Birmingham business group announces jobs, investment growth in 2014

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The pro-business Birmingham Business Alliance – “the chamber for regional prosperity,” as it bills itself – announced an uptick in prosperity in 2014 indeed at their annual Regional Economic Growth Summit at the Harbert Center in downtown Birmingham on Wednesday.

The upshot of that meeting – the BBA announced that more than 3,000 jobs and $370 million in private capital investment was added to the region in 2014.

“There’s no question, Birmingham and our entire region are seeing real growth,” said Mark Crosswhite, 2015 BBA chairman and chairman, president and CEO of Alabama Power in a news release.

“And we must focus on continuing that growth – developing, building and attracting businesses that create jobs and better our communities.”

Among other top-line findings of the BBA announced today:

  • 79 companies announced 3,011 jobs and $370 million in capital investment in 2014 in the region’s primary business sectors, including banking and insurance; advanced manufacturing; metals and steel manufacturing; transportation and logistics; health care services; information and biological technology; and arts, entertainment and tourism;
  • Ground broken on the Northern Beltline, a controversial Alabama Department of Transportation plan along I-20/59m;
  • The opening of AIDT’s Alabama Workforce Training Center, which focuses on training for the construction and manufacturing industries;
  • A grant from the Lumina Foundation to increase post-secondary education attainment in our region;
  • The launch of OnBoard Birmingham, a workforce retention initiative of the BBA that connects early-career professionals from various companies and industries to the Birmingham community; and
  • The BBA-supported Historic Tax Credit, which has helped launch 16 redevelopment projects in Birmingham totaling $207 million in investment.

 

This and more can be found in the BBA’s Growth Report 2015.