Why Baldwin County?

Growth in Baldwin County

• Largest and fasted growing county in Alabama
• Forbes Magazine ranks it as one of the top 50 small metro areas to start and grow a business
• Over 6,000 existing businesses
• Over 150 manufacturing businesses employ over 7,000 persons
• Over 180 company headquarters
• 170 new businesses started each year
• 170% business growth in past 6 years
• Venture seed capital network
• Strong telecomm infrastructure
• Great workforce and lifestyle
• Broad base of existing diversified industries
  

Transportation infrastructure

• Port of Mobile with 190 shipping lines – ranked 10th in the country in 2006 and growing.
• Mobile Container Port – Phase 1 complete 2008 – quadruples capacity of port to 350,000 TEUs annually, 800,000 TEUs upon final expansion
• Barge access – Intercoastal  and the Tombigbee Waterways reaches the Midwest and northeast by water
• Rail access – 5 class 1 railroads and several smaller lines
• Interstate access (I-10 and I-65)
• I-10 stretches across the country from Los Angeles (Pacific Ocean) to Jacksonville, FL (Atlantic Ocean)
• I-65 goes from Mobile (on the Gulf of Mexico) to Chicago (on lake Michigan
• Air access (Brookley field and Mobile Airport) – two FAA tower airports
• Brookley has the longest runway east of the Mississippi River (9,600 feet long), capable of landing the Space Shuttle

Business Climate

• Non-union “Right to work” state, low cost labor pool
• Alabama is pro-business
• One Step Environmental Permitting
• Manufacturing training called best in the United States by Expansion Management Magazine, AL Industrial Development Training (AIDT)
• Low state of Alabama property taxes

Lifestyle

• Temperate climate
• 32 miles of Gulf beaches and 26 miles of Mobile Bay waterfront
• Fresh water, inshore and offshore fishing
• 18 golf courses
• Semi professional football
• AA semipro baseball (Mobile)
• Family Friendly Lifestyle
• Excellent school system
• Health Care options
• Over 1,100 restaurants
• Regional shopping centers and thriving downtowns
• EASI Cultural index for Baldwin Co is 152, while USA average is 100
• Cultural and racial Diversity
• Low crime rate
• Higher education available locally (8 colleges and universities)
• Moderate Traffic