Spotlight on Limestone & Morgan Counties: Economic Engines

LIMESTONE COUNTY

AUTOMOTIVE

Mazda Toyota Manufacturing (MTM) has more than 4,000 employees, a hiring goal it achieved in 2023, thanks in part to the addition of a second shift on its Discovery assembly line that produces the Mazda CX-50. MTM’s Limestone County facility, a joint undertaking between Mazda Motor Corp. and Toyota Motor Corp., also produces the Toyota Corolla Cross and is the only manufacturer in North America that produces both vehicles. The plant, which has the capacity to assemble 300,000 vehicles annually, has also launched hybrid electric vehicle versions of both models.

MTM’s 3.7 million-square-foot facility and its nearby campus also are home to on-site partners, including DNUS, YKTA and Toyota Boshoku AKI USA (TBAKI).

Polaris is the second largest industrial employer in Limestone County, after MTM. Its Alabama facility is one of the company’s largest manufacturing plants and produces the industry’s top auto-cycle, the Polaris Slingshot, along with its top off-road utility vehicle, the Ranger.

EFI Automotive established its North American headquarters in Elkmont in 2004. The facility specializes in designing and manufacturing sensors, activators and actuators for OEMs and Tier 1 suppliers.

Bocar US is a leading automotive supplier of aluminum high pressure die cast parts.

Tris USA Inc., in Athens, is an automotive component company that specializes in carbon brushes.

AEROSPACE

Limestone County’s proximity to Redstone Arsenal and Cummings Research Park has made it an attractive location for the aviation and aerospace industry.

GE Aerospace recently announced plans to invest $22 million in its Limestone County facility for additional machines to produce ceramic matrix composite engine parts that are used in narrow-body and wide-body aircraft engines, as well as military fighter jet and helicopter engines.

Carpenter Technology’s Limestone County facility manufactures ultra-premium alloy products for the aerospace and energy industries.

DISTRIBUTION

Amazon and Target operate distribution centers in Limestone County and rank among the county’s top five employers.

MANUFACTURING

Office furniture manufacturer Steelcase is a top employer in Limestone County, along with InTech Athens, which manufactures orthopedic devices, and HDT Global, which produces shelter systems, environmental control and power solutions, robotics and unmanned systems, missile transport and industrial thermal management solutions for military, government and commercial customers.

 

MORGAN COUNTY

AEROSPACE

Morgan County is home to a thriving aerospace industry that continues to grow.

United Launch Alliance, one of the top five largest industrial employers in the county, manufactures heavy-lift rockets at its massive 1.6 million-square-foot plant in Decatur. In recent years, ULA has invested roughly $500 million into automating many of its manufacturing processes as it ramps up production of its next-generation Vulcan rocket and transitions away from the Delta and Atlas rocket lines.

In March, the U.S. Space Force certified ULA’s Vulcan launch system for National Security Space Launch missions and awarded the company a contract to launch 40% of the country’s critical satellite missions.

In April, ULA’s Atlas V rocket delivered the first grouping of operational broadband satellites for Amazon’s Project Kuiper, marking the beginning of full-scale deployment of the Kuiper constellation. ULA is set to deliver the majority of Amazon’s advanced satellites into low-Earth orbit as part of the world’s largest commercial launch agreement.

One of ULA’s closest partners, Zurich-based Beyond Gravity, has its U.S. headquarters in Decatur, along with a production facility that manufactures payload fairings and interstage adapters for launch vehicles.

In April, Karman Space & Defense, which specializes in designing, developing and producing critical next-generation system solutions for the defense and space sectors, announced the opening of a 30,000-square-foot facility in Decatur with plans to fill 30 positions by the end of 2025.

METALS

Decatur is home to GE Appliances’ top-freezer refrigeration manufacturing operation. With 1,400 employees, GEA is Morgan County’s top industrial employer.

Charlotte-based Nucor Corp. operates Nucor Steel Decatur, a sheet steel mill, and is nearing completion on a new facility, Nucor Towers & Structures, at Mallard-Fox Creek Industrial Park. The $125 million steel transmission poles production facility will employ around 200 individuals.

In March, Wolverine Industries announced it will add fabrication equipment, anodizing capabilities and a new extrusion press to its integrated aluminum manufacturing facility in Decatur. The $20.4 million investment is expected to create 26 new jobs.

