CANOE
Finding help from horses
BIG
Open at last
It’s a Barndominium
Hand-built barn makes unique home
Page 8
Logan Martin LakeFest Entertainment, vendors and a giant boat show return to Pell City
Page 26
Big Canoe Creek Preserve The beauty is forever yours
Page 34
Preserve is open at last Page 42
Key players in making it happen
Page 47
Experience, passion for project
Page 48
It takes more than a village to build a preserve
Page 52
Landscaping protects the natural beauty
25
Page 54 St.
Canoe Creek Stables’ Shelby Tucker gives a little extra attention to one of the horses used in equine therapy. The newly opened facility is a place for healing. Photo by Mackenzie Free
Carol Pappas is editor and publisher of Discover St. Clair Magazine. A retired newspaper executive, she served as editor and publisher of several newspapers and magazines during her career. She won dozens of writing awards and was named Distinguished Alabama Community Journalist at Auburn University. She serves as president/CEO of Partners by Design, which publishes Discover and LakeLife 24/7 Magazine®.
Roxann Edsall is a freelance writer and former managing editor of Convene Magazine, a convention industry publication. She has a degree in (broadcast) journalism from the University of Southern Mississippi, worked as a television news reporter in Biloxi and as a reporter and assignments editor in Birmingham.
Scottie Vickery is a writer with a degree in journalism from the University of Alabama and was a reporter for The Birmingham News Her first assignment was covering St. Clair and Blount counties. She has more than 30 years of writing and editing experience and her work has appeared in a variety of publications. She also has worked in the nonprofit industry.
Mackenzie Free is an experienced and nationally published photographer with a bachelor of fine arts degree. She is a Birmingham native now cultivating life on a farm in Steele with her husband & 4 daughters.
Graham Hadley is the managing editor and designer for Discover The Essence of St. Clair Magazine and also manages the magazine website. Along with Carol Pappas, he left The Daily Home as managing editor to become chief operating officer and vice president of the Creative Division of Partners by Design multimedia
Elaine Hobson Miller is a freelance writer with a B.A. in journalism from Samford University. She was the first female to cover Birmingham City Hall for the Birmingham Post-Herald, where she worked as reporter, food editor and features writer. She is a former editor of Birmingham Home & Garden magazine and staff writer for Birmingham magazine.
Paul South, a native of Fairfield, is an Auburn graduate with a degree in journalism and a double minor in history. He also has a Juris Doctorate degree from the Birmingham School of Law. Although sports writing was always his first love, he had a versatile career as reporter, columnist and first full-time sports information director at Samford University.
Richard is a full-time professional photographer based in the Springville area and owner of Natural Light Photography LLC. His 50+ years of experience behind the lens of a camera includes working as a photojournalist for a global technology company. His credentials include many magazine cover shots and former standing as a Canon Image Connect Photographer.
David Smith aka BamaDave, is originally from Birmingham. He and his wife Renee made Logan Martin Lake their home 19 years ago. He is a freelance photographer, videographer and professional drone pilot. He has worked for ESPN’s College GameDay Show for the last 25 years as a cameraman and for the last 4 years as the drone pilot. He has won 12 Emmys with the show and was ESPN’s first drone pilot. David is also the owner of Spider Be Gone of Alabama.
Putting together this issue of Discover St. Clair Magazine has been particularly rewarding because of our long history covering two of the stories. We celebrate two milestones – one a look back at a 25-year success story; the other, the opening of a new chapter.
There is so much news in them, so much promise in both, they could never be captured in a single story. So, we created special sections to showcase them both.
We’re speaking, of course, of the 25th anniversary of the St. Clair Economic Development Council, an idea that transformed the trajectory of the county into a perennial top seven contender for fastest growing in Alabama each year.
And the opening of Big Canoe Creek Nature Preserve in Springville ushers in a new era for recreation, tourism and conservation in the county – 422 acres of nature preserved and already becoming a destination point for thousands.
We’ll give you an inside look at both, sharing the stories behind the stories grabbing headlines these days.
While the special sections are a major part of this edition, that’s not all we offer in this issue.
We’ll take you on a tour of Canoe Creek Stables, a new equine therapy facility in Ashville that is touching lives and changing them through the use of horses. It’s a passion turned into a real-life difference maker.
While we’re at it, we’ll let you get a peek inside a bit of a different take on farm living. It’s a 6,000 square foot “barndominium,” and you’ll be amazed at the amenities and how this couple turned a barn into quite a home.
Fast forward to what’s up ahead and take note that LakeFest is returning to Pell City Lakeside Park in May. Organizers tell us to get ready for the biggest, best event yet.
And two more companies in Pell City join the growing ranks of expanding industries in St. Clair County, generating millions of dollars more in investment and creating more jobs.
We round out this edition with Final Focus, photographer Mackenzie Free’s take on life through her lens and her eloquent, thoughtful prose.
It’s all here and more in this issue of Discover. Turn the page and discover it all with us!
Carol Pappas Editor and Publisher
Jeff and Shelley Main and their Barndominium
Story by Elaine Hobson Miller
Photos by Richard Rybka and Elaine Hobson Miller
What has 6,000 square feet, 185 hand-carved spindles and posts, 51 windows, 15 doors and is made of rustic pine and cedar? The barndominium on Alabama Highway 23 North built by Jeff and Shelley Main, that’s what.
“Barndomimiums are pretty big up North, I think because of all the dairy barns there,” says Jeff Main, architect and chief builder of the local project. “They’ll convert some, especially ‘bank barns’ (two-story structures built into a hill or bank) which usually have two or three cupolas on top. But they also build some new ones.”
It so happens that Jeff and Shelley are from “up North,” where they had a 1,200-square-foot home in Mercersburg, Pennsylvania, a rural borough in the South-Central part of the state. For 42 years, Shelley worked in nearby Hagerstown, Maryland, for a metal fabrication plant owned by David McCain. David is from Ashville, and the city’s McCain Memorial Library is named in honor of his family.
McCain retired a few years ago and sold his business, then the new owners retired Shelley. “He invited Jeff down to turkey hunt,” she says. “Both of us came for turkey season two years in a row. Then COVID hit.”
For three months during the spring of 2020, the Mains lived in an apartment inside McCain’s barn across the lake. They fell in love with Ashville, McCain offered to sell them some property, and the couple picked the one on Highway 23 because of its lake view.
The house is a testament to the environmentalist phrase, “Reclaim, Recycle, Reuse.” From the pine timber that forms the superstructure to the stones in the chimney, plus floors, steps and walls between, most of the materials used to build the house came either from the McCains’ Ashville property, the Mains’ property in Pennsylvania, and some material from the property where Shelley was employed.
They built their barndominium from pine logs furnished and sawn by Corey Young of Blue Mountain Sawmill on nearby Country Road 31. The stones and brick in the foyer and the bricks outlining the fireplace in the Great Room came from the foundation of an old shed and chimney left on their property. The Mains had to clear an acre of bamboo and brush just to get to the well and the shed behind it. There’s still quite a bit of bamboo at the edge of their “yard” to be cut down.
“Corey cut the timbers and the wide-pine planks for the upstairs floors, and I planed them,” says Jeff. “The live-edge steps leading to the upper level are made from weeping cherry trees from our yard in Pennsylvania, while those that are not live-edge are from the metal plant’s property in Maryland.”
Jeff, Shelley and some friends hand-stripped the wood for each stair step and the railing around the loft, including each of the 185 bannisters. Inside walls across the front of the house are made of reclaimed barn wood that had been stacked and stored for many years in a former dairy barn nearby. “We brought it home, and we pressure-washed it, bleached it, got the old paint off, then pressure-washed it again,” Shelley says. They bought the sliding barn-style doors in the house, but she also stained those.
Although he did a very rough sketch of the front of the house initially, Jeff says he really didn’t draw any formal plans. “It was all in my head,” he says. “My wife was very supportive. She didn’t know from one day to another what I had in mind or what I’d be doing.” Semi-retired as a ski resort mountain operations manager (he still works at a resort in Pennsylvania two weeks each month during the winter), he had the tools and the skills needed for construction. “We talked about it for years,” Jeff says. “But what we talked about was not what we wound up with. Normally, barndominiums are only one floor. We have a balcony all the way around the inside.”
“He told me the kitchen will be here, the bedrooms there, but other than that, I really didn’t have any idea of what he was going to do,” says Shelley, who, after 32 years of marriage, has learned to trust Jeff’s instincts. “I wasn’t sure about the front (inside), but it worked out for a dining room.”
The inviting front porch is filled with rocking chairs, plants and a swing. It leads into a small foyer, with the dining area to one side. The Great Room, its measurements of 40 x 40-feet –
defining the word “great” – is flanked by three bedrooms and three-and-a-half baths, a kitchen, pantry and dining room. There’s an entryway at the front and a breezeway at the back that is really more of a breezy room than a breezeway. “I got the breezeway idea from the Looney House (historic home of dogtrot design), but that one went all the way through, front to back,” Jeff says. “I couldn’t talk her into that.”
Jeff made the two chandeliers, one on the front porch, and the other in the center peak of the Great Room ceiling. They are wagon-wheel styled and covered in deer antlers he found in the woods of Pennsylvania. The inside of the 37-foot tall chimney is hollow, with a metal flue and a
ladder for accessing the inside of the chimney.
Downstairs floors are poured concrete. “The fireplace is a see-through, so you can see it from the breezeway behind it,” Jeff says. “We had the concrete work and fireplace contracted out.” They purchased the wood for the tonguein-groove ceiling and the planks for the walls flanking it, but Shelley cut it, and Jeff installed it.
On one side of the Great Room is the kitchen, which features granite countertops, a brick backsplash, darkgreen painted pine cabinets made by Joe Dickert of Big Rock Cabinet and Woodworks just up the road, a gas cooktop and two electric wall ovens. Next to that, on the outside wall, is a walk-in pantry lined with shelves on one
Some of the stairs are made from live-edge cherry planks, meaning they still have the natural edges of the tree, including the bark
side and a countertop on the other that has a small sink, coffee pot and microwave oven.
The wide-plank pine floors in the kitchen, like those upstairs, are 1 x 12s. “I’m going to build an island with another sink in it between the kitchen and Great Room,” Jeff says.
A guest bedroom suite also occupies a portion of that side of the house. Its walls painted gray, it features a stone sink with a slate backsplash and slate above the shower walls. The Master Suite and another bedroom and bath are on the opposite side of the Great Room. The Master Bedroom features a 12 x 12-foot cedar-lined walk-in closet that has its own furniture. The cedar came from fallen trees on the Ashville property. The closet has its own chest-of-drawers, dresser and some built-in shelving and storage.
The bedroom has yellow walls, and floors that Shelley stained, sanded, painted and sanded again to look like a white wash. Furnishings include a king size bed and a 4 x 8-foot mirror. In the adjoining bathroom, gray pebbles line the walls above the shower stall and create a backsplash behind the double sinks and granite countertops. Shelley likes to make mobiles from shells and beads and “twisted sticks” from
Custom pine cabinets painted green, granite countertops and stainless-steel appliances give the kitchen its pizazz
hand-sanded twigs she decorates with yarn and beads. She has her own craft room next to the breezeway. “This is my room,” she says. “That’s my son, two grands and three great-grands,” she adds, pointing to pictures on her walls and counters.
The house has two small, separate garages flanking the breezeway and craft room. There’s a storm shelter under one of them and a side porch off that garage that will eventually connect with the wide front porch. Standing on that side porch after a rain, you can barely hear yourself talk over the noise of the frogs and crickets. “They get really loud when it’s (weather) wet,” Shelley says.
