MOBILE, Ala. – The White House has announced that the Mobile Area Chamber of Commerce Foundation, in collaboration with the Gulf Coast Chambers Network (GCCN), was selected as a finalist in the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Economic Development Administration (EDA) Distressed Area Recompete Pilot Program (Recompete).

The highly selective Recompete program accepted 560 applications from communities across the country where prime-age (25-54 years) employment is significantly lower than the national average. The goal of the program is to provide grant funding to persistently distressed communities to create and connect workers to good jobs.

The Chamber Foundation/GCCN is one of 22 communities selected as a finalist, opening a path to apply for Recompete phase two, which would provide an investment of $20-50 million in the network communities.

In addition, the Chamber Foundation/GCCN was awarded a Strategy Development Grant that allows the Mobile Area Chamber of Commerce Foundation to lead the coalition through a yearlong project to build teams, complete workforce studies and develop strategies to prepare the GCCN communities for such a large investment.

“The Mobile area’s economic development and growth pace has created unparalleled job opportunities, with more than 2,000 new jobs announced in 2023. The work we will accomplish with the Recompete Strategy Development Grant will help us put Mobile citizens into these jobs,” said Mobile Chamber President and CEO Bradley Byrne. 

The Gulf Coast Chambers Network is a coalition of six chambers of commerce groups representing areas along the Gulf Coast in Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana, with the Mobile Area Chamber Foundation serving as the lead for the Recompete and Strategy Development Grant projects. The partners in GCCN include the following entities:

• Mobile Area Chamber of Commerce Foundation
• Mississippi Gulf Coast Chamber of Commerce
• Jackson County Chamber of Commerce
• New Orleans Chamber
• Southwest Louisiana Economic Development Alliance
• One Acadiana

“The Mobile Chamber and the Chamber Foundation are recognized for our ability to convene strategic partners and develop creative solutions to shared challenges in our area. We look forward to partnering with our GCCN partners to cultivate best practices for strategies that can work across the Gulf Coast region,” said Mobile Area Vice President of Community Development Laura O’Connor. 

“The goal of EDA’s Recompete program aligns with the mission of the Mobile Area Chamber of Commerce Foundation to capitalize on our regional assets and provide a higher quality of life for our entire area. Being selected both as a Recompete finalist and a Strategy Development Grant awardee shows the importance of the work we’re doing, and I am excited to see the positive effects this will have on our community,” said Mobile Area Chamber of Commerce Foundation Chairman Frank Lott III. 

The Gulf Coast Chambers Network will work diligently throughout the year to complete studies and develop strategies that will boost an application for Recompete phase two funding.

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About the Mobile Chamber Foundation and the Mobile Area Chamber of Commerce: The Mobile Area Chamber Foundation is the non-profit 501(c)(3) organization that partners with the Mobile Chamber sharing expertise, resources and staff to convene, lead and fund strategic economic and community development initiatives. The Mobile Chamber is a private business organization with more than 1,700 members and the economic developer for the City of Mobile and Mobile County. The Mobile Chamber provides members with networking, marketing and professional development opportunities while also expanding jobs in the area, developing the local workforce, advocating for legislative priorities, and offering resources to help small businesses grow.