Spotlight on Chambers & Tallapoosa: Economic Engines

Automotive manufacturing suppliers

The automotive industry continues to be an important economic engine in both counties. Situated in the middle of the triangle of Kia in nearby West Point, Georgia, Hyundai in Montgomery and Honda in Talladega County, it is a hub for Tier 1 suppliers.

In Chambers County, automotive suppliers — primarily located in the Chambers County Industrial Park in Cusseta — are some of the largest manufacturing employers in the area and many are expanding. The largest of these is AJIN USA, a metal stamping company and automotive supplier. Other large ones include Wooshin USA, Daedong Hi-Lex of America, Saehaesung Alabama Inc., Leehan America and KMIN USA Inc. AJIN USA recently announced two expansions. Between 2023 and 2024, the automotive sector accounted for almost $140 million of the capital investment made in the county.

In Tallapoosa County, Alexander City is currently home to several auto suppliers, including C&J Tech, and the county’s largest employer, SL Alabama. Further southeast in the county, the city of Dadeville is home to two additional Hyundai and Kia Tier I suppliers, Sejin America and KwangSung America. Sejin recently announced an expansion.

Russell Lands

Russell Lands and the entire Lake Martin area are booming. Long a popular place to live, it is still experiencing huge demand. The company owns, manages and develops commercial and residential real estate on Lake Martin.

Russell Lands is a major economic engine in the area, providing much of Tallapoosa County’s total ad valorem tax yearly. For example, the newest luxury residential development under way, The Heritage, is a 230-home development with an average lot price of $1 million. The development, inside the Alexander City city limits, translates into millions in building permit revenue, sales tax and property tax for the city and the county. A percentage of total sales tax revenue goes to the city schools, and more than $6 million of sales tax revenue goes to Tallapoosa County, all of which benefits the school system.

New in 2023 at The Heritage is the Coore & Crenshaw-designed Wicker Point Golf Club golf course. The designer is one of the top golf course design firms in the world and this is its only course in Alabama. 

Another signature amenity will be The Benjamin Lake Club, a resident-owned club designed by Atlanta-based architectural firm Cooper Carry. The club will open in June 2025. There is a two-story clubhouse, with the main level featuring large indoor gathering spaces, an owner’s bar, adjacent meeting room and expansive lake views. The lower level offers a fitness room and related facilities.

Plans call for two saline pools with an adjacent grill facility, snack bar and trails to an amphitheater, lakeside beach and community dock system. There also will be a tennis and pickleball facility, tennis pro shop and parking. Residents and their guests will also have an event lawn with covered pavilions, fire pits, beach area and community dock system.

With several events, such as a fall family festival, Christmas at Crossroads, Russell Forest Run in the Russell Forest benefiting the Alexander City Schools Foundation, the Lake Martin 100, boating safety courses, Derby Day, music festivals and Fourth of July fireworks, there is always something fun to do. 

Russell Lands also includes other beautiful neighborhoods, hiking, biking and equestrian trails, Willow Point Golf & Country Club, marinas and Russell Crossroads, Russell Lands’ town center with restaurants, a grocery store and more.

Russell’s portfolio spans beyond its lakefront neighborhoods. The extensive development also includes Russell Do-It Centers, Russell Building Supply, Russell Home Décor and more. Russell Lands also built the Lake Martin Amphitheater.

Food & Beverage 

This sector is growing and continues to be a target for the Chambers County Development Authority.

The county already has seen the success of John Soules Foods, which opened in 2021 and has become the second-largest employer in the county.

Agriculture/wood products 

Agriculture continues to be a major industry in Chambers County. According to the Alabama Forestry Commission, Chambers County has 302,701 timberland acres. That timber has attracted industry including West Fraser’s oriented strand board mill and Smurfit WestRock’s cardboard packaging plant. Haywood Forest Products plans a facility to manufacture cross ties, with additional plans for hardwood pallet components, assembly and sales.

In Tallapoosa County, Wellborn Forest Products makes cabinets and Two Rivers Lumber is building a $115 million mill to make dimensional lumber.

Health Care

Three hospitals in the two counties along with satellite clinics and rehab care makes health care a major economic driver in both counties. These hospitals are among the largest employers in the counties.

Russell Medical in Alexander City, a member of the UAB Health System, is adding The Russell Legacy Project, made possible by a $25 million donation by Ben and Luanne Russell. The project focuses on geriatric medicine and enhanced opportunities for seniors. The first facility, the Benjamin Russell Center for Advanced Care, recently opened and provides geriatric health care, specialty care and more.

On the southern end of Tallapoosa County in Dadeville, Lake Martin Community Hospital has 46 beds and employs more than 200.