Upstairs are his-and-hers seating areas that are bigger than their modest home in Pennsylvania. Hers, at the front end and overlooking the lake, is 15 x 40-feet, while his, measuring 20 x 40-feet, is at the back end. Walkways down each side of the loft connect the ends.
Her area features plants and what-nots on wide windowsills and picture windows overlooking the front porch, and two seating areas. One area has chairs and a daybed
facing each other, along with a small television.
The other has a chaise lounge facing the front windows, which are stacked, with the 60 x 60-inch version across the bottom and the 72 x 60-inch on the top. The latter is in a V-shape pointed toward the sky. An old quilt made by Shelley’s great-uncle hangs on the nearest loft rail, and one of Shelley’s twisted sticks rests atop the rail.
The walkways between the his-andhers spaces display family treasures, such as WWI and WWII paraphernalia from both Shelley and Jeff’s dad and one granddad, including an Army jacket, rifle and two American flags.
At the back end of the loft is Jeff’s area, his “man cave,” as Shelley calls it. One side has large leather couches from their home in Pennsylvania, a bookcase displaying his collection of toy Hess trucks, and oodles of stuffed wildlife, most of which he killed himself. There are deer heads, turkeys, a coyote and a bobcat that was hit by a car on the road next to their house. The couches are on one side of the mancave, a log futon and matching chair on the other, along with more display cases.
“We brought most of the furniture with us from Pennsylvania,” Shelley says. “A lot is family furniture, like the pedestal table in the dining room and the small, drop-leaf table in the Great Room that was my great-granddad’s.”
The china cabinet near the chimney displays glassware, jewelry, old gloves and other treasures that belonged to her great-grandmother.
All 6,000 square feet are cooled by a seven-ton air conditioner and heated by the fireplace and four mini-splits scattered about the rooms. Shelley admits the master suite is a bit chilly at times, though. She estimates they have about $200,000 to $220,000 wrapped up in materials, while Jeff believes that he probably saved about $300,000 by doing most of the labor himself. Shelley’s favorite feature of the house is its open, airy feeling, while Jeff most enjoys the fireplace.
In addition to the kitchen island, he has yet to finish the outside of the barndominium. This Spring, he plans to stain the outside walls a dark colonial gray.
So, what will they do when they are finally finished?
“It’ll probably never be finished,” Jeff says. Shelley just smiles. l
The see-through fireplace looks just as cozy from the breezeway as from the great room
2206 Martin St S
Pell City, AL 35128-2356
Phone (205) 884-3470
(205) 473-9080
Fax (866) 666-8481
Proudly serving Alabama communities in Pell City, Ragland, Odenville, Branchville, Cropwell, Alpine and Vincent.
Story by Elaine Hobson Miller
Photos by Mackenzie Free
“There’s something about the outside of a horse that’s good for the inside of a man.”
While that quote has been wrongly attributed to several famous people, including Winston Churchill and Ronald Reagan, research indicates it probably dates back centuries before they were born.
Nevertheless, the sentiment expresses in a nutshell what Nicole Whitehead Tucker has in mind for Canoe Creek Stables in Springville.
“Canoe Creek Stables is home to Light Of The World Adaptive Horsemanship, a faith-based nonprofit with the mission of helping others heal and grow while enjoying one of God’s greatest gifts, horses,” she says, quoting her mission statement. “We use adaptive horsemanship to provide both physical and emotional benefits to those in need.”
Adaptive Horsemanship is recreational horseback riding and horsemanship lessons adapted for each individual’s needs, goals and abilities. It utilizes mounted and unmounted activities to provide both
physical and emotional benefits.
Potential students include autistic children, children suffering from emotional and physical trauma, those with crippling diseases such as cystic fibrosis and veterans suffering from PTSD. Nicole wants to use horses to help these folks and more. That’s why she is working on her certification from CECTH, the Council for Education and Certification in Therapeutic Horsemanship.
Nicole has had horses all of her life. But her dream to use them to help others mentally and physically began when she was a teenager. “My younger brother, Kyle, was born with cystic fibrosis,” she says. “I watched him grow up battling this disease. He inspired me because he never gave up. He died in May of 2019, when he was 29, but he never lost his spirit. I owe a lot of my personal and spiritual growth to him.”
Her husband, Jake, also comes from a horsey family. He lost his brother the year before Nicole lost hers, and it helped Jake develop the same passion she has. “I also want to take horses to places like Children’s Hospital, church events and nursing homes,” Jake says.
“My brother and I talked about doing this for about a month before Kyle passed away,” Nicole says. “I told him about my dream, too, and he said, ‘That’s awesome, Sis.’”
The Tuckers broke ground on a 100 x 100-foot barn on April 1, 2023, after Jake had sketched the design. They contracted to have the outer shell erected, and they finished the inside themselves. “What a journey,” she says. “Jake even built the wooden fence, and he has never done that before. He has no training in carpentry. He was a fuel truck driver for McPherson Oil for 10 years, and now he’s maintenance man at the new Big Canoe Creek Nature Preserve, which is next door to our property.”
One side of the barn measures 30 x 100 feet and has 15 stalls. The arena is 50 x 80 feet and covered with sand, while the other side is 20 x 100 feet and has space for seven more stalls. Ten skylights and a chandelier in the center of the arena light up the premises. “I ordered the chandelier via Amazon, and Jake built a crank system so we can lower and raise it,” Nicole says. When he asked her why she needed a chandelier in the middle of a riding arena, she replied, “For barn dances and fundraisers.”
The structure is bathed in Scripture, literally. Several posts and internal walls are covered in Bible verses because Jake and Nicole invited people to write their favorites on them. Some wrote the Scripture reference, while others scribbled entire verses.
“If you take out the wall panels of the social room, for example, you’ll find the internal walls covered with verses,” Nicole says. “Friends, family members, even the Alabama Power crew and concrete contractor wrote them on studs, posts and the plywood under the paneling there.”
To handle the $250,000 price tag of the barn, the couple dipped into their savings account and took out a loan that comes with $1,400-a-month payments.
Lessons are one hour long, and include riding, grooming, lunging, tacking up, learning the parts of a saddle and building a relationship with the horse. They cost $65 per hour. However, low-income persons can be sponsored through donations and fundraising.
“This barn has been a Band-aid for me,” says Nicole. “In the past few weeks, I’ve had conversations with families about what they are going through, including a couple of people who were autistic, and a couple with sensory disorders. They found me via Facebook.”
She started a Facebook page in October, before the barn was even finished. As of Feb. 29, she had 5,500 followers, but her goal is 10,000. “Imagine if 5,500 people said a prayer for our program,” she says.
The barn houses nine horses and three ponies, with five of those used for equine assisted activities. The others are personal ones. Two activity horses include a white horse and a pony from a woman in Mississippi who learned about Nicole’s mission via mutual friends on Facebook and contacted her. “She drove them over the next day, along with some hay and feed,” Nicole says. “That’s a four-hour trip one way.”
Other donations have included two Haflingers, a brother and sister named Candy and Cane. “These are our two main buggy horses, but we use them in our adaptive horsemanship program, too,” Nicole says. “They were given to the program by the family of my great-uncle in Tennessee, who died in the summer of 2022. We got them that November.”
A more recent equine donation was the return of her “heart horse,” which she had sold when her brother was ill. “As my brother got worse, I started riding less, because I was just too emotional to enjoy it,” she explains. “So, I sold Handsome to a sweet lady in Georgia. I stayed in touch with his new mom for five years, and she’d update me on him from time to time. Then in February she gave him back to me because she wanted him to be part of something special. I still can’t believe it!”
Handsome is a 16-year-old Tennessee Walker with a lot of personality. “We used to compete in local horse
Open house was a great time to meet the animals
shows in Western and English gaited classes,” Nicole says. “I feel like I got a HUGE piece of my heart back. My brother would be so happy!”
Other in-kind donations include the bathroom, three carriages and the sound system for the barn. The donation of the three carriages came as the indirect result of fulfilling another lifelong dream, that of becoming an airline pilot.
“I had wanted to be a pilot since I was 6-years-old,” says Nicole, who is 43. “My grandmother lived near the Birmingham airport, and I grew up lying in her yard and watching the planes go over. I’m stubborn, and I had no backup plan.”
She got her pilot’s license at 19, started her aviation career as a flight instructor, then did corporate flying to get jet experience. Later, she was a commercial pilot for ExpressJet, a regional airline, for five years. She quit to start a family. “I’ve gone back to corporate aviation so I can control my schedule,” she says.
During the Springville Christmas Parade of 2022, she saw people like the homecoming queen riding in cars, and joked to her husband about how great it would be to have a carriage so she could auction a seat in it and donate the proceeds to a charity. The next day while she was co-piloting a corporate client to a meeting in Texas, he came into the cockpit and struck up a conversation.
“I showed him pictures of our horses and told him about my dream, and when we landed back in Birmingham later that day, he asked if he could talk to me. He said he had three carriages he wanted to donate, and he did. He paid for the delivery of the first one, and we picked up the other two.”
And that’s why an additional side of the barn was added to the original plans. The carriages include a Purple Princess that has hydraulic brakes and battery-operated lights, an Amish buggy and a covered wagon.
Other animals besides horses are being added to the mix. “We were given a five-day-old lamb whose mother rejected her, and we are working on adding more little critters to the barn, including a mini cow,” she says.
“We will also be taking over the petting zoo at Homestead Hollow this year. I’ll be working the May events with Anne Sargent, who has run it for 10 years. She’s going to show me the ropes, and then I’ll take over for future Homestead Hollow weekends. The petting zoo will be a big part of our barn, as it will bring lots of smiles to children. I’m so excited!”
And what about those “dream crushers,” the people who said she and Jake can’t do it, it won’t happen, they need deep pockets to make this dream come true? Nicole says phooey! “Think of what would not be accomplished except through deep faith.” l
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Brand new and tech ready. Tech ready? Yes, indeed. Seems boating has gone computer in a big way. From pontoons to fishing boats, today’s vessels are equipped, with everything from big screen monitors to stereo systems to USB charging ports and even cruise control.
In a word, boats today are just plain “smart.”
Boats showcased at this year’s Logan Martin LakeFest and Boat Show are no exception. The 14th annual, admission free event is set for May 10-12 at Lakeside Park.
Though LakeFest features music, fireworks and a lot more, Eric Housh, event coordinator said, “the boat show, of course, is the centerpiece. Folks come out to see the boats because of the latest and greatest technology out there. Brand new boats do all sorts of stuff now.”
Lee Holmes, one of the LakeFest founders, and co-owner of Sylacauga Marina and ATV, agreed, saying he “never thought he’d see the day” when boats would be computerized. But, they have conquered it, and it seems to be working real well.”
Some boats today “basically have a touchscreen that, with the push of a button, controls everything on the boat. They’ve got new systems now and the water and fuel gauges are all digital.”
The hottest new thing in pleasure boats these days is the Wake Boat. “They create waves for people to ride wake boards. That’s where they can do flips and turns and all that kind of stuff. You can control the size of the wake. You can make it bigger or smaller,” Holmes said.
“It’s controlled through touchscreens, and if you’ve got four or five people in your family, you can set a profile for each. That profile gets copied every time so it can go 8 miles an hour or 18 miles an hour, whatever the speed that was copied. So, it automatically knows which guy is fixing to ride and at what speed to set. It repeats exactly what it has done before,” he explained.
