More than just a place to build a better life, Southeast Alabama has built-in advantages that make it better for business: strategic location, easy access, mild winter climate, strong work ethic, trained work force, sound and diversified economy, first-rate educational institutions, and pro-business tax structure.

Strategically located, several major cities are within only a few hours.

Southeast Alabama offers many advantages for new and existing industries.

Easy, cost-effective start-up

• The abatement of the noneducational portion of a company's sales tax on the purchase of construction materials for new building.
• The abatement of the noneducational portion of a company's use tax on the purchase of manufactuing equipment.
• A state site preparation grant program to recduce site development costs.
• Personal assistance to secure all business, construcation, and environmental permits.
• Free employee recruiting, screening, and training to ensure the appropriate labor mix for a quick and productive start-up.
• Various building occupancy alternatives, including purchase, lease, and lease-purchase options.
• Assistance with a thorough evaluation of all finance options, including industrial revenue bonds which offer long-term financing at (or below) prime, as well as all other federal, state, private, and local funding options.

Continued operational savings

• The abatement of the noneducational portion of a company's ad valorem taxes on real and personal property for up to 10 years.
• An annual corporate income tax credit of up to 5 percent of a company's capital investment for 20 years for qualified projects.
• A work force, featuring a pool of nearly 168,000 workers in the effective recruiting area and manufacturing wages below the state and national average.
• A cost of living which is consistently below the national average.
• Transportation advantages featuring more than 35 motor freight carriers, a regional airport with 12 daily connecting flights to Memhpis and Atlanta, and four rail carriers allowing service coast to coast from Dothan.
• A General Purpose Foreign Trade Zone in six of the area industrial parks that feature air, water, rail, and road to meet all your transportation needs.  Strategically located to the major ports of Panama City, and Jacksonville, Florida, Savannah, Georgia, and Mobile, Alabama.