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Thomasville suppliers conference 'a day of celebration'
The announcement was made at the third annual "Rural" National Supplier Conference held Friday at Alabama Southern Community College in Thomasville. The company will offer crane rentals and a metal fabrication and maintenance division. Burkes presently employs 30 people and has temporary offices in the downtown area. A minimum of five new jobs will be created in the move to the industrial park, Fox said. Thomasville Mayor Sheldon Day said Mike Williams, manager of the Burkes office in Thomasville, is passionate about training young people in the welding and mechanist trades. "Sixty percent of our workforce comes from the three-county area here," Williams said. "…The need for quality help is out there."
"It's quite a statement that this community and this county could provide this type of leadership for an entire region," Congressman Jo Bonner told the gathering. "…You are certainly fortunate in Thomasville to have a mayor that is known around the state as an engine for excitement and enthusiasm." He described Boeing as a great corporate citizen in Alabama and lauded the corporation's partnership with rural Alabama. "The transformation of Alabama from yesterday to the Alabama of today and tomorrow is nothing short of a modern miracle," Bonner said. With Mercedes Benz, Toyota truck engines, Honda, Hyundai and now ThyssenKrupp, "Alabama is the third largest manufacturer of automobiles in the 50 states," he said.
"Something very special is happening within the four corners of Clarke County," said Congressman Artur Davis. "…It would not be happening without leadership that is committed to one community." Ten years ago, the Black Belt was divided with color of skin meaning a great deal, he said. Cities such as Jackson and Thomasville were more likely in competition. "Over a period of time, we've found a way to come together and tie ourselves to each other," Davis said. Much has been done in a short period of time. "Unemployment in every county in the Black Belt is half of what it was in 2000….Poverty is down in every county. Jobs are up….School achievement is up. "The next 10 (years) will bring us school systems all around this region that can compete with any systems anywhere in the state," Davis said. "I think the next 10 will bring us a quality of healthcare around this region that will give people who get sick…the same opportunities to get well that people have in the rest of the state."
Boeing announced that General Sheet Metal of Thomasville has joined the corporation's Mentor-Protégé program. "Boeing is a big supporter of small business," said Charles H. (Chuck) Allen, vice president and general manager of Boeing Rotorcraft Systems. He said the corporation is a pioneer in small business recruitment. "Many of the tenants of the (federal) Small Business Administration were based on the Boeing small businesssupplier arrangement," he said. "…Small businesses make up a substantial portion of the overall domestic supply base so it's important to us to have the outreach programs in place." Allen encouraged county leaders to invest in workforce development. In other announcements from the conference, Thomasville Lumber was named the National Small Business of the Year, and Muskogee Metal Works of Atmore was named the National Minority Owned Small Business of the Year.
In addition, Boeing signed a memorandum of understanding with Muskogee Metal Works to provide support for the Rotorcraft division.
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