If anyone is keeping score of late, St. Clair County’s tallies in
the economic development column looks enviable from most vantage points.
Calling activity in the investment and jobs creation arena
“robust” in 2019, St. Clair Economic Development Council Director of Industry
and Workforce Development Jason Roberts also hints at a just as lively start to
2020.
“We are working on two large projects with international companies
that we hope to be successful in recruiting in the very near future. One of
these projects could be potentially the largest private investment in St. Clair
County’s history.”
St. Clair EDC Executive Director Don Smith took it a step further,
saying that it underscores that St. Clair is not only competing statewide and
regionally, it is competing on a global stage. And, it’s doing quite well.
Like an accountant calculating record sales, Roberts recounts the
activity and announcements for year-to-date, where St. Clair has experienced
growth in existing industry – TCI, Ford Meter Box, WKW’s two expansions, Allied
Minerals, Benjamin Moore, Unipres, J&M Exotic Foods and Advanced Tank.
Investments amount to more than $103 million and approaching 150
newly created jobs over the past 18 months.
WKW, which is in the automotive sector, completed its second
expansion at the end of September and brought another business line from China.
The new line will begin production in 2020. WKW, already in St. Clair’s top
five employers, is adding another 30 jobs through its $13 million investment.
Allied Minerals represented a $12 million investment with
retention of 60 jobs plus 30 new ones created by consolidating a facility from
the east into the brand-new Pell City construction.
Unipres in Steele completed a large expansion at its stamping
facility for metal automotive parts. Add $40 million in investments and 70 new
employees to St. Clair’s economy in just that one project.
Benjamin Moore is adding a 10,000-gallon latex reactor to its
paint facility, generating eight new jobs, $33 million in investment and
illustrating the county’s successful venture into high tech competition. “The
last couple of years, the community has been able to flex its muscles when
competing domestically and internationally,” Smith said.
J&M Exotic Foods in Moody is doubling the size of its facility
that produces spices and herbs with custom blending and packaging. Figure in
another $2 million investment and 11 new jobs to St. Clair’s credit.
Roberts called Advanced Tank’s growth a “relatively small, but
important expansion. St. Clair competed with a site in Colorado, the base of
Advanced Tank’s operation, for the upgrading of its plate processing and
sandblasting.
Advanced Tank has had a presence in Pell City since 1978, and
while the $3.5 million investment and 12 new jobs created is impressive enough,
“that we got it to come here is pretty important. New investments in new
facilities usually are the last to suffer cuts” if there is a downturn, he
said. “New investment means viability in the future.”
In other economic news, Smith pointed to an improving housing
market, a new car dealership announced for Odenville and a half dozen or so
retail and restaurant projects as reasons to be optimistic about the future.
A major retail development is hoped at I-20 at the site of the old
county hospital, but there are no final plans or announcements to be made right
now.
“We have had good announcements in nearly every community in the
county in the past 18 months,” Smith said. And those without announcements thus
far, “we’re working on very large projects. Hopefully, it will be a
record-setting end of 2019 and beginning of 2020.”
Why all the focus on St. Clair? “We have all the amenities of a
large, urban area like Birmingham combined with safety and low cost of a rural
community and the close-knit family friendly aspects of a suburban community,”
Smith said. “We’re able to market all three of those.”
Geographically, St. Clair sits in an enviable spot with two major
thoroughfares – Interstate 20 and Interstate 59 running through it.
“Our leadership throughout the county works extremely well
together,” added Roberts. “It makes it easier to operate here. It is an
unparalleled level of collaboration and cooperation.”
Tally it all up, and it appears St. Clair County continues to be
in the economic driver’s seat.
Ribbons may soon be in short supply in Moody thanks to a flurry of
grand openings and ribbon cutting ceremonies. The old tradition of putting
scissors to ribbon symbolizes a new start that says, “come on in, we’re open
for business.” And Moody is definitely open for business.
