With that notion in mind, the Baldwin County Economic Development Alliance is working to define its future.

The alliance was formed in 1995 to unify economic recruitment in a county that is Alabama's largest geographically and among the most diverse in the state. Its members and friends will, in coming days, be asked to participate in a survey coordinated by Troy University. Their responses, plus information gathered in focus groups also coordinated by the university, will be used by a steering committee to develop a new strategic plan.

"The last one was developed in 2005 and it was really for fundraising purposes. This one is totally different," Robert Ingram, president and CEO of the alliance, said last week. "Sometime within the next two years I plan on retiring or semi-retiring. When I leave, I want this organization to be on sound footing, not only financially, but organizationally."

Even further, he said, the goal is to ensure that the alliance remains true to its mission.

"We want to make sure that we can continue to do what we're doing, which is continue diversifying the economy with good-paying, non-service-oriented jobs."

Troy University also is working up economic impact data on the alliance's past accomplishments, Ingram said.

BCEDA says that it helped create 5,900 jobs and more than $250 million in capital investment during its first 10 years.

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Press Register 

"We told them we could have power to them by a certain date, but we couldn't tell them all the facts about the property," Huntsville Mayor Tommy Battle recalled Wednesday.

Volkswagen ended up building its first U.S. automotive plant at a site in Chattanooga, Tenn., that had been painstakingly vetted by an army of geotechnical engineers and consultants.

Chattanooga, rather than Huntsville, reaped the economic benefits of a $1 billion factory that employs 2,700 people churning out VW's Passat sedan. Another 800 high-paying jobs are being added as part of an expansion announced last month.

With Audi and Volvo both reportedly on the lookout for U.S. manufacturing sites, Battle and local economic development officials are determined to get the Sewell farm back in play.

Last fall, the city began quietly gathering data needed to have the Greenbrier Road property certified as a Tennessee Valley Authority Megasite -- the program that helped Chattanooga land VW.

In February, the city hired former Huntsville Planning Director Dallas Fanning as a $200-an-hour consultant to assist the Megasite effort. It is also paying the Barge Waggoner Sumner and Cannon engineering firm $212,000 to produce detailed topographical maps of the Sewell property, which was annexed into the city several years ago..

Shane Davis, Huntsville's director of urban development, said he hopes to submit a request for Megasite consideration in the next 60 days.

BIRMINGHAM, Alabama -- Operation New Birmingham and Main Street Birmingham have decided to merge to form a new organization that aims to do more together than the two organizations now do separately to revitalize downtown Birmingham and surrounding neighborhoods.

ONB President David Fleming said the boards of the two organizations have been exploring the idea for about six months and both recently gave unanimous approval to pursue the merger. The talks have not been announced.

"ONB has evolved over the years," Fleming said. "Now seemed like the perfect time to see what the next evolution might be."

Fleming became president of ONB in October after leading Main Street Birmingham since its formation in 2004. Prior to leading Main Street, Fleming worked at ONB.

ONB focuses on the revitalization and economic development of downtown Birmingham. Main Street Birmingham targets improvements to nine commercial revitalization districts in surrounding Birmingham neighborhoods.

Elizabeth Barbaree-Tasker, executive director of Main Street Birmingham, said a combined organization can end up accomplishing more together.

"We can be more efficient and effective with our existing skill sets while we identify the new skill sets we need to accomplish the entirety of what we aim to do," she said.

The two boards have given the staffs of the organizations up to 60 days to finalize a merger plan that works out what the new organization will look like and how it will function. The combined organization likely will have a new name.

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Birmingham News