Government & Industry

2A — THE DAILY HOME, Talladega and St. Clair counties, Ala., Sunday, February 12, 2012 GOVERNMENT & INDUSTRY

Counties complete major projects in 2011

By ELSIE HODNETTHome staff writer

St. Clair County com-pleted three large projects in 2011 and dealt with the aftermath of April’s deadly tornadoes.

“We finished the remodel of the traditional courthouse in Ashville,” Commission Chairman Stan Batemon said.

He said construction on the $6 million court-house project began two years ago.

“It was completed and we moved into it in October 2011,” he said.

Batemon said the courthouse project encompassed adding 35 percent more space and bringing the building into code for health and safety and into compliance with the Americans With Disabilities Act.

“We basically upgraded the structure to anticipate 50 years of more service as a courthouse,” he said. “The courthouse is very impor-tant to the entire county, especially the northern half. It is the oldest court-house still operating as a courthouse in Alabama. It is very important to main-tain the traditional aspect of that courthouse.”

Batemon said as coun-ties grow, many are pressed to add satellite courthous-es.

“St. Clair County has two constitutional county seats,” he said. “That has kept us from having to

add satellite courthouses in the county. We definitely need the court space in the county.”

Batemon said anoth-er large project was the completion of the new St. Vincent’s St. Clair Hospital, which opened in December.

“A hospital is very important in a grow-ing county, both legally and morally, for deliver-ing health care services to county residents,” he said. “From a moral stand-point, it is the county’s responsibility to provide for the health and safety of its citizens. From a legal standpoint, counties are required to provide indi-gent care for its citizens.”

Batemon said the third large project in the county was the Coosa Valley Water Supply District, which came online in November 2011.

“The $32 million sur-face water treatment plant was the newest to be built in Alabama,” he said. “And it was built in one of the fastest growing counties in Alabama that needed a permanent source of drinking water for future growth.”

Batemon said the new surface water treatment plant is currently pumping around 3 million gallons of water per day, but can pump up to 6 mgd as needed with no expansions. The facility is designed to pump as much as 12 mgd with future expansion.

The $6 million St. Clair County Courthouse in Ashville renovation proj-ect, which began two years ago, was completed in 2011.

St. Clair opensnew hospital,finishes remodelof courthouse

TalladegaCountyJailprojectfinishedBy AZIZA JACKSONHome staff writer

Many of Talladega County’s decisions for a brighter future are made by the County Commission at the Courthouse in Talladega, which is one the oldest working courthouses in Alabama.

The commission con-sists of Chairman Jimmy Roberson, who serves District 4, District 1 Commissioner Jackie Swinford, District 2 Commissioner John Luker, and District 3 Commissioner Kelvin Cunningham.

A total of $38.7 million comprised of 77 different funds was reported from the 2011 fiscal year; about $10.8 million of that total was for the county’s general fund.

“The biggest events of the past year are the completion of the jail proj-ect and the closing of the CSEPP program,” county administrator Wayne Hall said.

The Talladega County Jail expansion project was in its final stages of devel-opment, and renovations were expected to be com-pleted this month.

“There were two parts: the expansion of the new building and the renova-tion of the old building,” Hall said.

The bid for the jail was

“Another thing we dealt with last year was address-ing the April tornado problems,” he said. “The county spent about 1 mil-lion unbudgeted dollars dealing with the aftermath of the April tornadoes.”

Batemon said the coun-ty will get reimbursed by the federal government for some of the cost.

“We spent the money for cleanup and addressing

the health and safety needs of the citizens affected — for both public and private cleanup,” he said.

Batemon said another project in the works is the Col. Robert L. Howard State Veterans Home.

“They broke ground on the new Veterans Home in 2011,” he said. “The $50 million project is about two-thirds completed and should be finished this

summer.”

Batemon said St. Clair County and the city of Pell City combined to design and build Veterans Parkway.

“Veterans Parkway is now the main street for the new Veterans Home,” he said.

Contact Elsie Hodnett at [email protected]. See County, Page 3A

St. Clair industries stillinvesting in communitiesBy ELSIE HODNETTHome staff writer

Despite a sluggish economy, St. Clair County industries are continuing to reinvest in their com-munities.

“This is the most expan-sions in one year for our county since 2007, before the economy crashed,” Economic Development Council executive director Don Smith said.

Smith said 2011 was the year of expansions in St. Clair County, with five manufacturing companies announcing expansions, matching the five expan-sions in 2007.

“Much of the job cre-ation related to these expansions will actually take place in 2012,” he said. “These expansions are a testament to the quality companies the EDC has recruited over the last 12 years.”

Smith said the com-panies that announced expansions in 2011 include Andritz Inc. in Pell City, Eissmann Automotive North America in Pell City, Rain Bird Corporation in

Steele, WKW Erbsloeh North America Inc. in Pell City and another company that has asked not to be identified.

Smith said a couple of the expansions are already completed.

Andritz Inc. in Pell City began an expansion project at the beginning of this year and completed it a couple of months ago. The almost $1.7 million project included a 6,800-square-foot expansion of its 35,000-square-foot facility. The company added space, machinery and four jobs.

Eissmann Automotive North America in Pell City began construction of its $750,000 facility expan-sion that added 15,000 square feet in March and completed it in August. The company also added about $2 million in equip-ment and about 40 jobs.

Rain Bird Corporation in Steele is investing $2.4 million in equipment for a new manufacturing line. The expansion began in January 2012 and should be completed mid-year 2012. The company also plans to

hire 10 new employees.WKW Erbsloeh North

America Inc. in Pell City was granted a tax abate-ment by the Pell City Industrial Development Board at the beginning of December.

“The expansion has not yet been officially announced (as of mid-January), but the tax abate-ment was granted in hopes that the company will move forward with expan-sion plans,” Smith said. “The tax abatement is for a total investment of $6.6 million in new equipment and a building expansion. The expansion would also create about 200 new jobs. It is a proposed 24-month project.”

Smith said Eissmann Automotive also plans to expand again in 2012, the company’s second expan-sion within a year. The $3.75 million expansion is expected to create 35 jobs and includes a 15,000 square foot addition to the existing building. The building construction will cost about $750,000, and Eissmann Automotive will

Brian Schoenhals/The Daily Home

Eissmann Automotive North America in Pell City completed a $2.75 million expansion in 2011 and plans to expand again in 2012 with a $3.75 million investment.

invest another $3 million for equipment.

“I believe we will have another expansion announcement of a local manufacturer within the next month,” Smith said in mid-January. “We are also excited about Indie Candy announcing plans to construct a new facility in Moody. We have plans to announce another man-ufacturing company by the end of March.”

Smith said the 2011 industrial expansions are expected to add more than 250 new jobs.

“In general, St. Clair County was very fortunate that the quality companies that have located here in the past are in a position to reinvest in our community and increase their work-force,” he said.

Smith said the four tax abatements approved this year for industrial expan-sions do not include abate-ments of educational taxes.

“We do the tax abate-ments in hopes these com-panies will take advantage of the cost savings in order to invest in the commu-nity locally instead of other

locations in the U.S. or overseas,” he said. “The main benefits include addi-tional funding for our local schools and new jobs cre-ated.”

Smith said the num-ber of jobs expected to be created from these expan-sions, combined with health care related jobs from the new St. Vincent’s St. Clair Hospital and the Col. Robert L. Howard State Veterans Home, put St. Clair County ahead of most counties in recover-ing from the economic downturn.

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THE DAILY HOME, Talladega and St. Clair counties, Ala., Sunday, February 12, 2012 — 3A

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GOVERNMENT & INDUSTRY

finally awarded to Brice Building Co. and CMH Architects after years of searching. The entire renovation and expansion project cost $13.8 mil-lion.

“There had been sev-eral attempts to build the new jail but the bids were always out of our reach,” Hall said. “But this time we changed our approach to a design/build approach.”

According to Hall, the county was able to use some federal funds for the project that took away any possibility of increasing taxes for Talladega County residents.

“Talladega County received an award of allo-cations that were not used in any other counties and we were able to do the project without imposing additional taxes on our citizens,” Hall said.

Another big transition for the county will be the closing of its Chemical Stockpile Emergency Preparedness Program.

CSEPP brought with it millions of dollars in federal funding for local EMA sites to upgrade their emergency capabilities.

The Talladega County Emergency Management Agency will undergo sev-eral changes as the fund-ing from CSEPP ends in March, after the Anniston Chemical Agent Disposal Facility team destroyed the last of the 661,529 chemi-cal munitions stored at the Anniston Army Depot in September.

“The funding that we receive from them is scheduled to end in March and that will drastically change the way that we’re funded because we’re 90 to 95 percent funded by

CountyFrom Page 2A

Jim Smothers/Home file photo

The main dormitory areas at the expanded Talladega County Metro Jail have 125 beds. These areas feature stainless tables and toilets and a large, open space. The expansion has a total of 332 beds, most in the open dormitory settings, but with some in a higher security arrangement for inmates considered dangerous. County Commissioner Jimmy Roberson called the older facility a “ticking time bomb” and said the county was fortunate there had not been more problems at the jail.

CSEPP,” said Steve Dover, public information offi-cer for Talladega County EMA.

“Now we’re going on the County Commission’s budget and when you’re talking about several mil-lion dollars in funding you’re getting to hundreds of thousand of dollars it’s going to be different.”

Dover said the Talladega County EMA is pursuing grants and other sources of funding to supplement the drop in federal fund-ing.

This could lead to a reduction in staff, but Dover said they are rely-ing now more than ever on volunteers in the com-munity.

“Don’t expect any pro-grams or services to be cut,” Dover said. “We are planning on restructuring personnel but as far as the level of service we are providing we plan to keep that level.”

Dover said the EMA currently has five full-time positions that will have to be “restructured and re-

titled.” “From what I under-

stand, we will be keeping three (positions) but that’s always subject to change based on the commission and how they want to pro-ceed,” Dover said.

“Just because the CSEPP money is going away doesn’t mean the disasters in Talladega County can go away. The chemicals are just a very small part of what can happen.”

Dover said they are relying on two volunteer

programs specifically: Community Emergency Response Team, also known as CERT, and Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster, also known as VOAD.

“In CERT we train average citizens to be able to respond to a disaster in their community,” Dover said. “They go through several levels of training to be able to provide that first initial response until responders get there.”

Dover said with VOAD all the volunteer organiza-

tions in the county get together to help, but any businesses or community members with disaster resources like food and clothing, equipment or storage are encouraged to help.

Dover said CERT training will be available to the community soon.

For more informa-tion about volunteering, call the Talladega County EMA at 256-761-2125.

Contact Aziza Jackson at [email protected].

