The national economy may still look like a mile of bad blacktop highway, but there were at least two green shoots that emerged in this region to produce guarded optimism of a brighter future.

Airbus President and CEO Fabrice Bregier, second from left, shakes hands with Alabama Gov. Robert Bentley as they pose with a model of the A320 Airbus following an announcement Monday that Airbus will establish its first assembly plant in the United States in Mobile. The French-based company said the Alabama plant is expected to cost $600 million to build and will employ 1,000 people when it reaches full production, likely to be four planes a month by 2017.

A group from Southeast Alabama and Northwest Florida has been working for several months to prepare for a future mega project for the region. The group has identified several possible sites that could attract a mega-project including steps to “certify” the site as ready for an industrial expansion.

There are a number of variables that add up to winning and losing. The more swings at the ball, the more chances for a home run.

Bay EDA Executive Director Neal Wade talked teamwork and promoting Bay County during the agency’s meeting at FSU.