Story by Carol Pappas Photos by Wallace Bromberg Jr.
When Fort McClellan Credit Union first opened its doors in 1953, it organized as a nonprofit financial cooperative to serve military and civilians stationed at Anniston’s Fort McClellan.
After undergoing expansions in its services and its coverage area, Fort McClellan Credit Union has taken a decisive step into St. Clair County, breaking ground on a new facility in Pell City. Located at U.S. 231 and 19th St. South, officials expect it to open in late summer.
In a groundbreaking ceremony in late February, Fort McClellan Credit Union Board Chairman Joseph Roberson called it a “momentous occasion. We are really excited to break ground in this beautiful place called Pell City and we look forward to a bright future.”
He lauded the efforts of the City of Pell City and the Greater Pell City Chamber of Commerce for their assistance in facilitating the move and groundbreaking. “We are looking forward to working with you and meeting the fine people of Pell City,” Roberson said.
Pell City Manager Brian Muenger views the groundbreaking as a positive for the city’s future and will spur more development along the major thoroughfare. “Fort McClellan Credit Union is already a familiar name to many of our residents, and the city is pleased to see them establish a local presence. The site they have selected is conveniently located along Highway 231 South, and will further bolster the development of that area, which has seen substantial growth over the past five years.”
Urainah Glidewell, executive director of the Pell City Chamber, noted that the credit union had been a member of the chamber for a number of years. “We’re excited they are finally in the community.” It builds on the “growth of the area and will be a great addition to Pell City.”
Councilman Jay Jenkins concurred. “We are glad to have another new business in Pell City,” he said. “Anything new in most cases is beneficial. We’re glad to have them here.”
Since 1953, FMCU has expanded to meet the communities it serves.
Its membership has grown to include employee and association groups and residents of multiple counties in the region. Its services have grown as well, and it now offers a variety of financial services of a full-service financial institution. They include new and used auto loans, signature loans, RV, motorcycle, boat, farm and garden tractor, line of credit, vacation and holiday loans.
Accounts include IRAs, checking and savings.
FMCU is located in Anniston, Oxford, Jacksonville, Ohatchee and Roanoke.
The name, Lyman Lovejoy, is well known around these parts. But it reached a lot further than Alabama’s borders when he hit his 50 years in business milestone.
Lovejoy’s feat of five decades of business caught the eye of U.S. Rep. Mike Rogers, who presented him with a resolution he read into the Congressional Record in the U.S. House of Representatives.
To celebrate back home, the congressman hosted a luncheon in Moody to honor the longtime Realtor, businessman and community leader, describing him as “an advocate for the county and his community” in the framed, official resolution he presented to Lovejoy.
Read into the Congressional Record in August, Rogers cited Lovejoy’s extensive involvement in the community – St. Clair Association of Realtors, Ascension of St. Vincent’s St. Clair Hospital Board, Alabama Real Estate Commission and past chairman of the St. Clair Economic Development Council.
A member of First Baptist Church in Ashville, he also finds time to entertain local nursing homes and in senior centers with his musical group, the resolution noted.
In accepting the honor, Lovejoy recognized his family and staff first, talking of their unyielding support over the years. Turning to Rogers, he said, “This is the highest honor I’ve ever had, Congressman. I enjoy people. I would come to work even if they didn’t pay me.”
As for the motivation behind his civic activism, as well as his business acumen, he said, “I love my county. I love my community. I love meeting people. Thank you for letting me do what I love to do for 50 years,” he told the crowd in attendance.
Lovejoy, owner of Lovejoy Realty in Odenville, began his career in a building just across the highway from his present-day office. With only a high school diploma and no experience in real estate, he embarked on a career that not only lasted 50 years but is still going strong.
At 80, he still goes to work every day, and he still employs the same relationship-building skills he honed in those early years.
In the resolution, Congressman Rogers included a reference to Lovejoy’s moniker – “Mayor of St. Clair County” – giving a nod to the ambassadorial spirit for which he is known throughout the county. Rogers took it a step further, calling him “one of the treasures of St. Clair County.”
The Birmingham-based grocer, Fresh Value, has executed a lease at Crossroads Plaza Shopping Center at the northeast corner of U.S. 411 and Park Avenue in Moody. The space was most recently occupied by Fred’s but was also home for many years to Food World.
