You've read legal and tech thrillers...
Here comes the economic development thriller!
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How far will states and communities go to attract mega-projects that offer thousands of good jobs and tens of millions in tax revenue? Ezra Drake finds out when he’s recruited to help Alabama lure a giant pharmaceutical plant.
Years ago, Ezra left Alabama for the Ivy League and a job in Germany. He’s now a fast-riser on Wall Street.
A turn of events puts him back in Alabama as part of an elite team that lures mega-projects to energize the economy. Mercedes-Benz, Airbus, and other mega-projects had transformed the state. Alabama wants more.
Call it buffalo-hunting or smokestack-chasing, Ezra’s team understands it’s all about recruiting talent and companies to successfully compete in the modern economy.
Instead of firearms, Ezra’s team hunts with Big Data and persuasion. Competing against other cities and states is tough, but Ezra finds it even tougher battling forces who want to keep Alabama as it is and was, and not what it might become.
Will Ezra and Alabama succeed in winning the pharma mega-project? Will Ezra find success and happiness in Alabama?
Don Erwin has been a corporate writer/editor, IT systems designer, economic developer, commercial developer, lobbyist, corporate spokesperson, management board member, and much more. This is his debut novel. He lives in Birmingham, Alabama.