FROM THE PRESIDENT    

         After two and one half years of hard work, we have completed all know requirements for certifying a mega-site in north Baldwin County.  We will show slides of the property and give a report at our September 24 Investors' Reception at the Beach Club.

     Basically a mega-site is a piece of industrial property with a minimum of 1,000 "usable" access, adjacent to rail and an interstate.  To certify such a site an economic development agency must have effective control of the property--options with set price--a development plan, and specific due diligence completed.  Due diligence includes a wetlands analysis, phase one environmental, a geotechnical report, and a preliminary archeological/cultural/endangered species analysis, at a minimum.

     Certified mega-sites are rare and are sought after for huge projects because they remove much of the "time risk" associated with such projects. There is no guarantee that a certified mega-site will lead to the location of a huge job creation project but the odds of landing such a project without a certified mega-site are extremely small.

     Our primary goal for the site will be to locate an environmentally friendly company with will create high paying jobs, help diversify our local economy, improve our standard of living, increase retail sales throughout the county, improve real estate values--and sales--throughout the county, and create a significant increase in property taxes going toward the education of our children!

     Your Baldwin County Commissioners and their great staff deserve much of the credit for progress toward developing a mega-site and I hope you will thank them when you see them.  We are blessed with progressive city and county leadership throughout Baldwin County and our private sector leadership is second to none.

     Thanks again for your wonderful support!
 

Robert Ingram
President/CEO
 

     Opportunities for marketing are multiplying almost daily.  In addition to traditional advertising and marketing strategies, we’ve enjoyed utilizing Web sites and emails to get the word out.  Now electronic marketing has expanded to include social networking, which has experienced explosive growth recently.
 

     USA Baldwin County is developing an initiative to create, expand and support cooperative social networking strategies in the local business and non-profit community.  The goals of the initiative are to teach, explore and share online social networking marketing strategies.  Sponsors also include the Alabama Gulf Coast Chamber, Central Baldwin Chamber, Eastern Shore Chamber, South Baldwin Chamber, North Baldwin Chamber, Alabama Gulf Coast CVB and the Baldwin Economic Development Council.

     A seminar on Social Networking Marketing Strategies is scheduled for Tuesday, August 11 to begin the sharing process.  The focus of the seminar will be discussion of the various online social networking tools currently being used and to discuss means and methods of analyzing the effectiveness of the tools.  The shared goal is to increase an online professional presence in the social networking arena and to reach out to a broader audience.  Participants will learn how to use free online services such as Twitter, Facebook,  Flickr, YouTube, LinkedIn, Google Docs and Google Analytics and learn marketing innovations.

     Handouts will be provided to get attendees started.  Those currently using Social Networking strategies, but want to improve the results, will enjoy the seminar.

     USA Baldwin County will host the seminar at the Fairhope branch campus Performance Center.    Two identical sessions will be offered: 8 am – 12 pm and 1pm – 5 pm.   Those interested will be required to register - the seminar is FREE.

     The seminar organizer, Angela Rand, USA Baldwin County Head of Information Technology and Services has extensive experience with using social networking to promote services of non- profit organizations. Rand has presented lectures on social networking at four Alabama Library Association Conventions in the past five years and for numerous community and business groups.  Since moving to academia she has been working with faculty in developing uses for social networking services in the classroom to enhance instruction.  She is currently working on her Ph.D. in instructional systems design at the University of South Alabama. Rand can be reached at arand@usouthal.edu and via Twitter@allonsdanser.

     For more information and to register call The Eastern Shore Chamber of Commerce at 928-6387 or email kbarton@eschamber.com  You may also register online at http://www.usabaldwincounty.org/usabc/index.php/registerconference.

ALABAMA TECHNOLOGY NETWORK 
Profit 101: Hands-on Growth Training Workshop

     Is your business competing mainly on price?  Are your profit margins shrinking as a result?  If so, the Alabama Technology Network invites you to attend a half-day session to learn the basic  principles of the Eureka Winning Ways System of creating more profitable offerings.

     Eureka Winning Ways is the first complete system and scientific method for accelerating reliable growth.  It has a 95% success rate getting businesses to take real action on business growth.  Eureka helps businesses create demand for your current offerings and create new feasible ideas that excite your customers.   It gives your business a system for continuous growth, both now and in the future.  Eureka has been used by some of America’s leading companies for years such as Nike, Kimberly Clark, Walt Disney and Robertsdale’s own Quality Filters.