“This is a culmination of tireless effort from a lot of great people over the past 18 months to bring this deal to fruition,” said Bear Burnett of The Canvass Group, who represented the property owner in the transaction.
The move comes as several transformative shifts continue to shape the U.S. 411 corridor with the growth of several residential neighborhoods in the area as well as major investments in nearby business parks.
“The City of Moody has worked hard over the last year to backfill the old Fred’s building at Crossroads Shopping Center,” said Moody Mayor Joe Lee. “Moody City Council, along with myself, are happy to announce that Fresh Value Grocery will open soon and are excited to welcome them to our community.”
Fresh Value will occupy approximately 21,860 square feet and plans to also include a drive-thru pharmacy. A grand opening date will be announced in the coming weeks, but plans indicate the store could be open by summer.
“Currently, we operate stores in Trussville as well as Pell City, so Moody was a natural fit for us,” said Gerry D’Alessandro, owner of Fresh Value, Inc. “The community’s growth and numerous requests from our customers made this an ideal location expand our footprint.”
“Myself and our team are really excited about this location,” he added. “There are a lot of great things happening in Moody, and we are honored to have the opportunity to serve this community.”
In addition to the Fresh Value announcement, Burnett says he is in discussions with other regional and national retailers to back fill the adjacent 19,000-square-foot space.
“Our primary focus was getting Fresh Value across the finish line and now that we are there, we are shifting gears to procure not just any co-tenant but the ‘right’ co-tenant,” said Burnett. “We’ve had a ton of interest from retailers across many different categories, and we look forward to sharing more very soon.”
Editor’s Note: Fresh Value is currently accepting applications. For more information, visit www.apply4positions.com/grocery.
Long-awaited groundbreaking celebrates 422-acre nature preserve in Springville
Story by Carol Pappas Photos by Mackenzie Free Discover Archive and submitted Photos
When public officials hoist shovels full of dirt into the air, it traditionally celebrates the coming of a new business or industry. But when officials struck that familiar pose for the cameras in March, it signaled the coming of a new era for St. Clair County.
On a ridge surrounded by dense forest above Big Canoe Creek in Springville, a crowd gathered in a clearing to celebrate the groundbreaking for Big Canoe Creek Nature Preserve – 422 acres of nature –preserved, protected and treasured.
Now designated as a Forever Wild site in Alabama, this preserve protects the pristine creek that runs through it, allowing its rare species to thrive. It preserves its flora and fauna. And it is being designed so that all can enjoy now and for generations to come.
“In 1999, the St. Clair Economic Development Council was formed to recruit projects that would create jobs and improve the quality of life” in St. Clair County, said EDC Executive Director Don Smith. “This doesn’t normally fit with what we usually do,” but it does not stray from its mission to improve the quality of life. “People will be able to hike and enjoy nature with their friends, family and children.”
Early day
Go back a bit – 2009, to be precise – and the idea of Forever Wild came to the attention of Doug Morrison, who was president of Friends of Big Canoe Creek at the time, and Vicki Wheeler, who holds that title now. “It took nine years to make it happen, but it happened,” Morrison said.
“Friends of Big Canoe Creek brought to the attention of our community the importance of protecting Big Canoe Creek – its channel, its banks and its forested flood plain – that led to the creation of Big Canoe Nature Preserve,” Wheeler said. “For it to be designated as a ‘preserve’ was rewarding for us because it spoke to the importance of the ongoing protection of the natural aesthetic and ecological properties of the land and the creek and, by extension, the entire watershed.”
She noted that “As a member of the Alabama Rivers Alliance, Friends of Big Canoe Creek wanted to ensure that the preserve would be an example for other watershed protection groups in the state to follow, a model for ecological preservation and restoration and environmental stewardship. It also would serve as an educational resource for the community, to teach that ‘Through Nature Comes Understanding.’”
Team work
They had help along the way. Wendy Jackson, then executive director of Alabama Freshwater Land Trust pitched the idea to then Springville Mayor Butch Isley, who embraced it. Springville Mayor Dave Thomas got behind the project and enhanced it through the push for creating Big Canoe Creek Preserve Partners, a nonprofit that will help with sustainable funding. Morrison chairs that nonprofit.
