Dissapointing Day For Northwest Alabama.....But Many Reasons To Be Excited

As you may have read by now or will be reading soon, our region has been released from the large economic development project that we've been pursuing over the last two years. Automotive manufacturer, Magna International has expressed interest in building a manufacturing facility in North America and Guin's site on I-22 has been a leader in the site selection process from the very beginning. Unfortunately, the current economic conditions facing the automotive market has forced Magna to look elsewhere. With increased fuel prices, it's imperative that manufacturers remain relatively close to their suppliers and customers to efficiently produce their product. While we don't know who these suppliers and customers are, it is assumed that their locations are in the northern part of the country essentially eliminating us from consideration if fuel prices and economic conditions remain as they are now. There is always a possibility that conditions change and we, again, become a leader in the site selection process, but, in the mean time, we can and will actively market our city and our sites to potential industry.

It, of course, has been a disappointing day and one none of us wanted to see, but there are so many reasons to be excited about Guin's future and our potential to bring high paying jobs to our area. With the exposure we've gained through competing for the Magna project, we've opened our area up to many economic development projects we may not have competed for just a few years ago. Our state leaders, including Governor Bob Riley, have applauded our efforts to come together as a region in pursuit of this Magna facility. There were 25+ entities, including municipalities, county commissions, educational institutions, and corporate partners, who pledged their political and financial support for this effort. That was something that had never been done in this region. We firmly believe that without that support, this area would have never been considered for such a large project. If that kind of cooperation remains in place, Guin and our region are well positioned to succeed in bringing large industry to our area. And with the need to develop Tier I and Tier II suppliers close to their facility in Tupelo, Mississippi, Toyota will be looking to Guin and Northwest Alabama for sites which could possibly suit their needs.

One more note before I close. There are many people who worked very hard to put us in a position to land this project. Those included Governor Bob Riley, the Alabama Development Office and it's director Neal Wade, Alabama Power, many of our region's council members, county commissioners, mayors, and community leaders. There is one person, though, I want to especially recognize and that's Mayor Phil Segraves. This man loves Guin and there's no one who wants for this area to prosper and grow like he does. He poured his heart and soul into this project. He put thousands of hours into this pursuit and traveled all over the world trying to persuade those decision makers that Guin was the place they needed to be. Considering today's disappointing news, it would be understandable for him to give up and take some time to rest, but it's not in his nature. Phil Segraves will be out tomorrow working to bring industry to our community. There were many stakeholders in this project, but Mayor Segraves drove this project and would never let it die. That's the kind of commitment Guin needs as we move forward. We have two choices as a community - we can be happy with the status quo or we can be progressive in our efforts to grow our community and guarantee a future for our families. I choose to follow the example our mayor has given us and will do everything in my power to move us forward.