The Alabama Economic Development Alliance has unveiled its strategic plan, Accelerate Alabama. Read more in our

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After serving a year as the executive director of the Coastal Gateway Regional Economic Development Alliance, Jim Searcy said there are signs of progress as the region, state, nation and world try to work its way out of the economic downturn.

Searcy was named director of the newly formed CGEDA on Dec. 29, 2010 to head up a regional economic development effort that includes Escambia, Choctaw, Clarke, Conecuh and Monroe Counties.

"It's been interesting," Searcy said this week. "We're still seeing the effects of the recession, but we are seeing some positives."

He said those positives include a drop in the unemployment rate and more capital being invested by businesses and industries throughout the region.

Prior to joining Coastal Gateway, Searcy served as president of Business and Industry Retention at the Birmingham Business Alliance. Before the merger of the Birmingham Regional Chamber of Commerce and the Birmingham Metropolitan Development Board into the business alliance, Searcy served on the Metropolitan Development Board for 13 years as vice president of marketing. He also spent seven years with the Alabama Development Office as a senior project manager and is a past board member of the Economic Development Association of Alabama.

Searcy was recently named chairman of the legislative committee for the Economic Development Association of Alabama. He said that committee's role is to promote the interest of economic development throughout the state of Alabama.

Searcy said with the Alabama Legislature heading into session in a few months, the committee will not only work to protect current incentives to attract new industry, but look at ways to create new or broadening current incentives.

"We need to look at ways to make us more competitive," he said. Since taking over as head of Coastal Gateway a year ago, Searcy initiated a multi-county existing businesses program designed to get input as well as provide help for expansion.

"We're talking to our larger existing industries throughout the region," he said. "We want their input and their outlook."

Searcy described that outlook as 'cautiously optimistic'.

"They feel they have weathered the worst of the storm," Searcy said. "The rebound will be slow, but it's happening."

He said the biggest need now is a rebound in the domestic housing industry, which affects so many other industries.

"Right now we are seeing more project activity," Searcy said. "There are more people looking at Southwest Alabama. We're beginning to see activity spread out."

Thomas, Joe. "A year later Searcy sees positive signs." The Tri-City Ledger (Flomaton) 29 December 2011, Page 1A & 11A.

Governor Robert Bentley, spoke to attendees of the Economic Development Association of Alabama's (EDAA) Winter Conference on January 24th to talk about the economy, job creation and his plan to streamline the state's economic development efforts.

"Today there are over 41,000 more people working in the state of Alabama than one year ago today," said Bentley. Since his inauguration, Bentley said 13,682 new jobs have been announced for the state. He also discussed a decline in Alabama's unemployment rate, crediting companies and local economic developers for the increase in hiring. Over the last three months, the state has dropped 1.7% in its unemployment rate. Alabama currently has an unemployment rate of 8.1%.

The governor has pledged not to take a salary until the state's unemployment rate has dropped to 5.2%. Bentley feels confident that Alabama will reach full employment in the future.

Bentley announced the Accelerate Alabama strategic plan which will focus on three key areas: recruitment, retention and renewal. 

"Accelerate Alabama will ensure that there is a well-balanced, comprehensive, aggressive and progressive economic development program for the state that we will look at over the next five years," said Bentley.

The Alabama Economic Development Alliance unveiled its strategic plan, Accelerate Alabama, at the Economic Development Association of Alabama's (EDAA) 2012 Winter Conference on January 24th in Birmingham, AL. 

The plan will provide a course for Alabama's economic development efforts over the next five years. It was developed over a six-month period, with input from more than 1,200 Alabamians, including community, business, and state leadership. Input was collected from almost 500 individuals through eight visioning meetings across the state and over 700 surveys of companies, economic developers, university leaders, legislators and residents.

The plan is organized around three key economic development drivers defined as:

Recruitment: Programs that focus on the attraction of new business and industry.

Retention: Programs that focus on the retention and expansion of existing business and industry.

