The Andalusia Area Chamber of Commerce announced that Chrissie Schubert Duffy will serve as its next executive director.
Duffy most recently was the owner of Chrissy Schubert’s Treats, which created customized cookies for boutiques, corporations and special events.
“When Kevin and I moved here 10 years ago, we knew we wanted to raise our children here,” she said. “When I opened my business here, I knew it was a good place to be in business. I know
first hand the trials and tribulations of operating a business.
“If we believe in ourselves, try our ideas, and have faith, we can make it happen,” she said. “I look forward to visiting with each of you in coming months.”
Duffy begins work Monday.
By Michele Gerlach
When you add up the qualities of Andalusia Middle School math teacher, Amy Bryan, it’s no surprise that she is the Andalusia Chamber of Commerce’s middle school teacher of the year.
She earned a bachelor’s degree from Troy University and has been a teacher for the last five years – four as math teacher to AMS seventh graders.
- Bryan
“I feel students learn best when they are able to derive a formula or mathematical rule by working through an investigation rather than just memorizing the steps,” Bryan said. “This is successful when students work together. That leads to better collective thinkers.”
Bryan is no stranger to working as a group.
At AMS, Bryan volunteers as the Mathcounts program coordinator and the school’s math team leader and is a co-sponsor for the AMS cheerleading squad and the school’s Peer Helpers, a student mentor group. She is active in the Andalusia Junior Woman’s Club, Relay for
Life, Mothers of Preschoolers (MOPS) and a host Southside Baptist Church programs.
In a recommendation letter by District Attorney Walt Merrell, he said Bryan “possesses a burning desire to leave this world a much better place than she found it. As a consequence of that quest, she also leaves others’ lives in much better shape after she has been a part of them.
“In every field, including that of teaching, it is a sad truth that there are people who are only present to receive their... READ MORE>
Jerri Stroud, center, trains docents Friday morning for the Smithsonian exhibit, ‘The Way We Worked,’ currently on display in Andalusia. Here, the group is in the former office of Mr. Scherf. The displays were completed by area students and chronicle local history of the way we worked.
An ancient-looking sewing machine in the front lobby sets the scene for many area residents when they think about “the way we worked,” but a traveling Smithsonian exhibit by the same name that opens today at the Andalusia Area Chamber of Commerce tells us more about how other Americans worked.
Andalusia is one of six Alabama cities that will host The Way We Worked exhibit from the Smithsonian Institution in 2013-14 as part of the Museum on Main Street project, in conjunction with the Alabama Humanities Foundation.
AHF sponsors a Smithsonian Museums on Main Street in Alabama every other year, he said. The exhibits generally draw 5,000 to 6,000 viewers.
The national exhibit is customized, in that there are already photographic archives of Alatex at the Chamber, which is housed in the former corporate headquarters of Alatex.
As well, students across the county have created displays of local histories, including timelines of major employers in Andalusia, Opp, Straughn, Florala and Red Level.
The exhibit was further customized with the addition of farming and logging implements in a separate, outdoor display.
- A original sewing machine from the Alatex is part of the Smithsonian’s The Way We Worked exhibit. Visitors are asked to use a push pin on the map to record where they are visiting from.
Other events planned today to mark the opening of the exhibit include a car show, a display at the LAAC, and a demonstration at the Humane Society (see calendar, below)
The entire exhibit will be on display here through Feb. 9 of 2014.
The Chamber is located in the Alatex Memorial Park at 700 River Falls St. in Andalusia.
With temperatures dropping to record lows this week, officials with both the City of Andalusia and Covington Electric Cooperative are asking residents to be frugal with their energy use.
Andalusia Mayor Earl Johnson said the city is cutting back on energy usage in an effort to avoid any outages, and hopes citizens will follow suit.
“The City of Andalusia is cutting back by discontinuing street lighting and other such lights that are not absolutely necessary,” Johnson said. “So, if you see a street light that is not illuminated, that may be because that light is intentionally turned off. It will be turned on again after this cold system has passed.”
Johnson said the added power production will cause extra stress on the system during the next 24 hours because of the added demand for electricity, which could lead to a loss of services.
“Please make every effort to conserve electricity tonight through (tomorrow) at noon to insure that we make it through the extreme conditions without anyone losing service,” Johnson said. “Working together, we can avoid any interruption in electric service during this extreme event.”
CEC General Manager Ed Short is also asking residents to... READ MORE>
To date, there are seven applications awaiting consideration for the Andalusia Chamber of Commerce executive vice president spot.
New Chamber president, Chris Mohon, said Friday he is pleased with the number of people willing to “take the reigns and lead the chamber into the future.”
The position became vacant this month following the execution of a search warrant at the chamber in an ongoing criminal investigation into the former director’s actions. The district attorney’s office has remained tight-lipped on the basis of their investigation.
“Being the chamber EVP is a big role, and an important one to our community,” Mohon said. “We want to make sure we get the absolute best candidate for the position, and I’m thrilled we’ve seen the response we have so far.”
The application period ends Jan. 10, and interested candidates should email résumé to or apply online at the state’s career link website.