Fun
Rodney Humphries, owner of Rodney’s Marine Center in Cropwell, cited “all the amenities” on pontoons and tri-toons these days, from Bluetooth stereo to LED lighting. “We sell one that even has USB chargers on all the seats. I guess that shows how dependent we all are on our phones these days,” he smiled.
But it’s in fishing boats where he sees, perhaps, the most innovative technology. “Most of them are equipped with a trolling motor which can actually hold its position and the electronics and depth finders are very advanced from just five years ago.”
Humphries, who has lived on Logan Martin “all my life,” marvels at some of today’s technical enhancements, particularly the depth finders that anglers are using. It’s so advanced it seems almost unfair to the fish.
“A lot of them have three depth finders on the boat,” Humphries said. “The depth finders have 12- to 16-inch screens. This means they can see where the fish are, actually see them on the screen. People really seem to enjoy this technology.”
As well they should, but do the fish have even a fighting chance? “Yes,” laughed Humphries. “They’re still pretty hard to
catch.”
It’s not all about technology, as Housh points out. “Every year, manufacturers are coming out with more and more things that are more comfortable and useful. For example, the pontoon boat seats don’t get hot anymore. They’re covered in a special fabric that’s easier to maintain. It doesn’t fade, and it’s more comfortable to sit on.”
Among the pontoons featured at LakeFest, “we’re going to see these luxury brands, and they’re going to have state-of-the-art entertainment packages on them from speakers, GPS systems, cruise control, things of that nature. Every year, you’ll see a couple boats out there that are just decked out with the latest and greatest. It’s interesting to see how these manufacturers keep innovating to deliver just worldclass products.”
How big of a dent will these “world class products” put in your pocketbook?
“Honestly, you can spend as much as you want to spend,” Humphries stated, from $20,000 to $200,000. “There are different price points for everybody.”
Holmes concurred. “We sell $100,000 boats. We sell $200,000 boats, and we sell $20,000 boats. We got fishing boats that start at $14,000 and we’ve got fishing boats at $110,000. There’s really a boat out there for everybody.”
And that’s where LakeFest comes in.
As a mega, in-water boat show, boat dealers will be on hand to demonstrate all the latest innovative technology. With over a dozen lines of watercraft and more than 80 models, there’s going to be plenty to see.
“The ability to put product in the water and to put somebody behind the wheel of a boat to test drive it is special,” Housh said. “You can’t do that in a dealer showroom. It’s a try it before you buy it sort of plan. It’s really a great opportunity to see how the boat feels while it’s actually on the lake.
Housh has been with LakeFest since its beginning. “I was volunteered by a friend,” he chuckled. That means he’s been
•CHEMICALS
W e M a k e B a n k i n g Q u i c k a n d E a s y S o Y o u C a n G e t B a c k T o T h e M o m e n t s T h a t M a t t e r M o s t
planning, organizing, handling communications and coordinating it for over a decade. During that time, he has seen the event’s mushrooming popularity. This this year’s attendance could top 50,000.
“I never thought I’d see the day that 40,000 people would show up. That first year, we sat down there on the lake in front of those condos (Horizons), it was just me and Jerry (the late Jerry Woods, Woods Surfside Marine) Maybe, we had two or three vendors. There was hardly anybody out there, but we had a good sale, and it just started growing and more and more people wanted to participate.
“It was all Jerry’s idea. All I did was answer the phone when he called to see if I wanted to participate.”
As he does on every LakeFest weekend, Housh is hoping for fair skies and good weather.
“Luckily, we’ve never had a bad thunderstorm. We’ve never had to shut the event down. But, he admits, he’s come mighty close.
“One year, I remember, we were watching the radar, and this real gnarly looking storm was bearing down on us. We were certain we were going to have to call the event – to shut it down. But, that that storm broke up and went right around us, on either side like you just parted the waves.”
“And, I remember another year on Saturday, we were watching the forecast for what was coming down on Sunday,” Housh said. “The team that puts LakeFest together, we are exhausted by this time. Now, the forecast called for 100% chance of rain. So, we made the call just to shut down a day early. We made the announcement and took all the precautions, and I want you to know it did not rain a drop.”
But, whatever the weather, Housh says “We’ll deal with it. We always do. It’s just the magic of that weekend.”
In addition to boats and financing on the spot by America’s First Federal Credit Union, other activities include dozens of vendors with food, arts and crafts, home goods, apparel, lake lifestyle items, home services and more. Other activities are a fireworks show, a salute to veterans, music all weekend, including a concert by the Velcro Pygmies on stage Saturday night. Mother’s Day is that weekend, so there are free Mimosas for Moms on Sunday.
“We’re trying to design it so it will be family friendly and offer a little bit of something for everybody. It’s also a pet friendly event. I know some of the vendors actually set up little pet friendly areas providing water bowls and a little shade so they can get out of the sunlight.”
While folks are encouraged to bring their pets, “we also encourage them to bring plastic bags to pick up after them and to keep them on a leash.” l
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Come, let us sing for joy to the LORD; let us shout aloud to the Rock of our salvation.
Let us come before him with thanksgiving and extol him with music and song.
For the LORD is the great God, the great King above all gods.
Psalm 95, NIV
John Liechty and Richard Edwards chat about old times as they turn along a switchback on Slab Creek Trail at Big Canoe Creek Nature Preserve in Springville. The two have spent countless hours hiking together over their nearly three decades of friendship.
Edwards got Liechty hooked on hiking when the two worked at the same company in Columbia, South Carolina. The friendship grew when the two moved their families to Birmingham to open a new office for that company.
Liechty has since moved back to Tennessee, where he was born, but hiking, and their passion for it, continues to be the thing that brings them back together.
Stacked stone entrance now welcomes visitors
The Big Canoe Creek Nature Preserve has been open less than two months, but the word is out about this hidden gem.
Liechty and Edwards heard about it in a newsletter update from the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Recourses. “We’ve done a lot of hiking, lots of backcountry stuff,” says Liechty. “The trails here are great with the elevation, the rise and fall. It’s all good. Y’all have a good thing here.”
The 422-acre Big Canoe Creek Nature Preserve is a Forever Wild Land Trust property, owned by the state of Alabama and managed by the City of Springville. It boasts four hiking trails, for a total of 7.3 miles of trails. Creek Loop Trail is designated solely for hiking. Fallen Oak Trail and Slab Creek Trail are open to biking also, while hikers on Easy Rider Trail share the space with horseback riders. Benches along the trails offer a place to rest or to bird watch, with picnic tables and portable restrooms available in the parking area. While you can canoe or kayak the creek, there is currently not a put in or take out point on the property. Plans include adding pavilions for outdoor education.
Preserve Manager Doug Morrison says environmental education is a top priority at the preserve. “Personally, I’d like to make 70% of our mission about education,” he says. “The recreation is going to happen. There are so many things to enjoy here. But if you can somehow get the message out that you can enjoy nature and not love it to death, that’s a good goal.”
Morrison’s personal motto is “explore and discover,” and it’s what he hopes people will do at the preserve. “I love
to see kids outside learning and discovering things as they run around this place. There’s a lot to learn in nature. We had a home-school group out here yesterday, and they had a great time.”
With a little research, a visitor might learn that the area provides critical habitat for many aquatic creatures. One might discover that clean, moving water is necessary for mussels to thrive, and that the existence of several species of mussels in the Big Canoe Creek watershed is a testament to its cleanliness. One might further note that 18 miles of Big Canoe Creek has been listed as a “critical habitat” under the Endangered Species Act.
After moving to the area in 1999, Morrison began kayaking the creek and learned about the environmental importance of Big Canoe Creek. He helped to form the group “The Friends of Big Canoe Creek,” which at the time was mostly neighbors who loved the creek.
They learned about the critical habitat that is provided by the Big Canoe Creek watershed and about the threatened and endangered species that make their homes there, including the threatened Trispot Darter and the endangered Canoe Creek Clubshell mussel, found only in the Big Canoe Creek watershed.
The 50-plus-mile-long Big Canoe Creek, runs through the nature preserve and is touted as the “Alabama’s crown jewel in biodiversity.” More than 50 fish species can be found in Big Canoe Creek.
In 2010, and again in 2018, this exemplary biological diversity was explored and documented during what scientists call a “BioBlitz,” a 24-hour-long period where experts from various environmental fields survey and catalog all forms of life found in the specified area. Finding such biodiversity and both threatened and endangered species is what helped in the efforts, spearheaded by The Friends of Big Canoe Creek, to preserve and protect the land for future generations.
Had Morrison and The Friends of Big Canoe Creek not stepped in as advocates, the area might look very different today. When they learned of a developer’s plans to build a subdivision on the property, the The Friends of Big Canoe Creek petitioned the developers to make changes to ensure the creek would be protected.
When the economy took a downturn in 2008, the planned development stalled and gave members of The Friends of Big Canoe Creek a chance to talk to the landowners about nominating the land for purchase by the Forever Wild Land Trust.
Established in 1992, Alabama’s Forever Wild Land Trust purchases lands to expand the number of public-use natural areas to ensure they will be available to use freely forever. It took nine years to get the initial 382-acre parcel and another 40 adjacent acres approved for purchase, but by 2019, the combined tract officially became Forever Wild property.
“In conjunction with the Economic Development Council of St. Clair County, Freshwater Land Trust nominated Big Canoe Creek to be acquired by the Forever Wild Land Trust,” said Liz Sims, Land
John Liechty and Richard Edwards Natural beauty found throughout
Protecting land and water across Alabama
We are proud to be a partner in successfully preserving Big Canoe Creek Nature Preserve as Forever Wild.
We look forward to witnessing the positive impacts the preserve will have on Alabama’s economy and its residents. FreshwaterLandTrust.org
Conservation Director of Freshwater Land Trust. “We are elated to see such a large portion of the Canoe Creek watershed and its biodiversity protected, including the threatened trispot darter fish habitat.”
Since that time, Morrison, along with the The Friends of Big Canoe Creek, has worked with the City of Springville, the St. Clair County Economic Development Council and the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources to develop plans for the property.
In 2022, Morrison was hired by the City of Springville to officially manage the project. After 15 years of work to protect and preserve the land and creek, Morrison is finally seeing the joy it is bringing to visitors. He is seeing crowds of at least a hundred on weekdays, with weekends and holidays swelling to nearly twice that number.
Vicki and Kevin Folse heard about the preserve on Facebook and came out to hike. “It is absolutely beautiful,” says Vicki. “We took some time to sit on a bench on the trail and had some quiet time with God.” She thanked Morrison and all those who worked on the project for the opportunity to enjoy the property.
Jeff Goodwin lives just four miles from the preserve. “I come a couple times a week,” he says. “I’m a big hiker, so having this land to hike on this close is a huge benefit. And it’s way more interesting than walking through the neighborhood. I’m hoping they add some longer trails.”
While the trails are not the longest they’ve ever hiked, Richard Edwards and John Liechty agree they are well planned. Edwards, who grew up just minutes from a section of the Appalachian Trail, has spent countless hours hiking trails around the country. His longest hike was 160 miles on the John Muir Trail in California.
Six years ago his sight began to deteriorate due to a condition called nonarteritic anterior ischemic optical neuropathy. “I’m almost blind,” explains Edwards, “so rocks and roots are hard on me. These trails are really a dream.”
Even so, Liechty walks in front of his friend to alert him to any potential hazards. “We’ve kind of had a role reversal,” laughs Liechty. “He led me to hiking, but now I’m leading the hikes.” They agree that time spent together enjoying nature is good therapy.
Good therapy in the form of outdoor recreation can be enjoyed at Big Canoe Creek Nature Preserve Wednesday through Sunday 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. now through October, with closing time shifting to 5 p.m. from November to February. Admission is free.
