JACKSON COUNTY
CARPET / RUG MANUFACTURING / FLOORING
Tufted rug manufacturer Maples Industries Inc. operates four facilities in Scottsboro and is a leading employer in Northeast Alabama.
In Bridgeport, Engineered Floors manufactures residential and commercial flooring products, and Mohawk Industries, a global leader in the flooring industry, operates a facility that produces carpet fibers.
AUTOMOTIVE SUPPLIERS
In Scottsboro, Ohio-based Sanoh America Inc. manufactures automotive brake tubing, fuel tubing and chassis tubing, and PHP Fibers produces nylon yarns used in airbags.
KTNA, in Hollywood, produces acoustical products and carpeting.
DIVERSIFIED MANUFACTURING
Other top employers in Jackson County include commercial refrigeration unit manufacturer HTPG Inc.; Smurfit WestRock, which manufactures containerboard liners and flutings for corrugated board and packaging; industrial plastics producer Polymer Industries; Lozier Corp., which produces retail store fixtures; and USG Corp., which manufactures gypsum products.
MARSHALL COUNTY
POULTRY PROCESSING / FOOD PRODUCTION
Marshall County leads the state in poultry processing, and the industry accounts for half of the top 10 employers in the county. They include Pilgrim’s Pride, Farm Fresh Foods, AlaTrade Foods, Wayne Farms, Tyson Foods Inc. and OK Foods.
TOURISM
Tourism in Marshall County centers on Lake Guntersville, a renowned destination for bass fishing and outdoor recreation.
The Alabama Tourism Department ranked the four-mile Sunset Drive walking trail in Guntersville among the top 25 walking trails in the state, and the city recently completed a new expansion of the trail that goes beneath the River Bridge on Highway 431, making the entire peninsula of Lake Guntersville walkable.
City Harbor, a mixed-use lakefront development with restaurants, retail and event venues, welcomed a new 88-room Home2 Suites by Hilton this year.
Sand Mountain Park & Amphitheater, in Albertville, is a 130-acre venue for sports and entertainment, including a water park, public play areas, a 6,000-seat amphitheater and athletic facilities.
AUTOMOTIVE SUPPLIERS / DIVERSIFIED MANUFACTURING
Marshall County plays a significant role in supporting the automotive industry. TS Tech Alabama manufactures automotive seating at its Boaz facility, and in Albertville, Newman Technology produces door sashes and exhaust components for Honda Alabama Auto Plant.
Diverse manufacturing companies also are among the county’s top employers. They include ColorMasters, which specializes in flexible packaging for a variety of industries; Mueller, a fire hydrant manufacturer; Progress Rail, a subsidiary of Caterpillar that supplies locomotive, freight car and infrastructure solutions and technologies for the global rail industry; and Atrion Medical Products, which develops and manufactures medical devices for the ophthalmic, pharmaceutical and biotech industries.
AEROSPACE
Marshall County continues to develop its aerospace sector. Ace Aeronautics, a full-service contractor for rotary-wing aircraft with a strong focus on Black Hawk helicopters, is headquartered in Guntersville and has doubled in size in recent years. Last fall, the company partnered with the Aviation Department at Snead State Community College to offer students apprenticeships, jobs and hands-on experience in the high-demand industry.
DeKALB COUNTY
DIVERSE MANUFACTURING / DISTRIBUTION CENTERS
Diverse manufacturing is the leading industry in DeKalb County. Heil Environmental, a manufacturer of refuse collection vehicles, has its flagship plant in Fort Payne; PlayCore (formerly GameTime), a leading manufacturer of commercial playground equipment, has its Southern Fulfillment Center in Fort Payne; and Vulcraft operates one of its seven steel joist manufacturing facilities in Fort Payne. The city also is home to GH Metal Solutions, a full-service metal fabrication supplier.
For the automotive industry, the Moriroku Technology North America Rainsville Plant and Plasman Corp., in Fort Payne, manufacture injected plastic parts.
The Children’s Place Retail Stores operates a 700,000-square-foot automated distribution center, and Ferguson Enterprises, a plumbing supplier, has a 645,000-square-foot distribution center.
TOURISM
Tourists are drawn to DeKalb County for its outdoor recreation opportunities, and it has been getting some national attention. The county is home to two state parks, DeSoto State Park and Buck’s Pocket State Park, as well as the Little River Canyon National Preserve, which was recently featured on USA Today’s list of “most breathtaking views in the South.” In fact, the three parks make up 36% of Alabama’s protected lands within a 50-mile radius.
POULTRY
Like Marshall County, DeKalb is one of the state’s top poultry processing counties. Koch Foods operates a processing plant and two hatcheries, and Pilgrim’s Pride also operates a production facility in DeKalb County.