Neo Industries, which provides premier chrome plating, grinding and EDT texturing services for the steel and aluminum industries, is expanding with a $3.75 million project that includes improvements to an existing building, installing a new work roll grinder, overhead crane and other equipment to increase its production.

In May, xPL Offsite, a steel fabrication facility and machinery manufacturer launched by Turner Construction, announced it will move its operations from Huntsville to Decatur with plans to hire 120 workers over the next three years. Construction of the new facility is expected to be completed in May 2026.

In Hartselle, Cerrowire manufactures copper wire for commercial, industrial and residential use.

CHEMICALS

Morgan County is home to roughly 20 chemical companies; many of them are top employers in the county and have been in operation for several decades.

3M launched its operations in Decatur in 1961 and today runs a materials plant and a film plant that support 788 employees at its 2.5 million-square-foot site.

Ascend Performance Materials has operated in Decatur for more than 60 years, making adiponitrile (ADN), a critical building block for nylon 6,6, a high-performance plastic used in a variety of everyday products. It is one of only a few plants globally that produces ADN on a large scale.

Indorama Ventures Xylenes & PTA manufactures purified terephthalic acid (PTA) and its raw material, paraxylene (PX). The Decatur facility also is the world’s only commercial manufacturer of naphthalene dicarboxylate.

Daikin America develops and manufactures fluorochemical products.

Polyplex USA’s Decatur facility produces biaxially oriented polyethylene terephthalate (BOPET) film used in packaging, electrical and other industrial applications.

OCI Alabama, a manufacturer of sodium percarbonate, recently announced a $19.15 million expansion of its manufacturing facility in Decatur’s Mallard-Fox Creek Industrial Park. Plans include a new 50,000-square-foot warehouse, silos, expanded railyard and buildings and installation of unloading equipment and a packaging system.

FOOD & AGRICULTURE

Food production is another major component of Morgan County’s economy and accounts for more than 2,000 jobs.

Wayne Sanderson Farms LLC, the nation’s third-largest poultry producer, has operated a prepared foods plant in Decatur since 2008. Gemstone Foods produces fresh poultry products at its Decatur facility.

OTHER INDUSTRIES

Toray Composite Materials America Inc. established its Decatur plant in 1997 where it operates production lines from precursor to carbon fiber for the aerospace, defense, industrial and automotive industries.

Packaging manufacturer Sonoco operates a steel reels plant and a nailed wood and plywood reel production plant in Hartselle.

Turner Industries’ multi-service facility in Decatur offers construction and maintenance as well as pipe, vessel, steel and modular fabrication services for clients across the Southeast.

Business Briefs:

MAY 2025: OCI Alabama, a manufacturer of sodium percarbonate, announces a $19.15 million expansion of its manufacturing facility in Decatur’s Mallard-Fox Creek Industrial Park. Plans include a 50,000-square-foot warehouse, silos, expanded railyard and buildings and installation of unloading equipment and a packaging system.

MAY 2025: xPL Offsite, a steel fabrication facility and machinery manufacturer launched by Turner Construction, announces it will move its operations from Huntsville to Decatur with plans to hire 120 workers over the next three years. Construction is expected to be complete in May 2026.

APRIL 2025: United Launch Alliance’s Atlas V rocket delivers the first grouping of operational broadband satellites for Amazon’s Project Kuiper, and ULA is set to deliver the majority of Amazon’s advanced satellites into low-Earth orbit as part of the world’s largest launch agreement.

APRIL 2025: Karman Space & Defense opens a new 30,000-square-foot facility in Decatur that will support advanced defense and space systems, including design, engineering, manufacturing, assembly, integration and testing.

MARCH 2025: Hoar Construction breaks ground on a 20-acre community recreation center in Decatur. The complex will feature a 103,000-square-foot enclosed recreational building with basketball and volleyball courts, a natatorium with a 10-lane competition swimming pool, a mezzanine running track, office space, conference rooms and a concession stand with a kitchen. Outdoor space includes event areas and walking trails.

MARCH 2025: Wolverine Industries announces it will add fabrication equipment, anodizing capabilities and a new extrusion press to its integrated aluminum manufacturing facility in Decatur. The $20.4 million investment is expected to create 26 jobs.

