Northwest Georgia counties saw an increase in the jobless rate in December vs. the previous month but it was Chattooga County that saw the most impact. Some 1,360 people there were unemployed last month. Mount Vernon Mills has announced up to 100 layoffs are pending as part of a restructuring. Employment snapshot: County-by-county Floyd: 3.7%,… Read more
By Natalie Simms nsimmshh@att.net This May, 15 Rome businesswomen will graduate as the inaugural class of the Lynda Brannen Williamson Foundation Inc. Women’s Leadership Academy. The program, which seeks to improve career, mentoring and service opportunities for women, hopes to continue growing in Rome and around the state through its partnership with Georgia Power.… Read more
Today will be the final day of service at LocoMex Restaurant at 201 Broad St. Owner Federico Gimenez says he has the restaurant for sale at $30,000 to include all furnishings and equipment inside the building. There are three years remaining on the building lease. Today’s business hours are noon-9 p.m. “I live far… Read more
Talk about high cotton: Two major locations on Broad Street in the historic Cotton Block sold on Friday. The main piece is 113 Broad St., currently the home of marketing operations for The Spires at Berry College. Toles, Temple & Wright represented the seller (Ed Hines) while Harvey Given Co. represented the buyer, Dulaney… Read more
Some Kiplinger-style updates on our nine key topics in Northwest Georgia: BUSINESS: This week should end on a plus note. A couple of things in the works are expected to gel before sunset. We’ll have the updates once final this afternoon or evening. We’re do for a little good news after a recent spike… Read more
The Northwest Georgia Bridal Expo returns to the Clarence Brown Conference Center this Sunday with exhibitors from just about every step of the process scheduled to attend. Usually an event for the bride, perhaps her mother and sisters, and bridemaids, the 2020 edition has something extra for the guys in tow. The Season Events of… Read more
In context: Rome/Floyd County ended 2019 with a labor force of 43,000 people, up 1,100 from December of 2018, according to the state Department of Labor. First-time jobless claims likewise spiked in the month across Northwest Georgia. We’re checking with the state to ensure accuracy before posting those. Media release: State Labor Commissioner Mark Butler… Read more
So here’s the latest from what has been a very busy month or so on Broad Street. Harvey-Given Co.’s Collin Doss posted the above late Monday with a hint of more to come, perhaps by week’s end. Will 111 Broad St. line up with talk of another new restaurant headed to Rome’s premiere street address?… Read more
>Starting this year, Hometown Headlines plans to include the minutes from previous government meetings as well as the upcoming agenda. The Rome Floyd County Development Authority meets Tuesday at 7:30 a.m. in the board room of the Rome Floyd Chamber, 1 Riverside Parkway. The agenga is below, followed by the minutes. Changes include… Read more
After two and half years on Broad Street, Craze Boutique will be closing its doors on Monday at 231-A Broad Street. It’s final two days of business are today from 12-5 p.m. and Monday from 12-3 p.m. Owner Casie Autry, who previously had boutique stores in Calhoun and Dawsonville (at North Georgia Premium Outlets), says… Read more
Media release: River City Bank announces the addition of Shane Walley as Vice President, Relationship Manager. In his role as a Relationship Manager, Shane’s focus will be on lending in the small business, consumer and residential sectors, including residential construction. He joins River City Bank with eight years of experience which includes branch management and lending. In… Read more
Media release: Greater Community Bank is pleased to provide a $30,000 contribution to the Greater Community Fund, a donor advised fund established with the Community Foundation for Greater Rome. This very exciting philanthropic effort exists for the sole purpose of supporting the local economy and community. The Fund has an approximate balance of $70,000,… Read more
From a media release: Georgia surged to a record for business formation in 2019 with more than 165,000 businesses formed, according to Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger. This marks the first time new business formation surpassed 150,000 in a calendar year, a significant milestone for Georgia. “Georgia’s record-breaking new business formation highlights how the… Read more
Sixteen years ago, the stores rising from the remnants of the old mall had the attention of Rome area residents. Among them was Pier 1 Imports, joining anchors Barnes & Noble, Kroger and others. On Tuesday, Pier 1 posted the closing signs in its windows at the 1438 Turner McCall Blvd. address. An employee… Read more
Groundbreaking was held Tuesday for Ball Corp.’s new Ball Aluminum Cup plant in Shannon. Corporate executives were on hand as the expansion formally got under way to produce what the company calls “our latest innovation — a lightweight and indefinitely recyclable cup.” What to expect: The aluminum cup plant is rising next to Ball’s aluminum beverage… Read more
Media release: The Georgia Department of Economic Development announces that longtime Bartow County community partner Anheuser-Busch will expand operations at its facility in Cartersville, generating an $85 million investment and 12 new jobs. “Anheuser-Busch is a source of pride in Georgia’s advanced manufacturing lineup, and this Cartersville plant expansion will allow continued competitiveness within the beer… Read more
Media release: The Board of Directors of Greater Community Bank welcomes Chris Hunt in the role ofChief Financial Officer. Hunt will be responsible for direction and monitoring of the Bank’s financial plans and policies. He has 35 years of banking experience and most recently served as Chief Financial Officer for Community National Bank in Rossville.… Read more