CHEROKEE COUNTY
AGRICULTURE
Top agribusiness employers in Cherokee County include Weiss Lake Egg Co., a family-owned egg production facility; Cherokee Milling Co., a grain and feed mill; and two wholesale greenhouses, Dixie Green and Sawyer Nursery.
The county also is home to the Cherokee Gin & Cotton Co., one of the largest cotton gins in the Southeast. It serves Northeast Alabama and Northwest Georgia.
TOURISM
The tourism industry in Cherokee County centers on Weiss Lake. Known as the “Crappie Fishing Capital of the World,” it also offers year-round bass fishing. Other outdoor recreation destinations include Indian Mountain ATV Park in Piedmont, which has 4,700 acres for OHV trail riding, camping, fishing and hiking; and for the more daring, Cherokee Rock Village is a destination for rock climbing, bouldering and rappelling. The park also is popular for hiking, camping and bird watching and has an observation deck, pavilion and playground.
AUTOMOTIVE / DIVERSIFIED MANUFACTURING
KTH Leesburg Products is Cherokee County’s top manufacturing employer. The company produces welded steel frame components for the state’s automotive industry and was named Large Manufacturer of the Year in 2024 by the Alabama Automotive Manufacturers Association.
American Apparel manufactures combat and utility uniforms for the military and is the county’s second-largest employer.
Business Briefs:
JACKSON COUNTY
AUGUST 2025: Advanced Displays, a leading distributor of Lozier’s shelving systems, opens a 300,000-square-foot distribution center, providing faster service, lower freight costs and better logistics for its customers.
APRIL 2025: Fast Pace Health opens a walk-in urgent care clinic that will provide urgent, primary and preventative care services to Scottsboro and the surrounding communities.
FEBRUARY 2025: Citizens Bank & Trust breaks ground on a second location in Scottsboro.
NOVEMBER 2024: Renovations begin on the Jackson County Courthouse, including shoring up the foundation, repairing the roof, replacing portico slabs and exterior features, renovating the public restrooms and adding new stairs and a wheelchair lift. The county also will relocate several courthouse offices to the Jackson County Courthouse Annex.
MARSHALL COUNTY
AUGUST 2025: Marshall Medical Centers is awarded the Rural Residency Planning and Development Program Grant from the Health Resources and Services Administration, a division of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, to support planning and developing a new rural residence program to grow the physician workforce in medically underserved areas.
JULY 2025: The city of Albertville breaks ground on Alleyway Entertainment, a 30,000-square-foot family-friendly fun center that includes bowling, axe throwing, bumper cars, a virtual reality arcade, 5D theaters, a restaurant and private party rooms.
MAY 2025: Work begins on Sand Mountain Marketplace, a 250,000-square-foot development in Albertville that will include Target, Academy Sports + Outdoors, HomeGoods and Burlington, along with restaurants and additional stores.
JANUARY 2025: Guntersville City Schools celebrates the opening of the new Guntersville High School, a 140,000-square-foot, $54 million building. Plans are underway to add a new sports arena and auxiliary gym to the high school campus.
DeKALB COUNTY
JULY 2025: The town of Mentone celebrates the opening of Legionnaire Park. The park, located behind the American Legion Post 215, features a fenced-in picnic area and a grill.
JUNE 2025: The DeKalb County Commission gives preliminary plat approval for Mentone Acres, a 27-lot planned subdivision located off County Road 641. The project also includes 4,000 feet of new road.
MARCH 2025: Gov. Kay Ivey announces $600,000 in grants to support projects to upgrade Mentone’s water system and repurpose the Moon Lake Elementary School into a business and community center.
SEPTEMBER 2024: Builders Supply Co. breaks ground on a $10.6 million manufacturing facility in Fort Payne. The family-owned business provides custom concrete blocks, lumber, pallets, crates, trusses, plumbing and electrical supplies to contractors and do-it-yourself homeowners.
CHEROKEE COUNTY
SEPTEMBER 2025: Cherokee County Schools celebrates the opening of a new Cal Ripken Sr. Foundation STEM Center at Sand Rock School. The new after-school learning space provides hands-on STEM education to local students and is made possible through the support of the Cal Ripken Sr. Foundation and the Tennessee Valley Authority.
MARCH 2025: The Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs awards the Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office a $200,000 grant to establish a professional crisis intervention team. The funds will support a CIT officer, necessary equipment and provide CIT training to law enforcement personnel.
MARCH 2025: A new Women’s Imaging Suite opens at the Atrium Health Floyd Cherokee Medical Center in Centre, offering easier access to mammograms for women in northeast Alabama.
NOVEMBER 2024: KTH Leesburg Products, a manufacturer of welded steel frame components for the automotive industry, is named Large Manufacturer of the Year by the Alabama Automotive Manufacturers Association.
This article appears in the November 2025 issue of Business Alabama.