4A -THE DAILY HOME, Talladega and St. Clair counties, Ala., Sunday, February 12, 2012 GOVERNMENT & INDUSTRY

300657


David Suttle pours an aluminum mold at Talladega Pattern and Aluminum.


John Phillips saws gates and risers off aluminum cast-ings.

Talladega Pattern celebrates its 60th yearBy CHRIS NORWOODHome staff writer

Talladega Pattern and Aluminum celebrated its 60th anniversary last year, and is still run by the same family.

Manager Jason Peters said the company began as a part-time enterprise run by his grandfather, W.C. “Pete” Peters, in 1951, just as a pattern shop. He was working at Newberry full time then.

“He did that for four or five years, then went to full time, going more toward the foundry end,”

Peters said. He was also doing pattern work for Talladega Foundry at the time. Brass casting was added to the list of services

in the 1970s.Today, the company’s

35 employees turn out “a broad spectrum of alumi-num and brass castings.

We do castings for every-thing from substation connectors to playground equipment.”

The biggest part of the

business, about 80 per-cent, involves molds for power pole line equipment and substations. Talladega Pattern makes the mold,

then sells it to another company that actually manufactures the compo-nents and assembles them, then sells them to Southern Company for Alabama Power poles.

“But we can do just about anything,” said Joey Peters, W.C. Peter’s son and Jason Peter’s uncle. “We recently did some work for a guy who was restoring an airplane in Alaska. We did the castings for him, most-ly because I like aviation. But we don’t do the really structural type jobs. We couldn’t pour the wings,

See 60 years, Page 5A

for instance. Well, I sup-pose we could, but that’s not a plane that I would want to fly in myself.”

Talladega Pattern is a job shop, Joey Peters said, which makes it both more versatile and cheaper, but does impose some limits.

“The patterns are cheap and the castings are reason-able, but we’re just not set up to do the same things over and over like the spe-cialty shops. A company like Honda, for example, would need to spend $20,000 to $40,000 for a mold for an engine, but after turning out so many engines they would make that back. I’m guessing on those numbers, by the way, I don’t know exactly what it would cost. But most of the jobs we handle are in the $500 to $2,000 range.”

They also handle gear-box covers for feed trucks for two different compa-nies and do all manner of ornamental work.

“Again, those things are for looks, they are not structural at all,” Joey Peters said. “We do things like decorate handles, lamp bases, light fixtures and even statue parts. We took apart an old lead statute in Montgomery, made the molds from that and gave it to Robinson Iron. They recast it and finished it. We did the same thing with the statue of the lady hold-ing the bowl over her head in Memphis.”

They have also done casts for a manufacturer of playground equipment.

And recently, they have taken on another new cli-ent, Jason Peters said.

“We are making the

THE DAILY HOME, Talladega and St. Clair counties, Ala., Sunday, February 12, 2012 — 5AGOVERNMENT & INDUSTRY

60 yearsFrom Page 4A

pattern for the new keys to the city of Talladega,” he said. “They’re working on the pattern right now, and we’ll be ready to cast them

pretty soon.”

Contact Chris Norwood at [email protected].

Garrison Steelmakes changesto succeedBy DAVID ATCHISONHome staff writer

While some companies have struggled and even failed with the downturn in the economy, Garrison Steel has continued to succeed and grow in Pell City.

“We adapted and adjust-ed to the economy,” said Scott Tyree, vice president of marketing and sales.

And the adjustment has worked. The 30,000-square-foot steel fabrica-tion shop is thriving, bus-tling with workers cutting, punching holes, grinding and welding pieces of steel together for construction projects. The leftover steel is sold as scrap metal and nothing is wasted.

Tyree, a former high school coach, said the company has not had any layoffs and employees are seeing a lot of overtime work.

“We hope we can con-tinue to grow,” Tyree said. “We may have to go into a different direction next year. You just don’t know. We do what you have to do to keep the lights on.”

He points to the many businesses with chains on their doors because in some instances compa-nies would not adapt and change.

Tyree said Garrison Steel was willing to make changes to succeed, and those changes were pos-sible because of its presi-dent, John Garrison, 60, who oversees his two companies, Garrison Steel Erection Inc. and Garrison Steel Fabricators Inc. in Pell City.

He said Garrison believes in his workers.

“He looks for people to come up with plans for success,” Tyree said.

He said Garrison bor-rows a saying from the late Alabama football coach Paul “Bear” Bryant, saying, “If you surround yourself with good people, you’re going to succeed.”

“We have a good group of guys here,” said Brandon Layton of Ragland, who is shop superintendent at Garrison Steel Fabricators.

“And they do what you ask of them,” Tyree added.

Layton said everyone at Garrison Steel works well together and enjoys what they do.

“I look forward to com-ing into work every day,” Tyree said.

Tyree and Layton said Garrison puts a lot of faith in his employees but expects them to do their jobs.

“He doesn’t want to micromanage anyone,” Tyree said. “He hired you to do a job, and he wants you to do it.”

“He’s a very good man to work for,” Layton said.

Garrison learned his trade from the ground floor up. He started his career in the steel busi-ness as a trainee drafts-man shortly after gradu-ating from high school. He also learned the trade of ironworker and welder and eventually became an assistant foreman, then foreman.

Garrison started his own business in 1992 after working in construction for more than 20 years, including big steel erec-tion projects.

“No one knew who Garrison Steel was,” Garrison said. “I thought I’d starve at first because no one trusted this newly started company called Garrison Steel.”

But within six months, and after a few small jobs, the requests for bids came flowing in.

Since 1992, Garrison Steel Erectors has become one of the largest and most respected steel companies in the South. Garrison Steel Erectors has done large jobs as far away as Vale, Colo., and Aruba. The company worked on the Birmingham Airport

Bob Crisp/The Daily Home

An employee at Garrison Steel punches holes in steel angles.

expansion, the new Children’s Hospital and the Auburn Basketball Arena.

In 2004, Garrison Steel moved to Pell City.

“We had an opportu-nity to look for a facil-ity and location where we could begin a new fabrica-tion operation, and after reviewing several loca-tions in Birmingham and Moody, we explored Pell City,” Garrison said. “The answer was clear. Pell City had a unique opportunity for us to be near a main artery, I-20, and between two major cities where we do business, Birmingham and Atlanta.”

He said additionally, Pell City was expanding in 2004 and seemed to be poised for a robust econ-omy.

“Despite the nation-wide downturn starting in 2007, Pell City has seen phenomenal growth and prosperity throughout that time,” Garrison said. “The workforce is abundant, and the city and St. Clair County have been a part-ner in our business, always willing to provide devel-opment of the workforce here and help our business prosper — we have never regretted our choice com-

ing to Pell City.”Some of the notable jobs

Garrison Steel has worked on include the Bass Pro Shop in Leeds, the Moody City Hall and the Huntsville Airport expansion.

Garrison is highly regarded by his peers.

He was elected presi-dent of the American Subcontractors Association for Alabama.

“That’s a big deal,” Tyree said.

Garrison also served a number of years as presi-dent of the Steel Erectors Association of America.

Garrison Steel Erection and Garrison Steel Fabrication combined do about $14 million in busi-ness each year and employ about 125 people.

Contact David Atchison at [email protected].


John Garrison is owner of Garrison Steel Erectors Inc. and Garrison Steel Fabrication Inc. in Pell City.

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By WILL HEATHHome staff writer

The most traded com-modity in the world, believe it or not, is metal.

That is the main rea-son, according to their proprietors, that the busi-ness of metal recycling continues to thrive, even as the economy worldwide continues to slump.

“It’s just, the market’s been good,” said Stanley Mayo, part owner of Munford Recycling. Mayo currently owns parts of metal recycling businesses in five locations, as far east as Cherokee County and as far west as St. Clair.

“We’ve just had a good business, and it’s grown from there,” he said. “We do probably about 1 mil-lion and a half, about 1,750,000, about 18, 19 million this year. We do about 7,000 tons per month. We also have four mobile crushers, too.”

Mayo isn’t the only person who sees success in metal recycling. Patrick Daniel, president of Angler Recycling in Odenville, started his business just after the market took a nosedive in 2008.

“People thought we were crazy starting then, but it wound up work-ing out for us,” he said. “We were able to catch the upswing.

“Since 2008, it’s gradu-ally come back, but it’s been pretty consistent. There haven’t been any major upswings or down-swings.”

The customer base for the recycling businesses ranges from industrial accounts to walk-ins.

“Mostly we see scrap in general,” Mayo said. “White goods, refrigera-tors, washers and dryers, are probably the most common.

“We deal with PSC Metals in Chattanooga and Metal Management in Birmingham. We deal with CMC Metals in Birmingham. We deal with Huron Valley in

Ohatchee. And we deal with Union Foundry in Anniston. We’re a big sup-plier for Ameristeel.”

Danny Taylor, who owns Taylor Recycling in Talladega, said many industrial customers are attempting to become more efficient with how they use their metal.

“They’re getting folks to bid on service, for the purpose of preparing the metals right back for the industry,” Taylor said. “It’s not really bought and sold as much as it’s total recy-cling. It’s undergone some pretty big changes in that sense.”

Taylor said one of his business’ biggest concerns, however, is criminal activ-ity.

“We got broken into (recently),” he said. “Between what they stole and the damage to the building, it’s $3,000. That’s not the first time this year.

“You don’t see them being really incarcerated. Usually most of them, the only time they spend in jail is when they get their bail money. It creates a lot of problems.”

Taylor said the impact is greater than one busi-ness.

“It affects you every day, whether it affects your house,” he said. “It hap-pens at your house when you go to buy something new, and that cost is fac-tored into it. All costs get transferred.”

Daniel said the increased criminal activity requires businesses like his to be more diligent.

“That’s just the nature of the business,” he said. “We have a good rela-tionship with all the local municipalities and the sheriff ’s department. The computer system we have, we can scan people’s IDs and work closely with the sheriff ’s department. We can track down the mer-chandise and turn them in, give them all the infor-

Metal recyclingcontinues tothrive despiteeconomic slump


Hawk Plastics manufactures 4 to 12 inch PVC plastic sewer pipe, and specializes in standard and custom PVC perforated pipe.

Hawk Plastics operates 5days a week, 24 hours a dayBy MARKLEDBETTERHome staff writer

Hawk Plastics is among the oldest American-owned PVC pipe produc-ers in the United States.

Company operations began in 1985 when Larry Moody and Gene Davis leased the Beaunit rayon factory. The plant co-owners borrowed money, received a small grant and put up their own money.

“Banks are different today than they were then,” Moody said. “They probably wouldn’t give us a loan today.”

When the plant opened, they operated used equip-ment and neither Moody nor Davis received salaries their first year.

