Update: Commerce -Pell City and Riverside by Consolidated Publishing Co.

UPDATE Commerce:

THE DAILY HOME, Talladega and St. Clair counties, Ala., Sunday, February 14, 2010

PELL CITY & RIVERSIDE

pell city commerce

2A — THE DAILY HOME, Talladega and St. Clair counties, Ala., Sunday, February 14, 2010

Pell Citians encouraged to shop downtown By DAVID ATCHISON Home staff writer

Pell City Mayor Bill Hereford said city officials are doing what they can to help local businesses succeed. “Obviously, we encourage people to shop in Pell City,” Hereford said. He said in recent months the city started cleanup efforts throughout the city. Volunteers have also focused on sprucing up the historic downtown area. “We want to make the city attractive, so people will want to shop downtown,” Hereford said, adding that the Pell City Garden Club has really stepped forward in helping beautify the city. Hereford said not only are city officials encouraging residents to shop in Pell City, they are also bringing them here to shop. “We use that famous bus (the senior citizens bus) to bring our seniors here to shop,” he said. “We take them elsewhere, but we also bring them downtown to shop.” Hereford said sev-

eral years ago the city began a façade program to encourage retail businesses and building owners to improve the outside appearance of their stores and buildings. “There are funds still available,” he said. The façade program is a matching grant program, but it can save retail or building owners thousands of dollars while improving the looks of their shops and buildings located in the historic downtown area. Hereford said the proposed façade project must first be approved by the city’s Commercial Development Authority. “We’re just thrilled to help our local businesses or property owners,” he said. “That’s something that we can all benefit from. … There is still money available for retailers or building owners.” Hereford said the city is also the biggest supporter of the Chamber of Commerce, which promotes the city. “We’re big time supporters of the Chamber of Commerce,” Hereford

Brian Schoenhals/The Daily Home

The city offers a matching grant for business and building owners who want to spruce up the outside appearance of their stores or buildings.

said. “We’re probably the top supporter of the Chamber of Commerce.” He said the city supports the annual chamber Block Party, which brings thousands of people to the downtown area. “We also provide the infrastructure for the annual Christmas parade,” Hereford said, adding that some businesses stay open later for special downtown events, like the Christmas parade and Block Party. Hereford said the city also grants tax abatements for expansion of larger industries within the city. “It’s so important not to forget about the people who got us here,” Hereford said. He said the city is also trying to make purchas-

es from local businesses instead of shopping elsewhere, when possible. “We want to shop at home whenever possible,” Hereford said, adding that the city is required to follow state bid laws. He said the Police Department has a contract with Express Oil in Pell City, which changes the oil in all police cars. “That’s a good shot in the arm for them and for us,” Hereford said. He also pointed out the city participates in the annual sales tax holidays, a day in August where shoppers do not pay sales tax for school supplies. “We want to send a message that Pell City is open for business,” Hereford

said. “We’re willing to help our business community anyway we can.” Hereford said the city is working with the Pell City Chamber of Commerce to attract groups of 200 to 400 people to the city. “We want groups to come to Pell City and stay for at least one night,” he said. “They will stay, shop, eat and buy gas.” Hereford said last summer the city hosted a state square dancing group. He said that group decided to come back to Pell City for the state dance convention this year. Hereford said he wants to attract groups, bass and athletic tournaments to Pell City. “We’re trying to bring more people from out of

town to shop here,” he said. “We’re actively pursuing groups that will stay at least one night and shop.” Candice Hill, assistant director of the St. Clair County Economic Development Council, said the EDC is also trying to attract new businesses to Pell City.

are spayed or neutered and more than 5,000 have been over the last three years. ASPC is the only animal shelter in St. Clair County. It was created years after another shelter had closed. Powell and Ray agree that ASPC has succeeded where its predecessor failed because of its teamwork aspect. The shelter receives support from the City of Pell City and St. Clair County plus other municipalities. Both said that this combined with support from the team of volunteers that helps care for the animals keeps them in business. Ray said all parties

involved have the same objective of placing pets in homes.

