More than two years after scouting the Mobile area to house the largest construction project in its history, Bayer CropScience appears poised to invest $120 million in the Port City's chemical corridor for a considerably smaller - but substantial - partnership with Evonik Corp.

Mobile's industrial development board approved Thursday tax abatements for the project totaling an estimated $15.2 million, including $8.8 million in sales and use taxes that expire when the project becomes operational and $7.4 million in ad valorem taxes extending 10 years.

Troy Wayman, the Mobile Area Chamber of Commerce's vice president of economic development, called the action indicative of the city's "pro-business approach to economic development" because it allows Bayer to "have a presence in the Mobile area and hopefully will lead to future growth for Bayer as it has for Evonik."

What's Apple Co-founder Steve Wozniak's top requirement in recruiting talent for innovative companies?

"You've got to be close to a University," Wozniak said.

Wozniak spoke at BBVA's ribbon cutting for the $13 million renovation of its Brock Center. Wonzniak said the smartest thing business leaders can do is have potential consumers in on high-level conversations.

Some of the most disruptive entrepreneurs in recent years - Steve Jobs, Mark Zuckerberg - were college dropouts. And they were young when they started designing their products.