They decided it would be better to own a facility rather than lease, and they purchased and moved into their present facility in 2003.

Hawk Plastics is locat-

ed on First Road in the Childersburg Industrial Park.

Polyvinyl chloride, or PVC, is the material used to produce plastic pipe. PVC is also used to produce pipes in houses, fences and windows.

Approximately half of the pipe produced is for sanitary sewer pipe appli-cations and water dis-tribution and is used by municipalities and indus-tries.

PVC has several advan-tages over other pipe materials. It will not burst into flames, possesses high tensile strength, and is cheaper to produce than pipes manufactured from other materials.

Moody, president of the company, said U.S. produced raw materials for manufacturing PVC is cheaper and of a better quality than that of over-sees competitors.

Hawk Plastics manu-factures PVC plastic sewer

pipe with integral bell gas-keted joints. They pro-duce 4 to 12 inch pipe.

The company also spe-cializes in standard and custom PVC perforated pipe. Perforated pipe is primarily used for drain-age purposes.

The company doesn’t sell directly to municipali-ties but to vendors that supply municipalities and contractors.

When the housing industry slumped, Hawk Plastics was less impact-ed than its competitors, Moody said.

“In 27 years we have never missed a payroll,” he said. “We were hurt less because we are not as dependent” on industrial sales as their competitors. Diversity was the key.

The company holds the patent to and manu-factures PVC raggles-tick, a packaging product developed during 25 years of working to eliminate packaging problems.

Ragglestick is used for creating compactness and stability to the packaging and storing of cylinder objects such as pipe, tubes rolls, drums and barrels.

The product is custom-ized to provide a tighter fit that conforms to the diameter of the product that is to be shipped.

With the PVC raggle-stick, the typical pyramid stacks can be replaced by square or rectangular stacks.

Shipping costs are reduced by the increased payload created by the increased stacking and by permitting double stack-ing.

The PVC ragglestick replaces the wooden ver-sion, which are less flex-ible and are limited by inability to load more compactly.

The company also manufactures poultry pipe, which is used for a

See Hawk, Page 7A See Recycling, Page 7

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6A -THE DAILY HOME, Talladega and St. Clair counties, Ala., Sunday, February 12, 2012 GOVERNMENT & INDUSTRY

variety of breeder and broiler watering purposes.

Hawk Plastic’s chief advantage over its com-petitors is “we have more expertise and knowledge available to our custom-ers,” Moody said.

He said another advan-tage the company has over its competitors is flexibil-

ity. Orders can be filled and shipped quicker.

Hawk Plastics oper-ates five days a week, 24 hours a day. It is not cost effective to shut down and restart operations daily.

The plant produces 11 to 12 million pounds of products in one year.

The company employs 22 full-time employees, 11 who have at least six

years of experience and five who have at least 19 years of experience.

Robert Morris is plant superintendent and Keith Wesson is plant manager.

Hawk Plastics ships to 400 customers in 10 states.

Contact Mark Ledbetter at [email protected].

mation, so if something does happen, we can make them aware of it.”

Mayo added that, with an economy still struggling, the margin for error is less than ever before.

“When (the market) crashed in ‘08, there for a year and a half or so, there wasn’t any money in this business,” he said. “Our profit margin has some-what come back. But busi-

ness, in general, is much different than it was in October of ‘08.

“The margins are not as great; you’ve got to do a better job at separating and retrieving what you buy.”

The business continues to be the same, they said.

“Right now we don’t see it changing a whole lot,” Daniel said. “I think 2012, from reports and what I’ve been reading, it’s going to be pretty much like 2011. Nothing major — just

kind of consistent.”Taylor agreed.

“Recycling doesn’t change a lot,” Taylor said. “There are more synthet-ics and more plastics, so you’ll see things like that change. With every inno-vation there’s going to be something new, so you’ll have those things change.”

Contact Will Heath at [email protected].


RecyclingFrom Page 6A

HawkFrom Page 6A


Stanley Mayor, part owner of Munford Recycling, said the market’s been good.


Patrick Daniel, president of Angler Recycling in Odenville, started his business just after the market took a nosedive in 2008. “ ... It wound up working out for us,” Daniel said.

Alabama Specialtykeeps finding newservices, productsBy LAURANATION-ATCHISONHome lifestyles editor

It’s an employer of 200, is planning another 10,000-square-foot addi-tion, and is on the cutting edge as a high tech manu-facturing facility.

Alabama Specialty Products, located in Munford, has a lot going on these days.

“One might not expect to find such a high tech manufacturing facil-ity as Alabama Specialty Products Inc. in a small town like Munford,” said Joe Sonnberger, director of marketing for the com-pany.

“ASPI offers a wide variety of products and services to its customers, such as corrosion moni-toring equipment, laser services, precision machin-ing, medical products and system manufacturing,” he said.

And all the while, the company is continuing to delve into more new pro-cesses and develop new products to remain at the forefront of manufacturing technology, Sonnberger said.

Expansion at the com-pany this year includes adding four additional laser cladding work sta-tions.

ASPI was recently awarded a major contract from a large steel service center for laser cladding boiler tubes used in the power generation indus-try. This led to the need for the ongoing expan-sions.

The company was founded in 1980 by Don Johnson, who at the time had two employees machining metal speci-mens for corrosion and mechanical testing.

At that time, the com-pany was known as Metal Samples, Sonnberger said.

Now, Metal Samples is one of ASPI’s company divisions and is a lead-ing supplier of corrosion monitoring systems all over the world.

“Our corrosion test coupons, probes and instruments are used by oil and gas companies, chem-ical processing companies, water treatment facilities and petroleum industries,” Sonnberger said. “These industries rely heavily on such equipment to check the amount of corrosion that is occurring in their pipelines.”

Another expansion in the past several years is Metal Samples expand-ing its product line by developing new corrosion monitoring instruments such as a remote telemetry system that allows moni-toring corrosion rates using the Internet.

A second company

See ASPI, Page 8A

Resolute Forest Products, Coosa Pines Mill, is a major producer of fl uff pulp absorbent fi ber which is sold worldwide.

Coosa Pines Mill began operation in 1949 and is a major employer inTalladega County.

Vision and ValuesOur VisionAt Resolute Forest Products, we are one team with one vision where:Profi tability and sustainability drive our future.

Our Values

Work safelyWe always put the safety of our people fi rst. Creating an injury-free workplace is everyone’s business. We maintain world-class standards and continuously measure and improve our safety efforts and results.

Be accountableWe are accountable for our performance. The future of our company is in our hands. By empowering people, acting with integrity, setting goals and measuring progress, we deliver fi rst-class products and services to customers and create value for shareholders.

Ensure sustainabilityWe make decisions with tomorrow in mind. We know that our long-term profi tability depends on preserving the natural resources in our care and being a responsible partner in the communities where we live and work.

Succeed togetherWe win together. Teamwork starts with a winning attitude and a true desire to support each other. We welcome ideas, communicate frequently and share best practices.

FormerlyAbitibiBowater

300676

UTILITIES BOARDCITY OF

SYLACAUGA

For over 50 years the Sylacauga Utilities Board has been providing electric, natural gas, water and sanitary sewer services to our community. In 1999, we added high speed and wireless internet access to that list. We are proud to be your locally owned and operated utility. If you have any questions about our services, please give us a call.

Billing Offi ce: 256-249-8501Operations Center: 256-249-0372Email comments and questions to:

[email protected]

301 North Elm Avenue • Sylacauga, AL 35150

300673


division was created in the early 1990s, Alabama Laser Technologies.

The division has more than 30 laser systems, including flat sheet cut-ters, tube cutters and five axis lasers.

“Alabama Laser Technologies is now one of the largest and most complete laser job shops in the country,” Sonnberger said.

The company offers a full range of laser services that include cutting, weld-ing, etching, heat treating and cladding.

In addition to the depth of laser service capabilities, another important aspect of the division is the com-pany’s design and engi-neering staff, which allows them to provide research and feasibility studies to help companies find solutions to their specific manufacturing needs.

Precision machining complements laser ser-vices and offers additional services of water jet and plasma cutting, forming, punching, tube bending, screw machining, grind-ing, electrical discharge machining, milling and turning, robotic and con-ventional welding, powder coating and more.

“This state-of-the-art precision machining facil-ity allows ASPI to perform all of their customers’ manufacturing needs at one location,” Sonnberger said.

The various industries served by ASPI include aerospace, defense and government, automotive, furniture, agricultural, auto racing, construction equipment, transporta-tion industries and many others.

During the mid-1990s, ASPI began building laser cutting systems for its own use to process orders in

its job shop. Sonnberger said.

“Soon, other compa-nies approached ASPI about the need to have specialized systems built to meet their specific requirements and ASPI started a new company division, Alabama Laser Systems, to handle the research, process develop-ment and manufacturing of these custom laser sys-tems,” Sonnberger said.

Since then, Alabama Laser Systems has built a variety of types of laser systems for several Fortune 500 companies and has also developed non-laser systems for cold spray, graphite coating and other specialized applications.

Yet another company division, Alabama Research and Development, manu-factures and distributes the Krumdieck Tissue Slicer.

“This medical device is used to rapidly prepare

ASPIFrom Page 7A

Laser cladding of large hydraulic shaft.

thin slices of live tissues for biochemistry, pharma-cology, toxicology, neu-rology and other in vitro studies,” Sonnberger said.

Last year, company engineers completely redesigned the tissue slicer to offer several enhance-ments such a touch screen

controls for easier opera-tion for researchers who use the device.

Other accessories in this medical product line include an incubation sys-tem, a tissue coring press and a tissue embedding unit.

Another unique feature of the company is that it also employs cooks who prepare a free hot lunch for the entire staff each day.

Contact Laura Nation-Atchison at [email protected].

Southern Alloy hopes for economic upturnBy EMILY ADAMSHome staff writer

For more than 50 years, Southern Alloy foundry on U.S. 280 in Sylacauga has provided metal castings and machine parts to industries across the United States.

Despite its tradition of good service, the foundry felt the effects of a bad economy in recent years, said Buster Hughes, human resources manager and safety director.

“We had a major cut-back in December 2008,” he said. “We’ve always had around 105 employees, and we currently have 78.”

This year looks a bit brighter, however, as Southern Alloy is begin-ning to see a jump in busi-ness, Hughes said.

“We’re starting to see improvements, and we’re slowly adding some jobs back,” he said. “We’re interviewing for a couple of positions now.

Hughes, who has been with the company for 34 years, said the cut-backs were in response to decreased business.

“Demand has been down all around,” he said. “We’ve had fewer orders to fill, which means less work to be done, so the cutback didn’t add to the employee workload. We just didn’t

need as many people.”Hughes said they hope

to see continued improve-ments as the year progress-es.

