By By STAFF REPORTS
James R. Clifton of Brewton has been appointed by Gerald Borden, CEO of the South Alabama Gas District, as the organization's Business Development Director.
Clifton officially began his duties on Monday, August 19, 2002.
Clifton is activating the strategic Business Action Plan he developed to encourage job growth, investment expansion, and community vitality in the area served by the Gas District, which includes Monroe County, Conecuh County, Escambia County, and portions of Covington, Butler, Baldwin, Wilcox, and Clarke counties in South Alabama.
"To provide for our citizens' welfare, we must be pro-active locally to prepare the municipalities and counties with the essential infrastructure, criteria, and insight to recruit new industry, to nurture entrepreneurs, to stimulate new housing starts, to attract newcomers/retirees, to increase revenues for business and government stakeholders, to enhance the ' livability of the area, and much more. In short, our Mission at South Alabama Gas is to enhance the safety, growth, productivity, performance, and competitiveness of the Gas District and to support the industrial growth and quality of life in our service area," he said.
Clifton said the southwestern area has suffered much economic distress, and he hopes to work to correct that problem.
Working with existing agencies, Clifton will focus his time on two key areas: community development and economic development. Community development will include:
In leading economic development project teams in Georgia and Alabama, Clifton has generated thousands of jobs and billions of dollars in investment – recruiting such companies as: Holiday Inn Worldwide, AT&T, Sony USA, British Telecom, Gerber Childrenswear, United Parcel Service, Trus Joist MacMillan, Hewlett-Packard, Vickers PLC, Whirlpool, Briggs &Stratton, Universal Card, KLM Airlines, Isuzu Motors, etc. He has an undergraduate degree in business finance, with a minor in journalism, and a Masters Degree in Business Administration from the University of Georgia.
Clifton is married to Beverly Howell Clifton, President and CEO of Down South, Inc., a publishing and distribution company headquartered in Brewton, AL. Residing within the Gas District service area in Brewton, AL, the couple has three sons.