When Aluminum Dynamics opens and starts producing aluminum, your fast food order won’t be right for about six months.
At least, that’s what Lowndes County Board of Supervisors President Trip Hairston predicted while speaking Tuesday to the Rotary Club of Columbus at Lion Hills Center. But those incorrect orders may be a good thing, he said.
As the $2.5 billion aluminum flat-rolled mill hires career professionals in advance of its predicted summer 2025 opening, Hairston said it will allow others in the county to move up the wage ladder. As they do, less experienced employees will take over entry level jobs, he said.
“They’re getting the cream of the crop out there,” Hairston said. “But that creates holes … down the line. So, your bank tellers go on to do bigger and better things. And you may have some that work in lower level positions that become bank tellers. It’s a good thing. It’s called the wage ladder. And as we develop more and more jobs on the top end, you fill in those lower jobs.”
The Aluminum Dynamics mill, though it won’t be online until next year, has already employed 230 employees. It is predicted to employ 750 workers total, once it comes online.
But the aluminum mill is just one of many recent economic developments that Hairston pointed to as a sign of growth for the county. Over the past 30 years, he said, the board has significantly invested in industry and job creation, improving the lives of area residents.
“Standing on the shoulders of giants here, they put a lot of money into developing the industrial park, and we have seen a lot of the benefit of industry,” Hairston said. “We have … going on five megasites in the Golden Triangle. That’s four more than Huntsville (Alabama) has. That’s four more than the Chattanooga area has. We’ve done our job in bringing jobs.”
The Golden Triangle already has four megasites that are home to Steel Dynamics, Aluminum Dynamics and Paccar in Lowndes County and Yokohama Tire in Clay County.
The fifth megasite in development in the Golden Triangle is the Cinco megasite, planned for land north of Highway 82, which will encompass almost 1,500 acres bounded by North Frontage Road to the south, Steger Road and Golden Horn Road to the east, Swoope Road to the north and the area across from Paccar and east of the catfish ponds to the west.
A megasite is a large swath of land dedicated to industrial development for several companies to build and operate. The megasite program is operated by the Tennessee Valley Authority.
Supervisors earlier this month approved a resolution to reauthorize up to $30 million in general obligation bonds to go toward purchasing and developing the site, putting the county one step closer to purchasing the property for Cinco by the end of the year.
Still, with all of the industrial development the area has seen, there are certain businesses Golden Triangle residents have yet to see.
“I get a lot of that saying, where is the retail? And I have that same question. Where is the retail?” Hairston said. “And this is what I know. Retail usually follows residential. And residential usually follows industrial.”
Hairston used Target as an example, saying the retailer will “probably not” come to the area as it currently stands. But if the county continues to develop its industry, while addressing other concerns like safety or quality of life preventing commuting workers from becoming residents in the area, retailers may become more interested in Columbus and Lowndes County, Hairston said.
Otherwise, things could look more like the Ceco Building Systems factory, Hairston said. Ceco began operations in Columbus in the late 1940s, but the company shut down its manufacturing plant in 2009. The building was razed in 2023.
“We cannot take our foot off the gas of economic development. Period,” Hairston said. “If you get complacent and you say, ‘oh, we’re good,’ you will see expansive empty property just like we … did with Ceco engineering. Companies come and go. And we have some really good ones that have a lot of staying power and that are reinvesting year after year after year. But we have to continue that process.”
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You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 47 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
