2007-03-15 18:55:53 -

PRINCETON, N.J. and ATLANTA, March 15 /PRNewswire/ -- What do economic developers, the Charlotte Film Commission, Lockheed Martin, T-Mobile and Samsung all have in common? They are all finalists among others for the 2007 Economic Development Leaderships Awards. CoreNet Global, the world's leading professional association of corporate real estate executives, will hear from 12 finalists for the awards, which recognize best practices, leadership and innovation in economic development.

The twelve finalists whose projects range in scope from redevelopment of a derelict Army base, to natural disaster aid in

Louisiana, and from the largest semiconductor plant funded by a foreign company, to an innovative steel mill. Finalists will convene at Princeton University to present their best practices and innovations to a panel of corporate real estate executives on March 21. Finalists were recognized in two categories, Leadership and Innovation and Major Projects/Deals.

CoreNet Global Economic Development Leadership Award finalists in the Leadership and Innovation category are:

-- Florida High Tech Corridor Council: From Competition to Partnership - A 23-county region in Florida has proven that partnership, not competition, is the path to success in becoming a leading high tech hub. The Florida High Tech Corridor Council is a partnership between more than 20 local and regional economic development organizations and 14 community colleges, aimed to work together toward one mission -- attracting, retaining and growing the high tech industry and the workforce to support the region. -- Devens Regional Enterprise Zone Brings Planned Prosperity to Central Massachusetts - On June 1, 2006, Bristol-Myers Squibb announced that it would build a 1.1 million-square-foot, $1 billion biologics manufacturing facility in Central Massachusetts, which brought the 4,400-acre Devens Regional Zone into the world spotlight. A derelict one-time Army base closed in 1996, Devens won a global competition beating out several other states in the run-off. By selecting Devens, BMS joins a diverse, master-planned, mixed-use community made up of more than 85 companies employing over 4,200 workers. -- Cumberland County, NC - Leadership with a Vision, Leveraging the Military for Economic Development - In conjunction with various volunteers, The Cumberland County Business Council created a multi- year plan to "leverage the military for economic development." Over the past two years the CCBC was instrumental in the creation of The Defense and Security Technology Accelerator, which creates collaboration with the military, entrepreneurs and innovator to drive business development, technology commercialization and job creation. -- Kalamazoo, Michigan Comes Back From the Brink - Southwest Michigan First, the region's economic development organization, worked closely with community and business leaders, educators and others to launch a series of innovative initiatives to reverse a long period of economic decline. One bold solution was to build a speculative life sciences office center to provide entrepreneurs with the wet lab space they needed to start companies of their own. Kalamazoo Promise, a fund to help pay tuition for enrollment at Michigan state colleges and universities proved to be one of the most innovative talent retention tactics in the country. -- Charlotte Regional Film Commission - The Charlotte Regional Film Commission drives a process to find and register locations for film studios to use in the Charlotte region. The full force of the community comes together to answer the needs of film and TV producers and takes on a "Best Supporting Role" in providing materials, locations, and people for the various productions. In 2006, film production had at least a $250 million in economic impact in Charlotte USA. -- Louisiana Forward - Louisiana Department of Economic Development (LED) - The Louisiana Department of Economic Development is refining and creating strategies to address the unique needs of citizens and businesses to move LOUISIANA FORWARD following hurricanes Katrina and Rita. LED has helped Louisiana make great strides in business recovery. The framework for recovery is a progression of strategies that can be useful to other economic development agencies facing crisis.

Economic Development Leadership Award finalists for the Major Projects/Deals category are:

-- Austin's Major Deal: Samsung's "Next Generation" Semiconductor Plant - Austin's Major Deal is the latest result of the Opportunity Austin initiative, a five-year, regional economic development program aimed at creating jobs and reclaiming Austin's status as a high-tech center. Samsung is developing a semiconductor wafer fab, to be completed by late 2007, which is expected to be a $4-$5 billion capital investment, regarded to be the largest by a foreign-based company in the United States to date. The plant will create a minimum of 900 full-time jobs and onsite jobs for suppliers, with an average salary of $70,000, excluding benefits. -- Massachusetts Wins the Bristol Myers Squibb Project - Working through challenges and obstacles, Massachusetts Office of Business Development succeeded in winning "Project Hummingbird," the Bristol Myers Squibb code name for a large-scale biologics manufacturing facility that would require construction of a 750,000 square foot building and a $1.1 billion investment. The project would create 550 new full time jobs at an average salary of $60,000. -- Stamford, CT's Harbor Point District: Smart Growth for Stamford. A New $3 Billion Chapter for a Historic Waterfront - Stamford's Harbor Point District Mixed-Use Development Project is one of the largest mixed-use developments in the country. The 82-acre development provides new housing, including hundreds of units of affordable housing, generates new tax revenue, creates new open space and new waterfront promenades to enhance Stamford's quality of life. The project totals $3.5 billion and creates more than 40,000 temporary jobs and approximately 2,400 permanent jobs. -- SeverCorr: Helping Mississippi Recover and Sustain - The Partnership, SeverCorr, was created to build a new and innovative steel mill in the United States to produce the highest quality steel used to build cars and to work with partner companies on site to process and manage deliveries to manufacturers -- saving time and money in bringing finished steel products to manufacturers. The Mississippi legislature and Governor approved a package for the deal that included $95 million in state support. The $850 million mill will create 450 new jobs. -- Lockheed Martin Corporation and Colorado, Florida, Texas - Partnerships for a Win: Value Circle - Everyone Benefits - Lockheed Martin placed a high importance on economic development incentives as a contract discriminator for the $5 billion Orion Spacecraft contract award and created a Capture Team to work with prospective communities. The result was an Economic Development Public/Private Partnership with three states (Florida, Texas and Colorado) that reduced the contract bid cost by approximately $50 million. -- T-Mobile USA Technology Campus - Frisco, Texas - T-Mobile's announcement that they were establishing a Technology Campus in Frisco, Texas, was the culmination of collaboration, leadership, innovative practices and partnerships. Planning for this facility included fully detailing the timing of job growth and transition, along with a full analysis of the total capital investment. This process allowed T-Mobile to stay on track with the timeline and to keep all parties involved in play for the project resulting in $3.63 million in state and local incentive cash grants.

Biggins Lacy Shapiro & Co. is CoreNet Global's partner in organizing, managing and sponsoring the Economic Development Leadership Awards.

The finalists and winners will be recognized on April 30th at the CoreNet Global Summit in Denver.

CoreNet Global members manage US $1.2 trillion in worldwide corporate assets totaling 700-billion square feet of owned and leased office, industrial and other space. With 7,500 members representing large corporations around the world, CoreNet Global (http://www.corenetglobal.org/) operates in five global regions: Asia, Australia, Europe, Latin America and North America, including Canada.

Source: CoreNet Global