Top 10 Quotes Published in SB&D Over the Last Year

1. "This impending war with Iraq has nothing to do with terrorism or weapons of mass destruction. No, the most astute realize it's a 'he tried to kill my dad' vs. 'damn, I wish I didn't try to kill his dad' deal."

Mike Randle, editor and publisher of SB&D in the Winter 2002/2003 edition.

2. "What may eventually get the rural South over the hump economically is an industry rather than a program, initiative or effort. If the Southern Auto Corridor is indeed a permanent, sustainable region, then automotive-related investments and job generation could have a greater impact on the rural South than any industry since the textile surge experienced throughout much of the early and mid-20th century".

Mike Randle, editor and publisher of SB&D in the Winter 2002/2003 edition.

3. "On the heels of Toyota's announcement made in February that it would build a pickup truck plant in San Antonio, Ford officials have been sighted in South Texas during the weeks of April 7 and April 14. From what we have gathered, Ford is looking to build a pickup truck plant in South Texas that would include union participation with hourly wages paying about $18 an hour, or about half what the automaker pays in 'Detroit.'"

Lee Burlett, Spring 2003 edition.

4. "SB&D 100 Drops to Record Low"

Headline of Southern Business & Development's 2003 SB&D 100, found in the Spring edition. The "100" ranks the top 100 job and investment deals announced in the South. Last year saw the lowest job threshold in the ranking's 12-year history.

5. "You are what you is, you is what you am, a cow don't make ham!"

Headline for Mike Randle's Southbound column in the Summer 2003 edition. Randle wrote on the fact that the South, despite the loss of manufacturing jobs, will always lead the U.S. in manufacturing employment, investment and production. He also predicted that when the economy improves, manufacturing investment in the region would increase dramatically.

6. "I wanted President Bush to hear directly from the people that are impacted by these destructive federal trade policies."

North Carolina Gov. Mike Easley in the Summer 2003 edition. Easley had just e-mailed Bush a video that included a message from 10 former employees with up to 25 years of experience with Pillowtex, a large textile concern that used to be headquartered in North Carolina. Pillowtex closed for good in 2003, terminating the jobs of over 4,000 workers in North Carolina.

7. "Landing an automotive assembly plant is a high-risk venture."

Jim Hossack, senior consultant with Auto-Pacific, Inc. in the Fall 2003 edition. We took Hossack to task by writing, "Landing an automotive assembly plant remains the crown jewel of economic development recruitment in the South. If your state is lucky enough to get the opportunity to 'write the check' of $200 to $300 million or so for one of those deals, recent history has confirmed your state will receive billions in return."

8. "From 1975 to 2002, only three Fortune 500 companies relocated their headquarters to markets in the American South. From Jan. 1, 2003 to Dec. 1 2003, or in just 11 months, three Fortune 500 companies and a host of other large corporations announced they would relocate their headquarters to the American South from other U.S. regions."

Lee Burlett, Fall 2003 edition.

9. "Lost Manufacturing Jobs Vaporized Forever in the South? Nah."

Headline of editorial published in the Fall 2003 edition.

10. "As we retool for the 21st century jobs, we are launching broadband initiatives to get our rural communities connected."

David Hudgins, director of economic development at Old Dominion Electric Cooperative, headquartered in Glen Allen, Va. If the rural South is going to reinvent itself economically, high-speed Internet access is a huge first step.