St. Clair EDC Executive Director Don Smith addresses crowd.
“We will have funding for outdoor education, new trails and endless opportunities,” Morrison said. He noted that Alabama ranks fourth nationally in biodiversity, but No. 1 in species like fish, salamanders, snails, mussels, crayfish and turtles, all of which are found in Big Canoe Creek. “There are so many discoveries to be made. It’s here in our own backyard. We are going to bring people to nature.”
Former Alabama Commissioner of Conservation and Natural Resources Barnett Lawley was a driving force behind the Forever Wild push along with Jackson. While their positions were lofty on the state level – Lawley as a cabinet member for former Gov. Bob Riley, and Jackson, as a leader in acquiring lands that enhance water quality and preserve open spaces, this project was personal to them, too. Their roots are firmly planted in St. Clair County soil as native born – Lawley in Pell City and Jackson in Ashville.
Dean Goforth, a Springville businessman who owns nearby Homestead Hollow, and Candice Hill, an executive with St. Clair EDC, entered the picture to push the project along, and “things got off the ground,” Morrison said.
In 2018, it became a site in the Forever Wild program, which funds the acquisition of land to preserve what the name implies. St. Clair County and City of Springville have joined forces behind the project along with EDC, and investment to date is $1.5 million.
Patti McCurdy, director of Alabama State Lands Division of the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, called the unprecedented show of support locally an example she holds up to other communities across the state working toward similar goals. “You deserve a true pat on the back,” she said.
About the preserve
A visit to the preserve area is like discovering a long-hidden treasure. Preserve officials call the Big Canoe Creek watershed “a jewel in the crown of Alabama’s biodiversity.” And rightly so.
According to the preserve’s own description, “About 80% of the main stem remains free-flowing through its 50-plus-mile length, as do all four of its major tributaries. Both the main stem and tributaries throughout the watershed retain much of their forest cover, helping maintain critical natural water temperatures. And to a significant degree, the watershed’s high quality is attributable to its drainage area remaining essentially rural and agricultural in character and land use.”
The creek is home to more than 50 species of fish, including the rare Trispot Darter, which was discovered in 2008 in Little Canoe Creek. The Trispot Darter is a species that used to be found in Alabama but had not been seen in nearly 50 years. It is now listed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service under the Endangered Species Act.
Mussels, nature’s own water filter, are in “great supply” in Big Canoe Creek, which has retained most of its species, and has kept the creek pristine. Officials note that they are most endangered because of the need for extremely high water quality.
“Mussels are one of the most imperiled animal groups in North America, and their presence in the Big Canoe Creek watershed is a testament to its ecological integrity,” according to the preserve. “Big Canoe Creek has eight federally listed freshwater mussel species, and an 18-mile stretch of its main stem was designated in 2004 as a ‘critical habitat’ under the Endangered Species Act.”
Rainbow shiner
A brand-new species, The Canoe Creek Clubshell (Pleurobema athearni), is only found in Big Canoe Creek and has been discovered in one of its tributaries.
The preserve’s 422 acres includes hilly, forested terrain as well as the creek, and its northern border is about a mile long with the northwestern corner spanning both sides of the creek.
Creekside scenery is abundant and higher points of the preserve provide views of the Big Canoe Creek watershed, including picturesque Canoe Creek Valley and the ridges of Pine and Blount mountains.
Realizing the vision
The groundbreaking ceremony celebrated the beginning of the foundational aspects of the preserve property. It includes improvements to the entrance road and the initiation of its first hiking trail designed by Flow Motion Trail Builders through a contract with the City of Springville. Once completed, the goal is to have a series of trails that will eventually cross the preserve.
Other activities anticipated to eventually become part of the preserve’s offerings include horseback riding, kayaking and hiking.
“The Big Canoe Creek Nature Preserve is a project that we are all behind here in Springville,” said Mayor Thomas. “Giving the public a place to experience the beauty of this area, increase their knowledge about nature, exercise and spend time in the quietness of the outdoors is something this entire administration has a desire to do.”
