Complete Document - City of Auburn

City of Auburn, Alabamathree overnight package carriers and twocommercial bus lines.Auburn University operates theAuburn-Opelika Airport with the financialsupport of the three local governments inLee County. Federally fundedimprovements are currently underway toaccommodate the airport’s growth incorporate jet activity. Last year therunway was lengthened to 5266 feet, andthere are plans to install ILS approachtechnology and remodel the terminalbuilding. Other conveniently accessibleairports include Hartsfield InternationalAirport in Atlanta (100 miles by Interstate85), the Columbus (Georgia) regionalairport (40 miles by US 280) and theMontgomery regional airport (60 miles byInterstate 85).CSX Transportation provides localmainline rail service through its SouthernRailway and Western Railway of Alabamadivisions.The Economy. From the foundingof Auburn University in 1856, the City’seconomy was dominated by theUniversity’s presence. The University’sstudents and faculty were attracted to thequality of life in Auburn and wanted toremain in the City on a long-term basis.Consequently, many of the residentssuffered from underemployment. Manywere overqualified for the available jobs,but chose to accept theirunderemployment in order to remain inAuburn.In the mid-1980’s, the Citygovernment began a conscious effort tostrengthen the City’s economic basethrough diversification. The Citygovernment created an EconomicDevelopment Department, whose missionit was to recruit small to medium-sizedtechnology-based companies that couldoffer a higher level of employment toCommunity Profilecitizens, with the correspondingimprovements in salaries and benefits.The City’s Economic DevelopmentDepartment, in partnership with the City’sIndustrial Development Board, hasachieved an outstanding level of successin this effort, having assisted in therecruitment of twenty companies thatresulted in the creation of nearly 2,800jobs. The location of these manycompanies in Auburn has meant that theCity had to acquire and develop threeindustrial-technology parks, with a fourthcurrently under development.Entrance to the Auburn Technology Park SouthThe City’s innovative economicdevelopment tools include a RevolvingLoan Fund program funded from a loanrepayment stream that was the product ofcertain federal grant programs, facilitationof public-private technology partnershipswith Auburn University, a small-businessincubator facility, training programassistance, and property tax abatements.The focused and creative use of thesetools resulted in the location of thefollowing companies, among others, in theCity’s industrial parks and the AuburnCenter for Developing Industries: Briggs &Stratton, Falk Corporation, DonaldsonCompany, Vermont American, EPOSCorporation, Hoerbiger Drivetech USA,Capitol Vial, Touchstone Precision, Inc.,Stahlschmidt & Maiworm, andMasterBrand Cabinet Company (seeAppendix I).In addition to its business recruitmentprograms, the City through the Economic5