When the Economic Development Partnership of Alabama was courting Mercedes-Benz to Alabama in the early 1990s, many thought the state was in over its head. What did Alabama know about building cars? And not just cars, but one of the most recognized luxury cars in the world?
The truth is, Alabama didn’t know much about building cars. But what community and business leaders in this state did know, was that by aligning their resources and working as a team towards a shared vision, they could not just meet, but exceed expectations.
It’s been an interesting journey for me. I was on that team that came to Alabama in the early ‘90s. I worked with Alabama’s economic development team - economic developers, government officials, and workforce development entities such as AIDT - to make sure that Mercedes was able to do what others said couldn’t be done – create a world-class workforce here in Alabama. Then, at Mercedes, I was often asked to share the Mercedes experience with other companies considering a location in Alabama. Now, as president of the Economic Development Partnership of Alabama, I have come full circle, positioning the state for future growth.
So what do we do?
