The Center for Business and Economic Development is one of six consulting and research divisions of Auburn Montgomery Outreach. Founded in 1976, the Center functioned as an integral part of Auburn Montgomery's School of Business until 1982. The Center's primary focus during its early years was supervisory and management training. In 1982 the Center's mission was redefined to emphasize test development, selection procedure validation, and equal employment opportunity. The Center's first project under its new mission was a substantial validation and litigation support effort for the United States Air Force arising from a Title VII lawsuit. Over 250 job analyses and content validation studies were performed between 1982 and 1985. Since that time, the Center has worked with numerous private and public sector organizations to develop and validate employee selection procedures. In addition, the Center has provided consulting services to many of these clients in the areas of management training, organization development, and performance management.