He noted that previous administrations began this project, “and we plan to see it through. We look forward to welcoming those in the surrounding communities as they visit Springville to enjoy this beautiful area at the heart of our community.”
Perseverance pays off
Lawley, by virtue of his cabinet post, was chairman of Forever Wild. “This is what Forever Wild is for,” he said. These properties are “an asset for the community and provide free opportunities for citizens to utilize property that is theirs. It’s taxpayer property.”
This project took longer than most because of the land acquisition delays in dealing with landowners. “But everybody stayed committed to it. It was a great team,” he said. “You can’t give enough credit to Doug Morrison. He hung in there, was tenacious and kept people motivated.”
He noted that the program around the state has great potential, pointing to other Forever Wild properties that communities can take advantage of and have a real impact on their economy. “They see major increases in their tax base,” Lawley said.
Springville, he added, will reap sizable benefits because it gives the city the opportunity to “create its own economic impact.” Similar properties without as many amenities as Big Canoe Creek draw hundreds of thousands of people each year. “This is going to be a destination point.”
Jackson sees the potential as well. Through her work at Freshwater Land Trust, she was heavily involved in the early stages. “I have had the honor of being involved with land conservation here in Alabama and across the country. This project in my home county, is an excellent example of how to do successful conservation. Over the years, the project traversed multiple political administrations who all stayed the course. The leadership shown by the City of Springville and the St. Clair County Commission is amazing as are the public-private partnerships” with the Big Canoe Creek Preserve Partners, Freshwater Land Trust and Community Foundation of Greater Birmingham.
“It is a testament to what I have always known and that is the beauty of the people who call this amazing place home and how special our natural areas are,” she said. “This is why, no matter how far I travel, my home will always be here with some of the finest people in the world. I really can’t emphasize how rare it is to find a lack of egos and such a collaborative nature in these projects.
“Every single person and agency made tremendous contributions, yet all of them stood at the podium giving credit to others.”
She had a name for them all – “land conservation rock stars” – but singled out one in particular. “Doug Morrison poured his heart, soul, sweat and tears in this effort. Every project needs a local person with the determination to see it through, and he is that person on this project.”
Hill sees the value in the work, too. “It is exciting to be able to offer opportunities for recreation on public properties in St. Clair County. The land itself is beautiful, and it will be preserved as greenspace in the middle of one of our fastest growing communities.”
Looking to the future, she said, “We believe that this project sets a tone for other projects yet to come. We would love to see more greenspace preserved and allow more public recreation throughout the county. All of the parties involved work together so seamlessly, and it really makes you proud to be a part. So much can be done with this type of concerted effort, and we applaud our current leadership for their role in this endeavor.”
Crossing the finish line
It took a yeoman effort from a number of corners to get the project where it needed to be to become Forever Wild. Goforth, who now serves on the Preserve Partners board, was instrumental in that process.
When he was asked by the former Springville administration to help the project along, “I didn’t fully realize the impact it would have on this city, county and the entire area.”
The pieces were there, but it needed a point person who knew their way around state agencies to put it all together. Goforth had those contacts and knew the inner workings, and he helped move it closer to fruition.
“I reached out to Candice Hill (at EDC) and others at the state level. We involved others at the county, state and city level to get it over the finish line,” he said. “I really believe it is going to become a premier destination spot in our state,” he said. “It’s going to be great for everyone. It’s not just about the economics, it’s education and preservation.”
A byproduct in opening the space is “providing a way for people to get together with family and friends and enjoy the outdoors,” he added. “It’s going to be wonderful for the local community, the county, the state and for people who travel in and out of this area.”
Smith agreed. He told the groundbreaking audience, “It’s in our nature,” coincidentally giving a nod to the county’s tourism slogan. “This kind of property would normally be in private hands with few to enjoy it. This preserve gives the public “opportunities to enjoy the outdoors and create those memories. They don’t have to drive out of state. I think they’ll like our good nature.”
Pell City native building on performance, experience on The Voice
Story by Scottie Vickery Photos by Graham Hadley Submitted Photos
Berritt Haynes is no stranger to life-changing news, so when a talent recruiter from television’s The Voice told him to pack his bags and head for Los Angeles last May, it was sort of a “same song, different verse” situation. This time, however, the verse was a whole lot sweeter.
