Sunday, September 24, 2006

By WAYNE SMITH
Times Business Editor wayne.smith@htimes.com

Last November, Huntsville officials were contacted by a business consultant who was evaluating the city for a leading wireless company.

It was later learned that the company was Verizon Wireless, which was looking for a home for a new call center. City economic and elected leaders began work on landing the center. The Alabama Development Office and Gov. Bob Riley soon would get involved.

The result of that work was announced Thursday, 10 months later - a Verizon Wireless headquarters and service center will be built in Huntsville; it will create 1,300 jobs with a starting salary of $26,000. The company will become one of the community's top private-sector employers.

"There's no better sense of satisfaction than when a world-class company that has the ability to go virtually anywhere puts its stamp of approval on us,'' said Brian Hilson, president and CEO of the Huntsville/Madison County Chamber of Commerce. "This is something that is going to have a big impact.''

The announcement of the deal followed months of negotiations on everything from incentives to site selection to quality of life, from infrastructure to work-force availability.

Verizon would not identify the other areas interested in the center. But competition for the project was fierce, officials said.

Said Hilson, "They didn't tell us, but we knew from the start that it was very, very stiff competition. They looked at other states. They're very precise about their evaluation, but we feel pretty good about our community and state.''

Another economic development in Huntsville had an impact on Verizon's decision - the Base Realignment and Closure Commission's decision last year to move thousands of defense jobs here. Hilson said that was a key point.

"We immediately told (Verizon), 'You're ideal for us, and we're ideal for you because we've got 4,700 BRAC jobs coming here, and the availability of your jobs to what we call "trailing spouses" is outstanding,' '' Hilson said following Thursday's announcement.

"This company has been recognized consistently over the years as one of the top employers by Working Mother magazine. That really ought to resonate with BRAC transferees considering coming here.''

Work-force development was a concern early in the process. Once hiring begins next year, Alabama Industrial Development Training will work with Verizon on recruiting and training.

"That was the whole key to getting us in the game - the potential for the work force and the number of available workers this area has,'' said Neal Wade, director of the Alabama Development Office. "Not only the existing work force, but I think they looked at BRAC and what's going to happen here over the next three to five years.''

Finding a place

Site selection was another factor in the deal. Wade said the University of Alabama in Huntsville Foundation was heavily involved in the negotiations for the site in Thornton Research Park. The UAH Foundation administers land sales in Cummings Research Park East and Thornton.

"They were critical,'' Wade said of the UAH Foundation. "We couldn't have done it without them.''

The state's involvement with Verizon was important, Hilson said. "We wouldn't be sitting here today if it wasn't for Neal's personal involvement, the governor's personal involvement. ADO is really the backbone of economic development for Alabama.''

Wade said state officials knew about a week ago that the deal was going to work out. But no official announcement was made until Thursday. "They were doing a lot of final prep things, making sure every 'i' was dotted and every 't' was crossed,'' Wade said. "We've been trying to accommodate them in making sure that from the local standpoint and the state standpoint, everything that was agreed to and was expected was in place.''

With everything in place, Riley flew into Huntsville on Thursday afternoon, joined by Verizon officials to announce the plans to city leaders and the media members at the Von Braun Center. Wade said he "got a bit of a lump in my throat'' when Riley made the official announcement.

"I mean, to get 1,300 jobs, people's lives are going to be changed as a result of that,'' he said. "People are going to be making more money than they were before; that's the accomplishment you feel.''

Added Hilson, "Our community and state have become accustomed to economic de-velopment success. This certainly is a major success - by any measure 1,300 jobs is big. It's not really a numbers game as much as it is an opportunity to change the quality of life."