Marshall County's unemployment rate has been in decline since it hit a high of 9.5% in July. Numbers just released last week have Marshall County's unemployment rate at 9.2% for the month of September. This slight downward trend is opposite of the State of Alabama's upward trend that just reached 10.7% and the U.S. National rate of 9.8%.
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Over 200 friends and well-wishers joined the Dixie Grinders employees in celebrating 25 years of doing business in Guntersville. Dixie Grinders Inc. was founded in scenic Guntersville, Alabama in August of 1984 by industry veterans Gene Grant, Roger Wiley, and Bill Sellnow. They manufacture industrial meat grinders used in the poultry, pork and beef industries.

Mallens Select Wines announced that they will locate a distribution center in the Arab Industrial Park. The building will stock 70,000-80,000 bottle of wine imported from Australia, South Africa and South America. They will distribute to roughly 20 states and most imports will come through the port of Mobile. Mallens will employ around 15 people locally.

Taylor and Sons announced in July that they will build a new 6,000 square foot faclility in the Arab Industrial Park. The company designs and tests electronic component systems. They will also do some light assembly. They will employ 12.

Southern Metal Fabricators of High Point has fabricated and shipped the largest welded tank in the company’s nearly 20 year history and also for this area. The 14-foot diameter and 87-foot long tank weighs 62,000 pounds and will be used for lime storage at the Alabama Power Gorgas Steam Plant at Parrish, Alabama. Southern Metal Fabricators began operations in 1991 and has steadily grown over the years.

Gov. Bob Riley was on hand in June to tour the Albertville Aviation Training Facility, which is part of the aviation program at Enterprise-Ozark Community College. The curriculum covers the first five classes of the airframe certification program. Once students finish the course, they are given a short-term certificate, which will help them find a job with people like BAE and Westwind and give them what they need to continue their training.

The Vision Marshall plan is a dynamic blueprint for the economic development of Marshall County. The plan is divided into five major components: education and workforce training, leadership and collaboration, infrastructure, transportation and curb appeal, safety and public health, tourism, cultural arts and recreation. The objectives for the plan are derived from a countywide perspective and support statement: To make Marshall County a highly desired place to live and work and raise one’s family. Vision Marshall has been under development through a series of meetings, forums and surveys since the idea was initiated in early 2008. Annual meetings will be held to assess progress and make and needed changes to the plan.

Dixie Home Feeds completed construction of the original Albertville plant in 1955. Then in 1988, the plant became the property of H.J. Baker & Bro. Its employees make a protein concentrate from animal and marine byproducts, using a consistent formula that is used in the production of feed for the poultry industry. The Albertville operation has maintained an enviable safety record of nearly 4,000 hours without a lost time workday accident. They have been awarded for 11 consecutive years for the SHARP (Safety and Health Achievement Recognition Program) award for excellence issued by OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration) and are proud of it. They are the first company in Alabama to receive this award.

Wayne Farms’ processing plant in Albertville is the oldest poultry complex in the state. Construction was completed at the site in 1947, and the company expanded its production lines in 2002. The expansion led to 300 new employees. Wayne Farms employs men and women from DeKalb, Blount, Etowah, Jackson, and Marshall Counties in Alabama.

In March of this year, Alabama Governor Bob Riley honored Atrion Medical Products in Arab, as well as six other companies, with the 2009 Governor’s Trade Excellence Award. The award was created in 2005 to recognize Alabama’s successful exporters as role models for the Alabama business community. Award winners are nominated from industries within the manufacturing, service, and agribusiness sectors, and were selected by the Export Alabama Alliance based on: innovations in exporting, level of export sales as a proportion of total sales, sustainable growth in export sales, and use of export assistance services from the Export Alabama Alliance. Vandy Cruise said that they are very honored to receive the award that the award brings recognition not only to their company, but to their community as well. Atrion is a developer and manufacturer of many medical devices and products.

For the 12th time the Arab Chamber of Commerce has presented its Circle of Excellence Business Award to Snead State Community college and its Arab Instructional Site. This was the first time the award did not go to a business, per se. Billy Roy, curriculum coordinator for Arab City Schools, presented the award and said that Snead and its local site continued and growing economic impact on the community is undeniable. Snead opened the Arab Instructional Site at the NABTeC Incubator building on South Main Street in the summer of 2005.

HFI’s Arab plant, which is a second tier automotive manufacturer, has picked up work with the addition of the Honda Ridgeline truck to the production line in Lincoln. That has saved jobs in Arab and general manager Nick Williams expects further job insurance, because Honda is moving production of its six-cylinder Accord from Canada to Lincoln. They’ve been awarded that business for the headrests. HFI opened in 2001 as Arab Interior Trim, but took on its name now about two years ago.

Paragon Picture Gallery received the annual ARTS Award in Wall Décor Manufacturing, for the fourth time. Paragon is a supplier of framed wall décor with their line made up of some 2,000 products. The ARTS Awards program recognizes excellence in retailing, manufacturing, design, and sales representation of decorative accessories.

North Alabama’s two-year colleges are joining forces to train people who can meet expected demand for workers. Bradley Byrne, chancellor of the Alabama Community College System, met with local college presidents and workforce development officials to announce the Tennessee Valley Workforce Initiative. The program is designed as a way to match local people with the thousands of jobs expected from the Base Realignment and Closure Commission’s decision to bring new work to North Alabama. BRAC is expected to shift thousands of jobs from the Washington, D.C. area to Huntsville.

With an overwhelming response from the community to open its doors, it finally came in November of 2008. With 192 employees, helping keep Cracker Barrel running nice and smooth, around 60 percent of them are full-time. The company used to focus on locations near interstate highways, but that philosophy has changed in the last few years.

Vision Marshall is a strategic planning initiative organized by the MCEDC to shape the future of the county so it will be competitive in attracting new industries and jobs. The strategic planning initiative is to map out what Marshall County should look like in terms of economic development. Vision Marshall is a group of about 800 people, which includes elected officials; various public board members; leaders in business, education and government; and graduates of Leadership Challenge.