“We continue to look for opportunities to improve the Black Warrior- Tombigbee Waterway system. The name of the game in waterways is reliability. So, we focus on reliability,” stressed W. Wynne Fuller, President of the Warrior-Tombigbee Waterway Association.
When Alabama saw growth in its manufacturing industry and became a major producer of metallurgical coals and steam coals, a group of business leaders, manufacturers, and statesmen established the Warrior-Tombigbee Waterway Association in 1951 to focus on improving the waterway system.
Since then, its advocacy for modernization resulted in fewer but much larger, higher lift locks over the length of the waterway that connected mining, refining, and steel companies to the Port of Mobile, a major transportation hub with access to global markets.
Warrior-Tombigbee Waterway Association also collaborates with the federal and state agencies to ensure the round-the-clock safety of waterway operators, users, and shippers, the smooth operation of the transportation corridor all year round, and the readiness of its resources to address any waterway transportation conflicts.
The Association also supports economic development programs, working with the Department of Commerce and other entities, like the Alabama Chambers of Commerce, that provide educational facilities and training programs.
Such training programs are supported by the likes of the University of Alabama, Auburn University, the University of North Alabama in Huntsville, the University of South Alabama in Mobile, and the University of Alabama at Birmingham.
While Alabama possesses abundant fuel resources, such as coal, petroleum, and natural gas, Fuller believes Alabama is moving away from coal-powered generation to achieve a green state status.
Despite the challenges throughout the USA, such as the supply chain and inflation, Fuller sees a bullish business landscape in Alabama, whether in aerospace or manufacturing materials.
“I see companies like Amsler Mattel and Nippon Steel. They’re making a $1.5 billion investment in a new electric arc furnace. It will produce a million and a half slabs of steel. In Mobile, Alabama, we’ve got Mitsubishi Polysilicon and Mitsubishi Chemical Corporation. We have the Japanese American Society of Alabama headquartered in Birmingham,” he said.
Fuller also points out that the state is attractive to the Japanese because they find common ground in terms of their work ethic and values.
“We encourage the Japanese to come to Alabama and to look at our waterways. There are tremendous investment opportunities. There are sites that have been developed that are waiting for industries with the vision and resources to create more great partnerships. We would just encourage people to come to Alabama and take a look at these opportunities on the waterways and become part of our state,” he said.
