The Fayette County Development Authority at its monthly meeting on Sept. 25 voted unanimously to hire former Gwinnett County and West Palm Beach, Fla. economic developer Alan Durham as the organization’s president and CEO.
A resident of Jonesboro, Durham established Atlanta-based consulting firm Economic Development Strategies and Solutions in 2012, working with government and private sector clients.
Having graduated high school in Jonesboro, Durham said he has an ongoing familiarity with Fayette County, calling it “one of the gems of metro Atlanta.”
“I’m impressed with the cities (in Fayette), especially Fayetteville. It has the infrastructure in place to revitalize and could become the ‘downtown’ of Fayette County,” Durham said. “The effort is already underway to develop a business incubator, so helping small businesses will be important to foster growth and entrepreneurship in Fayette County.”
During 2012-2013 Durham served as executive director of economic development in West Palm Beach, Fla. mayor’s office.
Durham from 2008-2012 served as Gwinnett County’s economic development director. It was in Gwinnett that Durham directed 12 major corporate relocation projects with a proposed capital investment of more than $1 billion and negotiated the relocations of companies such as Hewlett-Packard, NCR, Fed-Ex and Advanced Micro Devices.
It was also in Gwinnett that Durham created the county’s Tax Allocation District policy and managed five TAD projects valued at $650 million.
Durham said that when it comes to companies considering locating in Fayette County, his work in places such as Gwinnett County and West Palm Beach provided the experience in negotiating with CEOs and CFOs, the Atlanta Regional Commission and state development agencies.
Durham said his first couple of months on the job will be spent compiling a variety of data points on issues such as available office space which will be designed to compare Fayette to Coweta County and metro Atlanta.
Durham did cite what he viewed as some of Fayette’s strengths and needs.
“We have executive homes and great schools and Pinewood will help spin off new companies,” Durham said, adding that an ideal situation would have colleges partnering with various aspects of the television and film industry.
Referencing other needs, Durham said Fayette as a whole does not have a brand but certainly needs one.
“I think we need to explore building more office space,” Durham said, noting that companies requiring those accommodations often locate in DeKalb or Fulton counties where such space is available. “Fayette has a incredible workforce. It’s unfortunate that so many people have to travel outside the county for work.”
Another need already identified is one that would retain millennials (adults age 28 and younger), Durham said. His comment came on the heels of a recent national report that cited Fayette County as the nation’s leading county for millennials moving away to find better jobs. Regardless of the county, the flight of millennials is significant since approximately 10,000 baby boomers are retiring every day, Durham noted.
The vote by the Fayette County Development Authority to hire Durham was unanimous. He will begin work on Oct. 1 under a renewable one-year contract at a salary of $100,000 and benefits.
Durham previously served as economic development director in Smyrna and Hapeville and as a transportation planner with the Ga. Dept. of Transportation.
Durham holds a master’s degree in historic preservation from the University of Georgia.
Interim CEO Emily Poole has served in that position since Matt Forshee departed in May to take a position with Georgia Power in Augusta.