Proof lies in the sounds of the times: That annoying, but
necessary, ‘beep-beep’ warning as a construction foreman lets folks know his
heavy bulldozer is backing up. The nearby rat-a-tat-tat of a noisy jackhammer
is heard playing its raucous tune. And the cement trucks maintain a steady
drone as concrete is smoothed out for a new foundation.
Some might call it noise. But for Moody Mayor Joe Lee, it’s music
to his ears.
And, why not? Lee loves seeing the town grow from barely a blip on
a map to the second largest city in St. Clair County. He has been in public
service for the past 27 years, first as a member of the Moody City Council,
then as mayor for the past 16 years.
Commenting on the number of building projects, both commercial and
residential, under way right now, Lee said, “I’m real proud of what I see
happening here. I’ve been part of the leadership of this city for a long time,
now. I’ve put a lot of effort into making sure we have grown and grown in the
right way.”
The new Metro Bank building, which opened its doors officially
with a ribbon cutting in November, is testament to that growth. It’s the newest
and, perhaps, brightest gem in Moody’s economic crown.
“They were leasing a spot in the Professional Building, and people
couldn’t find them,” said Lee. “Now, they’ve got their own brick-and-mortar
store and the location is promoting new business. People drive by them every
day. They say Moody has a Metro Bank that’s here to stay.”
Although the bank building is new, Metro Bank has been open in
Moody for the past 10 years. Still, Metro Bank President and CEO Jason Dorough
agrees with the mayor predicting new customers will come with the new location
built by Goodgame Co.
“We really needed more exposure,” said Dorough. “We had people
tell us they didn’t even know we were in Moody.”
That problem should be eliminated with the building’s new
location, right on Moody Parkway and its 6,500 square feet. The bank’s lobby is
graced with a stately cathedral ceiling with lots of cheerful windows to bring
in the light.
“What can I say?” laughed Dorough. “We’re a newer, bigger,
prettier facility.”
He was quick to point out that despite moving upscale, the one
thing that will not change, is Metro Bank’s commitment to remain Moody’s only
community bank. “All of our employees are Moody people.
“They live here, shop here, work here. They’re making a big
commitment here,” Dorough said.
“Most of the other banks are larger, not headquartered in St Clair
County. We try to leave the bank business to the people who run the
branch. They are all good people, with a lot of experience. We let them
make their own decisions. If they need our guidance, we’re here for them.”
One of the biggest pluses with the move is “we’ve got room to
grow. In all of our other locations, we’ve wished we had more offices and
things of that nature. Moody is a growing town, and we want to grow right along
with it. We feel like there’s a lot of potential here in Moody.”
More growth ahead for city
Apparently, Metro Bank isn’t the only investor seeing potential in
this St. Clair County community. According to Lee, several new businesses are
in varying stages of completion.
A 95-room Holiday Inn Express is under construction fronting
Interstate 20. According to Lee, “the same folks building the Holiday Inn are
also building a new Exxon station with an additional two new store fronts for
lease, though we don’t know yet what’s going in there.” Those structures are
located on U.S. 411, across from Adesa Auto Auction.
Popeye’s Fried Chicken, located on U.S. 11 and Markeeta Spur Road
was 90 days away from opening in November and according to Lee, another yet to
be identified, retail store will be built on property located between Popeye’s
and Bojangles.
“We’re expecting a real shopping hub to develop in the area around
Popeye’s,” said Lee. “We’ve got more
property for sale around there and behind Bojangles, there’s eleven commercial
acres for sale. We look for it to develop in the near future.”
Two other business developments that are expected to bring new
jobs to Moody include a supermarket located in the shopping center at Moody
Parkway and an expanding J.M. Exotic Foods, located in Industrial Park.
“We’re in negotiations right now with a supermarket to try to
backfill the space left vacant when Fred’s went out of business. That’s going
to create 55 new jobs, Lee said. “Also, Exotic Foods has a new packing contract
that’s going to double the size of their operation.
That will bring in 11 more jobs.
The growth is seen well beyond retail and industrial, though. “All
the commercial growth we’re having is pushing residential growth as well.” A
58-unit senior citizen complex is under construction for those 55 and up.
