Dalton plans ‘major’ jobs announcement

New jobs that are headed Dalton’s way likely will be based downtown and attract professionals, the city’s mayor said Friday.

State and local officials are planning a big jobs announcement Tuesday in Dalton, Ga., but details are few.

Georgia Labor Commissioner Michael Thurmond is expected to be in town to unveil the new employment opportunities. Local and state officials will not discuss the plans in detail before that date, they said.

“We’re excited about any time a job can be created in our town,” said Brian Anderson, president of the Dalton-Whitfield Chamber of Commerce, who said he knows all the details but has promised to keep them confidential.

Mayor David Pennington said he has been told the jobs will be downtown, and since commercial space is limited, he believes the positions will be professional ones.

“I’m looking forward to hearing exactly what the jobs will be,” Pennington said. “We are aggressively trying to revitalize downtown, so this certainly helps there.”

Since 2009, Dalton has added a few jobs, though unemployment remained at 11.8 percent, according to June data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Georgia’s unemployment rate was about 10 percent during the same period.

Earlier this month, Elyse Cochran, executive director of the Dalton-Whitfield County Joint Development Authority, said about 380 jobs have been added over the previous year.

Those jobs weren’t delivered with one big jolt. Instead, they came with small additions from existing and new businesses.

“It’s not bigger than (previous job announcements), but I will say it’s in the neighborhood of the others we’ve announced,” Anderson said.

Whitfield officials, over the last three years, have touted their efforts to diversify the economy beyond the flooring industry.

“It will be very impactful to Dalton because of the number, the type, the pay ranges, the location of where these employees will be ... all those will be very important to our community,” Anderson said.

Luring of the company may have been negotiated mostly on the state level. County Commission Chairman Mike Babb said he was unaware of the new jobs until contacted by the media this week.

“I’ve told (the Chamber) not to tell me much, so I could claim plausible deniability,” Babb said. “This is coming through the Labor Department, as I understand it. ... But I’m making the assumption that it may be the expansion of an already existing employer.”

Thurmond’s office, contacted Friday, would not comment on the situation aside from a seven-line news release announcing his appearance for a “major” job announcement. Thurmond is the Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate trying to unseat U.S. Sen. Johnny Isakson.

The announcement is planned for 10 a.m. Tuesday at the Chamber offices in Dalton.