Business/Industry : Experience Tuscaloosa

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Tuscaloosa County's progressive business climate has attracted international attention and investment. With an innovative public-private partnership in place, Tuscaloosa County has emerged as one of Alabama's most dynamic and diverse economies.

Business and industry in Tuscaloosa County continue to thrive on diversity. With the University of Alabama, Stillman College and Shelton State Community College, two large public school systems and a number of private schools, education is big business in Tuscaloosa County. Also huge is the care for human body, mind and soul. DCH Health System has two hospitals, DCH Regional Medical Center and Northport Medical Center. The Veterans Administration Hospital is a large complex, and Bryce Hospital and the Partlow Developmental Center serve mentally challenged patients.

Approximately 30 percent of the non-agricultural workforce has jobs in government, healthcare, and education. Our churches are continually building facilities to serve the needs of congregations of up to 5,000 people. Automotive, electronics, plastic injection molding, steel, wood products, food products, and chemicals are just some of those manufacturing concerns whose marketplace is the world.

In addition to its local and national success, business and industry in Tuscaloosa has gone international. Tuscaloosa County has drawn major investments by companies from France, Germany, Japan, Italy, the United Kingdom and Canada.

Sixteen percent of the 95,000 non-agricultural workforce finds itself in manufacturing. Those manufacturers include B. F. Goodrich, JVC America, Johnson Controls, Radicispandex, ZF Lemforder, Mercedes-Benz, Hunt Refining, Westervelt, and many others.

Tuscaloosa is also proud of its homegrown businesses. Large companies like Randall Publishing, Fitts Industries, Westervelt, and Phifer Wire Products were born and raised in Tuscaloosa County and are prospering today.

Bustling is an adjective for the retail and wholesale trade, concentrated in the cities of Tuscaloosa and Northport mostly, where more than 20 percent of the workforce sells everything from small specialty items to clothes on a hanger to sporting goods and sport utility vehicles.

Construction, transportation, finance, insurance and real estate also thrive in Tuscaloosa County.

Many of these are small businesses, the backbone of the economy and 85 percent of the membership in the Chamber of Commerce. Tuscaloosa County has become an outstanding investment opportunity for small business development and new business startups. In fact, the Tuscaloosa-Birmingham corridor consistently ranks in the top 20 markets in the U.S. for entrepreneurial success.

Our strong major banks, credit unions and other financial institutions have combined deposits of several billion dollars and represent an exceptional base for meeting the needs of an expanding economy and growing community.

Support for existing business and entrepreneurs comes from a number of sources, the chief of which is the Chamber of Commerce of West Alabama, which has a professional staff, an up-to-date Business Resource Center, a cutting-edge One Stop Licensing and Permitting Center, and an active Service Corps of Retired Executives (SCORE). The Chamber provides services to support commercial, retail, entrepreneurial and small businesses. It assists with strategic planning, technology development, training, site assistance, marketing and other business-related initiatives.

Among other business partners that provide assistance are the Alabama International Trade Center, the Small Business Development Center, the Small Business and Family Business Institute, the Alabama Institute for Manufacturing Excellence, and the Center for Business and Economic Research, which are all located at the University of Alabama. At Shelton State Community College are the Entrepreneurial Development Center and the Center for Advanced Productivity. The Center for Workforce Development is also located at Shelton State. Here, a broad-based, multi-faceted and community-wide effort is coordinated to improve both the quantity and quality of the labor force for West Alabama.

Stillman College, a historically black college, manages the Disadvantaged Enterprise Program, which seeks to advance opportunities for minorities in the marketplace.

TOP EMPLOYERS

The University of Alabama
Higher education

Mercedes-Benz U. S. International
All-activity vehicles

DCH Regional Medical Center
Medical services

Tuscaloosa County Board of Education
Public education

BFGoodrich Tire Manufacturing
Radial tires

Tuscaloosa City Board of Education
Public education

City of Tuscaloosa
Local governmental services

Phifer, Inc.
Aluminum/fiberglass screening

Jim Walter Resources
Coal mining

Northport Medical Center
Medical services

TOP MANUFACTURING EMPLOYERS