Completion date is expected around the first of the year. “It’s a little
village in itself,” said Lee.
“It has a clubhouse and common areas, and each unit is for rent.”
The mayor said some new subdivisions under construction include
120 new homes at The Reserve in the Highlands and 135 houses being built in Oak
Hills.
Population
in Moody following the last census was 12,457. According to Lee, the projected
population following the next census in 2020 is expected to be 15,000,
underscoring the fact that Moody has long since shed its status as a blip on
the map.
Impact on state and St. Clair continues upward climb
Story and Photos by Carol Pappas Photos contributed from Honda
Its Alabama beginnings came in a code word: “Bingo.” That was the
name of the secret project that brought five counties together in an
unparalleled partnership to locate Honda Manufacturing of Alabama in the tiny
town of Lincoln.
While the leaders of any one of those counties would have
celebrated its location within their own borders, they realized the potential
impact on the entire region – their constituencies readily included.
So, they went to work to lure the Japanese automobile manufacturer
to a land where ‘y’all’ eventually became ‘us.’ And 20 years later, that impact
those counties dreamed of is unmistakably real.
In a five-county ‘thank you’ tour of Calhoun, Etowah, Jefferson,
St. Clair and Talladega counties, Honda Manufacturing of Alabama and the Economic Development
Partnership of Alabama unveiled the latest economic impact results from the
plant itself and its Key Tier 1 Suppliers.
By the numbers, that’s a $12 billion annual economic impact on
Alabama, providing 45,000 jobs and amounting to 5.4 percent of the Gross State
Product of Alabama.
How does that stack up in St. Clair County? Just add it up: 2,069
total jobs generated; $145.4 million in total earnings and $2.8 million in
local sales taxes.
“There is no doubt about Honda’s impact on St. Clair County,” said
St. Clair Economic Development Council Executive Director Don Smith. He points
to real life examples, like the Honda suppliers who have expanded – and
expanded again.
“The Honda location has been an incredible project for this area
but not just in the thousands of high paying jobs or the billions in economic
impact,” Smith added. “The project brought the communities in this region
together and showed the impact of regional cooperation. The success of
this project helped provide the leaders in St. Clair County the blueprint for the
EDC on communities working together countywide for the benefit of all their
citizens. It’s been a great success story.”
The employment figures underscore the successes felt in St. Clair
County. Honda employs more than 600 St. Clair Countians, making it the largest
employer in the county that isn’t actually located in the county.
Jason Goodgame, vice president of Goodgame Co., tells his own
real-life example. Goodgame Co. is now in the top 20 of largest general
contractors in Alabama. He once likened it to the centerpiece of a commercial
for Honda. “Honda took a small, family-owned company and made us into what we
are today.”
Similar success stories have played out all over the region and
state, said Steve Sewell, executive vice president of EDPA, who worked with efforts
to bring Honda to Alabama from the beginning.
Projections back then versus reality now:
6,800
jobs projected statewide – 45,000 actual jobs created so far
$186
million payroll projected – $1.3 billion in actual earnings to Alabama
households
$2.1 billion
direct and indirect impact income – $12 billion actual impact
Bringing the numbers closer to home, Sewell cited projections
versus reality for St. Clair County:
760 jobs
forecast – more than 2,000 filled
$5.9
million in earnings predicted – more than $145 million earned
$164,000
expected in new tax revenue – more than $2.8 million collected
Eighteen years after production began, Sewell said, “It has been a
phenomenal success story beyond anyone’s expectations.”
Retired policeman turns on “blue light” for business
Story by JackieRomine Walburn Photos by Graham Hadley
Retired police officer Ed Brasher has found his ideal
after-retirement avocation.
Brasher – a former police chief and regional drug task force
officer – combined an innate mechanical ability and career-honed knowledge
about emergency equipment with a passion for the adrenaline boost of fast, cool
vehicles to create a growing electronics, lighting and warning equipment and
installation business in Odenville.
