By Brandon Moseley
Alabama Political Reporter
David Hutchison is retiring as the Director of the Business Development Division at the Alabama Department of Commerce. The division is charged with helping both new and expanding industries bring both jobs and investment to Alabama. Hutchison will become the new director of the Butler County Economic Development Commission. He has been at the Alabama Commerce Department (formerly the Alabama Development Office) since 1988. In that time he has served as the Economic Development Division Director, the Honda Project Manager, the Assistant Director and even as Acting Director.
Alabama Commerce Secretary Greg Canfield (R) is promoting three current staff members to help lead the state’s economic development efforts starting on Tuesday January 01, 2013.
Secretary Canfield said, “Each of the individuals selected for these positions is highly qualified and seems eager to help the Department of Commerce reach its goals under our new economic development plan. We welcome these professionals to their new roles and wish them every success as they lead our team and the State of Alabama to new levels of achievement.”
Commerce Senior Economic Development Representative Gary Faulkner will replace David Hutchison as the Director of the Business Development Division. Faulkner serves both the domestic and international economic development recruitment markets. Faulkner has degrees in both Industrial Management and Forest Management from Auburn University and is an Alabama Registered Forester. Faulkner has also completed the Alabama Intensive Industrial Development Training Course at Auburn University and the Economic Development Institute at the University of Oklahoma.
New Director Gary Faulkner said, “I am honored and humbled to be named Director of Business Development for the Alabama Department of Commerce. It is a rare privilege to be a part of such a highly professional staff to facilitate value-added job opportunities for our state. Obviously, it is my goal to continue the highest level of success and service expected by our clients, economic development allies, and more importantly, the citizens of Alabama.”
Joining Faulkner’s team will be Commerce Senior Economic Development Representatives Bob Smith and Hollie Pegg who have both been appointed to Assistant Directors of Business Development.
New Assistant Director Bob Smith said, “Being part of the statewide team to help create new and better employment opportunities in Alabama is very rewarding. The vision and leadership to improve our mission at the Commerce Department is encouraging and I am excited by my new role and look forward to getting started.
Smith was formerly the Development Director at the North Mississippi Industrial Development Association and was the Executive Director of the Walton County Economic Development Authority in Florida before coming to Commerce in 2002 as a Project Manager. Smith served on both the Board of Directors of Florida’s Great Northwest and the Walton Area Chamber of Commerce. Smith currently serves on the board of the Alabama-Germany Partnership.
New Assistant Director Hollie Pegg said, “I appreciate this opportunity to assist Alabama’s economic development team. As the economic recovery continues we must be strategic in our efforts to improve our economy and secure opportunities for every Alabama community. In my new capacity I am excited to play a role in those efforts and to continue working with the professional staff at the Department of Commerce”.
Pegg joined the Alabama Department of Commerce in 2006. She previously was the Program Manager of Economic and Community Development for the South Central Alabama Development Commission (SCADC). Pegg is a graduate of the University of Oklahoma’s Economic Development Institute.
According to the Department’s website the Director of the Alabama Business Development Division and his staff of project managers work through a combination of efforts identifying prospects to grow and broaden Alabama’s industry base. His staff markets Alabama to the world identifying companies who could have an expansion project in the Southeast over the next three to five years. The business development division also fields calls from site consultants who are hired by companies to find a location for their company.