     To learn more or to reserve a seat in this July 24^th workshop in Robertsdale, please reference the attached PDF brochure for more information.

INVESTORS' RECEPTION
 

The Baldwin County Economic Development Alliance Investors’ Reception

will be Thursday, September 24, 2009 from 4:00 pm – 6:00 pm

at the Beach Club in Gulf Shores.

Please mark your calendars and join us as we celebrate our 15th Anniversary!

Sponsor:
 

HOUSING ALLIANCE EDUCATES HOUSING PARTNERS

    
The Housing Alliance began its partner education program by educating Realtors®, developers, and builders on what is workforce housing in Baldwin County. Special attention was given to Realtors® who attended Workforce Housing Training. The main focus of the course teaches how to assist current and new residents in finding workforce housing, discusses available loan programs, down payment assistance, and tax credits. As part of its quality assurance program, the Alabama Real Estate Commission audits courses when Realtors® receive continuing education. The Workforce Housing course received an unannounced audit. Robert Pitts, Chair of the Home Finance Action Team, and the Baldwin County Association of Realtors® received excellent reviews for the course.

     Housing After Hours is a program to link Workforce Housing Relocation Specialist with housing inventory throughout Baldwin County. These specially trained Realtors® receive information on current and developing housing throughout Baldwin County. The program has been sponsored by the Alliance, Colonial Bank Mortgage, St. Charles Village, and Prudential Nichols Real Estate. Future events are being sponsored by Hamilton Brothers Builders and Coldwell Banker Reehl Properties. The Alliance previously conducted education session for builders and developers concerned about workforce housing. The program included information on the needs of workforce housing, existing loan programs, and the pros of multi‐unit housing, financing, and structural home warranty. Speakers for the event were Harrison B. Black, CEO of the Baldwin Housing Alliance, Robert Pitts, Assistant Vice President of Colonial Bank Mortgage Division, Charlie Capri, 2-10 Warranty, and Rene Smith of Worthy Insurance. The “Lunch and Learn” series was sponsored by 2-10 Warranty Buyers Group®.
 

Baldwin County Realtors®, lending institutions, and home insurers meet

at St. Charles Village to discuss issues related to workforce housing.

BCEDA SUMMER INTERNS
Zach & Hanna Welch
 

We decided to come down to Baldwin County for the summer because we knew the economic status would be more favorable than in our home state of Georgia. Upon our arrival in mid-May, we quickly learned of the Summer Youth Program, which is an initiative to help students age 16-24 give their resume a boost with work experience. The Alabama Career Center in Foley felt that our backgrounds would best suit the Baldwin County Economic Development Alliance. So we came for an interview, saw that it was indeed a great opportunity, and here we are.
 

          Zach is a graduate of Atlanta Christian College, and currently attends John Marshall Law School in Atlanta, where he will receive his Juris Doctorate in May 2010. Hanna graduated from The University of Georgia with a Bachelor of Science in Education this past May. We became married in December 2008.

          Upon first arriving at the Alliance, the only information we knew was that it existed to assist in locating businesses within Baldwin County. We soon came to learn that there was much more to BCEDA. Although our main priority this summer has been to update BCEDA’s website, we have caught a glimpse of the many aspects of the Alliance, from gathering research for a prospective business to getting specs for a building in the county. One of the greatest facets of BCEDA is introducing a prospective new business owner to SCORE, which is a group of successful retired business owners who mentor new entrepreneurs at no cost. The Alliance and its employees are without a doubt a valuable asset to all of Baldwin County. Helping BCEDA with their endeavors has led to a very rewarding summer.

Envision Annual Meeting

Business Commentator and Los Angeles Times Bestseller

Joel Kotkin to Keynote Envision Annual Meeting

        Joel Kotkin, internationally-recognized authority on global, economic, political and

 social trends and author of the critically acclaimed book, The City, will be the keynote speaker during Envision Coastal Alabama’s annual meeting set for Wednesday, October 28.

     Kotkin will speak on the future sustainability of our nation’s cities and share his perspectives on the evolution of urban life.  Kotkin is a Presidential Fellow in Urban Futures at Chapman University in Orange, California. A highly respected speaker and futurist, he consults for many leading economic development organizations, private companies, regions and cities.

