BCEDA News

Economic Development Alliance Cited by Magazine

BALDWIN REGISTER 5/15/00

ROBERTSDALE - The Baldwin County Economic Development Alliance's success at attracting jobs and capital investment has earned it a lofty ranking from Site Selection magazine, an Atlanta-based business journal.

The 6-year-old partnership between Baldwin's municipal and county governments, chambers of commerce and businesses is listed among the 20 best economic development agencies in North America in Site Selection's May edition.

Baldwin is one of 10 honorable mentions, following the top 10 picked by the magazine. The selections were based on the number of jobs created and the amount of capital investment in relation to the community's population, as well as community services and support for new and expanding industries. About 3,000 economic development agencies were considered, according to the magazine. Site Selection is circulated to 45,000 corporate real estate professional in 117 countries, according to its Web site. The 46-year old magazine is the official publication of the International Development Research Council.

The Baldwin County Economic Development Alliance was credited with helping create more than 1,000 jobs and $44 million in capital investments in a county of 132,000 residents.

The alliance's major coup was the Ace Hardware Distribution Center, in Loxley. The $35 million, 800,000 square foot facility will open later this year, eventually employing 300 people with an annual payroll of $6 million.

Also last year, the alliance launched its School-to-Career Partnership with the Baldwin County Public School System to groom high school students for the workplace.

The Alliance also helped develop a revolving loan fund for small businesses and assisted several municipalities with developing or expanding industrial parks.

"A lot of the planning we did four years ago, we're starting to see the fruits of that," said Lance LaCour, the director of the alliance, referring to the Alliance 2000 economic development plan launched in 1996.

The alliance, which has a $400,000 annual budget, is funded by local government and private enterprise.

LaCour said the cooperation between government and the private sector has made Baldwin County a place increasingly attractive to good-paying employers.

"The secret really is the relationship we have with the cities and chambers of commerce and industrial boards," LaCour said. "All of us working together is really what makes all of it happen."

LaCour and Starke Irvine, an Eastern Shore real estate professional and chairman of the alliance, said the focus is about more than bringing in new businesses.