Caption Alabama Gov . Kay Ivey , along with local leaders and AGCO employees , cut the ribbon in April 2019 on a $ 50 million expansion at the company ’ s Bremen manufacturing plant . Photo by Benjamin Bullard .
Cullman County
Ralph Parrish , president and CEO of North Alabama Fabricating Company ( NAFCO ), speaks in Aug . 2019 at a ceremony at which local leaders broke ground on a new industrial access road to benefit industries like his . Photo by Benjamin Bullard .
Economic Numbers
By Amy Henderson
22
With its prime location halfway between Birmingham and Huntsville and with multiple points of access onto Interstate 65 , Cullman is positioned to be a leader in economic and industrial development . Prior to the coronavirus pandemic , Cullman boasted an unemployment rate of 2.2 , one of the lowest in the state . Showing the resiliency of the businesses in Cullman County , the unemployment rate has dropped back to 3.6 percent in recent months , with companies still seeking new employees .
Rankings by Alabama Department of Commerce
Number 11 in Number of new projects ( 2 ) Number 19 in new jobs ( 21 ) Number 23 in new capital investment ($ 1,013,000 ) Number 1 in existing projects ( 40 ) Number 5 in jobs for existing projects ( 462 ) Number 9 in capital investments for existing projects ($ 158 million )
Salute 2020
This year Site Selection magazine ranked Cullman 6th in the nation for the number of industrial projects in a micropolitan area .
A micropolitan area is an urban area with a population between 10,000 and 50,000 . There are 551 micropolitan areas in the United States . The annual report , “ Most Dynamic Micropolitan Regions ” ranked Cullman 226 among 515 micropolitan areas .
Going into the next year , Cullman seems set up for success . Reliance Worldwide Corporation ( RWC ) announced another expansion that is expected to bring another 130 jobs and leaves Cullman with few areas left for industrial development .
According to Cullman Economic Development Agency Director Dale Greer , there are about 50-60 acres available off County Road 222 and a few smaller sites within the industrial parks . " We are looking for sites ,” he said .
Cullman ' s success this year are due to a number of factors , according to Greer . “ We have great economic diversity ,” he said . “ We have great manufacturers here , and our retail sales are up in a pandemic . The circumstances here are so much better than many other places .”
He credits the workforce , too . “ We have a history of people who want to work ,” he said . S