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Reed is a Walker County native, born in Jasper and raised in Cordova. 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 longtime Republican President Pro Tem Del Marsh, the Senate overwhelmingly chose 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. 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, before being one of the shepherds of the “Working for Alabama” package of bills.
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. Ivey is fortunate to have Reed to serve in her Cabinet as the first director of the Department of Workforce.
This new department will be assisted by a board of state industry titans, such as Alabama Power Co. President Jeff Peoples, Great Southern Wood Preserving Inc. founder, chairman and CEO Jimmy Rane, and several other top business leaders in Alabama. 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 Reed is the doctor who will make it work.
Merry Christmas!
Steve Flowers’ weekly column appears in over 60 Alabama newspapers. He served 16 years in the state Legislature. Flowers can be reached at www.steveflowers.us.
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Publish date : 2024-12-17 19:45:00
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