Autauga and Elmore counties are both fast-growing regions of Central Alabama that are serving as hubs for manufacturing companies and much more.
In Autauga County, for instance, in the city of Prattville’s West Industrial Park, companies like the logistics firm Versatile Solutions, Central States Bus Sales Inc., Frasle Mobility, which is a Brazilian-owned automotive company, and VP Products & Sales maintain facilities and warehouses.
“So, we have about six in the West Industrial Park,” says Amy Hilliard, director of economic development for the city of Prattville.
The South Industrial Park, located off Highway 82, is a larger facility in Prattville that is generally used for heavy industry, Hilliard says.
“Manufacturing is a critical sector to the economy in Autauga and Elmore counties,” says Hilliard, “and some of the folks there are James Hardie Building Products, Medline Industries, Affinity Chemical and Pearson Industries.”
The South Industrial Park will soon have a new tenant. In September, the city of Prattville announced that Owens Corning would locate an advanced asphalt roofing shingle plant there on about 200 acres.
“Autauga County continues to experience strong momentum, driven by strategic investments in infrastructure, workforce development, education, industrial growth and community enhancement,” says Kristi Pieper, director of economic and community development for Autauga County. “Across all four municipalities — Autaugaville, Billingsley, Pine Level and Prattville — regional and state partners are working together to ensure our county remains a destination for business, talent and quality of life.”
One of the largest employers in Autauga County is International Paper, which anchors the county’s manufacturing economy with its large containerboard mill just outside of Prattville. There, about 670 employees produce fiber-based packaging for regional and national customers.
Meanwhile, one of the largest employers in neighboring Elmore County is GKN Aerospace that employs about 1,000 workers at its Tallassee facilities, producing composite and metal structures for commercial and military aircraft.
Other manufacturing companies in Elmore County include MADIX Inc., Hanil USA, YESAC Corp. and AG Manufacturing.
But Elmore County reports that it is experiencing a growth spurt, with about 100 people moving in every month, including families, first-time home buyers and retirees.
Why? “I think it is the natural resources, and I think it’s the tax structure that’s here. We’re the lowest ad valorem rate county in the state, and our school systems are great, between the public and the handful of private schools we have. I think it just creates an environment that people want to strive and move to,” says Richie Beyer, the COO of the Elmore County Economic Development Authority.
As a consequence, the focus for the county’s economic development authority has changed from a heavy focus on industrial development, Beyer says.
“For the last several years, there’s been an increased investment in what the commission and our municipal partners and our board of education have deemed quality of life projects, and that was mainly because the unemployment rate in Elmore County has been traditionally one of the lowest in the state.”
Among the quality-of-life projects is the opening of Phase 2 of the 17 Springs sports complex in Millbrook that is already a recreational tourist destination.
The facility includes tennis and pickleball courts, turf fields for softball and baseball, a nearly 6,000-seat football stadium and a field house with space for basketball and volleyball games and meeting and event spaces as well.
Now, construction is starting on 17 Springs Marketplace, to add retail establishments, restaurants and hotels to attract even more people to the sports complex.
Besides sports tourism, Wind Creek Wetumpka, the hotel and casino, is another major attraction in Elmore County, drawing visitors from within and outside the state.
Back across the county line, in Prattville, the Autauga County Heritage Association is preparing to launch a capital campaign effort to build The Pratt in downtown Prattville as a salute to the city’s founder, cotton gin manufacturer Daniel Pratt. The project will include a museum and a renovation of the historic Continental Gin Company R&D buildings. Construction is set to begin in 2026.
Construction also is set to begin on the new Applied Science Livestock Teaching Lab at Billingsley School. The $2 million project by the Autauga County Schools will result in a center where students will get hands-on experience learning concepts in agriscience.
Gail Allyn Short is a Birmingham-based freelance contributor to Business Alabama.
For more on Autauga and Elmore counties, see the links below:
This section appears in the January 2026 issue of Business Alabama.
