Calhoun County Business: Winter 2013

Inside | TANKS, CABLES, WEBBING, KNIVES AND MORE

business calhoun

county

A product of The Anniston Star | Volume 6, winter 2013

made right here The economic impact of local manufacturers

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business calhoun

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A PRoDuCT of The Anniston Star | VoLuME 6, WinTER 2013 retrenching 8

woven for strength 20

Despite slowdown, local defense industry remains an economic powerhouse

Tapecraft makes state-of-the-art products for safety lines, cars and gun straps

taking aim 16

current affairs 22

Shooting-sports manufacturers expanding

forte Power makes the lines that get juice to customers

finely honed 18

bright ideas 24

Jacksonville companies sell blades and knives around the world

Second Sun offers more light with less heat

contributors

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| Design | Angela Reid Williams | Photography | Trent Penny, Stephen Gross, Bill Wilson | editors | Bob Davis, Ben Cunningham and Lisa Davis | writers | Patrick McCreless, Laura Gaddy, Daniel Gaddy, Eddie Burkhalter, Laura Camper, Brian Anderson, Tim Lockette

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welcome | BoB davis

calhoun county products are used the world over this introDuction to the latest issue of Business Calhoun County was produced in a factory.

We should probably grant at the outset that the offices of a newspaper don’t normally square with our expectations of what a factory looks like. We would normally envision workers in hard hats, a giant smokestack belching out pollution, a warehouse for the storage of raw materials and heavy machinery roaring day and night.

Yet, the end products of The Anniston Star are very much made in Calhoun Bob County. our output is indispensable, Davis both in print and online. if you want to Editor know what’s happening here, we are the place to turn to for the news of our community. (And, yes, the late-night operation of our newspaper press can rival almost anything around when it comes to loud machinery and massive automated processes.)

Because of that commitment — from local ownership, no less — to deliver the information that’s vital for a healthy and well-informed community, i’m proud to introduce this issue of Business Calhoun County spotlighting locally made products.

The roster of locally made products within these pages includes knives and firearms. We also look into the local operations that manufacture lighting fixtures, power cables and safety harnesses. oh, and there’s a close inspection of the Anniston Army Depot and the jobs its workers fulfill.

Combined, these and other local manufacturers funnel millions of dollars into the local economy. They employ our residents and ship their products across the globe. Customers several states away — or even an ocean way — may not realize that their knives or guns or safety harnesses were made in northeast Alabama, but we can celebrate it.

We hope you enjoy this edition of Business Calhoun County and its profiles of products made right here.

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Business Calhoun County | winter 2013

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Business Calhoun County | winter 2013

made in

calhoun county ever since the nobles and tylers set up anniston to turn iron ore and cotton into pipe and thread, calhoun county’s economy has been built on making things. today’s manufacturers still use iron to forge fire hydrants and cotton to weave into straps. meanwhile, workers make things those early industrialists couldn’t have imagined, from armored personnel carriers to city transit buses. meet a few of the many different products made right here.

Business Calhoun County | winter 2013

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â–˛

Defense

Employees at Anniston Army Depot work on a tank body.

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by STephen GroSS

Business Calhoun County | winter 2013

Despite slowdown, local defense industry remains an economic powerhouse

RetRenching

by Patrick mccreless pmccreless@annistonstar.com Beige was everywhere.

At a facility at the Anniston Army Depot, rows of beige stretched from one end of the building to the other. The rows contained M1 Abrams tanks, each in various stages of disassembly and repair. Piled on the floor near the building entrance were armored doors and other mechanical parts.

At the end of one row, Earl Wood oversaw the tank and repair maintenance. As a veteran of the national Guard, Wood once depended on Abrams tanks.

He takes his job very seriously. “i was in the military one time, so i know what it’s like to be on both sides of the vehicle,” Wood said.

A 14-year employee at the depot, Wood said he also knows what the facility means to the community. “it’s invaluable, it keeps jobs in the community.” for more than 70 years, the depot and other defense industry contractors have operated in Calhoun County, employing thousands of people and pumping millions of dollars into the economy. However in recent years, budget cutbacks and changing military priorities have led to hundreds of layoffs. Still, some industry and economic experts say the defense industry remains a vital part of the area’s economy and is capable of weathering the challenges of today.

