ARKADELPHIA, Ala. – A1 Composites LLC proposes a $9.785 million aerospace and defense-related manufacturing project that would create 170 new full-time jobs in Arkadelphia, according to economic development records provided by the Cullman County Commission.
Identified as Project Ark, the proposal calls for the company to acquire, improve, equip and operate a facility at 4005 County Road 35.
Although the property has a Hanceville mailing address, the county resolution places it in the unincorporated Arkadelphia community.
A preliminary employment exhibit lists an average wage of approximately $28 per hour, excluding benefits, based on current offer materials.
That figure is subject to final state approval and is not identified as a starting wage for every position.
The Commission adopted Resolution 2026-41 on Aug. 11, approving an agreement form that would provide up to $160,000 in county assistance for parking and entrance improvements.
The company would have to pay for eligible work and meet the agreement’s conditions before receiving reimbursement.
The agreement copy provided to The Tribune bears county officials’ signatures but no company signature.
The supplied records do not establish whether a separately signed version exists or whether the company has since completed the property purchase.
The preliminary schedule in Exhibit B on page 21 calls for 41 qualified jobs in the first performance year and 77 in the second.
Employment would rise to 114 in the third year and 148 in the fourth before reaching 170 in the fifth year and remaining at that level through the 10th year.
The final state incentive documents would govern the schedule.
Those performance years would begin when regular commercial manufacturing operations start, rather than necessarily following the calendar year.
Qualified jobs must be new, full-time, permanent positions at the facility that meet the applicable state requirements.
The investment and employment figures are targets set out in the county-approved agreement form, not evidence of spending or hiring already completed.
The form calls for at least $9,785,000 in investment and a final commitment of at least 170 qualified jobs.
The agreement identifies Angelo D’Urso as A1’s president and lists a company mailing address in Fridley, Minnesota.
The county resolution describes aerospace and defense-related production without identifying specific products or customers.
The infrastructure work would include grading, drainage, paving and related improvements to an employee parking and circulation area, along with widening the entrance from County Road 35.
The parking area would remain private rather than becoming a public parking facility.
The $350,000 funding plan allocates the first $30,000 in eligible costs to a separate Cullman County Industrial Development Authority contribution.
That contribution would require no company match, but would depend on the authority’s own approval and agreement.
The County Commission would not guarantee it.
After that allocation, the County Commission and A1 would split the remaining eligible costs equally, with the Commission’s share capped at $160,000.
If the full budget is spent and approved, the plan calls for $30,000 from the authority, $160,000 from the Commission and $160,000 from A1.
A1 would pay its contractors first and submit documentation for reimbursement.
The assistance would not cover purchasing the property or manufacturing equipment, and the company would be responsible for cost overruns.
The supplied packet does not document any reimbursement payments.
The agreement sets May 7, 2027, as the deadline for acquiring the property, completing the improvement project and beginning regular manufacturing operations, unless the Commission approves an extension.
Failure to meet those requirements could allow the county to terminate the agreement and recover county funds previously paid.
The proposed terms also include a 10-year performance period. Employment shortfalls could require the company to repay a portion of the assistance, while a permanent closure could make the remaining repayment obligation immediately due.
Recorded security documents protecting the county’s repayment rights would be required before reimbursement.
The May 7 deadline is not a confirmed opening date. The supplied agreement leaves the state-approved production start date blank, and the records do not establish whether manufacturing has begun.
