The Perry County Commission on Monday approved a county tax abatement for the still-unnamed buyer of the former Judson College campus, over objections from two commissioners who said they were not comfortable voting on an incentive package for a company they cannot yet identify.
The resolution was presented under the name “Judson Property, LLC,” with Montgomery lobbyist Liberty Duke appearing before the commission as the company’s representative. Duke told commissioners she could not answer detailed questions about the project because “the state has us on an NDA,” and said more information would be released later.
Commission Chairman Albert Turner said the project would be “an industrial project,” and when Commissioner Tony Long asked whether that meant “a factory or something like that,” Duke answered that the plan involves “some new construction and a lot of renovation to existing facilities” on the campus. Turner cut off further questioning, telling the board he wanted to move on from discussion of the details.
Turner told commissioners there would be a press conference “once the governor has signed off on this and we have a closing for the property.” Duke said the company expected to close on the purchase “30 days from the 14th,” and that a delay on the county’s tax abatement would not affect that timetable.
“It’s going to be an improvement, right? You’re going to keep it just like it is?” Long asked Duke of the campus.
“Better,” Duke replied.
Long made a motion, seconded by Commissioner Barbara Howze, to grant the abatement.
Commissioner Carlton Lewis then made a secondary motion to table the abatement resolution “until the next commission meeting,” noting that the buyer’s name is already expected to change and saying he wanted the county’s paperwork to match whatever name the company ultimately uses. Commissioner Brett Harrison seconded Lewis’ motion to table.
Turner argued against any delay, saying the commission could “always amend the resolution” later and that “there is no need to table this action, we need to move forward.” On a voice vote he declared the motion to table failed, 3–2.
The commission then voted on the original resolution. Turner announced that the motion carried on a voice vote with two commissioners voting no.
Afterward, Long told Lewis he voted in favor because “it’s going to improve the property, it’s going to improve the city and the county.”
Monday’s action follows a similar move by the Marion City Council, which last week approved a municipal tax abatement for the campus buyer. In both cases, officials and the company have declined to publicly identify the full ownership structure behind “Judson Property, LLC,” and have cited nondisclosure agreements as the reason details are being withheld.
The Times-Standard-Herald has been unable to locate any relevant corporation or limited liability company called Judson Property LLC or Judson College Properties, LLC in Alabama, Texas, or Delaware—the three jurisdictions where such an entity would most likely be registered.
As those questions linger, the clearest clue to who is actually behind “Judson Property, LLC” is the person fronting the project. Liberty Duke is a Montgomery lobbyist; federal securities filings also identify her as an independent director of Callan JMB Inc., a Texas-based cold-chain logistics and emergency response company.
Callan JMB’s own prospectus says it was originally formed as Coldchain Technology Services, LLC, and lists its headquarters at 244 Flightline Drive in Spring Branch, Texas—the same address long used by Coldchain. Duke has also been registered in Alabama as a lobbyist for Coldchain Technology Services and for a cluster of related health-care and school-vaccination companies.
Taken together, those records strongly suggest that the entity now buying the Judson campus is part of the Callan/Coldchain network that Duke represents, even if it may be operating here under a different name.