“Ideally, we’ll be able to hire some more people this year and eventually get back to 105 employees,” he said.

The foundry’s success is dependant on a strong

work force, Hughes said.“We have a lot of peo-

ple who have been here a long time,” he said. “Having that kind of work force allows us to provide good, quality service, and we obviously want to con-tinue that.”

To ensure a steady force in the future, Hughes said it is important for young

people to learn the neces-sary trade skills.

“There are opportu-nities to work at manual labor jobs and make a good living,” Hughes said. “Not everyone can go to college, and for those people, jobs like ours are a good, safe place to work and they allow you to provide for yourself and your family.”

Hughes said the found-ry encourages high schools to offer machine shop courses.

“We want to make sure people are continuing to learn these skills,” he said. “It’s amazing how little some young people know about it and about getting a job in general, and teach-ing that is something we

fully support.”Although the foundry’s

main customers are out-side of this area, Hughes said they occasionally work with the marble quarry and paper mill.

“Our business is with people in all parts of the country, from up north to Wyoming and down in Florida,” Hughes said. “One thing we do provide for this community, though, is jobs. We give a lot of people jobs, and that’s always a plus.”

Hughes said they offer a variety of jobs, from pat-tern makers, machinists and welders to administration and shipping.

“They are all very impor-tant, skilled jobs,” Hughes said. “When our employees are working, they can’t walk away from what they’re doing. They have to moni-tor the job closely to ensure it comes out at the highest quality possible.”

The foundry serves industries including cement and lime producers, chemi-cal and petroleum manufac-turers, heat treating opera-tions, mining and paper and steel mills.

Its plant facilities include a 20,000 square foot pat-tern shop and storage facili-ties, a 34,000 square foot foundry and a 13,000 foot machine shop.


Southern Alloy provides metal castings and machine parts to industries across the United States.

REESON

PIPEFABRICATION

•Industrial Pipe Fabrication& Installation

•Mechanical Contracting•Industrial Maintenance

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P.O. Box 497 • Childersburg. AL 350441528 Coosa Pines Drive • Fax (256) 378-7728

Serving Our Communitiesand Industries acrossAlabama for 12 years.

(256) [email protected]

300666

“We Lay Pipe Everyday”

MUNFORDThe Town of Munford was incorporated in Au-gust of 2002 and has made tremendous prog-ress in a short period to time. The citizens of Munford should be proud of the job the councils have done during this period. They have been dedicated to provide the very best services to its residents. Building a municipality from the ground up is not an easy task, but thanks to the members of this council and previous councils, it is being done and done right. Munford is grow-ing toward the future with projects like:•Establishing one of the best Senior Citizens Centers under the directions of Judy Moon•Building a new fi re station for the Volunteer Fire Department•Building a walking trail to be enjoyed by the community•Establishing a recreation board and opening up the old high school gym as a Community Center under the direction of Deonne Clark•Making the intersection of Hwy 21 and Cedars Road much safer by spearheading a drive to have a traffi c light and turn lanes installed•Establishing a public library with the direction of Connie Beverly, who recently stepped down after 4 years of untiring service to the Town of Munford. Recently hiring Jenny Trickett to replace Mrs. Beverly and seeking an assistant to help Mrs. Trickett.•Starting a police department and naming Jeff Rutledge as the Police Chief.•Establishing our own municipal court, hiring Judge Larry Ward as the Municipal Judge and Attorney Luke Montgomery as the Prosecuting Attorney. Town Clerk Peggy Bussie will serve as magistrate and court clerk.•With this being an election year we are looking for more people to get involved either by running for public offi ce or just volunteering to serve on one of our committees.

TOWNOF

MUNFORD IS STAYING ON COURSE TOWARD A BRIGHT FUTURE FOR ALL ITS CITIZENS

BY MAKING THE RIGHT MOVES TODAY.

3007

70

P.O. Box 867Sylacauga, AL

35150

256-245-8332

www.tceda.com

L. Calvin Miller, C.I.D. Executive

Director

[email protected]

3007

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(Talladega Site) NSE200 Homer Road

Talladega, Alabama 35160(256) 362-1202

New South Express, LLC(Lincoln Site) Honda249-B Clover Road

Lincoln, Alabama 35096(205) 355-8200

Mailing Address: P.O. Box 824, Lincoln, AL 35096Main Phone Number: (205) 355-8200

• Established: September 13th, 2000• “Just In Time” Consolidation Center for Honda• Returnable Container Management Center for Honda• Over 750 Associates including contract associates• 500,000 sq. ft. of warehousing space at the Talladega Complex

200,000 sq. ft. Available for Lease, with offi ce space, All climate controlled with security and maintenance available• Extensive Packaging, Sequencing, Shipping & Storage Experience• Labeling / RF Scanning / Inventory Control / EDI• Continuous Improvement Quality Management System• Local, Short & Long Haul Transportation Services in North America• Yard Spotting Services • Expedite Services Provided• Minutes from I-20, 55 miles from Birmingham, 107 miles from Atlanta, 90 miles from Montgomery

295986

The leading global supplier ofhigh-tech aluminum components

for the automotive industry.

Proud To BeA Part of the

Sylacauga Community Since 1999

300660


2011 year of strong commitments for Pell CityBy DAVID ATCHISONHome staff writer

Pell City continued to grow in 2011 and city officials look forward to a more prosperous upcom-ing year.

“We, along with the St. Clair County Economic Development Council and the county, have actively and successfully pursued commercial development as evidenced by the arriv-al of Town & Country Ford, Publix Supermarket and others,” Mayor Bill Hereford said.

In addition, more com-mercial development is on the horizon adjacent to the new Chick-fil-A res-taurant, which opened last November.

“I am also pleased that we realize the importance of our existing businesses and have been actively involved in the expansion of several existing indus-tries, including Andritz, Eissmann, Benjamin Moore, WKW and Royal Foods,” Hereford said. “WKW has recently expanded its employment from 130 to more than 500. These are good jobs with a good company.”

He said Pell City sup-ported the Honda of Alabama project from the beginning and the com-pany recently celebrated its 10th anniversary.

“Seven hundred fami-lies in our area have a fam-ily member working for Honda,” Hereford said.

He also pointed out the long-awaited opening of the new $31 million state-of-the-art St. Vincent’s St. Clair Hospital.

“In addition to a strong financial commitment to the hospital, we have also made a strong com-


The Col. Robert L. Howard State Veterans Home is expected to open this summer.

mitment to the Veterans Administration Home, which we anticipate open-ing in early summer,” Hereford said.

He said the $51 million facility is unique in the Southeast, and the sprawl-ing 230,000-square-foot facility will house 250 vet-erans.

“For Pell City to have been entrusted with the care of our nation’s heroes is first of all a great honor,” Hereford said. “Secondly, it is an economic game-changer in that it brings 300 new jobs and a variety of other development.”

He said Jefferson State Community College received a $200,000 grant last year and will expand its health sciences programs to provide for the needs of both the new hospital and the VA home.

The construction boom north of Interstate 20 has sparked even more development, a 72 town-house complex adjacent to the Jefferson State Community College.

“Don Smith (executive director) of the EDC (St. Clair County Economic Development Council) tells me that he is receiv-ing numerous inquiries about property available along the new Veterans Parkway,” Hereford said.

This past year the city has brought on board a full-time city engineer and the council continues to look for a city manager to run the day-to-day opera-tions of a city that contin-ues to grow.

“We believe that sound management of the day-to-day business of this city is essential to our contin-ued growth and enhances

City of Pell CitySales Tax Collections

FY 2006 $10,868,794FY 2010 $11,934,199FY 2011 $12,382,953Sales tax receipts for Pell City for Fiscal Year 2011 are ahead of the previous year and those from 2006, before the sharp economic downturn of 2008.

our attractiveness to those businesses and industries that are considering locat-ing in Pell City,” Hereford said.

He said the city contin-ues to move forward with the rehabilitation of the city’s sewer system to meet requirements outlined in a 2008 Alabama Department of Environmental Management consent order.

“This project is 90 per-cent complete, and we are on track to 100 percent

completion within the time allotted,” Hereford said.

He said the city now has a reliable supply of water for future growth.

“We live in a time in which water is criti-cal to the maintenance of what we have and even more critical as we pur-sue responsible growth,” Hereford said.

Pell City is one of four entities that have worked to construct the Coosa Valley Water Supply District Surface Water Treatment Facility, which will provide water for future growth.

He said the city is also working to bring another well online in the eastern portion of Pell City.

“Looking forward, I believe that we are still on the cusp of becom-ing a real city,” Hereford said. “There are a couple

of major projects which we need to take on if we are to get there. One is a new library, not your grandmother’s library, but a true media center that takes full advantage of the information age that we live in. We have had a cou-ple of good opportunities, but due to the uncertain economy we’re unable to take advantage of them.”

He said another future project city officials need to look at is a state-of-the-art wellness center, which would consist of a 25-meter pool, smaller hot pool, large outdoor pool, coupled with exercise equipment, demonstra-tion kitchen and a daycare for children while parents are working out at the new facility.

“My most recent visit to such a facility was to the city of Cullman, which is about our size,” Hereford said. “They borrowed $15 million to make it happen. It is already paying for itself through individual and family memberships and has become a valuable industrial recruiting tool and incidentally has itself produced more than 100 jobs.

“We can make these things happen in our com-munity, and I believe that we will,” Hereford said. “Good things don’t hap-pen overnight, but they do happen where there is an abiding will that they hap-pen. I know that the will to move ahead is alive and well in our community, and I am confident that we will achieve these and other goals.”

Contact David Atchison at [email protected].

By EMILY ADAMSHome staff writer

After a year of stable rev-enue and growth in indus-try and retail, Sylacauga is poised to make major progress in 2012.

Retail sales for the city were up about 2 percent last year, helping to stabi-lize income, Mayor Sam Wright said.

“We’ve been in the same position the last few years where we’re just trying to keep our heads above water,” he said. “But we have managed to keep downtown viable and active, and we have not suffered big ups and downs in our sales tax revenue, so we’ve been very fortunate.”

Another of last year’s accomplishments was reviving the city’s curbside recycling program, which officially began Jan. 2.

“Starting that campaign again was something a lot of people in Sylacauga wanted, and I hope they continue to take advantage of it,” Wright said.

After about five years of no curbside program, a $127,000 grant from the Alabama Department of Environmental Management allowed the

city to start it again.“It’s too soon to deter-

mine how it’s doing, but it’s something people were very interested in,” Wright said. “At the six-month mark or so, we’ll probably do an evaluation to see exactly how it’s doing.”

