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Greater Rome Existing Industries Association Holds Annual Meeting

RomeNewswire — Sat, 13 Nov 2010 03:47:53 +0000

The Greater Rome Existing Industries Association (GREIA) of the Greater Rome Chamber of Commerce held their annual meeting this week at the Coosa Country Club where they announced board of directors members and the importance of logistics in Rome and Floyd County.

Page Siplon, executive director of the Center of Innovation for Logistics, Georgia Department of Economic Development, discussed the role of imports and exports from the Northwest Georgia region and the economic impact of logistics in industry. Siplon continued to share the economic impact of truck activity in Rome and Floyd County, which is responsible for $3.2 billion in import truck activity and $3.3 billion in export truck activity.

“Rome and Floyd County are critical parts of the Georgia economic system,” said Siplon. “Georgia recognizes logistics as a strategic industry, and uniquely one who’s multiple secrets effects every business, every day.”

GREIA also announced the creation of a business council, “Ex-Im Logistics Council”, that seeks to bring local business leaders together to improve logistics in our business community.

“Like other councils, the purpose of this group is to exchange information among members,” said council chair Alan Horne, Suzuki Manufacturing of America. “It is intended as a forum for sharing experience.”

During the meeting, many local manufacturers were recognized and congratulated for their expansion and job creation in Rome and Floyd County. These companies are Southeastern Mills, Bekaert Corporation, Syntec Industries, and Pirelli Tire North America.

GREIA also announced its 2011 Board of Directors. Tom Watters, Syntec Industries, was reelected Chairman of the Board with Diane Lewis, The Lewis Chemical Company, as President, and Gary Downey, Bekaert Corporation as Vice President.

Newcomers this year to the GREIA Board of Directors include, Cathy Kerce, JEM MFG, LLC, Alan Guyatt, F & P Georgia, Gary Downey, Bekaert Corporation, Johnny Johnson, Rome Die Casting, LLC, and Tracy Hawkin with Plant Hammond, Georgia Power Company. Other executive members to the board include Andrew Saville, Coosa Steel, Mark White, The Fairbanks Company, Guido Broder, Suhner Manufacturing, Inc., and Gary Majestic, Commercial Fluid Power.

The Greater Rome Exisiting Industries Association seeks to promote harmonious relations among the manufacturers of Rome and Floyd County and to foster and promote those activities among the manufacturers to create a profitable and productive business environment.

A program of the Greater Rome Chamber of Commerce, GREIA holds many events throughout the year for its members including valuable seminars such as the Lean 6 Sigma seminar and the OSHA seminar. Manufacturers serve various committees throughout the Chamber including the Education and Workforce Committee, Governmental Affairs Committee and the Transportation Committee.

The Music Room Inventory To Be Auctioned Off Next Week

RomeNewswire — Fri, 01 Oct 2010 11:40:51 +0000

The inventory of The Music Room Inc. will be auctioned off next Tuesday, October 5^th in the Ballroom at The Forum at 2 Government Plaza. The inventory is available for the public to view at The Forum from 10am – 4pm today, Friday Oct. 1, and Monday Oct 4^th.

Dempsey Auction Company will perform the actual auction on behalf of Tax Commissioner Kevin Payne. This is a tax sale to satisfy liens filed by the Tax Commissioner, Floyd County, and the State of Georgia against The Music Room Inc. for delinquent taxes from 2006-2010. This will be an absolute auction with a 10% buyer’s premium.

The entire inventory will be sold, regardless of price. The inventory includes 3 automobiles, 100’s of musical instruments of all varieties, as well as office furniture, office equipment and electronics, tools, and other types of sound equipment.

For more information please call Dempsey Auction Company at 706-291-0746 or visit their website at www.dempseyauction.com.

Kevin Payne encourages all interested buyers to visit The Forum and view the inventory personally as well.

Special Council on Tax Reform and Fairness for Georgians to Hold Fact Finding Session in Rome

RomeNewswire — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 00:45:52 +0000

The Special Council on Tax Reform and Fairness for Georgians will hold a fact finding session Tuesday, September 7th from 4:00 PM to 7:00 PM at the Forum Civic Center in Rome, Georgia.

