1. The Race to Competitive?

2. What Makes a Place Competitive ?

4. 2016 State Business Tax Climate Index – State Ranking (1 is Best, 50 is Worst) Overall Corporate Tax Individual Income Sales TaxProperty Tax Alabama 29th 25224117 Arkansas 38th 42294327 Florida 4th 171 20 Georgia 39th 9423531 Kentucky 28th 2930923 Louisiana 37th 38275028 Maryland 41st 1945842 Mississippi 20th 13212835 Missouri 17th 328238 North Carolina 15th 7143132 Oklahoma 33rd 8403818 South Carolina 36th 16411925 Tennessee 16th 1884637 Texas 10th 4163734 Virginia 30th 639629 West Virginia 21st 21252116 Source: 2016 State Tax Climate Index

5. Image-Brand-National Rankings? Alabama Overall#38 Workforce#38 Cost of Doing Business#17 Infrastructure#21 Economy#48 Quality of Life#43 Technology and Innovation#36 Education#46 Business Friendliness#30 Cost of Living# 4 Access to Capital#16 Source:CNBC 2016

6. Image-Brand-National Rankings? Alabama Overall#38#41 Workforce#38#16 Cost of Doing Business#17#16 Infrastructure#21#24 Economy#48#39 Quality of Life#43#49 Technology and Innovation#36#33 Education#46#34 Business Friendliness#30#29 Cost of Living# 4#11 Access to Capital#16#35 Source:CNBC 2016 2011

7. Worse Performance Than Rank Better Performance Than Rank States By Average Ranks by Forbes, CNBC, and Chief Executive (2015) Plotted Against Actual Performance for Job Growth, Wage Growth and Growth in GDP (2012-2015)

8. Southern States 1-Year Total Employment June 2015 to June 2016 Source: U.S. BLS, July 2016

9. Southern States 1-Year Manufacturing Employment June 2015 to June 2016 Source: U.S. BLS, July 2016- Measured June 2015- June 2016

10. Southern States 1-Year Construction Employment June 2015 to June 2016 Source: U.S. BLS, July 2016- Measured June 2015- June 2016

11. Southern States 1-Year Professional & Business Services Employment Changes June 2015 to June 2016 Source: U.S. BLS July 2016 Measured June 2015- June 2016

12. Southern States % GDP Change 2015 Source: U.S. BEA, July 2016

15. Change in Population 2010-2014 (25-44 Year Old) Source: U.S. Census

16. So What… What is a Community to do?

18. Economic Leadership LLC Competitiveness Process 18 Establishing a Common Current Reality Envisioning a Common Future Desire Direction, or Compass is driven by the Vision, Mission and Core Values of the organization, place, or business Context examines relative assets and converts comparative and longitudinal information to determine realistic options Change is the group of factors, outside your control, that influences your future, global trends, demographic shifts, changing technology GoalsObjectivesActions Action Plan Matrix What actions will we undertake? Who will be responsible for those actions? What resources do we need to be successful? Where will those resources come from? When will each action start and be completed? What results do we expect? Strategic Action Agenda Reality Filters Compass Context SWOT & PEST Change Control Impact Resources Time Action Choice Filters History & Current Direction Assessment Adjustment Metrics and Measurements (Dashboards) Communications Action Choices Research Assessments Surveys External Input Leadership Assessment and Continuous Improvement Process Information Stage Choice Stage Action Stage

19. Top Factors for Companies Considering New Investment 1)Availability of skilled labor 2)Labor costs 3)Proximity to major markets 4)State & Local Incentives 5)Availability buildings 6)Highway accessibility 7)Available land 8)Tax exemptions 9)Expedited or “fast track” permitting 10)Shipping costs 11)Accessibility of a major airport 12)Energy availability and costs Source: Area Development 30 th Annual Survey of Corporate Executives, March 2016 Site Selection Consultants

20. How Some View Their World

23. Why Some Places Succeed They understand and embrace the journey (to stay competitive)

24. Why Some Places Succeed They understand and embrace the journey Strong Leadership Teams

25. We want someone, or some group, we trust, to make sense of all the information we are receiving. We want leaders to take actions that improves our situations or solves our problems Why Do We Want and Need Leadership?

26. Worst Kept (Yet Often Ignored) Secrets, To Great Leadership Continuous learning Tolerance for ambiguity, complexity, and change Communicate the narrative

27. Why Some Places Succeed They understand and embrace the journey Strong Leadership Teams Practice collaboration

28. Collaboration “The act of working with one or more people to produce or create something.” Collaboration is an unnatural act between un-consenting adults

29. What is a Commitment to Collaborate?

31. Evolution Of Groups Shared Vision & “Plan” Common Information & Language Shared Specific Tasks Familiarity Personal Connections Action & Trust

32. Past Behavior Capability Alignment

33. Collaboration Continuum Nobody Does Anything Collective Impact (Synergies) Coordinated Impacts Individual Impact Disruptive Impact Destroying Impact

34. Why Some Places Succeed They understand and embrace the journey Strong Leadership Teams Practice collaboration Focus on the future

35. Economic Trends Industry Trends Competition Political Choices

36. Why Some Places Succeed They understand and embrace the journey Strong Leadership Teams Practice collaboration Focus on the future They make Choices and take action

37. Economic Leadership LLC Competitiveness Process 37 Establishing a Common Current Reality Envisioning a Common Future Desire Direction, or Compass is driven by the Vision, Mission and Core Values of the organization, place, or business Context examines relative assets and converts comparative and longitudinal information to determine realistic options Change is the group of factors, outside your control, that influences your future, global trends, demographic shifts, changing technology GoalsObjectivesActions Action Plan Matrix What actions will we undertake? Who will be responsible for those actions? What resources do we need to be successful? Where will those resources come from? When will each action start and be completed? What results do we expect? Strategic Action Agenda Reality Filters Compass Context SWOT & PEST Change Control Impact Resources Time Action Choice Filters History & Current Direction Assessment Adjustment Metrics and Measurements (Dashboards) Communications Action Choices Research Assessments Surveys External Input Leadership Assessment and Continuous Improvement Process Information Stage Choice Stage Action Stage

39. “ Leadership and learning are indispensable to each other.” John F. Kennedy ted@econleadership.com