“Cooperation makes us successful,” Ray said. “They put politics aside

and do the right thing.”

“We try to fill existing buildings that are empty,” Hill said. “The city plays a role in that, but we try to help them out anyway we can.” She said it’s important for the city’s shopping areas to look full and vibrant. “So when a new business comes into town they see the city that is a flourishing community,” Hill said.

Animal Shelter of Pell City marks its 10th year Home staff writer

When a German shepherd named Rufus came to the Animal Shelter of Pell City, he was not the shelter’s most adoptable animal. Rufus was a heartworm positive adult animal, which would normally place him at the bottom of most pet-seekers’ hit lists. Yet the center adopted Rufus out to a couple who decided to get him treatment, not to mention a home. That same week, another couple took in an unnamed pure bloodhound with demodectic mange. Although it’s not the norm for ill animals to be adopted so quickly, they’re still part of the furry folks that ASPC has been working to place in families for a decade. This year marks the 10th anniversary for ASPC. Each year it takes in thousands of dogs and cats plus a few other less common pets such as rabbits and guinea pigs. Even a few snakes have made their way there over the years. The inventory is made up of unwanted animals as well as strays and those captured by animals control officers in various municipalities. The shelter then adopts the animals out from its location in Pell City plus through PetSmart in Trussville. “Our mission is to shelter unwanted animals and find as many homes as possible,” said ASPC president Helen Powell. Shelter manager Ken Ray said the adoption rate usually remains consistent around 20 percent all year. However, the number of incoming animals usually peaks in the summer then drops while approximately the same number of animals are adopted month to month. Adoption is only part of the shelter’s mission of putting animals into homes. It works on keeping those animals with their families. ASPC offers microchip installation for every animal it adopts plus for all strays that come in and

are then redeemed by their owners. These microchips are imbedded in the animals’ skins in case they get lost. They can be scanned by various rescue and welfare organizations to find out who the owners are. “We’ve returned lots of dogs and cats. If we microchip everything that leaves here we can at least find out who the owners are,” Ray said. One of these returns includes a dog that was lost in Tennessee for seven years. The shelter also has a low-cost spay and neuter program that has been revamped in the last several years. Ray said around 20 to 25 animals a week

See ASPC, Page 3A

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pell city commerce

THE DAILY HOME, Talladega and St. Clair counties, Ala., Sunday, February 14, 2010 — 3A

Batemon: Chamber ‘PR firm for the city’ By WILL HEATH Home staff writer

According to director Lynn Batemon, if the Pell City Chamber of Commerce is doing its job, it fills citizens with pride. “I’m proud to be from here,” Batemon said. “People ask me, ‘Where are you from?’ And I say, ‘I’m from Pell City, Alabama.’” Batemon, who has served as director of the Greater Pell City Chamber for 13 years, moved to Pell City more than 30 years

ASPC

From Page 2A

“You wouldn’t believe how proud we are of being successful for so long,” Powell said. The need for a shelter in St. Clair County is evident in the numbers. In its first year of full operation, the shelter took in 1,495 animals. It has steadily risen, peaking in 2008 at 7,533 animals. However the number dropped a bit to 7,064 last year. As Powell explained, the shelter doesn’t want to “perpetuate too many animals.” This means the goal is to minimize the number of unwanted animals through spaying and neutering plus keeping pets in loving homes. “2009 is the first year that our incoming number has decreased, and we are so proud of that,” Powell said. As ASPC goes into its 10-year anniversary, the shelter isn’t being stagnate in its developments. A

ago. She says she barely recognizes the city now. “When I moved here almost 30 years ago, we had one little grocery store, there were no KMarts or Walmarts here then,” she said. “We had two little clothing stores in town, and that was it. So if you wanted to buy a man’s shirt or a pair of socks, you had to go someplace else to find those. We’re so far past that now.” Batemon says it’s the job of the chamber to be “the PR firm for the city.” “We’re often the place that people coming