Competing on The Voice
The Pell City native and his family were first stopped in their tracks by unexpected news when Berritt was diagnosed with a life-threatening heart disease at age 8. Eleven years later, the call welcoming the 19-year-old aspiring singer-songwriter to Season 21 of the NBC reality singing competition was much more fun.
“We were all whooping and hollering,” Berritt’s mother, Monica Haynes, said. “It was so loud, Berritt had to go outside to talk to her.”
Although he was eliminated in the Knockout Round of the competition that aired last fall, Berritt said he has no regrets. He earned high praises from the celebrity judges, including country singer Blake Shelton, who was Berritt’s team coach, and he said he grew as a singer, a performer and a person.
“This whole experience has been so amazing!!” Berritt said in a social media post after his elimination. “This is only the beginning, y’all!”
Since then, Berritt has been playing as many gigs as he can, writing music, honing his craft and continuing to dream big. “I’ve gotten a lot more confident, and my voice is stronger than before I went,” he said. “I’m just playing as much as I can and hopefully, something will come of it.”
Heartbreaking news
Berritt, who turns 20 on April 12, was at his 8-year-old checkup when his pediatrician, Dr. Keith Stansell, heard a heart murmur he hadn’t heard before. “A lot of doctors would have said to watch it for a while, but he’d seen Berritt all his life and knew it hadn’t been there before,” Monica said. “We sing his praises all the time.”
Berritt was referred to a cardiologist, who diagnosed him with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM). According to the Mayo Clinic, it’s a disease in which the heart muscle becomes abnormally thick, making it harder for the heart to pump blood. It’s often known as “sudden death disease” because it can cause life-threatening abnormal heart rhythms, and it’s the most common cause of heart-related sudden death in young people.
“They kept asking who in our family had died in their early 30s, but there was no one,” said Monica, adding that the disease is usually inherited. Genetic testing revealed that she has it as well, although her case is not as severe as her son’s. Berritt’s youngest sister, 13-year-old Kynlee, carries the gene but so far has not developed the disease. His father, Jeremy, and his sisters, EllaGrace, 14, and 17-year-old Ryleigh, have no heart issues.
“It was devastating,” Monica said. “I had a lot of mama guilt for a long time just knowing I gave that to my kid.”
Berritt’s lifestyle changed immediately after the diagnosis. He loved sports, but he had to quit playing baseball and football. At 14, after passing out on a hunting trip with his grandfather, Berritt had surgery to have an implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) placed in his chest. The battery-operated device detects abnormal heart rhythms and will provide an electric shock if necessary to make his heart beat normally.
Three years later, in 2019, 17-year-old Berritt underwent open heart surgery at the end of his junior year of high school. “My family and the Lord are what got me through it,” Berritt said when he shared his testimony a few months later.
Although Berritt had to give up a lot of things he loved, he discovered some new joys, as well. Right after the diagnosis, his parents started him in competitive BB gun shooting events so he could still compete in an outdoor activity. He won a number of awards in competitions all over the South, including a gold medal in the Alabama State Games. In 2013, he was named the ASF Foundation’s Male Athlete of the Year. “My dream is to one day compete in the Olympics,” Berritt said at the time.
Berritt credits family and faith in getting through open heart surgery.
It was music, though, that truly captured his heart. Both of his parents sing in the church choir, and even as a toddler, “Berritt would sit in our laps during practice,” Monica said. “He would sit there and sing his little heart out.”
That’s why they also enrolled him in guitar lessons after he had to give up sports. “We told him, ‘You can still be playing this when you’re 70, but you wouldn’t be playing baseball at 70,’” Monica said. In addition, Berritt started singing and playing with the praise band at his family’s church, Seddon Baptist Church, and he played the alto sax and tenor sax with the Pell City High School Jazz Band.
“I just love music,” said Berritt, who was singing with the praise band again two weeks after his surgery. “I really love singing worship songs.”
In full voice
Following his surgery, Make-a-Wish, a nonprofit that fulfills wishes of kids with critical illnesses, arranged for Berritt to be in the audience during a taping of The Voice and to meet the judges. COVID-19 derailed the plans, though, and Make-a-Wish refurbished Berritt’s pickup truck instead.
