When Bill Taylor took over as president of the Economic Development Partnership of Alabama in July 2009, he saw it as a three-year stop – a place to share some of the knowledge he had gained after 38 years in the automotive industry.

Steve Spencer takes over EDPA in April.

He has led EDPA for nearly seven years and has announced his retirement for April 1. Steve Spencer, executive vice president with Alabama Power, will succeed Taylor as the new EDPA president.

Taylor, 66, said he believes he has benefited EDPA over the past six years, but he knows he has personally benefited from the experience.

Bill Taylor steps down from EDPA in April. (Michael Tomberlin/Alabama NewsCenter)

“Stepping outside of the world that I was in and seeing things differently has been of tremendous value to me personally,” said Taylor, who came to EDPA after serving as CEO of Mercedes-Benz U.S. International.

“If you’re not learning, if you’re not challenging yourself, stepping outside your comfort zone, then forget it. What’s it all about? I talk to the people here all the time about stretching themselves and stretching the organization. Well, they’ve stretched me and I’ve grown.”

Taylor hopes he has helped the EDPA and the state become more processed-oriented with a strong sense of team-building in the approach to economic development. The role of education in economic development and workforce development has been emphasized and EDPA is a key player in marketing the state to new industry.

Taylor sat down with Alabama NewsCenter to talk about the timing of his departure, his greatest accomplishments, his biggest regret and more.

Alabama NewsCenter: Why was now the right time to leave EDPA?

The original plan was three to five years, but obviously I became more than just a little bit interested in what was going on. ‘Time flies when you’re having fun,’ I guess is the bottom line. Now we’re at a point in time where the timing is really, really good for somebody to come in and pick up on these initiatives and continue on for an extended period of time. With (Alabama Power CEO and EDPA Chairman) Mark Crosswhite now leading the power company and leading EDPA, and, frankly, Steve Spencer becoming available all made this a very good time.

NewsCenter: What do you feel like you brought to EDPA?

Lead generation and a more targeted approach to economic development was something we strongly recommended and embedded into the state plan with some degree of success. We’ve taken the initiative here to take that another step beyond where it is today by focusing on three areas – IT, medical devices and automotive. I believe in really drilling down into sectors so that we have a real study and analysis. We need to understand what generates movement in sectors and how we can influence and support that movement.

NewsCenter: You’ve been doing that recently in your recruitment of automotive suppliers – particularly those to Mercedes because of something you recognized. Can you explain that?

When Mercedes decided to build the C-Class in Alabama, it was the kind of global shift of a global platform that created opportunities. You have Mercedes suppliers in Germany – those tier two, tier three and even tier four suppliers – that have been providing C-Class parts in Germany and will now have to provide those parts in Alabama or anywhere else the C-Class is made. What we’ve begun doing is meeting with them in Germany to offer solutions to resolve any challenges to make it easy for them to come to Alabama. Seven of those companies have come to Alabama and we’re working with more.

There is a company we’re courting right now that has been in business for 75 years. One would ask, ‘Why haven’t they come before now?’ Well, there are a number of reasons. First of all, the production volumes couldn’t support it. Also, the platforms that are unique to Alabama may not have been one of their platforms. But now with the C-Class being built in Alabama, this company must now provide parts to the operation here. Understanding what happens when it comes to this global platforms topic and what it could draw and will draw and being able to mine that data becomes important.

NewsCenter: What accomplishment or accomplishments at EDPA are you most proud of?

We’ve redefined our role in economic development. Our work in the renewal component, with Alabama LaunchPad moving at a tremendous pace, we have helped to grow companies from within the state. We’ve been able to do much in retention with the relationship we have with business and industry and how we’ve been able to bring education together with business and industry over and over and over again. I like what we’ve achieved in community development and the Community Partner program with numerous communities. We’ve seen an alignment of communities with the state economic development plan to create short-, middle- and long-term plans. Getting out there and interfacing with these communities has been very helpful.

We’ve played a role in so many projects and initiatives throughout the state. We’re not always seen and that can be frustrating, but we’re not an organization that says, ‘look at us.’

NewsCenter: Is there anything you wish you had accomplished that you didn’t?

I would have liked to have been able to influence or impact rural Alabama more. Some of those tier two, three and four suppliers we talked about do fit perfectly in some of these rural areas and, quite frankly, was part of my attraction in recruiting them. But I really wish I could have done more in rural parts of the state, more in education and more in workforce development. Much was accomplished in some of these areas, but more can always be done. Some of the progress made in education hasn’t been showcased enough and maybe that adds to my frustration.

NewsCenter: You’re a transplant to Alabama, having come from Canada via the automotive industry. What do you want people to know about Alabama when you talk about the state that has become your home?

The strength of the state of Alabama is what it was back in ’93 when I came here, that being people. The greatest natural resource this state has is 110 percent the people. That’s what won the Mercedes project back in ’93. That’s what won me over with the workforce – the attitude of the workforce, the willingness to learn and to challenge themselves. They’ve never ceased to surprise me of their abilities.

An operation can set up in lot of different places. There are a lot of different pieces of property that look exactly the same. There is a lot of infrastructure that is exactly the same across the nation. Alabama has the edge with the people. What we shy away from, quite frankly, is really and truly marketing what we have in that area. There is a sense of, ‘Oh, let’s keep that a surprise.’ It’s a nice surprise when you get here, but you have to get here first.