APRIL 2025: Pryor Field Regional Airport in Tanner will soon have a $32.7 million aircraft maintenance hangar. Alaska-based Aleut Real Estate has finalized a ground lease to construct the hangar along with Huntsville-based Strata-G Solutions. The project is expected to create 50 aviation-related jobs in three years.

MARCH 2025: U.S. Space Force certifies United Launch Alliance’s Vulcan launch system for National Security Space Launch missions and awards the company a contract to launch 40% of the country’s critical satellite missions.

MARCH 2025: Neo Industries in Decatur announces a $3.75 million expansion project, including improvements to an existing building, installing a new work roll grinder, overhead crane and other related equipment to increase its steel and aluminum production. 

MARCH 2025: The Huntsville Planning Commission approves construction of more than 1,100 homes in the Greenbrier Preserve development in Limestone County, just down the road from Mazda Toyota Manufacturing, Polaris and the Amazon Fulfillment Center.

JANUARY 2025: A freestanding emergency room opens in Hartselle. The facility is operated by Cullman Regional Medical Center and is equipped with 10 treatment rooms, a trauma room, ambulance bay, helipad and lab and imaging services that can help diagnose heart attacks and strokes.

SEPTEMBER 2024: Officials break ground on a $15 million, 14,000-square-foot Academy for Music and Movement facility at the Alabama Center for the Arts in Decatur.

SEPTEMBER 2024: The Athens City Council approves economic development projects for several restaurants: Texas Roadhouse and 7 Brew Drive-Thru Coffee; Five Guys and Nothing Bundt Cakes; Athens Alehouse and Cellar; and Ro’s Grille.

DECEMBER 2024: Athens-based Morrell Engineering acquires Civil Group LLC, an engineering and surveying landscape company. The expanded firm’s services include site design, land surveying, transportation design, geotechnical engineering, subdivision design, aviation engineering, construction materials testing, construction engineering and inspection and project management.

NOVEMBER 2024: Bunge Corp. announces a $20.2 million investment in its Decatur facility to improve existing facilities, construct a new building and purchase and install equipment to increase the company’s truck uploading capacity and increase overall efficiency while reducing wait time for truck drivers.

SEPTEMBER 2024: The Ardmore Water Works and Sewer Board receives $22 million to upgrade the sewer system. The funds are provided by the Alabama Department of Environmental Management, the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Region 4 and the Town of Ardmore.

AUGUST 2024: The University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Dentistry announces plans to bring a new satellite clinic to Decatur in 2026 that will aim to recruit, educate, train and retain dentists to serve patients in rural north Alabama.

JULY 2024: The Town of Elkmont opens a new $1 million town hall that provides a permanent structure for government services and serves as a storm shelter.

JULY 2024: M&J Precision Machining and Fabricating in Decatur announces the launch of its own metal finishing division, Precision Technical Finishing. Precision Technical is a $4.15 million investment in equipment and will hire 40 new employees over three years.

JULY 2024: GreenPoint Ag Holdings LLC announces it will relocate its headquarters to another existing building in Decatur, moving 100 employees and adding 12 new employees within three years of completing the project. Improvements to the land and building represent a $17 million investment, and the project is scheduled to be complete by December.

MAY 2024: Nashville-based Pinnacle Financial Partners opens a new and temporary full-service office in Athens. The bank plans to open a new permanent space in Athens this year. It will be Pinnacle’s second location in North Alabama and fourth in the state since 2021.

MAY 2024: Athens city officials hold a ribbon-cutting ceremony at Gateway Village, a new $45 million, 256-unit apartment complex. Capstone Building Corp. was the general contractor for the project.

MAY 2024: Rochford Realty & Construction Co. and Land Innovations LLC sign a contract that will bring mixed-use development to Mooresville, including more than 3,500 residential units and 200,000 square feet of commercial space on 411 acres located near the I-65 and I-565 interchange.

FEBRUARY 2024: Cast Products Inc., an aluminum component manufacturer, announces plans for a $6.7 million expansion that will add 30,000 square feet and an automated aluminum foundry to its facility in Athens.

This article appears in the August 2025 issue of Business Alabama.