BEI Lighting and Warning (BEILW), previously Brasher
Electronics, outfits police, fire and emergency vehicles with lights and
security features, produces graphics and detailing for business and public
vehicles and, most recently, is marketing its own line of LED lighting and
sirens.
Today, the business Brasher and son Trey started in 2003 in
the family’s two-car garage is the largest supplier of emergency equipment in
Alabama with 5,000 square feet of custom work space and three employees.
And, as they expand the business with a new line of lighting
and sirens and a growing list of services and clients, the father and son are
continuing a family tradition of owning a business – begun by Ed Brasher’s
businessman father.
Law enforcement career
After a very short tenure training as a butcher apprentice
(too cold and messy, he recalls), Brasher began his three-decade career in law
enforcement as a policeman in the small St. Clair town of Whites Chapel, a
community that’s now part of the town of Moody. Next, he moved to the Odenville
police department and served as police chief for Odenville from 1987 to 1990.
Joining the Pell City police force in 1990, Brasher served as
night shift patrolman, then sergeant. He spent the mid-90s as part of the 30th
Judicial Circuit’s Drug Task Force. Eventually promoted to captain then
assistant police chief with Pell City Police, Brasher officially retired in
2014.
While a police officer, Brasher continued to drive trucks for
his father’s business. “Some days I’d park the patrol car at the end of a shift
and get in the 18-wheeler for a long haul, then return to start over again,”
says Brasher, who noted that many police officers and firefighters supplement
their incomes with additional work. “You do what you have to do when you are
raising a family.”
Family tradition
Born in Birmingham, Brasher moved with his family to
California and spent his childhood on the west coast where his father operated
one of his businesses. Returning to Alabama with his family when he was 16,
Brasher attended Hueytown High School for six months, then settled in at St.
Clair High School, where he would meet his future wife on his first day.
“I sat down behind her in homeroom. I saw this beautiful girl
and fell in love,” he says of his wife of 38 years, Kathy Foreman Brasher. “I
told my best friend then that I was going to marry Kathy one day.”
And, he did marry Kathy Foreman, who it turns out shares
Brasher’s mechanical bend and “adrenaline junkie” passion. They raised two
sons, Trey, 33, and Shannon, 30.
Before becoming a police officer and as a sideline income
since, Brasher drove long haul trucks for his father’s business, including
delivering natural gas in 18-wheel rigs.
While Brasher worked as a police officer and sometimes truck
driver, Kathy worked for the St. Clair sheriff’s department as a 911 dispatcher
for 10 years and today manages the county’s pistol permit program.
Fast cars, motorcycles and an airplane
Always an “adrenaline junkie,” Brasher first flirted with
speed and daring as a drag racer in California as a teen. He’s since had fast
cars – a favorite being a 1969 AMX hot rod – and motorcycles, enjoying both the
rides and the tinkering with engines and anything mechanical.
When their sons were young, Ed and Kathy Brasher loaded the
boys up on their his-and-her big motorcycles and traveled on vacations to the
west coast and Canada. Trey recalls these trips with fondness and admits to
inheriting the mechanical adventure spirit from his parents.
Brasher recalls with
Trey, who is co-owner of BEILW and the company’s graphic expert, the time his
parents had a 350 Chevy V-8 engine up on blocks in the living room, rebuilding
it.
Since then, there have been other fast cars, a Piper 235
airplane that he and Trey are both licensed to fly and a new Gold Wing
motorcycle, purchased as Brasher’s retirement present to himself.
Try this
The catalyst for what became BEILW was a friend who was
selling police equipment but didn’t install the equipment. “He knew I had a
background in electronics and asked if I was interested in the installation
side of the business,” Brasher says. The friend knew the products would sell
better if installation was part of the deal.
One day, Brasher came home to find a Crown Victoria in the
driveway with equipment in the seat and a note, “Try this.”
Brasher and Trey installed the equipment on the Crown Vic.
Then there were two or three more police cars in the driveway. They soon set up
shop in the family garage.