If you go in the afternoon, take a good look at the metal fish on the left side of the entry gate. The color of the Trispot Darter changes as you move to the left and right. It’s just another thing that’s unique to this beautiful piece of paradise. And it’s forever protected, forever yours to enjoy.
Editor’s note: Big Canoe Creek Nature Preserve is located at 1700 Murphree’s Valley Road in Springville. If you would like to help support the preserve, you can make a tax-deductible donation online at bigcanoecreekpreserve.org.
Story by Carol Pappas
Photos by Mackenzie Free
It was a word repeated early and often in what would become a decade-long journey to Big Canoe Creek Nature Preserve – “perseverance.”
But on a clear, Spring-like day in February, close to 400 people witnessed just how perseverance paid off.
It was billed as a ribbon cutting. What it became was testament to what can happen when visionaries don’t give up.
The much anticipated, much heralded Big Canoe Creek Nature Preserve officially opened, marking the end of one journey and the beginning of many more. This 422-acre slice of Alabama nature tucked away alongside a pristine creek in Springville blends miles of trails for hiking, biking, horseback riding, birding and just plain enjoying nature.
Plants, flowers, trees of all descriptions dot the landscape. A crystal-clear creek meanders through the heart of it. Below its surface, rare aquatic species have found a home. Towering
Posing with new sign, from left, Richie Gudzan, who designed the new logo, Preserve Manager Doug Morrison, Springville Mayor Dave Thomas and Granger Waid of Norris Paving, who played a major role in getting the Preserve open.
trees form the ideal canopy for the trails below.
It’s a scene no doubt played and replayed in the vision of people like Doug Morrison, whose passion to preserve, protect and share nature’s gem never ceased. Perseverance.
It’s a scene where one by one, a burgeoning army joined in the advocacy, embracing the vision.
The Friends of Big Canoe Creek, Dean Goforth, St. Clair Economic Development Council, Springville City Council, St. Clair County Commission, Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, State Lands Division, Freshwater Land Trust, Forever Wild, Nature Conservancy and Big Canoe Creek Preserve Partners became an unstoppable coalition of noteworthy impact on generations to come. Perseverance.
And it’s a scene where a new journey began once those gates opened, drawing multitudes now and in the future to – as Morrison puts it – “explore and discover” the natural treasures found within its borders. Again, perseverance.
The day following the ribbon cutting, the gates opened officially to the public for its very first day, Feb. 3, and 731 streamed in throughout the day. That’s over 1,000 people in just two days, and the enthusiasm and allure have shown no signs of slowing since.
Springville Mayor Dave Thomas said he had not visited for about two weeks after the opening and decided to check in one morning. The upper parking lot was full, and the traffic kept coming. “It was 10 o’clock in the morning on a Thursday,” he said, the note of surprise evident in his voice.
At the opening, Morrison talked of the Alabama Forever Wild program and the wonder of its impact on the future. “They are taking this property and buying it to set aside for people forever. It will be for this community from now on.”
The abundance of biodiversity is now protected. “We really are blessed here,” Morrison said.
A main focus of the preserve, in addition to its recreational value, will be its education component. No sooner had the ribbon been cut than the first education outreach program was announced – a turkey call expo.
Youths from all over were invited for a day of learning all about turkey calls, making them and enjoying the outdoors. Outdoor classrooms will be a hallmark of the preserve.
Making it official with the cutting of the ribbon
St. Clair Commission
Chairman Stan Batemon, also a retired game warden, talks about the impact of the preserve
Plenty of media turn out for the event
It was a family affair to witness the longawaited opening
Thomas called the preserve “a fantastic opportunity to protect the ecosystem and promote conservation education among students and parents. This will be generational. It will outlive us all.”
Commission Chairman Stan Batemon, who was a game warden in his professional career, knows firsthand from both roles the benefits and potential of the preserve. “This is the ground level of economic development,” he told the crowd. He talked of young people and an emphasis on work ethic through groups like the Cattlemen’s Association and 4-H, which can use the preserve as a resource for “building up and creating a workforce.”
And Morrison centered on a community of people who came together around a common good. When skills and expertise were needed in each area along the journey’s way, he recounted, community stepped up to make it happen. Whether it was securing the land, building a website, painting, paving, addressing environmental needs, carpentry, trail design, providing funding or dozens of other issues, someone always came forward.
“People in this community care,” Morrison said as he reflected on years ago when he and wife, Joannie, moved to Springville, his home on the banks of Big Canoe Creek. “Destiny brought us here, honey,” he told her.
And perseverance brought the preserve to this moment.
A project of this magnitude had to have a team. When their number was called over the past decade en route to opening day, these agencies all played a role in acquiring and transforming the Preserve into a winner:
City of Springville
St. Clair County Commission
St. Clair Economic Development Council
Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, State Lands Division
Alabama Freshwater Land Trust
Alabama Forever Wild
The Friends of Big Canoe Creek
Coosa Riverkeeper
Norris Paving / Granger Waid
Schoel Engineering / Joey Breighner
Alabama Metal Arts
Tracery Stone
Sterling Iron Works
Major Contributors
EBSCO
Community Foundation of Greater Birmingham
G.T. LaBorde
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Alabama
Story by Carol Pappas
Photos by Mackenzie Free
Curiosity got the best of Granger Waid, and Big Canoe Creek Nature Preserve is lucky it did. Same holds true for Joey Breighner. And again, the preserve was on the receiving end of this lucky charm.
Their names often pop up when Preserve Manager Doug Morrison recounts the contributions the pair made to transform the preserve into nature’s gift to all who visit.
“Early on, the preserve seemed to be some type of clandestine operation hidden behind poorly secured cattle gates,” Waid said, recalling his morning commute past the 422-acre site. “It always begged the question, ‘What is going on with this place?’
“One day my curiosity overtook me. I parked at the gate and started walking. Following the little iron ore-stained trickle upstream, I came across an old spring house with remnants of the old home place on the hill above. I thought to myself, “What is going on with this place?”
That was four years ago. Fast forward three years, and Waid was at a pre-bid conference for his company, Norris Paving. The conference was for a new parking lot being installed at Turkey Creek Nature Preserve. He finally asked his “nagging question” about Big Canoe Creek of Charles Yeager, Turkey Creek’s manager, and his response was, “You need to meet my buddy, Doug.”
Morrison and Waid met, he toured the property and saw the potential. “Doug shared his vision for the preserve, and I saw that it could be something truly special. I knew right then I wanted to be a part of it.”
It is much the same story for Breighner. He came. He saw. He got involved.
“I was familiar with the preserve, but when Doug invited me to the preserve and seeing his passion for the project, I immediately became interested and seeing where I may be able to contribute,” said Breighner, an engineer by trade. “After a tour of the preserve, I saw quickly where there were land surveying and engineering needs where we could jump in and help.”
Lucky for the preserve, both men’s expertise matched their enthusiasm, and they went to work. “I had no idea that it would turn into a full-blown passion project,” said Waid, who also holds degrees in landscape and horticulture. “My wife would call it an obsession, but she gets me, and is one of the few who sees that it’s more to me than building a
May 4th & 5th
Alabama Rubik’s Cube Championship
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May 18th
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May 25th
parking lot and putting plants in the ground,” he said.
“Nature is a necessity for me,” he continued. “There is a healing power in the sound of running water, and sometimes a sturdy oak’s trunk is the best shoulder to cry on. So, I’m all for the preservation of wild lands, because a quiet walk in the woods may be the only under-prescribed medication in America.”
Breighner, too, talks of the healing effect of this particular project. “It’s always gratifying to look back – and forward in this case – on a project where you may have had an impact or feel you have made some contribution.
“The vision had already been cast; we came in and helped where we could, working directly with Doug, the City of Springville, and the site contractor,” Breighner recalled. “As professionals, we are often cautious about projects we support and involve ourselves with. However, after an in-depth introduction to the preserve and an understanding of the shortand long-term vision, it became quickly obvious that this was a project that I wanted to be part of and contribute to.”
The skills Schoel possesses as a company in the field of engineering and land surveying was “a great fit,” Breighner said. “There will be a life-long connection to both the preserve and the people we have been able to work with.”
Waid’s personal philosophy melded with his professional ability, he said, sharing a story of his own. “At our wedding, we gave away tiny ‘Snowflake’ Hydrangeas and said, ‘Let love Grow.’ You can’t take a building seed and plant it to share,” he said.
“Buildings don’t grow with age, they don’t change colors in the fall, or bloom in the spring. You can’t eat them – well, maybe gingerbread houses – and they certainly don’t get to be 100 feet tall all by themselves. Landscapes evolve. They are four dimensional. Having the ability to see a space that doesn’t exist, from every angle, at all times of the year, imagining its future, and combining it with paving, concrete, stone, and steel is a unique skill set that I guess I have.”
He had to have a little help, of course. He likens it to a recipe, adding “a fleet of GPS machine-controlled heavy equipment, a little AutoCAD, sprinkle on some engineering, and for something a lot bigger than shovel and wheelbarrow can produce. Just add diesel fuel and long hours.”
Waid noted that some of the earthwork had been done by the county, but it was clear there was not nearly enough parking. “We donated the men and equipment for a couple weeks and built the lower parking lot and expanded the upper parking lot.”
With Breighner’s help in engineering, “that led to the design and installation of the upper parking, roads and bioswale.”
What will be the preserve’s greatest impact going forward?
“Some will say the economic impact in the community, an amenity for the city, others, the opportunity to enjoy the outdoors, hiking, biking, horseback riding, etc.,” Breighner said.
“I see the primary impact as having a nature preserve in St. Clair County, that will be held undeveloped, in perpetuity, with unimaginable diversity available for public enjoyment. The Big Canoe Creek in itself, stands alone in the country with its biodiversity.”
He wants others to have an opportunity to share his appreciation of what can be discovered and enjoyed there. “I have met some incredible folks and made some lifelong friends,” Waid said. “I’ve learned to appreciate the little critters
that often get overlooked because they’re not on your hunting and fishing license. Like mussels and darters or sculpins, and salamanders.”
And there’s more, he said. “Surrounding wooded areas filled with flora and fauna unique only to our region will be available to families and children forever. The diversity of the preserve will provide education opportunities for our children, research opportunities for academia that are available only in this region.”
Breighner talked of the trails with varied elevations providing different challenges for hikers, bikers and horseback riders.
“With the preserve in its infancy, and much work left to be done, I don’t know if I can fully imagine the current and future impact the Big Canoe Creek Nature Preserve will have on this community and the surrounding areas.” He looks forward to the future as it continues to grow, add amenities for visitors and, lucky for the preserve itself, “where I can work with the Nature preserve team.”
Waid captures his glimpse of the future like this: “My hope is to keep people curious. Wandering and wondering is important. Maybe they’ll take a moment to stop, lean against a tree and just soak it all in.
“I also hope that the Preserve will impact some kids and will recruit some apostles to go and spread the clean water gospel. We could use some more Loraxes in the future. The world has enough Oncelers,” he said, referring to Dr. Suess’ fictional characters in chronicling the plight of the environment.
“More than anything else, I hope people take a memory with them,” Waid said. “I grew up playing and fishing in Big Canoe Creek. I’m grateful for my dad, grandad, and uncle taking me to ‘the creek.’ I’ve watched my girls play in the creek. Hopefully I’m fortunate enough to take my future grandchildren to dip their feet in Big Canoe Creek, just like mine took me.”
