Dr. Portera, the former President of Mississippi State University and Chancellor of the University of Alabama System, has been involved in economic development for more than 40 years. Dr. Portera helped to recruit industrial development projects that have resulted in over $15 billion of capital investment in the Southeast U.S. These projects include Nissan-Mississippi, Yokohama Tire Manufacturing Mississippi, Hyundai-Alabama, Mercedes-Benz Alabama, Victor Company of Japan, and several others.
Andy Portera is a rural economic development strategist focused on building execution capacity in small and mid-sized communities. He works alongside Chambers, K-12 schools, colleges, employers, and public leaders to design workforce systems and economic strategies that produce measurable outcomes. His work centers on one belief:
Rural communities already have the assets they need.
They just need a strategic focus, alignment, and disciplined execution.