Depot adapts to changing military demands The Anniston Army Depot has operated for 72 years, starting in 1941 as a storage site for various weapons. Today, the facility employs around 2,800 people and specializes in the maintenance and repair of combat vehicles, mainly Abrams tanks. Along with the Abrams, the depot works on M113 personnel carriers, Stryker combat vehicles, the M109 Howitzer and the M60 Armored Vehicle Launch Bridge.

According to depot statistics, the facility worked on 799 combat vehicles for the 2013 fis-

Business Calhoun County | winter 2013

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Defense

cal year at a total cost of $793,000.

The depot also repairs small arms, including M1 rifles, M2 machine guns, M16 rifles, the M134 minigun and the M240 series machine gun.

The depot’s customers include several branches of the military, including the Army, navy, Air force and Marine Corps.

The depot also works on vehicles for the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

Given all the work the depot performs, Col. Brent Bolander, depot commander, said it and the surrounding defense contractors in the area are of vital importance to the local economy. “i think the obvious thing is the workforce and their economic impact to the local community,” Bolander said.

“if the depot were to stop working, i’m not saying it would shut down calhoun county, but everybody would feel it.”

– Jason Joiner, anniston army dePot emPloyee

Jason Joiner agrees. He’s lived in the county his whole life and has worked at the depot for the last 11 years. “if the depot were to stop working, i’m not saying it would shut down Calhoun County, but everybody would feel it,” Joiner said. “Everybody out here is connected to it in some way.”

That impact has waned in recent years, due to hundreds of depot layoffs brought about by budget cuts and the end of the iraq and Afghanistan wars. Bolander said a diminished workforce and the changing priorities of the military create significant challenges for the depot.

“The challenge is maintaining a viable workforce to meet future requirements,” Bolander said. “There is always uncertainty to where warfighters will be sent in the future, but the thing is to understand that uncertainty and make sure you have the right folks to accommodate those requirements.”

Bolander said the depot has a strong, multi-trained workforce that can work on more than one piece of equipment. Such a workforce can meet many future military needs quickly, despite being fewer in number than in years past.

“Keeping that workforce viable and trained and multi-capable, that’s probably our biggest challenge,” Bolander said.

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Business Calhoun County | winter 2013

heavy reliance on federal defense spending Alabama defense contractors earned more than $8.63 billion in 2012, according to a study from the Center for Security Policy, a Washington, D.C., think tank that focuses on national security issues.

Much of that trickled down into local commercial and retail businesses through salary spending.

According to a report from the Pew Research Center, federal defense spending accounts for 7 percent of Alabama’s gross domestic product, far higher than the national average of 3.5 percent. The

Pew Research Center is a Washington, D.C., think tank that researches social issues, public opinion and demographic trends in the u.S. Aparna Soni, an economist with iHS Global insight, a global company that offers economic and business analytics, said the Anniston defense industry, led by the depot, is highly important to the area. The Anniston metropolitan area has about 48,000 full-time workers, 4,300 of whom work directly for the federal government, Soni said, citing federal Bureau of Labor Statistics. This means the federal government accounts for 9 percent of

total employment, Soni said. Hundreds more people depend indirectly on the government for their jobs, working at local defense contractors such as General Dynamics and BAE Systems.

“Typically, what we see across the country is that the federal government accounts for only 2 percent of total employment on average,” Soni said. “So Anniston’s heavy dependence on the federal government for jobs is certainly significant.”

Soni said the defense industry’s challenges stem from the fact that it is so heavily intertwined with the performance

and needs of the federal government. The pros are that defense is so important to the wellbeing of the united States that it is likely to be one of the last things defunded during a fiscal crisis, Soni said. However, while the u.S. will always need a military, its requirements are ever-evolving, she said. “if the need for military presence reduces or the need for certain equipment reduces, then the defense industry will suffer,” Soni said. “Looking ahead, as the united States battles with the budget issues, we expect tepid growth in federal government employment for Alabama.”

The Anniston Army Depot worked on 799 combat vehicles in 2013.

Earl Wood (main photo) is among the depot’s 2,800 employees.

