RSS Feed
|
|
|
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
OUR VIEW That's a question we've heard since the announcement of the Twin Rivers Economic Development Partnership. Thomasville has an economic developer. The county has an economic developer. And there are more. But Twin Rivers is the first truly cross-border effort affecting tens of thousands at bringing business and industry not just to one town, or one county, but to a region. If the Twin Rivers group does it right, it should help everyone involved. But there are caveats. Keeping clear, honest communications with the more local economic development offices is key. If everyone is saying their own things to interested industries, that lack of cohesion and staying on message about the benefits of this area could drive business away instead of attracting it. Also key is keeping politics and egos, and political egos out of the picture. There's not a politician born who won't jump at the chance to claim credit for any positive development in his or her little corner of the world. And most won't let a little thing like good intentions get in the way of exerting whatever influence they have to steer projects to their voter base. The Twin Rivers group will have to walk a fine line to keep turf battles down. But if they can navigate the still provincial waters of rural Alabama, having the Twin Rivers Economic Development Partnership working for us certainly won't hurt.
It's not actually the folks with Twin Rivers we're concerned about right now. But if all these groups can pull together and work together, it won't just be a win for some economic development group or office, it will be a win for the people of southwest Alabama.
|
for larger version       |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
