David Sher’s ComebackTown to give voice to the people of Birmingham & Alabama.

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Today’s guest columnist is Tom Cosby.

They say that Coach Saban has a “War Room” next to his office in Tuscaloosa.

Much like the White House Situation Room that tracks worldwide threats to our nation, in this room Saban reportedly tracks all the top high school athletes nationwide; some even internationally.

He knows all their key metrics – their academic history, height, weight, speed, leadership potential, you name it. If they fit into the evolving UA football team that he envisions, then these prospects are tracked and visited repeatedly.

By the time signing day comes along, it’s inevitable: Saban will have signed yet another top ranked class.

Meanwhile, here in Birmingham, once the state’s largest and fastest growing city, if we have a “War Room” (or anything like it), I’m not aware of it. I’m talking about a War Room to identify, track and sell top economic development prospects on the benefits of moving to or expanding into Birmingham.

Unlike Saban, we appear mostly content with whatever new business shows up on our doorstep or expands here due to UAB’s presence – while we hope for more home grown miracles like Shipt or Landing to emerge.

We have long since given up the ghost of competing with Atlanta, Nashville and Charlotte for growth and now we appear content to watch Huntsville glide past us. Curious minds want to know: did we even try to compete with Huntsville in landing the multi-billion dollar FBI campus that will ultimately mean 5,000 jobs there? How much of an effort did we make in trying to win the Toyota-Mazda project for Birmingham?

When was the last time our city sent a delegation to meet with Greg Canfield to urge that Birmingham get a bigger slice of the pie of new industry from Alabama Department of Commerce efforts? Have we already sent a blue chip delegation to visit Sen. Katie Britt to advise her on how she can help Birmingham grow?

Inside Saban’s War Room, there is reportedly a grease board that covers an entire wall where all the top players Alabama is targeting are listed. The board includes information such as each prospect’s aforementioned vitals but also the names of the school(s) each prospect is leaning toward. “There are no secrets,” Saban has said about the recruitment business. “It’s about one thing, man, one thing: hard work.”

Indeed, Saban and his staff devote time every working day of the year to recruiting, whether it’s writing letters, making phone calls or visiting prospects. Before Saban steps into the homes of prospects or invites a recruit to his office, Alabama will have delved “seven deep” into the player’s life, meaning they’ve contacted his friends, family, teachers, coaches—virtually anyone who has had significant interaction with that player and shaped his development.

Saban is a driven competitor and acutely aware of his competition. Needless to say, Birmingham faces fierce competition too; it’s been estimated that there are approximately 15,000 economic development groups in America, each targeting and soliciting new employers for their communities while trying their best to favorably impress site selectors.

Imagine if Birmingham had a Saban–like “War Room” tracking top economic prospects for the Magic City. Who would be listed on our grease board of top economic prospects? Imagine going “seven deep” into these targeted companies’ profiles, regularly sending them updated, favorable information on Birmingham. Imagine recruitment trips visiting them in their present headquarters. Again, maybe all of this is going on; if so, I sure wish the Birmingham Business Journal and Al.com would report on it.

Some say that the era of “buffalo hunting” is over in economic development and there is no need for such a sales effort in this day and time. But that can’t be true because every year we hear of major corporate headquarters relocations such as Hewlett Packard, GE, Fluor and Honeywell.

Plus, nationwide there are thousands of “gazelles” (young, fast growing, mostly tech-oriented companies) that may be looking to expand – and possibly even moving their headquarters. Are they all regularly receiving good news about Birmingham and getting in depth, multi-touch sales messages on the advantages of moving here?

There will never be another Nick Saban. But don’t we need to reset our tempo — before our city’s employment and population declines further vis a vis our competition? Do we need more dealmakers and more closers to aggressively step forward to sell Birmingham?

Cervantes famously wrote “Faint heart never won fair maiden.” Being meek…or worse, inactive… will not help our city achieve success.

Tom Cosby worked for the Birmingham Regional Chamber of Commerce (now BBA) for 35 years. In addition to being their VP Marketing and COO, he played important roles saving Rickwood Field and Vulcan and was involved in numerous projects such as the funding of Corridor X/I-22 and the recruitment of nonstop flights to BHM. Since retiring from the Chamber, he’s raised money for various civic projects in Birmingham, including the Lyric Theatre, the Alabama Theatre and the Veteran’s Day Parade.

David Sher is the founder and publisher of ComebackTown. He’s past Chairman of the Birmingham Regional Chamber of Commerce (BBA), Operation New Birmingham (REV Birmingham), and the City Action Partnership (CAP).

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