No. 7
Clarke County economy rebounds

By By Steve Gillespie / staff writer
Jan. 1, 2004
After a year of record unemployment that reached 19 percent, Clarke County's economy rebounded in 2003 with the jobless rate falling to 5.7 percent.
Between December 2000 and April 2002, Clarke County lost more than 2,000 jobs with the closing of A&B Component Parts in Shubuta, Quitman Knitting Mills and Burlington Industries in Stonewall.
Clarke County District 4 Supervisor Paul Mosley, president of the board of supervisors during 2002, said this week that the county's economy is looking a lot better.
Supervisors received a $100,000 grant from the state to help fund travel expenses and create a strategic plan to lure industry back into the area.
A $3.2 million grant from the U.S. Department of Labor was also approved for new training, education and hiring services.
U.S.A. Fabrics is a manufacturer that opened in Clarke County this year. Magnolia Spinning is scheduled to start operation in Shubuta in February.
And Warmkraft Inc., a furniture and apparel manufacturer, bought the Burlington Industries denim plant in Stonewall. It plans to be in operation by mid-summer, 2004.