Renewal: Programs that focus on job creation through innovation, entrepreneurship, research and development, and commercialization.

The plan was unveiled by Alliance Chair Seth Hammett and Alliance members Greg Canfield, Director of the Alabama Development Office (ADO); Dr. Freida Hill, chancellor of the Alabama Community College System (ACCS); Dr. Malcom Portera, chancellor of the University of Alabama System, and Bill Taylor, president of the Economic Development Partnership of Alabama (EDPA).

Greg Canfield will serve as chairman of the alliance going forward and will oversee implementation of the plan. Dr. Hill will head the retention implementation process. Dr. Portera and Dr. Jay Gouge, president of Auburn University, will head the renewal process.

For recruitment, eleven business sector categories are identified in the plan. The business sectors targeted are not new to the state. Six of these sectors are categorized under major advanced manufacturing partly due to the fact that this component represents 16.4% of all jobs in Alabama currently. These sectors include: aerospace/ defense, automotive, agricultural products/food production, steel/metal, forestry products, and chemicals.  

The Coastal Gateway region currently has industry in four of the six sectors. 

Alabama ranks fifth among all states in total vehicle production. The output of U.S. vehicle production is forecast to grow at an annual compounded rate of 9% between 2011 and 2016. Alabama has over 350 automotive companies and developers see great potential for growth. The state's three auto assembly plants, Mercedes-Benz, Hyundai and Honda, have recently announced expan­sions with a combined investment of $2.8 billion and over 1,800 new jobs. These projects could draw numerous new supplier jobs.

Agriculture products and food production, already employs around 35,000 workers in Alabama. 28% of the land in Alabama is related to food production and agriculture. The demand for food typically remains fairly stable, and food production companies continue to invest in new plants and make improvements to older facilities.

There is opportunity in the steel and metals industry in Alabama. The production of the steel and metal manufacturing sector in the U.S. is projected to grow at an annual rate of 5% per year between 2011 and 2016. The production of primary metals in Alabama grew 2.4% in 2010 and the production of fabricated metals grew 2.8% in 2010. Steel is used by a number of sectors, including aerospace, appliance manufacturing, automotive, construction, electrical and utility, engineered products, and precision machinery, several of which have a strong presence in the state.  

Forestry products are another item for growth opportunity in the state as they relate to bio-energy, fuel, biomass and bio-fuels. The state has seen an increase of about 20% per year in these sectors over the last ten years. Approximately 77% of industrial biomass energy in the U.S. is generated by wood products, such as wood chips, pellets or forestry residues. Alabama currently ranks second in the U.S. in pulp production, third in paper production, seventh in lumber production, and eighth in wood panel production.

Along with recruitment, retention and renewal make up an extremely important part of the plan.

Led by Frieda Hill, the state will work to retain existing businesses by continuing to focus on ensuring the workforce is well trained and training needs of business and industry are met. This goal will be achieved by aligning the state's workforce services, developing an ACCS Strategic Plan, and strengthening the training for existing business and industry, among other drivers.

Canfield said the key new territory covered in Accelerate Alabama is the focus on renewal and innovation. In recent years, there has been a growing appreciation of the potential to diversify the state's economic development efforts through building upon and fostering a system to enhance the growth potential of jobs through the exploitation of innovations and technology developed within the state.

Other Alliance members include: Bill Taylor, president of the EDPA, Greg Barker, Alabama Power Company, on behalf of the Alabama Marketing Allies; Dr. Marquita Davis, Alabama Finance director; and local economic developers Mike McCain, Gadsden-Etowah County Industrial Development Authority, Dus Rogers, Jackson County Economic Development Authority, and Ellen McNair, Montgomery Area Chamber of Commerce.

Please view the summary and full report to learn more information about Accelerate Alabama.

To view the Accelerate Alabama executive summary, click here. To view the full report, click here.

Data taken from Accelerate Alabama Plan. 

