The Birmingham metro area secured 17 new economic development projects in 2024, totaling $490 million and creating 1,000 new jobs.

That’s according to the report from the Birmingham Business Alliance’s annual Chairman’s Meeting, held at The Fennec in downtown Birmingham.

The total jobs were the most for the region since 2022, said BBA Chairman Joe Hampton.

Among those projects are the new $335 million headquarters for Coca-Cola United in Birmingham and Brasfield & Gorrie’s $18.9 million Birmingham office expansion.

“Birmingham, my friends, is a place where all of us should invest,” Hampton said.

BBA CEO Steve Ammons said the economic development entity, among other intitiatives, is focused on attraction and business retention and expansion. In 2024, its attraction team met with 67 different site selection consultants and traveled to more than 30 trade shows and conferences to tout the Birmingham area.

The BBA’s existing industry team also met with 133 companies, a 40% increase over the previous year, he said. Ammons said the BBA hopes to double that next year.

“We have to be stronger, we have to be more competitive, and we have to be better positioned for growth,” Ammons said.

This year, Ammons said, the BBA will work to strengthen regional collaboration. That means making sure that Birmingham and the Birmingham region, grow stronger together.

The BBA is expected to announce next month its legislative agenda for 2025.

“Strong economies are regional economies,” he said. “Success comes from working together, not isolation.”