site into the current industrial park.
In the joint venture, Davis handled development and the county was involved in promoting the park and recruiting businesses.
“The county did put some money into it, but Scott mostly funded that himself,” Hubbard said. “He was trying to help the county.”
GAINING MOMENTUM
Traywick recalled the early days of selling the park.
“Scott paved a road a couple hundred yards into the property and had this one site graded out, just enough where you could see that this could be an industrial park,” he said.
Around the same time, German steelmaker ThyssenKrupp was looking for a site for a steel coil distribution facility. Davis and his son, Brett, led company representatives on a tour of the property.
“They got out of a muddy pickup, wearing coveralls, and Scott is talking about the park, selling it and so proud of it,” Traywick said. “The prospect loved it, and they ended up locating the facility there.”
The ThyssenKrupp project, worth $13.1 million with 45 jobs, was the first to land in the park in 2013, and it paved the way for the installation of utilities, a longer road and more site grading.
The momentum continued three years later when another German company, auto supplier MöllerTech, announced plans for its $46.3 million manufacturing facility and more than 200 jobs. The facility opened in 2018.
The biggest boon for the park has come in the years since, as Mercedes has announced multiple projects, with a combined $555 million investment and more than 1,000 jobs, according to the BBA.
The projects include two major parts distribution facilities and a plant that will assemble batteries for the electric vehicles Mercedes will begin building at its Tuscaloosa County factory in 2022. Construction on the battery plant began in 2018, with Governor Kay Ivey and top Mercedes officials present for a ceremony.
‘SUCCESS STORY’
Although Davis died before that first project for ThyssenKrupp became a reality, Hubbard had promised his friend that he would make sure the park was developed.
Traywick said Hubbard made good on that promise, and other Bibb County leaders provided crucial support as well.
“Ricky Hubbard was an incredible supporter for growth of the park and after Scott passed, he really took up the torch,” Traywick said. “The Bibb County managers, past and current, and the commission have been very aggressive and supportive to do what they need to do to win competitive projects, whether it is incentive support or grant applications to provide infrastructure for the park.
“They have done everything they ever said they would do.”
Greg Canfield, Secretary of the Alabama Department of Commerce, called the park a model for public-private partnerships in economic development.
“The Scott G. Davis Industrial Park is true Alabama success story and a great example of cooperation and initiative that’s found in communities across the state,” Secretary Canfield said.
“In Bibb County, the result is a new center of industry and technology that will be felt in the regional economy for years to come.”
MASSIVE IMPACT
While all of the Mercedes projects are not yet completed, there are already about 1,000 jobs at the park, Traywick said. And these jobs are making a big impact in the area.
The latest wage data for Bibb County shows its average annual pay was $21,676 in 2001. By 2019, that figure had risen to $44,590.
Hubbard said that was the goal in building the park. Historically, a large portion of Bibb County residents have worked in neighboring Jefferson, Shelby and Tuscaloosa counties, where there are more jobs and higher wages.
“We wanted to bring those wages into Bibb County. That was the whole plan behind the industrial park – to get some better-paying jobs in the county,” he said.
Traywick said there is still a good bit of land left at the park, which is owned by the Davis family. Industrial recruiters continue to work to draw more business to the area.
Meanwhile, Woodstock and other surrounding communities are experiencing growth in new business, Traywick said.
“You cannot dump that many jobs in a community and not have retail and other commercial growth,” he said. “I think we’re going to see dramatic growth in that area over the next few years.”