Alabama's economic developers are pushing several proposals that would create new tax incentives for the state. Several of these incentives were discussed at the Economic Development Association of Alabama's (EDAA) 2012 Winter Conference on January 25th in Birmingham, AL.

Economic developers are supporting the Job Creation/Retention Tax Act, which would allow corporations that locate or build in Alabama to keep a portion of the income taxes owed to the state, providing certain conditions are met. The amount would be based on the quantity of jobs a project creates and would allow companies to realize a real financial benefit. The flexibility associated with this type of incentive would make Alabama competitive for a broad scope of projects.

Other legislative measures that are a priority for the EDAA members include: a proposed constitutional amendment authorizing usage of personal income tax for jobs creation incentives, broadening the current incentive statutes to address specific mining operations, expanding tax incentives to movie production companies that film in Alabama, and passing new tax incentives for companies that build data centers in Alabama.

Economic developers would also like to see the Alabama Development Office's name changed to The Department of Commerce, and the director's title changed to Secretary of Commerce. The reasoning behind the change is a reflection of Alabama's success in recruiting globally. In many countries, the concept of a Department of Commerce and a Secretary of Commerce is better understood.

Johnny Crawford, president of Franklin Resources Group, expects some minor changes to Alabama's immigration law. Numerous businesses say the law has created a substantial paperwork burden. Crawford is confident that adjustments will be undertaken to make the law more reasonable and ultimately enhance Alabama's business climate.

Crawford said as the upcoming legislative session gets under way, he expects the list of measures on the EDAA's legislative agenda it supports to potentially double. The Legislative Leadership has issued a request of all legislators to develop job creating legislation and is assuring lawmakers that their legislation will be considered.

Jim Searcy, executive director of Coastal Gateway Regional Economic Development Alliance (CGEDA), was recently named chairman of the EDAA Legislative Committee. Searcy said, "This legislative session represents an excellent opportunity for Alabama to responsibly enhance its competitiveness and create a sustainable economic development environment that will reap benefits far into the future."

Hartley Powell, a principal at KPMG's global relocation and expansion services, spoke to attendees at the Economic Development Association of Alabama's (EDAA) 2012 Winter Conference on January 25^th in Birmingham, AL.

Powell stated that site selection consultants constantly work to keep up with states and what they are doing. They often visit states across the U.S. to develop a comparative analysis. According to Powell, many communities are similar to others in various states. With that being said, how do you get on the radar to avoid elimination and close the deal?

First, economic developers must be elastic and responsive due to the market's ever changing needs. Companies are figuring out how to survive and grow in this recovering economy and states must respond accordingly. Powell said that in the current economy, survival of the fittest is the mentality. The better those are at adapting, the better the chance of survival.

Powell said we have 2,000 more jobs in our economy now than we had in 2007. On the other hand, industries are producing a lot more with a lot less people.  40% more output is occurring now with fewer workers than what was going on 10 years ago. 9% of our jobs are related to manufacturing.

Powell was impressed by the state's new strategic plan, Accelerate Alabama.  "There is no way to survive out there without having a road map. You are moving and you have goals. It is important to have target industries in order to connect the dots," said Powell.

Second, Powell said because of the abundance of high-quality and available sites, due diligence is a must to avoid elimination in the site selection process.  "As a site selection consultant I do not pick sites, I eliminate sites. Consultants look for any reason they can to eliminate sites. If any data is incomplete or does not match up the site is eliminated," said Powell.

Economic developers must work to establish community and site preparedness. Powell said undergoing a site certification program such as the AdvantageSite Program is extremely important. The site's ownership should be clearly identified and all risk eliminated.

Last, according to Powell, when trying to attract companies, it's not the incentives that a potential new company first considers; it's the quality of the labor force. A company wants to know what type of employees it will be able to attract nearby. If a community is unable to answer specific questions, there's a large chance it will be eliminated from the list.

While Alabama has a high sales tax, it also boasts some of the lowest property taxes in comparison with other states. Powell said this fact helps Alabama to remain competitive.

