Tribune area industries reach global markets

By Chris Yow
Editor

TRUSSVILLE — If one were to ask a person from Trussville who its biggest industrial manufacturer is, the answer would be most likely be Amerex. What they might not know, however, is the abundance of not just statewide, but national and global industries right here in this town.

Every single industry we are featuring in this section has a specialty, but the one thing that remains true is their continued ability to give the people of this area a chance to make a good wage, and live in a place of which they can be proud.

An expansion is coming for Trussville-based Amerex Corporation.
file photo by Gary Lloyd

Trussville mayor Buddy Choat said the growth in Trussville is in large part due to the success of the industries currently in the city.

“We are proud of our city’s industrial companies,” Choat said. “This is one of the bright spots in our city. Industry brings in good, honest people who work hard for a living to provide for their families.

“We are excited about the opportunities we have coming up to expand our industrial footprint.”

David Livingston of the Trussville Industrial Development Board echoed those sentiments, saying the addition of industry only adds to the value of the city.

“Having industry here in Trussville is vital to our city,” he said. “The employees in that industrial park are some of Trussville’s finest people.”

Amerex is the largest fire extinguisher plant in the world, and it’s based right here in Trussville. Their intention to continue insourcing jobs to Trussville is only adding to the value. But Amerex isn’t the only global company Trussville has to offer.

SPOC Automation continues to engineer products that have revolutionized the coal and oil industries. Their products are being used all over the world, and Trussville is fortunate to have them here. Their support of the Hewitt-Trussville mountain bike team is incredibly important to that program.

Several other companies readers will see in this section are do work internationally, such as Net Connection, who has done work in Canada and in the Caribbean. Not to mention the numerous states it does work, and the high-profile jobs that come because of their reputation. Blalock Building Company, the same company that built Hewitt-Trussville Stadium is doing work as far away as New York City. McSweeney Designs is shipping its SCA Performance customized pickup trucks across the country, and the customized Mercedes-Benz Sprinter van is used by corporations internationally to transport clients in style. McPherson Oil is another company that is continuing to grow and is utilized by many statewide. The McPherson name and those yellow trucks ring quality.

Many of the companies you’ll see featured in this section are very prevalent to our local area and its economy. Places such as New Generation Builders, who has built homes in a number of subdivisions in Trussville. Others include Alabama Barricade, who does work statewide, but is very heavily involved in Trussville and surrounding cities. Recycle USA, while primarily serving the immediate area, has continued to grow into a large scale operation and it planning to add more equipment in the future to accommodate more and more industrial waste to be recycled.

The industry in Trussville is growing, and much of that is due to the current political landscape being pruned by President Donald Trump. In fact, many of the industries featured in this section were blunt in stating that since his inauguration, their business has grown and is thriving. That alone is cause for joy in the Tribune’s area. Growth and expansion can only make this area better.

Livingston said the foundation is already laid to grow industry. In fact, the IDB has put together a coalition with members from each company in the park. The group gets together quarterly to discuss the needs for the park, including potential new business and also how each company can help one another continue to get improve the quality of the park itself.

Choat is certainly excited about those possibilities.

“We look forward to growing with new industry in the future,” he said. “We believe Trussville is a wonderful place to live and to work.”