Gov. Ivey touts economic development

On the eve of her one year anniversary of becoming governor of Alabama, Kay Ivey touted economic development and honest government Monday night during a trip to Brewton that also included an announcement that the city of Brewton has been awarded a $700,000 grant to create up to 300 new jobs at the new Provalus technical center.

Gov. Ivey was the guest speaker of the Escambia County Republican Party's monthly meeting, held at the Hourglass.

Ivey said while most incoming governors have three months to prepare for the job, she had three hours following the resignation of Gov. Robert Bentley and then Lt. Gov. Ivey taking the oath of office as Alabama's 54th governor.

"Moral was low," Ivey told the crowd. "We needed to get hold of the ship."

She said her first meeting as governor centered around economic development and how important it was to the people of Alabama.

"People want good jobs," she said. "If you put people to work you solve a lot of problems."

Ivey said when she took over she knew she had to make personnel changes and changed nine on the cabinet.

She said another important issue was to open up the communications between the governor's office and the Legislature. She praised the working relationship she has received from State Sen. Greg Albritton and State Rep. Alan Baker.

She touted Alabama's workforce as second to none noting $6 billion in investments have created 13,000 new jobs for the people of Alabama and that the unemployment rate is the lowest it's been in years.

"I'm proud to be the governor working for you," she said. "We're making progress and putting people back to work."

She said the key to creating new jobs begins with improving education.

"You can't have quality jobs and attract jobs without quality education," she said.

She said one of the first policies she initiated as governor was the 'Strong Start, Strong Finish' initiative geared toward pre-kindergarten through third grade. She noted when a student can't read on grade level by the third grade they have a hard time catching up.

Despite the job growth, she also noted there are about 4,000 jobs in Alabama paying $80,000 a year that are unfilled.

"We have to have our people prepared for the jobs of tomorrow," she said.

She said the current budget added $18 million to the education budget and expanded the pre-K programs across the state.

She said she wants an honest straight-forward government for the people of Alabama and will continue to stand firm in her support of the 2nd Amendment giving citizens the right to bear arms.

Ivey has announced she will seek the Republican nomination to serve a full four-year term and feels she is the most qualified person to fill the job.

"If I wasn't doing a good job, I'd encourage you to vote for someone else," she said.

Brewton grant

Ivey said the $700,000 grant to the city of Brewton will provide the infrastructure necessary for Provalus to locate in the city.

"Bringing new industry and employment opportunities to Alabama is a priority of my administration, and Provalus has made that same commitment on a nationwide basis," Ivey said. "I am pleased to join with local leaders in this venture which will bring new jobs to the Brewton area."

Provalus, a division of Atlanta-based Optomi, is a mission of building technical service centers in underserved parts of the United States.

The grant funds will be used to provide water and sewer services to the new Dogwood Hills Technology Park in Brewton, where Provalus will be located. She said a new water well and 300,000 gallon water tank will be developed off of Highway 41 to meet industrial and residential demands.

Provalus currently employs 17 people in a temporary location in downtown Brewton and expects to employ 300 at its Brewton center by 2022.