Hoover hires Economic Development Partnership of Alabama vice president

The city of Hoover today announced it has hired the vice president of the Economic Development Partnership of Alabama to fill a new role of economic developer for the city.

Greg Knighton, who has been with the Economic Development Partnership of Alabama since 1994, will assume his new role with Hoover on Dec. 18.

Hoover Mayor Frank Brocato said Knighton has a strong work history in economic development and has risen through the ranks in the industry into a leadership position.

At the Economic Development Partnership of Alabama, Knighton has been responsible for the group’s business information division and worked on recruitment, retention, marketing and community initiatives.

Brocato said he was impressed with Knighton’s involvement in large economic development projects for the state. He has been on project teams that helped bring companies such as Airbus, Honda, ThyssenKrupp Steel, Commercial Spring, Electricfil and Gambro Renal Products to Alabama.

“He knows the industry, and he knows the industry players,” Brocato said. “I am extremely confident in Greg’s ability to build a strong economic development program, and I welcome him to our team.”

Knighton is a graduate of Auburn University at Montgomery and has completed the University of Oklahoma's Economic Development Institute and the Auburn University Intensive Economic Development Training Course. He serves on the executive committee of the Economic Development Association of Alabama and is a member of the International Economic Development Council.

He also has been a featured guest speaker at numerous conferences, meetings and civic and leadership groups with presentations on a wide range of economic development issues.

Knighton said he has nothing but great respect for the Economic Development Partnership of Alabama and will continue to work with that private group in his role with the city of Hoover.

In addition to its strong retail presence, Hoover already has a robust economy in other sectors, with large employers in Riverchase and Inverness office parks, Knighton said. He looks forward to helping those employers grow and building on that base as the city seeks to attract more employers in the science, technology, engineering and math fields, he said.

Hoover is in a good position to attract such companies with its well-educated workforce, he said. He’ll be looking for ways to help bring those companies to existing buildings and development sites and exploring the creation of additional sites for companies to locate, he said.

Brocato said he also was impressed with Knighton’s longevity with the Economic Development Partnership of Alabama. Plus, the “icing on the cake” is that Knighton has lived in Hoover for 20 years, he said.

“By living here, he understands the vision we have and the direction we want to go,” Brocato said. “He wants our community to excel because he’s raising his family here. He’s tied into the community.”

Knighton and his wife, Margaret, have three children: an 18-year-old senior at Hoover High, 16-year-old junior at Hoover High and 13-year-old seventh-grader at Bumpus Middle School. He previously lived in an apartment along Alabama 150, then in the Camelot Woods and Russet Woods communities, and in Trace Crossings the past four years, he said.

Knighton was one of 30 applicants who met qualifications for the city's new economic developer position, City Administrator Allan Rice said. His salary is $124,300 a year.

This story was updated at 5:26 p.m. with comments from Greg Knighton and Hoover Mayor Frank Brocato.