WHO:

Special Council on Tax Reform and Fairness for Georgians

WHAT:

Fact Finding Session

WHEN:

Tuesday, September 7, 2010
4:00 PM – 7:00 PM

WHERE:

Forum Civic Center
Riverwalk Ballroom
2 Government Plaza
Rome, GA 31401

Interested parties are invited to attend the Fact Finding Session anytime during the three hour session. If you plan to attend the meeting and address the Tax Council, please submit your question or issue via the tax council website (http://fiscalresearch.gsu.edu/taxcouncil/index.htm) by 5:00 PM the day before the tax council fact finding session. You can do this by clicking on the Fact Finding Session tab on the left side of the page and filling out the form online. Also, if you have supporting materials to present to tax council members, please bring 15 copies of the materials to the hearing with you. Presentations must be limited to five minutes.

If you are unable to attend a Fact Finding Session and would like to voice your opinion to the Tax Council, submit your questions or comments via the Tax Council’s website under the Submit Comments section.

Appalachian Valley Fiber Network Receives Federal Grant; Floyd County to Benefit Greatly

RomeNewswire — Thu, 19 Aug 2010 17:03:50 +0000

The Federal Government announced today that the Appalachian Valley Fiber Network (AVFN) was awarded a $21.4 million Broadband Technology Opportunity Program grant funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. The AVFN is a public-private partnership established to develop and expand broadband in the underserved Northwest Georgia and Eastern Alabama areas. Private partners include Parker FiberNet of Summerville, Georgia and Blue Streak Cable and Telecommunications of Coral Gables Florida. Public partners include numerous local governments and the Northwest Georgia Regional Commission.

Throughout the region, the project will create a more robust fiber network, which will lower the cost and time for private companies to deploy broadband internet access to rural areas.

Here in Floyd County, the funds will be used to provide fiber to several industrial parks, including the 2009 SPLOST-funded 140/53 North Floyd Industrial Park and the Richard B. Russell Regional Airport. The project will also connect fiber to the 2009 SPLOST-funded Public Safety Communication System towers, creating redundancy for emergency radio traffic as well as a platform for private wireless networks.

“This is a tremendous win for Rome and Floyd County citizens. The project will enable us to expand fiber within Floyd County and the region, connect our essential facilities to the rest of the world, and create more broadband capacity in our rural areas,” said Eddie Lumsden, Floyd County Commission Chairman.

For more information, please contact the County Manager’s Office at 706.291.5111 or visit www.romefloyd.com.

Petz Enterprises, Inc. Announces Plans to Open a New Regional Office In Rome

RomeNewswire — Sat, 31 Jul 2010 00:05:07 +0000

Petz Enterprises, Inc. announced on July, 30 plans to open a new southeastern regional office in Rome and Floyd County. “We have made a strategic decision to establish a permanent presence in the Southeast to continue to serve our growing customer base. With the experienced talent available in Rome, Georgia, we feel it is a natural fit for our company and are excited about joining the community,” said Charles Petz, CPA, Vice President of Product Development, Petz Enterprises, Inc.

Founded in 1964, Petz Enterprises, Inc. (PEI) is a family-owned business. PEI is a leading provider of technology and services for consumers and tax professionals with leadership in high-volume tax preparation, electronic filing, tax-related financial services, and electronic benefits delivery systems. Their corporate headquarters is located in Tracy, California.

“We welcome this company to Rome and are looking forward to having them come and grow in this community,” said Wright Bagby, Mayor of Rome. “These are great jobs and the types of jobs we are looking for in Rome. It is great news to have this additional business venture despite the tough economic times.

PEI’s strength is through its expertise in combining accounting, tax, and engineering with service delivery. This expertise has created an excellent reputation for delivering highly effective solutions alongside superior customer support.

County Commission Chairman Eddie Lumsden said, “With the way the economy is, these new jobs in the county are welcome news. We look forward to them establishing a presence in Floyd County and will work with them in expanding operations as they continue to grow their operations in our community.”

