{"id":2425,"date":"2011-02-04T09:00:00","date_gmt":"2011-02-04T14:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.l-a-k-e.org\/blog\/2011\/02\/brad-lofton-asks-for-your-ideas.html"},"modified":"2011-02-04T09:00:00","modified_gmt":"2011-02-04T14:00:00","slug":"brad-lofton-asks-for-your-ideas","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.l-a-k-e.org\/blog\/2011\/02\/brad-lofton-asks-for-your-ideas.html","title":{"rendered":"Brad Lofton asks for your ideas"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/a>\nIn a generally congenial and well-received speech\nto the Lake Park Chamber of Commerce (LPCoC), Industrial\nAuthority (VLCIA) executive director Brad Lofton\ngave an update on various projects and concluded\nby asking for input.\n“Economic development is a team sport,” he said, and\n“Give us ideas” and “There’s one of us and hundreds of you.”\n

\nLofton was\n\nintroduced by LPCoC chairman Dan Bremer<\/a>\nwho said that\n\nLofton and VLCIA brought a plant to Lake Park with 400 workers.<\/a>\n

\nIn his speech, Lofton\n\nlauded the LPCoC as a great incubator of local businesses.<\/a>\n

\nIt’s going to come from all of you.\n<\/blockquote>\nHe talked about expanding local industries, especially PCA at length,\n\nasking David Carmon of PCA to stand up<\/a>,\nsaying PCA made a \n$230 million expansion in 2010<\/a>,\nand noting\n\n“We had to compete for the PCA project.”<\/a>\n\n\n

\nLofton also mentioned\n\nthe proposed CCA private prison and expansion of Home Depot<\/a>.\nHe talked about\n\nCJV Industries, and expansion of AlphaProTech, Dupont,\nand Southeastern Freight.<\/a>\n

\nHe projected two new avenues of industry:\n\ncapitalizing on Moody Air Force Base<\/a>\nand\n\ncapitalizing on the airport, which he said has the third-longest\nrunway in the state at 8002 feet.<\/a>\n

\nHe said\n\ngroundbreaking for the the 350 kWatt solar panel array\nwould be Febuary 1st.<\/a>\n

\nLofton \nindicated that<\/a>\n

\nEconomic development is a team sport.\n<\/blockquote>\nHe talked extensively about\n\nExit 2 off of I-75 and creating a corridor to benefit Home Depot\nand other unspecified projects.<\/a>\nHe said he thought that corridor might move forward in conjunction\nwith the county in the next 2-3 years.\n

\nFinally,\n\nhe talked about partnership<\/a>:\n

\nGive us ideas of things that you hear of projects that we can recruit\nto Lake Park or Valdosta or Lowndes County.\nThere’s one of us and hundreds of you.\n<\/blockquote>\n

\nHere’s\n\na playlist<\/a> for Bremer’s introduction and Lofton’s speech,\nand here it is embedded:\n

\n<\/param><\/param><\/param><\/object>\n
\n
\n\nBrad Lofton, Executive Director of\nthe Valdosta-Lowndes County Industrial Authority (VLCIA),\n
\nspeaking at the Lake Park Chamber of Commerce annual dinner,\n
\nLake Park, Lowndes County, Georgia, 28 January 2011.\n
\nVideos by Gretchen Quarterman for LAKE, the Lowndes Area Knowledge Exchange.\n<\/small>\n<\/center>\n

\nNow I do have a few nits to pick with some things Lofton said,\nand there seemed to be something missing from his speech;\nsee following posts.\n

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