FOLEY, Ala. — Despite the national outlook, efforts are under way to stimulate south Baldwin County’s economic and workforce outlook.

During the South Baldwin Chamber of Commerce Leadership Luncheon last week, Baldwin County Economic Development Alliance Senior Vice President Bob Higgins explained those efforts.

According to Higgins, those tasks can be accomplished by recruiting businesses to the area, helping existing businesses grow and assist in the start of new businesses. Last year, those focuses produced nine companies recruited to the area, expansion of five existing businesses and the creation of 360 jobs.

“That puts us in the top 5 percent of 576 micropolitan counties, according to Politicom,” Higgins said, “and in the top 10 for the sixth year in a row, according to Site Selection magazine.”

He explained that one reason for south Baldwin’s success is its ability to draw manufacturing companies.

“Manufacturing is pretty stable,” he said at the luncheon.

Higgins also said south Baldwin is an ideal area for drawing distribution centers.

“Distribution centers depend on the strength of port and railway systems that are next to us,” he said.

Looking toward the remainder of 2012, Higgins said the alliance’s focus is to market the megasite and to announce more than 15 new businesses or expansions, as well as working with the education system to create the future workfoce members and make the area’s career opportunities attractive to them.

“We’ve got to get in kids’ minds that there are really good careers out there and there are jobs available,” he said.

Also coming up in the near future is a GIS tool  for cities and realtors, so all real estate available in the area will be listed in one central website.

“It’ll be live in about two weeks,” Higgins said.

He explained that the system supplies a variety of information about a certain area, including the labor force, demographic profile and consumer-spending report within a 10-mile radius of an address.

“We might be the first ones using this for retail,” Higgins said.