What Macon County Economic Development Authority does

Macon County Economic Development Authority (MCEDA) is a public government authority established by the Alabama Legislature and headquartered at 204 W. Lee Street in Tuskegee, Alabama. It functions as the official entity responsible for fostering economic development, investment, and industry recruitment for Macon County, operating with a single Director (Joe Turnham) supported by an appointed board drawn from local municipalities, Tuskegee University, the Macon County Board of Education, the Chamber of Commerce, and the legislative delegation. Its operating mandate is industrial recruitment, site marketing, incentive packaging, and infrastructure development across six targeted sectors: aerospace, automotive, transportation and logistics, agriculture, forest products, and general manufacturing.

MCEDA's principal assets are physical rather than digital: a CSX Class 1 Platinum Site (277 acres at Exit 38 on I-85), the R.E.A.L. Park master-planned industrial development (approximately 700 acres / ±7 million square feet at Exit 42), Moton Field (a 5,003-foot runway on 100 developable acres with 700 adjoining acres), and a validated BDO Zone 'A' rating for 1.056 million bone dry tons/year of woody biomass. Digital offerings are limited to a property listings portal, a demographic dashboard, and sector-specific content pages. Notable recruited tenants include Samkee America ($128M, Tier 1 automotive die-cast), Samkwang USA ($35M, Tier 1 automotive components), Shinsung NVH USA, Hanon Systems, LogisALL, Republic Airways LIFT Academy, Pilot Travel Centers, and South Alabama Brick Company (dba Capital Brick).

MCEDA's revenue model is publicly funded rather than transactional: operating funds derive from a severance tax on sand and gravel mined and trucked out of the county, a one-cent-per-gallon fuel tax on fuel sold locally, and supplementary stakeholder support. Pricing for incoming businesses is communicated through published property, sales/use, and electricity tax schedules, with construction materials and labor exempt when separately stated. Distribution is entirely direct, with the Director serving as the single point of contact for all economic development projects, augmented by outreach at industry events such as the Paris Air Show and BDO ZoneCONNECT webinars.

Name

Macon County Economic Development Authority

Legal name

Macon County Economic Development Authority

Website

https://madeinmacon.com

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Macon County Economic Development Authority is a public government authority that recruits industrial tenants to Macon County, Alabama by marketing certified sites, packaging incentives, and coordinating infrastructure across automotive, aerospace, logistics, and forest products sectors.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Economic Development Services

SIC

Real Estate Agents & Managers (For Others) (6531)

akta.pro primary industry

Industrial Park Owners Association Management (BPAJAHAH)

Keywords

• Economic development services
• Industrial site marketing
• Business recruitment
• Site selection support
• Incentive navigation

Headquarters

HQ city

Tuskegee

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, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Severance Tax Revenue: MCEDA receives operational funding from a severance tax on sand and gravel mined and trucked out of Macon County, providing a stable revenue base tied to local extractive industries.
2. Fuel Tax Revenue: One cent per gallon tax on fuel sold in Macon County contributes to MCEDA operations, creating a recurring revenue stream from local fuel consumption.
3. Stakeholder Support: MCEDA receives support from stakeholders and partners to further fund operations and special projects beyond core tax revenues.

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Macon County Economic Development Authority (MCEDA) is a public government entity that markets industrial properties and sites in Macon County, Alabama, recruits businesses to locate or expand in the region, and provides site selection support, incentive navigation, and workforce development coordination. It operates the Available Properties Portal, the Demographic Dashboard, and promotes certified sites including the CSX Platinum Site and R.E.A.L. Park to attract manufacturing, automotive, aerospace, logistics, forest products, and agriculture companies.

Product overview

Macon County Economic Development Authority (MCEDA) is an economic development organization that does not offer a unified software product. Its offerings consist of property/industrial site marketing services, a demographic data dashboard, and informational resources about Macon County's targeted industry sectors. The primary digital properties include a property listings portal and a demographic dashboard, along with printed/PDF materials about available sites, tax rates, and sector information.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Available Properties Portal

