Chambers start Gateway Initiative to train & house South Baldwin seasonal workers

Chambers start Gateway Initiative to train & house South Baldwin seasonal workers

The Gateway Initiative – a coalition of the Coastal Alabama Business Chamber, the South Baldwin Chamber of Commerce, Orange Beach – Gulf Shores Tourism and others have developed a plan for a South Baldwin Workforce Training Campus that would provide much-needed housing for up to 2,000 seasonal workers, an education and training center, a childcare center and more. At least $214 million would be needed to fund the project.
“South Baldwin County continues to grow – both in terms of full-time residents and in guests who choose our area for their vacation,” said Orange Beach Tourism President Beth Gendler.
“That growth is a blessing, but it also brings challenges we have to find solutions for. While our mission is visitor-focused, we are community inspired, it is our beach, our businesses, and our cities that make this such a great place to live and that make millions of people want to visit here. We are all in this together.”
According to the tourism office, taxable lodging revenues through August reached an all-time high of $668 million, higher than the total for all of 2019, the previous record-setting year. Taxable retail sales through August hit $1 billion for the first time, again higher than the prior record of $938 million for 2019. For most of this year, occupancy levels for both hotels and vacation rentals have exceeded levels from both 2019 and 2020.