The AdvantageSite program requires that community economic development organizations provide documentation specific to a proposed industrial site, including a set of standard data related to ownership/control, environmental and geotechnical conditions, as well as infrastructure status.
Sites must also meet size, zoning and accessibility requirements.
“We’re constantly looking for ways to enhance our competitiveness,” said Wayne Hollar, chairman of the board of directors of the Gadsden-Etowah County Industrial Development Authority. “Thanks to our mayor and city council we have a competitive product, and thanks to our staff we have a huge amount of documentation to prove it.”
The other designated AdvantageSites are in Cullman, Dallas, Franklin, Jackson, Lauderdale and Marion Counties. This is the second site this year to receive the AdvantageSite designation and the seventh overall.
“I am very optimistic that this will be a busy year for the AdvantageSite program,” said Greg Knighton, Economic Development Partnership of Alabama (EDPA) vice president and director of business information. “There are clear benefits to participating in the program, and as we build critical mass, that becomes more and more obvious.”
The AdvantageSite program is jointly sponsored by the Alabama Development Office, Alabama Gas Corporation, Alabama Power Company, EDPA, the North Alabama Industrial Development Association and PowerSouth Energy Cooperative.
The voluntary industrial site preparedness program was created in order to make the state more competitive for companies considering a location in Alabama.