ANDALUSIA — 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 the […]

Rural Alabama is home to many skilled and creative artisans, whose work shines brightly during the holiday season. From intricate woodwork to inventive fragrance blends, their products are popular gifts for Christmas and other occasions throughout the year. “There’s an intriguing mix of natural outdoor beauty and modern innovation of entrepreneurial-minded residents in our rural […]

Honda’s Alabama Auto Plant has notched another major milestone, with the launch of a redesigned Pilot SUV that is already setting records for the automaker. The 2023 Pilot is the largest and most powerful SUV in Honda’s history, and it required significant changes in structure and training at the $3 billion, 4,500-worker factory in Talladega County. […]

Think outside the gift box this holiday season. From adrenaline-pumping adventures to high-end entertainment, the ways to experience Alabama are vast and varied, and they also make a perfect Christmas present. Here’s a twist on a “Made in Alabama” holiday gift guide, because there’s nothing you can put under the tree. But these Alabama experiences […]

New additions and renovations are under way at several Alabama State Parks, which are showcasing the natural assets and quality-of-life advantages of rural counties. At Lakepoint State Park in Barbour County, recent projects include an archery park and an off-road vehicle course. Both developments, along with newly-renovated cabins, are gaining popularity among visitors, said Odell Banks, park […]

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 bring merchants, residents and visitors back to the heart of the […]

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. The work involves an integrated approach, with researchers using input from growers to […]

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 study diseases among livestock that pose a threat to public health, economic stability […]

Alabama’s automakers are eyeing growth on many fronts in 2022, with plans for new models, additional employees and advanced technology that will help usher in the next era of vehicle manufacturing in the state. Mazda Toyota Manufacturing will continue to ramp up its auto assembly operations in Huntsville, following a year that saw the debut of […]

FORT DEPOSIT, Alabama – For more than 85 years, Priester’s Pecans has helped families across Alabama and beyond celebrate the holidays, and the Lowndes County company continues to write new chapters in its storied history. The pecan processor and handmade candy operation is in the middle of its busiest time of the year, as more […]

Buying local has taken on a new urgency this holiday season, and Alabama’s artisans, manufacturers and other homegrown businesses offer plenty of options to help check off your shopping list. Whether your loved one is a fashionista, budding gardener, avid sportsman or someone with a serious sweet tooth, there’s something for everyone in the 2021 […]

VANCE, Alabama – As Mercedes-Benz U.S. International continues to expand its $6 billion Alabama auto assembly operation, the company is also investing in schools and training programs across the state, including those in rural counties. In turn, the schools and training programs are helping to fill the automaker’s worker pipeline, a crucial part of its […]

HEADLAND, Alabama – When Lloyd Keel opened a distillery in Henry County three years ago, he envisioned a hobby business built on his longtime interest in making whiskey. As a boy growing up in rural Southeastern Alabama, Keel and his buddies sometimes ran across the remains of Prohibition-era moonshine stills while they were playing in […]

GUIN, Alabama – Three rural counties in Northwest Alabama are adding new jobs and investments within their diverse industrial bases, and more economic growth is on the horizon for the region. Fayette, Lamar and Marion Counties, which make up the Northwest Alabama Economic Development Alliance, last year announced a combined five new projects and three expansions, […]

Sweet Grown Alabama has launched a new effort to help the state’s farmers sell more of their produce in local grocery stores. The nonprofit foundation, which promotes Alabama’s farming industry, is working with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the Alabama Department of Agriculture and Industries and five local grocers and distributors across the state. Sweet […]

Alabama’s rural counties are the source of some of the state’s most distinctive products, from handcrafted, all-natural items for health and home to innovative technologies that are charting the future for business and industry. “Rural Alabama is making a remarkable impression both at home and beyond our state’s borders,” said Greg Canfield, Secretary of the […]

THORSBY, Alabama – Taylor Boozer Hatchett didn’t grow up on a farm, but she has a passion for tending the land and sharing its bounty like many who did. Her father, Bobby Boozer, worked with the Alabama Cooperative Extension System and Auburn University and spent his 26-year career helping farmers throughout the state, particularly fruit growers. As a […]

MOULTON, Alabama – Red Land Cotton is expanding its home base in Lawrence County, as demand is surging for its heirloom-inspired linens. The company completed construction of a 25,000-square-foot warehouse, distribution center and storefront in December and officially began operations there earlier this year. The move follows a year of strong growth for Red Land […]

Alabama’s auto industry is poised for a stellar year in 2021, with plans to add thousands of new jobs along with highly-anticipated new products as companies deepen their roots in communities across the state. Automakers are in the midst of major new construction and expansions, including the Mazda Toyota Manufacturing plant in Huntsville and the electric vehicle […]

VANCE, Alabama – Workers at Alabama’s Mercedes-Benz plant have produced an all-new model that the company calls the peak of SUV luxury. The first customer-ready Mercedes-Maybach GLS 600 built in Alabama rolled off the assembly line at the Mercedes-Benz U.S. International facility in Tuscaloosa County in September. Mercedes unveiled the vehicle late last year, saying that it […]

TUSKEGEE, Alabama – A startup, minority-owned organic farm in Macon County is expanding its crops and customer base, fueled by an ambitious vision to carry on the region’s rich history of agricultural innovation. Lifetime Natural Organic Farm, which includes about 25 acres of raised-bed bio-intensive organic vegetables, this year invested an additional $500,000 to increase […]

Alabama automakers have been ramping up production following the COVID-19 outbreak, with strict new protocols in place to prevent the spread of the virus. Toyota, Honda, Hyundai and Mercedes-Benz all are implementing similar measures as employees return to work, including temperature checks, staggered shifts, frequent sanitizing and additional protective gear. The restart of operations at […]

A company in Alabama’s Wiregrass region is helping to fight the COVID-19 pandemic across the U.S. and in hard-hit regions around the world. Ashford-based Eastern Technologies Inc., a manufacturer of personal protective equipment serving a wide range of industries, provided coveralls that were used by hospitals and response groups in the early stages of the battle […]

MOBILE, Alabama – A South Alabama printing company is helping frontline healthcare workers at home and across the U.S. fight the COVID-19 pandemic. Mobile-based Calagaz Printing Inc. had produced about 153,000 protective face shields as of Wednesday, the result of collaborating with local hospitals and shifting its operations to meet a crucial need. Production is continuing on […]