Ashley Hunter: Greene Publishing, Inc.
During the Wednesday, Aug. 10 meeting of the Board of County Commissioners, Ann Vickers of Certified Towing returned to discuss an updated site plan for the vacant real estate on Dale Leslie Dr., where Vickers plans to build a business. Vickers was also present to request that the commissioners ratify the contract they had signed with Vickers.
The involvement of Vickers' business and the county began in December of 2015, after the county commissioners held a special meeting and discussed the possible action of donating almost ten acres of land on Dale Leslie Dr.
Following that discussion, Vickers was introduced to the commissioners by former County Coordinator Allen Cherry, with Vickers presenting a proposed site plan for her business, should it expand through the donation of the nine plus-acres.
According to the meeting minutes, Vickers' proposal was approved through a motion made by Commissioner Ronnie Moore and seconded by Commissioner Wayne Vickers that the nine plus-acres of land be awarded to Vickers with a requirement of a reverter clause and a letter of personal guarantee by Vickers. The motion was approved 4-0.
Since that meeting, the progress of the contract and Vickers' business has been frequent news of the Madison County Commissioners.
At the Aug. 10 meeting, Vickers laid out a detailed outline of the first stage of the site plan, which is to include a 4,000 square foot NAPA store, a Penske truck rental for large commercial truckers that pass through the interstate as well as through Madison, and a Enterprise Car Rental for travelers as well as locals.
A diesel and automotive repair shop will be included as well.
According to Vickers, there will be various benefits that her business will bring to the county.
“We are going to cater to the big rigs that are going through Madison County [by getting] them the parts they need and the service that they need,” said Vickers. “Right now, that business is primarily going to surrounding counties. It's not really coming into Madison.”
The second benefit that the county will receive, according to Vickers, is an increased tax revenue. “Right now, this vacant land [on Dale Leslie Dr.] is not earning any tax revenues,” said Vickers.
The third benefit will be the increased employment opportunities in Madison. “We could build this facility anywhere,” said Vickers. Despite that, Vickers said she chose Madison because of her roots in the county and desire to help the people who live here. “We plan to create a minimum of 20 full time equivalent jobs within three years,” said Vickers. “I think with the growth we expect, we will create more jobs than even that.” Vickers also informed the commission that not only is her business looking to create jobs, they are looking to train young people how to do the jobs that will be required. While experienced technicians will be hired, they also hope to hire younger employees and give them the opportunity to learn a trade. “We aren't interested in just developing jobs, we are interested in developing careers with training and certification with above-average wage earnings,” said Vickers. “That's what we are committed to.”
The final benefit will be increased economic opportunities for surrounding businesses, such as logging, farming, government and any other business that maintains a fleet of commercial trucks. Through her businesses, new customers will be attracted into Madison.
Vickers also spoke on the concerns that various local business owners have expressed over Vickers being awarded the property and given unfair advantage against her competition. Vickers claimed that she does not expect her repair center to conflict with other repair shops in the county, as they will service a different sort of clientele than other repair shops. “This proposal is not for Certified Towing,” said Vickers. “Certified Towing is the business that I happen to own here, but this business is for [a] new business that will benefit all the tow companies, including my towing company.”
Vickers doesn't foresee towing companies being the only ones to benefit from her expansion business either, but claims that it will help businesses in the lodging and food industry who will also be aided through her expansion. “All of those and more stand to benefit from this project,” said Vickers.
“I think competition makes everything better,” said Commissioner Moore, adding that the property had been bought by the county with the plan to encourage more business growth. “We are setting a precedent here. If anyone else wants some [free] land, bring us a business proposal, and as long as I am on the board, I will vote in favor of it.”
Following Vickers' presentation, the commissioners opened the floor to public comment, but no citizen stepped forward to provide comment. With no citizen concerns to address, the commissioners voted to ratify the contract, which was approved 5-0.