With more than a half-dozen projects bringing some $6.1 billion in capital investment, Huntsville helped boost Limestone County to a historic economic development year.

Eli Lilly and Company’s unprecedented $6 billion advanced manufacturing facility in Huntsville and Limestone County headlined the county’s achievements as the largest initial investment in Alabama history. The synthetic medicine active pharmaceutical ingredient facility will create 450 high-skilled jobs for engineers, scientists, lab technicians, and other specialized personnel.

“Limestone County’s performance in 2025 demonstrates that our community has arrived as a major player in advanced manufacturing, aerospace, and bioscience industries,” said Limestone County Economic Development Association President and CEO Bethany Shockney.

According to the Alabama Department of Commerce’s “2025 New & Expanding Industry Announcements” report, Limestone County reported 16 new and expanding industry projects representing approximately $6.6 billion in capital investment and 858 new jobs.

Of those projects, seven were in Huntsville, spearheaded by the Eli Lilly project – the largest private commercial development in state history.

The advanced facility will be constructed on a 260-acre site at the northeast corner of I-565 and Greenbrier Parkway in Huntsville-Limestone County. Lilly’s campus will focus on domestic production of small molecule synthetic and peptide medicines, including oral GLP-1 products.

“Eli Lilly’s decision to invest $6 billion in a next-generation pharmaceutical manufacturing facility here in Huntsville is a tremendous vote of confidence in our people and our future,” said Mayor Tommy Battle at last month’s announcement. “Huntsville has long been a place where innovation thrives and hard, ‘impossible’ things get done.

“We’re proud to welcome Lilly to our community and excited to help shape the next era of breakthrough medicine.”

The company’s plans signify a growing, diverse industrial base for Limestone County, which is the cotton-producing county in Alabama.

Shockney said the LCEDA continues to work alongside state and regional partners to attract high-quality projects that provide economic opportunity while strengthening Limestone County’s position as a hub for advanced manufacturing and innovation.

“From Eli Lilly’s transformational pharmaceutical investment to Cast Products’ $74 million expansion, from Carpenter Technology’s $354 million specialty metals project to innovative newcomers like Titomic USA’s titanium additive manufacturing – we’re seeing diverse, high-quality growth across our entire county,” Shockney said. “These investments represent more than numbers on a page; they represent exceptional career opportunities for our residents and validation of the strategic work our community has done to compete on the global stage while preserving the quality of life that makes Limestone County special.”

New Industry Projects in Huntsville-Limestone County:

Eli Lilly – $6 billion pharmaceutical manufacturing facility in Huntsville, 450 jobs
Titomic USA Inc. – $30 million titanium additive coatings facility in Huntsville, 60 jobs

Expanding Industry Projects in Huntsville-Limestone County:

GE Aerospace – $22 million carbon composites expansion in Huntsville, 84 jobs
Northrop Grumman – $20 million missile defense and space technology expansion in Huntsville
Daikyo Nishikawa USA Inc. – $18 million automotive parts expansion in Huntsville, 53 jobs
Madison Metal Processing – $1.6 million expansion in Huntsville serving automotive manufacturing, 2 jobs
Toyota Tsusho – Solar power generation expansion in Huntsville