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A Message from the President
We've been seeing a lot of sobering numbers lately from the manufacturing sector on a national level. While we are fortunate that our state's manufacturing sector is vibrant, we're cognizant of the need to examine new growth areas to complement our existing industries. With innovative technologies being developed at our universities, and thousands of graduates coming out of our two- and four- year college systems, Alabama has the ingredients to become increasingly competitive in the new economy. As evidenced below by our high ranking for entrepreneurial activity, Alabama's pioneering spirit that built the rockets that took man to the moon is still alive and well.
James P. Hayes, Jr.
Alabama Ranks High in Entrepreneurial Activity
According to National
Policy Research Council’s Entrepreneurial Activity Index, Alabama’s cities
are among the best places to start and grow a company.
Alabama
ranks fifth in the nation in the study and most of Alabama’s cities place
in the top 40.
To determine the best places to start a new business,
researchers identify the percentage of businesses started four to 14 years
ago and that maintain five or more workers today. (Young Company column)
To measure the best places to grow a business, researchers then
identify the percentage of those businesses that have experienced rapid
growth over the last four years. (Rapid Growth column)
The Young
Company Rank and the Rapid Growth Rank combined gives an overall Entrepreneurial
Rank.
The full listing includes 276 small, midsize and large metropolitan
areas, 50 states and 784 countries.
Overall Rank
City/Metro Area/State
Young Company Rank
Rapid Growth Rank
1
Auburn-Opelika, AL
2
1
7
Huntsville, AL
7
15
16
Dothan, AL
9
20
21
Gadsden, AL
26
21
24
Tuscaloosa, AL
8
57
25
Anniston, AL
21
30
27
Montgomery, AL
11
58
35
Decatur, AL
25
60
75
Florence, AL
59
101
86
Columbus, GA-AL
84
93
Birmingham, Mobile Rank High for Logistics
Birmingham and Mobile
both ranked in the top 50 in several categories in Expansion Management
magazine’s fifth annual Logistics Quotient study, which determines the
cities with the most robust transportation system.
Birmingham-Hoover
ranked 23 in interstate highways, 48 in taxes and fees and 24 in the rail
road category.
While Mobile ranked 52 in the interstate highways
category, 48 in taxes and fees and 24 among other rail road systems.
All
rankings are from 1 (best) to 362 (worst).
Alabama Exports Up for First Six Months 2005
Alabama's exports to the world increased substantially during the early
part of 2005.
The state saw a 10.57 percent change during this period, with the value
of exports jumping from $4,370,117,353 to $4,845,240,326.
Major commodities exported for the first six months from Alabama
included vehicles, organic chemicals, optic and medical instruments,
industrial machinery and mineral fuel.
Alabama’s top five export
destinations were to: Canada (increase of 23.79%), Mexico (increase of
32.36%), Japan (decline of -.058%), Germany (decline of -57.74%) and the
United Kingdom (increase of 14.11%).
New Store Showcases Alabama’s Black Belt Treasures
Alabama’s Black Belt,
once the heart of the state’s plantation region, now has a retail outlet
for one of its most precious commodities – the products created by its artists
and craftsmen.
Black Belt Treasures, a non-profit economic development
program, operates a retail store in Camden and an on-line store.
Products include artwork, sculpture, pottery, woodwork, baskets,
jewelry, books and other one-of-a-kind handmade items.
The project was
launched with federal and state-level funding from the Rural Development agency
and Alabama Power, as well as in-kind support from the University of Alabama.
For more information, call (334) 682-9878 or visit
www.blackbelttreasures.com
Alabama Economic Development Groups Excel in Competition
Several Alabama economic development groups received awards at International
Development Council’s (IEDC) annual conference in Chicago. These prestigious
awards honor individuals as well as organizations for their efforts in creating
positive change in communities.
Local
Economic Development News
Foundations for Growth Updates:
EDPA's Foundations
for Growth existing industry program continues to grow and evolve to help
Alabama communities in their efforts to retain and expand existing industry. Are
you getting your Alabama economic development news? To receive daily
digests of economic development news from on-line papers across Alabama,
sign up for a free subscription to EDPA Newsflash. Subscribe by clicking
below, and have news abstracts, along with links to the on-line article,
delivered to your mailbox.
Mark Stricklin has been named executive director of the
new Birmingham-Jefferson County Film Office. Stricklin has held similar
posts in New York, North Carolina, and Oregon and was director of the Alabama
Film Office from 1987 to 1993.
Dean Barber has been hired
for the newly created post of economic development director for Jefferson
County. Barber has been an economic development consultant and has worked
for EDPA and The Birmingham News.
Foundations for Growth has collaborated with AIDT to provide training for local
volunteers and staff who conduct on-site interviews using the Synchronist system
survey instruments. Organizations who have already taken advantage of this opportunity
include: Selma/Dallas County Economic Development Authority; Pike County Economic
Development Corporation; Montgomery Area Chamber of Commerce; Prattville Area Chamber
of Commerce; Talladega Economic Development Authority; Cherokee County Chamber of Commerce;
East Alabama Regional Planning and Development Commission; Clay County Chamber of Commerce;
and Cleburne County Chamber of Commerce.
Two Alabama communities were recently awarded honors at the Synchronist Users’ Forum in
Chicago for their innovative programs to protect and assist their existing industry.
The Mobile Area Chamber of Commerce and the Birmingham Regional Chamber of Commerce
accepted awards for their communities.
For more information on the Foundations for
Growth program, please contact EDPA, 205.943.4700.
Click
here to send an e-mail to request a free subscription.
500 Beacon Parkway West
Birmingham, AL 35209
205.943.4700
phone
205.943.4703 fax
info@edpa.org
http://www.edpa.org/
| Nippon Oil Announces in Childersburg |
|
Nippon Oil Lubricants America will locate an automotive lubricant
production plant in Childersburg Industrial Park. |
| EDPA Welcomes Two New Partners |
| For 20 years, New Horizons
Learning Centers has provided learning solutions that have helped
organizations and individuals achieve results, increase productivity and efficiency,
drive revenue and reduce costs. Through seminars, webinars and courses, New Horizons
offers integrated learning solutions designed to maximize the benefits of classroom
and online training, creating a comprehensive learning experience.
Haskell Slaughter Young & Rediker is one of the premier public finance firms in the state. Since its founding in 1973, Haskell Slaughter has become known for quality legal services that achieve results in a variety of practice areas and are routinely involved in some of the most challenging transactions and litigation in the country. Through the years, the firm has served as general counsel for a number of publicly-held companies from their formation to their emergence into national prominence within their markets. Haskell Slaughter has offices in Birmingham and Montgomery, and most recently, New York City. For more information on becoming an EDPA Partner, email wwallace@edpa.org. |
| EDPA Provides Project Assistance |
Working as a liaison between state and local
groups, EDPA's Business Information team provides one-stop, prompt,
confidential responses for your information needs. In the third
quarter of 2005, EDPA:
|
| For proposal
assistance or general information, contact EDPA: 205.943.4700 or info@edpa.org For demographic requests, contact: Greg Sheek, 205.943.4724, gsheek@edpa.org. For assistance on buildings and sites, contact: Tammy Radmard, 205.943.4720, tradmard@edpa.org. or Greg Blalock, 205.943.4750, gblalock@edpa.org. |