From The Trussville Tribune staff reports
BIRMINGHAM – On October 8, the Trussville GK AdvantageSite in Jefferson County received an Alabama AdvantageSite designation.
According to their website, AdvantageSite is a voluntary industrial site preparedness program created in order to make the state more competitive for companies considering a location in Alabama. Since the program’s start in 2008, 33 projects have located on AdvantageSites across the state, investing more than $1.3 billion and creating over 6,072 new jobs. There are currently 59 active AdvantageSites throughout the state of Alabama.
The program, jointly sponsored by the Alabama Department of Commerce, Spire, Alabama Power Co., the North Alabama Industrial Development Association, PowerSouth Energy Cooperative, and coordinated by the Economic Development Partnership of Alabama, requires that community economic development organizations provide documentation specific to a proposed industrial site, including a set of standard data related to ownership/control, environmental and geotechnical conditions, and infrastructure status. Sites must also meet size, zoning and accessibility requirements.
The application process was managed locally by the Trussville Industrial Development Board and Sain Associates.
“Sites that are awarded the AdvantageSite designation do have an advantage,” said Greg Blalock, EDPA AdvantageSite coordinator. “ There is value in a site having a formal designation. It is visible evidence that a site has been looked at by a third party, or in this case, multiple parties, who can confirm that essential information on the site is readily available and correct.”
AdvantageSites are featured on EDPA’s buildings and sites database, the statewide database of industrial buildings and sites used by site selection consultants, state economic developers, and companies looking to expand in Alabama. AdvantageSite is a voluntary industrial site preparedness program created in order to make the state more competitive for companies considering a location in Alabama.
For more information on the AdvantageSite program, please visit www.edpa.org.