TOURISM AND RETAIL
Shelby County is a hub for recreation-based tourism and offers a variety of attractions, events, retail and dining experiences.
For outdoor enthusiasts, the county is home to Oak Mountain State Park, Alabama’s largest state park, which has more than 100 miles of trails for mountain biking, hiking, horseback riding and other activities. Scenic Cahaba River Park is a popular destination for canoeing, kayaking and fishing, and 900-acre Double Oak Park rewards visitors with stunning views in the Dunnavant Valley area. Lay Lake is famous for its bass fishing and regularly draws crowds when it hosts tournaments.
Annual events in Shelby County include Discover Shelby Fest, a wine and music festival, and Montevallo Arts Fest, which showcases local art and culture. Charming downtown districts in Pelham, Alabaster and Montevallo are home to unique shops and local restaurants.
Pelham’s new Arts and Entertainment District is home to the Pelham Civic Complex and Ice Arena, as well as newer mixed-use developments Campus 124 and The Canopy at Oak Mountain.
Chelsea recently completed a $3.5 million expansion of its community center and added new fields and amenities to the Highway 11 Sports Complex. The city also opened its first hotel in 2024, an 87-room La Quinta Inn & Suites by Wyndham.
With its prime location along the I-65, U.S. Highway 280 and Highway 119 corridors, Shelby County continues to welcome new shopping centers, restaurants and entertainment venues that cater to residents and visitors.
HEALTH CARE
In October 2024, Orlando Health officially acquired a majority interest in Brookwood Baptist Health, which includes Shelby Baptist Medical Center in Alabaster, one of the largest employers in Shelby County. The acquisition is expected to bolster health care infrastructure in Shelby County, reinforcing its appeal as a growing hub for families and businesses by improving access to top-tier medical services.
The county is also home to Grandview Medical Center, which operates primary care offices in Pelham, Columbiana, Chelsea, Lee Branch, Greystone Brook Highland, Helena and Hoover. Encompass Health Rehabilitation Hospital of Shelby County has operated in Pelham since 2018. UAB Health System Authority acquired St. Vincent’s One Nineteen in mid-2024. UAB St. Vincent’s One Nineteen’s services include specialty care, rehabilitation therapy and a fitness center and spa.
TECHNOLOGY
Shelby County is home to more than 40 biotech, software and IT companies, and several are headquartered there.
Representing the software and IT sector, EBSCO Industries, McLeod Software and Lake Homes Realty have their corporate headquarters in the county.
With its close proximity to the University of Alabama at Birmingham, a leading bio research institution, and Southern Research, a non-profit science research organization, Shelby County is a prime location for biotech companies.
Alabaster-based Avanti Polar Lipids recently expanded its footprint by leasing 15,418 square feet of office space in Riverchase Corporate Park in Hoover. BioCryst and BioHorizons also have offices on the Riverchase campus, and Birmingham-based molecular diagnostics company BioGX has its corporate headquarters in Hoover as well.
Therachem, a global service provider for pharmaceutical and biopharmaceutical companies, has its corporate headquarters in Chelsea, and Reliant Glycosciences, which develops diagnostic and prognostic tools for patients with IgA nephropathy, operates out of Riverhills Business Park.
MANUFACTURING AND DISTRIBUTION
Shelby County’s central location in the state along the I-65 corridor supports a strong manufacturing and distribution base.
MWI Animal Health, Hibbett, PRADCO Outdoor Brands, Georgia Crown and Diversified Supply are among more than 25 distribution and logistics companies in the county.
AGC Automotive, Specification Rubber, Sysco Central Alabama and Sunbelt Paper & Packaging are just a few of more than 20 manufacturing companies that operate in the county.
LEGACY UTILITIES & MINING OPERATIONS
Alabama Power Co., a subsidiary of Southern Company and that company’s second-largest electric utility, serves customers in the southern two-thirds of the state. It operates facilities in Shelby County, including the Wilsonville Gaston Steam Power Plant.
Southern Company also manages the National Carbon Capture Center (NCCC) in Shelby County. The facility collaborates with the U.S. Department of Energy and other industry partners to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
Some of the world’s highest-grade limestone is found in Shelby County, supporting companies like Vulcan Materials, Carmeuse Lime and Stone, Martin Marietta and Lhoist North America, which operate plants in the county.
EDUCATION AND WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT
Shelby County’s highly ranked school districts play a significant role in attracting businesses and families to the area. The county is served by four public school systems, Shelby County Schools as well as Alabaster, Pelham and Hoover city school systems, all of which are among the top 30 districts in the state, according to 2025 rankings released by Niche.com.
Jefferson State Community College has its largest enrollment at the Shelby-Hoover campus where it offers a variety of career and technical degree programs, as well as “fast-track” short certificate programs that deliver non-credit workforce training in career programs that can be completed between six weeks and six months.
In 2024, the Shelby-Hoover campus launched a new surgical technology program in response to the community’s need for trained personnel, and graduates of the two-semester program are already working at local health care facilities.