This year’s project agenda includes the U.S. 280 development project, increasing Sylacauga’s mar-ble business and expansions of major industries.

Wright said renewed activity on the city’s 280 property appears promis-ing.

“It’s something that has been talked about for a while, and we think we’re to the point of seeing that development start,” he said.

The project’s complexity delayed its progress, Wright said.

“We’re very conscious of dealing with the public’s money, and you want to make sure everything is a go before you commit yourself,” he said. “At the same time, we are in a pro-active mode and hope we get something before some-thing is done on either end of us, and that’s also impor-tant.”

Also progressing is

Sylacauga’s marble indus-try.

The quarry has begun to furnish niche covers for national cemeteries, Wright said, shipping them as far away as San Bernardino, Calif., and into Kansas and Florida.

“That’s been a big boost to the economy,” Wright said. “We want to keep that up and certainly build on that.”

Building an observation deck at the marble quarry is also planned for this year.

“Forty years ago, peo-ple could readily drive out Quarry Road and see the marble pit, and people still want to do that,” Wright said. “Where they’re going to have it is very convenient to 280 and will be a great

opportunity for people to see the quarry.”

Contributing to the growth of Sylacauga’s mar-ble industry is the annual Marble Festival in April.

“It always brings a lot of people into Sylacauga, and several of the sculptors have gotten commissioned work from their time at the festival, which provides a livelihood to them, so that’s been great,” Wright said.

Marble isn’t the only growing industry, though. Several of Sylacauga’s indus-tries, including Heritage Plastics and Nemak, have already expanded or are planning expansions for this year, Wright said.

“It’s really gratifying to realize our major industry

has all done expansions,” he said. “I think our industry is really positioning itself for a good year.”

Wright also noted con-struction progress at the IKO shingle plant on Fayetteville Road.

“We are very glad that IKO chose to come to Sylacauga,” he said. “While they haven’t gotten to the point of hiring yet, you have to be pleased with the amount of construction going on. That benefits the city in a lot of ways, wheth-er it’s direct purchases or just having more people in the area buying gas and food.”

Community interest is a large part of determin-ing what the city takes on,

Wright said.

“Some things you do because it makes sense to add money in retail sales, but at the same time you do things that people want and ask you to do,” he said. “We hope and feel that these things are what people in Sylacauga want to see.”

Muenger expects Talladega to stay the course in 2012By CHRIS NORWOODHome staff writer

The city of Talladega elected a new mayor and three new councilmen in 2011, but city manager Brian Muenger said he expects the city to largely stay the course.

“One of the good things about the manager system is that you don’t have a change of direc-tion every four years. We passed a new budget for this year without signifi-cant changes. The next step will be the approval of a new, two year Capital Improvement Project bud-get. But this budget will be funded differently than the last one, which was paid for through a bond issue. There won’t be a bond issue this time. This one will come from some sales tax.”

The old council approved a 1 cent sales tax increase last year, with 50 percent earmarking for capital improvement, 25 percent for general fund and 25 percent into an escrow account. Muenger said he plans to ask the council to set a cap on the escrow account and use any money over the cap for improvements as well. Funds from fuel and oil trust funds will also go toward the project.

“The first step will be to make up for delayed vehicle replacement,” he said. “We saw a spike in maintenance costs that we shouldn’t have to worry about by taking advan-tage of the state bid list. We have some purchasing perks there. (Purchasing director) Terry Hanner and (personnel director) Cathy Fuller got new Escapes for about $5,000 less than what they would have cost otherwise, so that’s a pretty significant savings, plus it helps do away with some maintenance costs. We’ll be replacing some detective cars and police cruisers, some supervisor trucks in the Community Appearance Department that are eight to 10 years old and some work trucks.”

The new plan will be split into two years, “to allow us to get a better handle on our tax revenue. There will be some paving

City of TalladegaSales Tax Collections

FY 2007 $6,974,881FY 2010 $6,355,749FY 2011 $6,987,196Sales tax receipts for Talladega for Fiscal Year 2011 are ahead of the previous year and those from 2007, before the sharp economic downturn of 2008. *The city increased its sales tax rate in March 2011.

in year two, to allow the utilities to go ahead and replace what they’ve got underneath those roads. We did that last year, too. And we’re going to be doing some work on the animal control building as well. That was done in house, and it’s not very inviting. The ventilation is poor, some of the fans don’t work, the gates are rusted and there are no outside runs. It’s also up to capacity. Collections are up, especially from the county. These fixes will allow us to look at longer holding times, which will increase the chances of an animal being adopted out. Which is really what the shelter is for.”

The city had previ-ously applied for a grant to fund a massive drain-age study, but was turned down. The study is still needed, Muenger said. “We don’t have easements for a lot of these, and we need to get them,” he said. Improvements will also need to be made on the drainage systems at Pope Hill Park, Avenue H and in Veterans Park. The sec-ond year will also include the fourth welcome sign into the city.

The heating and air conditioning at the Ritz Theater will need to be replaced, and the council will have to make a deci-sion on what to do about the unbraced second floor at the Ott’s Building, which is considered unsafe.

An energy audit is also on tap for the coming year.

The water crisis last year is a good example of why the mapping of the water system is essential for coming years.

“We had a catastroph-ic event,” he said. “The response was good, but it could have been a lot bet-ter with proper planning.

Mapping the system is a first step. You also can’t discount the importance of wells. When you com-pare the production cost of well water with sur-face water, it’s obvious. We need to bring wells back on line. That’s why we need to put an air stripper on the Harmon Park well and start using it again. We’ll have to go through a sampling period and (Alabama Department of Environmental Management) review, but we should be able to use it after that.”

Much of the past year has been spent making the city’s water and sewer system compliant with a consent decree by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. That process is now almost complete.

“We’re working on full redundancy at the main sewer plant. Several major pieces of equipment there were non-functional, and the employees were having to strip parts to maintain them. All of them were outdated. We also refur-bished the storage tanks at the water plant, which was also on the list. Getting double-walled tanks will be the last item on the list.”

Once the mapping is complete, there are plans to install a remote moni-toring system for all of the city’s wells and pumps stations.

The past year also saw the completion of major renovations at the Spring Street Recreation Center, the Jemison tennis courts and the LMo building on the square, which is now home to a thriving busi-ness.

“We also put on a suc-cessful election,” Muenger said. “That involved a lot of planning, but it was suc-cessfully executed. There were some weaknesses, some controversy over sig-nage, but I am confident that everyone was afforded the opportunity to vote.”

Perhaps the one snag in the election process was the fact that the National Guard Armory, which is normally a designated polling place, was closed at the time. Voting went fair-ly smoothly at the Brecon Recreation Center, but not

everyone got the message beforehand.

“We’re going to be

monitoring the situa-tion with the armory,” Muenger said.

Contact Chris Norwood at [email protected].


Progress on major projects planned forSylacauga


Retail sales were up 2 percent in Sylacauga last year, helping stabilize income. Much of the work to keep the city growing is done at the Municipal Complex.

City of SylacaugaSales Tax Collections

FY 2006 $6,554,408FY 2010 $5,830,448FY 2011 $5,929,184Sales tax receipts for the City of Sylacauga for Fiscal Year 2011, the previous year and 2006, be-fore the sharp economic down-turn of 2008.

Business Categories •Marble, crushed and broken-quarrying in Sylacauga, AL•Crushed/Broken Stone Mfg Industrial in organic chemicals•Other Crushed and Broken Stone Mining and Quarrying

World’s leading producer of industrial performance minerals

1301 Gene Stewart Blvd. Sylacauga, AL

256/249-4901Imerys USA, Inc in Sylacauga, AL is a private company categorized under Marble, Crushed and Broken-Quarrying. It was established in and incorporated in Alabama.

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THE DAILY HOME, Talladega and St. Clair counties, Ala., Sunday, February 12, 2012 —11AGOVERNMENT & INDUSTRY

Brian Schoenhals/Home file photo

The Honda Manufacturing of Alabama plant in Lincoln is 3.5 million square feet with a site size of 1,350 acres. There are more than 4,000 associates, and the company has an annual payroll that exceeds $250 million.

By GARY HANNERHome staff writer

The associates of Honda Manufacturing of Alabama in Lincoln produced in 2011 a total of 262,047 Odyssey minivans, Pilot sport utility vehicles, Ridgeline pickups and the V-6 engines that power all three models.

Preliminary production results show HMA turned out 130,442 Odyssey min-ivans, 118,405 Pilot SUVs, and 13,200 Ridgeline pick-ups at the Lincoln facil-ity. HMA is the exclusive global production source for the Odyssey, Pilot and Ridgeline.

“Honda experienced unprecedented challeng-es in 2011, from natural disasters both in Japan and here in Alabama,” HMA President Tom Shoupe said. “But through all the difficulties, our associates embodied Honda’s chal-lenging spirit in working as one team to build high quality products for our customers.”

Production at all of Honda’s North American facilities was reduced in mid-year as a result of the March 11 earthquake and tsunami that struck central Japan. The period of reduced production in Alabama opened an oppor-tunity for Honda associ-ates to support disaster relief and cleanup efforts in central Alabama follow-ing the devastating April 27 tornado outbreak.

A total of 1,516 asso-ciates volunteered more than 12,000 hours to assist with tornado cleanup in the disaster areas and work at relief agencies. A second period of reduced produc-tion occurred in the fourth quarter of the year due to a parts shortage stemming from flooding at industrial parks in Thailand.

During the year, HMA announced investments totaling $275 million to support the addition of the Acura MDX luxury sport utility vehicle to its pro-duction lineup in 2013. The investments also will support an increase in annual production capac-ity to 340,000 vehicles and engines by 2013 and support improvements in manufacturing flex-ibility. The company also announced plans to hire at least 140 production asso-ciates.

HMA employs 4,000 associates at its Lincoln facility and is the sole production source of the Odyssey minivan, the Pilot sport utility vehicle, the Ridgeline pickup and the V-6 engines that power each vehicle.

HMA became the first zero-waste-to-landfill auto plant in North America, at the outset of produc-tion in 2001, setting off an industry-leading trend within the company.

Since the first Alabama built Honda rolled off the

Location: Lincoln, Alabama Plant size: 3.5 million square feetSite size: 1,350 acresEmployment: More than 4,000 associatesCapital Investment: $2 billion by 2013Annual Payroll: Exceeds $250 millionModels in Production: Honda Odyssey, Pilot,

Ridgeline, and V-6 engines. (Acura MDX in 2013)Operations Performed: HMA was established as one of

Honda’s most vertically integrated manufacturing facili-ties. Steel and aluminum blanking, stamping, welding, painting, plastic injection molding, aluminum casting, aluminum machining, ferrous machining, vehicle sub-assembly and assembly, engine assembly, vehicle testing and quality assurance.

