Huntsville leaders in Montgomery: ‘Nobody represents Alabama better than Huntsville and Madison County’

Published on March 6, 2026

More than 120 people from the Huntsville area traveled to Montgomery this week with the Huntsville/Madison County Chamber of Commerce to visit with state leaders.

The sessions and conversations were informative and enlightening, bridging the three-hour driving distance between Alabama’s largest city and the state’s capital. But it also represented the Huntsville community, its successes and its impact on the rest of the state.

“Nobody represents Alabama better than Huntsville and Madison County,” Speaker of the House Nathaniel Ledbetter told the group.

Even if not necessarily through landmass, Alabama is a state with lots of competing interests. Lawmakers convening in Montgomery are intimately aware of those interests and must balance the desires of their district constituents with the state as a whole. Those lawmakers, in a sense, serve two masters.

But when Huntsville connects with lawmakers and decision makers with one voice through visits facilitated by the Chamber, it resonates.

“This group always comes down united,” state Rep. Rex Reynolds of Huntsville said during a session. “So many groups come down here and are fractured.”

While the Huntsville/Madison County Chamber has long sponsored trips to Montgomery, it has partnered with the Madison Chamber of Commerce for the past three years. Mayor Tommy Battle, Madison Mayor Ranae Bartlett and newly-appointed Madison County Commission Chair Rex Vaughn were all on the trip.

“These connections are invaluable to the work we are doing in north Alabama,” Mayor Battle said. “We are proud to take our message to Montgomery and tell about the good things that are happening in Huntsville and our plans for the future.”

The group also included CEOs, educators, entrepreneurs, advocates – a literal cross-section of the Huntsville-area workforce.

“We had a number of new faces join us this time, in addition to people who have supported the trip for several years. It is a renewal of partnerships and an excellent opportunity to network with local business leaders and share ideas to improve our region,” said Chip Cherry, Huntsville/Madison County Chamber President and CEO. We also presented our 2026 State Agenda to our legislative delegation, which includes a number of key priorities for our region.”

People on the trip  attended sessions led by Huntsville-area legislative leaders such as Reynolds, Sens. Arthur Orr and Steve Livingston and Reps. Ledbetter and Anthony Daniels as well as presentations by Secretary of Workforce Greg Reed and Secretary of Education Eric Mackey.

The trip concluded with a luncheon where Gov. Kay Ivey delivered the keynote address.

“You’re proud to be from Madison County,” Ledbetter said. “Or you would not be here.”