Chamber Moves HQ To Regions Building In Downtown Tuscaloosa

TUSCALOOSA, AL — The Chamber of Commerce of West Alabama on Monday announced plans to open the West Alabama Workforce and Community Development Center at the Regions Bank building in downtown Tuscaloosa, which is viewed as an economic development game-changer for the region.

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The Chamber said in a press release that the facility has been planned for more than two years and is the first of its kind in Alabama. It will house not only the Chamber and West Alabama Works, but numerous workforce and community development organizations. While the ongoing coronavirus pandemic had an impact of the timetable of the deal, the Chamber has now moved into the facility at 2222 9th Street.

The new home of The Chamber sold its office space in the River Bluff Office Park on Jack Warner Parkway and purchased its new home from Regions Bank. Regions will reportedly soon move into a newly-constructed building nearby at 800 22nd Avenue in late March.

Chamber President and CEO Jim Page said the "once-in-a-lifetime opportunity" was made possible through the generosity and civic-minded focus of Regions Bank, who offered the building at a price below market value.

“Regions shares in our vision of creating a center for workforce and community development that will lead to unprecedented collaboration and synergies in support of job creation, under one roof,” Page said.

Regions Bank’s Tuscaloosa Market Executive Elizabeth Winter also spoke to this community partnership and how Regions wants to help Tuscaloosa County and west Alabama achieve new heights in terms of business development and job creation

“The opportunity for Regions to provide a better banking experience for the needs of today’s customers resulted in a chance to support this unique project to further this community’s growth and workforce development," Winter said. "We are proud to soon welcome customers to our new, state-of-the-art branch, and we look forward to celebrating the new workforce and community development center in the coming months.”

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