Political consultant Angi Horn promotes made in Alabama products for holiday season
Bama in a Box is an online retailer based in Troy. Bama in a box has launched a holiday shopping campaign to encourage Alabamians to keep their holiday shopping dollars in Alabama while simultaneously supporting small businesses across the state. Bama in a Box was launched by entrepreneur and political consultant Angi Horn during the COVID-19 global pandemic as a way to give consumers exposure to quality-made products while giving Alabama small businesses, many of whom lacked marketing budgets, exposure to new customers. Now, Bama in a Box wants to take that same “Shop Local” mentality that was their focus during the forced economic shutdowns and the pandemic paranoia and promote it in the minds of Christmas shoppers. Horn is a former Governor Robert Bentley adviser and helped with Wes Allen’s campaign. “The majority of almost every household’s gifting budget is spent during the Christmas season,” Horn said. “By choosing to buy your Christmas presents as Alabama-owned businesses instead of spending them with large national and international companies means that Alabama businesses benefit from your holiday purchases instead of companies based out of state or out of the country.” Bama in a Box tries to make the process of holiday shopping in Alabama as easy as possible by curating a large line of specialty gift boxes that are comprised completely of Alabama-made products. These boxes are designed to target the needs of most Christmas shopping lists. Every included item is an Alabama-made item from an Alabama-owned business. “Every specialty gift box that Bama in a Box has for Christmas represents 5-7 Alabama small businesses,” Horn said. “With each gift, you are giving your money to Alabama entrepreneurs across the state, and you are keeping your tax dollars in Alabama to help our schools, our hospitals, and our roads instead of sending them out of state where you see no benefit from them. We are trying to make it easy to shop Alabama by creating a one-stop-shop, but we just want everyone to buy from Alabama-owned businesses. If they buy from us, great. If they buy from a different Alabama-owned company, that is great too! Just buy Alabama!” Horn said that Bama in a Box was born from the frustration caused by the coronavirus pandemic of 2020. As a small business owner, she understood first-hand how hard the pandemic regulations were on small businesses. As a consumer, she realized how difficult it was to find products that were made in America and even harder to find those that were made in Alabama. After some research, Horn found more than 500 high-quality products that most people use regularly are produced right here in Alabama. After a conversation with her associate, Laney Kelley, Horn realized that Alabama small businesses needed a more convenient way to get their products in front of potential customers and that people needed more convenient access to products made in Alabama. To connect with the author of this story, or to comment, email brandonmreporter@gmail.com.
Wes Allen announces new senior staff for Secretary of State’s office
On Tuesday, the voters of Alabama elected Republican Wes Allen as Alabama’s next Secretary of State. Allen announced on Wednesday the appointments that he will make once he is sworn in as Alabama’s next Secretary of State on January 16, 2023. Clay Helms will serve as Chief of Staff. Helms has served in the Office of the Secretary of State under the last three Secretaries and has served as an Assistant Director of Elections, Director of Elections, and Deputy Chief of Staff. He is a graduate of Auburn University and is a native of Troy. “I am excited to appoint Clay Helms to serve as my Chief of Staff,” Allen said. “He has the experience, dedication, and temperament that I was looking for to help me lead the office and to ensure that we create a culture of hard work, dedication, and respect for the taxpayers who interact with the Office of the Secretary of State.” State Rep. Mike Jones will serve as General Counsel. Jones served with Allen in the Alabama House of Representatives, where he respectively chaired the Judiciary and Rules Committees. He is a graduate of the University of Alabama School of Law and has been a practicing attorney for more than two decades. “Mike is an excellent attorney, and he knows the laws of this state as well as anyone,” Allen said. “His knowledge of the law and of the inner operations of government will make him an invaluable asset to me, the staff, and to the people of Alabama.” Jonathan Hester will serve as Director of Government Relations. Hester mostly recently served as the Deputy Campaign Manager for Governor Kay Ivey. Hester previously worked closely with the Legislature in his previous role as a Policy Advisor. He is a graduate of Auburn University. “Jonathan understands the legislative process well, and his relationships with the legislators in both chambers make him a great fit for this position,” Allen explained. “He is a hard worker who understands the goals of this office and the importance of the legislative process in our day-to-day operations.” Jeff Elrod will serve as Director of Elections. Elrod has worked both in the Elections office and on the field side of elections and has been involved with elections administration on several levels. He is a graduate of the University of Alabama. “Jeff brings a wealth of experience to the Elections Division, but he also brings a respect for the people who do the job of administering our elections in each of Alabama’s 67 counties,” Allen said. “Building positive relationships with members of Boards of Registrars, Probate Judges, Circuit Clerks, and Sheriffs is essential to a successful Elections Division, and he is invested in ensuring that he builds cooperative relationships with elections officials and personnel across the state.” Laney Kelley will serve as the Director of Scheduling and Executive Administrative Assistant. Kelley will join the Office of the Secretary of State after serving as a consultant and scheduler for Allen’s Secretary of State Campaign. “I am confident that Laney will be an asset to the Office of the Secretary of State. She understands the intricacies of the scheduling process and balancing a multitude of requests simultaneously,” Allen said. “Her intelligence and experience will be very beneficial to the Office of the Secretary of State.” The appointments will take effect after Allen is inaugurated on January 16, 2023. Republican John Merrill is the current Secretary of State, but he is term-limited from running for a third consecutive term. Allen is the son of State Sen. Gerald Allen, who was reelected on Tuesday. Wes Allen grew up in Tuscaloosa and attended the University of Alabama, where he played football while getting his bachelor’s degree. Allen has a master’s degree from Troy University. He was appointed probate judge of Pike County, where he served for ten years. In 2018 was elected to the Alabama House of Representatives, representing Pike and Dale Counties. To connect with the author of this story, or to comment, email brandonmreporter@gmail.com.