For more information on the presentations from the EDAA Winter Conference, please click on the links below.

2012 Economic Outlook - John Boston, Morgan Asset Management - Regions Financial

EPA Regulations and the Economy - Lance Brown, Partnership for Affordable and Clean Air (PACE)

Foreign Direct Investment in the U.S. Economy - Aaron Brickman, SelectUSA, US Department of Commerce

Advantage Site Success Story - Tammy Radmard, EDPA; Lori Huguley, City of Opelika; Gary Faulkner, ADO

Robotics Technology Park - (RTP) Briefing - Ed Castile, AIDT

Coastal Gateway Regional Economic Development Alliance and local developers from the 5-county region toured Choctaw General Hospital on Wednesday, January 11^th.

J.W. Cowan, hospital administrator, and Suzanne H. Mize, assistant administrator, led local economic developers along with Gary Faulkner, senior project manager of the Alabama Development Office (ADO) on the tour.

Bobby Skipper, Evergreen economic developer, said "The tour of Choctaw General Hospital really opened my eyes to what a modern hospital looks like from the ground up. I would have never imagined that one of our local communities would be the recipient of such a comprehensive project. Impressive doesn't say enough."

Choctaw General Hospital, a $20-million, 25-bed Rush Health Systems project remains on track to open in early February 2012.

Virginia Loftis, executive director of the Choctaw County Chamber, said "Choctaw General Hospital will provide exceptional care for the people of Choctaw County.  It will aid in our efforts to recruit new industry and expand existing industry. It will offer enhancements to our community in workforce development, community improvement and economic infrastructure."

Choctaw General, located in Butler, AL, will include a 24-hour physician-staffed emergency department, fully-equipped laboratory, and imaging department that includes x-ray, MRI, and CT capabilities, a surgical procedures suite, an intensive outpatient program, and a swing-bed program. The facility will also be equipped with a helipad for air ambulance transport.

Once completed, the facility promises to bring up to 120 jobs to the area, with an anticipated annual economic impact of between $10 million and $12 million. 

One of our goals at the CGEDA is to have everyone in our region know who we are and what we do. That includes knowing our board members. Because our board constantly growing, we will continue highlighting board members in our newsletter, Gateway News, so that you will know who is representing the region. This month, we would like to introduce Atmore Mayor Howard Shell.  

 Mayor Howard Shell

Mayor Howard Shell has served as the mayor in Atmore for a total of 22 years.

Mayor Shell is a graduate of Ernest Ward High School in Walnut Hill, FL. and attended Florida State University. In 2000, Shell graduated from the Auburn University Leadership course. Shell is also an Advanced Certified Municipal Official graduate.

Shell served in the United States Army for four years during the Korean War. He is a retiree from the research and development department of Monsanto Company and also previously served two years as a city councilman.

Mayor Shell is a member of the following organizations: First United Methodist Church, Masonic Lodge and Scottish Rite, American Legion, Lifetime Member Veterans of Foreign War, and the Lion's Club.

He has served on the following boards: National League of Cities' Economic & Development Board; Chairman, Energy, Environment, & Natural Resources; State of Alabama League of Municipalities; South Alabama Regional Planning Commission's Board of Directors; Coastal Gateway Regional Economic Development Alliance; and the Jefferson Davis Community College Board of Advisors.

Shell has been married to his wife, Nannette, for 60 years. He has two children, five grandchildren and one great grandson.

The City of Atmore

The City of Atmore has recently completed the re-certification process for its Alabama Communities of Excellence (ACE) designation. Our ACE designation was initially earned in 2007. In addition to a vibrant downtown industrial park which is home to manufacturers of automotive parts, agricultural mixes, textiles, and fabricated metal, the City is also actively recruiting new businesses for the Rivercane project. Located 4 1/2 miles north of Atmore at I-65, Rivercane is an ideal location for commercial and retail opportunities. The Holiday Inn has a consistently high occupancy rate, and the McDonald's and Hardees's are doing well. Construction on Hampton Inn is complete and expected to open mid-to-late February. These businesses generate strong revenue sources for the City.