General Dynamics, a global defense contractor, has a facility at the depot that employs 300.

by STephen GroSS anD bill wilSon

Business Calhoun County | winter 2013

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Defense

by STephen GroSS

contractor spotlight: BAe systems BAE Systems is a global defense contractor that has had a facility in Anniston since 1968. With 258 employees, BAE contracts with the depot and primarily produces forged tracks for Abrams and Bradley tanks. once produced, those track pieces are assembled at a facility in ohio.

“The bulk of our work is suspensionrelated for the u.S. military,” said Max Dodd, Anniston site manager for BAE Systems. “We do a small amount of commercial work, but that’s a small percentage of what we do.”

Dodd said BAE is still an important part of the community, despite having laid off 145 Anniston employees last year.

“Anniston is still considered a supplier of major components,” Dodd said.

Megan Mitchell, spokeswoman for BAE Systems, said her company faces the same challenges as other defense contractors. “overall, the defense industry is experiencing a downturn at the moment,” Mitchell said. “We had a surge in the industry during the wars, which is now ramping down.”

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Business Calhoun County | winter 2013

by bill wilSon

330487 STATE OF ALABAMA DCNRSTA

Business Calhoun County | winter 2013

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Defense

by STephen GroSS

Business Calhoun County | winter 2013

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toP 10

manufacturing companies with longest longevity in calhoun county

1890: interstate sheet Metal company 1912: Union foundry company 1917: Lee Brass company 1925: M&h Valve company 1933: Boozer Laminated Beam company 1935: solutia 1941: Anniston Army Depot 1946: YKK/tape craft corporation 1947: Bennett Lumber company 1953: Doncasters southern tool contractor spotlight: general Dynamics Land systems General Dynamics, another global defense contractor, has a facility at the depot, partnering with government workers since 1993 and currently refitting Strykers and Abrams tanks. General Dynamics also builds new Strykers and manufactures the global positioning systems for Abrams tanks. in the past year, General Dynamics has focused on upgrading Strykers with a newer, DoubleV body type, meant to better protect soldiers from explosive devices.

Still, like others in the defense industry, General Dynamics has seen its military contracts decline in recent years and

is down to 300 employees from 500 last year.

“The government is not funding the way it used to,” said Lee Waldron, director of plant operations at General Dynamics in Anniston. “We have to learn how to handle it, be very efficient and very proactive . . . . We used to know what we were going to build for years out, and it’s not that way anymore.”

Jackie Knighten of Piedmont has worked for nine years at General Dynamics, mostly as a welder. She has seen the impact that General Dynamics and other military contractors have had on the community.

“There’s no other jobs in the community that match this place as far as benefits,” Knighten said. “it’s a good place to work.”

source: calhoun county chamber of commerce

Business Calhoun County | winter 2013

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shooting geAR

shooting-sports manufacturers expanding locally

tAKing AiM

by daniel gaddy and laura gaddy ❘ star staff Writers

A

nniston has become something of a target for industries connected to shooting sports.

The Civilian Marksmanship Program, a national nonprofit organization that promotes shooting skills among civilians, helps to fund some of its work by refurbishing World War ii-era rifles for sale at its plant in the Golden Springs industrial Park.

Meanwhile, a planned expansion of its main mission — hosting shooting competitions — has helped to attract another manufacturer and retailer of shooting-sports goods.

the civilian marksmanship Program is planning a 500-acre, $20 million facility with multiple shooting ranges in talladega county, to open in 2015.

Each year at the Golden Springs plant, the CMP refurbishes between 20,000 and 30,000 Mi Garand rifles. The weapons were used by u.S. soldiers who fought in WWii, Korea and Vietnam and are now a popular collector’s item.

The program has one of its two offices in Anniston, as well as a store that sells surplus rifles such as the M1 Garand. Those sales fund the CMP and its training projects. The group receives no funding from the federal government. The CMP also has an indoor air-rifle range in Golden Springs.

The CMP is planning a new 500-acre, $20 million facility with multiple shooting ranges in Talladega County. The facility will open in 2015, bringing with it national competitions and gun enthusiasts from across the country.

The Talladega County site will offer a 600yard rifle range, another 100-yard firing range, a 50-yard pistol range and several shotgun stations, in which shooters will fire at clay pigeons. According to the CMP’s deputy chief operating officer, Mark Johnson, officials also plan a clubhouse and pro shop.

