Wade, regional groups vital
By Arthur McLean Editor

PHOTO BY ARTHUR MCLEAN Neal Wade, director of the Alabama Development Office speaks to the audience at the Twin Rivers economic development summit at Alabama Southern Community College Tuesday night.

The days of being able to wine and dine a few industry representatives and win a few projects are long gone, said Neal Wade, director of the Alabama Development Office.

Today, the focus is on regional development, and having partners who work hand in hand with communities to land projects that improve the economy and community, Wade told the assembled crowd at the Twin Rivers Economic Development Partnership summit.

Wade was joined by fellow speakers Craig Barker of Alabama Power and Wiley Blankenship of the Coastal Gateway Economic Development Authority to discuss regional economic and community development, the focus of the fledgling Twin Rivers group.

About 90 people attended the summit.

Introducing the speakers, Butler Mayor Ben Smith said this new initiative couldn't be allowed to fail. "It's out duty to step forward and invest in this partnership," he said. "This is something we need."

Wade said it was important for the group and the community to define what constitutes economic development, whether it is industrial recruitment, tourism or something else.

Beyond that, results should be expected, he said. "Demand it accomplish what you expect of it."

Wade and Blankenship made it a point to tell the audience that it's important for Clarke and Choctaw Counties to compete based on what they do have, not on what they don't have.

Barker called the partnership, "the exact right thing to do to move a community forward," but he warned "your existing business and industry has to be a part of what you do, ignore your existing business at your own peril. The vast majority of your leads will come from your existing businesses."

Barker also warned that all should work to keep down the turf battles that can often arise from competing development offices like local chambers and development and planning offices. "Businesses don't see political boundaries," he said. "There's plenty of work to go around."

Blankenship is the director of the Coastal Gateway Economic Development Authority. Coastal Gateway is a partnership of three counties: Escambia, Conecuh and Monroe.

Established just over two years ago, Coastal Gateway is aggressively marketing its tricounty area to a variety of business that could find the area suitable for their operations. The group is also serving as a model for the Twin Rivers group.

Blankenship spoke about using what a community has to help lure businesses and jobs. "We found that we have a lot of good airports in our region, so we're trying to get aviation industry jobs here," he said. "We're not trying to land Boeing, but there are lots of smaller industries that could locate with us."

A similar thought process could apply to Clarke and Choctaw Counties, where they use what they have in their favor to lure more business.

All three men encouraged the audience to get involved and continue supporting the Twin Rivers group to help the region improve.

Twin Rivers is still in its funding stage, seeking public and private funding commitments to raise $1.5 million over the next five years to fund its activities. To date, the group has raised slightly more than $1 million.

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