The University of Montevallo kicked off the 2024-2025 academic year with the highest enrollment it’s seen in several years: 3,142 students, an increase of about 5.4% from the fall of 2023. The university also welcomed 592 freshmen, the largest incoming freshman class since 2012. Graduate enrollments were also up 10.6% compared to the previous fall with 449 students. The university also has 457 full-time employees; 142 are full-time faculty.
In the fall of 2024, the university’s Michael E. Stephens College of Business hosted the Co.Starters program, a partnership with Montevallo Main Street that provides a three-month business development course for local entrepreneurs.
BUSINESS BRIEFS
NOVEMBER 2024: Chelsea celebrates the grand opening of its first hotel, an 87-room La Quinta Inn & Suites by Wyndham, located off U.S. 280 and U.S. 31 at 44 Atchison Parkway.
OCTOBER 2024: T-Mobile awards $50,000 grant to the city of Montevallo and the University of Montevallo for improvements to the Grainger Community Counseling and Wellness Clinic. The funds will support the inclusion of sensory playground materials and accessible parking.
OCTOBER 2024: Shelby County completes Innovation Ecosystem Awareness Campaign funded by Innovate Alabama. The campaign featured the creation of four longform videos highlighting Shelby County and the Birmingham-Hoover region’s innovation assets, and eight innovation-focused events to promote awareness of Shelby County and its innovation assets.
SEPTEMBER 2024: Morin Process Equipment in Pelham announces a project that will create 26 new jobs, a $6 million investment and 38,000 square feet of new space.
AUGUST 2024: The University of Montevallo celebrates growing enrollment numbers and its largest freshman class since 2012, welcoming 592 freshmen for the fall 2024 semester.
JUNE 2024: Shelby Baptist Medical Center celebrates the opening of a newly renovated $2.2 million cardiac catheterization laboratory.
MAY 2024: Hoover City Council approves a new 15-acre mixed-use development off Inverness Parkway that will feature a blend of predominantly single-unit dwellings alongside 16,000 square feet of retail space, complementing the existing 450,000 square feet of class A office space. The retail space will include a restaurant, boutiques, cafes and other high-end retail establishments.
MAY 2024: Stationery wholesaler PrintsWell in Pelham announces a project, valued at $6 million, that will add 22,000 square feet of space and five new jobs.
MAY 2024: The city of Chelsea is officially inducted into the Innovate Alabama Network and awarded a grant to open an electric vehicle charging station at Melrose Park.
MAY 2024: The city of Westover is officially inducted into the Innovate Alabama Network and awarded a grant to establish a smart-city-ready platform.
MAY 2024: The city of Helena breaks ground on a new city hall building. The $82 million project is part of the Helena Forward comprehensive plan and construction is a collaboration between the city and U.S. Steel.
MAY 2024: The University of Montevallo announces it will launch a new nursing program in fall 2024 as part of its newly established College of Health Professions. The program will offer a pre-licensure BSN track and an RN to BSN track.
MAY 2024: Ingram Equipment Co. announces it will expand its operations with a new 10,500-square-foot facility in Pelham to house the company’s parts department.
MARCH 2024: Alabaster announces its $242 million District 31 project is moving forward after the city council passes an incentive package.
FEBRUARY 2024: Shelby County partners with the Alabama Department of Commerce through the SEEDS program to show a renewed focus on developing industrial sites.
FEBRUARY 2024: Alabaster-based Specification Rubber Products expands its operations with the purchase of a 120,000-square-foot warehouse in Pelham. The new facility is half a mile from the company’s manufacturing headquarters and will store finished goods and materials.
OCTOBER 2023: Shelby County is officially inducted into Innovate Alabama Network and awarded a grant to conduct an Innovation Ecosystem Awareness Campaign: promoting awareness of innovation assets in Shelby County and the Greater Birmingham region.
OCTOBER 2023: The city of Hoover is officially inducted into the Innovate Alabama Network and awarded a grant to conduct an Innovation Ecosystem Study for Riverchase Corporate Park.
SEPTEMBER 2023: Philadelphia-based Bartlett Bearing Co. Inc. announces a 5,000-square-foot expansion of its Pelham warehouse. This is the location’s first expansion since opening in 2007.
SEPTEMBER 2023: Taco Mac celebrates a grand opening at Canopy at Oak Mountain.
AUGUST 2023: Avanti Polar Lipids leases 15,418 square feet at Concourse 800 in Riverchase Corporate Park in Hoover.
AUGUST 2023: Canopy at Oak Mountain, a mixed-use development in Pelham, officially opens and begins leasing its 234 housing units.
JUNE 2023: Ascension St. Vincent’s announces plans for a freestanding emergency department in Pelham that, in addition to emergency service, will offer diagnostics, primary and specialty services.
JUNE 2023: Corporate Realty announces plans to revitalize the Riverchase Corporate Park in Hoover as part of a broader redevelopment strategy. A key element is the new Riverwalk Village, a mixed-use development focusing on health and wellness. This initiative includes a 90-acre campus featuring a medical and wellness center, walking trails, green spaces, residential units, retail areas and 450,000 square feet of corporate office space.
This article appears in the February 2025 issue of Business Alabama.