Production Capacity: 300,000 vehicles & engines Started Production: Nov. 14, 2001

$275 million to be invested in HMA’s future


Leftover scrap metal from the stamping process at Honda is all recycled.

assembly line on Nov. 14, 2001, the Alabama plant has produced more than 2.3 million vehicles and engines.

On an annual basis, HMA recycles right at:

• 80 million pounds of scrap metal (metal waste streams make up the majority of HMA’s recy-cled waste)

• Five million pounds of cardboard

• 500,000 pounds of plastic

• 20,000 pounds of alu-minum cans

Zero Landfill FacilityIn 2011, Honda

Manufacturing of Alabama became the first zero-waste-to-landfill auto plant in North America, setting off an industry-leading trend within the company.

Since establishing zero-waste-to-landfill pro-duction at its Alabama plant in 2001, Honda has undertaken at its 14 North American plants to eliminate landfill waste. Honda associates at these plants have identified and implemented hundreds of waste-reduction and waste-recycling initiatives. These include the reduction of metal scrap, improved parts packaging for ease of recycling and minimiz-ing paper and plastic waste from cafeterias.

As a result, in the past 10 years Honda plants have eliminated an esti-mated 4.4 billion pounds of waste material that could have gone to landfills. This equals the amount of annual household waste produced in a year by 2.8 million Americans or, roughly, the population of Chicago.

Honda is also a leader in the development of lead-ing-edge technologies to improve fuel efficiency and reduce CO2 emissions, including vehicles pow-ered by advanced gasoline

2011 HMAquick facts

engines and natural gas-powered engines, as well as gasoline-electric hybrid, battery-electric and hydro-gen fuel cell-electric vehi-cles.

In 2010, Honda was named America’s “Greenest Automaker” for the fifth consecutive time by the Union of Concerned Scientists.

None of the wastes generated by production processes at HMA are sent to land-based dispos-al. To achieve this “Zero Landfill” status, HMA has established relationships with several different waste recyclers and processors, as well as waste-to-energy facilities. HMA plans to further reduce waste gener-ation while continuing to look for additional benefi-cial outlets for its byprod-ucts of production.

HMA provides cafeteria services to its more than 5,500 on-site associates, contractors and service providers. Use of reusable plates, silverware and glass-es serve to reduce over-all solid waste generation from cafeteria services, and repulpers are used in caf-

eteria kitchens to extract liquids and reduce waste volumes from food service waste streams.

Some of the ways HMA maintains its Zero Landfill status include:

RecyclingEach year, HMA recy-

cles 80 million pounds of scrap metal, 5 million pounds of cardboard, 500,000 pounds of plastic and 20,000 pounds of alu-minum cans.

They recycle found-ry sand from aluminum die-casting operations in cement kilns as a recipe additive for Portland cement.

They recycle spent bat-teries, fluorescent light bulbs, scrap metal, card-board packaging and office paper.

They send wood pal-lets to pallet manufactur-ers for reuse and recycling; Laundering gloves and rags generated in production departments for reuse.

Covered StorageFacilities

Automotive fluids, including gasoline, engine

oil, transmission fluid, antifreeze and other simi-lar materials are stored in aboveground tanks inside roofed, diked storage areas to prevent possible con-tamination of rainwater runoff and groundwater resources. All points are product transfer and main-tained in areas sheltered from rainfall.

In addition to sheltered bulk storage facilities, all product transfer piping at HMA has been installed above ground and is cov-ered to prevent contact with rainfall. This design allows leaks to be easily detected and repaired, while pre-venting groundwater con-tamination often associated with underground piping. Also, all outdoor piping is equipped with drip trays to contain any potential leaks. Though not required by regulation, all waste-water treatment facilities at HMA are surrounded by secondary containment dikes to prevent possible contamination of stormwa-ter runoff and groundwater resources.

Minimizing CommunityImpact

During original con-struction of HMA’s facility, an earthen levee was built that surrounds the plant site. This levee serves to reduce the impact of noise and visibility on the local community.

Significant efforts have been made to maintain the natural beauty of the HMA facility. Entrances to the plant are landscaped with many native plant species and several acres of the HMA campus have been left with original for-est growth intact. HMA engages in forestry manage-ment practices, including clearing of undergrowth in key areas and removal of trees infested with pine beetles.

HMA treats process

wastewater from its manu-facturing operations in an on-site pretreatment plant. The effluent from this plant is sent to the municipal wastewater treatment facil-ity for the city of Lincoln. HMA installed a double-walled underground pipe-line to transfer pre-treated effluent from HMA’s treat-ment facility to the Lincoln wastewater plant.

Use of Waterborne Body and Bumper Paints

Instead of traditional solvent-based coatings, the majority of vehicle coat-ings used by HMA are water-based, significantly reducing the emissions of harmful pollutants result-ing from painting process-es. HMA pioneered the use of waterborne primer tech-nology to coat plastic bum-pers, and this technology is currently being applied at other Honda facilities.

As a result of HMA’s efforts, atmospheric emis-sions of harmful organic pollutants are among the lowest in the automotive industry.

Improvements to saveenergy, reduce waste andpromote environmental

mindsetSince commencing

production in late 2001, HMA has implemented several projects designed to conserve resources and minimize environmental impacts throughout the plant.

New control strategies for area lighting have been implemented to turn off lights in operating depart-ments during periods of production downtime. This “lights-off ” effort reduces electricity consumption for the plant and has the potential to save more than $125,000 annually.

Control systems have been added to air com-pressor systems to improve compressor efficiency.

A water retention tank system was installed to cap-ture cooling tower over-flows during the summer months in order to store and recover excess water for reuse.

Plant HVAC system operation is reduced dur-ing non-production peri-ods by changing tempera-ture setpoints inside the plant. Also, fresh outside air makeup to the facil-ity is limited on weekends and during other periods of low plant occupancy to minimize the amount of heating and air condi-tioning energy required to maintain plant humidity and temperature.

Basins built to control sediment from storm water runoff from the entire site during original plant con-struction have been con-verted into emergency run-off control basins.

Contact Gary Hanner at [email protected].

12A — THE DAILY HOME, Talladega and St. Clair counties, Ala., Sunday, February 12, 2012 government & industry

R. K. AllenOil Company36002 Alabama Hwy. 21

P. O. Box 456Talladega, AL 35161

256.362.4261877.385.6162

R. K. Allen Oil Company, Inc. began as a Texaco branded jobber in 1965 in Tal-ladega, with Ken Allen Sr. as its owner and sole employee. Today, Ken Jr. and Keith, sons of Ken Sr., have taken on most of the responsibility as partners and co-owners.

The company has grown to over twenty locations and continues to grow.R. K. Allen Oil Company, Inc is a family owned and operated business. We will continue to strive to be diversifi ed and a complete petroleum supplier for our cus-tomers for generations to come.

Established in 1965

296030

Major airports supplied bySylacauga’s Velcon FiltersBy KENNY FARMERSpecial Projects editor

Velcon Filters, a pro-ducer of ground-based jet fuel filtration prod-ucts, recently began its 32nd year in business at the same location on Hill Road in Sylacauga.

The company, which employs more than 100 workers, supplies products to airlines, refineries and all the world’s major air-ports. Some of Velcon’s customers include New York’s LaGuardia airport, Chevron USA, Marathon Petroleum, Colonial Pipeline and Shell Aviation.

The company was founded in 1953 under the name Enfab Inc. The company’s first products were fabricated fiber-glass components for the United States’ 2.75 Rocket. This led to the creation of a proprietary fiberglass filter coalescer in 1957. It was initially introduced to both mili-tary and commercial avi-ation fuel markets, and subsequently to pipe-lines and refineries. The company, now known as Velcon Filters LLC, sup-plies more replacement cartridges to purify jet fuel than any other company

in the world.In 1979 the company

broke ground in Sylacauga. The same year, the compa-ny introduced its patented Aquacon water-absorbing cartridges. The cartridges are designed to remove water and dirt from indus-trial oils and fuels, and restore the oil or fuel to a clean, usable condition.

Velcon ships supplies to major airports across the world. Many of the products Velcon ships to airports are filters that are used to clean up ground-based jet fuel.

The facilities at Velcon saw an expansion in 2011. A 50-foot by 100-foot addition was added to the production area of the company’s facilities. The new space was cre-ated to expand production opportunities by provid-ing ample space for a new 80-inch pleater and oven.

In addition to the manufacturing plant in Sylacauga, Velcon also has plants in Henryetta, Okla., and Colorado Springs, Colo., which is also the location of the company’s headquarters.

Velcon’s “quality policy” includes five basic prin-ciples: performance, rela-tionships, improvement,

documented quality and employees. Performance is defined as “conforming to the requirements and expectations of customers at a cost that represents value.” The principle of “relationships” is described as fostering long-term working relationships with customers, employees, stockholders and vendors that are mutually benefi-cial. Another principal of the company is to practice continuous improvement through training and practice. Another focus of Velcon Filters is to meet the quality require-ments of the International Standards Organization, or ISO. The company also ensures that quality work is being done by employ-ees.

Safety is of high impor-tance at Velcon Filters. Velcon’s safety statistics are reported to state and federal agencies, including the Occupation, Safety and Health Administration. In 2011, Velcon had five recordable accidents. An accident is considered recordable only when it leads to loss time or restricted work. Their goal for 2012 is three record-able accidents or fewer.

“Everyone in the com-pany benefits from a safe environment, and every-one in the company can contribute to a safe envi-ronment,” said Denise Canfield, vice president of operations. “Safety is not just a metric, it is a mindset.”

At Velcon, safety is said to begin with plant clean-liness, work cell organi-zation, work instructions

and employee training. The focused attention of its employees also reduces the risk of injury.

Velcon employees do their part in the commu-nity, as well. In December, employees donated more than 130 toys to Toys for Tots. Four large boxes were filled to capacity with toys and gifts at Velcon’s Christmas luncheon.

Velcon has many long-time employees, and Canfield said that turn-over rates for employees are very low. She describes the workplace environ-ment at Velcon as “friend-ly, pleasant and profes-sional,” Canfield also said the company provides competitive wages and benefits.

“Velcon helps to enrich the lives of its employees through various employee benefits and by focusing on an individual’s strengths within their career to help develop a foundation for ongoing success,” said Elizabeth Blade, a buyer for Velcon.

“Velcon is a good, solid company with on-the-job training, good benefits, employee appreciation, freedom and trust to do your job,” said Joan Scher, purchasing manager.

