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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Baldwin County,
Alabama offers a unique set of assets for call center and back office
facilities,
and
specifically in the customer service /reservations. Among these assets are
the following:
Workforce Advantages
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Alabama is a Right-to-Work state with a low percentage of unionized
workforce |
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Unsaturated call center workforce: 0.2% Baldwin County; 1.5% in the
Baldwin County area. |
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8,967
people employed in call center / back office in the area. |
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25%
of workforce in Baldwin and surrounding counties are considered
“underemployed” |
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Competitive wage rates: |
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Productive, Available
Workforce:
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Area Civilian Labor
Force: |
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Mobile CSA Civilian Labor
Force: |
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Baldwin County Civilian
Labor Force: |
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Area Engineers: |
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Average Annual Area
Graduates: |
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400,000+
273,000+
77,000+
2,600+
245+ |
Low Workforce Wages
 
Workforce Training Available
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AIDT Training – Rated #1 in the Nation.
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The State of Alabama offers an excellent workforce
training program for existing industry and new recruits. AIDT has
performed training for call centers that operate primarily inbound
centers and select outbound centers, such as Hertz, World Omni, FCA and
West. |
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Career Center Training and Workforce Investment Act
Wage Reimbursements. |
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Specialized office/back-office training from Faulkner
Community College and Bishop State Community College and the Alabama
Technology Network. |
Incentives
| Alabama Industrial Development Grants. |
| CDBG Economic Development Grants. |
| Incumbent Worker Training Grants. |
| Waiver of Business License Fees. |
| State Corporate Income Tax Deductions and Credits. |
| Special Improvement and Tax Increment District Financing. |
| Zero Interest and Low Interest Loans. |
| Building Cost Discounts and Write-Downs. |
| Expedited Permitting. |
Telecommunications Infrastructure and
Utilities
| Two Common Carriers in Baldwin County (BellSouth,
CenturyTel). |
| Long Distance Carriers: AT&T, CenturyTel, MCI,
Sprint. |
| Dark Fiber recently installed along major highways.
| 264-mile sonet
ring from Mobile to Pensacola. |
| 150-mile sonet
ring in Baldwin County, Alabama. |
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| Redundancy available along major highways (Sonet
Ring). |
| Digital and Analog Central Offices. |
| 16 ISPs Serving Baldwin County |
| Reasonable Cost, Reliable Electric Power. |
| Self Healing Networks. |
| Favorable Regulatory Climate. |
| Highest Switching Capacity: OC 192. |
| Five Points of Presence in the County. |
Great Transportation
| Central Time Zone - allows non-stop coverage of all U.S. Time Zones.
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| Two interstate highways. |
| Location is between two regional airports that fly to major business
centers such as Atlanta, Charlotte, Dallas, Houston, Nashville, and St.
Louis. |
| Award winning county public transportation system. |
| Four general aviation airports. |
| UPS terminal located in the County. |
| Postal Service: 1st Class. |
Quality of Life
| Cost of Living Index below national average:
| Bestplaces.com: 62 out of 100 (US Average). |
| ACCRA Cost of Living Index: 90.6 out of 100 (US Average).
(Reflects cost differentials for professional and
executive households in the top income quintile) |
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| EASI Quality of Life Index: 178 (high above the national average of
100). |
| EASI Cultural Index: 152 (high above the national average of 100).
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| An excellent school system with SAT and ACT scores above the national
average for the past six years. |
| Average temperature of 67.5 degrees. |
| Abundant and diverse
recreational activities including Gulf Coast beaches. |
| Housing costs below
national average. |
| Medical costs below
national average. |
| Advanced educational
opportunities at five regional colleges and universities |
Great
Ability to Relocate Professional Talent
Due to a high quality of life with a low cost of living, the area continues
to draw qualified workers
to fill positions.
“We have ten high level engineer jobs that have opened up, but the company
will not have a problem filling those positions. There is always a pool of
qualified labor available even though the wages are lower here. People want
to move their families here because of the great quality of life and the
cost of living in Baldwin County is low.”
-Linda Houser, Human Resources, Goodrich
Aerospace/Aerostructures Group
Every year, over four
million people spend one week at the Gulf of Mexico beaches in Gulf Shores
and
Orange Beach – Some of
us are lucky enough to live here! Family is the word for Baldwin County;
locating
your company here
shows that with Good People
comes Good Business. |
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