Happy 2026, everyone!
I cannot wait to officially welcome you into our new office building in the MidCity District — hopefully in April.
This week, we saw the front door installed. The asphalt is down in the parking lot, and the building has been cleaned. Right now, we’re waiting on the arrival and installation of our office doors and furniture. There are just a few final details to wrap up before we’re ready to cut the ribbon, move in — and start working in our new space.
We are so pleased with the design McMillan | Pazdan | Smith, formerly Fuqua & Partners, helped us develop for our staff and clients. When we broke ground in February 2025, the Doster Construction crew told us they would be finished in a year — and they exceeded expectations for both timeline and quality.
Can you tell what I’m excited about right now?
Of course, with TARCOG, there’s always more to share. While the building is new and exciting, the day-to-day work at TARCOG never slows down.
Just a few examples: our staff and the Council on Aging offices throughout our region handled nearly 100,000 calls in 2025, with the vast majority related to aging programs and services. Nearly 1,100 nursing-home-eligible clients received care at home thanks to our Medicaid Waiver staff — a record number for our agency. I am incredibly proud of the level of care and compassion we provide throughout DeKalb, Jackson, Limestone, Madison, and Marshall counties.
In 2026, we anticipate that number will continue to grow, and we are actively working on strategies to recruit and retain staff. Currently, we employ about 100 people.
On the Economic Development and Planning side, our team helped the Town of Pine Ridge complete its very first Comprehensive Plan outlining goals for the next 20 years. We also helped Sylvania’s town leaders adopt their first Zoning Ordinance to help spur commercial development along Alabama Highway 75.
Planning and ordinances are key to long-term success in economic development and quality of life — even in the smallest of towns — and I’m proud that we are able to support our member governments in so many ways.
We are also excited about the future of our Revolving Loan Fund (RLF), which helps small businesses access non-traditional funding opportunities. We partner with Neighborhood Concepts, Inc. (NCI) to manage our RLF, and through an Appalachian Regional Commission grant awarded to TARCOG in 2025, a new loan fund director has been hired at NCI. We expect to see tremendous growth in small business lending and development as a result.
Yes, our new building is an exciting chapter for us — but truly, something exciting is happening every day across our region. TARCOG touches so many aspects of daily life that it doesn’t surprise me when people don’t fully realize everything we do. It is a lot. But I feel blessed to be surrounded by people who care deeply about our communities, our people, and our future.
We are encouraged by the opportunities ahead and can’t wait to share them with you over the next 12 months. Meanwhile, I wish you a happy and healthy new year!
Michelle
