News

On June 30, the Chamber welcomed around 100 attendees to the annual Legislative Update Forum, which provided an opportunity for Chamber members and the business community to hear about the most recently completed legislative session, plans for the future of state government, and answers to previously submitted questions from the membership.

As part of our commitment to preparing the next generation workforce, the Chamber was excited to partner with Calhoun Community College for three summer camps during the month of June. During our 16th Annual SWeETy Camp (Summer Welding, Engineering & Electrical Technology Camp), twenty-four high school girls received hands-on experience in welding, electrical and 3D printing. The camp teaches the importance of safety and the intricate technological components of welding, electrical mechanisms and additive manufacturing, culminating with industry tour, class projects, and local businesswomen in the manufacturing sector sharing their experiences with the attendees each day. Instructor-led class projects included chain link lamps, 3D printed keychains and mini 3D printed cars. 

The Chamber’s annual Clay Shoot Classic on June 10 at Old South Clays in Athens was an opportunity for our members to enjoy the great outdoors. The day-long event included a morning and afternoon flight, a great opportunity for fellowship during lunch and the chance for teams to compete for prizes.

Thank you to our Presenting Sponsor Contractor Service & Fabrication Inc.

On Monday, Calhoun Community College and Athens State University hosted a groundbreaking ceremony in celebration of the construction for new residence halls at the Alabama Center for the Arts (ACA) in downtown Decatur.

“Today is a great day for Calhoun, Athens State and the City of Decatur,” commented Dr. Jimmy Hodges, Calhoun Interim President. “This was a project we foresaw working towards in the future, but today bears the fruit of the great work and dedication of our elected officials, city government and institutions who put forth the work in making it happen now, and for that I couldn’t be any more proud,” said Hodges.

The City of Decatur, in partnership with Volkert, Inc.’s engineering team, will host a public input meeting for residents regarding the Sixth Avenue  streetscape project on Tuesday, June 28, from 4:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m., at Turner-Surles Community Center at 702 Sycamore Street NW.

The input session will be a come-and-go event for attendees to share their thoughts on the streetscape project. Feedback will be discussed in a small group setting with a project liaison. Representatives of the City of Decatur and Volkert, Inc. will be available to answer any questions.

Excellence in Leadership, Edge Student Leadership and Equip Student Leadership each completed their program years with graduations, recognitions and an understanding they have an opportunity to become more engaged in their community.

Renasant Bank announced that the Decatur banking and lending team is growing. Recently, Tim Lovelace was named Northwest Alabama Division President; Charlotte Gregory was named Decatur Market President; Melissa Nichols was named Vice President, Private Banking; and Seddrick Williams was named Assistant Vice President, Commercial Relationship Officer.

“We are happy to announce expanded roles for several of our long term team members who have been foundational in the growth and leadership of our bank and community," said Tim Lovelace, Northwest Alabama Division President. "This team will be out front in our efforts to continue expanding our Renasant tradition of service to our customers and positive impact in our market."

Executive Director John Joseph of the Decatur-Morgan County Entrepreneurial Center spoke to the Chamber's Emerging Leaders young professionals development class on June 1, at the Chamber's Contractor Service & Fabrication Board Room. Joseph discussed how the The Best & Brightest Initiative is now partnering with Decatur Morgan Hospital and Decatur City Schools to explore ways to recruit more nurses and teachers.

At the Chamber’s annual State of Healthcare Address on May 25, members of the business community and elected leaders from across Morgan County heard from Decatur Morgan Hospital President Kelli Powers about the new services, technology and physicians now available to the community including a new ambulance service. Powers also provide an update on future plans for the hospital system and an update on the pandemic.

Huntsville International Airport has been approved by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to allow commercial space vehicles to land in Huntsville. Huntsville International Airport, located in North Alabama, is the first commercial airport in the U.S. approved as a reentry site to receive a space vehicle landing.

“Huntsville has propelled us into another historic first for our state with the award of the commercial space vehicle reentry license for Huntsville International Airport,” said Gov. Kay Ivey. “We appreciate the collaboration exhibited by our public and private partners to make this a reality.”

The Alabama Department of Commerce released the report for the State of Alabama on new and expanding industry announcements for 2021. Morgan County was ranked sixth in the state for both new and expanding capital investments at $332,389,913, and for new and expanding job announcements at 483.

Morgan County had a total of two new projects and 14 expanding projects in 2021 resulting in 362 jobs with a $279,089,913 investment. Some of those expanding companies include Cerrowire LLC, Daikin America, Polyplex USA, Prudent American Technologies, Valley Rubber, United Lauch Alliance, and Watco Transloading LLC.

On Tuesday, three area professionals were honored by the Decatur-Morgan County Chamber of Commerce at the annual Small Business Awards Celebration for their leadership, creativity and commitment to our business community.

Keith Jackson, founder and owner of Jackson Plumbing, Heating & Cooling in Decatur, was named the Raymon Baker - John Cook - Ralph Jones Small Business Person of the Year; Jacob Ladner, CEO of Thirdmark Capital in Decatur, was named the Arthur Orr Young Professional of the Year; and Danielle Gibson, President and CEO of Decatur Morgan County Tourism, was named the Lynn C. Fowler Non-Profit Professional of the Year. The luncheon was held at the Doubletree by Hilton Decatur Riverfront.

Decatur was ranked as one of the top ten places "where homebuyers want to live" by Realtor.com! In the first quarter of the year, more than half, 59.7%, of all of the views on the home listings on Realtor.com® came from shoppers based in other metros, according to recent Realtor.com research. 

The Realtor.com economics team analyzed the search traffic on Realtor.com to figure out the areas where people wanted to move to. They used the data to determine the nation’s most sought-after areas from buyers who are looking at homes in a different metro area from where they live. The analysis covered the 300 largest metropolitan areas in the first quarter of 2022.

Decatur, Alabama was listed at No.9 with a 84.9% of listing views from outside of the metro area. Decatur's median home sales price is $268,000.