Long-Term Economic Development
“Why can't the region work better together?”
C100 Members
The Committee of 100 has focused on long-term economic development in Huntsville and Madison County for more than three decades. Our members are business leaders who look a generation ahead, then help put the people and organizations in place to meet it.
That approach has helped reshape the region. A downtown that was quiet after five o'clock is now a destination. An economy built on defense and space is now one of the strongest in the Southeast. Talent that used to leave has reasons to stay.
The programs below are the visible part of the work. Behind them are studies, convenings, and quiet conversations with ripple effects that are easy to miss: a trail that connects neighborhoods, a housing policy that finally pencils out, a young professional who stays and later chairs the board.
2012
The Committee helps stand up Big Spring Partners, which later becomes Downtown Huntsville, Inc.
2015
A Creative Cities Fund event with town planner Victor Dover inspires Launch 2035, now the Launch Regional Partnership.
2016
A Creative Cities Fund event with planner Mike Lydon gives rise to the Singing River Trail.
2021
Career Connect takes shape from a Deloitte connectivity study and work with District 1 leaders.
2012
The Committee helps stand up Big Spring Partners, which later becomes Downtown Huntsville, Inc.
2015
A Creative Cities Fund event with town planner Victor Dover inspires Launch 2035, now the Launch Regional Partnership.
2016
A Creative Cities Fund event with planner Mike Lydon gives rise to the Singing River Trail.
2021
Career Connect takes shape from a Deloitte connectivity study and work with District 1 leaders.
Career Connect
Career Connect hiring events bring job seekers and employers who are hiring together in one place. The program grew out of a Deloitte connectivity study and five years of work with District 1 leaders through the Committee's North Huntsville Task Force. We use targeted digital outreach in specific zip codes to reach people who are not currently in the workforce. Across the first three events, more than 3,600 people pre-registered and attendees averaged two interviews each. The fourth event, in October 2026, drew 350 attendees and produced more than 700 interviews, bringing the four-event total to approximately 2,150 job seekers.
Explore Career Connect
Launch Regional Partnership
Launch began as Launch 2035, an idea that grew out of a 2015 Creative Cities Fund event with town planner Victor Dover. Today it is the Launch Regional Partnership, an independent 501(c)3 serving 13 North Alabama counties. Its work focuses on entrepreneurship, land use and infrastructure, and workforce. In 2026, Launch signed a memorandum of understanding with the Business Council of Alabama to strengthen collaboration between regional and statewide business leaders.
Explore Launch
Creative Cities Fund
The Creative Cities Fund was established in 2015 as the Committee of 100's 501(c)3 charitable arm. Its mission is to create a culture of innovation in economic development and public education. Each year, the Fund hosts a luncheon that brings about 300 business and civic leaders together to discuss an issue that will shape our community's future, such as workforce housing and regional cooperation. Proceeds support community projects, including the Singing River Trail and the Launch Regional Partnership.
Explore the Fund
Big Spring Partners
In 2012, the Committee of 100 helped stand up Big Spring Partners. That organization became Downtown Huntsville, Inc., and has since grown into an independent organization leading the work downtown. It is one of the Committee's Legacy programs, which are efforts that grew from seeds C100 helped plant years ago. Big Spring Partners reflects how the Committee works: set a long-term vision, put the right pieces in place, and stay with the work until it can stand on its own.
Young Professionals
The Committee's young professionals work began in 2006, after a UAH study found that Huntsville was losing young professionals at 8 to 10 percent a year. The response was to bring emerging leaders into the Committee itself. Today, 60 young professionals ages 22 to 40 hold full membership rights, attend every Committee event, and take part in the Committee's decisions. Three serve on the BizPac board, the YP chair serves on the board of directors, and the Committee's last three board chairs all came up through the program.
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