Women of influence: Alabama State Rep. Pebblin Warren
Tuskegee Democrat, State Rep. Pebblin Warren has a whole lot of irons in the fire. On top of being an Alabama state representative, she serves on the Tuskegee University Board of Trustees and holds top positions in numerous professional organizations and aid groups. Last week, she was appointed vice-chair of the Lee County Delegation, and she is a member of several House committees, including: Rules, Ways and Means General Fund, Health, and the Lee County Legislation committees. Warren is also a member of the Central Alabama Works board. Needless to say, Warren is a very busy woman. Her success in serving the state has been built upon a foundation of education. She graduated from Tuskegee University in 1974 with a B.S. Degree in Business Administration and she also holds a M.Ed. degree in Personnel Administration from Tuskegee University along with a certificate of Business from the University of Notre Dame Graduate Division. She took her look of education to the workplace and started working in higher education in 1974 in the School of Veterinary Medicine at Tuskegee. She made her way up the food chain to the Director of Financial Aid at the University, until she transitioned to the Alabama Department of Postsecondary Education as the Director of Student Services, Trenholm State Technical College, and as director of Economic Development/Internal Financial Aid Auditor. She spent the majority of her, long distinguished career in higher education at the Alabama Industrial Development Training (AIDT) where she focused on the job readiness program in Macon County and getting Macon County involved in the Regional 5 Workforce Development. She retired in November 2015 to focus on her work in the state legislature. “I have been blessed to have worked consecutively for 40 years and six months,” Warren told the Tuskegee News ahead of her retirement. “I have not been laid off since I started working. And I thank God for my blessings.” In her spare time, Warren gives back to her community. She serves as an Elder at Westminster Presbyterian Church, is Vice-President of Democrats of the 82nd District Macon County Chapter, and a member of the Delta Sigma Theta Sorority. She also serves on the Board of Directors for Aid To Inmate Mothers; a non-profit organization whose mission is to “provide services to Alabama’s incarcerated women with emphasis on enhancing personal growth and strengthening the bonds between inmate mothers and their child” just to name a few. One of Warren’s most recent accomplishments was the House approval of her day care bill, HB76. The bill, which died in the Senate last year, would make background checks and yearly inspections by the Alabama Department of Human Resources a requirement for faith-based day car centers in Alabama for the protection and benefit of the children. It’s no wonder Warren received a plethora of awards and accolades including throughout her life such as: Outstanding Volunteer Service Award, Aid to Inmate Mothers, John H. Buchanan, Jr. Distinguished Service Award, Judge and Banquet Speaker, 1998 Buffalo Rock, James C. Lee Student of the Year Scholarship Program, Outstanding Service Award, Alabama College System Deans of Student Affairs Association, Montgomery Advertiser Community Volunteer Profile, Macon County Cancer Relay for Life, Habitat for Humanity, and Tutwiler Prison Volunteer. Warren is a woman of great ambition, she has worked her way through the ranks to become a key player in higher education, economic development and an impressive member of the Alabama legislature. She is an excellent asset to the state of Alabama, and a true woman of influence.
Manufacturing jobs on rise in Dothan area
Manufacturing jobs are on the rise in southeast Alabama. The Dothan Eagle reports that Houston County experienced a 21 percent increase in manufacturing jobs within the past year. It topped all other counties in Alabama by a substantial margin. Greene County experienced the second-largest increase at 15.5 percent. In the past year, Houston County’s unemployment rate fell from 6.1 percent to 4.2 percent. About 1,400 more jobs exist in the area. Dothan Area Chamber of Commerce president Matt Parker says the biggest percentage of growth occurred in the 22- to 24-year-old sector. He attributed that success to partnerships with Alabama Industrial Development Training, the Alabama Department of Commerce, Dothan Area Career Center and Wallace Community College and investments in programs like Southeast Alabama Works and K-12 programs. Republished with permission from the Associated Press.
Polaris Industries holds grand opening, Robert Bentley speaks at ceremony
Gov. Robert Bentley joined executives from Polaris Industries as well as state and local officials for the new Polaris Huntsville Center of Manufacturing Excellence grand opening ceremony and ribbon cutting in Madison, Alabama Tuesday morning. The powersports leader announced it began making Polaris RANGER vehicles and Slingshots earlier this summer at the state-of-the-art manufacturing 910,000-square-foot facility, which handles assembly, chassis and body painting, welding, fabrication and injection molding. In addition to the manufacturing hub, the 505-acre campus also has a research and development (R&D) center as well as a distribution warehouse. “Polaris is the perfect addition to Alabama’s manufacturing sector,” Bentley said. “We are proud of the strides we are making in advanced manufacturing. Our focus is to provide companies with a strong workforce through Alabama Industrial Development Training. AIDT works hard every day to provide the necessary training to prepare employees for these skilled jobs. The Alabama team will continue to work with Polaris and other companies to ensure their success in our state.” Alabama Industrial Development Training (AIDT) has worked with Polaris since August 2015 conducting interviews and pre-employment training to ready the facility. To date over 15,000 people have applied for jobs, with AIDT reviewing over 7,100 applications. Of those applicants, 676 people successfully completed pre-employment training and were presented to Polaris as potential candidates for employment. Polaris currently employs 400 hourly team members and 90 salaried team members with plans to employ 1,700 team members. Polaris will eventually employ up to 2K Alabamians producing these vehicles. North AL is truly committed to helping our people get good jobs pic.twitter.com/Qto9jX9Qtw — Gov. Robert Bentley (@GovernorBentley) November 1, 2016
