Newspaper Page Text
Business & Industry
Forsvth Countv News Thursday. February 5.2004 I■ i
Business notes
Victoria’s A Distinctive
Children’s Boutique
... has opened at 101 Meadow
Drive, Suite B, in the Meadow Walk
shopping center on Hwy. 9 [Atlanta
Highway] in Cumming.
The new business offers upscale
children’s clothing featuring such
lines as Anavini, Bailey Boys,
Feltman, Will’beth and more.
Owners are Cheryl Evonosky and
Cheryl Mowery.
Hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.,
Tuesday through Saturday. For
more information, call (770) 888-
7828.
Out of the Closet LLC
... recently opened for business
offering second hand clothing and
accessories at 308-B Canton
Highway in Cumming. Melanie
Cody is the owner.
“This is my first year of doing
this kind of business,” Cody said.
“This has always been my dream.”
Among its offerings are men’s,
women’s and children’s clothing,
shoes, baskets, home decor items,
toys and more. Hours of operation
are 9:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m., Monday
through Friday, and 10 a.m. to 6
p.m., Saturday.
For more information, call (678)
978-6611.
Edward Jones opens addition
al office in Cumming
... The financial services firm
Edward Jones has opened its third
office in Cumming. Laurence
Rothstein has been hired as the
investment representative for the
new office.
“We opened our first Edward
Jones office here in 1990. and every
year more and more people have
come to rely on Edward Jones for
their investment needs,” said John
Bachmann, the firm’s managing
partner. “By opening an additional
office, Laurence can continue our
tradition of unparalleled personal
service to the people of this com
munity.”
A resident of Cumming,
Rothstein said he is excited about
establishing his business here as
well. “The other Edward Jones
Investment representatives have set
an outstanding example for me to
follow,” Rothstein said. “Their ded
ication to the people who trust
Edward Jones has been instrumen
tal in the growth of our firm, and I
look forward to carrying on that tra
dition.”
Edward Jones, the only major
financial services firm advising
individual investors exclusively,
traces its roots to 1871 and current
ly serves more than 6 million
clients, the firm offers its clients a
variety of investments, including
certificates of deposit, taxable and
non-taxable bonds, stocks and
mutual funds.
The largest firm in the nation in
terms of branch offices, Edward
Jones currently has more than 9,000
offices in the U.S. and, through its
affiliates, in Canada and the United
Kingdom. Plans call for expansion
to 10,000 offices in 2004.
Raymond James Financial
Services Inc.
... a leading nationwide financial
services firm, announces the open
ing of a new office at 314-A Tribble
Gap Rd. and the appointment of R.
David Camp as branch manager.
Camp and his staff offer a com
prehensive range of financial and
investment services including finan
cial planning and asset manage
ment, mutual funds, insured CDs,
stocks, bonds and more.
Richard Averitt, Chairman and
CEO of Raymond James Financial
Services, said “We are very excited
about opening this new office head
ed by Dave Camp to serve the
Cumming area. Dave brings out
standing experience and an estab
lished track record for working with
individual investors and small busi
nesses.”
One of Camp’s specialty areas is
retirement planning. “Many people
don’t realize until it’s too late that
Social Security and their company
pension are often inadequate
income sources for the kind of
retirement they desire,” said Camp.
“Because people want to have the
same standard of living in retire
ment as they had when they were
working, it’s important to plan
accordingly. Rather than trying to
See NOTES, Page 2B
Jobless rate down to 2.8%
From staff reports
Forsyth County’s unemploy
ment rate dropped to 2.8 percent in
December, according to the
Georgia Department of Labor.
Forsyth’s rate decreased from
2.9 percent in November to 2.8 per
cent in December.
The jobless rate for December
2002 was 4.3 percent.
Within a labor force of 62,533,
a total of 60,771 Forsyth residents
were employed and 1,762 were
unemployed in December, the labor
department reported.
The December labor force
shrank from November in Forsyth,
when a force of 62,823 included
60.998 employed and 1,825 unem
ployed.
Surrounding counties’ jobless
rates for December included:
• Cherokee, 84,951 employed,
2,802 unemployed, for a rate of 3.2
percent.
• Dawson, 10,763 employed,
281 unemployed, for a rate of 2.6
percent.
• Fulton, 420,695 employed,
20,690 unemployed, for a rate of
Forsyth continues to grow
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Photo/Audra Perry
Employees Jerod Steele and Austin Dristell of Reid & Reid contractors work on' lowering a man
hole at the site of a new retail center at Atlanta Highway and Buford Dam Road on Tuesday. The
36,000-square-foot building will include two floors and developers are working to attract such
businesses as restaurants and a book store.
Chamber of Commerce celebrating half century
From staff reports
The Cumming-Forsyth County
Chamber of Commerce will be cele
brating 50 years of service to the
community at the organization’s 49th
Annual Meeting. Dinner and Silent
Auction Saturday from 6to 11 p.m. at
the Sawnee Cultural Arts Center,
1090 Tribble Gap Road.
The night's festivities will begin at
6 p.m. with a Chairman’s Reception
sponsored by Citizens Bank of
Forsyth County, Forsyth County
News, Hedgewood Proper-ties Inc.,
Lang Signs, Dr. John McGruder,
North Fulton Regional Hospital,
Paramont Grading Com-pany and
Reid & Reid Contracting.
