Shoals Economic Development Authority

The North Alabama Industrial Development Association (NAIDA) presented Forrest Wright, SEDA president, with its prestigious President's Award at its Annual Industrial Development Conference, held in The Shoals on August 26-27.
The award recognizes an economic development professional in the North

Alabama region who exemplifies the highest professional standards, is dedicated to his/her community, supports regional economic development, is consistent and steadfast in his/her efforts, and displays creativity and teamwork.
     "Each community in North Alabama is blessed with competent, well-trained, and experienced economic development professionals," said Tate Godfrey, NAIDA president/CEO. "This award, presented by the staff of NAIDA, is intended to recognize that professional who has gone the extra mile during the past year. The award is intended to be a small sign of appreciation for a job well done."
     National Alabama Corporation's decision in 2007 to invest $350 million and create upwards of 1,800 jobs in The Shoals was cited as an indication of Wright's leadership and effectiveness in his position as president of SEDA .
     NAIDA serves the 12-county region of North Alabama by recruiting new jobs and corporate

investment to the area. The economic development organization, which dates back to the late 1940's, is funded by TVA, 22 electric distributors, and 35 corporate sponsors. It is based in Decatur, Alabama.

     SCA, the global parent of SCA Tissue - Barton Operations (located in The Shoals), has been named to a very distinguished list of ethical companies, with only 95 of 5,000 leading companies throughout the world making the 2008 World's Most Ethical Companies list. SCA was one of only three companies named in the Forestry, Paper, & Packaging category by The Ethisphere Institute, which announced the awards at an "ethics-in-business conference" this summer.
     "We applaud SCA, which is among the companies honored this year because they have developed impressive and meaningful ethical business practices," said Alexander Brigham, executive director of the Ethisphere Institute. "They go well beyond legal minimums, opting instead to bring about innovative ideas that contribute to the public well-being."
     The president of SCA Americas, Thomas Wulkan, highlighted an essential reason SCA made the list, stating, "Our management-employee team believes the commitment to corporate social responsibility must be an ongoing journey, characterized by continuous review and refinement."
     The award comes on the heels of SCA's 2007 ranking as the world's second-most environmentally friendly company, as announced by The Independent, a British newspaper, and Ethical Investment Research Services, which independently researches over 2,800 companies throughout the world.
     How has SCA been able to achieve such a high level of ethical standards and environmental friendliness? The answer lies in comments by Don Lewis, president of SCA Tissue North America:
     "Our business model is built on a foundation of sustainability, which includes not only environmental conscientiousness but also adherence to the highest standards in all of our business practices. We strive to not only set the industry bar when it comes to environmental responsibility but to lead the way in social and ethical responsibility."
     The SCA Tissue-Barton Operations manufacturing facility in The Shoals operates as part of SCA Tissue North America, which is a leading manufacturer of Tork^Ž brand tissues, paper napkins, wipers, and towels.

National Alabama Corporation Event

On July 22, National Alabama Corporation hosted an information-exchange gathering and facility tour at its site in the Barton Riverfront Industrial Park. Approximately 60 guests attended, including Governor Bob Riley, Dr. David Bronner (RSA), Alabama Senators Roger Bedford and Bobby Denton, several federal and state representatives, local elected officials, community leaders, other dignitaries, and business and professional people associated with the project.
Paul Panelli, project executive with NAC's construction contractor partner, Yates-Walbridge, gave a detailed "year in review" and current state of construction. NAC Chairman Gregory Aziz then presented economic impact information for the local area and the state. Mr. Aziz specifically addressed the "spin-off" implications as the facility becomes operational and ramps up production to normal operating levels--including direct and indirect employment and the company's anticipated purchasing requirements.

Highlights of Presentations

Economic Impact: Construction
$59 million in local/regional building materials
$137 million in local/regional subcontracts
$1.4 million per month--construction employees' wages and salaries

Construction Stats
2.9 million yards of earth excavated
23,000 tons of steel erected
64,000 cubic yards of concrete poured
Approximately 1,000 craftspeople on site

People
First hiring phase scheduled for late October '08
Expect to hire 100-150 employees by year's end '08
Wages: Base rate $14.00 / hr. with incremental increases over 60 months to $18.00 / hr.
Benefits include life and accident insurance, medical, dental, vision--80% company participation

Photo Gallery

(l to r) Governor Bob Riley; Greg Aziz, National Alabama Corporation	(l to r) Troy Woodis, Colbert County Commission; Dr. David Bronner, RSA; Mayor Bobby Irons, City of Florence

(l to r) Greg Aziz, National Alabama Corporation; Brian Oak, Canadian Consul General to Atlanta	(l to r) Forrest Wright, SEDA; Jim Haeffele, SCA Tissue

(l to r) Mayor Bobby Irons, City of Florence; Mayor Billy Don Anderson, City of Sheffield	(l to r) Dr. Kerry Gatlin, University of North Alabama; Dr. Garry Warren, University of North Alabama; Steve Holt, Shoals Chamber of Commerce