Total acreage is 743 acres with underground utilities, and curbed and guttered streets. In addition to food service and lodging, Rivercane can also accommodate, and is actively pursuing, service and light industrial prospects. The City currently furnishes the Department of Corrections with a redundant water source, as well as gas and sewer services.

The City maintains three water wells acquired through the State of Alabama Forestry Commission. Grant funds secured through DOT will enable the City to do additional road construction. The Atmore Municipal Airport has undergone many improvements. Grant funds available through FAA have been used to construct a new access road. These grant funds have also allowed us to build ten (10) t-hangers, which average 90% occupancy. Additional fencing has been installed to ensure airport security. Our airport provides enhanced safety through runway lighting improvements, new rotating beacons, and a new approach system which increases the safety of night flying.

Escambia County Industrial Development Authority (ECIDA), along with Coastal Gateway Regional Economic Development Alliance and the Atmore Industrial Board continue to network with State partners to market both parks. Atmore continues to receive contacts through the Economic Development Partnership of Alabama (EDPA) and the Alabama Development Office (ADO) to provide information on certain sites and buildings in Atmore. Electronically prepared packets are available to prospective companies, and detailed information is provided, tailored for each specific project.

Through cooperative relationships with agencies at the city, county and at the regional level, provided by Coastal Gateway Regional Economic Development Alliance, we have a valuable tool by which to double our efforts; strengthen our individual communities; and strengthen South Alabama.

Pensacola can mark the arrival of 2012 with a celebratory toast to the creation of approximately 235 new local jobs. Innisfree Hotels is officially beginning construction of their 'Airport & 12th' development connected to the Pensacola International Airport terminal.

Innisfree is proud to partner with the Poarch Band of Creek Indians on this project. Julian MacQueen, Innisfree's CEO and founder says, "Our relationship with the Poarch Band of Creek Indians has spanned almost two decades. We've collaborated on other successful projects during this time and are very excited to work with them again."

"We are fortunate enough to be able to reinvest into the community with quality investments like the Airport and 12th project," said Tim Martin, president/CEO of Creek Indian Enterprises Development Authority (CIEDA).

The project includes a 127-room Hyatt Place Hotel as well as office and retail sites on twelve acres. Rich Chism, Innisfree's Director of Development says, "We're proud to introduce a new prototype of the Hyatt Place Hotel brand to the Pensacola area market and will choose the tenants of the other out parcels carefully to ensure quality amenities at our city's international gateway."

This $24 million project, when completed, is projected to generate over $420,000 annually in non-airline revenue for the Airport through lease fees, and $100,000 in local option sales taxes for the City of Pensacola.

It will also create over $4 million in payroll revenues through the addition of new jobs to the local economy.

"The commitment of the credit unions and the Poarch Band of Creek Indians to this project has helped Innisfree expand in very difficult economic times," says Mr. MacQueen. "We're fortunate to have their support. They are good neighbors to the Pensacola community." The land for the development is being leased from the City of Pensacola and will be connected to the main airport terminal via a covered walkway.

Robins & Morton, the project's general contractor, has completed some key infrastructure work and is currently building the foundation for the hotel. The hotel is expected to open in the spring of 2013.

The Coastal Gateway Regional Economic Development Alliance Facebook Page is another good opportunity to help us keep in touch with you. Here you can view photos, happenings of the Alliance throughout the year and regional events as they relate to economic development.

There are seventy-five members on our page so far.  We encourage you to join in and help spread the news about the Facebook Page.  If you would like us to post specific information or include pictures from your region, please contact info@cgeda.net.

To visit or join the page: click here.

CGEDA is also on Twitter! Follow us on Twitter to keep up to date on news in the region! To follow us on Twitter: click here.