When you pass through the gates at Big Canoe Creek Nature Preserve, know that many hands built it – maybe not physically, but nevertheless formed the foundation of it all. Manager Doug Morrison is quick to tip his hat to a long list of people and organizations, who along the way, had a hand in making the preserve a reality.
• Springville Mayor Dave Thomas, who encouraged the nonprofit formation, advocates for support of the preserve and the education component.
• Commission Chairman Stan Batemon, consistent advocate during Forever Wild nomination process and through present day.
• The Friends of Big Canoe Creek, the supporting organization at the beginning to preserve the land and nominated the acreage to Forever Wild.
• Wendy Jackson, former executive director Freshwater Land Trust, pitched the idea of greenspace economic value to former Springville Mayor Butch Isley, Batemon and St. Clair Commission, who supported the effort that laid the groundwork.
• Isley and Recreation Director Ashley Hay, secured grant from Community Foundation of Greater Birmingham, which enabled original master plan.
• Dean Goforth, businessman and owner of Homestead Hollow, facilitated navigation of governmental agencies to get the project moving through the process.
• Richie Gudzan, a board member with Coosa Riverkeeper, who designed the new logo at no charge.
• G.T. Laborde, a major contributor whose donations funded the website and other projects during construction.
• Big Canoe Creek Preserve Partners, the preserve’s board that has guided the process through to success.
• Granger Waid/Norris Paving, prepared road for tar and gravel and raised the idea of reshaping the original plan and incorporating the bioswale in the upper parking area.
• Joey Breighner/Schoel Engineering, created new master plan and map for free. Also worked closely with Granger Waid during reshaping of original plan.
• Beau Jordan, painted the gate and information board for free.
• Jaresiah Banks, major volunteer.
• Lee Jeffrey, major volunteer.
• Jill Chambers, major volunteer.
• Bill Fuqua, who lives close to the Preserve, built and donated 25 bluebird houses.
• Drexel Rafford, major volunteer who has helped on many projects and is the Park & Rec liaison for the Preserve worked closely with Jake Tucker, maintenance tech to build the information board at the gate.
• Parks and Rec staff – Rick Hopkins, Austin Brower, Justin Parkman and Josh Miller – helped on many occasions.
• Discover St. Clair Magazine, St. Clair Times and Trussville Tribune, consistent supporters that covered the journey since its first steps to raise awareness.
Organizations which contributed either through grants or donations:
• EBSCO
• BCBS of Alabama
• Coosa Riverkeeper
• KEBCO
• United Way of Central Alabama
• Amerex
• Walmart
• Lovejoy Realty
• All American Ford
• Sherwin Williams, which donated paint for the gate and info board at the entrance
Story by Roxann Edsall
Photos by Mackenzie Free and Roxann Edsall
Submitted photos
It may look like just an ordinary landscaping job to many who park at the Big Canoe Creek Nature Preserve in Springville. There, in the middle of the parking area, is an island of landscaping. Lovely, but on the surface, unremarkable. It is, however, quite remarkable.
This is a bioswale, a highly efficient and aesthetically pleasing landscape engineering tool, whose job is to control stormwater and its resulting erosion and to limit the transference of pollutants. It functions a bit like a stormwater detention basin, but it looks far better.
Why is it needed? In areas with solid surfaces, like roads, driveways, and like BCCNP’s parking lot, storm water is not able to soak in, so it runs off, taking pollutants like oils, pesticides, micro garbage and cigarette butts with it. With enough rain, the volume of water takes these pollutants to grassy areas and to creeks.
Enter the bioswale. Graded to be lower than the rest of the parking area, it is essentially a trench, into which all the rainwater funnels. The trench contains perforated drainage pipes and layers of gravel, sand and organic materials to filter the pollutants before they are absorbed into the ground soil.
Flood and drought resistant plants are then placed into the area to keep the filter materials in place. Domed metal grates are tucked into planting areas on either end of the planting area to handle extreme volumes of water.
Granger Waid, vice president of Norris Paving and Excavating, worked with Joey Breighner and Schoel Engineering on the design and installation of BCCNP’s bioswale.
Waid used both his work experience with concrete and asphalt surfacing and his degree in Horticulture and Landscape Design to come up with a different design for the parking lot that would be both attractive and functional. “I drew it up with the help of Joey,” explains Waid. “We then were able to make my two-dimensional drawing into a three-dimensional one, so we could just plug it into a bulldozer, and it automatically graded the parking lot that way.”
Breighner and his crew gave Waid detailed specifications
for the soil mixture to put on top of all the drainage layers. This “dirt recipe” was designed specifically for the native redbuds, sweet bay magnolias and pink muhly grass. Because it is a Forever Wild property, only plants approved as native to the state by a botanist from the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources were allowed.
Since this bioswale is in the middle of a parking area in a remote setting, the plants had to be drought tolerant, but be able to survive in standing water. And they had to look good from all angles and in all seasons.
They do look good, but understanding the greater purpose makes them even more interesting.
Waid and the team at Big Canoe Creek Nature Preserve are working on a documentary on the bioswale and its function. Soon, visitors will be able to scan a QR code on a sign to connect to that information.
This landscape area is definitely not just a pretty space. l
Editor’s Note: You can view the documentary at bigcanoecreekpreserve.org/videos
Now landscaped, the bioswale underneath is unnoticeable, but its environmental impact looms large
It’s called a tipping point – that moment when an idea catches a spark and spreads – much like the momentum of a wildfire.
It is exactly that point where St. Clair County found itself 25 years ago with nothing more than an idea of how economic development could work for the future. This was the crossroads question: Do it the way it’s always been done or venture outside the box and bring an entire county together toward a common goal?
Lucky for St. Clair County, officials chose the latter, it took hold, and it’s been spreading like wildfire ever since.
You might say it was luck when the St. Clair Economic Development Council was created, but those who were there at those historic crossroads know differently. Those groundbreakings and ribbon cuttings that have become virtually a weekly routine around these parts today did not happen by accident.
Like laying a foundation brick by brick, a group of visionaries carefully transformed an idea into what St. Clair Countians may take for granted these days. But it was all part of a strategically laid plan.
For years, Pell City Realtor Ed Ash assumed responsibility for economic development and by all accounts is owed a debt of gratitude. Many of the early industries were recruited and the projects landed because of Ash’s efforts.
In about 1998, he decided to retire from industry recruiting, and officials faced a decision. What do we do next?
“We figured we needed a full-time recruiter,” said Bob Barnett, who serves as chairman of the Pell City Industrial Development Board, a post he still holds. But they wanted to take it a step further – make that several steps – and develop it as a countywide effort. “It was an idea that just started taking wings. Everyone saw the need.”
Barnett and then commission chairman, the late Roy Banks, are credited with giving the idea those wings early on.
They enlisted the counsel of Circuit Judge Bill Weathington, who was county attorney and Moody city attorney at the time, and he skillfully set up the framework of what would become the EDC. Municipalities came on board, and the idea was in motion.
“One thing we realized was in order to get economic projects, we needed to incentivize differently to compete with surrounding counties and larger municipalities,” Weathington said. “We determined that together, we could compete.”
“Together” is a recurring theme throughout this 25-year success story. Up to that time, municipalities operated from their own silos, sometimes competing with each other.
The new concept meant they could compete effectively with others outside the county rather than battling among themselves. What was good for one was good for all.
“We could do things we could not do individually, and if we helped each other, we could help the county have a better chance of landing some of these things,” Weathington said.
With over 8,000 new jobs and $1.7 billion in new investments to its credit since that time, Weathington concluded, “it turned out pretty well for us.”
Banks was a driving force early in the planning, urging Weathington to structure it so that it would be “fair for everybody,” he said. As history would have it, Banks was defeated that year for the chairmanship by Stan Batemon.
But Batemon, recognizing the importance of the effort, not only kept it going in his administration, he and the commission appointed Banks as a member of the first EDC Board of Directors. The structure of the board was critical to the ‘together’ plan. Representation on the five-member board was spread around the county, and no elected official was allowed to serve, a move aimed at keeping politics out of the process.
The charter board was Tommy Bowers, Pell City, chairman; Terry Stewart, Ashville; Joe Kelly, Moody; Lyman Lovejoy, Odenville; and Banks, Pell City. The county commission gave the first $100,000 to fund it, and each municipality invested based on a percentage of their population.
The structure of the board has remained the same. “It still functions like it was set up,” Weathington said. “It speaks well” that the boards, mayors, council and county worked together across administrations to ensure the continuity of mission. “You don’t find that everywhere,” he said.
Weathington noted that Barnett was involved in bringing the idea to the table and played an instrumental role in “making this happen.” Banks, he said, guided the process. And Batemon was the “salesman, made us look good and sold a lot of people on St. Clair County.”
At Saks signing, from left, seated: Steele Mayor Alfred Lackey; Chairman Stan Batemon; Walter Scott, Saks Inc. Standing, Wendy Cornett, Saks attorney; Charles Robinson, Steele attorney; Pat Coffee, Steele clerk; Kenny Coleman, Metropolitan Development Board; John Wilcox, Steele
Bill Ellison, President/CEO
Thank you, St. Clair EDC, for 25 years of support and partnership in making good things happen for St. Clair County.
Former
The biggest fear at the beginning was that the first major project would go to Pell City rather than another municipality and endanger the concept of working together. But it went to the tiny town of Steele in the northern tip of St. Clair County, which landed a Saks Fifth Avenue distribution center.
In fact, the second project went to Steele, too –Yachiyo, an automotive supplier.
Former Pell City Mayor Guin Robinson followed the late Mayor Mack Abercrombie into office in the early goings of the EDC. Recognizing that locating the first industry outside Pell City would actually help the overall, long-term success, he recalled telling former Executive Director Ed Gardner Sr. that it would not hurt his feelings if the first project landed elsewhere.
When the second project went to Steele, he told Gardner in jest, “Hey, Ed, I didn’t mean they all had to be outside Pell City.”
Robinson’s tenure eventually saw plenty of growth. The expansive Walmart development,
Lovejoy Realty is proud to be a part of the team!
Brian Camp Lyman Lovejoy
Chad Camp Terry and Mischelle DeWitt
Jefferson State Community College and a host of other industrial, commercial and institutional projects dotted the landscape.
Now Dean of Economic Development at Jefferson State Community College, Robinson has a rare vantage point as councilman, mayor and college official. The EDC is headquartered on the third floor of Jefferson State. “At that time, the community recognized the importance of the future of the EDC, and Jeff State recognized that as well.”
During the late Jefferson State President Judy Merritt’s term, the college expressed its desire to locate EDC there if space was available. “Judy Merritt and her team, which included current President Keith Brown, embraced the idea. Making that decision before the building was even built says a lot about the importance of EDC and its future.”
Robinson referred to the college’s mission of economic development and workforce development as a “natural fit” with EDC’s own mission and what would become a solid partnership.
Other areas of the county found natural fits, too, because of the strong foundation EDC was building. Moody saw Red Diamond, a global coffee and tea manufacturer pull up its 100 year-old roots in Jefferson County and head to St. Clair County, building a stunning facility there and making sizable initial and subsequent investments in expansions and generating significant job growth.
In its 25 years, every area of the county has benefited from new or expanding industry investment as well as commercial ventures, a testament to their working together philosophy.
The EDC Board’s first decision set the course. Maybe the stars were aligned just right, as they say, or more probably, it was the vision shared by those who made it happen.
Ed Gardner Sr. was serving as head of the Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs in Gov. Fob James’ administration and was leaving office. He previously served as assistant secretary of Housing and Urban Development in Washington D.C.
