Bringing new jobs to the community STORY BY LONNA UPTON
Business and government leaders work together to support jobs in the Lake Martin area
The Lake Martin Area Economic Development Alliance makes great things happen by attracting new business and industry while increasing retention for existing businesses and industries in Tallapoosa and Coosa counties. LMAEDA director Since 1998, the LMAEDA has Chad Odom helped to locate 20 new companies, to facilitate 22 expansions and to create more than 3,800 jobs in Tallapoosa and Coosa counties. Among the recent new businesses is Westwater Resources, which will build the country’s only graphite processing facility in Kellyton. The Colorado-based company will add more than 140 local jobs at the country’s first battery-grade graphite processing plant. Related new business commitments are expected, as LMAEDA and city officials throughout the counties have said they will aggressively recruit complementary industry. Another addition to the local economy will be the expansion of Montgomery’s Cushion Source company into New Site, which will bring 25 cut-and-sew skilled positions. The company announced they would bring some of their operations to a facility there that once was used by a textile company. “As the only truly regional organization that focuses on Coosa and Tallapoosa counties, we take a holistic
approach to creating jobs and creating a workforce. We market sites for primary jobs, for industries that make things here and then sell them. We have a vested interest in industrial attraction and recruitment by offering the great quality of life we have here in the Lake Martin area,” said Chad Odom, executive director of LMAEDA since 2020. The LMAEDA relies on cooperation and funds from well-established local and private entities, individuals and businesses, who believe the Lake Martin area provides a safe community with excellent quality of life, infrastructure and a labor force for companies interested in locating to Tallapoosa or Coosa counties. “One of our greatest draws in the Lake Martin area is Central Alabama Community College. With CACC offering dual enrollment and customized workforce training, we can pipeline workers into the jobs. When we meet with prospective businesses, the dean of workforce and the president of CACC are there to explain how they work to maintain and retain our workforce. Alabama does a great job with funds that help with our workforce,” Odom said. “Once we get companies here, they will come back. We have a history of doing it right with new industry, so it’s easy to show it,” he said.
WE MAKE IT GREAT HERE! | FEBRUARY 2022
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