Four years later, in 2007, they built the lobby and first
workspace at the current location on Oakley Avenue in Odenville. In 2015, a
graphic workspace was added. Then, in 2017, the company added its giant
warehouse addition designed to accommodate fire trucks and ladder trucks, even
18-wheelers, with a 12- by 16-foot door. Upstairs is a break room and Brasher’s
office. There’s also a parts room. The most recent workspace addition is a
converted garage outfitted for painting and powder coating equipment.
Lights, sirens, graphics
Brasher’s company serves a specialty market, installing
lights, sirens and other equipment on police, fire and emergency vehicles. The
services and products include prisoner partitions, equipment consoles, radar,
gun racks, laptop connections and push bumpers for police vehicles. They add
towing bars and safety lifts on wreckers. The company creates graphics for the
exteriors of emergency vehicles and for Realtors and others businesses. The
graphics side of the business also produces signs and banners for the general
public as well.
As each job on a vehicle begins, the business digitally
records the VIN number and image of each vehicle they work on, before and
after. This video databank helps with quality control, warranties and being
able to reproduce exactly what the customer wants again.
In addition, video security cameras – and screens in
Brasher’s office – work 24/7 patrolling the areas around the business to
protect the expensive equipment and the customer’s vehicles.
Smart start
Another service offered by the company is installation,
testing and removal of “Smart Start” ignition interlock systems in vehicles as
part of court-ordered alcohol monitoring of drivers convicted of driving under
the influence. The company is one of the state’s certified installers of the
system that analyzes the driver’s breath and locks up if alcohol is detected.
The Smart Start program is operated by Alabama’s Department of Forensic
Sciences.
LED lights a game changer
LED lights that last longer and shine brighter have changed
the world of emergency lighting, Brasher says. “They are compact and more
reliable and use less power.”
The company’s new line of lighting and siren products, called
BEILW and for sale online at BEILW.com, include products designed by Brasher
and son with installation and use in mind. “They are more installer friendly,
more functional and more aesthetically pleasing,” Brasher says. The line
includes siren speakers, beacon lights, light bars and dash lights.
Emergency lighting on vehicles is color coded. Red is for
firefighting vehicles; blue is for police, and amber is for emergency vehicles.
“It’s always been against the law to have colored lights on civilian vehicles.
The type of lights might change, but the color code is consistent, at least
regionally. But, it’s the opposite “up north,” Brasher says, with fire being
blue and police red.
Investing back in the business
When Brasher still worked with the police department as the
company ramped up, he made sure he met all ethics requirements to not do
business with police department he’d work for, and he made sure to funnel
company proceeds back into the young business. Today, he says, the company is
debt free as it continues to grow and add services. Before he retired and went
to work there full time, “we invested everything back into the business,” he
says, noting there were many what seemed like “43-hour days and 23-day weeks.”
But now the retired police officer tries to hold his work
days to five-day weeks, leaving him time for adrenaline-inducing fast cars,
motorcycles and airplane rides.
Economic Development Council marks 20 years of collaboration and success
Story by Paul South Photos by Graham Hadley and Jamie Collier
In a
sense, economic development is like growing a garden. Everything comes in
season – tilling, planting, watering and fertilizing, waiting for the effort to
blossom. For the past 20 years in St. Clair County, government, industry, small
business and the citizenry, have come together like seed, soil, sun and rain to
grow one of Alabama’s fastest-growing counties.
With a
basketful of projects in progress or in prospect, plus a recent capital
campaign meeting its fundraising goals, the St. Clair County Economic
Development Council appears poised for another bountiful harvest.
The
EDC has just completed raising its $500,000 goal in its annual capital
campaign, Partnership for Tomorrow. The fundraising effort not only
fuels the EDC’s regional, national and international recruitment reach that
extends from Europe to the Pacific Rim, but also foots the bill for things as
mundane as paying salaries for the EDC’s small staff and keeping the lights
burning.
“We’ve
always been very fortunate to have community support in these endeavors. We
have a 20-year track record of being both good stewards of the funds given to
us and being very productive in utilizing those funds,” said EDC Executive
Director Don Smith.
