Recently retired as the president of M.B. Lawley, Inc. petroleum company after more than 30 years of service, Lawley might not be perceived as the kind of person suited to being a leader in conservation — unless you talk to him for a few minutes.

He may even be somewhat of an oddity in Montgomery, where folks are not quite sure how to handle someone from St. Clair County getting the job done. With a laugh, Lawley says he’s teaching them how to get things done.

"They might not be used to seeing somebody work like I do, but I'm teaching them," he said.

Lawley's latest project shows how hard work, partnership and innovation can pay off.

The project will bring a new hotel and conference center to Gulf State Park in Orange Beach.

The estimated $100 million project will bring a conference center that will accommodate up to 2,000 people and a 350-unit, six or seven story hotel. The project will be adjacent to almost three miles of undeveloped beachfront.

The development will also include about 30,000 square feet of smaller meeting rooms and improvements to area camping facilities.

Specifically, 12 cabins will be added at Lake Shelby, more primitive camp sites will be added and the pier will be overhauled.

"We really think this project will have something for everybody," Lawley said.

In addition, Auburn University, the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources and Atlanta-based West Paces Group, a private hotel management company, have put together a business model to allow Auburn students to get hands-on experience in hotel management. The project could lead to other opportunities for Auburn students, according to press release from Gov. Bob Riley's office.

But Lawley said the educational benefits do not stop at Auburn.

"This project opens a lot of doors for students across the state," Lawley said. "We have structured the project so that students at Alabama or Faulkner University's culinary schools could do an internship or even earn transfer credit."

In fact, the completed hotel and conference center could be used as an educational venue for college students from Alabama institutions in areas of study which include hotel and hospitality management, forestry, wildlife and marine biology, according to Riley.

"This is a great opportunity to make tremendous improvements to Gulf State Park and provide new opportunities for jobs and economic growth," Riley said in a press release. "The state of Alabama is firmly committed to the prudent use of its natural resources and to provide important progress in economic development. This partnership helps accomplish both goals."

Auburn University has agreed to a 99-year lease for the proposed hotel, which will take the place of a badly deteriorating hotel and conference center at the park, Lawley said.

"We are now going to be able to meet requirements of groups that are currently going to Florida for their conference center needs," Lawley said. "For the average taxpayer, this project is going to generate more economic value, services and education opportunities that will result in tax base to pay for other services statewide."

The alternative is to keep repairing the current hotel and conference center, he added.

"An inspection team from Birmingham inspected the hotel last week and it's in such bad condition that we really can't just keep patching it up," Lawley said.

Not only will the project mean new buildings, but it will also mean preservation of the current 5,000-acre habitat adjacent to the site, which includes wetlands, important nesting areas and protected maritime forestry areas.

And for Lawley, those natural resources are as important as the economic development that will spring up around them.

"We all have a responsibility to protect our resources," Lawley said. "Most people don't think about their involvement until they see a turkey or a deer, but when they do, they pay a little more attention."

Lawley developed a love for hunting and fishing at a young age and preserved his love of nature as he helped innovate programs in Pell City, St. Clair County and in his job as Alabama's conservation commissioner.

A Pell City native, Lawley helped establish a wildlife management course at Pell City High School. He also co-founded the St. Clair County chapters of Ducks Unlimited and the National Turkey Federation and co-founded the St. Clair County Sportsmen for the Environment.

In association with the Department of Conservation, Lawley created the St. Clair County Wildlife Management Area and received Treasure Forest designation for management of the W.B. Lawley estate property.

Lawley also served for six years on the board of directors of the Alabama Wildlife Federation and was the group’s vice president and legislative chairman for two terms.

Still, with all those accomplishments under his belt, Lawley says his feet are firmly planted in the soil of St. Clair County, where he believes he really does not contribute much more than other hard-working folks there.

"Folks in St. Clair County have shown how hard they can work and how they can get the job done," Lawley said.

And driving home for his weekend Friday, he characterized himself as just another cog in the wheel to making Alabama a better place.