(l to r) Marcel Black, Alabama State Representative; Bobby Denton, Alabama State Senator; Greg Aziz, National Alabama Corporation	(l to r) Phil Tays, Wise Alloys; Tim Leigh, Colbert County Commission

(l to r) Mayor Bill Shoemaker, City of Tuscumbia; Governor Bob Riley	(l to r) Mayor David Bradford, City of Muscle Shoals; Governor Bob Riley

(l to r) Mayor David Bradford, City of Muscle Shoals; Mayor Bobby Irons, City of Florence; Paul Panelli, Yates-Walbridge	(l to r) Governor Bob Riley; Mike Curtis, Alabama State Representative; Bobby Denton, Alabama State Senator; Harvey Robbins, Robbins Property Development; Bill Alexander, SEDA

(l to r) Frank Jalsevac, National Alabama Corporation; Ed Castile, AIDT; Felix Phillips, AIDT	(l to r) Peter Earle, National Alabama Corporation; Lee Thuston, Burr & Forman; Lee Hansen, The Staubach Company; Darren Caswell, Yates-Walbridge

(l to r) Susie Heird, SEDA; Linda Swann, Alabama Development Office; Buster Smith, SEDA; Dr. David Bronner, RSA	(l to r) Bill Yates, Jr., Yates Construction; Dr. David Bronner, RSA; Roger Bedford, Alabama State Senator

(l to r) Tony Wojciechowski, National Alabama Corporation; Dr. Humphrey Lee, Northwest-Shoals Community College; Phil Tays, Wise Alloys	(l to r) Dr. Alan Medders, University of North Alabama; Dr. Garry Warren, University of North Alabama

Lee Hansen, The Staubach Company	Peter Lynde, Albert Kahn Family of Companies

Shoals Training Alliance Holds Fourth Supervisor Training Class in 2008

     The Shoals Industry-Education Training Alliance's supervisor training classes, offered in conjunction with AIDT, proved to be so popular when three classes were held earlier this year that a fourth class was held over two days on July 29-30. This class brought the four-class total participation up to 82 people representing 21 companies in The Shoals. The participating companies were not just from the manufacturing sector of the economy, but also from the service, healthcare, and utilities sectors.
     Kendall Haywood, AIDT instructor for the fourth class, noted why the classes received such good support from area companies:
     "Leadership Skills I is a two-day class that highlights a variety of leadership topics, including communication, teamwork, and motivation. The class is designed for new leaders or as a refresher for those who have been in leadership roles for awhile. It is very participatory and class evaluations show it is enjoyed by all."
     The following quotes from participants in the latest class showed the students agreed with the instructor:
     "The AIDT class gave me new views on leadership skills and implemented different values and goals that are very sufficient in industrial workplace environments." Keith Beckwith, Robbins LLC
     "The class was concise and filled with valuable information that has helped me become a more dynamic leader." Bryan Tardo, Listerhill Total Maintenance Center
     "I found this session to be an excellent training opportunity that is applicable for both the newly appointed supervisor or someone who has been a leader or manager for years." Larry Mardegian, Whitesell Corporation
     The Training Alliance, with support from the Shoals Economic Development Authority, brings together companies and educators to provide training classes to meet the current needs of local industry. For more information on the Training Alliance, contact Lesley Cox at 256-764-0351.

