As we have been reporting over the last year, the Gateway Initiative has been working with the South Baldwin Regional Workforce Development Authority on a project to produce a workforce development campus to meet the labor needs of the region. The proposed site for the campus sits in a federal opportunity zone. Opportunity zones were created by the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 to spur economic growth and job creation in low-income communities while providing tax benefits to investors.
Last year, the Gateway team was introduced to the folks at Opportunity Alabama, an economic development organization focused on transforming Alabama's communities through public and private investment. "They have been instrumental in helping us source both public and private funding for the proposed campus," said Ed Bushaw of the Gateway team. He continued, "We are proud to partner with them on bringing a project that will make a positive and sustained impact on our regional workforce."
