For years, economic development partnerships have been forming along regional “corridors” in the state. They include the I-85 Corridor Alliance, the Coastal Alabama Partnership in Mobile and Baldwin counties, and the “C3” alliance in Northwest Alabama.

Now, there’s a new partnership, CORE4, bringing together four East Alabama counties – Calhoun, Cleburne, St. Clair and Talladega – that share a connection to Interstate 20.

CORE4 area leaders, developers, and other officials from East Alabama recently received an update on economic activity in the region during a meeting of the Cheaha Economic Activity Zone, held at the Cleburne County Mountain Center in Heflin. The meeting was held in partnership with Jacksonville State University’s Center of Economic Development.

Julia Segars, Alabama Power Eastern Division vice president, was on hand to help spread the news about the new economic development alliance, which has been working since November to establish itself as a viable, collaborative partnership. Segars serves as co-chair of CORE4 alongside Larry Deason, chairman of the Calhoun County Economic Development Council.

During the meeting, they encouraged regional stakeholders to get involved in the branding and promotion of the east Alabama section of the I-20 corridor. Partners in CORE4 include the region’s major cities and economic development authorities, businesses and major employers, the East Alabama Regional Planning and Development Commission, utility and energy companies, and one of the region’s major attractions, the Talladega Superspeedway.

“This regional marketing effort is a continuation of the regionalism efforts we began in 2013,” Segars said.

She said CORE4 hopes to forge a unified approach to highlighting the region’s best attributes, with the goal of expanding economic development in the area. “We want to make sure that we do our part to bring business and growth to East Alabama. We know that economic developers and site selection consultants are in favor of regions who work together to bring in new opportunities.”

Economic development professionals from each of the four counties are leading the effort. One of their first tasks is conducting an analysis of the region’s workforce – a key step in the process of creating an inventory of the region’s assets.

To learn more about CORE4, contact Jacki Lowry at 256-231-3309.