through town stop to find out what they can see or do, or people who are relocating e-mail, call, fax, stop by, to try to get all types of information,” she said. “So we try to help them find that information. I think, in our mission statement, one of the things there is to try to make this a better place in which to live and make a living. So it’s kind of a quality of life sort of an organization.” The chamber consists of 370 different entities, which includes businesses of all sizes, churches,

new kennel and cat isolation area is being built in the rear of the shelter. The extensive addition will cover an entire room the size of a garage and will be enclosed. It will replace the previous such area that consisted of a concrete slab with rungs for the cats. Ray said the previous area did not have walls or ceilings for shelter, but the main problem was that it was a tiny structure that was only good for a small number of animals. “We’ve kind of outgrown our old one,” he said. Ray said the new area will ease the stress load of the increased number of incoming animals. Ray expects the new area to be completed by March. ASPC started out as an idea in 1995 when a group of Pell City residents met in a basement. They were concerned for the county’s unwanted animals as the only shelter had closed

years before. They formed ASPC and began raising money for a building and operations. They did this through con-

Brian Schoenhals/The Daily Home

The chamber sponsors the Hometown Block Party, which is held each year the first weekend in June.

civic groups and even some individuals. A number of annual events are

either sponsored or promoted heavily through the Chamber.

See Chamber, Page 4A

tributions and grants.

cause. Powell said their contributions accounted for about 42 percent of the operating budget. It was incorporated as

a 503(c)3 non-profit organization and opened its doors at the current location on Airport Road in August 2000.

St. Clair County and the city of Pell City stepped in and contributed to the

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pell city commerce

4A — THE DAILY HOME, Talladega and St. Clair counties, Ala., Sunday, February 14, 2010

Occasions located in landmark building

Chamber From Page 3A

ber sponsors the annual Hometown Block Party, which takes place every year the first weekend in June. In 2010, the party will have an added twist — the state of Alabama is promoting this as The Year of Small Towns and Downtowns, something Pell City will tie in for its annual event. “On Friday of that weekend, we’ll have the Block Party,” Batemon said. “Saturday, we’ll be having the Kids’ Fishing Tournament with Parks and Rec. And then, the St. Clair County Homebuilders’ Association will also be having their St. Clair County Summer Fest Saturday afternoon. “And we’re trying to pull some more folks in to see, maybe there might be more Saturday night, and even on into Sunday, might be able to get some churches coming back. And that’s one of the things we’re talking about – pulling people from your town, to bring them back here, but to have something for them to do and enjoy. “That’s what I call our Block Party anyway – it’s a reunion time for me. It’s people I haven’t seen since last year, and it’s a great fun time. Just to encourage people that are from Pell City and moved away to come back. Hopefully that will be a weekendlong event.” Also in June, Pell City will welcome a large fishing tournament at Logan Martin Lake, along with a barbecue cook-off that Batemon believes will bring some national attention and economic activity to the area. “It’s not a tournament to use our lake and go back and stay in Birmingham,” she said. “Everything will be right here. That will be kind of neat, and will bring nationwide attention to our area, so our motels will also benefit from that, too – maybe even our large box stores like K-Mart and Walmart. So we’re really hoping that’s gonna go over big.”

By GARY HANNER Home staff writer

Whether it has been a club or a church, a restaurant or game room, the building that sits off U.S. 78 in Riverside at the intersection of Depot Street will be remembered best as Friends Restaurant and Lounge that was popular in the 1970s. Today, it is called Occasions and is owned by Chris Jones. The land was owned by Riverside’s mayor at the time, W.A. “Bill” Coleman, which is Jones’ grandfather. In 1973, Coleman’s son-in-law, Chip Jones, built the building and it became Friends Restaurant and Lounge. Over the next 37 years, the building has been home to several different businesses and establishments. It has been a church, an arcade, a restaurant, and now it is a place for people to gather for small parties to big wedding receptions, family reunions to birthday parties, company Christmas parties to weekend barbecues. “It’s right there on the lake with fishing and all kinds of outdoor activities,” Jones said. “There is a covered patio along with an open patio. The sky is the limit on what can be done there. We have seating capacity for well over 100.” People have used the Riverside building for a number of things. “In 1987, Mike Allen bought the property from my grandfather,” said Jones. “He owned it for over 10 years and it was a restaurant and arcade. He then sold it to Mike Gardner and Rick Green who ran R&G Steakhouse for several years.” Jones said when Gardner and Green got ready to sell in 2004, he and his brother Jeff bought it because it sat beside the property they owned. “This building has been a lot of things through the years but it was most successful back in the day when it was Friends,” Jones said. “They had live entertainment and there would be a full house every Friday and Saturday night. They had a band and a lot of people got out and did a lot of nightclubbing in

