SYLACAUGA, Ala. – A public presentation from the East Alabama Rural Innovation and Training Hub (EARTH) during the first quarter meeting of the Industry Advisory Alliance at the B.B. Comer Memorial Library showed not only significant progress in actions taken, but in ever-developing plans for the near and distant future of the project.
“We are on track to open two important aspects of EARTH by December 2026,” explained Margaret Morton. “The EARTH Center in itself has many growing functions and a long list of tenants, along with the start of our regenerative agriculture programs.”
After the Talladega County School system secured the former Avondale property, they worked in cooperation with EARTH to clean up the property and make plans for the current and future uses of the property. That, along with ongoing plans, meant fundraising – a lot of fundraising. Morton detailed the creative work in gathering the funds necessary to turn ideas into reality.
The idea behind EARTH was originally for the development of a business incubator, something already in progress for four local incubator business developments, along with a pair from across the state.
From that incubator idea, EARTH has developed into providing the East Alabama region with an efficient and effective workforce development system.
“What we are developing is responsive to current and future needs of individuals, businesses, and industries for economic development of our region,“ said Morton.
One of the more intriguing aspects of EARTH will be the Learning Labs, providing as much hands-on training as possible. One such learning lab project combines housing construction skills lessons to address the need for growing housing workforce development – providing workforce housing, using the former Avondale Mills’ “Mill Village” as a model for neighborhoods.
That living arrangement was a large part of working for Avondale Mills, who developed an ultra family-friendly atmosphere with an affordable means for growing families of associates. The memories created are still a big part of conversations of those who grew up in and around the Mill Village, a true community in every sense. The EARTH brochure/pamphlet uses the quite appropriate phrase, “When a community remembers, it rises with a purpose.”
The “Earn & Learn” job training program is already working with a handful of clients, successfully balancing earning a paycheck with on-the-job training. Plans to expand that will also include an early childhood learning center to include those who have already started their families.
The regenerative agriculture program is a holistic farming approach designed to restore soil health, enhance biodiversity, and work with nature to support all aspects of agriculture, while teaching the skills and techniques needed for modern farming operations in the region.
There’ll also be something distinctly local – an emphasis on marble sculpting with a marble sculpting center for that practice which features Sylacauga’s own marble, the purest white marble in the world to emphasize the many aspects of the annual Magic of Marble Festival year round.
With the main EARTH Center itself already growing a long tenant list, what happens when it’s full? There’s a plan in place to also develop another standing structure as an EARTH expansion.
As EARTH’s mission progresses, there will be attention to developing workforce needs in the areas of energy, transportation, early childhood development, information technology, manufacturing, hospitality and culinary arts, and healthcare.
EARTH is already garnering attention across the country as a model for workforce development, as well as enhancing so many aspects of life that create a true sense of community across our region. If you can imagine it, there’s a development plan for it already in the works.
By the way, and certainly not an afterthought, the host for this presentation, the Industry Advisory Alliance is a group of stakeholders in the county, created as a cooperative effort by the three Chambers of Commerce – Sylacauga, Greater Coosa Valley, and Greater Talladega Chambers. They meet quarterly in the three host cities on a rotating basis. Next up is Talladega in April.