His contacts and relationships in business and government circles were legendary. “If we could get him,” Lovejoy recalled, it would make all the difference. They hired him, and it did make all the difference.
When Gardner was honored by EDC in
2018 with its Chairman’s Award, Robinson remarked, “You can have all the necessary things for success, but it takes a leader. And it takes someone who can put all the ingredients together. You can call him an architect. You can call him a builder, but Ed put it together. … We all knew we had those things, but we needed someone to put it together. I’m forever thankful and forever grateful that that person was Ed Gardner.”
“Boy, did we hit a homerun,” Lovejoy said. Gardner had a working relationship with Metropolitan Development Board in Birmingham. He knew people to contact, not just in the state but around the country. He made the wheels turn. We were at a running gallop right off.”
That gallop never seemed to let up. When Gardner retired, the board hired his son, Ed Gardner Jr., who was deputy director for economic development for the City of Auburn. At the time, Auburn was viewed by many as the pinnacle of economic development in the state.
He stepped into the role, and more successes followed. The first German industry – Eissmann Automotive put its first North American plant in Pell City. That led to VST Keller Oerlikon. Gardner, Jason Goodgame of Goodgame Company and Batemon traveled to Germany to help swing the deal. That led to WKW locating in Pell City as well. Today, Eissmann and WKW are St. Clair County’s largest employers.
Before he left, the wheels were in motion for the other two components of a trifecta for institutional growth in Pell City – Ascension St. Vincent’s St. Clair and Col. Robert L. Howard Veterans Home joined Jefferson State Community College – on the sprawling site fronting Interstate 20. Gardner would oversee tremendous growth in the county over his fiveand-a-half-year tenure.
During those years, he guided a fundraising campaign that saw the EDC budget grow from $200,000 a year to $2.5 million over five years. He hired an assistant director, Don Smith, and a retail specialist, Candice Hill, so that EDC could focus fully on all facets of economic development.
Smith was a former colleague from Auburn. When Gardner left the City of Auburn, he said he told Smith,
“Hang out here and learn a little bit, and I’ll come back and get you.”
Fortunately for him and St. Clair County, he did. Smith became assistant director for the EDC and later executive director. Gardner Jr. left in 2010 for the Birmingham Business Alliance and later Power South, and Smith ascended to the role he has held ever since.
“It was the best decision of my career,” Smith said. At EDC, he worked as assistant with Gardner Jr. for one and a half years and then served as interim director for six months before being named executive director.
Groundbreakings for the hospital and the veterans home came at the beginning of his taking the helm. Scores of industrial and commercial developments have followed, and they show no signs of slowing.
His innovative and strategic thinking have given birth to new initiatives – Tourism, led by Coordinator Blair Goodgame, and Leadership St. Clair County and a newly created Grant Resource Center, led by Candice Hill, director of Grants and Leadership. He named Jason Roberts director of Industry and Workforce Development.
“Don is forward thinking,” said former EDC Chairman Tommy Bowers. “He has a great team.”
Looking to the future from the lofty position of $233 million in new annual wages announced to date, Smith and his team are poised to announce 1,200 new jobs and $350 million in new investment over the next five years. It is a target they are already on track to exceed.
Lovejoy’s assessment was right. EDC hit a home run indeed.
St. Clair’s institutional trifecta light up the night sky over Interstate 20, boosting health care and education landscape
“Do not follow where the path may lead. Go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.”
— Ralph Waldo Emerson
Story by Carol Pappas Discover Photo Archives
Twenty five years. Three chairmen of the board. One goal.
In 1999, the newly formed St. Clair County Economic Development Council charted a course where no one really knew exactly where it would lead. But they had an idea that if they all worked together, good things would follow.
The sailing wasn’t always smooth, but they stayed the course – through economic good times and downturns, through political administrations and leadership changes. Through it all, their North Star was working together.
Creation of the EDC “pulled the whole county together,” said Tommy Bowers, who served as the first chairman of the board. “We worked together as a team and supported each other’s prospects.”
When there was a ribbon cutting or a groundbreaking in one area, the rest of the county’s communities showed up in support. It was the premise upon which EDC was built –what is good for one is good for all.
Bowers recalled that the idea of a countywide economic development effort first arose out of the Pell City Industrial Development Board when members Bob Barnett and Ray Cox of Metro Bank proffered the notion that bringing the county together made sense. “They were instrumental in bringing the whole county thing in.”
Every good plan starts with an architect, so they brought former county attorney Bill Weathington in to set up the structure. “A lot of the credit goes to him,” Bowers said.
Because of the success that followed, Alabama Power, long known for its economic development prowess, “used us as an example of how industrial recruiting should work,” he said. “And it wasn’t just county cooperation, it was regional.”
Case in point: Honda Manufacturing of Alabama. Bowers, Commission Chairman Stan Batemon and EDC
Served as First Chairman, 1998-2014
Tommy Bowers
Helped Lead Founding of EDC Founding Member
Lyman Lovejoy Founding Member Chairman, 2014-2015
Joe Kelly Founding Member Chairman, 2015-Present
Board Member Lyman Lovejoy were part of the team that brought the automobile manufacturer to Lincoln in Talladega County. The team also included Calhoun, Talladega, Etowah and Jefferson counties.
In a yearlong, highly secret process under the code name, “Bingo,” the project almost went to St. Clair, but unionization concerns along the I-59 corridor in Etowah steered company officials away from the Steele site.
They considered the Pell City airport property for a time, and they put together a presentation that included relocating the airport.
Then, they looked at the Lincoln site, and a tree may have helped swing the final deal. One of the Japanese representatives “fell in love” with a tree on the property, and it helped sway the decision to that property, Bowers said. Before construction of the plant, they even built a fence around the tree and its root system to protect and preserve it.
At the time, the team didn’t know the identity of the recruiting target, although they eventually guessed it was Honda. The proposal was written in three languages and placed in a leather pouch with “Alabama” embossed on it. The team was even involved in the funding mechanism for incentives. “It’s unbelievable what goes into locating an industry,” Bowers said. “It’s a huge process.”
And while it didn’t wind up in St. Clair, “it was good for St. Clair County and the City of Pell City. It was good for the whole area,” he said. Today, Honda is the largest employer of St. Clair County people not located in the county – over 1,500.
At the beginning of EDC, they didn’t recruit commercial businesses, but they never limited themselves either. EDC officials realized that commercial recruitment needed the same
information as industry, so EDC became a “catalyst” for it, he said.
EDC began to invest in retail recruitment and hired Retail Specialist Candice Hill, who is still with the organization today. She has since expanded her role into coordinating the new countywide Grant Resource Center and Leadership St. Clair County program.
Calling the grant center a “tremendous” step in the EDC’s evolution, Bowers said it is eyed as “the biggest move in EDC history.” He views the first 25 years as phases – industry, commercial and now grants, another innovation to EDC’s credit. “It’s the only program set up like that in the state,” Bowers said.
From the smallest of towns to the entire county, they will be able to identify and effectively pursue grants to fill diverse needs with the help this program will provide.
As for the future, Bowers issued a warning. “We need to be careful we do not lose our current recruiter, Don Smith. He is one of the top professionals across the state. We need to keep him and his team in place.”
Judging by the track record and the potential the future holds, Bowers is right when he talks of continuing the momentum. “We need to be planning now what needs to be next. Things are changing. Who would have thought we would go from industry recruiting to grants?”
Smith, he said, is “forward thinking, and he has a great team.”
Looking back, “it took off up in Steele” and evolved into an economic development leader in the state, Bowers said. “It is quite rewarding to be a part of all that.”
Lyman Lovejoy served on the board at its inception and became its second chairman when Bowers was named to the county commission. In keeping with its original, guiding principle, elected officials cannot serve on the EDC board, and Bowers stepped down.
Lovejoy was in on the ground floor of plans to create the EDC, so he knew full well what to expect as chairman. He remembered the early days when the idea of the EDC was hatched. “There was not a concerted effort around the county to recruit business and industry. Everyone operated on their own.”
If a prospect wanted to look at property in the county, there was not a ‘go to’ person to coordinate although Pell City Realtor Ed Ash was able to successfully locate industries in Pell City early on.
Lovejoy knew the first hire of an EDC
director would perhaps be the most important decision they would make. Lovejoy knew of the reputation of Ed Gardner Sr., who served at the Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs as director and before that, assistant secretary of Housing and Urban Development in Washington. He was an early advocate for Gardner in the position.
The questions Lovejoy had were, “Would he come? Can we afford him?”
The answer to both were yes, and Lovejoy’s conclusion was simple: “Boy, did we hit a homerun.”
Gardner had the knowledge, expertise and the contacts that quickly moved St. Clair into a leading contender as prospects considered Alabama for new locations or expansions.
“We knew it was a good thing for St. Clair County” having two interstates, railroad spurs, industrial sites and a workforce pool, and EDC began to capitalize on the county’s assets. “We started building on that,” Lovejoy said.
The Saks Fifth Avenue distribution center came. So did Yachiyo. Red Diamond moved to Moody. Dozens more from
around the region, across the state and around the world would follow over the next 25 years.
It was a success story played and replayed, just like Lovejoy’s own pitch about St. Clair County. “I love my county, and I love telling its story.”
Joe Kelly, too, was on the ground floor of EDC’s creation, serving as a member of the charter board. “I’m the last of the originals,” he said. “I had some vision of what it could be but nothing like what’s come to pass.”
He now serves as chairman of the board, a post he has held for the past five years.
Originally, the primary focus was industrial recruitment, he said. The vision expanded with the needs, focusing on retail and quality of life issues, too. “It has evolved into how can we affect the health, wealth and quality of life in the county?”
To get to this point, they had to ask themselves, “Can cities, towns and neighborhoods work together? Is it possible? How
do we go about it? It’s remarkable the way it developed into that. The quality of the directors affected that a lot. Still does today.”
The county commission, Kelly said, working with cities and towns became “the glue. Without it, I’m not sure it wouldn’t fragment.”
An important challenge was leveling the playing field, but it was critical to the triumphs over the years. EDC has a working knowledge of cities and towns across the county. “It doesn’t play one against the other,” and as a result, “St. Clair EDC is the envy of a lot of different governments in the state and frankly, nationally and internationally.”
Kelly also talked of the promise of the Grant Resource Center. Grants are available, but communities must know about them and go through an often times tedious process without the expertise or manpower. “Why should towns go through all that when the EDC can be involved?,” he asked.
With guidance from the county commission, EDC has stepped up in that role. It is yet another compelling example of putting the EDC to work to fill needs in the county that have gone unmet. It’s a legacy of putting the right people in the right place at the right time and working together to make extraordinary feats happen.
“I’m proudest of helping identify and bring on board people we have had. The quality of the staff – those four people do a lot of work, good work. Our three executive directors all have been superstars. It has been an honor to serve on this board for 25 years and an honor to serve as chairman.”
Its chairmen have been another key component of this legacy of success.
Story by Carol Pappas Discover Archive Photos
It’s an oft quoted phrase – You can’t get to where you want to be if you don’t have a plan to get you there.
From its infancy, St. Clair County Economic Development Council not only had a plan, they developed new ones every five years and executed them to perfection. They set goals. They met goals – and they exceeded them.
Today, as in years past, St. Clair County holds its familiar place as one of the fastest growing counties in Alabama. It is consistently in the top
Officials gather for the expansion of the college to house a Nursing and Allied Health School
10 fastest growing by population percentage, sometimes top 5, in the state.