Gary Hanner/The Daily Home

Occasions is located in Riverside where the old Friends Restaurant and Lounge was. Reunions, receptions and private parties can be booked. Chris Jones is owner.

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those days. The building is a landmark because everyone knew where Friends was. It’s been here close to 40 years.” Jones said the main reason he and his brother purchased it was obviously real estate. “Obviously, having control what went on next door was important to us,” Jones said. When trying to come up with the name of the establishment, Jones said he is not very creative, but his wife, Camille, is. “She is the one who came up with Occasions,” Jones said. “I tried to change it to Special Occasions but she would not have any part of it.” Occasions officially opened Jan. 1, 2010. The first function held there was a wedding reception that had 275 people in attendance. Jones said events there have to be catered. “We do have a full

kitchen equipped with a refrigerator, stove, sink, etc., everything a caterer would need to serve a big crowd,” Jones said. “You never know what the future holds or what is in store, but I do believe in good stewardship and making the most out of what we have. I’ve got to try and get this building up and operating. It’s an excellent location and in these tough economic times, this is the best use I could come up with. It’s just tough for anybody to make it in a new venture. We’re just renting it by the day and trying to rent it as much as possible. Getting the word out is the key.” Occasions is 5,000 square feet on the inside and a total of 9,000 square feet counting the covered and open patios. The parking lot has room to park more than 100 cars. For more information about Occasions, call 205338-2591.

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pell city commerce

6A — THE DAILY HOME, Talladega and St. Clair counties, Ala., Sunday, February 14, 2010

Pell City’s Food Outlet community oriented By GARY HANNER Home staff writer

Bob Crisp/The Daily Home

Aliant Bank was one of the new businesses that opened in Pell City in 2009.

Entrepreneurs provide needed services for area By ELSIE HODNETT Home staff writer

Although fewer businesses than usual opened in Pell City and Riverside during 2009, officials are still pleased to see entrepreneurs provide new and needed services for the area. “We are pleased to see new businesses opening in the area, even if the number is less than usual,” said Lynn Batemon, executive director of the Greater Pell City Chamber of Commerce. Batemon said chamber ribbon cuttings were down quite a bit from previous years. “The early closing of two new businesses (less than a year old) and the lower numbers of new businesses is probably due to the economy,” she said. “But we are pleased to see new businesses opening in the area, even if the number is less than usual. This adds to the confidence in the area and provides more services for our city.” Pell City Mayor Bill Hereford said despite the economy, several of

the new businesses that opened in 2009 have been bright spots in the community. “We are very pleased with the businesses that have opened,” he said. “And we are sad that we lost a few, likely due to economic conditions.” Hereford said he is “cautiously optimistic” for 2010.

“I think we have hit the bottom and are on our way back up,” he said. “I think we will start to see a pickup in the economy and new businesses in 2010, and more or less a complete recovery by 2012.” Hereford said he believes the next two years are the recovery period for businesses and the economy. “I truly believe we will have a substantial recovery by 2012,” he said. ‘The recovery has already started, and I feel it will be a gradual recovery over the next two years.” Riverside Mayor Rusty Jessup said new business openings were down in Riverside as well. “We had a couple busi-

