MONTGOMERY — The CEO and president of the powerful Business Council of Alabama (BCA), Katie Boyd Britt, gave the keynote address at the Montgomery Area Chamber of Commerce’s Eggs & Issues breakfast Wednesday morning.
At the event, Britt described the ongoing developments at BCA and outlined the major developments she foresees the state of Alabama facing in 2020.
Britt, who was announced as the new head of BCA about 54 weeks before her speech on Monday, opened her remarks by saying it had been one year to the day since she moved back to Montgomery. Prior to running BCA, Britt served as U.S. Senator Richard Shelby’s (R-AL) chief of staff.
She said of the organization she now leads, “BCA is that intersection of business and politics, very much like a state chamber (0f commerce), but with a strong political arm.”
Britt said that in her year as head of BCA the group had “taken some time do some reflection and figure out how we can be better,” then emphasizing that the group now has an increased focus on cooperation and inclusiveness. She said BCA will focus more on working with Alabama’s majority and minority political parties, and it will work closely with Alabama’s rural communities in addition to urban areas.
“If everyone is at the table we ultimately get better results,” she remarked. “A skilled, talented workforce is key. Quality infrastructure is crucial, but open communication and a collaborative spirit are a vital piece of the puzzle,” she added.
Britt urged the audience in attendance to have an expansive view of the state’s economy, beyond the sector they experience every day.
“So many times we hear the word ‘Mobile’ and think ‘that’s not us.’ No, it is our state’s port, its the only deepwater port we have in this state … its the fastest-growing container port in the nation … it can change our economy,” she told the assembled Montgomerians.
Governor Kay Ivey and the Alabama Workforce Council have proclaimed that Alabama needs to add 500,000 credentialed workers by 2025 to stay competitive in a modern economy. Britt mentioned this statistic multiple times on Wednesday and said that Alabama was currently on track to fall 140,000 short.
“Achieving this goal will not be easy but it’s critical to Alabama’s economic development efforts,” she told the audience.
Britt also mentioned the currently incarcerated and Alabama’s older voters as two groups that, if given the right training, could help the state hit its goal.
Britt discussed Amendment One, an initiative that will be on Alabamians’ March 3 ballot which, if successful, would take Alabama from an elected school board to an appointed school board. Britt acknowledged that many people differ on the issue, but went on to highlight Alabama’s dismal education rankings, the relative rarity of an elected school board and the change Florida and Virginia saw when switching away from elected school boards.
“I encourage you all to read up on that, and particularly look at why the governor is passionate about it,” Britt concluded.
One thing Britt brought up as cause for Alabamians to worry was the federal government potentially taking over Alabama’s prisons if the state is not able to bring down the prison population to 137% of capacity in the next four to five years. Alabama’s prisons are currently at over 150% capacity, which is down from 197% in 2011, but still well above the level that could trigger a federal takeover. Britt cited Ivey’s maxim that prisons are “an Alabama problem that need an Alabama solution.” Britt told the audience about when the federal government was forced to take over California’s prisons and required the state to raise taxes to pay for the solutions they dictated.
The BCA under Britt was one of the strongest proponents of the Rebuild Alabama Act which raised gas taxes by 10 cents a gallon (phased in over three years) to pay for infrastructure investments.
During her time at the podium, Britt chose to highlight that investing in infrastructure helps make Alabamians safer, stating, “We have the second most fatalities on our roadways of any state in the nation. Depending on where you are, one third to two-thirds of that is caused by roadway conditions.”
The upcoming 2020 Census was mentioned multiple times by Britt as an item that should be a point of focus for all Alabamians.
“We’re at a disadvantage in Alabama because we don’t trust the federal government here in the state of Alabama,” quipped Britt when bringing up the census.
“Every single person needs to count … everyone is going to have to be involved,” she added, highlighting that Alabama was at risk of losing congressional representation and thusly federal funding.
Britt noted the Growing Alabama Tax Credit and the Alabama Jobs Act as economic development incentives she feels are important to Alabama’s continued success at attracting businesses, calling for their renewal.
Montgomery’s new mayor, Steven Reed, was seated alongside Britt on stage. The BCA president heaped praise on him and the historic nature of his serving as Montgomery’s Mayor. She urged people to read a Time magazine article about his election.
“This man is ready, he wants to make sure that we’re investing in our education, that we’re investing in the infrastructure that will help us attract industry and talent to our city,” she said of Reed.
The BCA recently opened its first satellite office in Mobile with Kellie Hope as the regional director. Britt told the audience that having a field office outside of Montgomery had been well received, and she told reporters that BCA plans to open a similar office in Huntsville in the first quarter of 2020.
“There is tremendous growth in Huntsville … we want to have boots on the ground to understand what their needs are,” she told Yellowhammer after the conclusion of her public remarks.
Britt concluded, “I look forward to the exciting things we have to come in 2020.”
Henry Thornton is a staff writer for Yellowhammer News. You can contact him by email: [email protected] or on Twitter @HenryThornton95.