Berritt’s mom knew about her son’s dreams, though, so she took matters into her own hands and submitted a video of Berritt singing Eric Clapton’s Tears in Heaven to The Voice. He had auditioned twice before – once in middle school, once in high school – but the third time was the charm.
The initial call from the talent recruiter came during a family movie night. Monica saw a California number on her screen, thought it was spam, and let it go to voicemail. “Y’all are going to want to pause the movie for this,” she told her family after listening to the message.
When word finally came months later that Berritt had officially made the cut, he packed two suitcases, his guitar and a backpack and headed for Los Angeles. The shows were pre-recorded with audiences of about 150 screaming fans. “Sometimes you can’t hear what you’re doing,” he said.
The first time he took the stage during the “Blind Auditions” and sang Brett Young’s Mercy, Berritt tried not to think about the more than 7 million viewers who would eventually be watching the show’s premiere. “At that point, I was just singing for my coaches,” he said of celebrity judges Kelly Clarkson, John Legend, Ariana Grande and Shelton. “When Blake turned around (to signify he wanted the singer on his team) all those nerves I had went away.”
Although Berritt, who graduated from Pell City in 2020, didn’t get a lot of air time during the show, the judges were quick to praise his talents. “I think you’re just a damn good singer,” Shelton told him following his first performance. In other shows, Clarkson said “his tone was cool” and told Berritt, “I was just captivated by you.”
During the two and a half months he was in Los Angeles, Berritt got to work with a vocal coach for the first time and enjoyed hanging out, singing and playing games with his fellow contestants. He also added a few new pieces to his wardrobe.
“There was nothing they gave me that didn’t fit me tight,” he said with a laugh. Although he got to keep a leather jacket, shirts and a few pair of jeans, he said the best thing he got from the experience was the feedback and encouragement from the coaches.
“Blake always had nothing but good things to say about what I was doing, what I was singing,” Berritt said. “They really build up your confidence. They want you to do good; they want you to be successful.”
Since he’s been home, Berritt has worked some as a substitute teacher to earn some extra money while continuing to do what he loves most – make music. He released a new single, Sidewalks of Birmingham, on all streaming platforms in January, served as grand marshal of the Pell City Christmas Parade and is performing as often as he can. In addition to playing Lakeside Live and other venues, he recently opened for Girl Named Tom, the Season 21 winner, at Iron City in Birmingham.
“The whole experience was amazing,” Berritt said. “With all the stuff I’ve been through, I just didn’t think I’d ever make it that far or amount to anything. It’s been a dream come true.” l
Editor’s Note: Want to keep up with Berritt’s career? Follow him on Instagram @berritt.haynes or on Facebook at Berritt Haynes Music.
Nearly a year to the day after officials gathered in an empty field near Interstate 59 in Odenville to break ground on a major car dealership, All American Ford moved in and started selling cars and trucks.
The ceremony was seen as breaking ground on a new era for the region with All American Ford driving the economic impact. It didn’t take long to see that officials were right. In just the first 48 hours, they sold six brand-new vehicles.
That was quite a start. “It speaks well of things to come,” said co-owner John Makovicka. He and his wife, Katy, along with their partners, Frank and Jane Neal of Ft. Worth, Texas, saw the potential when settling on a site for the new dealership. They owned All American Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram in Oneonta, so they were already familiar with the area.
They collaborated with Ford on the decision of where to locate and after pulling the economic data sets, “the buzzer went off,” Makovicka recalled. “It was a great opportunity. This is a great place.”
Sales staff Tyler Copeland, Dee Holmes, Johnny Clardy and Mike Swindle outside the new building
And in late February, they opened the doors to the first full Ford signature-branded dealership in Alabama and Georgia. “Probably the Southeast,” Makovicka said.
Located on aptly named Mustang Avenue, the dealership is wall-to-wall state of the art. The 20,000-square-foot facility features free Type 1 and 2 electric charging stations and fast charging at a cost. With an eye toward the future, they are soon to be subsidized by solar power. All American has two stations now, and they are working on four more, Makovicka said.
