Brad Lofton asks for your ideas

In a generally congenial and well-received speech to the Lake Park Chamber of Commerce (LPCoC), Industrial Authority (VLCIA) executive director Brad Lofton gave an update on various projects and concluded by asking for input. “Economic development is a team sport,” he said, and “Give us ideas” and “There’s one of us and hundreds of you.”

Lofton was introduced by LPCoC chairman Dan Bremer who said that Lofton and VLCIA brought a plant to Lake Park with 400 workers.

In his speech, Lofton lauded the LPCoC as a great incubator of local businesses.

It’s going to come from all of you.
He talked about expanding local industries, especially PCA at length, asking David Carmon of PCA to stand up, saying PCA made a $230 million expansion in 2010, and noting “We had to compete for the PCA project.”

Lofton also mentioned the proposed CCA private prison and expansion of Home Depot. He talked about CJV Industries, and expansion of AlphaProTech, Dupont, and Southeastern Freight.

He projected two new avenues of industry: capitalizing on Moody Air Force Base and capitalizing on the airport, which he said has the third-longest runway in the state at 8002 feet.

He said groundbreaking for the the 350 kWatt solar panel array would be Febuary 1st.

Lofton indicated that

Economic development is a team sport.
He talked extensively about Exit 2 off of I-75 and creating a corridor to benefit Home Depot and other unspecified projects. He said he thought that corridor might move forward in conjunction with the county in the next 2-3 years.

Finally, he talked about partnership:

Give us ideas of things that you hear of projects that we can recruit to Lake Park or Valdosta or Lowndes County. There’s one of us and hundreds of you.

Here’s a playlist for Bremer’s introduction and Lofton’s speech, and here it is embedded:


Brad Lofton, Executive Director of the Valdosta-Lowndes County Industrial Authority (VLCIA),
speaking at the Lake Park Chamber of Commerce annual dinner,
Lake Park, Lowndes County, Georgia, 28 January 2011.
Videos by Gretchen Quarterman for LAKE, the Lowndes Area Knowledge Exchange.

Now I do have a few nits to pick with some things Lofton said, and there seemed to be something missing from his speech; see following posts.

-jsq