A delegation of economic developers led by Mobile Mayor Sandy Stimpson just returned from Hamburg, Germany after a week of recruiting aerospace companies to locate in Alabama.
In addition to meetings and plant tours with Airbus and Airbus supplier UTC, which operates a plant in Foley, Ala., the delegation had private meetings with two industrial prospects currently considering locating in Alabama.
The delegation then attended the 2013 Hamburg Aviation Forum, where they pitched Alabama’s business-friendly environment to every company they could get in front of.
Mayor Stimpson also had the opportunity to speak at the forum to a crowd of about 300, which included top executives from most of the world’s major aerospace suppliers. Many of them plan to open facilities near Airbus’ Brookley Aeroplex facility in Mobile, which is currently under construction. The Alabama delegation’s job was to make sure they locate in Alabama, rather than nearby Florida or Mississippi.
“Airbus represents a game-changer for our community and, I imagine, it will have an impact on many of you here in this room,” Stimpson said to open his speech. “I’m here today — just a month since taking office as mayor — to bring you a simple message: Mobile is open for business.”
Stimpson called Mobile “the most global city in Alabama,” noting that the Port City is home to more than 400 international companies from 30 nations.
“More than 10,000 people in Mobile work for foreign-owned companies,” he said. “Our location on the Gulf Coast has long made us a center of international commerce. The Port of Mobile ranks 12th in the nation in overall waterborne foreign trade cargo volume and handles more than 25 million tons of cargo annually.”
Stimpson spent a good portion of his speech touting the business-friendly climate he if fostering in Mobile.
One of Mobile’s greatest assets in recruiting international companies is that few, if any, mayors in the country better understand the challenges companies face as they expand.
“I spent 45 years in the lumber manufacturing business. My father gave me my first job — sweeping floors in the sawmill — when I was about 13,” Simpson said. “I went on to become the chief financial officer and executive vice president, running the company with my brother and two of my cousins. We grew the company from a small sawmill in Mobile to the 12th largest sawmill operator in the United States. We recently sold to a Canadian company which is the fourth largest sawmill operator in North America.”
“It was during the last six years that we experienced our growth, and that coincided with one of the most difficult economic downturns in our lifetime,” he continued. “So I’m very familiar with the challenges you have competing in a tough environment. I know first-hand the challenges of todays business world, from regulatory and tax issues to workforce training as well as safety and environmental concerns.”
Stimpson pledged that Mobile would be a “partner” to companies that locate there, then closed his speech with a bold statement.
“Our mission is clear: We want to make Mobile the safest, most business and family friendly city in America by 2020,” he proclaimed. “Please come to Mobile and let us show you what the true meaning of Southern hospitality is all about.”
Follow Cliff on Twitter @Cliff_Sims
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