In 2019, EDC put in motion its five-year plan in:
• Education and Workforce Development
• Job Recruitment and Retention
• Marketing
• Tourism
• Leadership
•
Like a well-schooled student checking off homework assignments, the team at EDC went to work and by 2023, goals were completed and in many instances, the outcomes exceeded the expectations.
Congratulations on your anniversary, and thank you for your role in the growth and success of our county.
Thank you, St. Clair EDC, for setting the standard for economic development in Alabama!
I am proud to be St. Clair County’s voice in our nation’s capital and a partner in moving our state forward.
Thanks for leading the team! Representing
In Job Recruitment and Retention, an A+ would certainly be in order.
Goal – Announce $150 million in new capital investments
Outcome – Announced $672 million
Goal – Announce $50 million in new payroll from new jobs created
Outcome – Announced $54 million
Goal – Announce $3 million in additional tax revenue for schools
Outcome – Announced $11.5 million
Goal – Announce 1,500 new jobs
Outcome – Announced 1,608 new jobs
More than a passing grade goes across the board in all areas of the plan.
In Education and Workforce Development, EDC hosted an annual meeting to create partnerships between employers and educators. That partnership ensures that the county has a trained, skilled workforce to meet available job opportunities.
They raised awareness about regional job opportunities, advocated for education courses relevant to employers’ needs and strengthened relationships and partnerships with education.
The EDC completed work to identify and market 500 acres of sites in the county, surveyed existing business to determine growth potential and needs, raised awareness about the county’s healthcare and educational assets and coordinated successful grant requests from municipalities.
To ensure that industries are armed with the information they need on available incentives, proper use of incentives and updates on new incentive programs, EDC held an Economic Development Summit.
In Marketing, they developed communication strategies for messaging on a wide range of subjects, working with Realtors,
Chambers, educational institutions and geographical areas, like the I-59 corridor.
For Tourism, they promoted tourism events, activities and sites throughout the county, networked with state and regional tourism organizations and have developed a detailed tourism strategy.
And in Leadership, they continued to build on the strong alumni base and identified prospective leaders in each community, worked in community planning and evaluated Main Street program potential.
“It’s been a great run,” Executive Director Don Smith told a group of investors in EDC’s Partnership for Tomorrow. “We want to accelerate that going forward.”
If the past is any indicator of the future, better fasten your seatbelts.
Story by Carol Pappas Discover Photo Archives
It’s a small circle, to be sure, but the quality of work found within the arc is a legacy that will impact St. Clair County for generations.
In the 25-year history of the St. Clair Economic Development Council, only three directors have served. Ed Gardner Sr. laid the foundation. Ed Gardner Jr. followed in his father’s footsteps, building upon it, but put his own signature on it, too. And Don Smith continues the legacy with a lofty track record of successes others in economic development envy.
As Ed Gardner Sr. departed the Gov. Fob James cabinet as director of the Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs at the end of his term, he had three choices for his next career move.
“I weighed all three,” Gardner said. Adding a chuckle,
Don Smith speaks at another groundbreaking
he said, “And I took the one that paid the least.” There was something about this newly hatched St. Clair Economic Development Council he found intriguing, challenging and potentially rewarding.
“I liked the board from the first day I met them,” he recalled, adding that Board Member Lyman Lovejoy’s “personality” hinted to him that “this is going to be a fun job.”
At the time, 90 to 95 percent of the projects were coming through agencies that were well funded, affording luxuries like international travel as simply a matter of course. The old adage, ‘it’s not what you know, it’s who you know,’ certainly applied to those like St. Clair who couldn’t afford the luxuries. And that’s where Gardner was at his best.
Even during the interview, the board knew they had the right man. Apologizing, Gardner asked if he could interrupt to take a call he had been expecting and really needed to take. They said yes, and he answered the call.
“It was a senator from Washington,” said Tommy Bowers, who served as chairman at the time. “If we could get him,” Lovejoy said, “it would be a homerun.”
“Ed was clearly our choice,” added Bowers, “and we offered him the job. That started the EDC as we know it today.”
His relationship with the Metropolitan Development Board was “really key in the early success,” Gardner said. “We got to look at every project that went through there.”
He had grant connections through ADECA, but by law, he couldn’t lobby for a year. So, he had an idea – bring all the sources together and introduce them to St. Clair County. He found the largest houseboat he could, the finest chef to cater and the best beverages to serve plus live entertainment, and he brought them all together for an unforgettable cruise on Logan Martin Lake.
Recognizing the importance of such a gathering, representatives of the four banks – the late Ray Cox and Metro Bank, Colonial Bank, NBC Bank and Union State Bank – anted up for the cost.
In St. Clair, he brought together mayors, commissioners, bankers and developers like Jason Goodgame and Bill Ellison. St. Clair’s Alabama Legislative delegation and its Congressional delegation were on board. So were government officials like then State Treasurer Kay Ivey.
“It meant they would spend a day or longer in Pell City,” he said. “It proved to be very, very successful.”
He didn’t stop there, knowing the relationships forged had to be maintained and strengthened. At the annual convention in Fairhope, EDC hosted dinner at the finest restaurant for all the partners to get to know St. Clair County better.
Gardner’s philosophy of building relationships worked, and successes followed. The Saks Fifth Avenue distribution center landed in Steele. He was on the team along with Bowers and Commission Chairman Stan Batemon that recruited Honda.
While Honda didn’t locate in St. Clair, it put roots down just across the border in Lincoln. Today, Honda is the largest employer of St. Clair County people not located in the county – 1,5002,000.
When Yachiyo, an automotive supplier, was considering St. Clair as a site, Gardner learned of an unpublicized radius around Honda in which suppliers were excluded from locating. A circle on a map excluded St. Clair completely. Company officials denied the existence of the circle but when Gardner offered to show them the map, Yachiyo was approved in Steele soon after.
Site selection isn’t the only consideration in a project. Sometimes it’s the amenities nearby. Eissmann, a German manufacturer of leather components for automobiles, was looking for a North American site. The decision makers on site selection were world-class water-skiing competitors.
So, Gardner solicited the help of St. Clair’s
Retail
own skiing champion, Brad Brascho, who won the national title in slalom skiing. “I got Brad Brascho to take them out on the lake.”
They put together a one-and-a-half-hour presentation in two weeks and faxed every photo of a ski boat, Logan Martin and St. Clair County that could sell it, and “I got a call the next day they were coming to Pell City.” Today, after multiple expansions, Eissmann is the county’s largest employer.
The project he’s proudest of is not an industry at all, but rather a public safety one. At the time, I-20 had been experiencing a fatality nearly every month. Five-laning the heavily traveled stretch of highway had been on the drawing board for years but was no closer to fruition.
Then Mayor Guin Robinson lobbied heavily for a concrete barrier in the middle in a very public campaign, and he, Gardner, Batemon and Bowers met with state transportation officials and convinced them to make it happen.
St. Clair got the concrete barrier, and fatalities fell to historic lows. Later, a six-lane highway moved from drawing board to construction.
Other highway improvements led to more economic development. Officials knew the bridge over I-20 connecting U.S. 231 South with Home Depot, Walmart and other massive commercial development wouldn’t stand the test of time nor the traffic.
Transportation officials were able to recapture $2 million from other projects to apply to improving the bridge, but they needed a match. “Stan said, ‘I’ve got mine,’ and Guin said, ‘I’ve got mine.’ ” With the commitments, the bridge that now connects two major commercial districts secured its improvements.
The decision to locate a campus of Jefferson State Community College in Pell City came in 2004.
“We needed a community college presence,” recalled Robinson. Gadsden State Community College had been offering classes, but Jefferson State decided to build a campus in the county. Education, economic development and workforce development all go hand in hand, he said. “The pieces all aligned with Jeff State, the city and the county. It really made for a remarkable time to be involved.”
Robinson had just resurrected the St. Clair County Mayors Association. “It was a great forum for keeping everyone informed,” Gardner said, and it was utilized to keep all entities on the same page. It still is.
Gardner underscores that act of working together as the single-most crucial factor in how this success story unfolded. “We put together a team and partnerships, and it worked out pretty well.”
In March, fresh from a $10 billion deal bringing Amazon Web Services Inc. to Mississippi, Entergy Mississippi Vice President of Economic Development Ed Gardner Jr. reflected on another successful stint in his career.
From 2004 to 2010, he served as executive director of St. Clair’s EDC. “I was super young, and I really didn’t know a lot,” he said. In actuality, he came from eight years with
economic development efforts for the City of Auburn, known widely for its standard-setting track record, where he served as deputy director.
“It was special succeeding my dad,” he said. “I really learned a ton working with the board.” While he learned from his father’s strengths and the foundation he laid, he led the organization to even greater heights.
“I realized I needed a team to do what I wanted to do. I needed to raise money to hire one or two people,” he said, noting that at the time, revenues were $200,000 vs. spending of $220,000 per year.
PROUDLY SERVING ST. CLAIR COUNTY FOR
Creating jobs, the lives of and improving St.Clair County residents. increasing wealth,
Thank you for your continued partnership and commitment to St. Clair County.
Gardner’s capital campaign raised $2.5 million over five years, giving him an opportunity to hire Don Smith as assistant director and Candice Hill as retail specialist, a first in the state. Together, they could – and would – put together projects that propelled the county forward.
The first were VST Keller now Oerlikon and WKW, German automotive suppliers that became leading industries in Pell City.
Before he left, the county broke ground on a new, state-ofthe-art hospital and a state veterans home that is a model for the nation.
On the Col. Robert L. Howard State Veterans Home project, Gardner said Batemon sent him an article about the Veterans Administration zeroing in on a site in Jefferson County. Gardner contacted them, and Smith prepared a presentation. Admiral Clyde Marsh, head of Alabama Veterans Affairs, looked at the map and said, “ ‘That could work.’ We made a pitch. All three of us had something to do with it.”
The ironic part of the story was the argument of the pitch. “We used the new hospital, which was not certain, to lure the veterans home, and the veterans home solidified the deal with the hospital,” which also was not certain, Gardner said.
He still thinks it is “cool” when traveling on I-20 to look over at the hospital and veterans home perched prominently on the hillside and knowing he had a role in it.
As for first hiring who would eventually become his successor, Smith, Gardner said the choice was easy. He recognized his abilities early on back in their days in Auburn. Smith was an accountant for the revenue department for the city, and economic development needed someone to oversee the financials.
Gardner said he told his boss “that Don guy comes in early and stays late,” and he might have the kind of work ethic and ability they needed. They hired him as staff accountant in economic development. He eventually worked in lease management, deal structuring and financial management.
Gardner, too, talked about the business model of EDC as the reason for its success. “They got the model right. The key was they didn’t have elected officials on the board. It took politics out. The people who served have been great,” he said citing the way the makeup of the board brought everyone together toward a common good.
“There was cooperation in the county that other parts of the state asked, ‘How do you do that?,’ ” he said. “Getting along is important to business and to prospects.”
Like a baton passed from one runner to the other in this economic development relay race, the executive directors who have served seem to handle it with ease and even greater speed than the one before.
When Smith entered the race, his challenge was to meet different needs of different communities – “trying to bring value to all of our communities.”
Through planning, innovation and that work ethic Gardner identified, Smith’s tenure has overseen explosive growth. Twenty five years ago when EDC began, the county’s
Eissmann and WKW, German companies, enhance St. Clair’s reputation as a global marketplace
population stood at 65,000. In 2030, it is predicted to top 100,000.
Smith oversaw the hospital opening in 2010 and the veterans home in 2011. “It’s been a whirlwind ever since then,” he said.
