POWERGRAMS

21 pay down their bills, but Pat says the big difference between the past and present is plastic. "Credit cards, debit cards, have made a huge difference," he says. "Our business is only about 30-35% cash now." The Awbreys recently built a second warehouse, this one 8,000-square-feet with a heavy-duty concrete loading ramp. Rather than receiving small shipments as in the past, he says, "Now it's tractor-trailer loads." There are two other full-time and three part-time employees at ML Awbrey, with a seasonal springtime high of nine workers, including Pat and Patrice. They also manage the adjoining Awbrey Conference Center and Awbrey Studio on Main, where wife and mother Linda Awbrey and friends meet twice a week for arts, crafts and lunch. Patrice longs for the day when downtown Roanoke will return to the glory of her childhood. The Awbreys are involved in efforts to gain Alabama Main Street designation for the city, which they believe can catapult the town toward renewal. Among ML Awbrey Inc. items for sale is a refrigerator magnet bearing an adage that fits the store and the town: "To plant a garden is to believe in tomorrow." THE RANDOLPH LEADER Tim Altork is finishing an obituary when a guest arrives. It is one of many hats the editor and publisher wears while two roaming office cats vie for his attention. The Randolph Leader has been in Altork's wife's family since 1892. He and Heather bought the newspaper two years ago. "I'm the first person not named Stevenson to own and publish the Leader in four generations," Altork says. Yet, Altork is more in the family than by marriage. John Stevenson hired him "sight unseen" to write sports stories in 2003, two months into matrimony. The newlyweds came to town basically for Heather to show Tim around, then planned to hit the road to something better. Tim had played sports in high school but wasn't a writer. "Knowing what I know now, the faith he put in me was remarkable," says Altork, a political science major at Valdosta State who had an eye on law school. The success of the Leader had been handed down from original publisher Olin Hampton Stevenson to a succession of family members, leading to John's tenure: He was president of the Alabama Press Association and the National Newspaper Association before his death in 2019. Stevenson's widow, Olympic gold medalist Jennifer Chandler, gave Altork the idea of taking over for the good of the paper and the community. He accepted the challenge and went to work. Altork gave the Leader a redesign, leading to a more modern look. He added a puzzle page and a recipe page, using Heather's cooking skills to add a new element. She began writing the police and sheriff's department reports. In a county of 20,000 people, 20 years ago the Leader had 6,000 subscribers. As Altork noted the recent demise of The Birmingham News, Mobile Press-Register and The Huntsville Times print editions, he felt fortunate his newspaper still has 2,600 subscribers. "We have a big online subscription base," he says. "We've followed the modern trend as much as we can in a small town." Published each Wednesday, subscriptions to the Leader are $42 annually in Randolph, Clay, Cleburne .and Chambers counties, $52 a year outside those four counties. Altork spends Tuesday nights putting about 1,000 total copies in 30 racks around the area; most of the 75-cent copies are sold within the week. "I was in a store re-stocking and a kid behind me says, 'Does anybody really read newspapers anymore?'" Altork says. "I understand, because our obituaries are just filled with our readers. But I still feel like the readership is there." The Leader offered its online publication free for a long time before Altork "had to pull the trigger" to make up for lost revenue. He charges $26 for an annual online subscription. Altork says their coverage of Handley, Randolph County, Woodland and Wadley high schools can't be matched, as is the case for stories about local governments, civic events and mishaps. "One of the biggest posts we've had on Facebook was a 1-minute video of an unoccupied house fully engulfed in fire," he says. "We are strictly community journalism. 'What's happening in Randolph County?' That's the question I ask myself every day." Altork says he doesn't consider himself a salesman because the Leader "really sells itself." While newspapers historically depended on full-page grocery store and car dealership ads, the Leader looks to Southern Union State Community College, TEC and local banks as primary advertisers. He anticipates the Leader becoming more digitally oriented, including a weekly livestream where he interviews people to provide timely context to local events. "The things you look back at in old newspapers, that's gone," he says. "The newspaper business has changed but there's still no better way to do it than to get your feet on the ground meeting people and becoming part of the community." VICTORY GAME CLOCKS When a Southeastern Conference football game goes to the final plays to decide a winner, millions of eyes often peer toward the sideline at the bright red lights of the down marker. Few small- town products command a nationwide audience comparable to (VGC) Victory Game Clocks' eDown. In recent years, on football fields nationwide, this electronic device has replaced the familiar old metal flip markers used by generations of game officials. Fans in stadiums have also begun to see similar handheld digital Countdown Clocks built by VGC brought on the field to show how much time remains for television Altork is owner of the 131-year-old newspaper. Chestnut is siing on desk of Danielle Tooker (employee of 21 years).

• Cover