Call it a tale of three cities. The recently formed Birmingham Business Alliance selected today an Atlanta firm to help create an economic development plan similar to one that helped Austin grow.
Market Street Services will work with the newly merged Birmingham chamber group over 6 months on the planning process.
Back in August, Gary Farmer of Opportunity Austin came to Birmingham to share Austin’s secrets of success with various civic groups. His talk? “What Unstuck Austin.”
The Austin Chamber of Commerce launched Opportunity Austin in 2004 with a 5-year plan to create 72,000 new jobs and increase payroll by $2.9 billion. Instead, the plan, funded by area businesses, created an estimated 123,400 jobs and increased payroll by $5.6 billion.
Before, Austin had fallen into a slump, losing jobs and residents. The chamber was underfunded and understaffed (its Web site page for business relocation was “under construction” … for 5 years!), and one staff member missed a key meeting with an auto manufacturer.
The chamber worked with Market Street to assess the region’s strengths and weaknesses, then have businesses invest in the plan, with full transparency.
Farmer talked about how Austin began competing hard with cities across the country to land companies outside of the state. Many had misperceptions of Austin, believing it to be an oil town like other Texas cities.
Having completed the first 5-year plan, Opportunity Austin has moved on to developing its next 5-year plan [pdf] with more funding, bigger goals and an adjusted strategy. Farmer said that Birmingham could also overcome its regional fractures, governmental problems and stagnant economy, but only by forming a regional plan and funding it properly.
The slides above provided by Farmer show Austin’s changes and successes in economic development.
Can Birmingham and the seven-county region develop a plan and fund it? Could the area grow into a Southern leader?
The free event includes music performances, kids’ activities, even a high-gravity beer tasting (for $10 extra).
