Archives
 By  Staff Reports Published 
6:07 pm Friday, April 25, 2008

County workforce seeing growth

By Staff
Jason Cannon
More than 340 new industrial jobs were added in Franklin County in 2007, the majority of which came from the 50 existing industrial employers established in the county.
Much has been made of the tough economic times the nation is facing, but Mitch Mays, director of the county industrial development office, said the future appears to be bright in Franklin County.
"341 additional jobs, primarily from the growth of existing industry is pretty good," he said.
The biggest gains came from Desa Fmi and Tiffin Motor Homes, each adding approximately 100 new workers.
Desa is currently phasing in 100 new employees to accommodate an assembly operation that was relocated from California.
"Franklin County was in the running with several other states, including Tennessee and Kentucky for this operation," Mays said. "It's not like since they already had a plant here this was just a 'gimmie.' The workforce here and the incentives we were offering were an attractive package."
Tiffin's expansion comes as the company looks to manufacture more of its components in-house and brings their labor force up to approximately 1,200 in Franklin County.
And, while the hunt is still on to bring a new industry and more jobs to Franklin County, Mays said it appears, at least in the short-term, the biggest industrial gains will come from those already here.
"We're still actively recruiting new industry but it's a tough go with a lack of buildings," Mays said. "We just don't have much available industrial space in the county that's turn-key ready."
Mays' office is working on several projects, which could land new jobs here, but he said one of the office's main objectives is to see spec buildings constructed at the industrial parks.
"A spec building is just a shell," he said. "It's four walls and a roof, but it's attractive to industries looking to relocate because having a spec building can cut four months off their construction time."
A spec building could also provide an extra boost as the county seeks an automotive supplier, the likes of which have relocated to several cities nearby.
"Spec buildings are designed to be very general in nature," he said. "They're perfect for automotive suppliers but they'll fit most anyone's needs."

Also on Franklin County Times
Ex-day care owner faces 27-count indictment
Main, News, Russellville
Kevin Taylor For the FCT 
October 15, 2025
RUSSELLVILLE — The former owner of a Red Bay day care center where a 4-month-old died in March 2022 is now facing a manslaughter charge after a Frankl...
AI policies stress proper use over prohibition
Main, News
Alyssa Sutherland For the FCT 
October 15, 2025
Sheffield City Schools’ policy regarding student use of artificial intelligence (AI) at the start of the 2025-26 school year limited the use of the so...
Faith, family and resilience are keys to cancer survival
Main, News, Phil Campbell, ...
María Camp maria.camp@franklincountytimes.com 
October 15, 2025
PHIL CAMPBELL — Ten years ago, Melissa Stancil faced a diagnosis that changed her life. Today, she’s not only a survivor of Stage 3 breast cancer but ...
Gilmer fulfills dream competing on ‘Jeopardy!’
Main, News, Russellville, ...
María Camp maria.camp@franklincountytimes.com 
October 15, 2025
RUSSELLVILLE — Russellville native Slade Gilmer fulfilled a lifelong dream when he competed on “Jeopardy!” in an episode that aired Oct. 7. Gilmer liv...
Police among state’s first certified departments
News, Russellville, Z - News Main
María Camp maria.camp@franklincountytimes.com 
October 15, 2025
RUSSELLVILLE — The city’s Police Department is one of the first 12 departments to earn professional accreditation through the Alabama Association of C...
We must break China’s grip on defense supply chains
Columnists, Opinion
October 15, 2025
China’s Xi Jinping appeared supremely confident at a recent military parade in Beijing with Russia’s Vladimir Putin and North Korea’s Kim Jong Un. Xi’...
DKG international president visits Russellville
Columnists, Opinion
HERE AND NOW
October 15, 2025
When educators gather, there’s always something to learn, and this month our local Delta Kappa Gamma chapter, Alpha Upsilon, heard directly from the t...
More than laughs: Improvising for life’s situations
News
Chelsea Retherford For the FCT 
October 15, 2025
When most people hear the word “improv,” they might think of the quickwitted antics of “Whose Line is it Anyway?” But David Grissom, a veteran comedy ...

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *