​FuelAL River Region Celebrates Summer Interns, Employers, and the River Region’s Future Talent

The Montgomery Regional Chamber celebrated the culmination of the 2026 FuelAL River Region Summer Internship Program on Thursday, July 30, bringing together interns, employers, community partners, and regional leaders to recognize a summer of professional growth, meaningful connections, and experiences across Central Alabama.

Held at the Prattville Marriott Hotel & Conference Center at Capitol Hill, the celebration luncheon provided an opportunity to recognize the students who participated in this year’s program, thank the employers and community partners who invested in their experience and reflect on the importance of developing and retaining the next generation of talent in the River Region.

FuelAL is a state-wide talent development and retention initiative connecting college students with employers, career opportunities, and communities across Alabama. This year’s FuelAL River Region cohort included 33 college interns representing 22 employers and 19 colleges and universities from across Alabama and beyond, reflecting the broad network of students and employers investing in the future of our region’s workforce.

Throughout the summer, interns gained hands-on experience with local employers while stepping outside of the workplace to connect with business and community leaders, explore key industries, and experience the people and places that make the River Region a place to build both a career and a life.

Their summer began with Welcome Night at Montgomery Whitewater and included networking at the Chamber’s 60 Minute Coffee, Montgomery Biscuits baseball at Dabos Park, a performance of Chicken & Biscuits at the Alabama Shakespeare Festival, a behind-the-scenes industry tour at Hyundai Motor Manufacturing Alabama, and a community service awareness experience with the River Region United Way. Interns also connected over golf and dinner at Eagle Golf Simulators in Millbrook and joined Leadership Montgomery for the Intern Connectors Luncheon at the Alabama Department of Archives and History.

Together, these experiences gave interns opportunities to build relationships beyond their individual workplaces while gaining a broader understanding of the industries, organizations, attractions, and communities that shape the River Region.

Building a Career & Making a Difference at Home
During the celebration luncheon, Prattville Mayor Bill Gillespie welcomed the interns to Prattville and encouraged them, as they complete their internships and continue their college and career journeys, to remember the people who helped them reach this point. He reminded students that no one achieves success entirely on their own and challenged them to reflect on and thank the mentors, family members, educators, employers and others who have invested in them along the way.

Montgomery Regional Chamber Chairman Robert Birmingham reflected on his own experience growing up in Montgomery and choosing to build his career in the community he calls home. Now celebrating 40 years with Regions Bank, Birmingham spoke about the opportunity to build a successful career while also using that career to make a meaningful difference in the community around you.

“Montgomery is the community that raised me, and I’ve been fortunate to spend the last 40 years building a career here with Regions Bank,” Birmingham said. “There is something incredibly rewarding about building a career in the place you call home and having the opportunity to use that career to make a difference in your community. I hope these interns see that same opportunity for themselves here in the River Region.”

Montgomery Regional Chamber President & CEO Anna Buckalew shared that seeing the talent represented in the room left her inspired and emphasized that developing, attracting, and retaining emerging talent is essential to the region’s continued growth.

“It is incredibly inspiring to look around this room and see the talent, energy, and potential represented by these students,” Buckalew said. “They are not just the workforce of tomorrow. Their ideas, ambition, and leadership are part of what will move our region forward together. Our responsibility is to make sure they see the opportunities that exist here and know there is a place for them to build their careers, their lives and their futures in the River Region.”

Building Connections & Understanding Your Community
Following the Montgomery Regional Chamber’s Washington Brief with U.S. Congressman Shomari Figures earlier in the week, Figures learned about the upcoming FuelAL River Region luncheon and requested to join the celebration for an opportunity to personally meet and speak with the interns.

Figures encouraged interns to recognize the value of relationships as they begin their careers, emphasizing the importance of making connections and intentionally building their professional networks.

He also challenged the students to truly know and explore the communities where they grew up and where they may choose to begin their careers, noting that some of the greatest opportunities and assets can be easy to overlook when they have always been part of the landscape around you.

Reflecting on his own upbringing, Figures shared that he grew up with the Port of Mobile essentially in his backyard but did not fully understand until later in life the tremendous impact the port has on communities, businesses and industries across Alabama.

His message encouraged interns to look at their own communities with a new perspective and take the time to understand the industries, institutions, opportunities and people shaping the places they call home.

A Summer of Connections, Experiences & Opportunity
The luncheon concluded by turning the program over to the interns themselves. Each student shared an individual takeaway from their summer internship and FuelAL River Region experience, reflecting on the professional skills they developed, relationships they built, experiences they enjoyed and lessons they will carry with them into the next chapter of their education and careers.

Those reflections underscored the larger purpose behind FuelAL River Region: creating meaningful connections between emerging talent, employers, and the community.

By connecting students with career opportunities while giving them a deeper understanding of the River Region, FuelAL River Region supports the region’s long-term workforce needs and helps emerging professionals see Central Alabama as a place where they can launch their careers, build connections, and put down roots.

The Montgomery Regional Chamber is grateful to the employers, community partners, and regional leaders who invested their time and resources in the 2026 FuelAL River Region program and, most importantly, to the interns who brought their energy, ideas and talent to the River Region this summer.

As the 2026 Summer Internship Program comes to a close, the relationships, experiences, and connections built through FuelAL River Region will continue to strengthen the pipeline of talent that will help move the River Region forward.

Watch 2026 FuelAL River Region Recap Video:  https://youtu.be/qt18_RsVNDA
View & Download Digital Media from Celebration Luncheon Here: https://flic.kr/s/aHBqjD1h3o