Dalton struggles to recover jobs after recession

Dalton Mayor David Pennington stands overlooking Pentz Street in downtown Dalton, Ga., in an April 1, 2013 photo. Pennington announced Tuesday, July 9, 2013 that he will challenge Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal in the Republican primary. (AP Photo/The Daily Citizen, Misty Watson)

By Dave Flessner January 31, 2016 9 min read

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The long road back for jobs in the Carpet CapitolDalton won’t recover jobs lost in recession until after 2021, study saysChattanooga should top pre-recession employment peak by end of 2016

Dr. Bill Fox, director of the University of Tennessee Center for Business and Economic Research, answers questions during the State Funding Board meeting on Wednesday, Nov. 30, 2005, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey)

Staff Photo by Dan Henry / The Chattanooga Times Free Press- 5/14/15. Beth Starks, left, helps Jayne Knight look through carpet from SHAW and other manufacturers while shopping at the Chattanooga Flooring Center off of Shallowford Road in Chattanooga on Thursday, May 14, 2015.

In this Nov 15, 2013, file photo, Creeler Vickie Glover replaces an empty spool at the Dixie Group in North Georgia.

Nov 15, 2013--Machine operator Daniel Guzman watches carpet Friday at the Dixie Group in North Georgia.

For 40 years, the Dalton area rode the workhorse of the carpet industry, and we don't want to give that up – just add on to it." –

Hardest hit metro areas

Hardest hit metro areas Among 381 metropolitan cities in America, those that suffered the largest percentage of jobs lost during the Great Recession were: 1. Elkhart-Goshen, Ind., down 26.8 percent 2. Kokomo, Ind., down 22.3 percent 3. Dalton, Ga., down 20.6 percent 4. Naples, Fla., down 17.5 percent 5. Cape Coral-Fort Myers, Fla., down 16.3 percent

Job losses in the region

› Nashville lost 50,800 jobs, or 6.4 percent of its employment, but returned to its 2008 peak by the first quarter of 2012› Cleveland, Tenn., lost 8,800 jobs, or 3.7 percent of its employment, but returned to its 2007 peak by the second quarter of 2012.› Atlanta lost 204,600 jobs, or 8.3 percent of its employment, but returned to its 2007 peak by the second quarter of 2014.› Knoxville lost 20,400 jobs, or 5.4 percent of its employment, but returned to its 2008 peak by the second quarter of 2014.› Huntsville, Ala., lost 7,200 jobs, or 3.4 percent of its employment, but returned to its 2008 peak by the third quarter of 2014.› Chattanooga lost 22,600 jobs, or 9.1 percent of its employment, and should return to its 2008 peak in the fourth quarter of 2016› Dalton, Ga., lost 16,400 jobs, or 20.6 percent of its employment, and won’t return to its 2007 peak until after 2021.Source: IHS Global economic study conducted for the U.S. Conference of Mayors.

When Mike Babb began working in human resources at the former E&B Carpet Mills in the early 1970s, he struggled to recruit and keep enough workers to staff all three shifts at the 500-employee business.

“If you had a pulse, we would hire you, and it wasn’t uncommon for some applicants to accept three or four jobs in a single day then go home and decide which one they wanted to work at,” recalled Babb, who is now chairman of the Whitfield County Commission. “Workers knew if they lost or left a job at one mill, they could go down the street and quickly find another job.”