It doesn’t take long to recognize the cutting-edge technology found throughout. Drive into the service area, and your vehicle is automatically laser screened to detect possible problems before you even reach a service representative.
In addition to servicing cars, trucks and SUVs, the service department is equipped to handle commercial vehicles. And customers can make themselves comfortable while they wait in the customer lounge, complete with snacks, a five-foot, fresh-roasted coffee machine and free Wi-Fi.
The showroom is an open concept with reception desk, sales areas and financing. Walls are filled with inspiring quotations from Ford founder, Henry Ford.
Makovicka, originally from Texas, sees the dealership as a means of bringing their Texas-sized hospitality and focus on community to Alabama. All American’s partners are dedicated to giving back to community, he said.
The dealership features a “community room” open to the public where after-hours events, training and meetings can be held. It can easily seat 30 people with plenty of space for two conference tables and chairs.
Back home in Fort Worth, the Neals have an engineering firm, but their hobby is cutting horses used to train children with disabilities. They also own a 50-year legacy ranch where they have served Austin, Texas with after-school programs that include horseback riding, archery, gymnastics, sports, and more.
All American’s partnership is built on community and giving back, he said. Even the official grand opening was a multi-day event with plenty of activities, food and fun to roll out the welcome mat to its new home.
Odenville Mayor Buck Christian knows their impact on community already. “When the City of Odenville annexed the property near I-59, we knew it would be good for our economic future. We certainly embrace residential growth, but we survive on commercial developments,” he said.
“The revenue it generates provides professional services to the citizens of Odenville and St. Clair County,” and their presence as well as their community involvement spells nothing but a brighter future for the entire area.
“The I-59 corridor remains an excellent opportunity for financial and commercial growth in St. Clair County,” the mayor said. “We’re excited to see All American Ford so well embraced by the community, and we’re confident in their success. We believe it will be a catalyst for even more growth opportunities in that area.”
The reception area
and sales offices
As one of the six fastest-growing counties in the state, the addition of the first major vehicle dealership within the county on the I-59 corridor means good things lie ahead for St. Clair, said Commission Chairman Paul Manning.
“We see it as a catalyst for growth for the entire area,” Manning said. “St. Clair County certainly welcomes All American Ford. We know that it is a prime location for business, and we thank them for recognizing that and investing in our county.”
St. Clair Economic Development Council Executive Director Don Smith agreed. “John Makovicka and the entire Neal family have been a pleasure to work with on this exciting, new project. The company, City of Odenville, and the County Commission all worked very well together. We all believe it’s a perfect site in a fast-growing area. The new facility will benefit both the community and the business. Soon that exit will be known as the All American Ford exit.”
With 40 jobs created, a sizable economic investment and room to grow, the horizon looks even better for the I-59 corridor region, officials predict.
“All American Ford is a great addition to our community,” said Realtor and developer Lyman Lovejoy, who sold the property. He has surrounding parcels that are expected to be developed as well. “Through this development, you’re going to see more and more all around Highway 174 and I-59. This is a game changer for this part of our county.”
Owners John and Katy Makovicka at groundbreaking a year ago
New dealership supercharging other local businesses
When All American Ford announced St. Clair County as its new home, the benefits were obvious. A major commercial business locating at the Highway 174 interchange of Interstate 59 is the first major development at that exit.
It was easy to see the potential when the doors opened. But long before that, the economic impact was already being felt. When officials broke ground on the dealership,
Local businesses reaped the benefits of the announcement early on. Lovejoy Realty of Odenville sold the property to All American. Phifer Landscape Services of Pell City did the grounds work. Massey Paving of Argo handled the asphalt work. Goodgame Company of Pell City built the facility.
Subcontractors saw benefits as well. And City of Odenville will be on the receiving end of taxes generated through the dealership and the business growth it is likely to spur in the future.
Couple the early rewards with the 40 jobs All American created when at full capacity, and officials cannot disguise their excitement over the prospects. In February 2021, Odenville Mayor Buck Christian predicted, “It is the catalyst that will make this interstate interchange. You won’t recognize it in five years.”
With the state-of-the-art dealership now open for business, already booming in the early days, it is easy to imagine that the mayor’s prediction is well on its way to coming true.
