St Clair County Economic Development Council

What St Clair County Economic Development Council does

The St. Clair County Economic Development Council is a private, non-profit economic development organization established in 1999 and headquartered in Pell City, Alabama. It serves St. Clair County by facilitating industrial, commercial, community, workforce, and tourism development across the county's 10 municipalities (Pell City, Moody, Springville, Ashville, Odenville, Argo, Margaret, Riverside, Ragland, and Steele). Its mission is to create jobs, increase wealth, and improve quality of life for county residents through business attraction, retention, and expansion activities.

The EDC operates a portfolio of service offerings rather than a unified software or technology product. Core offerings include economic development facilitation, workforce development coordination through the Alabama Industrial Development Training (AIDT) program and Jefferson State Community College, site and building search via a partnership with the Economic Development Partnership of Alabama (EDPA), a centralized Grants Resource Center for smaller municipalities, the Leadership St. Clair County leadership development program (over 500 graduates), the Small Business St. Clair initiative, and tourism development. Underlying infrastructure consists of partnership networks with the St. Clair County Commission, Alabama Department of Commerce, Birmingham Business Alliance, and Central Six Alabama Works!, rather than proprietary technology.

The organization is funded through public-private partnerships, municipal contributions, and grant programs; services are provided at no direct cost to businesses or municipalities. Since inception, the EDC reports it has announced 8,500+ new jobs, $233M+ in new annual wages, and $1.7B+ in commercial and industrial capital investment. A four-person leadership team (Executive Director Don Smith, Director of Industry & Workforce Development Jason Roberts, Grants & Leadership Director Candice Hill, Tourism Director Blair Goodgame) directs operations.

Name

St Clair County Economic Development Council

Legal name

St. Clair County Economic Development Council

Website

https://stclairedc.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1999

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

St. Clair County Economic Development Council is a non-profit organization facilitating industrial, commercial, workforce, and tourism development across the 10 municipalities of St. Clair County, Alabama, providing site selection, grant coordination, and business attraction services at no direct cost to clients.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Economic Development Services

NAICS

Business, Professional, Labor, Political, and Similar Organizations (8139), Civic and Social Organizations (81341)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Economic Development & Business Licensing (Local) (BPAIACAN)

Keywords

• Economic development services
• Workforce development coordination
• Site selection assistance
• Industrial recruitment services
• Community development programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Pell City

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Economic Development Services: The St. Clair County EDC operates as a non-profit economic development organization facilitating industrial, commercial, institutional, community, and leadership development. Revenue appears to come from public-private partnerships, municipal contributions, and grant programs rather than traditional product/service sales.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

St. Clair County Economic Development Council is a non-profit economic development organization that facilitates industrial, commercial, institutional, community, and leadership development for St. Clair County, Alabama. It helps existing businesses grow and compete, attracts new businesses and high-growth enterprises to the county, coordinates workforce training through AIDT and Jefferson State Community College, provides site and building search assistance via EDPA, operates a Grants Resource Center for municipalities, runs the Leadership St. Clair County program, supports small businesses through Small Business St. Clair, and drives tourism development.

Product overview

St. Clair County Economic Development Council offers a comprehensive suite of economic development services rather than a unified software product. The organization's core offerings include economic development facilitation, workforce development through AIDT partnerships, site and building search assistance via EDPA, a grant application coordination program, Leadership St. Clair County development program, small business resource support, and tourism development initiatives. These services work together to attract new businesses, support existing business growth, and improve quality of life for St. Clair County citizens.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Partnership for Tomorrow: A community-wide five-year strategic initiative sponsored by the St. Clair County EDC to stimulate economic growth. The initial Strategic Plan was developed in 2005.
• Leadership St. Clair County (LSCC)
• Grants Resource Center
• Small Business St. Clair

Products and services

• Economic Development Services Core facilitation service that helps existing businesses grow and compete, diversifies the county's economy through business attraction, and supports newly formed high-growth enterprises. Targets manufacturing, industrial, and commercial businesses evaluating St. Clair County as a location or expansion site.
• Workforce Development Service that assists companies in securing training opportunities through the Alabama Industrial Development Training (AIDT) program to build qualified workforces, targeting manufacturing and industrial employers locating or expanding in the county.
• Site & Building Search Site selection service that partners with the Economic Development Partnership of Alabama (EDPA) to inventory and market available sites and buildings throughout St. Clair County. Targets prospective businesses evaluating real estate for relocation or expansion.
• Grant Application Program Centralized office that coordinates various grant requests from municipalities and other entities across St. Clair County, addressing the lack of in-house grant writing capacity in smaller cities.
• Leadership St. Clair County Program designed to develop a leadership network across the county and educate leaders on issues facing St. Clair County, with 500+ graduates. Targets corporate and community leaders across the county.
• Small Business St. Clair Initiative providing small business resources for planning, permitting, launching, and growing businesses in St. Clair County, developed in partnership with the Community Foundation of Greater Birmingham and the Small Business Development Center.
• Tourism Development Initiative that markets the region's attractions, recreation, and lodging options through the visitstclair brand, supporting tourism-related economic development in the county.

