Today, we’re proud to introduce the second installment of the 2024 Power & Influence 50 – the twelfth annual tradition from Yellowhammer News. As the dust settles from this year’s legislative session, our team has spent time talking with key leaders and operatives across state government to offer an inside look into the top individuals […]

The United Auto Workers recently won a workforce unionization vote at a Volkswagen manufacturing facility in Chattanooga, Tennessee. Now the union has set its sights on organizing workers at a Mercedes-Benz plant in Alabama as part of a multimillion-dollar campaign to try to unionize 150,000 workers at more than a dozen nonunion auto manufacturing plants […]

With over 25 years of experience in the automotive industry, I have had the privilege of watching Alabama ascend to the forefront of manufacturing excellence. This journey from burgeoning sector to international powerhouse underscores the strategic blend of innovation, skill, and strong work ethic that defines our local ethos. Yet, this remarkable progress is now […]

Today, we’re proud to introduce the first installment of the 2024 Power & Influence 50 – the twelfth annual tradition from Yellowhammer News. As the dust settles from this year’s legislative session, our team has spent time talking with key leaders and operatives across state government to offer an inside look into the top individuals […]

U.S. Senators Katie Britt, Tommy Tuberville, Bill Hagerty, and Tim Kaine sent a letter to Alicia Bárcena, Secretary of Foreign Affairs of Mexico, urging action over the Mexican government’s ongoing harassment of Vulcan Materials Company. The letter marks two years since the Mexican government’s invasion and shutdown of Vulcan’s Punta Venado deep-water port in Quintana […]

After a landmark legislative effort across both the Alabama House and Senate, identified as a top priority in Governor Kay Ivey’s 2024 State of the State address, leaders celebrated the signing of six bills that make up the “Working for Alabama” plan. The package is set to address a major vulnerability in Alabama’s workforce and […]

As EVs and charging stations become more common in Alabama and across the nation, there is a need for first responders to be better equipped and prepared to respond to emergencies involving EVs and, more specifically, lithium-ion batteries. The Alabama Fire College is working to ensure that first and second responders in Alabama are trained on how to properly […]

On Thursday, Governor Kay Ivey announced that technology giant Meta Platforms plans to open an $800 million data center in Alabama’s capital city that will support 100 operational jobs and build on the company’s previous investment in the state. The new 715,000-square-foot, AI-optimized data center will be built off Interstate 65 in Montgomery, across from […]

I’ve worked with Governor Kay Ivey for quite a while, and when she says she wants something done, she means it.  When Governor Ivey asked me to serve as director of the Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs (ADECA) back in 2017, she made one thing perfectly clear – expanding access to high-speed internet […]

Alabama Secretary of Commerce Ellen McNair joined Capitol Journal's Todd Stacy last week to discuss her economic professional background, approach to crafting policy, and also the ongoing unionization efforts within the state by the UAW.

As the Working for Alabama legislative package moves through the process, Speaker of the House Nathaniel Ledbetter addressed the wide range of Alabamians the bills stand to serve. “Session after session, the men and women of the Legislature come together and pass pro-business legislation that helps Alabamians thrive,” Ledbetter said. “We’re not hanging our hats […]

Alabama is a great place to do business, but we can be even better by helping employers address what they continually describe as their biggest challenge: finding workers with the right skills to get the job done. Businesses can’t thrive and grow if they can’t find qualified workers. Individuals can’t thrive without good jobs that […]

Sen. Arthur Orr is worried about the future of automobile manufacturing in Alabama because of the effort to unionize a Mercedes Benz factory.

I grew up in a textile town that was once called “The Sock Capitol of the World.” So, if you had told me 20 years ago that Alabama would be the top automotive exporter in the country, I probably wouldn’t have believed you. Everything changed when Mercedes planted roots here in 1997. In the last […]

Alabama is on the map of the most innovative companies in America — thanks to Regions Bank. This week, FORTUNE magazine recognized a slate of 200 companies in the second-annual installment of their America’s Most Innovative Companies list for 2024. In the ranking analysis and selection, FORTUNE and Statista evaluated three core pillars: Product innovation, process […]

One component to the seven-bill Working for Alabama legislative package awaits a vote from the Alabama Senate Committee on Finance and Taxation Education related to an aspect of the state’s low workforce participation rate that hits close to home: Childcare. Champions of the bill, including Speaker of the House Nathaniel Ledbetter, State Sen. Garlan Gudger, […]

On Tuesday, the Alabama House of Representatives passed legislation to prohibit businesses from receiving economic development incentives if union elections are not held through a secret ballot. The bill is sponsored by State Sen. Arthur Orr (R-Decatur) and carried in the House by House Majority Leader Brett Stadthagen (R-Hartselle). “SB231 gives the employees the opportunity […]

The Alabama Community College System introduced three new programs designed to address employment, child care, and recidivism. Supported by the Alabama Department of Human Resources, the Youth Summer Employment Program, Child Care Training Program, and Transition to Employment Program were announced on Tuesday, April 23, at Trenholm State Community College. Each program will serve to […]

Huntsville headquartered defense giant Raytheon, an RTX business, announced today that it has officially broken ground on the expansion project of its Redstone Arsenal based Missile Integration Facility.

Birmingham based sporting goods retailer Hibbett Inc. has officially been acquired by a former rival. JD Sports Fashion, the largest sporting retail company in England, has reportedly purchased all of the outstanding shares of Hibbett for $87.50 per share in cash.

As the Working for Alabama legislative package moves through the legislature to address a range of workforce and economic development opportunities currently faced by the state, the Business Council of Alabama is rolling out a statewide campaign complete with digital advertising, billboards and video endorsements from leaders. The first video features a leader who has […]

Auburn University’s McCrary Institute for Cyber and Critical Infrastructure Security was awarded a $10 million Department of Energy grant in partnership with Oak Ridge National Laboratory to create a pilot regional cybersecurity research and operations center to protect the electric power grid against cyberattacks. The total value of the project is $12.5 million, with the […]

This week, both chambers of the Alabama Legislature advanced bills to address a vulnerability in Alabama’s workforce and economy: Almost half of the state’s working-age individuals are neither employed nor seeking to participate in the workforce, reflected by one of the lowest labor force participation rates in the nation.  A seven-bill package entitled “Working for […]

Innovate Alabama has announced recipients for the fourth round of the Innovate Alabama Supplemental Grant Program, awarding nearly $4 million to 22 small businesses. 17 of the 22 recipients are currently based in Alabama and received an average of more than $175,000. For the first time, the Supplemental Grant Program has expanded beyond the borders […]