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ADO's Wade lauds regional economic efforts
Twin Rivers Economic Development Partnership hosted a meeting billed as an "Economic Summit" at Alabama Southern Community College in Thomasville Tuesday that drew about 100 elected officials, business and community leaders from the counties. ADO Director Neal Wade told the group they were doing what should be done by working together on a regional basis to "pull together, focused in the same direction," later adding, "You must tear the walls downs." He explained, "There are too many communities and areas where the walls not only haven't been torn down, they are as strong as ever." He said economic development isn't "brain surgery" but rather networking with people, cooperation and a little luck. He quoted Vince Lombardi as saying, "Winning is everything." Instead, Wade suggested, "Playing is everything." He explained, "If you can play, you've got a chance to win." Regional efforts like Twin Rivers increase the chance of communities, small and rural communities especially, to play. He detailed the efforts of the small town of Guin to recruit an automotive supplier plant. The town and surrounding local governments joined forces to put together $16 million in incentives to recruit the plant and have a good shot at landing it, he said. Smaller communities can be players in economic development but it is best to work together as a region. Any community or area "should sell what it has, not what it doesn't have," he said. "There are companies who want more of family values who want to get back into a neighborhood approach," he offered. Promoting quality of life and community is important but he urged, "Don't try to kid a project… be very honest" about shortcomings and problems and work on them. Retail, tourism, retirement trade, workforce and education are all components of economic development, Wade said. Wade suggested that an announcement may be made soon on the ThyssenKrupp steel mill for the Calvert area of north Mobile-south Washington counties and said it would be big for the region. "If you are a florist you will sell more flowers. If you are a grocer you will sell more groceries. If you are in the dry cleaning business, you will do more cleaning." Greg Barker of Alabama Power said regionalism is important for economic development. "Business doesn't see political boundaries" when they are looking to expand. He also congratulated Gov. Bob Riley, Wade, ADO and other state agencies for their efforts. He said they had made "shrewd, positive investments with incentive and tax dollars." Regarding the ThyssenKrupp recruitment, "They are doing it exactly they way you would want it done with your money." Wiley Blankenship is president of the Coastal Gateway Economic Development Authority in Conecuh, Escambia and Monroe counties. It is a regional organization like Twin Rivers that has been in operation a while longer. Blankeship urged the group to look not only at new industries but at existing ones too. "It is a whole lot easier to get them [existing industry] to expand than it is to find somebody new." He said his job is to "promote and market" and to work with other economic development people and agencies in his region. He also said that while Coastal Gateway wants all the new business and industry it can get, it is also a bit selective in recruitments.
"Measure success in wages, not numbers," he urged, saying Gateway's goal is to improve the community and the quality of life for residents.
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