“Sylacauga is a great location,” Canfield said. “We have diligent and hard working person-nel. Many individuals are active in their local church or community. The people at our facility in Sylacauga take pride in doing a good job and building a good product.”

Contact Kenny Farmer at [email protected].


Employee Andreka Curry rolling material at Velcon’s Urethane Capping Station.

By KENNY FARMERSpecial projects editor

Industrial Machine and Supply Inc. opened in Talladega in 1967 in the same place it stands today, 101 Costner St.

The company began as one with an emphasis was on supplying replacement parts for carpet yarn spin-ning mills in the Southeast. As textile mills began to disappear around the South, Industrial Machine’s focus shifted away from textiles and toward preci-sion computer numerical control machining services. Industrial Machine also offers a range of shaft mak-ing and custom gear and sprocket cutting services, maintains a lathe machine and provides welding, mill-ing and turning services.

“I grew up here,” said David Williams, president of Industrial Machine and Supply. “I learned this like I learned to walk and talk.”

Williams was 8 when his father, Tom Williams, began the business.

Williams began working at Industrial Machine while still in high school. He said there was a period follow-ing school that he ques-tioned whether he would want to continue working there, but said he never pursued anything else.

By 1996, Williams had taken over as president of the company for his father, who had retired.

Williams said his dad still comes by the shop some mornings, and the visits are good for him and good for business.

“He’s got a lot of wis-dom,” Williams said.

Concerning technology, Williams said his father “didn’t know anything about it and didn’t want to know anything about it.”

“When Dad started, there was a lot of work for the textile mills,” Williams said. “He made parts for all the machines at the textile mill. We don’t do anything for textile mills anymore.”

He said his dad was never interested in what he calls “modernizing.”

“I made a lot of chang-es,” Williams said.

One of those chang-es was the addition of Computer Numerical Control machines.

“With CNC controlled

machines, I can do jobs that we never would have considered doing before,” Williams said. “There just wasn’t any way. It wasn’t feasible.”

He said jobs they used to do manually are now done with the aid of the CNC controlled machines. He said the work is more efficient and accurate.

Williams said the main focus of his business is the manufacturing of replace-ment parts for various machines and various com-panies. He said they make anything from replacement parts for farm equipment to machine gears used by Glad to produce garbage bags to parts for liquid and sludge pumps.

Williams has recently seen an increase in business at Industrial Machine.

“Around August, work picked up,” he said. “I was glad to see that. We had been slow for three years, if not four years, as most people have in manufactur-ing. I hope it keeps up.”

Even though Williams has been successful in recent months, he takes a conservative approach to an uncertain economic future.

“If our workload contin-ues the way it is, I could use another CNC machine,” he said. “But I just can’t see going in debt for it with the economy the way it is. It’s too scary to do that.

“I don’t mean to get political, but if the gov-ernment steps up and starts raising taxes, you can bet the economy will take a turn for the worse,” Williams said.

“In a capitalistic society, which we have, which is the best way to go — the more tax you put on a cor-poration, the more burden you put on a corporation. (A business owner) has no choice but to forward that on to the consumer. He cannot absorb it. Regardless of what anybody thinks, he cannot absorb it because he has to make a profit. If he can’t make a profit, he can’t stay in business.”

Including Williams, Industrial Machine employs 10 people, includ-ing longtime employ-ees Frankie Williams and Danny Horton, who have combined almost 50 years at the company.

AARON D. THOMASCircuit Clerk

Talladega County

Pd. Pol. Adv. by Aaron D. Thomas, P.O. Box 6399, Talladega, AL 35161

Democratic PrimaryMarch 13, 2012

★ Experienced ★ Qualifi ed

★ Accountable

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53 Bob Crisp/The Daily Home

Tez Twymon cuts blanks for one of Velcon’s pleaters.

CNC work picksup at IndustrialMachine and Supply

69220 Alabama Highway 77 • P.O. Box 837 • Talladega, Alabama 35161 (256) 362-4180 • 1-800-273-7210

www.coosavalleyec.com [email protected]

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THE DAILY HOME, Talladega and St. Clair counties, Ala., Sunday, February 12, 2012 —13AGOVERNMENT & INDUSTRY

By ELSIE HODNETTHome staff writer

Lincoln officials hope to be in the new City Hall and Fire Station this month.

“I think we will be in the new City Hall in February,” Mayor Lew Watson said in mid-January. “A lot of the construction is weather dependent.”

Plans for a City Hall and Fire Station were in the works for several years. The council awarded the $3.47 million project to Boatner Construction Company Inc. in December 2010. The original completion date was set for November 2011, however, it was pushed back due to numer-ous weather delays.

The new City Hall and Fire Station is on Magnolia Street, the site of the old Lincoln Elementary School.

The City Hall building is 13,500 square feet. It fea-tures a large courtroom and council chambers, meeting rooms, conference rooms and more. The building design allows for public use of the meeting rooms after hours without public access to the city office area.

The new Fire Station is a badly needed expan-sion that is large enough to house all of the Fire

Department’s equipment.“I think we will prob-

ably occupy the build-ing before the landscape is completed if there are continued weather delays,” Watson said.

Donald Mitchell, super-intendent for Boatner Construction Company, said in mid-January that City Hall was about 98 per-cent complete and lacked only the finishing touches. The Fire Station was about 90 percent complete and should be finished shortly after City Hall. The total project was about two months behind schedule in mid-January.

Mitchell said the exte-riors of both buildings are completed and the interi-ors should be completed by the end of January. There were about three weeks of landscaping work to com-plete in mid-January, with dry weather and sunshine needed to complete that portion of the project.

Watson said the city will try to maintain services as much as possible during the move to the new build-ing.

City officials anticipate moving from the old City Hall to the new building during a period of a cou-ple of days, possibly over a weekend. The move may


Lincoln’s new City Hall has 13,500 square feet. It features a courtroom and and council cham-bers, meeting rooms, conference rooms and more.

start on a Friday, when City Hall is closed.

Watson said City Hall hours of operation would likely be the same in the new building.

City officials plan to hold a ribbon cutting and open house ceremony at some point, but are still working on the details.

Watson said the city also completed a $160,000 sidewalk project on Lock 4 Road during the summer of 2011. The project was a stimulus grant with a zero city match.

“We also finished a water line on Wills Farm Road and a water line exten-sion on Glade Road,” he said. “And renovations of

the Wastewater Treatment Plant are under way.”

Plans for a handicapped accessible fishing trail to tie into the newly renovated downtown area are still in the works.

Although construction of the Lincoln Fishing Trail did not begin in 2011 as city officials had hoped, the

project is still ongoing.“We are still commit-

ted to the Lincoln Fishing Trail,” Watson said. “The project should be under way in the next few months, probably in April or May. Construction should take about 60 days.”

The idea behind the fishing trail is to offer an easily accessible place where anyone can go and fish. The trail includes a bridge that will go from the old downtown Lincoln area across Blue Eye Creek. The steel-and-concrete bridge will be approximately 60 feet long and 10 feet wide and will feature steel rail-ing in a line and V-shape pattern.

Blue Eye Creek varies from a couple of feet deep up to 8 feet deep in some places. The creek is about 3 feet deep where the bridge will span.

The plans feature four fishing stations in a board-walk layout. The fishing stations will each be 20-60 feet long, depending on the depth of the creek in those areas and the landscape. Concrete trails, chosen over a more natural path to allow for handicapped accessibility, will connect the fishing stations and the bridge.

Contact Elsie Hodnett at [email protected].

Town of RiversideSales Tax CollectionsFY 2006 $174,578FY 2010 $122,088FY 2011 $134,874

Sales tax receipts for the Town of Riverside for Fiscal Year 2011, the previous year and 2006, before the sharp eco-nomic downturn of 2008.

Riverside finishesyear in the blackBy GARY HANNERHome staff writer

Mayor Rusty Jessup said 2011 is the year Riverside turned the corner.

“We turned the corner because for the first time in four years, we finished the year in the black in our general fund budget.” Jessup said. “We brought in $637,000 and spent $635,000. It felt good to operate the city without a deficit. We didn’t lose money, and that’s a signal to me that we have turned the corner.”

Jessup said it has been a four-year effort of cut-backs.

“Unfortunately, we have had to lay some people off,” he said. “But we’ve also found all sorts of ways to cut back expenses at City Hall. In spite of our circumstances, we have managed the city in a way that has not broken us. I’m encouraged about the future.”

Jessup said he’s thrilled that he has a good relation-ship with the council.

“As chairman of the St. Clair Mayor’s Association and active in the Alabama League of Municipalities, I feel a great deal of sympa-thy for mayors and coun-cils that can’t get along about anything,” he said. “If you don’t have a mayor and council that can work together, and pull together, it can be bad. You can have your differences, but what you have to do with your differences is sit down and

work them out, rather than just saying my way or the highway. Nothing happens that way and it stops the city from moving forward.

“One of our biggest challenges right now is although our population is on the rise, our city sales tax is shrinking,” Jessup said. “As the public grows and the public demand gets bigger, our resources for providing those demands are getting smaller. That’s the biggest headache we’ve got right now. As an admin-istration, we are trying to provide what the citizens of Riverside expect.

Jessup said there are some exciting projects on the horizon for Riverside that will be revenue pro-ducers for the future.

The projects are being made possible with the help of the St. Clair County Economic Development Council.

“One particular project that we launched in 2011 is the industrial park that we are putting together out at the old gravel/asphalt pit,” Jessup said. “It’s at the cor-ner of Vannick Road and U.S. 78. This will enable us to get some industrial-access money, which means we will be able to build a nice big road that will tie into Vannick Road and go back into that park. There’s 36 acres back in there that we are going to make avail-able.”

Jessup said the industrial park will enable them to get federal sewer money, which a town normally can’t get

for commercial or residen-tial development. Jessup said they would also get a grant for a railroad spur.

“There are also 34 acres that are attached to this property that is owned by Metro Bank,” Jessup said. “They are very interested in developing that property, too. We could have a 70-acre industrial park when it is all said and done. It is very, very valuable prop-erty that will have railroad access, interstate access and sewer.

“We are very, very close to making an announce-ment,” he said. “We hope to have a base manufacturer there, say with 100 employ-ees. That would then be surrounded by an office park, which would in turn bring in commercial devel-opment.”

Jessup sees the town’s marina as a revenue driver.

“Just the boat ramp alone generated about $1,000 per month in revenue,” he said.”

Jessup said he and the council understood that to keep the fishermen coming, they would have to provide gas on the water, and that, too, is bringing in about $1,000 a month.

“We applied for another ADECA grant that would provide for some more upgrades to the marina. We should know something in March or April.”

Town of Childersburg‘ready for the fast track’By MARKLEDBETTERHome staff writer

Childersburg’s leadership has positioned the town for industrial and commercial development.

