During the last session of the legislature, Governor Kay Ivey, Speaker of the House, Nathaniel Ledbetter, State SenatePresident Pro Tem, Greg Reed, along with the business leaders of the state made the “Working for Alabama” program their priority. The Governor and legislature passed a sweeping package of bills that will streamline workforce development in our state and make us one of the most competitive states in America for attracting industry and creating jobs and careers for our young men and women in Alabama.

Included in this package was a proposal that will merge the state’s current workforce development programs and agencies under the umbrella of a new state agency called the Alabama Department of Workforce. It will be a cabinet-level department of the state and will replace the old Labor Department. This agency is designed to be one of the most important cabinet posts. Governor Ivey has selected the aforementioned StateSenate President Pro Tem, Greg Reed of Jasper, to be the agency’s first Director. He is a perfect choice.

Greg Reed is a Walker County native, born in Jasper and raised in Cordova. Senator Reed was first elected to the Alabama Senate in 2010, the year the Republicans took the majority. It did not take long for Reed to distinguish himself as a leader in the Senate.

He became the body’s majority leader in 2014. Reed served the Republican caucus as majority leader for several years. With the retirement of long-time Republican President Pro Tem, Del Marsh, the Senate overwhelmingly chose Greg Reed to take on the Senate’s top job.

The results, since his ascension to the top of the Senate, have been truly impressive in just about every way. Senator Reed is viewed by all parties as a consensus builder, who seeks out and appreciates the input of all of his members, not just Republicans, but Democrats, too.

Reed has been at the forefront of other major economic packages. He sponsored the Alabama Incentives Modernization Act in 2019. Reed also sponsored the Alabama Jobs Act, prior to being one of the shepherds of this “Working for Alabama” package of bills.

Senator Reed’s role as a business leader in the Senate is coupled with his true conservative Christian values. He and his wife, Mitsy, are devout members of the First Baptist Church of Jasper. Governor Ivey is fortunate to have Greg Reed to serve in her Cabinet as the first director of this department.

This new Department of Workforce will be assisted by a Board of Alabama Industry titans, such as Alabama Power Company President Jeff Peoples, Great Southern Wood Preserving Founder, Chairman and CEO Jimmy Rane, and several other top business leaders in the state. The agency will streamline and make the state’s workforce development system more efficient.

When it comes to business attraction and retention, one of the first questions that an enterprise considers when deciding between locations for opening a new business is whether the states being considered can supply the workforce needed for that business to be successful. For many years, Alabama has had one of the worst workforce participation rates in the country. This comprehensive “Working for Alabama” legislation, and this new workforce development office is designed to correct this problem.

Through recruiting, training, and employing Alabamians across the state, to take advantage of the in-demand jobs of today and the future, we can give our state’s people careers that allow them to make a better life for themselves and their families. We can also give our state’s economic developers the assurance they need to make a compelling case to employers and industry considering making Alabama home.

One of the integral factors in making this workforce development come to fruition is the Alabama Community College System (ACCS). Chancellor Jimmy Baker has been at the table and at the forefront of this entire plan. The Alabama Community College System is poised and ready to put young Alabamians to work. ACCS has become the best vehicle to develop and implement data-based plans for academic training and workforce development. Our Community College System is just what the doctor ordered for workforce development in Alabama, and Greg Reed is the doctor that will make it work.

Merry Christmas!