Greater Pickens Chamber of Commerce

July 2010 Chamber News

Pickens Planning Group:

Over the past several months, the City of Pickens along with business leaders and other citizens have been working together to create a vision of what Pickens can become.

Working from the group mission statement which is “The mission of the City of Pickens is to provide a strong sense of community, improve the quality of life, and enhance economic development for its citizens, while preserving the City’s historical past and small town atmosphere”, the group decided on four main focus areas. These are: 1) Historical/Cultural, 2) Beautification, 3) Recreation/Leisure and 4) Marketing/Business Development.

Out of each focus area ideas have emerged and are being developed. A few of the ideas are: a new City slogan “Pickens, Where the Mountains Begin”, the cruise in and music, brochures, updated website, business development, and many more. If you would like to be involved in the process, the steering committee meets the 4th Tuesday of each month at 5:30 pm at City Hall. Come be a part of the future of Pickens.

Allegro Comes to Pickens County:

The announcement of Allegro Industries coming to the Commerce Park was a major event for the area of Pickens. Allegro will create 45 new jobs and bring into the area an investment of $4.53 million dollars. It will also create additional jobs through contract workers and suppliers. The company will begin hiring in the first quarter of 2011. Allegro will work with Workforce One Stop in Pickens County for the placement of any jobs.

• “All of us in Pickens County are excited about the prospects of 45 new jobs. We appreciate the investment of Allegro Industries and we look forward to their success,” said Pickens County Council Chairman Neil Smith.
• “Allegro Industries Inc. is a very welcome addition to our Pickens County industrial base. Our Pickens County community is most grateful to Allegro owners Tom Johnston and Tony Ferroni for selecting the Pickens County Commerce Park for Allegro’s new home. Allegro will augment very well the park’s other life safety specialty device manufacturers Reliable Automatic Sprinkler Company and St. Jude Medical, as well as KeyMark Inc. and the park’s most recent tenant, Tri Tech USA,” said Alliance Pickens Chairman Joel Ledbetter.

Founded in 1987 and based in Garden Grove, Calif., Allegro Industries offers a full line of safety equipment and ergonomic products for the workplace. For more information about the company, please visit www.allegrosafety.com.

The Chamber Continues to Work for You:

The Greater Pickens Chamber of Commerce is a voluntary, non-profit organization for businesses and professionals dedicated to improving the business climate throughout Pickens County and the surrounding Upstate. We support all businesses, small to large. Whether its networking, legislation, economic development or quality of life issues – your Chamber is involved.

Our Mission:

• Create Prosperity – foster an atmosphere that encourages business and personal investment that will reflect local values and create wealth for our business community.
• Build Relationships – provide networking events and opportunities for the business community to share information and ideas.
• Support the Voice of Business – insure the business community is heard on the local and state level through political advocacy programs.
• Maintain a Sense of Community – improve the quality of life by creating partnerships between the business community and local organizations.

It’s Up to You

If you are the type of business that does not want to become directly involved with Chamber activities, but understands the importance of the Chamber’s mission, don’t feel left out. Many of our members take the long view of their Chamber investment. Your investment in the Pickens Chamber will enhance the overall business climate and enable our business community to continue to prosper.