2005-2006 Annual Directory

More information on the contacts listed below can be found in this magazine and its Web sites:
www.sb-d.com, www.BioIndustrySouth.com and www.SouthernAutoCorridor.com.

ALABAMA

Editor's Note: Alabama's economy may be the best it has been in decades, earning "State of the Year" in the South three consecutive years (2003-2005) in the annual SB&D 100. No state has done that before. Alabama's unemployment rate is currently a full point below the national average at 4.0 percent. Some of Alabama's recent economic development successes include Paris-based European Aeronautic Defense and Space (EADS), Toyota Motor Mfg., Honda, Hyundai, Mercedes and Nucor Steel.

Neal Wade
Alabama Development Office
401 Adams Ave
Montgomery AL 36130
800-248-0033
334-242-0400
e-mail: idinfo@ado.state.al.us
web: www.ado.state.al.us
 
Lamar Smith
Alabama Gas Corporation
605 Richard Arrington Jr Blvd North
Birmingham AL 35203-2707
205-326-2796
fax:205-739-6721
e-mail: glsmith@energen.com
web: www.alagasco.com
 
Ted vonCannon
Metropolitan Development Board
500 Beacon Parkway West
Birmingham AL 35209
205-942-7284
fax: 205-942-7319
e-mail: ted@mdb.org
web: www.mdb.org
 
Troy Wayman
Montgomery Chamber
41 Commerce St
Montgomery AL 36104
334-240-9430
e-mail: twayman@montgomerychamber.com
web: www.choosemontgomery.com
 
Peggy Smith
Cullman Economic Development Agency
P O Box 1009
Cullman AL 35056-1009
256-739-1891
fax: 256-739-6721
e-mail: peggys@cullmaneda.org
web: www.cullmaneda.org
 
Deborah McGill
Jefferson County EIDA
500 Beacon Parkway West
Birmingham AL 35209
205-943-4794
fax: 205-943-4749
e-mail: dmcgill@jeffcoeida.com
web: www.jeffcoeida.com
 
Agnes Zaiontz
Tenn-Tom Waterway
P O Drawer 671
Columbus MS 39703
888-TENN-TOM
662-328-3286
fax: 662-328-0363
e-mail: tenntom@ebicom.net
web: www.tenntom.org
 
Brooks Kracke
Jetplex Industrial Park/Port of Huntsville
1000 Glenn Hearn Blvd Box 20008
Huntsville AL 35824
256-772-9395
fax: 256-772-0305
e-mail: brooks@hsvairport.org
web: www.hsvairport.org
 
Ricky McLaney
Butler County Commission for Eco Dev
One Depot Square
Greenville AL 36037
800-743-1234
334-382-8441
e-mail: bcced@alaweb.com
web: www.bcced.com
 
Jeremy Nails
Morgan County Eco Dev Association
P O Box 2026
Decatur AL 35602
256-353-1213
fax: 256-353-0407
e-mail: mceda@mceda.org
web: www.mceda.org
 
Bill Sisson
Mobile Area Chamber
P O Box 2187
Mobile AL 36652-2187
800-422-6951
334-431-8650
e-mail: bill@mobilechamber.com
web: www.mobilechamber.com
 
Brian Hilson
Huntsville Chamber of Commerce
P O Box 408
Huntsville AL 35804-0408
256-535-2006
fax: 256-535-2015
e-mail: bhilson@hsvchamber.org
web: www.huntsvillealabamausa.com
 
Wayne Vardaman
Centre for Commerce
912 Selma Avenue
Selma AL 36701
334-875-8365
fax: 334-875-8453
e-mail: vardaman@selmaeda.com
web: www.selmaeda.com

Karen Glover
Baldwin County Economic Development Alliance
P O Box 1340
Robertsdale AL 36567
251-947-2445
fax: 251-947-4229
e-mail: kglover@baldwineda.com
web: www.baldwineda.com
 
Mayor Tim Kant
City of Fairhope
P O Drawer 429
Fairhope AL 36533
251-928-2136
fax: 251-928-6776
e-mail: Tim.Kant@cofairhope.com
web: www.cofairhope.com
 
Luanne Hayes
City of Guntersville
P O Box 621
Guntersville AL 35976
256-571-7560
fax: 256-571-7578
e-mail: econdev@guntersvilleal.org
web: www.guntersvilleal.org

Al Cook
City of Opelika
P O Box 390
Opelika AL 36803-0390
334-705-5115
fax: 334-705-5113
e-mail: acook@co.opelika.al.us
web: www.opelika.org

ARKANSAS

Editor's Note: Arkansas' economy is performing well. Arkansas' current unemployment rate is slightly below the national rate of 5.0 percent (July 2005). All kinds of industries are expanding or relocating to Arkansas, but the big kahuna, an automotive assembly plant, may just be over the horizon. Some of Arkansas' recent deals include those announced by Hino Motors, Dassault Falcon Jet, Kimberly-Clark and ConAgra Foods.

FLORIDA

Editor's Note: Florida weathered the recession well so there wasn’t much of a recovery to be had. After all, who doesn't want to work or own a business at the beach? Florida's emerging industries, even though manufacturing in general is growing rapidly in the state, are the state's future and those include digital media, alternative fuels, film production, life sciences, modeling, simulation and training, software development and photonics. Some of Florida's notable recent announcements include the Scripps Institute, Northrop Grumman and DHL. Florida's July 2005 unemployment rate was 3.8 percent, or 1.2 percent below the national average.

