Reviewed by: Amelia Pilgrim
Gov. Kay Ivey praises growth + leadership in Huntsville during “Alabama Update”
Reading time: 3 minutes
Gov. Kay Ivey addressed the Huntsville business community Wednesday at the Huntsville-Madison County “Alabama Update” luncheon, and praised Rocket City leadership for the tremendous growth the area has experienced in the last several years.
This sentiment was echoed by city and county leaders back to Ivey.
Read more below, and make sure to subscribe to our newsletter to get news like this delivered to your inbox.
Ivey tips cap to North Alabama legislative delegation
Ivey said she was proud to see economic development victories in the Huntsville area in recent years, such as Mazda-Toyota, Eli Lilly and other new businesses. She also praised Huntsville businesses for expanding and adding more jobs during this time of immense growth.
She praised the legislative delegation from the area, giving them credit for these wins.
“I can make a case that the North Alabama legislative delegation is the strongest in the state.”
Gov. Kay Ivey
Ivey also said now is not the time to “take our foot off the gas,” so to speak. She said the state must continue to move forward, especially when it comes to public safety and securing a positive future for the children in the state.
However, after all of the kudos Ivey gave to leaders like Mayor Tommy Battle of Huntsville, Mayor Renae Bartlett of Madison, Sen. Arthur Orr of Decatur and Sen. Tom Butler of Madison, city and county leaders showered Ivey with similar praise.
“Time and time again, she came to our aid. This has been a true partnership every step of the way.”
Mayor Tommy Battle
If the tone at the event seemed like a “going away party”, that is actually pretty accurate. Ivey leaves office in about eight months, ending the longest consecutive tenure as governor of any Alabama governor in history.
Mayor Bartlett added that Ivey has also served more years as governor than any female governor in American history.
As far as North Alabama goes, the Ivey administration has seen some of the most significant growth it has seen since the 1950s.
Since Ivey took office in 2017, some of the milestones in the Huntsville area include:
- Development of Redstone Gateway, MidCity District and Orion Amphitheater (among others)
- Expansions from HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology, Discovery Life Sciences and Glaukos
- New business announcements like Eli Lilly, Meta, Amazon and Performance Droneworks
- Increased tech employment growth by 53.4%
- Opening Alabama School for Cyber Technology & Engineering
- Becoming the most populated city in Alabama
Former Madison County Chairman and Alabama Speaker of the House Mac McCutcheon delivered a message via video thanking Ivey for the accomplishments made in Madison County (he also mentioned infrastructure milestones like South Memorial Parkway construction and I-565 improvements).
McCutcheon also made sure to give some advice to Ivey in his closing.
“You have worked hard for Alabama and for Madison County, and I know you will continue to for the remainder of your term. But, this retirement thing is not too bad either.”
Mac McCutcheon, retired Madison County Chairman
Ivey will finish her term in January of 2027, having served nearly 10 years as governor.
Want more content like this? Follow Hville Blast on Facebook, TikTok, YouTube and Instagram, and be sure to subscribe to our newsletter.