Johnson said the range will host national competitions as well as quarterly, monthly and

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Business Calhoun County | winter 2013

weekly matches. But he stressed that the range will still serve as a place for residents to learn and practice marksmanship skills.

Johnson said CMP officials plan to establish a club for the range, but residents can use the site on a daily basis, too.

He said he did not yet know what rates the CMP will charge, saying the program must strike a balance between accessibility to the public and maintaining its standards for gun safety. “it’s a careful mix we’re working on,” he said.

Johnson said each of the ranges will be staffed with safety personnel who will require participants to complete a training course for each of the different types of firearms used on the ranges. “nobody on our property will be turned loose to shoot as they like,” he said.

People like Dennis DeMille believe the shooters coming to the new range from all around the globe will provide a boost to the area economy. “it is going be one of the most state-of-theart ranges in the country, if not the world,” he said.

DeMille, the general manager of Creedmoor Sports, a company that manufactures competitive shooting gear, said the new range is the primary reason his company recently moved to Anniston from oceanside, Calif.

Johnson said CMP officials chose the site for the new range, on Turner’s Mill Road about 2 miles from the Talladega Superspeedway, because it is secluded enough for their purposes, but close to interstate 20.

Johnson said CMP officials considered land at McClellan for the range. However, all of the property suitable for the project needed to be cleared of possible contaminants or unexploded ordnance.

Robin Scott, executive director of the McClellan Development Authority, said the missed opportunity was not a funding issue.

The MDA received $19 million in federal cleanup funds this year, he said.

The problem was time. According to Scott, MDA officials have focused cleanup efforts to the south near iron Mountain Road, while the properties suitable for the CMP’s range had not yet been investigated to identify possible contaminants or unexploded ordnance.

Scott said the process of clearing land at McClellan can often take more than a year, too long for CMP decision-makers.

The Civilian Marksmanship Program refurbishes World War II-era rifles to sell to collectors.

by TrenT penny

Business Calhoun County | winter 2013

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KniVes

Jacksonville companies sell blades and knives worldwide

fineLY honeD

J

acksonville is home to two cutting-edge companies, in the literal if not metaphorical sense.

Bear and Son Cutlery produces roughly 350,000 knives each year in its facility just inside the Jacksonville city limits.

The company, which employs approximately 80 people, produces tactical, pocket and hunting knives. Bear and Son knives are sold at major retail stores, including Cabela’s, Bass Pro Shops and Academy Sports and outdoors. The knives sell for between $18 and $400.

The company’s signature item is the 510D Sideliner lock, according to co-owner Ken Griffey. The pocket knife retails for $164.99. its blade is made of Damascus steel, its handle is made from stag bone and it has a silver bolster where the handle meets the blade.

by laura gaddy ❘ lbgaddy@annistonstar.com

bear and son knives are sold at major retail stores, including cabela’s, bass Pro shop and academy sports and outdoors.

The knife manufacturing company has changed names since it moved into its current location in 1994. it took on its most recent name in 2004 when Griffey and his family purchased it.

Alabama Damascus Steel, also located in Jacksonville, forges knife blades from blocks of steel.

Damascus steel is characterized by wavy patterns that appear when the metal is forged. using blacksmithing techniques on an industrial scale, the company pounds pieces of steel with power hammers until each piece contains 416 layers, said Lacy Smith, who is responsible for marketing for the company. “it creates an aesthetic to the blade where you see the grain of all the metal like you would in wood,” Smith said. “You have strength and character.”

Smith said the company employs nine people, has an international customer base and sells to about 6,000 individuals, organizations and manufacturers. The blade company is in an old cotton gin on West francis Street.

Alabama Damascus Steel produces between 50 and 60 blades a day and about 24 blocks of uncut steel, which are often sold to hobbyists who craft the metal into blades, Smith said. overall, the company makes about 3,000 blades and between 6,000 and 10,000 blocks each year.

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Business Calhoun County | winter 2013

Bear and Son Cutlery of Jacksonville produces some 350,000 knives each year. by bill wilSon

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Business Calhoun County | winter 2013

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weBBing

tapecraft makes state-of-the-art products for safety lines, cars and gun straps

woVen foR stRength

by eddie burkhalter eburkhalter@ annistonstar.com

f

or 67 years, Tapecraft has made products in Calhoun County that are used by thousands of other companies worldwide. one of those products helps keep lives safe from harm.

