Here is today's summary of economic development news, a free service of the Economic Development Partnership of Alabama, representing Alabama's private sector investment in economic development. If you enjoy NewsFlash, thank an EDPA Partner.
Birmingham's next generation of entrepreneurs are finding their stride at the Innovation Depot.
The partnership between the Depot and the University of Alabama at Birmingham's Collat School of Business to establish the UAB Innovation Lab gives UAB students the opportunity to develop their own companies while also providing them with real-world business experience as they prepare to enter the workforce.
Kathleen Hamrick, manager of the Innovation Lab, said that operations started to take off about two months ago and that the lab has grown from one student-led startup to seven.
It could also mean thousands of dollars of revenue for Montgomery, giving it the potential to become a hub for cyber education.
"What we're seeing is a need to think through those cybersecurity problems and come up with solutions using enlisted personnel and officers thinking through tough issues, and use that education foundation to implement lessons they learn toward the national defense," Dr. Pano Yannakogeorgos said.
Consisting of roughly 250,000 credit and non-credit students and 11,000 employees, the Alabama Community College System has developed into a significant part of the state's education system.
Though the system faces a variety of challenges in developing a better-educated, more skilled workforce, Chancellor Dr. Mark Heinrich and other officials continue working to address these issues to improve the quality of the state's two-year educational offerings.
Heinrich, whose career in education spans 30 years and includes a stop as president of Shelton State Community College in Tuscaloosa, served as the guest speaker at last Wednesday's Scottsboro Rotary Club meeting. Scottsboro Mayor and Rotarian Melton Potter introduced Heinrich to those in attendance, saying Heinrich is the right person to be leading the state's community college system.
"He is committed to developing strategies to improve the state's economy by providing a well-educated and highly-skilled workforce," Potter said
With the worry over the Alabama General Fund Budget a solid reflector of the tough times the State of Alabama has seen in years past, it's always reassuring when a new economic development is announced.
Monday afternoon brought the announcement of a joint venture between Southern Classic Food Group, the Pike County Economic Development Corporation and the City of Brundidge to create Magnolia Vegetable Processors and a 28,000-square foot expansion of Southern Classic Group's 205,000-square foot business.
The announcement of Magnolia Vegetable Processors, a processor of pickled vegetable products and salsa, will bring some 22 new jobs in the first year and another 55 to 60 jobs in the next 30 months. Brundidge Mayor Jimmy Ramage the announcement of another 50 plus jobs combined with 30 brought by Southern Classic's expansion pushed Brundidge to new heights, even claiming that there were more people working in Brundidge than those who lived and slept there.
Even with an associate degree in welding or welding certificates, most welders coming out of college still need about a year of hands-on, in-the-field training after being hired, an expert in the field said.
Skilled, versatile welders are in high demand in north Alabama, said Jeff Reed, the shop superintendent of Byrd Maintenance Service Inc. in Decatur. He said it's becoming increasingly difficult to find skilled welders.
"There are several different types of welding, and it's hard to find a person who is skilled in multiple types of welding," said Reed, who has been in the welding industry for 24 years. "People with a variety of skills are much needed."
