POWERGRAMS

21 6,000 cabinets each week. They saw, sand and paint, nail and glue, add hinges and knobs, package and ship a wide variety of sizes and colors of cabinetry in eight huge buildings spread across the Kith Kitchens campus. The company has invested millions in laser and computer equipment to aid employees in making the process more efficient. A $500,000 computerized sander does the work of 50 people, yet much of the detailed work is still done by hand. "Anybody can build a cabinet, but our finishing area sets us apart," Vickery says, walking through tables where wood is being glazed by hand. Each piece of each cabinet is marked by bar codes that are scanned to track components being moved from station to station stacked in steel rolling carts. Overhead video monitors show the progress of production based on each day's schedule. On a single cart there are cabinets headed to Texas, Connecticut, North Carolina and Kentucky. "It really is amazing how they keep up with all the parts and pieces, from start to finish," says Vickery. Vickery says a major sales point for Kith Kitchens is that customers can choose "pretty much anything in the Sherwin Williams catalog" to customize cabinet colors. They can choose from 36 door styles and dozens of stains and finishes. Still, half of the cabinets sold will be painted white in a facility built solely for that purpose on a former parking lot. Three Packsize machines are cutting cardboard for cabinet corner protectors and shipping boxes as Vickery speaks to the workers. Nearby are 10 48-foot-long trailers being packed with cabinets headed to some of the 26 states where Kith Kitchens products are delivered. About 35 fully-loaded trailers leave the Haleyville plant each week. Kith's domination in the area workforce has forced expansion to a bigger labor pool, with a new $15 million, 150,000-square- foot manufacturing facility recently opening in Florence that created another 131 full-time jobs. Kith Kitchens was one of a dozen honorees in the inaugural Made in Alabama showcase promoted by Gov. Kay Ivey. Vickery says Kith is proud to continue building its cabinets with American-sourced materials. "The Knight family has done a lot of good for this community," Vickery says. "Bo Knight, who is like my second father, has put in a lot of blood, sweat and tears for our community of Haleyville." APC OFFICE Alabama Power has had a local office in Haleyville since 1922. Customers today are welcomed by Customer Service Representatives Cathy Akers, Carla Brakefield and Mercedi McBrayer, under the direction of Manager of Customer Service Lisa Farley. Randy Sanderson is the retail sales consultant. The manager of Community Relations is Melinda Weaver. The Engineering Department in the main office includes Supervisor Caleb Parker, General Clerk Sandra Benford, Distribution Specialist Ben Hulsey and Engineer Patrick Taylor. Field Service Supervisor Daniel Headrick and Local Operations Linemen Mike Kelly, Ryan Markham, Timmy Nix, Chris Papania, Josh Tucker and Brad White also work out of the main office. Haleyville Crew Headquarters on 13th Avenue employees include Crew Foreman Shane Chambers, Power Delivery Apprentice Linemen Luke Chambers and Undrae Dickerson, Lineman Jamie Fuller, Materials Coordinator Megan Key, Lineman Matt Kilpatrick, Utility Assistant Miguel Marchant, Linemen Keith McCaleb and Eric Oliver, and Lead Lineman Corey Walker. Cabinet components are sanded by hand by Kith Kitchens employees. Newly painted kitchen cabinetry arranged for the next phases of assembly.

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