Greetings!
Here is today's summary of economic development news, presented by the Economic Development Partnership of Alabama.
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Anniston eyes system of tax incentives for business
Anniston City Manager Don Hoyt is looking to formalize Anniston's economic development activities with an ordinance that would outline steps the city would take to give tax incentives to businesses locating or expanding here.
"Right now, there's a lot of wishful thinking going on," Hoyt said. "I think if we, if I can come up with some real clear standards, we can move forward. That's the whole idea."
Hoyt is bringing the proposal to the Anniston City Council at its work session today to get some idea of the parameters the members would be willing to set. One of the proposals would be a package of incentives the city would be willing to offer to prospective or expanding businesses based on the impact they would have on the community. Another would be a new economic development loan program, he said.
Anniston Star
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Mobile to get Vertex Energy used oil facility
MOBILE, Alabama -- A Houston-based used oil processor said today that it would open a facility in Mobile.
Vertex Energy Inc., which trades over the counter under the symbol VTNR, said that it would collect and sell "black oil" from Mobile.
The oil would be processed in Texas.
"The addition of our new location in Mobile dramatically increases the aggregation footprint of our Black Oil division," Vertex CEO Benjamin P. Cowart said in a written statement."We anticipate this new location will allow us to handle an incremental 20,000 barrels of black oil per month through our network."
more...
Press Register
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Southeast factory growth slows in May
MOBILE, Ala. -- The national slowdown in manufacturing was mirrored in the Southeast in May, although the factory sector continued to grow in both the region and nation.
The Southeast Purchasing Managers Index, which covers factories in Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, Florida, Georgia and Tennessee, fell 4.6 points in May to 60.2, according to Kennesaw State University. The Southeast remained ahead of the national index, which fell 6.9 points to 53.5.
more...
Press Register
Alabama gets $1M in brownfield grants
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has awarded $1 million in brownfield grants to three Alabama communities.
The grants will be used for the assessment and cleanup of brownfield properties, including abandoned gas stations, old textile mills and other abandoned industrial and commercial properties.
more...
Birmingham Business Journal
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Alabama GDP grew by 2 percent last year, Bureau of Economic Analysis says
Published: Tuesday, June 07, 2011, 11:22 AM Updated: Tuesday, June 07, 2011, 11:26 AM
By The Birmingham News The Birmingham News
Alabama's economy expanded last year, but its output remains below the level of 2007 after two years of contraction, according to the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis.
The state's gross domestic product -- the total of all goods and services -- rose 2 percent last year to $154.1 billion, the agency said today. Alabama's GDP contracted by 3 percent in 2009 and by 0.1 percent in 2008. In 2007, the figure stood at $155.8 billion.
Last year's gain ranked No. 29 among the states, but the growth rate outpaced some Southeastern neighbors, according to the BEA data. Florida and Georgia ranked No. 40 and No. 41, respectively, with gains measured at 1.4 percent. Mississippi was No. 45, with a 1.1 percent increase.
Tennessee was tops in the region, with a 3.5 percent increase, No. 6 among the states, according to the BEA.
more...
Birmingham News
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EDPA's Taylor shares his leadership insights
Birmingham Business Journal - by Brent Godwin
Date: Friday, May 27, 2011, 1:18pm CDT
Brent Godwin
Sweat the small stuff.
That was one of the messages Bill Taylor, president of the Economic Development Partnership of Alabama, shared on Thursday night as the keynote speaker at the Birmingham Business Journal's second annual CEO Awards.
Taylor, who formerly served as CEO of Mercedes Benz U.S. International Inc., shared a few of his personal experiences with 250 attendees.
The underlying theme of much of Taylor's speech was how even the smallest details can play large roles in how a CEO runs a company.
Taylor recalled walking through the Mercedes factory and picking up scraps of paper or tiny screws off the floor.
"You might not think that picking up a screw off the floor would matter, but something as small as that could be a safety hazard," Taylor said.
"It's the littlest things, like that screw, that can sometimes count the most."
Taylor, who led several major expansions at the Mercedes plant in Vance, made the point that employees are always watching and emulating what the CEO does.
He said things such as word choice or facial expressions can have a tremendous effect on the morale of employees.
Taylor also spoke about the value of problems in a business.
more...
Birmingham Business Journal
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Economic & Community Development Institute Intensive Economic Development Training Course
Economic & Community Development Institute (ECDI) at Auburn University is gearing up for its 27th annual (two-week) Intensive Economic Development Training Course. The first week of the 2011 Intensive Course will be held on July 11-15, and the second week will be conducted September 12-16. This course introduces participants to all phases of economic development. Program leaders and faculty members are leading community and economic development practitioners from across the state and region. The Intensive Course will be held at The Hotel at Auburn University and Dixon Conference Center, located at 241 South College Street in Auburn.
The course curriculum is tailored to meet the expressed education and training needs of: local, regional, and state-level economic development professionals; economic / industrial development board members; chamber of commerce executives and staff members; state and local elected officials; community leaders; county commissioners; utility company representatives; and community and regional planners. Created by Extension in 1985, the Intensive Course has 900 alumni, including most of the state's top economic development professionals.
for more information:
Intensive Course home page |
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Best,
Wendy Wallace Johnson
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