International Trade

Export Finance Seminar Held in The Shoals

     The U.S. Department of Commerce's Birmingham Export Assistance Center presented a workshop on Export Payments and Financing: Getting Paid for Your Export Sales in The Shoals on August 28. The workshop was organized in cooperation with the Alabama International Trade Center (AITC), the Shoals Economic Development Authority (SEDA), the Shoals Entrepreneurial Center (SEC), the North Alabama International Trade Association (NAITA), the UNA Small Business Development Center, the Appalachian Regional Commission, and Export Alabama.
     Brian Davis, director of the AITC, welcomed an enthusiastic group of people from companies located in The Shoals, Huntsville, and Birmingham, as well as from cooperating organizations. The theme of the seminar highlighted one of the key concerns with doing business internationally--making sure your company gets paid for the goods or services that it exports.
     The opening speaker, Robert Stackpole, international trade specialist with the U.S. Department of Commerce in Birmingham, focused on the importance of international trade, especially for small and medium-sized businesses, and cited statistics in support of international trade, such as the increase in service jobs in the U.S. from 26 million in 1993 to 35 million in 2007. He also said many people are not aware that China lost 25 million manufacturing jobs between 1993 and 2007, while the U.S. lost just under 3 million manufacturing jobs during the same period, or that the U.S. holds the top spot in the world for manufactured goods produced, with one-fifth of the world's total.
     In his position at the U.S. Export Assistance Center, Mr. Stackpole is working directly with companies in the Central and North Alabama regions to help them enter the global market through exporting. He meets with key company personnel at small to medium-sized businesses to discuss how the U.S. Commercial Service can assist that company.
     The U.S. Commercial Service has access to foreign markets throughout the world and has designed specific services at affordable rates to aid U.S. companies such as those found throughout The Shoals and North Alabama.
     One such service is the "Gold-Key Matching Service," which can schedule pre-screened appointments for a business person to meet with prospective trade partners in key industry sectors in a foreign market. For a business with 500 employees or less, the fee is only $700 for the first day (five appointments) and $300 for each additional day. First-time users can try the service for only $350 for the first day. Other services highlighted include the International Partner Search, International Buyer Program, trade shows, and the Commercial News publication. For more information, contact Robert Stackpole at 205-731-1331, visit www.export.gov, or call 1-800-USA TRADE.
     Matthew Pickle, vice-president, Global Trade Solutions, SunTrust Bank, followed Mr. Stackpole's presentation by delving into specific ways of handling the financial transactions necessary to conduct business internationally. Mr. Pickle spoke directly to the concerns of seminar attendees regarding which methods of payments and export-financing tools would be best for specific transactions. Depending on the export market and the degree of risk the company can tolerate, Mr. Pickle outlined options for the exporter from the higher-risk "open account" payment method to the lower-risk "payment in advance." In between were "documentary collection (time), documentary collection (sight), letters of credit (time), and letters of credit (sight)." Each of these options carried its own benefits and risks. For assistance with these export-financing tools, please contact Mr. Pickle at 404-588-7649.
     The final speaker for the seminar, Ray Gibeau, Export Finance Office, U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA), gave an in-depth look at the ways that the SBA can assist small businesses to obtain "export working capital" through the SBA Export Working Capital Program. Mr. Gibeau spoke about an SBA Export Express loan program for smaller loans in the $5,000 to $250,000 range. These are loans obtained directly from Express Lenders with backing from the SBA. For larger loans up to $2 million, the SBA can back lenders to provide a transactional bank loan with a 90% guaranty to the lender up to $1,666,666. The interest rates and fees are negotiable with an SBA guaranty fee of 0.25% and a servicing fee of 0.494%. One key of this loan program is that collateral can be inventory, receivables, and proceeds of the transaction itself. There are certain requirements that must be met to qualify for this program. For more information, contact Carolyn Long at the Small Business Development Center at the University of North Alabama at 256-765-4599.

SEDA to Co-Sponsor NAITA Trade Education Tour -- Export Solutions

Are you interested in expanding your business by developing foreign markets for your products or services? If so, please join the North Alabama International Trade Association (NAITA), the Shoals Economic Development Authority (SEDA), and the Export Alabama Alliance for the

NAITA Export Solutions Seminar and Box Lunch Briefing

SEDA Offices in Florence, Alabama

Thursday, October 23, 2008

10:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.

For registration information and further details, please contact NAITA at 256-532-3505, www.naita.org, or naita@naita.org

Available Building Highlight

		Warren Properties 4530 Helton Drive Florence, AL 35630 Lauderdale County 18,500 Square Feet
Click here for building form (.pdf) with details about the building

Meeting Schedule

SEDA Monthly Board of Directors Meetings

October 14
November 11
December 9

Shoals Manufacturers Association

November 12
January 14

Shoals Industry-Education Training Alliance

October 15
January 21
April 15

Previous E-Newsletters

April 2008 E-Newsletter
2008 Existing Industry Visitation Program
Southwire Company to Expand in Florence
SEDA Hosts Annual Appreciation Luncheon in Montgomery
National Alabama Corporation Erects First Structural Steel
Empire Electronics Locates in Shoals Entrepreneurial Center
Shoals Training Alliance Holds Supervisor Training Classes
Available Building: Alabama Converter 2 (43,500 square feet)

December 2007 E-Newsletter
The Shoals Wins CEDA Award from the Southern Economic Development Council
The Shoals Chosen for TVA Valley TaP Program
Shoals Manufacturers Association Annual Dinner (multiple photos)
SEDA Appoints New Officers for FY2008
International Floors of America, Inc. to Expand in Florence
National Alabama Corporation Update
The Shoals Training Alliance Schedules Supervisor Training Classes
Available Building Highlight: Waverlee Building (162,500 sq. ft.)

Special Announcement
The Shoals Welcomes National Alabama Corporation (multiple photos)

June 2007 E-Newsletter
Shoals Research Airpark Reaches Important Milestone
Listerhill Total Maintenance Center Adding Capabilities
Florence City Schools Rated as a Top School District in the U.S.
Available Building: Roberson Road Complex (41,920 sq. ft.)

April/May 2007 E-Newsletter
SEDA Receives 2007 Economic Development Achievement Award
Wise Alloys Project to Widen Can Sheet Width
Alabama Development Office Named Top State Economic Development Agency in the U.S.
Alabama Ranked as Fourth Fastest-Growing Exporter in U.S.
Available Building: Wise Alloys Building (120,000 sq. ft.)

March 2007 E-Newsletter
SCA: Planting Deeper Roots in Alabama (multiple photos)
Wise Metals Group to Widen Can-Stock Capacity
City of Florence Breaks Ground on New Sportsplex
Available Building: Wylie #14 (105,000 sq. ft.)