Firm’s $230 million broadband project to give lift to Selma, Black Belt counties
Major new investments aimed at expanding high-speed internet service across Alabama are poised to give many rural communities an important tool to better compete for job-creating projects and to fuel economic growth. The latest evidence: Selma, Demopolis and 15 other cities in Alabama’s “Black Belt” region will soon be able to connect to a new…
SEEDS funding aims to unlock growth potential of rural Alabama sites
In the Northwest Alabama communities of Hamilton and Sulligent, long-running efforts to develop industrial sites that entice growing companies just received a catapult boost, thanks to the state’s new SEEDS program. Officially named the Site Evaluation and Economic Development Strategy Act, SEEDS provides grants to accelerate the development of industry-ready sites in the state. It’s…
Gov. Ivey: Alabama’s rural developers making ‘remarkable’ progress
PRATTVILLE, Alabama — Economic developers from rural communities across Alabama were urged Wednesday to keep their winning streak going at the 2023 RurAL Summit sponsored by the Alabama Department of Commerce and held at the Central Alabama Community College. Since 2020, the state’s rural counties have attracted over $4 billion in new capital investment through…
Colclasher Enterprises bringing jobs to Selma with pipe production hub
SELMA, Alabama — Colclasher Enterprises LLC, a plastic pipe manufacturer, officially announced plans to invest $9 million to establish a production facility in Selma’s Craig Industrial Park as part of a project that will create 21 jobs. The Selma & Dallas County Economic Development Authority said Colclasher Enterprises has begun retrofitting an existing building at…
Trendco USA to create 292 jobs at Tuskegee glove manufacturing facility
MONTGOMERY, Alabama — Governor Kay Ivey announced today that Trendco USA plans to invest $43 million to launch a manufacturing operation in a Tuskegee logistics hub where the company will produce nitrile medical gloves to expand domestic supply. Columbia, South Carolina-based Trendco has committed to creating 292 jobs over five years at a facility in…
Enviva kicks off construction on wood pellet plant in Sumter County
EPES, Alabama — Bethesda, Maryland-based Enviva Inc., the world’s leading producer of sustainably sourced woody biomass, recorded a milestone today with a ceremony to mark the official start of construction on a wood pellet plant in Sumter County. Governor Kay Ivey joined Enviva executives and community leaders at the groundbreaking event this afternoon at the…
Southeast Alabama community looks to give aerospace sector a lift
ANDALUSIA, Alabama — A recent expansion at Covington County’s South Alabama Regional Airport illustrates rural Alabama’s key contributions to the state’s growing aerospace/aviation industry — and reflects a primary economic development focus for the region. A major Australian helicopter firm, McDermott Aviation, and its longtime U.S.-based business partner, Isolair Inc., announced plans to open at…
Report: 2022 investment projects to generate 1,900 jobs in rural Alabama
MONTGOMERY, Alabama — Commerce Secretary Greg Canfield announced today that new capital investment by growing companies in rural Alabama approached $1.8 billion during 2022, building on solid economic development results registered in recent years. The new investment projects are also bringing 1,900 jobs to rural Alabama, with communities such as Courtland, Selma, Greenville, Fayette and…
‘Building 100’ in I-85 logistics hub opens amid ambitious growth plans
TUSKEGEE, Alabama — The Regional East Alabama Logistics (REAL) Park, which aims to supercharge economic growth in the Tuskegee region, is open for business with the commissioning of the first building in the logistics hub. Doster Construction Co. and Farpoint Development announced this week that construction has been completed on Building 100, an expandable 168,000-square-foot…
Unique partnership enables broadband network in rural Macon County
TUSKEGEE, Alabama — Many businesses and homes in Macon County now have the capability of connecting to a next-generation fiber broadband network, thanks to a partnership that pools state grants, private investment and philanthropic funding. Joe Turnham, director of the Macon County Economic Development Authority (MCEDA), said the project represents a transformative opportunity to drive long-term economic…
