Labor statistics show that some of the area’s manufacturing jobs are on the decline, but officials said the sector is still a vital part of the regional economy.
“I would say that manufacturing is still very important to the Walker County community, based on the number of people that they employ,” said Stacy Mauer, president of the Walker County Chamber of Commerce in Northwest Georgia.
BY THE NUMBERS
1,580: Projected job loss in textile mills over the next 10 years in Northwest Georgia, according to the Georgia Department of Labor.
3,900: Jobs lost in 2007 in the textile and other manufacturing industries in Alabama.
Despite the importance of manufacturing jobs, Ms. Mauer said it is also essential to diversify the area’s work force because layoffs and plant closures have major impacts on communities in the region.
Textile mills saw the largest loss of jobs in Northwest Georgia and Southeast Alabama, according to the states’ Departments of Labor. For example, in February, a Trion, Ga., textile manufacturer laid off 250 workers.
In Fort Payne, Ala., despite its title as “Sock Capital of the World,” the city is experiencing a decline in manufacturing jobs, even as some new operations open in the area.
Over the last two decades, global competition has taken many of the knitting jobs in the area, officials said.
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Staff Photo by John Rawlston -- Kevin Jones, left, and John Bell lower a bus body onto a frame at the Blue Bird manufacturing facility in LaFayette, Ga.
Textile mills once employed about 8,000 people in Fort Payne, a number that has dwindled to about 3,000, according to officials.
But last year, The Children’s Place clothing stores opened a 700,000-square-foot distribution center with hopes of eventually employing 600 people, said Carol Beddingfield, executive director of the Fort Payne Chamber of Commerce.
The city of 14,000 is also home to a major plumbing supply distributor and a company that builds bridges.
Fort Payne officials also said they are looking for new industrial clients to provide different employment options.
“We still like to have that title (of the Sock Capital of the World). If you see socks at Wal-Mart, Sam’s or JC Penney, those are still huge customers of ours,” Ms. Beddingfield said. “(But) with the hosiery industry and the textile industry taking a hit like it has and moving a lot overseas, I see that Fort Payne is going to continue to diversify.”
EVAmerica, a Chattanoogabased electric vehicle company, has opened a manufacturing facility in Ringgold, Ga. CEO Al Curtis said while there are not many workers in the North Georgia location currently, he eventually hopes to bring in 25 to 30 more workers.
“Obviously our goal is to add a number of jobs to the Chattanooga Tri-State area,” he said.
Mr. Curtis also said the 28,000-square-foot facility is expandable for future growth.
In addition to providing employment, Ms. Mauer said manufacturing employers in Walker County provide other benefits.
“They are all very active in the community,” she said. “They are great community stewards. From an overall economic standpoint, hundreds of Walker County residents are employed (by manufacturing plants).”
Staff Writer Ryan Harris contributed to this story.