Lanyards made of nylon and polyester webbing, crafted in Tapecraft’s 310,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art oxford plant, are used to protect workers from falls.

The occupational Safety and Health Administration generally requires the use of lanyards when working 6 or more feet off the ground.

Traditionally, those lanyards are made from two separate types of webbing that are sewn together by the manufacturer making the end-product. one webbing is made for strength, to stop the fall and support the worker’s weight; the second webbing is energyabsorbing to slow the fall to prevent injury from sudden stops.

Tim Phillips, director of manufacturing, is careful to withhold details of how Tapecraft’s lanyards are made.

Those details are a trade secret, he said, but Phillips described a new type of lanyard webbing the company invented that reduces assembly time for manufacturers.

Tapecraft’s lanyard webbing is made by simultaneously weaving both the strength and the energy-absorbing materials together at the same time.

All that’s needed at the end of the process is for the webbing purchaser to sew hooks at both ends, Phillips said.

Tapecraft, founded by Rudy Kemp in Anniston in 1946 with 20 employees, began by making book bindings, clothing labels and zipper tapes.

The Anniston plant went through 26 expansions, and in 1995 a second plant was opened in Piedmont. in 1996, Tapecraft became a subsidiary of YKK America Group, a division of the worldwide Japan-based YKK

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Business Calhoun County | winter 2013

Khaled El-Zeaiter and Tim Phillips hold some of the safety webbing made at Tapecraft in Oxford.

by STephen GroSS

tapecraft’s products end up in thousands of unexpected places, from swimming pool covers to hand-made handbags and wristwatch bands.

Group, a maker of zippers, fastening products and industrial machinery.

Tapecraft opened a plant in oxford in 1998, and added 168,000 square feet in 2004 to put the production, distribution and warehouse operations under one roof.

The company’s approximately 180 workers make more than 15,000 types of webbing sold largely to three markets: those for automotive, safety and government use. in addition to lanyards used in the safety industry, Tapecraft makes webbing used in the auto industry, often found in safety airbags, seats and convertible tops. The company also makes webbing for the federal government that ends up in uniforms, backpacks and gun straps, among other uses.

“Those are the three major markets that we serve, but there are a lot of different products that we make,” said Khaled El-Zeaiter, the company’s human resources and safety manager.

Tapecraft’s products end up in thousands of unexpected places, from swimming pool covers to handmade handbags and wristwatch bands. in order to remain competitive, the company is constantly working on new products, Phillips said.

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poweR cABLe

S cURRent forte power makes the lines that get juice to customers

AffAiRs by laura camPer ❘ lcamper@annistonstar.com

ince opening in Heflin in 1996, forte Power Systems has become a major employer in Cleburne County.

When it opened the doors of its 200,000-square-foot facility, forte, a subsidiary of Carrollton, Ga.-based Southwire Co., employed more than 100 workers. forte now has 200 workers and has nearly doubled the size of its facility to 390,000 square feet, according to Gary Leftwich, spokesman for Southwire Co. in 1996, the company produced mediumvoltage power cable for use underground. Today, forte produces 75 million to 80 million pounds of medium- and high-voltage cable along with installation products each year, Leftwich said. “our cable is used by electric utilities to deliver energy from the source of generation into local neighborhoods,” Leftwich said.

Southwire was drawn to Heflin because of its proximity to interstate 20 and Carrollton, as well as the community and its quality workers, Leftwich said.

The community opened its arms and, with the help of the state, put together a $2.6 million incentive package for the company, including $89,000 in pledges from local individuals and businesses. in return, the community has received steadily increasing employment as the plant’s product line has expanded to keep up with changes in the marketplace. “it is likely that Southwire Heflin will again expand the scope of our product line in the next three to five years,” Leftwich said.

The plant continues to be an important part of the company, he added.

“Southwire Heflin has been not only a Southwire leader, but an industry leader in many aspects, including safety and quality,” Leftwich said.

it is likely that southwire heflin will expand the scope of its product line in the next three to five years.

by TrenT penny

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Business Calhoun County | winter 2013

in 2008, forte was recognized by the occupational Safety and Health Administration in the Voluntary Protection Program. The voluntary program requires companies to go above and beyond the standard safety and health requirements.

