Fairhope, Ala. – The Baldwin County Economic Development Alliance (BCEDA) and the community have received multiple honors in 2024, highlighting the success the community has seen in the past year in economic development and overall growth.
BCEDA received two Excellence Awards for The Business Concept’s Logistics, Warehouse, and Supply Chain Awards: the Regional Economic Development Innovators Award and the Local Aerospace Industry Development Services Award for the Southeast for the second consecutive year.
BCEDA was also named an Excellence in Economic Development Award recipient by the International Economic Development Council (IEDC) for their talent attraction and development initiative, Belong in Baldwin. Belong in Baldwin’s Future of Workforce report received the Bronze Award in the Print Brochure category for leveraging the brand to present workforce data in an engaging and accessible format.
BCEDA staff and stakeholders have worked hard to fulfill their mission of enriching the community and generating capital investment. These efforts and the region’s exponential population growth have earned Baldwin County multiple rankings, including #10 Fastest Growing Metro in the U.S. on Business Facilities’ 2024 Annual Metro Rankings Report. The Daphne-Fairhope-Foley, AL MSA was also awarded the #6 Leading Metro in the South and #6 Prime Workforce in the South by Area Development.
Baldwin County also ranks #1 for highest incoming investment in Alabama, according to SmartAsset’s annual study. The company assessed new building permits, gross domestic product growth, and business establishment growth across the nation to award national rankings by county, of which Baldwin County ranks in the top 3% in the U.S. for incoming investments.
BCEDA has garnered $1.8 billion in capital investment for the Baldwin County community in 2024. Companies continue to invest in Baldwin County by making location or expansion decisions, adding over 150 jobs last year. The new jobs pay an average annual wage of over $73,000, which is 50% higher than the current average in Baldwin County.
“These achievements are a testament to the dynamic community that Baldwin County is,” said Lee Lawson, President and CEO of BCEDA. “We are proud to be recognized as a leader for incoming business investment, and we will continue focusing on attracting investment and development that enriches our community.”
BCEDA is a coalition of local public and private professionals, leaders, and officials dedicated to fostering economic growth and prosperity in Baldwin County. The organization is committed to positioning its community as a premier destination for businesses and professionals, where innovation thrives, opportunities abound, and quality of life is exceptional.