Education. Career. Lifestyle.
The Gateway
The Gateway is a project of the South Baldwin Regional Workforce Development Authority, intended to aid in solving the major workforce shortage in South Baldwin County Alabama, the 5th fastest-growing county in the country. The project is a workforce development campus to substantially increase the number of trained workers available to businesses in south Baldwin County. It will include mixed-use housing for 2,000 students / interim workers, academic and professional development programs offered by the University of South Alabama, Coastal Alabama Community College, and Auburn University, a 400-child extended hour day care center, a business innovation incubator, and a state-of-the-art transportation hub.
Purpose
According to Dr. Kevian Deravi with Economic Research Services, south Baldwin County is more than 10,000 workers short of the numbers needed to sustain current businesses, allow for new business development and provide excellent customer service to the visitors of the region. This project will provide housing, childcare, education, training, and the transportation services critically needed to increase the number of available workers necessary to maintain the destination enjoyed historically by our tourists. Deravi’s economic study for the project indicates that the economic impact of the campus will exceed $2.1 billion per year.
Project Scope
The project seeks public monies to provide the infrastructure needed as the foundation for the master plan for the project site, which is to be built on land donated by the city of Foley. The city of Foley plans to begin infrastructure construction in the summer of 2023. Phase one building construction is to begin in the first quarter of 2024 with completion dates scheduled for the spring of 2026.
SBRWDA Members
Penny Groux - Chair - Perdido Beach Resort
Ed Bushaw - Executive Director
Greg Alexander - Coastal Alabama Business Chamber
Donna Watts - South Baldwin Chamber of Commerce
Mayor Ralph Hellmich - City of Foley
Mayor Robert Craft - City of Gulf Shores
Mayor Tony Kennon - City of Orange Beach
Dr. Margaret Roley - South Baldwin Regional Medical Center
John Fitzgerald - Sounders Yachtworks
Nick Willmont - Community Health Systems
Charlene Haber - Wolf Bay Lodge
Tony Marzula - Spectrum Resorts
Bryan Wolfe - Vulcan, Inc.
Brian Harsany - Cosmo's Restaurant Group
Lane Gilbert - The Wharf Restaurant Group