nesses open, which we are always glad to see,” he said. Jessup said the town purchased the old D & S Marina, now named Riverside Landing, which will house a new business once repairs are made and a contract with a vendor is reached. “Things are looking up, and we hope more businesses choose to open here in Riverside in 2010,” he said. New businesses that opened in the Pell City and Riverside area in 2009 include Aliant Bank, Cotton States Insurance, Nails by Leslie, Pell City Pharmacy, ES Nails LLC, Goin Postal, Comfort Suites, KJ Salon Savoie’, Town and Country Ford, Aunt Aggie’s Back Porch, McCullan Tax Service, Smith Bros. Motorcycles, and Silvers Restaurant & Saloon. Businesses that relocated include the Stafford House, Hutch Touch and Uptown Girls. Businesses that opened and closed in 2009 include Lakewood Grill and the Soda Fountain.

If you are looking to get the best produce, freshest vegetables and meats all at affordable prices, look no further than Food Outlet in Pell City. Two men in Calhoun County started Food Outlet in 1985. They were state Rep. Lea Fite and Mike Sanders. They branched out their store to Georgia some but closed a few years ago. The only Food Outlet in St. Clair County is located in Pell City. Tina Ailor is store manager at Pell City’s Food Outlet, a position she has held for the past seven years. Food Outlet has been in Pell City for 9 years. Before that, it was 3B Foods. “The reasons people enjoy coming and shopping here is because we are more community oriented,” Ailor said. “We are a small store trying to sell meats and groceries at the cheapest price possible. Hopefully, it reminds people of the old ‘mom & pop’ stores.” Ailor said although she is not originally from Pell City, she has met so many great and wonderful people here. “You interact in their lives because you may see them five times a week,” Ailor said. “You learn so much about them that it’s like they are part of your family. We know each other on a first-name basis.” Food Outlet has a total of 40 employees. Ailor said the greatest thing about Food Outlet is its employees and customers. “Our goal is to provide our customers with the best possible service and save people money on their groceries,” Ailor said. “Right now, things are so high and there is so much unemployment that it is real hard. You see it every day — people cutting back on this or that because they can’t afford it. People have to eat but they also have to pay their power and gas bills.” Speaking of gas bills,

Gary Hanner/The Daily Home

Fresh meat is cut daily at Food Outlet in Pell City.

Ailor said gas bills could also be paid at Food Outlet because the gas company across the street from them closed. “We are an authorized agent and other bills are paid here also,” Ailor said. “The highest gas bill we have seen was just last month when a guy came in and his bill was $572 for one month. People are hurting and struggling right now through tough economic times and we want to be there for them and help them with groceries at the best price possible.” Ailor said a large percentage of patrons at Food Outlet still cook from scratch. “They make a lot of things homemade — they are not so much frozen food people,” Ailor said. “They are not the ones that will come in and buy six TV dinners. Our customers are still more of the family oriented shoppers. A large majority of our

shoppers are the middleaged to senior adult shoppers. Ailor said since the closing of the Pell City Food World, she has seen an increase in sales. “We have a lot of what we call cross shoppers,” she said. “Many of them will shop here and at Winn Dixie. When Food World was open, they would shop at all three stores trying to get the best deals at each store.” Plans are to open two additional Food Outlets, with one being in Ohatchee. “Since Lea’s untimely death last October, Mike has come out of being semi-retired,” Ailor said. “This is his way of giving back to the people by opening a couple of more stores. In a nutshell, we just want to give back to our customers with lower prices, great customer service and treat everyone like family.”

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pell city commerce

THE DAILY HOME, Talladega and St. Clair counties, Ala., Sunday, February 14, 2010 — 7A

Town & Country brings ‘new attitude’ to town Home staff writer

are excited about being in Pell City and we want to be just as aggressive here as we are in Bessemer. We are glad to partner up with this area. It’s sort of been on the downhill slide of the auto industry and we feel like it’s just a great time to maybe pick up the slack.” Currently, there are 18 employees at the dealership in Pell City and they hope to have between 20 to 25 employees by May 1. “As we grow and attempt to make things more convenient for our customers, we have opened our parts and service department on Saturdays,” Sain said. “We have been open on Saturdays now for about six weeks and we’ve seen an increase in customers coming in. They are excited to know we’re open on Saturdays. Many times, it is hard for customers to get here through the week.