Reflecting the current challenges of rural hospitals, EAMC-Lanier in Chambers County expected to transition on December 1, 2024, from a regular acute-care hospital to a rural emergency hospital. This designation is a new Medicare provider type. The biggest change is that the hospital, which opened in 1950, will no longer have inpatient beds. It will offer 24-hour emergency care and outpatient services, including a 64-slice CT scanner, 3-D digital mammography and an MRI, as well as laboratory services, cardiac rehab, physical therapy and infusion services.

Higher Education

Both community colleges in these counties are among the state’s five original community colleges in Alabama and have satellite offices and campuses so that students have a convenient place to earn a degree or training in a career path.

Southern Union State Community College has a location in Valley in Chambers County, along with locations in Wadley and Opelika.

Central Alabama Community College’s main campus is in Alexander City with three additional locations in Childersburg, Talladega and Prattville.

Both colleges are heavily involved in dual enrollment for high-school students who want to earn college credit before graduating from high school, career technical programs, academic transfer to four-year universities, adult education, training and retraining of the workforce and much more.

Airports

In Chambers County, projects have been completed at Lanett Municipal Airport, located adjacent to Interstate 85 and near the Huguley Industrial Park. Recent ones include replacing an aging 3,100-foot runway with one that is more than 5,400 feet.

T.C. Russell Field, the city of Alexander City’s airport in Tallapoosa County, has been working on a master plan for several years. It recently finished an apron expansion to accommodate larger jets.

Business Briefs:

December 2024: EAMC-Lanier, in Chambers County, transitions from a regular acute care hospital to a rural emergency hospital. It will no longer have inpatient beds but will provide 24-hour emergency care and many other services.

October 2024: Sejin America, an automotive supplier in Dadeville, begins construction on a 50,000-square-foot expansion of its facility in the Thweatt Industrial Park, creating 95 new jobs.

July 2024: Russell Medical announces the opening of the Benjamin Russell Center for Advanced Care, designed to provide convenient health care to the aging population of Alexander City and surrounding areas. The center will offer geriatrics, rheumatology, endocrinology, psychiatry and podiatry.

July 2024: The Lake Martin Area Industrial Development Alliance is awarded $2.5 million in Growing Alabama funding from the Renewal of Alabama Commission for assistance with site development in the Lake Martin Regional Industrial Park.

July 2024: AJIN USA announces two expansions in the Chambers County Industrial Park. One expansion is at the firm’s current facility, with a capital investment of $63 million and adding 20 new jobs. The second expansion includes a new building on property the firm recently acquired next to its existing facility, with 20 more jobs and a $24 million investment.

June 2024: Unite Inc., an organization that improves college access for Black students in rural Alabama, receives a $2.1 million grant from the U.S. Department of Education for Chambers County students. The funding will increase the number of students served by Unite from 60 to more than 600 in the county.

April 2024: WestRock Packaging Systems announces an expansion at its manufacturing facility located in the Huguley Industrial Park, an investment of $23.7 million.

April 2024: The Lake Martin Area Economic Development Alliance announces the location of Two Rivers Lumber’s new $115 million sawmill in the Lake Martin Regional Industrial Park. Two Rivers Lumber will manufacture dimensional lumber and employ 130 people.

March 2024: Landkart LLC breaks ground on Crown Homes, a 55-home subdivision off King Road in Valley.

February 2024: Chambers County school officials unveiled renderings of the new consolidated high school that combines Valley High and LaFayette High. The new Chambers County High School in Valley is scheduled to open in fall 2026.

February 2024: Haywood Forest Products announces a new manufacturing facility in LaFayette with plans to initially hire 25 employees. The facility will serve treating plants in Alabama and Georgia for cross ties and plans to expand into the hardwood pallet components, assembly and sales, a capital investment of $2.1 million.

January 2024: Wicker Point Golf Club, located on Lake Martin in Alexander City, is chosen as One of America’s Best New Private Golf Courses by Golf Digest. The Coore & Crenshaw-designed course is the centerpiece of Russell Lands’ The Heritage, Lake Martin’s newest residential development.

November 2023: Hyundai Motor Manufacturing Alabama LLC announces a $3.6 million expansion at two of its Chambers County suppliers.

August 2023: Hester Tag and Label Inc. announces an expansion at its Lanett facility. This expansion called for $1 million in capital investment.

October 2024: Alexander City Schools is halfway towards completing a new $100 million Benjamin Russell High School to include a competition track, band practice field and football/soccer practice fields. The plan is for the new high school to open in January of 2026. It is located adjacent to the Charles E. Bailey Sportplex, home to the current softball, baseball and football stadium.

May 2023: AJIN USA, located in the Chambers County Industrial Park, announces a $48.7 million expansion at its current facility, bringing 20 new jobs.

February 2023: Knauf Insulation, located in the Huguley Industrial Park, announces an expansion at its current facility. This expansion had a total capital investment of $48.5 million.

This article appears in the December 2024 issue of Business Alabama.