Greg Canfield helps Burr & Forman economic development lawyers negotiate site acquisition and government incentives for clients across the Southeast.

But before he joined the Am Law 200 firm in January as managing director of economic development, he spent 12 years recruiting major employers as secretary of commerce for the state of Alabama. He helped gain billions in new investments—many from Japanese automakers and suppliers—and is credited with playing a major role in recruiting what is now the $2.3 billion Mazda-Toyota Manufacturing auto plant near Huntsville.