Major accomplishments in 2011 include the indus-trial park being named an AdvantageSite, improve-ment of the Industrial Park entrance, securing a grant for downtown revitaliza-tion, and being on track to receive certification as a Community of Excellence.

Town clerk Sandra Donahoo said the AdvantageSite designation means the 117 acres at the industrial park are “ready to go”

With assistance from the Industrial Access Road and Bridge program, a new entrance to the park was created. Mayor B.J. Meeks said the road was prepared for heavy duty use.

Continuing park improvements call for a sign for the new entrance and landscaping.

Other substantial improvements include the installation of water and sewer lines. A water tank was installed for fire sup-pression.

Also in 2011, a Community Development Block Grant was secured for the demolition of unsightly buildings in town. The removal of these buildings will “improve the appear-ance of the community,” Meeks said.

Receiving two substan-

City of ChildersburgSales Tax Collections

FY 2006 $1,347,811FY 2010 $1,394,588FY 2011 $1,372,426Sales tax receipts for the City of Childersburg for Fiscal Year 2011, the previous year and 2006, before the sharp eco-nomic downturn of 2008.

tial grants, the town is poised to begin the down-town revitalization. The grants with matching city funds mean $550,000 for the project.

Revitalization will include 1st Street just past Rainwater Museum and both intersections at 8th

and 9th avenues.Improvements must

meet federal and state requirements. Safety is a major concern.

Howard Smith, Childersburg’s coordi-nator for the Alabama Community of Excellence, recently received news that Childersburg is on track to receive a certificate of excellence at the Alabama League of Municipalities conference this spring.

Becoming an “Alabama Community of Excellence” makes Childersburg eligible for future grants for devel-opment.

“We’re ready for the fast track,” Meeks said.

RAGLANDTELEPHONE CO.

630 Main St.,Ragland, AL

205-472-2141Proudly Serving the Ragland Area

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HAWK PLASTICS14447 Plant Rd., Alpine AL, 35014800-467-4295 Fax: 256-378-3079

Hawk Plastics was organized 28 years ago in January of 1984. Production start-ed in the former Beaunit building on Plant Road in October of 1985, and by the grace of God, the Hawk is still fl ying 26 years later. Hawk is now one of the oldest PVC pipe producers in the USA that is American owned and has had the same name for its total existence. Hawk has employed as many as 40 employees to man the 3 shift operation and has maintained a steady workforce of 24 during the last 2 years of the economic slowdown and has not experienced a lost time accident in over 7 years; again by the grace of God. Manufacturers of PVC plastic sewer pipe with Integral Bell Gasketed joints and specializing in standard and custom PVC perforated pipe. Hawk produces other PVC extrusions, custom cylinders, core tubes and they are the exclusive U.S. Manufacturer of patented molded plastic Ragglesticks , marketed and sold by RAGGLESTICK Packaging. Ragglesticks are used for creating compactness and stability to the packaging and storing of cylin-der objects such as pipe, tubes rolls, drums and barrels and was invention of the founders of Hawk Plastics. 300766

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SylacaugaHousing Authority

Providing Affordable Housing in Sylacauga Since 1941

1-2-3-4 & 5 Bedroom Apts.

415 W. 8th Street • Sylacauga

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City of LincolnSales Tax Collections

FY 2006 $2,572,802FY 2010 $2,374,476FY 2011 $2,499,734Sales tax receipts for the City of Lincoln for Fiscal Year 2011, the previous year and 2006, before the sharp economic downturn of 2008.

2011 saw lotsof progressin small town

THE FORD METER BOX COMPANY, INC.Pell City, Alabama

Manufacturing productsfor the distribution of water worldwide.

CONGRATULATIONS TO OUR ASSOCIATES FOR A REMARKABLE ACHIEVEMENT

SIX YEARS WORKEDWITHOUT A LOST TIME ACCIDENT!

2071 Sylacauga-Fayetteville Hwy.Sylacauga, AL

Tel. (256) 245-1777 • Fax (802) 776-8266

Omya controls raw material resources for marble, chalk, limestone and dolomite to make calcium carbonate fi llers and coating pig-ments for use in numerous sectors of markets.

Calcium carbonate is an exceptional compound. The chemical formula CaCO3 stands for a raw material that exists everywhere in nature, dissolved in rivers and oceans, melted as “cold” carbon-atite-lava and solidifi ed as a mineral, dripstone or as parent material for whole mountain ranges.

Since 1992, the Alabama Carbonates, L.P. plant in Sylacauga, Alabama, has produced fi ne calcium carbonate fi ller and coatings grades to meet the growing demands of paper and packaging manufacturers located in the southern United States. This past year the facility installed a dry plant and has begun producing treated products for the paint and plastics industries. The new facility will supply products to the paint and plastics market in the southeastern and southwestern United States.

Certifi catesThis plant is certifi ed to ISO 9001.

300713


By AZIZA JACKSONHome staff writer

The town of Munford continues to make big strides in improving the lives of its residents.

Since being incor-porated in 2002, the town has seen an expan-sion in its Recreation Department and Volunteer Fire Department, and the establishment of a court system, preschool and gro-cery store.

“Well this last year we started our court system,” Mayor Lynne Swinford said. “We had our first court date in November; the second is coming up Jan. 19.”

Court dates are sched-uled on the third Thursday of every other month.

“Larry Ward is our judge, he does all of the small towns around, and

Luke Montgomery is our prosecutor,” Police Chief Jeff Rutledge said.

Town clerk Peggy Bussie also serves as magistrate and court clerk.

“At first we were going through the district court but after doing the research we found the town would benefit more financially if we had your own court system,” Rutledge said.

He said so far only traf-fic misdemeanor cases have been handled in the court system and trying those cases in town has proven to be more convenient.

Another addition to the town is the Little Lions Preschool run by Casey Stephens.

Since August 2011, Little Lions ages 3-and-a-half to 4 have met from 7:30 to 11:30 a.m. Monday through Friday to learn their letters, numbers and

shapes.“You have your circle

time, your learning time, your arts and crafts time, and your P.E. time when they play in the gym; one day out the week we go to Munford Public Library and have a story time there,” Stephens said.

“When I started this there was nothing there but Head Start; it’s been very well received by people.”

Casey said about 10 students are enrolled in the program, and she can accept up to 18.

Munford’s Recreation Department continues to grow, with several sports added to an already suc-cessful basketball lineup.

“We have improved our recreation board; last year we started picking up base-ball and bringing all our sports under our recreation board,” Swinford said.


Little Lions Preschool is a new addition to the town of Munford. It’s run by Casey Stephens.

2011 was a year ofimprovements in Munford

Oak Grove a community with lots to be proud ofBy LAURANATION-ATCHISONHome lifestyles editor

Ask Oak Grove Mayor Charles Merkel about his town and he has plenty to say.

There may be just 528 people there, but it’s a busy community with lots to be proud of.

It’s kind of hard to tell where to start.

First, he’ll tell you he’s exactly where he wants to be, right back in the town he grew up in.

Then, he tells about how the town was started and how one of its first mayors, the late Bloise Zeigler, helped lead the community through some interesting times.

The town incorpo-rated in 1966 and in the late 1970s, there were dis-agreements between the City Council and residents to the point that Zeigler felt the town should cease to exist.

Zeigler led the way to hold a refer-endum, and by a slim margin, residents voted to “keep” their town.

As townspeople asked, Zeigler agreed to take the position as mayor, and over the next 20 years, there were a lot of accom-plishments.

“With his vision of a brighter future and his compassionate guidance, over the next 20 years, Oak Grove became what it is today,” Merkel said. “We are now a small town that operates a regional senior citizens services program serving dozens of residents and homebound seniors, we have a rural transportation program that serves many disabled, elderly and low income people just as is done in nearby larger cities.”

There’s a volunteer fire department that serves a larger district than any other in Talladega County, a new town hall built under Zeigler’s administration, along with the active senior center and its programs and a walking track park.

Subsequent Mayor Charles Rogers and his administration built a new fire sta-tion, set up municipal security patrols and paved nearly all the roads in town.

“And we were fortunate that our mayor prior to the present administra-

tion, Clemmie Lewis, saved money and had Oak Grove in great financial shape prior to the recent economic turndown,” Merkel said.

There’s no property tax in Oak Grove, it’s been something the city hasn’t really needed to turn to yet, Merkel said.

“Maybe that makes us not overly aggressive in seeking new residential property, although we do welcome anyone interested in annexing into town.”

There are many busi-nesses on the edge of town, and Merkel said city leaders felt there was no doubt that they ben-efitted from their close proximity, so after speak-ing with all of them, the city enforced its police jurisdiction, which enables them to collect half as much sales tax as

an in-town business would for the town.“This has helped to stabilize the financ-

es in Oak Grove and we are truly grateful for these businesses’ help,” he said.

City officials are working with prospec-tive business entities that are considering locating in Oak Grove and a new apart-ment complex in the works could provide homes to increase the city’s population.

The current administration has estab-lished an animal control program, holds a successful yearly music festival and a com-munity garden that helps feed thousands of families throughout the region, Merkel said.

Not bad for a base of a little over 500 people.

Merkel’s education and careers took him away from his hometown for two dif-ferent times for a total of about 15 years, but he says the other places just didn’t feel like home.

Merkel said he built his business so he could have a job in his home town.

Being mayor is personal to Merkel, he readily tells of his love for it.

“I love Oak Grove,” he said. “When I was led to serve on the town council and then called to being mayor, I did those things because I believe it is what everyone wants — to find what’s home to you, put down roots there and then give back by serving the community that you love.”

Town of Oak GroveSales Tax CollectionsFY 2006 $395,335FY 2010 $316,399FY 2011 $384,844

Sales tax receipts for the Town of Oak Grove for Fiscal Year 2011, the previous year and 2006, before the sharp eco-nomic downturn of 2008.

GOVERNMENT & INDUSTRY

years go by quickly whenyou look forward to every day.There’s certainly a great deal of pride to be shared in the production of a single

new Honda vehicle, to say nothing of the pride in building more than 2.3 million

new Hondas in less than 10 years. Numbers and milestones represent results,

but it is our people—the 4,000 associates of Honda Manufacturing of Alabama

—who are the driving force in Honda’s many accomplishments over the past

decade. Yes, there’s a lot of pride in each Alabama-built Honda—pride in our

products, our associates and the partnerships and friendships that have

developed between Honda and the citizens of Alabama. Thanks for the

memories… and the future we’ll continue to share, together.

16A -THE DAILY HOME, Talladega and St. Clair counties, Ala., Sunday, February 12, 2012

Government & Industry

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