County Commission | The Magazine October 2018 | Page 24

FROM THE COVER
A
Chambers County’s Strength
is Woven In
labama’s top five counties for
new job announcements last
year looks an awful lot like a list of
the most populous counties — with
one glaring exception: Chambers
County. This eastern Alabama
county, once dominated by the textile
industry, punches above its weight
class in economic development, and
county leaders say the Community
Branding Initiative is an important
outgrowth of that success.
The initiative earned a coveted
Excellence in County Government
Award, presented by ACCA annually
to recognize commission-initiated
projects and programs that are
outstanding in quality or innovative
in approach. There are separate
urban and rural categories, and
Chambers County was recognized in
the category for counties with fewer
than 50,000 residents.
Visually, the logo’s key element
is a simple pattern that looks like
a close-up of fabric. The tagline,
“Strength Woven In,” connects
with the past and builds on
the theme of resiliency. For the
birthplace of “Fighting Joe Louis,”
there are touchstones of local
history that embody this strength
and resiliency, from the recent
economic recovery to 1947, when
enough
citizens
donated a
day’s pay to
keep the local
2018 Excellence in
County Government
Award
| RURAL CATEGORY |
Chambers County Community
Branding Initiative
hospital open.
“It is very unusual for a
community with a population our
size — with less than 35,000 people
countywide — to invest in itself
and recognize the importance of
branding and telling our story,”
stated the county’s nomination
materials. “The success in getting
countywide adoption of the
brand is truly a testament to the
innovation and determination of
our county leaders.”
2018-2019 ACCA President Tony Cherry (second from left) congratulates Chambers County leaders on winning this year’s Excellence in County Government
Award in the Rural Category. Present to accept the award were (standing from left) Engineer Josh Harvill, Cherry, Commissioner Sam Bradford, Administrator
Regina Chambers and Commissioners Debbie Wood, Douglas Jones, David Eastridge and Joe Blanks.
24 | OCTOBER 2018