Quantifiable outcome

• 8,500+ new jobs announced since 1999
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers18 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Economic Development Partnership of Alabama (EDPA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEDPA partners with St. Clair EDC to inventory and market sites and buildings throughout St. Clair County. They provide the online property search tools and databases for site selection.
• Alabama Department of CommercecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerState-level economic development partner providing resources, incentives, and coordination for business attraction and expansion projects in St. Clair County.
• Birmingham Business AlliancecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional economic development partnership serving the Birmingham metropolitan area, including St. Clair County.
• Central Six Alabama Works!coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional Workforce Council for Region 4 connecting business and industry with workforce resources, talent pipelines, incumbent worker training, and state funding opportunities. Covers Blount, Chilton, Jefferson, Shelby, St. Clair, and Walker counties.
• Alabama Industrial Development Training (AIDT)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAIDT's Total Workforce Delivery System provides skilled employees to Alabama industries since 1971, offering pre-employment selection and training, leadership development, on-the-job training, and industrial safety assessments.
• Jefferson State Community CollegecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerServes approximately 14,000 students annually, offering 116 university transfer programs, 39 career programs, and certificate programs. The Pell City campus provides workforce education and partnerships with four-year institutions.
• Eden Career Technical CenterminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPart of St. Clair County School System offering 16 programs to students with various credentials including ADOBE, Microsoft Office, NCCER, CNA, and ASE certifications. Also offers free night classes for Craft Laborer Training, Welding, and HVAC.
• St. Clair County CommissioncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCounty government partner providing public funding and policy support for economic development initiatives.
• Moody Area Chamber of CommerceminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorLocal chamber providing business networking and community development in the Moody area.
• Pell City Chamber of CommerceminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorLocal chamber serving the Pell City business community.
• Greater Odenville Chamber of CommerceminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorLocal chamber supporting business development in Odenville.
• Springville Area Chamber of CommerceminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorLocal chamber serving the Springville business community.

Scale indicators12 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Others

• Jefferson State Community College: Public community college that is both a workforce-development partner (14,000 students, Pell City campus) and an adjacent institutional actor supporting the same employer base that St. Clair EDC recruits.

Broad incumbents

• Alabama Department of Commerce: State-level economic development agency that works with and through county EDCs including St. Clair. Provides incentives, statewide marketing, and project coordination at a broader scale than any single county.

Direct peers

• Birmingham Business Alliance: Regional economic development partnership serving the Birmingham-Hoover MSA, including St. Clair County. Operates the same business-attraction, workforce, and policy-advocacy model but at a much larger metropolitan scale; explicitly named as a core strategic partner.
• Central Six Alabama Works!: Regional workforce council covering six counties including St. Clair. Operates adjacent to the EDC with overlapping business-attraction and workforce-pipeline activities.
• Tuscaloosa County Industrial Development Authority: County-level industrial development authority serving Tuscaloosa County, Alabama. Same single-county industrial-recruitment model with site/building inventory and workforce coordination functions.
• Economic Development Partnership of Alabama (EDPA): Statewide site-selection and inventory organization that partners with St. Clair EDC to market Alabama properties. Shares the same economic-development mission and primary customer base (industrial site selectors and expanding manufacturers).
• Huntsville/Madison County Chamber: Regional economic development organization for one of Alabama's fastest-growing metros. Competes with St. Clair EDC for inbound industrial and aerospace projects while operating the same prospect-attraction and workforce-development playbook.
• Shelby County Economic Development Corporation: Neighboring central Alabama county EDC competing for many of the same Birmingham-region industrial and logistics prospects. Most directly comparable single-county peer in terms of geography and target industries.

Regional players

• Montgomery Area Chamber of Commerce: Central Alabama regional EDC/chamber combining business attraction, retention, and workforce development. Same organizational model as St. Clair EDC but serving the River Region market.
• Mobile Area Chamber of Commerce: Coastal Alabama economic development and chamber organization serving the Mobile metro. Comparable mission (business attraction, workforce, advocacy) but operates in a different geographic market than St. Clair County.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/visitstclair

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about St Clair County Economic Development Council