Brian Schoenhals/The Daily Home

A long line of new Ford vehicles are just waiting to be taken home by prospective buyers.

We’re trying to increase some operation here that will make it more convenient for our customers.” Bailey said they are just trying to take care of the folks who have taken care of them through the years.

“That’s what it’s all about,” Bailey said. “At the end of the day, we just want to make sure we have taken care of our customers. That has been our goal the past decade. We not only what to take care of them, but we want to

listen to them. See how we can better serve them and provide for them.” Sain believes they can tie the operation in Pell City into some of the services offered in Bessemer that will help this side of town.

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Town & Country Ford has brought in “a new attitude” to Pell City. And with it comes the opportunity for this dealership to become the fastest growing business in Ford Motor Company history. Bill Sain is co-owner and general manager of Town & County Ford in Pell City. Sain said one of the changes in the auto industry is that new car sales have decreased somewhat. “With that, however, it has increased the sales of used cars,” Sain said. “With the financial crunch we are going through now, people are looking for lower priced vehicles. With that, it has helped us increase our used car sales.” When asked if he thought the economy might take a swing for the better during the next year to 18 months, Sain said he felt that by partnering with Ford Motor Company and the good things they have going, great things are going to take place. “We just found out that new car sales are up 25 percent nationwide from this time last year,” Sain said. “We feel there are good things ahead by partnering with Ford Motor Company. We are real excited about what they are doing in Detroit.” With Town & Country being one of Pell City’s newest businesses and the only new car dealership, Sain said they are excited about being on the eastern side of Birmingham. “We have been somewhat successful on the western side with our deal-

ership in Bessemer,” Sain said. “We just felt like it was a good opportunity to expand out this way. It is a good time to purchase. By tying Ford in, it really is the thing of the future. We truly feel like this store here in Pell City can be as great as the one we have in Bessemer. Hopefully, in about three years, we’ll be competing with that store over there. That’s our ambition.” Doug Bailey is general sales manager at Town & Country in Pell City. He said everyone has been very nice and supportive. “A lot of people have come by to wish us well and we have received a lot of good, positive feedback from the customers the past four or five weeks,” Bailey said. “Many of the city leaders have been by and that makes us feel good.” Bailey said some of the operational things are being done differently to hopefully make things flow better, including some construction improvements and renovations. “We’re trying to create a new atmosphere,” Bailey said. “We want to treat people the way we want to be treated.” In the past few years, local dealerships have had to adapt to chances in the businesses. Sain said one way they’ve had to adapt is increasing the used car inventory. “That’s one way we’ve picked up the slack,” Sain said. “We also depend on out parts and service department. At our store in Bessemer, we’ve included some small items like spray-on bed liners, a full detail vehicle cleanup, etc. Just looking for a way to create extra revenue. We

259135

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pell city commerce

8A — THE DAILY HOME, Talladega and St. Clair counties, Ala., Sunday, February 14, 2010

Clear Choice Hearing Center open for business By DAVID ATCHISON Home staff writer

Clear Choice Hearing Center is in a new location and open for business. “We’re in the process of getting all our signs up out front,” said Nick Spina, owner of the Clear Choice Hearing Center in Pell City and Clanton. “We’ve build up our clientele,” Spina said. “This was a good transition for us. We have our own place here.” At the former Clear Choice Hearing Center, the business shared its building with other medical related businesses. The new office is in the Towne Park shopping center at 1911 Martin St. S., Pell