The
EDC is also about to embark on a new five-year plan, crafted after feedback
from business, government and St. Clair County citizens. Education and
workforce development, job recruitment and retention, marketing and leadership
development remain as goals from previous plans.
The
new plan includes a focus on developing tourism, an effort to trumpet the
county’s rich history, attractions and natural resources. A slice of the
capital campaign includes raising an extra $100,000 to hire an individual to
promote and market tourism.
The
practice of crafting and executing five-year plans began under former EDC
Executive Director Ed Gardner Jr., who succeeded his father, Ed Gardner Sr., in
the role. Gardner Sr. was the EDC’s first executive director. He laid the
foundation for the EDC’s history of success.
And
the five-year plans begun under Gardner Jr. have helped build the EDC into the
success it is today. This will be the second five-year plan on Smith’s watch.
It’s hoped the tourism push will, like a stone skipping across one of the
county’s cherished waterways, have a ripple effect in all sectors of the
county’s economy. The Coosa River, Neely Henry and Logan Martin lakes, Little
and Big Canoe creeks, Chandler Mountain and Horse Pens 40 are the surface of
the county’s tourism treasures. Through the efforts of the EDC’s push, the
county has embraced the Forever Wild initiative, aimed at preserving the environment
for future generations.
An
important note, tourism-driven initiatives spark high return on investment
“Tourism
really does feed into the other areas on which we have previously been focused,
Smith said. “This will help bring new residents into the area, which will
increase our workforce pool. It will also bring in new sales tax and tourism
dollars, which will be beneficial to the funding of the municipalities, schools
and also bring more sales to our small business owners in the county.”
In
this, Alabama’s bicentennial year, the county’s history is also something to be
celebrated through festivals around the county.
“I
believe that what we want to do is really market our strengths. We are blessed
in this county with beautiful lakes and streams, mountains and valleys, a
variety of wildlife and foliage. We want to make sure we have opportunities for
people who are here to spend time outside and enjoy what we have here. We want
to pull people from the urban areas, to be able to enjoy outdoors activities as
well.”
Tourism
can also spark the county as attractive for retirees or for families seeking a
second home.
“Our
philosophy is the more people that come and visit St. Clair County will only
create more believers that this is one of the best counties in the state,”
Smith says.
Along
with the tourism push, the county will continue its efforts in manufacturing
and retail recruitment, workforce development, education and building future
generations of leaders through Leadership St. Clair.
The
EDC works closely with Jefferson State Community College and the St. Clair
County, Leeds and Pell City Schools to train workers and connect them with
recruiters.
“I
believe with things like creating a new apprenticeship program, developing a
site-ready pad in the Cogswell Industrial Park in Pell City, and really
engaging the public school systems in the importance of career readiness,
allowed us to have success on a grander scale than we had initially thought
possible,” Smith says.
Jason
Goodgame, vice president of the Goodgame Company, has been involved in the
construction and expansion of a number of local industries, including Eissmann.
The long relationship has expanded business and created jobs. He has pitched
the county’s assets to firms around the globe.
“We
have a great source of employment. We have great people that are here. We have
a great quality of life with the lakes and the school system and we work to
make firms around the world a part of things here. … Relationship is what we
do. … We always try to cultivate what we have in common.”
“Currently,
our project and prospect level is extremely high,” Smith noted. “We have some
20 projects or prospects we’re managing right now. We’re trying to get a lot of
the prospects into an announced project status and a lot of the projects into a
‘completed’ status.” The expansion in Steele at Unipres, Charity Steel’s new
location in Riverside, TCI of Alabama, Impact Metals, and Allied Minerals’ new
investment in Pell City as well as unannounced retail projects throughout the
county are a testament to the economic vitality of all of our communities.”
On top
of the new investments, Charity Steel pours a portion of its profits back into
the community, Trinity Highway Safety Products was honored with one of Gov. Kay
Ivey’s Trade Excellence Awards, and WKW was just named Supplier of the Year for
the second straight year by the Alabama Automotive Manufacturers Association.
