Cullman, Walker and Winston counties, in north central Alabama, are in an ideal location, close to larger metro areas and major interstates. It’s also a prime location for outdoor tourism and recreation, and each county is always adding more amenities for its residents and visitors.
They have diverse economies, so they also are laser-focused on workforce development, from elementary school through adult education programs.
New developments are generating excitement, including the planned Heman Drummond Center for Innovation in Jasper in Walker County, to benefit both Walker County and Jasper city school systems. Fundraising is underway for the center, located on Industrial Boulevard in an 80,000-square-foot space that can be expanded, and offering advanced laboratories, high-tech classrooms and collaborative workspace. The center will replace the existing 50-year-old Walker County schools’ Center for Technology.
“We have been talking about this for 10 years, and now we are going to be able to provide great facilities for students to learn career technical fields,” says Paul Kennedy, president of the Walker Area Community Foundation. “This is no longer a pipe dream – it’s happening.”
A groundbreaking will be set soon, and a target opening date is May 2026, he says. The foundation, which is working with many private, corporate, state and federal sources, is set on taking the center from start to finish.
Nearby are the Bevill State Community College Rapid Training Facility and the HVAC Training Center, a workforce development partnership among the state, the Alabama Community College System and Alabama Power recently expanded to include training in electric vehicles, connectivity, solar, HVAC and weatherization, called the Alabama Energy Infrastructure Training Center and Network.
In late 2023, Wallace State opened a new Workforce Training Center on the grounds of REHAU’s automotive manufacturing facility in Cullman, providing facilities for training programs and services provided by the college’s Center for Career and Workforce Development. The school also recently opened an $8.8 million Center for Welding Technology and Innovation and has announced plans for nearly $49 million in new campus construction. This includes a $35 million STEM Gateway building for first-year students, a $9.6 million facility for automotive technology and a $4.2 million building for machine tool technology.
And for Winston County, Wallace State plans a ribbon cutting later this year for the new Winston County Learning Center in Arley. It will allow the college to expand its programs and services in the county, and will include its adult education program, adult education guided career pathways, workforce training programs and ACCS Innovation Center programs.
There’s a lot of other good economic news as well. Cullman County set a record for new and expanding industry investment in 2023 at $489 million, according to Cullman Economic Development Agency Director Dale Greer. The 28 expansions ranked Cullman No. 1 in Alabama for the total number of expansion projects and No. 3 in the state for investment. Alabama Department of Commerce records show new and expanding industry has invested more than $1.7 billion in Cullman in the past 10 years.
Smith Lake, which covers more than 21,000 acres in Cullman, Walker and Winston counties, is a major attraction. Jeff Tolbert, owner of Trident Marine, has announced plans for a $300 million development due east of Lewis Smith Dam that would include a four-plus star hotel, 300 homes and three signature golf courses. Plans also call for a wedding chapel, an adventure park, dinner cruises and more. “It will encompass about 2,500 to 3,000 acres and have a high-end wellness/medical spa, and a 6,000-foot private jet runway,” he says.
In Walker County, Phase 1 of Heritage Landing is complete, adding full utility access to attract retail, commercial and/or industrial tenants to build out along Interstate 22. Drummond Co. is developing the 50-acre, multi-purpose site.
In Winston County, the 13-acre Looney’s Tavern complex and amphitheater is now owned by the Winston County Arts Council. Now called Looney’s Tavern Entertainment and Cultural Center, there are concerts, events and much more planned.
Lori Chandler Pruitt is a Birmingham-based freelance contributor to Business Alabama
For more on Cullman, Walker & Winston counties, see the links below:
This story appears in the November 2024 issue of Business Alabama.
