Alabama Commerce Secretary Ellen McNair joined a team from Innovate Alabama recently for a tour of Montgomery Whitewater, a world-class recreational facility that’s hosting Olympic athletes, as Alabama business development leaders consider new approaches to spark economic growth.

McNair, who is heading the creation of a new state economic development strategic plan, said outdoor recreation assets like Montgomery Whitewater can play an important role in the next-generation economic development strategies being developed by the state.

“It’s becoming clear that having outdoor recreation attractions like Montgomery Whitewater can catalyze economic development efforts at the local level,” McNair said. “Building out Alabama’s outdoor recreation infrastructure will make the state a more attractive location for high-skill workers and help us more fully develop an ecosystem for entrepreneurship and technological innovation.”

Montgomery Whitewater opened in July 2023 at the Maxwell Capital Gateway to Montgomery along the Interstate 65 corridor. The center is anchored by an Olympic-standard recirculating whitewater course, which allows users of all ages and skill sets to take part at difficulty levels ranging from beginner to expert.

Montgomery Whitewater hosted the U.S. Olympic trials for hopefuls in Canoe Slalom and Kayak Cross Saturday and Sunday.

Olympic hopefuls train at the Montgomery Whitewater facility. (contributed)

Talent attraction

McNair and the Innovate Alabama team were invited to visit the venue to view the athletes training, meet with the center’s leadership and see firsthand how outdoor recreation can be a powerful business recruiting tool.

“Outdoor recreation is an integral part of Innovate Alabama’s mission,” Innovate Alabama CEO Cynthia Crutchfield said. “Facilities like Montgomery Whitewater will be catalysts for attracting innovative talent and entrepreneurs to Alabama and give us an opportunity to show off Alabama’s treasured outdoor recreation assets.”

A Hoover Institution report, prepared for Innovate Alabama, asserted that a substantial, coordinated and long-term program of investment in outdoor recreation infrastructure would yield substantial returns to the state.

The report stated that Alabama has a vast endowment of natural assets that can be leveraged to expand its outdoor recreation industry, enhancing the state’s attractiveness for high-skill individuals and tourists.

Alabama Commerce Secretary Ellen McNair speaks to a group including an Innovate Alabama team during a tour of Montgomery Whitewater. (contributed)

Crutchfield and Innovate Alabama are part of the team working with McNair on the new economic development strategic plan at the request of Gov. Kay Ivey. Representatives from the Economic Development Partnership of Alabama and Retirement Systems of Alabama are also part of the team.

The completed plan is due to Ivey on Oct. 1.

“One of my first meetings in this position was with Cynthia and, immediately, we had all kinds of bridges we wanted to build between Commerce and Innovate Alabama. I want to first and foremost tell the Innovate Alabama team that you will have a great partner in Commerce,” McNair told the tour group.

“We firmly believe in your mission and, with one of your pillars being outdoor recreation as a catalyst for innovation, we obviously couldn’t agree with you more,” she said.

The Montgomery Whitewater project resulted from a partnership among the Montgomery County Commission, the city of Montgomery and the state.

“This is the story of an amazing partnership, a public-private partnership, and it’s about an integrated approach to economic development” that includes recreation as a component, said Anna Buckalew, president and CEO of the Montgomery Area Chamber of Commerce.

Montgomery Whitewater gives Alabama’s Capital City a rush of economic activity and notoriety from Alabama News Center on Vimeo.

Stacey Hepp, the U.S. Olympic Team Trials race director who was involved in the development of Montgomery Whitewater, told the tour group that a similar facility in Charlotte, North Carolina, has been at the center of that city’s economic growth arc. She said she expects a similar story to play out in Montgomery.

“There’s so much innovation, and there is so much synergy, so I think having this location here and having so much all in one spot, I think you guys should just buckle your seatbelt because I think you’re about to get really, really busy,” Hepp said.

This story originally appeared on the Alabama Department of Commerce’s Made in Alabama website.