The
recent large expansion at Eissmann is another reason for optimism. All of this
success highlights a high level of collaboration between the county, its
municipalities and the business community with the EDC.
“The
leadership component is so important. One of the things that we stress is the
ability to do great things when we’re all working together, Smith says. One
city, partnering with another city to share sewer and water, or police and fire
protection is really not possible unless you have good cooperation.”
Joe
Kelly, chairman of the EDC board of directors for the past three years, and a
member of the board since its inception, credits local governments for allowing
the EDC to do its job, sparking strong growth.
“One
of the great things about our county and our county leadership is that they not
only have allowed the EDC to do its work, they have been a tremendous source of
encouragement as our staff goes out and slays the dragon, so to speak.
The
future of that working relationship is bright, as St. Clair works with its
northern neighbors to grow the Interstate 59 Corridor.
“We’re
going to continue to focus on wealth creation, which is the continued
recruitment of employers and making sure we have good quality companies coming
into our community. We’re going to have population growth that’s going to take
place,” Smith said.
“We’re
going to continue to educate elected officials on the importance of community
planning so we can eliminate the hodgepodge of development that takes place a
lot of times, where you have incompatible neighbors. We’re going to continue to
plan to address congestion and traffic issues. Those are things we’re going to
try to have as part of our plan going forward.”
“Each
time, we have exceeded the goals that were put forth for us,” Smith said. “This
just adds on to the previous 10 years that the EDC has been in operation. The
EDC has been active for 20 years and has an incredible track record of being
fiscally responsible, very effective in achieving our goals and growing our
county.”
No one
could have foreseen the success of the EDC when it began its work 20 years ago,
Kelly said. The initial focus was on industrial recruitment and job creation
but blossomed into much more.
“That
was done, but it has transformed into many other aspects of improving the
quality of life in St. Clair County,” Kelly said.
The
secret to the EDC’s success in its 20 years? “One of the things that we’ve done
best is not talking a lot but listening a lot,” he explained. “We actually
solicit that kind of advice from our business community.”
As the
EDC wraps up this capital campaign and embarks on the new five-year plan, Kelly
reflected on the EDC and its history, seasoned with a basketball analogy. And
he praised the staff and the board over the two decades of toil.
“I
don’t think when we started, we had the vision that in 20 years we were going
to be going and growing, but I do know . . . when we brought in Ed Gardner Sr.,
it was like when Auburn hired Bruce Pearl. We set a standard when we brought
(Gardner Sr.) in, and so we couldn’t back away. And we haven’t,” he said.
“Everybody
on the board – past and present – have focused on what’s best for St. Clair
County. We’re often asked, ‘How do you do it?’, and it’s the quality of the
people.”
The
saying goes, “Retail follows rooftops.” And if the recent flurry of new housing
construction around St. Clair County is any indication, more retail offerings
might not be far behind.
Commercial
developer Bill Ellison, president and CEO of I-20 Development, knows more than
most the importance of residential growth. He has been recruiting commercial
business to the Pell City area for more than a decade.
“Retail
does follow rooftops, and we just haven’t had enough rooftops to ignite
significant growth in the national chain stores and restaurants people would
like to see near Interstate 20 and US 231. We have had some successes with
Publix, Buffalo Wild Wings and the new Premier Cinertainment movie theater,
bowling alley and entertainment complex. But new rooftops coming in gives us an
encouraging look at the future.”
St.
Clair Economic Development Executive Director Don Smith agreed. “It is important
for a community to continue to have a growing population base. Young families
are an ideal demographic because they have upward mobility in there new
careers, typically shop locally, and are in a high consumption phase of their
life.”
He
noted that young children require new clothes and supplies on an annual
basis. “New residential developments that provide a safe neighborhood with
good schools and convenient shopping is ideal in attracting young
families.”
And
that bodes well for retailers looking for a place to locate. “New retailers are
attracted to communities with a growing population and increasing household
income. Many times, it’s not the number of homes that are being built, but the
quality of the development that will determine the type of future retailers a
community will attract.”
