Automotive / Advanced Manufacturing
Colbert County has a strong manufacturing and industrial base that continues to grow.
Hadrian, an advanced automated manufacturing company, opened Factory 4, a new U.S. Navy defense industrial facility in Cherokee. The $2.4 billion, 2.2-million-square-foot plant will mass-produce components for submarine construction and is expected to employ 1,000 individuals when it reaches full-rate production.
In May, Virginia Transformer, a power transformer manufacturer, announced plans to establish operations in Colbert County with a 600,000-square-foot facility located in the Shoals Research Airpark. It is expected to employ 1,100 workers when it reaches full production.
North American Lighting, the largest lighting supplier to automotive OEMs in North America, operates the 640,000-square-foot Signal and Forward Lighting Plant in Muscle Shoals. With over 1,400 employees, it is Colbert County’s largest industrial employer.
Also in Muscle Shoals, Constellium, a major aluminum sheet supplier for the packaging and automotive industry, operates an aluminum rolling and recycling facility with 1,300 employees. The plant has the capacity to produce over 1 billion pounds of finished aluminum coils and recycle roughly 340,000 metric tons of aluminum per year.
Lauderdale County’s top manufacturing employers represent a variety of industries and include Southwire Company, a producer of wire and cable technology; flooring and vinyl manufacturer Tarkett Alabama; Kith Kitchens, a custom kitchen cabinet manufacturer; and Monarch Ceramic Tile, which produces porcelain wall tile.
In June, All.Space, a multi-network satellite communications-on-the-move manufacturer, chose the Florence-Muscle Shoals area as its U.S. technical and manufacturing hub. It was then acquired by York Space Systems for $300 million in July.
PORT AND AIR TRAVEL
The Port of Florence is a public, non-profit corporation owned and operated by the Florence-Lauderdale County Port Authority (FLPA). Located on roughly 50 acres on the Tennessee River, it serves as a multi-modal logistics hub that links barge and rail operations and provides year-round access to global shipping routes. The port handles an average of 450,000 tons of cargo each year. Its industrial tenants include American Metal Chemical Corp., Alliance Sand, James Marine Inc., McDaniel Service LLC, Woodall Grain Co. and the Tennessee Southern Railroad. The FLPA secured a $3.4 million federal earmark and additional grant funding to renovate the public cargo dock. The project is expected to start by the end of this year.
The Northwest Alabama Regional Airport in Muscle Shoals is a public-use airport owned by Lauderdale and Colbert counties. This spring, Contour Airlines announced the return for a second year of its seasonal service from the airport to Pensacola International Airport, providing travelers nonstop access to the Florida Gulf Coast.
Music Heritage / Tourism
The Shoals is known as the “Hit Recording Capital of the World” and continues to support new generations of musicians through projects like the Shoals Music Makers Incentive Program. Managed by the Shoals Economic Development Authority, the program offers artists budget reimbursements of up to 30% when they record their music projects in Colbert or Lauderdale County.
Tourism in Florence and Lauderdale County saw a record-breaking 9.5% increase in 2025 that generated more than $350 million in economic impact, according to the Alabama Tourism Economic Impact Report. The area’s musical heritage is a big draw for visitors, as are attractions like Helen Keller’s birthplace and a Frank Lloyd Wright home. Developments such as the Reverb by Hard Rock hotel, expected to open at the end of 2028, and the new University of North Alabama Bank Independent Stadium, which opened this fall, are likely to increase the area’s appeal.
Higher Education
Higher education plays an important role in supporting local industry in the Shoals.
The University of North Alabama in Florence serves more than 11,000 undergraduate, graduate and doctoral students and is one of Lauderdale County’s top employers. Heritage Christian University, a private school affiliated with the Churches of Christ, also is in Florence.
In Colbert County, Northwest Shoals Community College has provided postsecondary and workforce education for more than 60 years and hit an all-time enrollment record in the fall of 2025 with more than 5,100 credit students. It also is one of its county’s top employers.
Business Briefs:
- SEPTEMBER 2026: The UNA Lions play their first-ever on-campus football game at the new $65 million Bank Independent Stadium. The stadium accommodates up to 10,000 spectators and features suites, premium seating, club areas, concessions and event space.
- JULY 2026: The Lumber Manufactory, based in Seattle, announces plans to build a new $16.25 million wood processing facility in Colbert County. The project is expected to create 59 jobs.
- JUNE 2026: Florence City Council approves construction of a new $42 million city hall downtown.
- MAY 2026: Virginia Transformer announces plans to open a 600,000-square-foot facility at the Shoals Research Airpark in Colbert County. It is expected to bring 1,100 jobs to the area.
- APRIL 2026: Contour Airlines announces the return of seasonal nonstop flights from Northwest Alabama Regional Airport in Muscle Shoals to Pensacola, Florida.
- APRIL 2026: Colbert County begins construction on a new $35 million jail and justice center that will replace the current facility in downtown Tuscumbia.
- APRIL 2026: Spring Valley Solar secures TVA backing for a planned 178-megawatt solar facility that will occupy roughly 740 acres along Highway 43 just south of Tuscumbia.
- NOVEMBER 2025: Bank Independent completes construction on a new Team Campus in Muscle Shoals that brings together 234 team members from five locations across Lauderdale and Colbert counties.
- NOVEMBER 2025: The city of Florence opens a new $12 million tennis and pickleball complex at Veterans Park.