With a grateful nod to the foundation built by his predecessors, Smith said, “Ed Jr. and Ed Sr. have always been incredible, accessible and charitable with their time and wisdom.” The board “gives us a solid foundation to allow us to reach full potential. They have been an incredible guiding hand and extremely supportive without micromanaging.”
Under his leadership, groundbreakings and ribbon cuttings
for new industry, expansions, retail, commercial and professional operations are so frequent they have become almost commonplace. Industrial growth has soared so much that the challenge has become industrial sites to locate them.
“That’s why the two SEEDS grants through the State, for a combined $2.5 million for infrastructure to aid in the development of the Kelly Creek Commerce Park in Moody and the purchase of property in Springville are so important,” Smith said. The two SEEDS, Site Evaluation and Economic Development Strategy, grants were the most in the state -- $400,000 for sewer in Moody’s park and $2.1 million to acquire 240 acres in Springville.
“Our communities need large tracts of land with infrastructure to attract new industry and quality employers,” Smith said. “Large residential developments are looking for that land as well, so we have to be proactive.”
Retail growth has been spurred by job creation and residential growth from EDC efforts as well with EDC working closely in helping bring about major developments, like Pell City Square, which is anchored by Hobby Lobby, Ross Dress for Less, TJ Maxx, Old Navy and other big-name retailers.
More developments – restaurants and hotels – have moved from drawing board to construction.
Developer Bill Ellison calls it teamwork. Ellison has helped bring the likes of Pell City Square, Walmart, Buffalo Wild Wings, Premier Cinema, Publix and a seemingly endless list of tax revenue generators. His developments account for seven of the top 10 revenue producers that make up City of Pell City’s budget.
“The main thing was the coming together,” Ellison said. “They brought all the cities together under EDC, and that set up teamwork. Other EDCs in the state want to emulate how we do business.”
Ellison talked of his largest, early project – the Walmart development in Pell City, which led to massive commercial growth with retail, restaurants, hotels and other businesses.
Ed Garner Sr., he said, was able to help him navigate all the government approvals required of such a project en route to becoming reality, Ellison said. “That one project showed how EDC was going to function. It set a precedent on how we move forward. It showed us a path.”
Today, Smith is the guide along that path. “Don is such a huge asset to the county,” Ellison said. “He is a problem solver. He looks at every single development to determine if it is in the best interest of the city or county. Is it a fit? Is it good for the community? All projects have a mountain to climb, but he’s a problem solver. Once he’s committed, he will find a way to make it work.”
Smith knows that change is inevitable, and he embraces it. Innovations are a hallmark of his tenure, generating even greater successes.
“I’ve watched him grow in the job,” Ellison said of Smith. “I have a ton of respect for the work he does, and he’s earned it.”
Retail and quality of life opportunities are flourishing in Pell City’s commercial districts and in places like St. Clair Arena
and Event Center, Canoe Creek Landing and Big Canoe Creek Nature Preserve. All had help from Smith and EDC.
Leadership St. Clair County, under EDC’s umbrella, helps identify potential leaders in the county and brings them together each year in a program that helps them learn more about the place of their home or business and encourages them to get involved. It makes for a better outlook for the future.
EDC’s tourism, headed by Blair Goodgame, is focusing on supporting and growing events and promoting attractions, and they point to growth in the lodging taxes as evidence that it’s working. It plans to produce a new video to showcase the county and is creating community guides for all municipalities as well as one for the county and a host of other promotions of all aspects of the county.
Workforce development also continues to be a focus of EDC, developing partnerships with education and employers to provide skillsets where the jobs are or will be. Jason Roberts leads this initiative by bringing educators and employers together.
Perhaps the most groundbreaking initiative of EDC is its latest one – St. Clair County Grant Resource Center. Coordinated by Candice Hill, the center “potentially will have the largest impact of anything EDC has done,” Smith said.
A grant firm is being hired with expertise in securing grants across a wide spectrum. What that means for cities and towns across St. Clair County and the county itself is that they will be made aware of grants that can fit their needs – whatever they might be. The program will identify “what’s out there, how to obtain them and manage the grants correctly,” Smith said.
Where communities didn’t know about what was available or how to get grants before, they’ll know now, and the center will facilitate the entire process.
“Different communities have different needs,” Smith explained. “Some have more retail options than others,” some need basic infrastructure. That’s the challenge, the diversity of the needs, and managing to serve all of them. That’s the way the center will work, just like EDC has for 25 years.
See a need and fill it – together.
Its mission is pretty straight forward: “To create Jobs, increase wealth, and improve the quality of life for St. Clair County citizens.”
Since 1999, the impact of the St. Clair Economic Development Council has been just as clear: 8,373 new jobs, over $233 million in new annual wages and over $1.7 billion in new investments.
As EDC passes this anniversary milestone, rest assured there are more up ahead.
In the next five years, EDC’s strategic goals in recruitment and retention of business and industry are:
• Announce 1,200 new jobs
• Announce $350 million in new investment countywide
• Leverage business relationships for 10 prospect leads
• Leverage business relationships for seven outbound recruitment efforts
• Develop relationships with six new industrial or commercial brokers annually
• Develop relationships with six new site selection consultants annually
In addition to reaching numbers EDC sets based on strategic planning input, the team implements programs to strengthen its relationships across the county and meet the needs of existing business.
In keeping with its push for economic development in the retail sector, EDC will be hosting a retail summit for elected officials to educate them on current retail recruitment strategies along with its other programs and initiatives.
To ensure the needs of existing industry are satisfied, they meet with existing industry and large employers annually to discuss the benefits of St. Clair County, and they meet with large employers to discuss programs of benefit.
And they build relationships with regional and statewide development agencies to promote the county’s strengths and opportunities.
“Strategic planning is time consuming,” Executive Director Don Smith admitted, “but it makes the expectations clear. It’s a matter of executing the plan. Everything else falls into place.” l
National
“When my mother had the beginnings of dementia, she was in Birmingham, and I was in Pell City. Working full time, I couldn’t be there. But Always There could, and they helped her with the things she needed to remain independent -- taking her grocery shopping, making sure she got the right medications at the right time, being a companion. Always There allowed her to stay in her own home and took the worries away from my siblings and I when we couldn’t be there for her.”
• Companionship
-- Carol P.• Bathing and Grooming
• Care Management • Dressing
A pair of expansion announcements in Pell City in recent months underscore the upward trend for economic development in St. Clair. They represent new investments of nearly $35 million, creating more than 50 new jobs, and the continuation of the county’s economic momentum in 2024 and beyond.
Douglas Manufacturing, acquired in early 2023 by Rulmeca Holdings, has already begun the $11.7 million expansion of its production facility, which will add four production lines. The $23.2 million expansion by Ford Meter Box Company Inc. includes construction of a 60,000 square foot building and manufacturing equipment to enhance production.
Douglas Rulmeca and Ford Meter Box are located in Pell City’s industrial park.
At a groundbreaking ceremony in February, Fabio Ghisalberti, executive vice president and managing director for Rulmeca, called it “a new great day for Rulmeca. When the acquisition of Douglas was announced last year on April 20, we declared that investments would have been realized in Pell City increasing manufacturing capacity and product line. Now, just 10 months later, we are proud to keep the promise, celebrating this first significant step towards a brilliant future for Douglas.”
Noting the location, he added, “I am pleased this takes place in Pell City, St. Clair County, where we are looking forward to contribute to the prosperity of the local community aiming to add great value to our customers thanks to a significant investment plan both in manufacturing space and high-tech equipment.”
Douglas Rulmeca is a leader and innovator in the conveyor industry.
“We are excited to break ground on our new idler plant, which will enable us to meet the growing demand for our idler product line and keep our customers moving ahead,” said Paul Ross, president and CEO of Douglas Manufacturing. “This project is not only an investment in our company, but also in our community. We are proud to be part of the economic growth and development of Pell City,
Douglas Rulmeca officially breaks ground
St. Clair County and Alabama.”
Ross thanked local and state leaders for “their support of this significant investment by Rulmeca.”
The new idler plant will feature the latest equipment and automation technologies. It will adopt the premium Rulmeca PSV idler design, offering improved sealing, stability and durability, officials said.
Project completion is expected by the end of 2024, enabling the company to significantly increase its production capacity for key components such as pulleys, lagging, idlers, magnetics, impact beds and take-ups.
As a member of the Rulmeca Group, Douglas is one of 18 global manufacturing and sales companies with 1,200 team members and customers in over 85 countries.
The expansion is expected to create more than
50 jobs over a two-year period with an average annual salary of about $45,000, according to the Alabama Department of Commerce.
“We are excited that Douglas Manufacturing has decided to expand their footprint in Pell City,” said St. Clair County Commission Chairman Stan Batemon. Douglas was founded in 1978. “The combination of Douglas with Rulmeca will allow for continued growth and success of the company, and we are honored to see them growing here in St. Clair County.”
Ford Meter Box Company, Inc., a manufacturer of underground waterworks products, is upping its investment in the county, a move it has made multiple times in the past. Headquartered in Wabash, Indiana, it is expanding its Pell City facility with a $23.2 million expansion that allows fabrication of large-diameter steel components and increased production capacity in the 60,000 square foot new construction.
Noting that the Ford Meter Box Company has had a presence in Pell City since 1982, Senior Vice President and General Manager Zachary J. Gentile Jr. said, “We are grateful for the continued support we have received from Pell City, the Pell City Industrial Development Board, St. Clair County and the St. Clair County EDC.”
“St. Clair County always welcomes new investment and quality jobs to our community,” said Batemon. “We are happy to be able to work with the City of Pell City to encourage growth among the companies in St. Clair County. This investment opens doors for new opportunities for our citizens now and in the future.”
With a nod toward the company’s history of expansions and investments in the county, Commissioner Tommy Bowers said, “We are excited that Ford Meter Box continues to grow their presence in Pell City and St. Clair County. They are a longstanding member of our business community who have always been great corporate citizens. We are excited about this latest project and wish Ford Meter Box continued success.”
Pell City Mayor Bill Pruitt echoed the sentiment. “The City of Pell City is proud to see the continued growth and success at Ford Meter Box’s Pell City facility. New investment and job growth will stimulate the local economy and highlight the fact that Pell City is a great place for business. We congratulate Ford Meter Box on their success and wish them nothing but success going forward.”
The Ford Meter Box Company, Inc. is a manufacturer of water meter setting and testing equipment, service line valves and fittings, and pipeline coupling, repair, and restraint products for the waterworks industry and ancillary markets.
Life through the lens of Mackenzie Free
We wake up and before we know it, it’s over … the day. … the season. … the year. The life.
Unavoidably, it will all come to an end one day, and we will have no choice but to reconcile with the life we created, the choices made and how we used the time we were given.
But that’s not today. We still have time – to make revisions, right our wrongs, try again. But there’s a trap we often fall into the older we get … We begin to adopt the “old dog” mentality. This false belief that we’re past the point of revision … that ‘we are who we are’ and can learn no new tricks. Thus, we’re forevermore limited by the choices we have already made. We buy into this ridiculous notion that once we reach a certain age, we’re beyond modification because our true selves, and life plans are drawn in permanent ink. We’re not. They’re not.
The overarching narrative of our lives can always be revised. We can’t change the past, but we can always refine ourselves and change the trajectory of our current lives at any time.
I believe we were created under the idea that we never stop ‘becoming’… we should, by all accounts, remain under constant revision until the bitter end. The work of being human isn’t meant to stop until we do.
We are complete upon our last breath. … Never before.
- Mackenzie FreeWife, mother, photographer & current resident of the unassumingly magical town of Steele, Alabama