PEI’s decision to locate a regional office in the Rome community will continue to bolster the information technology sector in the Rome and Floyd County community.

“We are pleased to welcome Petz Enterprises Inc. to the Rome and Floyd County community. This company adds to our information technology base which has proven valuable over the years,” said Greater Rome Chamber of Commerce Chairman, Harry Brock, Appraisal Associates of Rome.

PEI serves tax professionals, service bureaus and individual taxpayers. Their professional software, Crosslink® is a tax software solution for high-volume tax businesses. TaxBrain®, their consumer tax solution product, is an on-line tax preparation and e-file solution for consumers.

“We are very pleased that Petz Enterprises has chosen Georgia to grow its business,” said Heidi Green, Commissioner of the Georgia Department of Economic Development. “Our business environment is an ideal fit for expanding businesses and conducive to innovative new technologies.”

Special thanks to Georgia Gov. Sonny Perdue and his team, Gretchen Corbin with the Georgia Department of Economic Development, Chuck Scragg with Georgia Power Company, the city of Rome and Floyd County, the Rome-Floyd County Development Authority, and the Greater Rome Chamber of Commerce.

Leroy Petz, Founder and CEO of Petz, Inc.

East Rome Walmart Unveils New Design

RomeNewswire — Tue, 13 Jul 2010 12:21:13 +0000

The Rome Walmart, located at 825 Cartersville Highway SE, will celebrate a grand re-opening this week, giving local shoppers a glimpse of the company’s next generation of store design and customer experience. The results of a three-month remodeling project will be unveiled at the Rome Walmart at 8 a.m., Friday, July 16. Among the many improvements are a new layout, wider aisles, low-profile shelving, bright interior paint scheme, enhanced lighting and easy-to-read signage to make the shopping experience more convenient for customers than ever before.

“We listened to our customers and have redesigned the store to make shopping at Walmart even easier,” said store manager Steve Roland.

The remodeled Rome store features a more open shopping environment with wider aisles that contain no product displays. Walmart also aligned the departments that customers shop most frequently, making it quicker to purchase everyday items, including moving the pet department next to the grocery department.

“The new layout is easier to navigate, which will save our customers time as they shop for necessities,” said Roland.

Among the changes, Walmart has combined the Site-to-Store pick-up location and photo lab into a single area at the rear of the store. Customers now have ready access to these services as well as associates who can provide assistance as needed.

A bright interior paint scheme and enhanced lighting create a more inviting shopping experience and help define the store’s merchandise areas. Low-profile shelving creates an improved sightline and directional signage helps customers find the products they need.

The remodel also brings Walmart customers an expanded electronics department featuring a wide selection of the latest consumer electronics and home entertainment. The new design includes a more hands-on experience for customers with interactive displays for hi-definition Blu-ray, video gaming and portable electronics. The interactive experience enables shoppers to test new technology.

A new department called Celebration Station has been added and will feature party supplies, greeting cards, balloons and helium tanks, cake supplies and gift wrap.

The grand re-opening celebration is scheduled for Friday, July 16, and will begin with a ribbon-cutting by Floyd County Sherriff Tim Burkhaler at 8 a.m. Amanda Deems, store associate, will sing the national anthem and local Disc Jockey Melvin Banks will be on hand to offer entertainment for all customers throughout the morning.

Walmart and the Walmart Foundation have committed $2 billion to U.S. hunger relief efforts through 2015. The Fighting Hunger Together campaign will also engage Walmart customers and associates in the fight against hunger. More information can be found at walmart.com/fightinghunger.com.

Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. (NYSE: WMT), or “Walmart,” serves customers and members more than 200 million times per week at more than 8,400 retail units under 55 different banners in 15 countries. With fiscal year 2010 sales of $405 billion, Walmart employs more than 2.0 million associates worldwide. A leader in sustainability, corporate philanthropy and employment opportunity, Walmart ranked first among retailers in Fortune Magazine’s 2009 Most Admired Companies survey. Additional information about Walmart can be found by visiting www.walmartstores.com and on Twitter at http://Twitter.com/Walmartnews. Online merchandise sales are available at www.walmart.com and www.samsclub.com.