By By Chuck Bodiford Publisher
The city of Atmore has been invited by the Alabama Development Office to join other leaders from around the state on a weeklong trip to the Far East. The goal of the trip is recruiting industry. Atmore Mayor Howard Shell, and Jim Johnson, chairman of the Atmore Utility Board and also a member of the industrial development panel, will leave the evening of Oct. 25 and return Nov. 1.
Also going on the trip will be Gov. Bob Riley. Stops are planned in South Korea and Japan. Groups other than the cities themselves will fund the trip. In the case of Atmore, no city dollars will go to fund the trip.
"We see this as an opportunity for the city of Atmore to have a chance to visit with the governor on this international recruiting trip. It makes the statement that we are serious about our future and want the same to be known to potential investors for our city and south Alabama," Shell said.
"This is not a trip that will produce guarantees, but rather an advantage. We will give the city of Atmore exposure to people in the state and those that are involved with industry recruiting. We feel that Atmore has a lot to offer to those potential industries."
Both Thomasville Mayor Sheldon Day and Shell hope to attract members of the automobile industry.
The property the city recently purchased and annexed into the city limits at I-65 makes Atmore a prime candidate for this type of industry.
Planning is under way to develop the infrastructure of that property, creating roads, water and sewer facilities. That development will be known as the Atmore Business Park.
Another advantage that Atmore has is its second industrial park, on U.S. Highway 31.
That park is also undergoing a facelift with new entrances and signage planned.