GEORGIA

Editor's Note: Georgia's economy has improved significantly, as evidenced by its points doubling from 2002 to 2005 in our annual SB&D 100 ranking. Atlanta and Augusta are making significant investments in the life sciences industry and much of the rest of the state, especially its rural regions, are benefiting from some strong automotive deals of late. Georgia's unemployment rate in July 2005 was 5.6 percent. Some of the Peach State's recent economic development successes include Honda Motor Co., Samsung and Shaw Industries.

KENTUCKY

Editor's Note: Kentucky's economy is improving. Its July 2005 unemployment rate was 5.9 percent, down from a high of 6.5 in July of 2003. The logistics and distribution industry in Kentucky is growing at a rapid rate as are financial services in northern Kentucky. Some of the Bluegrass State's recent deals include Republic Airways, Citigroup and UPS.

LOUISIANA

Editor's Note: There's a lot of enthusiasm coming from Louisiana's economic development community. New leadership has a year under its belt and much is expected in the next couple of years. The state has abolished $42.5 million in business taxes as part of a seven-year, billion-dollar action initiated in the 2005 legislative session. Louisiana’s unemployment rate in July was 5.6 percent, a full point below its four-year high of 6.6 percent in July of 2003. Some of Louisiana's recent successes include deals announced by Union Tank Car, Shintech and General Motors.

MISSISSIPPI

Editor's Note: The Magnolia State continues to advance its economy and there are many industries responsible for that advancement including aerospace, distribution, gaming and polymers. The automotive industry continues to grow in Mississippi and an expected assembly plant announcement by Korean automaker Kia will be the second for the state in seven years (Nissan announced its plant in 1999). Mississippi's current unemployment rate is 6.5 percent, which is down from 7.1 percent at the beginning of 2005. Major company announcements in Mississippi recently include Textron Fastening Systems, Wellman and Northrop Grumman.

MISSOURI

Editor's Note: Missouri continues to be a leader in the South in the all-important automotive and life sciences sectors. The state's unemployment rate in July was 5.6 percent, down from 6.0 percent in January. Recent developments in Missouri include announcements made by Procter & Gamble, Olin Corp., and General Motors.

Rob O'Brian
Joplin Area Chamber
320 E 4th St
Joplin MO 64801
417-624-4150
e-mail: joplincc@joblincc.com
web: www.joplincc.com

NORTH CAROLINA

Editor's Note: North Carolina's economy hasn't been better in at least five years, maybe longer. The last six months of 2004 was an incredible blur of deals as Dell, Credit Suisse First Boston, SYSCO, Merck and Verizon, among many others, announced some major developments. N.C.'s unemployment rate rose to 5.7 percent in July, up from 5.0 in January. But 5.7 percent is a far cry from the 7.0 percent seen in 2002. The last several years have been a struggle for the Tar Heel State. That dark period in N.C. economic history has ended.

OKLAHOMA

Editor's Note: Oklahoma had a very strong year in 2004. In fact, its unemployment rate is one of the lowest of any state in the South at 4.5 percent. Some of the Sooner State's notable deals of late include DirectTV, IBM and Echostar.

SOUTH CAROLINA

Editor's Note: Like its neighbor to the north, South Carolina is currently in a strong comeback mode in job and investment generation. Some of the South's most impressive corporate announcements have occurred in the Palmetto State of late, including those made by CitiFinancial, Global Aeronautica and Pella Corp. South Carolina ranked second in the South in corporate and industrial investment per capita in 2004. Its unemployment rate in July was at 6.1 percent, down from 7.0 in late 2004.

TENNESSEE

Editor's Note: Tennessee's economy continues to be very consistent, with no extreme highs or lows even during the darkest days of the recession. In fact, during the recession, its highest unemployment rate was right at 6 percent. Today it's down to 5.6 percent. Healthcare, distribution, headquarters operations and automotive rule in the Volunteer State. If you really want to be impressed, take a look at what Memphis has done to its central business district.

TEXAS

Editor's Note: No Southern state fell harder than Texas during the economic downturn. Yet, no state but North Carolina is coming back faster. Texas is home to more industry clusters than any in the South. Semiconductors, bio, distribution, oil and gas, telecom, financial services, you name it and it's in Texas in huge chunks. But we think the future of the Southern Auto Corridor may indeed be dominated by the Lone Star State. There are only two auto assembly plants in the state now. In 15 years there could be seven or eight. Texas' unemployment rate in July was right at the national average of 5.0 percent.

VIRGINIA

Editor's Note: No Southern state has been recognized more times by SB&D for its economic success than Virginia. We have named Virginia "State of the Year" three times and "Honorable Mention" several other times over the last 14 years. Alabama, North Carolina, Tennessee, Florida, Texas, South Carolina, Mississippi and Georgia, as well as other Southern states, can claim they were at the top of the South's economic development food chain at some point or another since 1992. But if you want to know who does it year-end-and-year-out, there's only one: Virginia. By the way, Virginia's unemployment rate in July was the South's lowest at 3.5 percent.