News Archive

Rural Development

Nature’s Earth Products plans $10.8 million expansion at Pickens County plant

Rural Development

REFORM, Alabama — Nature’s Earth Products LLC plans to invest over $10.8 million in an expansion project that will double the manufacturing capacity of its environmentally friendly products at the company’s facility in Pickens County. The Alabama Department of Commerce announced today that the...

Written by Jerry Underwood

Project to build $202 million graphite processing plant in Alabama kicks off

Rural Development

KELLYTON, Alabama — Westwater Resources and its subsidiary, Alabama Graphite Products LLC, this morning officially launched construction of a first-of-its-kind graphite processing plant in Coosa County that will produce an essential material for electric vehicle batteries. The $202 million plant, which is being built...

Written by Jerry Underwood

Across rural Alabama, downtowns are making an energetic comeback

Rural Development

Cities in rural Alabama are seeing a rebirth in their downtowns, with a blitz of new business openings, property renovations and multimillion-dollar investments. Pop-up shops, green spaces, art festivals and social media buzz are among the trends that are helping drive the efforts to...

Written by Dawn Azok

Alabama researchers focus on peanut genome to improve harvests

Rural Development

Peanuts are an important part of rural Alabama’s economy, and the HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology is doing innovative research aimed at producing healthier harvests. Scientists at the Huntsville facility have partnered with the state’s farmers and agricultural industry leaders on genomic projects involving peanuts.

Written by Dawn Azok

Tenax plans $1 million in upgrades, new jobs at rural Conecuh plant

Rural Development

EVERGREEN, Alabama — Tenax Corp. plans to invest $1 million on improvements and new production machinery at its manufacturing facility in Evergreen, where it has operated for three decades, according to Conecuh County Economic Development. In addition, Tenax will create eight to 12 additional...

Written by Jerry Underwood

Mercedes-Benz opens battery factory for Alabama-built electric vehicles

Rural Development

WOODSTOCK, Alabama — Mercedes-Benz today officially opened a new battery plant on the automaker’s Bibb County campus, a few months before the start of production of all-electric Mercedes-EQ vehicles at its Alabama manufacturing center. Mercedes will produce the EQS SUV and EQE SUV in...

Written by Jerry Underwood

University programs put spotlight on rural Alabama communities 

Rural Development

Universities across Alabama are engaged in a number of activities that offer promising developments for the state’s rural communities and the key industries that power their economies. For example, Auburn University’s College of Veterinary Medicine is the site of a new program that will...

Written by Dawn Azok

Rural Alabama project pipeline sparks new growth — and optimism

Rural Development

ROANOKE, Alabama — Bryant Whaley, the top economic developer for Randolph County, is riding the momentum. Despite the disruptions of a global pandemic, this rural county in eastern Alabama has seen three major corporate growth projects since August 2020, creating over 330 jobs. Whaley,

Written by Jerry Underwood

Bonnie Plants opens expanded greenhouse facilities after Alabama expansion

Rural Development

UNION SPRINGS, Alabama — Bonnie Plants, the nation’s largest grower of vegetable and herb plants for home gardens, today unveiled a multimillion-dollar expansion and upgrade of the company’s greenhouse facilities in rural Bullock County. Opelika-based Bonnie Plants said the new growing and distribution facilities in...

Written by Jerry Underwood

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