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U.S. Commerce Official To Speak To I-85 Corridor Alliance™

AUBURN — Robert Bogart, senior policy advisor to the assistant secretary for economic development in the U.S. Department of Commerce, will deliver the keynote address to the Jan. 25 meeting of the I-85 Corridor Alliance.

The meeting will be at the Auburn University Hotel and Dixon Conference Center from 12:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.

An outgrowth of an Auburn University planning committee, the Interstate-85 Corridor Alliance™ is a partnership among local governments, private sector organizations and universities (AU, AUM, Tuskegee University and Southern Union State Community College) committed to increasing the prosperity of communities along Interstate 85 in Alabama.

This is the first time a federal official has attended a meeting, according to Larry Fillmer, executive director of the I-85 Alliance.
"While Mr. Bogart will only be in our region for a brief visit, he has graciously agreed to meet with many of our community leaders and economic developers to get their perspective on current developments along the corridor," said Fillmer.

Bogart will "share with all of us his outlook from the Economic Development Administration and its support for regional collaboration and strengthening the business environment," Fillmer added.

Drawing on the examples of other university-based economic partnerships, such as the Research Triangle in North Carolina, the concept for the I-85 alliance was not limited to industrial development. In fact, the key to an overall economic development plan was to match particular strategies with the assets of the region and its communities.

The concept of clusters promotes grouping interrelated industries across city, county and political lines. There are 43 industrial clusters in the United States. A goal of the project is to create a substantial number of high-quality, high-paying jobs along the corridor within 10 years by developing coordinated strategies to attract and grow businesses to locate along the corridor.

Currently the following four clusters have been identified: educational services; transportation technology; tourism and community development; and infrastructure services.

A resolution supporting the alliance was signed this week by AU Interim President Ed Richardson, AUM Chancellor Guin Nance and Southern Union State Community College President Joanne Jordan. Mayors from cities along I-85 also signed the resolution, including Bobby Bright of Montgomery, Johnny Ford of Tuskegee, Tallassee's Bobby Payne, Willie Mae Powell of Shorter, Auburn's Bill Ham, Opelika's Gary Fuller, Arnold Leak of Valley and Oscar Crawley of Lanett.

During the upcoming meeting, the alliance will update members on the current status of the organizational structure of the alliance and introduce the newly selected board of directors. The resolution of support will also be presented to members along with updates on the various programs that are under development.

Bogart is responsible for providing policy recommendations on all areas affecting the Commerce Department's Economic Development Administration and provides investment guidance to EDA's regional offices that are responsible for allocating annual grants and investment funding. He also represents the agency on the National Innovation Initiative, an effort by the Council on Competitiveness to build a national innovation agenda for the 21st century.

Prior to his move to the Commerce Department, Bogart served as senior advisor to the assistant secretary for resource management and chief financial officer for the U.S. State Department.

More information regarding the I-85 Corridor Alliance™ may be found at www.i85corridor.org.

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1/20/05
Contact: Diane B. Clifton, 334/844-9999 (cliftsh@auburn.edu)
David M. Granger, 334/844-9999 (grangdm@auburn.edu)

jan05: AU-I85corridor