As 2016 draws to an end, it’s a great time to take a look back at some of the good news of the past year. Throughout these final days of the year, Alabama NewsCenter will share stories you responded to the most in various categories, along with one we think deserved more attention.

We’re giving you the business and you seem to be enjoying it. Economic development can come in many shapes and sizes, and Alabama seems to excel at them all. From the restoration of an iconic, historic building to a brand-new interstate, there was plenty to get excited about in Alabama business this year.

Here are the Top 5 Alabama NewsCenter business stories for 2016:

• We are now days away from the first restaurants and bar opening in the historic Pizitz building in downtown Birmingham. Owner and developer Bayer Properties gave us a look into the massive project that is helping transform the Magic City.

• For the longest time, the incomplete stretch of interstate connecting Birmingham to Memphis was called “Corridor X,” even after it had received the designation as “Interstate 22.” That’s because until it actually connected to I-65, it didn’t have the look and feel of a true interstate highway. That changed when the project was connected this year; now, I-22 is yet another powerful piece of economic development infrastructure for the state.

The opening of Interstate 22 at the I-65 connection was significant. (file)

• Google did its own search and Alabama came out as the top answer for the internet powerhouse. Alabama NewsCenter went behind the story of how this technology giant settled on a vacant power plant site in rural Jackson County for its latest $600 million data center project.

Google is investing $600 million in its new data center in Jackson County. (file)

• The automotive industry has emerged as the defining manufacturing base for the state, and the impact goes beyond the auto plants turning out cars, vans and SUVs. The suppliers’ plants are the lifeline to those auto plants, spreading the impact of the industry in many parts of the state. One of the latest examples was when Austrian-based voestalpine Automotive Body Parts chose Birmingham for its new $11.1 million plant.

Austrian-based voestalpine Automotive Body Parts chose Birmingham for its new $11.1 million plant. (file)

• Economic development doesn’t always mean big manufacturing plants or data centers. In Foley, a new sports and entertainment complex is expected to generate millions of dollars in tourism. Officials are excited that what has long been a pass-through town on the way to the beach will become a destination in its own right.

Editor’s choice:

MöllerTech was not the biggest business story on Alabama NewsCenter this year, nor was it the largest automotive supplier project the state announced this year. But for Bibb County and other rural counties, the German-based Mercedes-Benz supplier’s decision to build a $46.3 million plant on a site near Woodstock was huge. It is a sure sign that new economic development incentives created to help rural counties are having an impact.