Quilts are warm. Quilts are comfortable. Quilts tell a story, spark memories and stand as works of art. But perhaps the greatest function a quilt can have is to bring peace and comfort to those who defend this nation. That’s the belief behind Quilts of Valor, an organization that started with a mother wanting to […]

When you’re competing in the National Senior Games, it’s good to be Young.   Eric Young is a lead cable splicer and former lineman with Alabama Power in Mobile. Earlier this year, he was in Des Moines, Iowa, and instead of splicing cable, he was pumping iron.   Young brought home a gold medal in powerlifting from the […]

The U.S. Navy says there is an “urgent” need to build and repair the ships and submarines needed for national security and global power projection, and Alabama figures prominently in those plans. From the shipyards and manufacturers that dot the coastline to suppliers, machine shops, additive manufacturers and designers found in all parts of Alabama, an effort […]

Chef Rob McDaniel built a reputation – and earned six James Beard Award nominations – cooking big meats on open flames and planchas at SpringHouse in Alexander City or more recently with his own restaurant, Helen, in Birmingham. But earlier this year, McDaniel and his wife, Emily, decided to add to Helen’s success with Bayonet, a new seafood and […]

Only one of the three Alabama culinary professionals nominated as semifinalists for the 2025 James Beard Foundation Awards is advancing to the finals. José Medina Camacho, founder and beverage director of Adiõs cocktail bar and Salud taqueria in Birmingham, is a finalist in the all-new category of Outstanding Professional in Beverage Service in the revered culinary honors. The James Beard Awards announced the […]

Susan Odom didn’t even think she would get to open her restaurant, Maw Maw’s Cornbread Kitchen, on the morning of Sunday, March 16. As day broke after tornadoes left paths of destruction throughout Alabama, including Daviston in Tallapoosa County, Odom kept logging into her security system at Maw Maw’s to see if the power was […]

Site Selection magazine has once again honored Alabama Power as a Top Utility in Economic Development, recognizing the company’s diverse and extensive economic development efforts. In 2023, Alabama Power’s economic development team was directly involved in projects that created 1,832 new jobs and attracting an estimated $1.7 billion in new and expanded capital investment. “Alabama Power continues to […]

As Alabama is taking the second round of applications for up to $30 million in SEEDS funding, officials say the program has “worked exactly like we had hoped” to make land available for industry looking to locate or expand into the state. The Site Evaluation and Economic Development Strategy (SEEDS) Act distributed the first round of $30 million in […]

Alabama’s economic development successes in the years to come may be due in large part to up to $40 million in SEEDS sewn this year. The State Industrial Development Authority (SIDA) is considering 34 properties throughout the state under the new Site Evaluation and Economic Development Strategy (SEEDS) Act – part of the Game Plan […]

Alabama Commerce Secretary Ellen McNair has been on the job for barely a month but is already at work on a strategic plan that will shape economic development in the state for years to come. McNair, formerly the chief economic development officer at the Montgomery Area Chamber of Commerce, took the helm at the Alabama Department of […]

Alabama Commerce Secretary Greg Canfield told the state’s economic developers that competition for new and expanding industry is fierce in the Southeast, likening it to chumming the waters for sharks, followed by a feeding frenzy. That feeding frenzy has led to deals in other states that Canfield said “don’t make sense.” Rather than getting caught […]

When Emil Ekiyor Jr. was being recruited by the University of Alabama to play football, community service wasn’t at the top of his list – but it did matter to somebody whose opinion mattered. “It was definitely something my mom was asking about during the recruiting process – if there would be any opportunities to do community service when […]

Honda Motor Co. and LG Energy Solution announced Oct. 11 a joint-venture plan to invest up to $4.4 billion to build electric-vehicle batteries in Fayette County, Ohio, creating 2,200 jobs. The plant will produce pouch-type lithium batteries with 40 gigawatt-hours of annual production capacity. Construction is set to begin in early 2023 with production starting by the end […]

The Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs (ADECA) was tasked with expanding broadband in the state prior to the pandemic, but COVID-19 revealed the necessity for expanding high-speed internet and has brought federal funds and increased urgency. ADECA Director Kenneth Boswell told Alabama’s economic developers the state is ready to spend $85 million in America Rescue Plan Act […]

Alabama is not immune to global economic disruptions, but is in a strong position to turn challenges into opportunities, according to the state’s commerce secretary. Secretary Greg Canfield said at the Economic Development Association of Alabama’s 2022 Summer Conference this week that the economic disruptions that began with the global pandemic now include worldwide inflation, […]

It pays to be prepared. That’s the big takeaway from last week’s announcement that Novelis will build a $2.5 billion aluminum plant on the South Alabama Mega Site in Bay Minette. “The announcement today with Novelis locating right here in Baldwin County at the Baldwin County Mega Site is proof positive that creating long-term planning and preparation produces great results,” said Alabama […]

“Ladies of the Jury” is like many great plays. It blends fact and fiction, relies on memory and imagination, touches on themes of great importance and connects deeply to a person or place. In this case, that place is Andalusia in Alabama’s Covington County. It tells the true story of the first time women were […]

Alabama’s innovation economy will not reach its full potential unless it is inclusive. That was the message from Alabama Finance Director Bill Poole. He served as chairman of the Alabama Innovation Commission and now chairs the board of the Alabama Innovation Corporation. Poole spoke last week to members of the Women’s Foundation of Alabama’s Women’s Policy Institute fellows during their […]

In one of the two assembly plants at the sprawling Mercedes-Benz factory in Tuscaloosa County, workers shift seamlessly from making traditional SUVs with a brand new, all-electric model on the same assembly line. The electric vehicles (EVs) are powered by batteries being produced a few miles away in Bibb County. While the EVs are sporadic on the line […]

Seven Alabama-built vehicles are on the Car and Driver 2022 Editor’s Choice Awards list, including all the vehicles being built at the Hyundai plant in Montgomery. Hyundai has four Alabama-built vehicles on the list while Honda has three. Mercedes-Benz, which has nine vehicles on the list, did not have any that are assembled at Mercedes-Benz U.S. International in […]

University of Alabama Athletics Director Greg Byrne appeared on The Next Round to offer new details about a planned $183 million arena for basketball and gymnastics and offered an update on possible beer sales at campus venues. Concept images of the arena were released when the project was presented to the University of Alabama System board of trustees. It will seat an […]

Preliminary numbers show Alabama’s economic development efforts added $5.3 billion in capital investment and more than 9,000 jobs in 2021 despite a year disrupted by a global pandemic, supply chain breaks and other issues. Alabama Commerce Secretary Greg Canfield delivered the news Monday to kick off the Economic Development Association of Alabama’s 2022 Winter Conference in […]

Site Selection magazine has named Alabama Power one of the nation’s Top 20 Utilities in Economic Development, citing the company’s work to help recruit industry and create jobs throughout the state. Alabama Power earned the recognition for work done in 2020, a year that included the challenges of the pandemic and the economic slowdown it caused. Despite those challenges, the Alabama […]

The electric vehicle evolution that is taking place in the automotive industry is having a huge effect on Alabama’s economic development efforts. As the state’s automotive original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) ramp up production of EVs, starting with Mercedes-Benz next year, Alabama has to ensure the suppliers in the state are in a position to make […]