POWERGRAMS

31 try to dispel negative stereotypes surrounding the famous former governor. "Welcome to Alabama!" shouts one Welcome Center worker as the door opens and a family of five walks inside. "Welcome to Alabama!" another state employee says to folks following closely on the heels of the family. Some of the visitors smile, others seem confused by the cheerful greetings. Large kiosks in the lobby promote the Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail and Desoto Caverns, while posters herald Hank Williams and three American Idol winners from Alabama. Near a glass case containing a stuffed Alabama gray fox are wood racks holding hundreds of colorful pamphlets promoting virtually every tourist araction in the state. Laura Smith has helped put Alabama's best foot forward for 32 years in the Valley Welcome Center that she manages. Except for four years away at Auburn University, where she played in the marching band and sang in the concert choir, Smith has always lived in her hometown. She even worked at the welcome center two summers between AU classes. It's her job, as well as her life mission, to make sure every person walking in will walk out with a good impression of Alabama. "A lot of times they've just got their mind on geing to the restrooms," Smith says. "A lot of the Northern people don't really talk a lot. Southern people talk to everyone. But I'm a people person, and you've got to be one to work in a public place like this." Smith manages four employees, two of them having worked with her for 20 years. The hallway to the high-demand restrooms is lined with plaques from Alabama governors dating back three decades honoring the facility for excellence. A couple from South Carolina signs the visitors' book at the counter and yaks it up with the staff, seeking advice about places to eat, spend a night and tour. An Alabama resident asks if there's anything detailing nearby aractions. A center employee goes to a back room and returns with the "Visitor and Recreation Guide for the Greater Valley Area." Smith believes these interactions have, and will, reap dividends for the local and state economy. "We get asked everything you can imagine; they think we know it all," says Smith, whose late mother, Sue Reynolds, worked 35 years in APC's Valley office. "I've been here 32 years and I still don't know it all about Alabama, but I'm trying." APC Office Valley Business Office Manager Sheri Gaddy was involved in the creation of the "Strength Woven In" branding effort that highlights the tenacity and vitality of her community. "I learned so much about this community while serving on that campaign, and how hard the people worked to overcome adversity," she says. "The strength of the people, working together, coming back, really impresses me." The Wetumpka native lived in Montgomery before moving to New York City and graduating from Oswego High School. She recalls happily greeting fellow subway riders in the Big Apple when "the lady next to me leaned over and said, 'You're obviously not from New York.'" Gaddy had a natural connection to the power industry through her late father, William Ray Foster, an International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers member who fueled nuclear facilities, including Alabama Power's Farley Nuclear Plant near Dothan. Twenty-two years ago, Gaddy joined Alabama Power as a customer service representative in the Montgomery Business Office. She took advantage of the company's tuition program, geing a Business Management degree from Troy University at Montgomery. "I worked full time and went to school full time," she recalls. Gaddy worked in the Eufaula, Abbeville and Valley offices before becoming the Valley manager in 2013. She is an integral part of the community, working with elected officials, businesses and local charities. She is vice president of the Greater Valley Area Chamber of Commerce and is on the Region 5 Central Alabama Works! Career Expo Commiee. Gaddy and her husband of 30 years, Jeff, have a vacation home near Maggie Valley, North Carolina, where they enjoy whitewater raing, hiking and zip-lining. Otherwise, her thoughts are always on Valley, Alabama. She oen looks back to her first day with Smith and Melinda Edwards answer visitor's questions.

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