The recognition followed the 2001 death of an employee resulting from an accident in the work place. oSHA had fined the company after the accident.

Southwire Co. was founded in Carrollton, Ga., in 1950 by Roy Richards. it has grown to be one of north America’s largest wire and cable producers.

The company employs 5,600 people at its 18 plants and 13 customer service centers.

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Business Calhoun County | winter 2013

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Lighting

second sun offers more light with less heat

BRight iDeAs

J

by brian anderson ❘ banderson@annistonstar.com

ack Meacham thinks his Anniston-based company, Second Sun, can shed a little light on cost savings for businesses.

At first glance, the LED light manufacturer’s prices are double what a company might pay for traditional light fixtures and bulbs — but Meacham said look a little closer.

“LEDs use a fraction of the power and last longer,” Meacham said. “in three to five years, you’re already looking at a savings.”

second sun has installed lighting for oxford city schools, bama budweiser of sylacauga and the city of anniston for retrofitted lights for decorative street poles.

A 100-watt LED light, which Meacham said can replace a traditional 400watt light, costs around $525. upfront, that’s more than the $250 a company might pay for the traditional light. But the LED light lasts twice as long as traditional fixtures, Meacham said, and uses a fourth of the power of the traditional light.

Those savings can total more than $20,000 over the course of 10 years, Meacham said, which is typically longer than traditional lighting lasts.

“This is the future,” said John Payne, a shareholder in Second Sun and sales contact for the company. “in 10 to 15 years, everything is going to be LED lighting.”

Meacham admits the sell has been a little tough for companies looking at the bottom-line when they make purchases, rather than long-term savings.

The company was started four years

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Business Calhoun County | winter 2013

ago on West Jefferson Street. in 2012, Second Sun sold about 200 lights for manufacturing businesses, outdoor parking decks and warehouses. So far, business has mostly been local; Second Sun has installed lighting for oxford City Schools, Bama Budweiser of Sylacauga and the city of Anniston for retrofitted lights for decorative street poles.

“We’re trying to expand a little,” Meacham said. “We’ve only been doing it for

a few years.”

The company’s biggest customers tend to be in the outdoor lighting market, Meacham said, especially parking decks, which need lighting all day, and where the incentive to switch to longer-lasting, more-efficient lighting is greater.

“LED is great for that because you’re not replacing the bulbs,” Meacham said.

“And you’re using a smaller wattage, and it’s actually brighter.”

Jack Meacham displays his high power LED lighting at Second Sun. by bill wilSon

Business Calhoun County | winter 2013

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330498 ANNISTON ONCOLOGY

Cancer is called a

journey.

But you don’t have to leave home to find

expert cancer care.

Conveniently located in the beautiful Appalachian Foothills of Northeast Alabama, Anniston Oncology is a community-based, private oncology practice providing a full range of hematology oncology services. Here, patients receive the highest level of care and personalized treatment plans delivered locally, expertly and compassionately.

• All types of cancer treated • Chemotherapy certified nursing staff • On-site certified CLIA laboratory • National clinical trials available • Affiliated with Northeast Alabama Regional Medical Center and Stringfellow Memorial Hospital • Most insurance accepted

Ellen N. Spremulli, M.D. ABIM Certified Medical Oncologist, 1977

Melissa C. Fenner Baird, M.D. ABIM Certified Medical Oncologist, 1995 ABIM Certified Hematologist, 1996

Pramod A. Vadlamani, M.D. ABIM Certified Medical Oncologist, 1997

, PC 901 Leighton Avenue, Suite 602 Anniston, AL 36207

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Business Calhoun County | winter 2013

To schedule an appointment with one of our physicians, call 256-238-1011.

