Local and state officials were on hand to celebrate Tombigbee Communications’ completion of 4,200 miles of fiber internet service to the northwest Alabama region. Photo courtesy of Alabama Rural Electric Association.
Diverse Industry/Advanced Manufacturing
About a third of the workforce in this region is employed in manufacturing, making a variety of products — from automotive, dump truck and forklift parts to cabinets, signs, shower stalls, recreational vehicles, clothing, utility poles, gourmet foods and more.
Manufacturing should continue to grow, with several exits to these counties via Interstate 22, which connects Birmingham via I-65 to Memphis. These exits already have seen growth since the new interstate opened about 10 years ago, and more growth is expected as the West Central Alabama Highway project creates more connections.
“We have high hopes for the highway, especially the connector road from Fayette to I-22,” says Tom Wisemiller, president/CEO of the Northwest Alabama Economic Development Alliance.
Many companies that deal in metals are among the area’s largest manufacturing employers, including Komatsu Mining Corp., Ox Bodies/TBEI, products fabrication, wire die repair, wiring harnesses, forklift parts, zinc oxide/steel dust recycling and metal roofing. There are several metal related manufacturers, and they work in many different areas, including forklift parts, mining conveyor systems, metal roofs, shipping container trailers, farm equipment, onsite waste compacting and recycling systems, dump truck bodies and beds and more.
One of the newest announcements involves Warrior Met Coal, which opened a third coal mine, Blue Creek, and has spent about $100 million building a connector system between Fayette and Tuscaloosa County’s longwall mines.
“These are high-paying jobs and will have a positive impact on Fayette County and the region,” Wisemiller says. “It also will help residential growth and other businesses.”
Manufactured Housing/Lumber/Furniture
Several companies in the region are involved in this sector, which continues to grow. In Marion County, Deer Valley Homebuilders, Buccaneer Homes, Clayton Homes and Hamilton Home Builders are among the largest manufacturers, building a variety of manufactured homes to meet the needs of homebuyers and the commercial sector.
In Fayette County, Interfor is a sawmill that is one of the county’s largest employers. And in Lamar County, larger employers in this sector include lumber mill Weyerhaeuser Company in Millport and Brown Wood Preserving in Kennedy, which makes treated utility poles. Millport Lumber makes pallets. And K&S Lumber is one of the newest in Vernon.
As for home furnishings, the largest manufacturer in Marion County, Kith Kitchens, makes cabinet doors and sets in Haleyville, Hamilton Bathware makes tubs and shower stalls, and Max Home Furniture, in Sulligent in Lamar County, makes upholstered furniture.
High-speed Fiber Optic
Tombigbee Communications and federal and state officials hit a major milestone in 2025, celebrating the completion of a $145 million fiber internet project spanning 4,200 miles of fiber serving 100,000 residents across eight Alabama counties. The Northwest Alabama EDA region has among the best rural broadband coverage in Alabama. Lamar County currently has 100% coverage; Marion County, 100% coverage; and Fayette County, 95% coverage and growing.
It is a major economic development catalyst and helps residents, school systems and industry/business work more efficiently.
Higher Education
Bevill State Community College, with campuses in Fayette, Marion and Walker counties, along with an instructional site in Pickens County, is a very important economic driver in the community, not only for its own employees and student body, but also its role in workforce development and education for high school students and adult education/training. It works closely with industry to ensure that the area has a trained workforce for all types of needs and offers dozens of workforce training and retraining courses, as well as degree programs and academic transfer to a four-year university.
Health Care
Three hospitals serve the three counties and surrounding areas — North Mississippi Health Services-South Marion, North Mississippi Medical Center-Hamilton and Fayette Medical Center. These facilities are among the largest employers in the area and have a significant economic impact on their communities.
Each of these facilities offers other services such as rehab centers, nursing homes and specialty clinics. This sector continues to grow, with primary care clinics and rural health clinics in underserved areas.
Efforts to boost access to medical care in rural areas continue. In November 2025, U.S. Rep. Robert Aderholt announced grant funds for two health care-related projects, which includes $5,551,812 for a new 16,500-square-foot rural health clinic in Fayette, and $1,147,500 for new MRI equipment to North Mississippi Health Services-South Marion, formerly Northwest Regional Health in Winfield.
Business Briefs:
December 2025: The Marion County-Rankin Fite Airport receives an $829,255 grant from the state’s Alabama Airport Improvement Funding program to upgrade its runway and the apron area.
December 2025: The Lamar County Airport reopens after repairs and improvements to its runway.
December 2025: Showa Best Glove announces the permanent closure of its Fayette facility, ending a long period of sterile and surgical type gloves made in the city.
November 2025: U.S. Rep Robert Aderholt announces grant funds for two projects, which includes $5,551,812 for a new 16,500-square-foot rural health clinic, and new MRI equipment for Northwest Regional Health in Winfield.
October 2025: Tombigbee Communications and federal and state officials celebrated the completion of a $145 million fiber internet project spanning 4,200 miles of fiber serving 100,000 residents across eight Alabama counties.
September 2025: The new Marion County Detention Center opens, also housing the Marion County Sheriff’s Department and the EMA.
September 2025: The city of Hamilton, Hamilton Parks & Recreation and Marion County Schools open the Buttahatchee River Sportsplex, a multi-purpose sports facility available for use by all Marion County schools.
August 2025: Warrior Met Coal, which produces metallurgical coal for steelmaking, opens a third mine, Blue Creek, in Fayette County and is investing millions to enable railcar transportation between the Blue Creek Coal preserves and its longwall mines in nearby Tuscaloosa County. It is expected to employ more than 300 workers.
August 2025: Marion County schools, in conjunction with Bevill State Community College, is working to open a new college and career academy by the 2026-27 academic year. The center will enhance dual enrollment, as well as offer a range of career technical programs.
June 2025: The city of Hamilton, in Marion County, received nearly $1.47 million from the Growing Alabama program for site preparation at the Hamilton I-22 Industrial Park.
June 2025: The city of Fayette is looking at redesigning the northwest corner of Alabama 171 and Highway 18 to provide a welcome gateway to the city.
May 2025: Bevill State Community College and Northwest Alabama Economic Development Alliance (C3) announce Career BOO$T, a new tuition reimbursement program. It’s the latest initiative under C3’s TIME (Tech Innovation Means Employment) Program, which focuses on attracting more students in high-demand technical fields.
April 2025: Pilot, the largest travel center network in North America, opens a new location on Exit 30 on I-22 in Winfield. Officials expect even more development on that exit. The city of Winfield received two ALDOT grants to make improvements at that interchange.
March 2025: Alabama’s SEEDS program provides a $733,700 grant that will enable the city of Fayette to buy property for a prime industrial site to promote growth. The city’s industrial development board plans to purchase 76 acres that will be called the North Fayette Industrial Site.
Sources: Northwest Alabama Economic Development Alliance (C3).This article appears in the February 2026 issue of Business Alabama
