Team Alabama formed to help link cities to Hyundai suppliers

Staff

Published Thursday, April 25, 2002

BNI Newswire

MONTGOMERY - Alabama Gov. Don Siegelman this week called on all communities in Alabama to put their best foot forward in the effort to attract suppliers for the new $1 billion Hyundai plant in Montgomery.

Team Alabama, an initiative formed to link communities with Hyundai suppliers, hosted a meeting Tuesday with several representatives from those communities looking for ways to improve their chances of luring suppliers to their cities.

"The goal I have is to make suppliers want to locate in Alabama," Siegelman said. "There are so many communities that can be impacted with the arrival of Hyundai. But every community must make an effort to sell themselves."

Siegelman said he would be visiting communities throughout Alabama in an effort to promote the Communities of Excellence program, a program designed to help communities improve their chances to attract suppliers.

Siegelman spokeswoman Carrie Kurlander said Wednesday that the governor's office is still working to identify those communities.

"The governor's intent is to get to those communities and host a community discussion" about economic development efforts, she said.

The Communities of Excellence program evaluates each community on 10 economic development infrastructure criteria. The criteria include education, roads and bridges, regional airport, industrial parks, workforce capability, childcare and healthcare facilities, technological capability, local support and planning, culture and community relations, and media and public relations.

"Each community will have something different to offer," Siegelman said at the meeting. "Talk about the things you can do for your community in order for them to put their best foot forward."

Although the state helped cities attract Honda suppliers as well, Kurlander said this is the first time the governor's office has worked with communities "in this widespread fashion."

"It's an imperfect science," she said. "This is such an enormous announcement for the state. The governor wants to be greedy. He believes Alabama can attract all of the suppliers."  

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