With its mix of 14 urban and rural communities, competitive workforce, highly ranked school districts, world-class outdoor recreation offerings and acclaimed entertainment districts, Shelby County remains one of the fastest-growing counties in Alabama.
Building and maintaining a strong workforce are top of mind for the Shelby County Chamber and its economic development organization, 58 Inc. They frequently collaborate on a variety of workforce development initiatives that include connecting high school teachers and students to corporate partners and experiential learning opportunities, hosting industry-focused roundtables for manufacturing companies, maintaining a pipeline between the county’s major employers and the local workforce, supporting expansion projects and facilitating retail projects.
Transportation and logistics, biotech, software and manufacturing are some of Shelby County’s major industries. The county is home to more than 40 biotech, software and IT companies; more than 25 distribution and logistics companies; and more than 20 manufacturing companies.
Recreation-based tourism and hospitality are other big business draws in the county.
Oak Mountain State Park, Alabama’s largest state park, celebrated the re-opening of its campgrounds in May 2024 after a $13 million renovation. The park offers visitors more than 100 miles of trails for hiking, mountain biking and horseback riding, along with a variety of other activities.
Cahaba River Park, Lay Lake and Lake Purdy are popular destinations for anglers.
Calera, Columbiana and Montevallo are revitalizing their downtown districts as Main Street Alabama communities.
Chelsea celebrated the opening of its first hotel, an 87-room La Quinta Inn & Suites by Wyndham, in late 2024.
In Hoover, the city council approved a new 15-acre mixed-use development off Inverness Parkway that will complement the property’s existing 450,000 square feet of class A office space with the addition of a blend of predominantly single-unit dwellings and 16,000 square feet of retail space, including a restaurant, boutiques, cafes and other high-end retail establishments.
Pelham’s new arts and entertainment district opened in 2023 and contains the Pelham Civic Complex and Ice Arena, as well as Campus 124 and the Canopy at Oak Mountain. The newer mixed-use developments have brought new retail and dining experiences to the area, and more are on the way.
The county is served by four public school systems — Shelby County Schools and the Alabaster, Pelham and Hoover city school systems — all of which rank among the top 30 districts in the state, according to a 2025 report released by Niche.com, and offer a range of academic programs that prepare students for college and career pathways.
Jefferson State Community College’s Shelby-Hoover campus offers a variety of career and technical degree programs, as well as workforce development and training. In 2024, the campus launched a new surgical technology program in response to a demand for trained personnel in the area, and program graduates are already working at local health care facilities.
The University of Montevallo, Alabama’s only public liberal arts university, has been recognized as a top public regional university and a Best Value School by U.S. News & World Report for 16 consecutive years and has been named a College of Distinction for 13 years in a row. In 2024, the College of Health Professionals launched a new nursing program, and the College of Education and Human Development introduced a new doctorate in educational leadership degree, the university’s first doctoral program.
Katherine MacGilvray is a Huntsville-based freelance contributor to Business Alabama.
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This story appears in the February 2025 issue of Business Alabama.