     A widely published journalist, Kotkin writes the weekly “New Geographer” column for Forbes.com and a monthly column on trends for Politico.com. His work appears regularly for The Wall Street Journal, the Lost Angeles Times, The Washington Post, and The American Enterprise.  A leading expert on the progression of cities, towns, and rural places Kotkin has written major reports on the future of New York, St. Louis, Los Angeles, rural North Dakota, suburban Montreal, and the Inland Empire region of southern California.  As a Senior Fellow at the New America Foundation, Kotkin focuses on issues relating to the future of California as well as on national economic, social, and political developments. He is currently working on research projects relating to infrastructure development, the American heartland, the Houston region, and the future of suburbia.

     The Envision Annual Meeting recognizes and celebrates the many volunteers and program partners that have contributed over the past year to the betterment of the Coastal Alabama region.  Entering its 12^th year, Envision continues to promote cooperative action among business and community leaders seeking ways to improve overall quality of life.

This year’s annual meeting sponsors are First Community Bank, Meyer Real Estate, Mobile Airport Authority, Pilot Catastrope Services Inc., Thames Batre’ Mattei Beville and Ison Insurance, and Whitney Bank as of this newsletter print date.

     The Oct. 28 breakfast meeting will be held at the Grand Hotel Marriott Resort in Point Clear. Registration will begin at 7 a.m., and the meeting will begin at 7:30 a.m. Cost is $20. Reservations can be made by contacting Ailey Arrow at 251-431-8621 or aarrow@mobilechamber.com

2009 Coastal Economy Outlook

Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta President to Keynote

Second Annual Coastal Economy Outlook on Sept. 30

    Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta President Dennis P. Lockhart will keynote the 2009 Coastal Economy Outlook.  Now in its second year, the outlook will take place from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 30 at the Arthur R. Outlaw Mobile Convention Center.

     The event is sponsored by Envision Coastal Alabama, University South Alabama Center for Continuing Education, University of South Alabama Center for Real Estate Studies, Mobile Area Chamber and the Baldwin County Economic Development Alliance.

The Coastal Economy Outlook will focus on:

• current conditions in U.S. and regional credit markets;

• state of U.S. economy and its impact on local markets;

• facts and analysis on Mobile - Baldwin economy and the impact on financial and investment decisions; and

• future direction of the local economy.

     Lockhart will present his views on the current state of the economy and provide an analysis of post economic recovery efforts.  With his vast experience in international finance, Lockhart will provide an insightful overview of the future of the national economy and the new world of global banking.

     Lockhart has been president of the Atlanta Fed since 2007 and serves on the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC)‚ the Fed’s chief monetary policy body. The Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta covers the Sixth Federal Reserve District‚ which encompasses Alabama‚ Florida and Georgia‚ as well as parts of Louisiana‚ Mississippi and Tennessee.

     In addition to Lockhart's keynote address, Dr. Martin Regalia vice president for economic and tax policy and chief economist at the United States Chamber of Commerce, will present his assessment on current economic drivers and their impact on American business.

     Regalia has served in his current position at the U.S. Chamber since April of 1993. Prior to joining the Chamber, he served as the director of research for the Savings and Community Bankers of America (SCBA). Earlier this year, Regalia was named one of the top 10 economists in the nation by USA Today. Regalia and the other economic experts received this recognition based on the accuracy of their 2008 forecasts.

     Following Lockharts’ keynote other panelists will include Tim Russell, Alabama revenue commissioner; Troy Wayman, vice president of economic development for the Mobile Area Chamber; Robert Ingram, president and chief executive of the Baldwin County Economic Development Alliance, Cedric Hatcher, RBC Bank, Senior Market Executive for Mobile; and Dr. Donald Epley, USA distinguished professor of real estate and director of the USA Center for Real Estate Studies.

     The registration deadline for the event is Wednesday, Sept. 23. Cost is $85 to attend. To register, go to www.usacontinuinged.com or call 251-431-6536.

PLUS DIAGNOSTICS

     PLUS Diagnostics recently located a medical financial back office facility in Daphne, Alabama.  PLUS Diagnostics operates as a CLIA certified medical-lab.  This facility will be the financial service center for the company and will handle billing and collections related to laboratory work.
 

     Their goal will be to hire 20 employees by the end of the first year and will expect to grow to as many as 80 employees over the next couple of years as they service more clients and/or consolidate other corporate activities into the Daphne facility.  Average wages are projected to be in the $12-$18 an hour range. 

2009 BOARD MEMBERS