070807 Tuesday Prayer Breakfast with Neal Wade

Neal Wade is a visionary who sees Alabama as advancing into this Twenty-First Century with great courage and foresight He is a Christian and wants his faith to be part of the fabric of what we identify as Montgomery, Alabama and the State at Large. There is no reason why we need to remain shy or intimidated with Godly behavior and intention in rebuilding this region of God’s Kingdom on earth as it is in heaven.
To bring others into our area and settle we should acknowledge the questions of our visitors as honest inquiries of the soul of our community. Do we have compassion of how we want to share our city and our wealth? Do we have as sense of hope about our future that is in keeping with the economic development agenda of others in the world today? And, do we have a continuing sense of community that is in keeping with God’s plan for His Kingdom?
Neal Wade is a veteran industrial recruiter who was involved in many of the state’s most successful economic development efforts.
Wade previously served as vice president for economic development of the Florida-based St. Joe Company, a real estate operating company and the state's largest private landowner. While with the company, he also served as founding chairman of the board for Florida’s Great Northwest, Inc., which was responsible for bringing all economic development organizations within a sixteen county region from Pensacola to Tallahassee under one marketing and research umbrella.
In Alabama, Wade is best known for his nine-year service as president and chief executive officer of the Economic Development Partnership of Alabama, a consortium of the state’s leading companies that is dedicated to industrial recruitment. Under his leadership, the EDPA helped bring more than 40 companies, including Mercedes-Benz, Boeing and Honda, into Alabama resulting in more than 40,000 new jobs.
For several years, Wade was employed by Alabama Power Company serving as director of corporate communication. In that role, he was responsible for the company’s media affairs, consumer affairs and other areas.
Wade graduated from Samford University where he studied history and English and also served as president of the Student Government Association. He and his wife, Mary Ann, have three children and five grandchildren.