The City of Andalusia was honored to host Chang dongeuk and Seon-Gook Hwang as they toured parts of Alabama as the guests of Southeast Gas.

The timing of their trip was perfect, as the Andalusia City Council just this month voted to move forward with the construction of a new speculative building in its Sutton Road Industrial Park. The $2 million, 60,000 square foot spec building will be constructed in partnership with the Utilities Board of the City of Andalusia and PowerSouth Energy Cooperative, which offers a business development loan program to member distributors.

The guests were hosted in Alabama by Southeast Gas’s Vince Perez, director of economic development, and Kim Eui-Hoon, who represents Southeast Gas in Korea. They arrived here on Tuesday, and had dinner with a group of Andalusia, Opp and Covington County officials on Tuesday night. On Wednesday, they visited Andalusia City Hall for a discussion of their proposed projects, then had a windshield tour of downtown and the industrial park.

Thanks also to Rick Clifton of Covington County Economic Development Commission for his assistance with their visit.

The City of Andalusia also had representatives at the annual ICSC (Innovating Commerce Serving Communities) at its annual marketplace event in Las Vegas this week. They reported positive meetings with potential new retailers for our market.

“It has been a very good week,” Mayor Earl Johnson said. “We are aways working to grow our local economy by seeking to attract companies that will create new jobs and retailers who enhance our community’s quest to be a destination location. It’s not often we get to work on both fronts simultaneously.

“We appreciate all of our partners who work with us every day to make this possible, especially Southeast Gas and PowerSouth,” he said. “We also appreciate the efforts of our existing businesses and residents who believe in and support our community in all of its endeavors.”