The Yellowhammer State’s economy has grown and expanded rapidly over the last few years. And, according to a new study, a large portion of that growth is coming from small businesses – the backbone of the economy. The study, conducted through a partnership between the University of Alabama’s Center for Business and GoDaddy, showed that […]

WASHINGTON — While the move of Space Command to Redstone Arsenal is becoming a political football, there is no such problem with the FBI’s game plan for Huntsville. In fact, FBI Director Christopher Wray said he is “very excited about the future at Huntsville.” His comments came this week to Sen. Katie Britt during a […]

Commerce Secretary Greg Canfield announced 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 Cusseta poised for enhanced […]

HUNTSVILLE – The Poarch Band of Creek Indians made its largest financial contribution in North Alabama to support the new Space Camp Operations Center at the U.S. Space & Rocket Center. Called The Poarch Band of Creek Indians Auditorium, the $2.5 million facility can seat up to 1,000 people, as well as be used for […]

A Jasper engineering firm is using drone technology from a Huntsville company to help design a coal conveyor belt. McGehee Engineering found its niche in Alabama’s coal mining industry using aerial mapping and surveying technology. The company is using GeoCue’s TrueView LiDAR technology to quickly survey a steep and rugged bluff where they are building […]

While the move of Space Command to Redstone Arsenal is becoming a political football, there is no such problem with the FBI’s game plan for Huntsville. In fact, FBI Director Christopher Wray said he is “very excited about the future at Huntsville.” His comments came this week to Sen. Katie Britt during a hearing of […]

Innovate Alabama is launching yet another program to aid the state’s “innovative and underrepresented” small businesses. Thanks to Gov. Kay Ivey’s “Game Plan,” the organization was able to start the Alabama Tax Credit program. The tax credits from the new program will be given to economic development organizations throughout the state, who will then be […]

The accolades continue to pour in for Montgomery. The Yellowhammer State’s capital city has been named 2023’s most affordable city for home buyers in a recent study from the personal finance outlet WalletHub.com. The distinction comes after Montgomery recently earned national praise from Forbes Magazine as a top city to buy a home and ranked as one of […]

Economists think about jobs in a seemingly counterintuitive way. While noneconomists see job creation as a primary goal, economists view labor as a scarce resource to be conserved. This leads to differences of perspective on everything from government incentives to businesses to the impact of automation, including artificial intelligence (AI). To understand the economic perspective, […]

Two major companies in the air transportation business have partnered to grow the industry, not just in the United States but south of the border as well. Airbus’ production facility in Mobile recently delivered an A320neo to Volaris, a Mexico-based low-cost airline, Airbus announced. Volaris is the first non-U.S.-based airline to take delivery of an […]

VT Mobile Aerospace Engineering Inc. plans to add 200 jobs as it equips its Mobile facility to convert and modify Airbus A320 Family passenger jets as cargo aircraft, providing another boost to the region’s aerospace/aviation sector. “This expansion project builds on Mobile’s soaring success in the aerospace industry, further solidifying our position as a global […]

HUNTSVILLE — The U.S. Space & Rocket Center, a global leader in STEM training for students, is blasting into the future with a new state-of-the-art facility that will provide next-level education opportunities. Last week, Governor Kay Ivey and Commerce Secretary Greg Canfield joined Space & Rocket Center officials and local leaders in Huntsville for a […]

The Nature Conservancy (TNC) in Alabama announced earlier last month that it was awarded more than $27 million of $265 million in transformational habitat restoration and coastal resilience funding from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), or about 10 percent of the total award. The funding will be split between two coastal Alabama projects, with […]

OXFORD, Alabama — Kronospan, a leading producer of wood panel products, announced plans to invest $350 million to open an Oriented Strand Board (OSB) manufacturing plant on its Alabama production campus as part of an expansion that will create 125 jobs. Once the growth project is completed, Kronospan will employ 600 people at the Oxford […]

The Alabama housing market is continuing its months-long slowdown, according to a report from the Alabama Association of Realtors. “Alabama’s housing market is continuing a slow start to the year and spring season,” said Alabama Realtors CEO Jeremy Walker. “Home sales are heavily influenced by interest rates. “Credit conditions and economic uncertainty have continued to […]

The Alabama Southern Railroad is all aboard on its latest project to expand its operations in the Yellowhammer State. The Tuscaloosa County Economic Development Authority has announced that the large-scale railroad company will be creating a second rail yard in Tuscaloosa. This $9.8 million project is in addition to the already bustling downtown facility. The […]

The Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs (ADECA) has reached an important milestone in broadband expansion by hosting community broadband meetings in each of Alabama’s 67 counties. The meetings, implemented through the Alabama Community Broadband Technical Assistance Program, are designed to bring community leaders to the table and provide state-level assistance to support local […]

The United States faces potential default in June as we run up against the debt ceiling, currently at $31.4 trillion. Whether the debt ceiling is good policy depends largely on one’s attitude toward Federal spending. Is our national debt sustainable? I will defer to the judgment of financial markets. Interest rates compensate savers for being […]

Alabama’s online sales tax, known as the Simplified Sellers Use Tax (SSUT), is beginning to pay off in ways unimagined at its inception in 2016. Since that time, the program has generated $1.8 billion. Alabama channels 50% of the SSUT collection into state budgets. Of that, 75% is directed to the General Fund while the […]

Banana Republic has maintained its status as a household brand name for decades. Well-known for its classic, timeless styles and fits, the brand serves as a go-to for many looking for anything from casual to business casual looks. In recent years the brand has expanded beyond clothing to achieve the status of global lifestyle brand […]

WASHINGTON — Deep Space Food Challenge – this competition won’t be on the Food Network, but is really out of this world. Angela Herblet, project manager for the challenge at the Marshall Space Flight Center, and Denise Morris, program manager for Centennial Challenges at Marshall, will take part in the event this weekend at the […]

Alabama-based Blair Block has begun producing the world’s first, ultra-low-carbon concrete blocks at its facility in Childersburg. The blocks, which cost no more to produce than those made with traditional concrete, will be used by C&C Masonry in the construction of several municipal projects across the state. The new blocks leverage proprietary technology from California-based CarbonBuilt that reduces embodied carbon by […]

It’s been a great year so far for Nathan and Michael Pocus, the Birmingham brothers and founders of Domestique, a decade-old coffee-roasting company with a growing roster of cafes and a clear vision for the future. In February, Food & Wine Magazine listed Domestique’s coffee beans among the nation’s best, citing the quality of the roasted […]

WASHINGTON— Stressing the importance of broadband access to rural areas, the CEO of a North Alabama telecom co-op testified in a U.S. Senate Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry  Subcommittee on Rural Development and Energy hearing this week. He was invited by Ranking Member Sen. Tommy Tuberville, who chaired the meeting. Fred Johnson of Rainsville, the CEO […]