Bu Curt Chapman

FAIRHOPE — Although the United States is in a period of economic uncertainty, Baldwin County has added another feather to its cap. A report entitled Economic Strength Rankings — 2008, issued by POLICOM Corp. of Palm City, Fla., indicates the county (designated as the Daphne-Fairhope-Foley Micropolitan Area) ranked 25th out of the 577 micros studied, putting it in the top 4 percent of the 694 counties included in the survey.

According to William H. Fruth, POLICOM president, “The top rated areas have had rapid, consistent growth in both size and quality for an extended period of time.” The study analyzes the economic strength of 363 Metropolitan Statistical Areas containing 1092 counties, and 577 Micropolitan Statistical Areas containing 694 counties.

Baldwin County was once under the umbrella of the Mobile Metropolitan Area in such rankings, but a population shift prompted the federal Office of Management and Budget to designate Baldwin as a micro for economic classification.

In a statement issued by the Baldwin County Economic Development Alliance (BCEDA), Robert Ingram, the agency’s president, noted this is the fifth consecutive year Baldwin County has ranked in the Top 40 Micro Areas.

He stated, “POLICOM uses dozens of factors to analyze the quality of the economy, the behavior of the economy, and negative aspects of the economy. Growth rates, including some ‘moving averages’ in certain categories are combined with pure numbers and numerical growth in other categories to rank the micro counties in over 100 categories. Baldwin County placed in the Top 10 in six of the categories, was the No. 1 ranked micro in Alabama and was the highest ranked micro in a six-state region, which includes Mississippi, Louisiana, Tennessee, Georgia, Arkansas and Alabama.”

The Hilton Head, S.C. micro area has the strongest local economy in the nation according to the rankings, while Tallulah, La. is dead last. The most improved micropolitan area is Big Springs, Wy. As a result of growth in the oil and gas industry, it has gone from 421st to 71st among the 577 micropolitan areas.

POLICOM measures 23 different economic factors over a 20-year period to determine its rankings. The formulas determine how an economy has behaved over an extended period of time.

Fruth stated, “The rankings do not reflect the latest ‘hotspot’ or boom town, but the areas which have the best economic foundation.”

BCEDA Vice President Bob Higgins said the recent announcement of Segers Aerospace’s relocation to Fairhope is just one example of the positive business climate and superb quality of life that provides such a foundation.

Segers will move its North American headquarters from Crestview, Fla. to the former L-3 Crestview Aerospace Building, adjacent to the H.L. “Sonny” Callahan Municipal Airport. The company will also pack up and move its engine repair and overhaul facility there from Opa -Locka, Fla.

“We have a great environment for business in the area,” Higgins said. “That’s why we have ThyssenKrupp and EADS.” The steel mill is already under construction in north Mobile County, while EADS will soon break ground at Brookley Field in Mobile for a plant where the company will assemble its K45 aerial refueling tankers for the U.S. Air Force.

The positive POLICOM ranking, along with the decision of large manufacturers to locate operations here will likely prompt some plant suppliers and customers to locate nearby. Higgins said, “A number of (ThyssenKrupp) steel customers could locate here because it doesn’t make a whole lot of economic sense to ship the steel to other areas. You see a ranking like that, and they say ‘we may look into this a little further.’”

Higgins cited job programs, transportation and a ready work force to being keys to economic development in southwest Alabama. He also credited strong and steady cooperation between municipal, county and state leaders and the business community for prosperous growth.

The micropolitan areas are smaller economies, and do not have a city with a population greater than 50,000. According to Fruth, their economies fluctuate much more than the larger metropolitan areas.

“Many of the top ranked micropolitan areas are resort destinations and scored at the top as a result of the boom in the construction industry,” he stated. “These areas are likely to fall in the rankings in the future as a result of the slowdown in the construction industry.”

Higgins pointed out the opposite could be true here as the ThyssenKrupp and EADS projects progress.

“This would bode well for home sales,” he said. “Those people will need homes to live in. It’s good for Baldwin County whether it’s located here or Mobile County because people are going to live where they want to live, no matter where the plant is.”

To view the economic strength rankings for all areas along with POLICOM’s methodology, go to www.policom.com.

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