C3 in the News

Guin, Alabama – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced that C3 of Northwest Alabama, Inc. will receive a $500,000 Brownfields Assessment Grant to conduct environmental assessments and develop cleanup plans on properties located in Fayette, Lamar, and Marion Counties.

These funds are available to both public and private owners to support assessment and redevelopment planning of brownfield sites. Brownfields are real estate properties for which the expansion, redevelopment, or reuse may be complicated by the presence – or merely the potential presence – of hazardous substances, and/or petroleum products. In addition to former industrial properties, brownfields may include former gas stations, dry cleaners, or commercial buildings.

“I’m proud that C3 has received this grant,” said Congressman Robert Aderholt. “This money will no doubt have a direct economic impact. This will help business development to overcome some of the regulatory hurdles that can be cost prohibitive for rural areas. I’m proud to support this type of funding in Congress.”

Property owners and investors that are considering completing Phase I and/or Phase II environmental site assessments in preparation for a potential property acquisition and/or prior to beginning site improvements and/or building construction or renovations are encouraged to reach out to C3 of Northwest Alabama to determine if your project is eligible for assistance. This program may be able to pay the full costs of environmental studies.

“I am always grateful to see such funds come back to our district,“ said State Representative Tracy Estes. These funds can be used to assist in economic development moving forward in the hopes of bringing in new jobs to the area, which benefits our communities. These programs also help to raise the overall quality of life for the district.”

“This EPA grant will help our local communities to bring sites back into productive, commercial uses,” said State Representative Kyle South. “Local and regional leaders can use these funds to plan for public improvements that will enhance community health while partnering with businesses and property owners on redevelopment of sites that might otherwise get neglected.”

“This program is a valuable tool for revitalizing neighborhoods, supporting new projects, attracting investment, and fostering environmental stewardship,” said Tom Wisemiller, President & CEO of C3 of Northwest Alabama, Inc.

Use of the assessment funds does not obligate property owners to complete remediation projects if the environmental studies indicate presence of contaminants on a site. For some investors, this program can help them to avoid buying properties with additional complications, while other investors actively seek out brownfield remediation projects.

Mr. Wisemiller said, “The goal of this program is to incentive development and plan for ways to attract new investment, not to regulate sites or compel environmental cleanup projects.”

About EPA Brownfields Program
EPA’s Brownfields Program helps communities address the economic, social, and environmental challenges caused by brownfields and stimulate economic opportunity and environmental revitalization. The program began in 1995 and has provided nearly $2.37 billion in Brownfield Grants to assess and clean up contaminated properties and return blighted properties to productive reuse. EPA’s investments in addressing brownfield sites have leveraged more than $36 billion in cleanup and redevelopment. Communities that previously received Brownfields Grants used these resources to fund assessments and cleanups of brownfields, and successfully leverage an average of 10.6 jobs per $100,000 of grant funds spent and $19.78 for every dollar. For more information: https://www.epa.gov/brownfields.

Andy Johnson – the Chairman of Northwest Alabama EDA – talks about exciting trends in the Columbus MS market area with the larger economic impacts extending into Lamar County AL and the Northwest Alabama EDA region.

Andy is the Chairman, Co-CEO, and CFO of the The Bank of Vernon. The Bank of Vernon – headquartered in Vernon – has been expanding into the growing Columbus, MS market area and now has five locations in AL and MS.

The Columbus MS area has attracted several major economic development projects in recent years. Last fall, Steel Dynamics announced that it is building an aluminum flat-rolled mill and a biocarbon production facility in Columbus, MS: https://businessfacilities.com/hitting-a-historic-mark.

“The $1.9 billion recycled aluminum flat rolled mill is expected to start construction this year with an expected completion in 2025. The company is expanding its existing Columbus campus located on a Tennessee Valley Authority Megasite, by building two new facilities in the Golden Triangle Industrial Park.”

Freedom Fiber – which offers 10G data speeds to residents and businesses – is a major asset for the Northwest Alabama EDA region! Freedom Fiber is offered by Tombigee Communications, a subsidiary of Tombigee Electric Cooperative.

In this video, Steve Foshee, President & CEO of Tombigbee Electric Cooperative talks about why their Freedom Fiber service is among the fastest and most innovative rural broadband programs in the southeast U.S. Steve also provides updates on ongoing and future Freedom Fiber expansion projects.

Bevill State Community College is excited to announce a contribution of $37,500 for scholarships and student competition from the Gene Haas Foundation. The Gene Haas Foundation Scholarship will be awarded to students interested in the Machine Tool Technology program on the Jasper and Hamilton campuses of Bevill State. A portion of the grant funds may be used towards sponsorship of a competition, such as SkillsUSA, highlighting the Machine Tool programs.

For more information, see this article.

Area Development, July 27, 2022:

O’Neal Manufacturing Services plans to invest $5.5 million to open a 130,000-square-foot steel fabrication facility in Fayette, Alabama. The $5.5 million project is expected to create 70 jobs within three years.

The new facility, located in an existing building, will feature robotic and manual welding stations, a beam-cutting line, wet paint booth, press brakes, plasma cutting, and saw cutting capabilities to support medium- to heavy-gauge steel fabrication.

“We are thrilled to have acquired the facility, and we are even more excited to have the skilled workers that were available in Fayette. People have always been our most valuable asset,” OMS President and CEO Kent Brown said. “In this time of unprecedented low unemployment and worker shortages across the country, good people have become even more valuable.

Read more at Area Development.

In the last 12 months, existing manufacturers in Northwest Alabama have created over 300 net new jobs and invested over $150 million in expansion projects.

At Northwest Alabama EDA’s Annual Meeting, Kith Kitchens was awarded Industry of the Year for 2021.

Bear Creek facility opened in August 2021 and has already produced $20M in products at the facility, which employs over 150 people.