Birmingham, Alabama
Greater Birmingham Regional Economic Development Strategy
The July 2009 merger of the Birmingham Regional Chamber of Commerce, the Metropolitan Development Board, and Region 2020 into the Birmingham Business Alliance (BBA) presented the community with a tremendous opportunity and a clear window to capitalize on the momentum of the efforts that went into the merger. The BBA retained Market Street to engage the region in defining fresh goals and creating a holistic approach to achieve those goals.
Market Street’s strategic plan will provide Greater Birmingham leaders with a clear understanding of the community’s strengths and challenges and a holistic strategy for moving Birmingham forward and increasing its competitiveness. A Steering Committee, made up of diverse business and community leaders, was convened to oversee and guide the consulting efforts.
The strategic planning process included five phases:
Competitive Realities: This phase examined Greater Birmingham’s competitive position in terms of People, Prosperity, and Place, taking into account existing community and economic realities and the fact that there have been significant changes in the economy in the past year. Key findings include sluggish population growth, a growing class divide, a low cost of living and increasing quality of life amenities, a wide disparity in K-12 performance across the region’s many school districts, a myriad of government and public agencies that may compete for resources and dilute the ability to achieve regional consensus, and a negative self-image that hampers the region’s ability to attract talent and new companies.
Target Cluster Analysis: The Target Cluster Analysis identified three core clusters (finance and insurance, healthcare services, and trade and distribution), a cluster with historical advantages in the region (metal and steel manufacturing), and three clusters with emerging opportunities (biological and medical technology; arts, entertainment, and tourism; and diverse manufacturing).
Marketing Review: This phase assessed the current marketing practices of the BBA to determine if they reflect best practice methods for increasing awareness and investment in the area. Recommendations include developing a consistent, compelling story; creating a polished appearance and a professional launch for the Strategy; resolving community pride issues; and cultivate funding and staff resources.
Economic Development Strategy: The Blue Print Birmingham strategy is the means by which Birmingham will determine its roadmap for success. The strategy leverages past successes and current capacity to effectively position Greater Birmingham to enjoy sustainable, balanced and equitable growth. Four major goal areas were identified:
- Public and Private Leadership
- Workforce Development
- Economic Prosperity
- Community and Regional Stewardship
Implementation Plan Guidelines ensure that Greater Birmingham can move forward in all aspects of implementation efforts, including selecting strategic options, prioritizing actions, and developing a realistic timeframe for implementation.
The Greater Birmingham Region is facing unprecedented challenges and the current state of the economy highlights the need for the region to plan not for today’s challenge, but for future opportunities when the recession ends. This process provides Greater Birmingham an opportunity to reassess their direction and goals in light of current community and economic realities in order to effectively plan for the future. The BBA unveiled the Blueprint Birmingham strategy on September 23, 2010 in the community’s new showcase public park with hundreds in attendance to learn more about the strategy and to kick off implementation efforts. A pro bono marketing campaign, “Birmingham is OPEN” preceded the official launch and helped draw the record crowds.
For more information, please see the project website.