Quantifiable outcome

• 1,311% more automotive manufacturers/suppliers than US average in labor shed
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Samkwang Co., Ltd.coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 29 August 2025Korean automotive supplier establishing U.S. operations through customized curricula and internship programs at Tuskegee University for talent development. CEO Jinwoo Kim visited Tuskegee University to develop talent pipeline aligned with Samkwang's U.S. market localization strategy, emphasizing collaboration with local community.
• BDO Zone InitiativecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 26 June 2025International certification program that provided investment-grade BDO Zone 'A' Rating for woody biomass feedstock, creating global connections and validating biobased manufacturing potential. Rating supported by USDA Rural Business Development Grant funding.
• Ecostrat Inc.coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 26 June 2025North American leader in biomass due diligence for biofuels, renewable chemicals, biogas, and bio-product project development and finance. Conducted technical assessment supporting BDO Zone 'A' Rating for Macon County's 1.056M bone dry tons per year woody biomass capacity.
• Republic Airways LIFT AcademycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 February 2024Partnership with Republic Airways' Leadership In Flight Training (LIFT) Academy to reinstate flight training at historic Moton Field for the first time since 1946. The collaboration produces pilots with a Bachelor of Science in Aviation Science from Tuskegee University combined with commercial pilot license through LIFT Academy. Expected to create 35 full-time aviation jobs.
• Farpoint DevelopmentcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDeveloper of R.E.A.L. Park (Regional East Alabama Logistics Park), a ±7M square-foot Class 'A' master-planned industrial park on approximately ±700 acres at Exit 42 on I-85, under development for manufacturing, logistics, and warehouse space.
• Alabama Department of CommercecoreGTM or Marketing PartnerState economic development agency providing SEEDS grants, workforce development support, and business recruitment coordination. Awarded $2.7M SEEDS grant and supports rural development initiatives through programs like Catalyst strategic plan.
• Tuskegee UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHistorically Black college and university offering workforce pipeline through engineering, agriculture, and aviation programs. Board representation on MCEDA through Vice President for External Engagement. Provides research capabilities and talent pipeline for businesses.
• Utilities Board of Tuskegee (UBT)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal utility provider building 28-megawatt power substation in Tuskegee Commerce Park with over $4.5M in grant funding from Alabama Department of Community and Economic Affairs and SCADC. Provides electrical infrastructure for Samkee and future industries.
• Macon County CommissioncoreGTM or Marketing PartnerCounty governing body providing board member appointments to MCEDA and supporting economic development initiatives through local funding and policy support.

Scale indicators12 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Invest Atlanta: Municipal economic development authority for Atlanta, Georgia, sitting at the northern end of the I-85 corridor that MCEDA markets; comparable as a public-sector recruitment and incentive-negotiation organization targeting large industrial tenants.
• Alabama Department of Commerce: State-level economic development agency that funds and coordinates rural development in Alabama, including the SEEDS grants awarded to MCEDA; comparable as a public-sector organization driving site selection and recruitment in the same state.

Regional players

• Montgomery Area Chamber of Commerce: Regional economic development organization in central Alabama focused on automotive supplier recruitment around Hyundai's Montgomery plant — directly comparable given MCEDA's Hyundai-supplier positioning in adjacent Macon County.
• Huntsville/Madison County Chamber (Huntsville Economic Development): Regional EDA for the Huntsville/Madison County area that actively recruits automotive (Toyota-Mazda) and aerospace tenants — directly comparable given MCEDA's targeted aerospace (Moton Field) and automotive supplier focus.
• Greater Birmingham Economic Partnership: Alabama-based regional EDA pursuing industrial recruitment and site marketing on a larger Alabama footprint; comparable as a peer economic development authority operating in the same state ecosystem.

Emerging players

• Site Selection Group: Site-selection consultancy that interfaces with EDAs like MCEDA to evaluate industrial properties; comparable as an adjacent participant in the same site-selection services value chain.

Others

• CSX Transportation: Class 1 railroad whose Select Sites program certified Macon County's CSX Platinum Site; comparable as an industry-enabling infrastructure partner whose programs directly shape competitive industrial-park credentials.
• BDO Zone Initiative: Certification program that issued Macon County's 'A' biomass rating; comparable as a related industry participant that validates biobased-manufacturing site readiness and connects rural counties to investment pipelines.

Direct peers

• The Right Place (Grand Rapids Michigan EDA): Mid-size regional economic development authority performing industrial recruitment, site marketing, and incentive negotiation — a strong functional analog to MCEDA's role at the county level.
• Farpoint Development: Master developer of R.E.A.L. Park in Macon County — a comparable industrial-park developer with similar activity in site development, speculative building, and tenant recruitment at scale.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@madeinmaconco
• Facebookfacebook.com/joeturnhamworks
• Xx.com/madeinmacon_

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A1 record

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about Macon County Economic Development Authority