Welcoming and opening remarks
start at 6:45 p.m. with the invocation
by Dr. Martin Lifer of Parkway
Presbyterian Church. At 7 p.m. a buf
fet dinner will proceed with the busi
ness session, the presentation of
awards for the Ambassador/Diplomat
of the Year, Business Member of the
Forsyth County News Thursday, February 5,2004
66
"Job cuts scheduled for the near future,
along with the thousands of long-term unem
ployed, make it clear that a higher rate of job
creation is needed to sustain a solid recov
ery...
-State Labor Commissioner Michael Thurmond
99
4.1 percent.
However, Roswell and
Alpharetta each had an unemploy
ment rate of 1.8 percent while
Atlanta’s jobless rate was 6.4 per
cent, the department said in a sepa
rate report on cities’ unemployment
rates.
• Gwinnett, 373,940 employed,
12,968 unemployed, for a rate of
3.4 percent.
• Hall, 76,918 employed and
2,332 unemployed, for a rate of 2.9
percent.
The unemployment rate state-
tfaMWNEHIIBBYTH COUNTY GEORGIA
miwob f o w n u a i h « a a
The Cumming Fonyih County Chamber of Commerce
Year, Volunteer Member of the Year,
and the prestigious Charles F. Welch
Citizenship Award.
Other highlights of the evening
include the installation of the 2004
officers and the introduction of the
2004 Board of Directors.
The 50 Year Celebration will con
tinue with a Chairman’s Walk featur
ing all past chairmen of the
Cumming-Forsyth County Chamber
of Commerce sponsored by North
side Hospital Forsyth.
This year’s program of events also
include a fantastic silent auction, with
more than 95 items to bid on, includ
ing an all inclusive trip to Costa Rica
with accommodations for six people
wide for December was 4.0 per
cent, a slight dip from 4.1 percent
in November.
The number of people in the
workforce also decreased.
At the same time, there was a
modest increase in the number of
jobs.
“Weakness in the critical area of
job creation continues to hamper
our recovery,” said State Labor
Commissioner Michael Thurmond.
“Job cuts scheduled for the near
See RATE, Page 2B
for seven nights at the beautiful Villa
Isla Azul, donated by Bill Norman
and Norman’s Landing restaurant.
An evening “Cruise” for up to 100
people aboard the luxurious Amistad
Yacht on Lake Lanier, donated by
Tommy Bagwell and American
Proteins, a steam shower donated by
Steam Room USA, weekend get
aways, golf packages and more. A
SI,OOO cash raffle drawing is also
another highlight of the evening.
The musical group Powerplay
Band will be performing to a sold out
crowd with more than 500 expected
to be in attendance. The Powerplay
Band has been performing since 1991
including an appearance at Super
Forsyth County’s
unemployment
claims increase
By Todd Truelove
Staff Writer
Unemployment claims in Forsyth
County increased during the month of
December, according to data at the
Georgia Department of Labor.
There were 218 first-time unem
ployment claims filed in December
for Forsyth County. That’s an
increase of 20 percent from the 182
unemployment claims in Forsyth that
were reported in November.
Throughout the state, claims
increased at the end of the year with a
total of 59,206 laid-off workers filing
first-time claims for unemployment
insurance benefits with the labor
department —a 65 percent increase
from November’s 35,933 claims.
Labor Commissioner Michael
Thurmond was quoted in a DOL
press release calling on the federal
government to extend unemployment
insurance benefits.
As of Tuesday, businesses report-
See CLAIMS, Page 2B
Realtors to
monitor
bad bills:
Jonaitis
By Colby Jones
Staff Writer
The new president of the 400
North Board of Realtors says the
group will keep abreast of legisla
tion potentially affecting the pro
fession during the coming year.
Water rights, bank takeovers and
fallout from the
federal No Call
Registry are issues
the trade associa
tion likely will
address during the
course of the year,
said group presi
dent Chuck
Jonaitis, Realtor I
with Cold-well I
Banker French
Properties in Cum-
ming.
The 400 North Board of
Realtors, which represents profes
sionals in Forsyth, Dawson and
Lumpkin counties, helped defeat a
bill last year that would have given
the state more oversight of rivers
and streams on private property.
Environmentalists pushed law
makers to pass the measure as a
way to improve water quality, espe
cially in the coastal region where
saltwater is infiltrating the marshes.
Despite the good intention of the
law, it would have infringed upon
the rights of property owners,
Jonaitis said.
He noted the state would have
more control of a pond in the mid
dle of a private farm than the
See BOARD, Page 2B
Bowl XXXIV. It plays in a variety to
styles from swing, Motown, R &
B, beach and rock ‘n’ roll from the
’sos to the new millennium.
The funds raised from this event
will support the many activities the
chamber provides throughout the
year, including helping support the
business community through pro
business programs, events and
informative sessions.
The Cumming-Forsyth County
Chamber of Commerce is a member
ship organization with more than
1,400 members committed to being
the voice of business, providing lead
ership, information and solutions to
foster a strong economic environment
and superior quality of life in
Cumming and Forsyth County.
For more information on joining
the Chamber of Commerce please
contact the office at (770) 887-6461
or go on-line to www.forsythcham
ber.org or email your request to:
fccoc @ forsythchamber.org.
□
Jonaitis