Summer 2012-Day 1

The team arrived in Camden around 11:00 AM.

We were greeted by the high school students; a few from the year before and a few new students.

After a brief meeting at the Chamber, we went to have lunch at Ms. Kitty’s Restaurant.

The location has changed and the new venue was welcoming and even more beautiful than the year before.

Ms. Kitty's 

Inside the New Venue

Later in the evening Mr. John Lewis, a local of Wilcox County, from the Natural Resources Conservation Service came by to answer a few questions we had. With his expertise, he shared  his knowledge as it pertained to our project. Mr. Lewis gave us insight into some of the dynamics of the community and helped us to see the various viewpoints of different stakeholders in the area.After lunch, we went back to the motel to discuss our plans for the next day.

2012 Wilcox Co./Camden Project Objectives:

The primary focus of this project is to provide meaningful, hands-on, service and learning experiences for our UAB students and engage members of Camden and the Wilcox County community in discussions that could help to improve economic development in Wilcox County community by providing training to high school students and by assisting businesses with some planning expertise. 

UAB School of Business participants will include 2 instructors plus 8 students. Local Camden participants will include 8 high school students and 2 teachers (1 teacher and 4 students from each of the 2 high schools in Camden).

Areas of Focus


1. Farming
Cultivation and the general scope of the agriculture scenario in Wilcox County. Determining feasibility of growing bamboo in Wilcox County.

2. Factory
Moving fiber to factory, manufacturing infrastructure required and the costs of labor.
Some considerations: Identification of sites in Wilcox County suitable for building a multi-functional bamboo manufacturing and educational facility.

3. Fulfillment
Logistics and marketing.
Some Considerations: Reveal what ways the product(s) would be attractive to the consumer audiences, and what is the competition? How would you address the small (local), medium (regional), and large (southeastern and national) markets? Help frame the value proposition.

4. Internal Coordination, Public Relations and Social Media
Responsible for creating the final deliverable by combining the research efforts of the other groups into one written report and PowerPoint presentation, engaging in public relations and communication efforts with members of the Wilcox County community, utilizing Facebook and a blog to document our contributions by posting daily photos and written updates of the activities being performed on the ground, and coordinating a mid-project PowerPoint presentation to a UAB visiting group.