CELEBRATING SUCCESS
Centre for Commerce Annual Meeting wrapped up
another highly successful year
The Centre for Commerce paid tribute to victories…many of them…in the form of new jobs, new businesses, and expanding businesses. At the Carl Morgan Convention Center, the annual meeting brought out the best in the local business community.
As always, the annual event brought a talented guest speaker who brought expertise to the podium. Mr. Ed Castile, Deputy Secretary of Commerce, served as the guest speaker. Wayne Vardaman, Executive Director of the Economic Development Authority, holds Castile in high regard. “Ed did a strong job as our speaker,” Vardaman explained. His insight was timely, since workforce development is one of the largest issues facing our economy. He spoke to that, and he added to the event. We were proud to have him as the speaker.”
As Vardaman pointed out, workforce development is a major issue for Selma and Dallas County. “We don’t have a lack of jobs; we just need more highly trained workers,” Vardaman added. “That is why over 5,000 people commute to Dallas County each day from other places to perform local jobs.”
Recently, The Selma Sun reported on an event, sponsored by the City of Selma and the E.D.A., to connect local workers to advanced training opportunities. The turnout, according to all involved parties, was strong.
As for the event itself, there was plenty to celebrate in terms of recent success.
***Over 300 new jobs have been created, although that number is actually higher, because new and expanding small businesses often do not report job numbers.
***Over 63 million dollars has been invested in Dallas County and Selma.
***Over 5,300 people buy good and services in Dallas County when they commute each day, from other areas, for work.
The Selma and Dallas County Centre for Commerce is an organization that includes the Economic Development Authority (The EDA) as well as the Chamber of Commerce and Tourism Information. The EDA and the Chamber are independent entities, but they share resources to achieve optimal cost-savings and efficiency.
The Centre maintains regular business hours for both organizations, sets operational and personnel policies and procedures, is responsible for paying shared bills incurred by the participant organizations such as insurance and equipment rentals, and maintains rent for the Centre for Commerce Building which houses the Chamber and the EDA. This partnership encourages synergies between the EDA and the Chamber that help spur development through collaboration.
The Centre for Commerce board of directors is comprised of seven members, four of whom are members of the board of directors of the Economic Development Authority and three of whom are members of the board of directors of the Chamber of Commerce. Each board is responsible for its own employment-related decisions. Wayne Vardaman is the President of the Centre for Commerce and the Executive Director of the EDA.
As the event’s speaker, Castile spoke with the voice of experience. He was appointed Director of Alabama Industrial Development Training on August 16, 1993. He is a former director of the State of Tennessee Industrial Training Service. He currently serves on the Governor’s College and Career Ready Task Force, the State Workforce Investment Act Board, the Board of Directors for the Economic Development Partnership of Alabama Foundation, the Economic Development Association of Alabama Board of Directors, the Alabama Career/Technical Education Advisory Council, the Commission on Manufacturing, the UAB Biotechnology Advisory Board, and the Governor’s Economic Alliance. He is the in-coming president of the National Association of Industry Specific Training Directors.