City “We have a lot more space here,” he said. Although Spina opened his Clear Choice Hearing Center about three years ago in Pell City, he is not new to the area. The 34-year-old is a graduate of Ashville High School. “All my relatives are in Birmingham,” Spina said. He was a business manager major at Samford University in Birmingham. Spina, a devout Christian, served as head of the college ministry for Briarwood Presbyterian Church in Birmingham before he joined his father in the profession in which

he now works. “My father had done this for about 20 years,” he said. “I worked with him about two years. He trained me well.” Spina is a board certified hearing aide specialist. He started his new business about 5 years ago in Clanton, but decided to open a Clear Choice Hearing Center in Pell City about 3 and a half years ago. “I enjoy the small town feel,” he said. Spina lives in Calera, which puts him between both store locations. He wife, Raquel, who he first met on a missionary trip and later through

Briarwood Presbyterian Church, is behind the scenes helping run the family business. Sharon Bozeman is office manager for the center in Pell City. Spina said many people come to Clear Choice Hearing Center to see what is going on with their hearing. “In a lot of cases, people have some type of nerve damage,” he said, adding that in other cases it hearing loss is a result of heredity, stroke, work environment or other health issues. “We can tell if amplification will help them.” Spina said Clear Choice Hearing Center offers free

hearing examination and consultation. He said sometimes clients are referred to ear, nose and throat specialists, if a hearing aide can’t help them. Spina said Clear Choice Hearing Center offers a variety of hearing aides, ranging in prices from $999 up to several thousands for a set. He said there are people with hearing loss who need of help. They can’t understand their family, or people at church or work.

Home staff writer

to get out and get it done. There’s been a good bit of rain, but it all poses opportunities for you somewhere.” Both companies are based in Pell City, and both say they build boathouses more than anything else. For both companies, reputations have helped. Mackey said his company’s name is well known around Pell City and has developed a sterling reputation. “The main reason for me is the Mackey name’s been out there for so long,” he said. “We do good work and have a good reputation. I think more people call me because of that than anything.” The difference is in the nature of the work. Increased development around the lake has created a more diverse customer base, and that customer base has different requirements for companies like Mackey and Tradesman.

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“The docks have a lot more decorative stuff than they used to,” Mackey said. “A lot more decorations, more style. It gives them a lot more character than they used to.” Waldrop called Logan Martin “one of the South’s best-kept secrets.” “Before, we got on the lake, there were very few commercial projects or big subdivision developments,” he said. “You’re just not used to seeing that — you’re used to the trailers and the campgrounds. The demographics have changed a whole lot. “You’ve got professionals and retirees moving in looking to retiring and having a weekend getaway on the lake. … It’s a lot of fun to ride around and see all these new places.” Mackey and Waldrop say the key to staying in business is being flexible, willing to customize their services to the customers.

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Few things in this economic climate could be described as “growing” or “diversified.” Business along Logan Martin Lake, however, falls into just such a category. It’s the best of times for two different companies catering to Logan Martin: the area around the lake continues to grow by leaps and bounds. That means a larger customer base for people like Eric Mackey, whose family has been in the business of boathouses, docks and other shoreline accessories since 1988. “I had four crews running on Logan Martin in 2009,” he said. “Everybody talked about the economic stuff last year. This past summer, we did more work than any summer before. “I did three times as much work on Logan Martin as anywhere else.”

Business has been just as good at Tradesman Company. Jacob Waldrop, who labeled his business “transforming shorelines,” says the clientele around Logan Martin is now much more diverse. “We’re getting a lot of new clients, actually,” Waldrop said. “A lot of our clients are coming from the Atlanta area. A lot of people are coming from Birmingham. “A lot of people these are second homes, they don’t live here full time. We’ve got a couple of clients from Chicago.” Both Waldrop’s Tradesman Company and Mackey Pile Driving serve areas outside Logan Martin. And both have dealt with difficult weather conditions over the past few months. “We’ve kind of adapted and learned how to make the best of it,” Waldrop said. “Some days you have

Spina said people get embarrassed from asking people to repeat themselves, and eventually just quit asking. Spina said he enjoys helping others and selling hearing aides helps improve the quality of life for many people. “You can’t always bring back perfect hearing, but we can make a difference in their lives,” Spina said.

ST. CLAIR COUNTY REALTORS

Businesses on Logan Martin growing By WILL HEATH

“There are so many ways it (hearing loss) affects your life,” he said.