Ala. gov announces new economic development plan

(AP)  HOOVER, Ala. — Alabama Gov. Robert Bentley on Tuesday announced a new economic development strategy that aims to turn bright ideas at universities and private research institutions into products that can be made by companies hiring state residents for good-paying jobs.

Bentley, a Republican who was elected in 2010 on a platform of job creation, released the so-called "Accelerate Alabama" plan at a meeting of economic developers Tuesday.

With unemployment down since Bentley took office but still at 8.1 percent, state leaders are expected to focus on job creation in the coming months.

"We have not used the bright minds we have in this state," Bentley said.

Bentley created the Alabama Economic Development Alliance in July to come up with a plan to guide his administration's job-creation efforts for the next three years.

Bentley made the announcement Tuesday along with Malcolm Portera, chancellor of the University of Alabama System.

Portera, who helped develop Bentley's plan, said emphasizing "mind power" and innovation is critical to creating jobs in Alabama. Bentley cited North Carolina as a state that has used this approach successfully. Bentley persuaded the Legislature to include $5 million in this year's state budget to help business startups based on innovative ideas. Portera suggested it soon be raised to $25 million,

Bentley made no mention in his presentation of Alabama's tough new immigration law. Afterward, he said public concerns about the law have subsided since he said he would work with the Legislature to simplify and clarify it. He said the law hasn't hindered Alabama's ability to recruit international companies because they already abide by immigration laws.

"We are working with international companies on a daily basis, and we are going to be announcing soon several international companies in Alabama," he said.

Bentley ran for governor in 2010 on a platform of helping end high unemployment. He promised not to take a salary until the state's unemployment rate had dropped to 5.2 percent.

Alabama's unemployment rate rose from 9.3 percent when he was inaugurated in January 2011 to 10 percent in July and is now down to 8.1 percent. Alabama's decline in joblessness the last three months has led the nation, but Bentley said more teamwork is needed to keep growing the economy.

Experts said the state's optimism should be tempered because the declining rate resulted from both more jobs and from unemployed people stopping their job searches, which means they drop out of the unemployment statistics.

Bentley told the economic developers that as he traveled across the state in the 2010 campaign, he met many people at the state and local levels working on recruiting jobs, but many were "working for their own little areas" rather than working as a team.

The "Accelerate Alabama" plan calls for more formal working relationships than in the past to recruit new industry and keep jobs already in the state. It says the focus will be on jobs in advanced manufacturing, technology, distribution/logistics and corporate operations.

Billy Joe Camp, who led the state's industrial recruitment efforts during Gov. Jim Folsom's administration and helped recruit the Mercedes car plant, said having a good game plan is important, but the results will depend on the implementation.

Bentley said the "Accelerate Alabama" plan is based on eight public meetings held across the state and from surveys of companies, economic development experts, university leaders, legislators and others. He said more than 1,200 people provided information for the plan.

Greg Canfield, chosen by Bentley to run the Alabama Development Office, said the changes resulting from the plan may include renaming his industrial recruitment agency. He said people outside Alabama don't understand the agency's title, and it may need to become the Department of Commerce.

Scientific American

• Ala. gov announces new economic development plan