This article is courtesy of the Mobile Press Register
Link : http://blog.al.com/press-register-business/2011/03/baldwin_county_ranked_no_6_for.html
Baldwin County ranked No. 6 for corporate expansions among micropolitan areas
Published: Tuesday, March 01, 2011, 2:53 PM Updated: Tuesday, March 01, 2011, 3:22 PM
Site Selection magazine has ranked Baldwin County as the No. 6 micropolitan area for business expansions in 2010, counting 10 corporate expansions and relocations in the county last year.
The Thomasville/Lexington N.C. area was ranked first among micropolitan areas with 26 projects. Scottsboro, Ala., was among five areas that tied for 20th with five projects. Micropolitan areas are typically rural counties with more than 50,000 people.
Robert Ingram, president of the Baldwin County Economic Development Alliance, said that a $7 million, 20-job expansion at Ascend Performance Materials in Foley and a $6 million, 25-job project at Saunders Yachtworks in Gulf Shores were among the county’s most significant in 2010.
“Most of what we had were local companies expanding, which is good,” Ingram said. “If local companies are doing well, that means they’re happy with their workforce and they see improving sales.”
Texas was the No. 1 state with 424 projects, while Louisiana was No. 3 with 347. Neither Alabama, with 78 total projects, nor Mississippi, with 41 total projects, made the top 10 among states.
Chicago was No. 1 among metro areas with more than 1 million residents, while New Orleans was No. 10. Baton Rouge, La., was No. 1 among metro areas with between 200,000 and 1 million residents, while Lake Charles, La., was No. 1 among metro areas with fewer than 200,000 people.