In
Pell City, upper scale, craftsman homes are being built in Hillstone Heights,
and Fox Hollow is opening new sectors.
Dave
Elmore, president and CEO of Crossings General Contractors, had actually gotten
out of the construction business when he was building his own home on Logan
Martin Lake. But he “saw an opportunity when not many homes were being built,
and Realtors did not have an inventory.” He bought 21 lots in the Hillstone
Heights subdivision off US 78 and began building speculative homes. Two have sold
already.
“There
was an opportunity or a need for more upscale homes,” and he created a gated
community there. “They are a little more expensive with more amenities, and the
craftsman style trend is what everybody seems to want.”
Plans
in Fox Hollow near Interstate 20 and US 231 call for 91 new homes to be built
as the final phase of that subdivision. Twenty are already under construction.
According
to Brian Muenger, city manager for Pell City, the City issued an average of 30
new home permits a year in the 2012-2016 calendar years. “In 2017 we saw
55 new home permits issued, and in 2018 it surged to 74. With the final
phase of Fox Hollow and Hillstone under construction, we should see the trend
continue throughout 2019, and hopefully beyond that point.”
He
noted that the Horizons lakeside development, which has around 200 remaining
lots, was sold last year. “I understand that they plan to begin construction in
2019 or 2020.”
Muenger
called the economy in recent years “extremely strong, and the houses that are
being built have been moving quickly. The supply of existing lots,
specifically in the sub-$250,000 price range, will likely be depleted within
two years, and there is a significant need for additional subdivisions to be
developed in that price range.”
To
encourage additional residential development, the city council enacted a
substantial reduction of its impact fees and subdivision fees in 2017, lowering
those development costs by more than 40%, he said. “This was done in
recognition of the need our area has for additional rooftops, as well as the
benefits that additional population has in driving our retail sector.
Current third-party projections indicate that by 2019 there will be more than
44,000 people residing within 10 miles of the city center.”
While
not all of that population is inside the city limits, “the entirety of that
population is comfortably within our trade area, making the city an attractive
market for additional retail development. The city’s existing retailers
have seen substantial increases in sales in recent years, which is indicative
of the market demand. Statistics show large opportunity gaps in our
existing retail landscape, including a gap of over $50 million in the food
service and beverage space.”
To
the west, Moody is experiencing a sizable surge in new home construction. Mayor
Bill Lee said his city is seeing a building boom in the new housing market with
an estimated 500 new homes to be built in four new subdivisions. Also under
construction is a senior living complex with 26 duplexes being built.
“The
housing market does push commercial growth,” Lee said. Moody has made sure it
has a good mix of residential options over the years. What is being built now
are larger homes, enabling those in starter homes to move up and stay in Moody.
With the city’s proximity to the Interstate 20 corridor and the growth it is
experiencing in the residential market, “retail is right behind it.”
Longtime
Realtor and owner of Lovejoy Realty, Lyman Lovejoy, is seeing plenty of
movement in the northern half of the county as well. In Moody’s Edgewater
subdivision, “we are selling out fast.” There are several custom homes under
construction at the present time.
There
are several new homes going up in The Village at Springville, which has 20 lots
left. “Spec houses are selling fast across the county, Lovejoy said. Magnolia
Lake in Margaret is seeing its share of growth with several homes under
construction, and the city of Margaret’s total of construction is more than 40
homes being built right now.
Lovejoy’s
Canoe Harbor development on Neely Henry Lake, a joint venture with Freeman Land
Co., has enjoyed much success since it opened for development a year ago.
There
are 26 lots on the water and 10 off the water. More than half the lots have
been sold in the lakeside development that sits between Ashville and Rainbow
City. He credits the positive housing market plus no water level fluctuation at
Neely Henry with the success in such a short time.
Lovejoy
Realty Broker Brian Camp, who owns Waterstone Homes, built 20-25 homes in 2018
in Moody, Odenville, Margaret and Springville areas.
And
just as the saying goes, Lovejoy concluded, “If we have enough rooftops, retail
will come.”
