The Valley Partnership Puts the Best Regional Foot Forward
Tuesday, July 29th, 2014
Founded more than 20 years ago as a tool for regional economic development, The Valley Partnership continues to put the area's best foot forward in terms of retaining existing industries and attracting new development. Through its relationships with Columbus-Muscogee County, the city of West Point, and the Chattahoochee, Harris, Marion, Talbot and Russell (AL) counties, the Greater Columbus Georgia Chamber of Commerce promotes the region's economic development assets through the Valley Partnership in the Greater Columbus, Ga. region brand.
Some advantages to a regional approach are statutory in nature including loans, grants and tax credits. But according to The Valley Partnership Executive Vice President Bill Murphy, the advantages go far beyond that.
"Being able to represent a region is always a better way to compete for economic development. Each community has different assets and it's always an advantage to be able to draw on multiple communities to meet the needs of companies," Murphy said.
Murphy cites the KIA Motors Manufacturing Plant in West Point, Ga. as one example of a company drawing on the resources of a region versus a single community. The plant built its first vehicle in 2009 and employs approximately 3,000 workers. With an operation of that size, KIA has had a huge impact on the region.
Strong Project Potential
The potential of economic development projects announced in the region is very strong, according to Murphy. For example, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Georgia has announced it plans to double the size of its Columbus operations, investing $60 million in a new customer care facility. Kodak has announced it will add a new lithographic printing line to its current operations, representing an investment of more than $10 million.
"We have a very active, very involved business community that has demonstrated its willingness to take on major projects. They should be very proud of what they've accomplished," Murphy said.
"But we can't rest on our laurels. We have to be more creative and more thoughtful about how we address economic development and support our main regional assets like Fort Benning."
Through June 2014, The Valley Partnership has pursued 37 leads and four active projects that have the potential to be a couple of hundred million dollars in investment. It will be another six to nine months before any announcements would be made.
"We had higher expectations for pipeline activity in 2014 than what we've seen. While it's been slow we believe momentum is beginning to build," Murphy said.
Site Selection Factors
The state of Georgia has received a lot of good press in terms of economic development in 2014, winning a Gold Shovel Award for excellence in state job creation and economic development efforts from Area Development Magazine and being named the overall highest scoring state in America's Top States for Business by CNBC. That positive press creates opportunities for Columbus and southeastern Georgia.
"The state also set the standard for workforce training with its Quick Start program. It's a formidable tool to overcome workforce challenges," Murphy said.
For more than 40 years, Quick Start has provided customized workforce training free-of-charge to qualified businesses in Georgia. Today, the program is one of the state’s key assets for supporting new and expanding industries. Quick Start delivers training in classrooms, mobile labs or directly on the plant floor, wherever it works best for a company.
"Finding qualified workers remains one of the most important site selection factors companies look at when considering a region," Murphy said.
"The Greater Columbus, Ga. region benefits from having resources like Columbus Technical College and Columbus State University as well as enjoying excellent partnerships between our companies and our schools."
Transportation networks and access to interstate highways are also key factors that companies evaluate when looking at expansion and relocation opportunities. While most of the region is not located directly on a major interstate, like I-75 or I-85, it does enjoy easy access to these major transportation corridors via I-185 and a network of four-lane highways.
More information on The Valley Partnership is available at www.thevalleypartnership.com.
