The University of Alabama Center for Economic Development (UACED) was founded by Dr. Malcolm Portera and approved by the Board of Trustees of The University of Alabama System in 1989.  It serves as an economic outreach unit to access UA resources, expertise, and existing UA centers and programs to assist businesses, organizations, and state and local communities to help solve real world problems and grow the state's economy.  The Center continues that tradition today by utilizing professional UA staff and customized project teams to provide technical assistance to communities, agencies, and organizations.  It takes an asset-based planning approach to help communities and organizations respond to challenges and capitalize on a variety of economic development opportunities for growth.