Update from the chamber of commerce

Troy King, Alabama’s attorney general, will be the featured speaker at the monthly Blount County-Oneonta Chamber of Commerce breakfast scheduled for Wednesday, July 22, beginning at 7:30 a.m. at Twin Oaks. The program will be sponsored by Tyson Foods, an excellent corporate citizen that is involved in a number of worthy local causes.

Attorney General King is no stranger to public service. He is now in his fifth year as Alabama’s attorney general and in his 14th year of government service, four of those years as an assistant attorney general and five years in toplevel positions in the administrations of Gov. Fob James and Gov. Bob Riley.

Attorney General King has enjoyed success working with the Alabama Legislature in strengthening a broad variety of state laws and creating much stronger penalties for those who break them. He has prosecuted and convicted a variety of law breakers in Alabama. Among his many honors, appointments, and positions, he is exceptionally proud of his election to the boards of directors for VOCAL (Victims of Crime and Leniency) and The Salvation Army. Attorney General and Mrs. King are the proud parents of three young children. They are members of First Baptist Church in Montgomery, where he teaches the 3-year-old Sunday school class.

Chamber sponsor

Tyson Foods is an important and integral part of the local economy by being the second-largest employer in Blount County with a workforce of 850 associates. Tyson Foods is committed to Blount County and shows this commitment by participating in civic organizations, encouraging academic achievements, paying taxes, promoting the county to all of Alabama, and returning around $400,000 weekly to the county through payroll.

Tyson Foods plays a leading role in the chamber, and we look forward to a long and productive relationship.

Coming events

The month of July will be a busy time for the chamber as a number of important events have been scheduled. The Strategic Plan Review Committee will meet during the second week of the month at a luncheon provided by Alabama Power Company; the exact date is to be determined. On July 16, an organizational meeting will be held at Twin Oaks to assist Sheriff Loyd Arrington in creating a Blount County Crimestoppers Program. Lunch will be provided by Superior Bank. As mentioned earlier, Wednesday, July 22, will feature Attorney General Troy King at the monthly chamber breakfast sponsored by Tyson Foods. The chamber leadership graduation banquet will be held at Twin Oaks on Thursday, July 28.

The Strategic Plan Review Committee and a Crimestoppers Program will assist different groups in Blount County deal with problems associated with growth. The attorney general’s appearance at the monthly breakfast brings him to what’s regarded as one of the best speakers programs in Alabama. The leadership banquet graduates another outstanding chamber class. Through this program, members learn about the people and the elements of government, agencies, utilities, businesses, and groups that make Blount County one of the fastest growing and best communities in Alabama.

May 2009 unemployment

Alabama’s unemployment rate rose dramatically from 9 percent in April to 9.8 percent in May, the highest jobless rate since December 1984. The increase in the unemployment dispelled ideas that the state jobless rate, which was unchanged in April from March, was on the brink of recovery. Tom Surtees, director of the Alabama Department of Industrial Relations, was quoted as saying, “Unfortunately, the nation is still gripped in a serious recession, and Alabama is not immune to its effect.”

Blount County’s unemployment rate rose from 7.5 percent in April to 8.4 percent in May. This rate reflects an additional 225 Blount Countians losing their jobs in a month’s span. The total number of locals on the unemployment role is 2138 out of a workforce of 25,538. There are 847 fewer people in Blount’s civilian labor force in May 2009 as compared to May 2008. Blount ended 2008 with the third-lowest jobless rate for the year at 4.1 percent.

Alabama’s unemployment rate was the 37th highest of the 51 states and Washington, D.C., for May 2009. One year ago, Alabama’s unemployment rate was 4.7 percent. The 9.4 percent jobless rate for May 2009 represents 208,917 unemployed persons. Wage and salary employment was virtually unchanged for the month. Sectors experiencing gains in May 2009 were leisure and hospitality, education and health services, trade, transportation, utilities, and professional and business services. Sectors experiencing losses were manufacturing, construction, government, financial activities, and information.

Counties with the lowest jobless rates were as follows: 1) Shelby, 6.6 percent; 2) Madison, 6.9 percent; 3) Coffee, 7.4 percent; 4) Baldwin, 7.5 percent; and 5) Lee, 7.7 percent. Blount County had the 10th-lowest unemployment among the 67 Alabama counties during May 2009. Thirty-two counties had unemployment rates under 10 percent for the month.

Counties with the highest jobless rates included: 67) Wilcox, 23.9 percent; 66) Lowndes, 18 percent; 65) Dallas, 17.7 percent; 64) Chambers, 17.6 percent; and 63) Perry, 16.7 percent. Thirty-five of Alabama’s 67 counties had unemployment rates of 10 percent or higher during May 2009. One year ago, only four Alabama counties had rates higher than 10 percent.

The states with the lowest unemployment rates for May 2009 included: 1) Nebraska and North Dakota, 4.4 percent; 3) South Dakota and Wyoming, 5 percent; 5) Utah, 5. percent; 6) Iowa, 5.8 percent; and 7) Montana, 6.3 percent.

The states with the highest unemployment rates for May 2009 were as follows: 51) Michigan, 14.1 percent; 50) Oregon, 12.4 percent; 49) Rhode Island and South Carolina, 12.1 percent; 47) California, 11.5 percent; and 46) Nevada, 11.3 percent.

Conclusion

It is gratifying to welcome a native son or daughter back to Blount County to share life experiences with the chamber audience. Many people called in anticipation of Ralph Summerford’s speaking appearance at the chamber breakfast, where his enlightening presentation held the attention of the crowd at the June event.

The busy chamber calendar during July indicates much positive activity is taking place in the county. Enrollment in the 2009-10 chamber leadership class begins Aug. 1.

Traffic-count maps (2007 data) for major Blount County highways are available in the chamber office. We also have the chamber’s new Blount County map available at no charge to the public.

The Crimestoppers Program will be a successful venture as a result of cooperation at many levels throughout the county.

By working together, we are making a very good community even better.