clocking out | tim lockette

we’re still a manufacturing town — it’s just not always obvious until they’re obsolete, parked in front of the VfW. “Manufacturing,” i say, pushing open the door of Anniston has always been a pipe-shop town, and you the Lego Room, which was my study until the 10-year-old don’t get more invisible than that. You sell your product, took it over. “Manufacturing. What do you think of it?” and the customer literally buries it. i’ve been struggling for most of the day to write a column There’s some hope in buried products. for decades, the about all the things that are made in the county where i pipe-shop workers toiled in the same town that was virtually grew up. Buses, car parts, fiddles, knives. Pipe, lots of pipe. owned by the Army. The troops were everywhere, Calhoun County doesn’t make tanks, exactly, but feeding dollars into every business. And then they we do remake them, the way the fleming brothers went away. rebuilt that totaled 280Z that became the first car i And for 14 years, we waited for an industry — ever bought. an industry exactly the size and shape of the u.S. Pipes, tanks, buses ... it’s really hard to find a Army — to neatly fill the hole. common theme there. The best way to tie them Apple would have fit nicely. or maybe another together is to say something about how Anniston car company. Just one simple, giant product, easihas always been a town where people make stuff.

Tim ly recognizable to a 10-year-old, to rescue us. “oh, from the beginning, when would-be steel barons Lockette you’re the place where they build that?” laid the town with all the precision of a kid playing Somehow, things just didn’t work out between SimCity, to the waning decade of the last century, Teachable Moments us and Steve Jobs. But when you count our grab bag of inviswhen foundry workers and soldiers sat shoulder-to-shoulible products, we’re doing better than you might expect. der eating barbecue at the Goal Post.

The problem is, if you tie that all together, you’re sudden- Maybe in five years we’ll also be making widgets (a real thing, that goes inside a beer can) and shoe horns and slap ly writing about “industry” or “manufacturing.” And those bracelets. or a seat for a hot-selling minivan. Realistically, words just don’t get people’s attention. They’re ... that’s probably “Boring?” i ask the 10-year-old. “is manufacturing borhow we’ll come ing?” back — piece by “of course it’s boring,” he says. He’s clearly annoyed that piece, not with i’m bothering him. He can spend hours quietly in the Lego a single giant Room, assembling soldiers and bureaucrats to populate the PiPes, tanks, buses ... product that gets island nation he’s built on the coffee table. the problem is, if you dropped on the “Why is it boring?” i ask. city like a 10-ton “Because you’re just doing the same thing over and over tie that all together, weight. again,” he said. “You’re not even making a whole thing. you’re suddenly writing of course, You’re just, like, moving a box from here to here.” The about “industry” or if i said that at 10-year-old demonstrates with a robotic moving-the-boxes the outset, i’d motion that looks like something from a Daft Punk video. “manufacturing.” and be writing a colHe does the Daft Punk thing for an absurdly long time, i those words just don’t umn about our think to demonstrate that repetition is annoying. get people’s attention. diverse manuThe words “manufacturing” and “industry” have not facturing base. been sexy in my lifetime. industry was something you Bo-ring. i can’t learned about in clackety old films at school, narrated by stand to read bespectacled squares from the 1950s. Archie Bunker, comthose words, ing home with his lunchpail, seemed like a man without a and i just wrote them. i’d rather watch bottles rush by at the country. When Laverne and Shirley left the brewery, they Shottz Brewery. lit up like women whose convictions were overturned on oK, one last try. i ask the kid if he’d be interested in how appeal. they make soil pipe.

This is what i’m up against. unless you make one well“What’s soil pipe?” he said. known and sexy product — cars in the last century, or iPads “it’s a thing they made in Anniston,” i said. “it’s a pipe in this one — people aren’t so sure they even want to know that takes poop away from your house.” about the factory. “i don’t care about that,” he said. “i don’t need one.” in a way, that’s one thing Calhoun County’s biggest prod“of course you need one,” i reply. ucts have in common. They’re unseen. Buses are a big thing “i’ve already got one,” he said. “Everybody’s got one.” around the world, but in Alabama, not so much. When you ubiquitous as the iPad, but made in Anniston. Chanotice a car part — like that broken latch for your sun visor ching!

— it’s not a good thing. Tanks go away and don’t come back

Business Calhoun County | winter 2013

27

Getting to know us is Good Business!

TM

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If you’re looking for a fun way to re-energize your staff, bring them out for a challenging evening of fun at our state-of-the-art airgun range. It’s the same place where the 2012 U.S. Olympic air rifle and air pistol teams qualified for the London Olympics.

It’s a great place to discover, learn and compete in a safe and friendly environment! Call us today for details.

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