BY SARAH STEPHENS
ELMORE/AUTAUGA NEWS
Bryant Whaley was officially voted in as the new Prattville Economic Director during Tuesday’s meeting of the city council. It was a unanimous vote in his favor, and one that Whaley said gives him a lot of encouragement.
“Coming into a new community, you never really know what the reception will be, but everyone has been wonderful. I felt very welcome, and I am ready and excited about moving to Prattville and becoming very involved with the community,” Whaley said.
His official start date is Feb. 20. He will be wrapping up his duties as Economic Director for Randolph County, and packing up his belongings in Roanoke, Alabama to make the move. The search for a place to live is in full swing.
Whaley began the interview process for the Prattville position through the Human Resources Department. Through a series of interviews and conversations, the council agreed he was the most qualified of the candidates.
He has worked for Randolph County in Economic Development for the past five years. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science Pre-Law with a minor in English. He holds a Master’s in Public Administration. Both of those degrees are from Jacksonville State University.
He is pursuing his Ph.D in Public Administration with Liberty University.
He went through the Auburn Intensive Training course, as well as the University of Alabama’s economic training. He completed an EDAA Leadership Training course and is a certified county manager.
The 34-year-old knows that he will be moving to a larger area, with tremendously more potential. But he is very proud of what has been accomplished in Randolph County during his tenure.
Prior to entering into economic development, Whaley was a store planner for the Walmart corporation. He did a lot of traveling, overseeing remodels for Walmart stores and Neighborhood Markets.
“I grew tired of being on the road and the opportunity came up to come back home,” Whaley said. The opportunity was to join the Economic Development Board as a board member, but his first official meeting was his last. At least as a board member.
“As it turned out our director at the time resigned. I was asked if I was interested in the director position, as I had a lot of retail experience. I had to resign from the board to become the director,” Whaley said.
Initially, he was offered a six-month trial period, but at the end of that, his position was finalized.
“We were rocking and rolling from that point on,” he said.
In the past five years, Whaley said that Randolph County has seen around $30 million in capital investments, an expansion of businesses, a high retention of industry and recruitment. Huge strides were made in tourism, and workforce training through obtaining grants.
“Randolph County is one of only nine counties in the country to receive a Microsoft grant for upscaling labor,” he said. “One of our local businesses was one of 14 small businesses in the state recognized by Gov. Ivey for homegrown, made in Alabama.”
Randolph County ranked eighth in the nation among small counties for retention.
Admittedly, the entire population of the county is about half of the population of Prattville. But he sees that as a challenge he is up for, and he brings a lot of enthusiasm to the table.
“I managed to be successful in a county with no interstate, and a lot less opportunities than you see in Prattville. I am excited about being able to come to Prattville, where there is already an industrial site, resources, and so much more opportunity for future growth. It makes the move very appealing and I am ready to become a part of the community.”
Whaley grew in in Roanoke, Ala. and is a huge fan of sports and athletics. He thinks he will fit right in cheering on Prattville High School athletics. He also has a love for sports broadcasting and has been an announcer.
He has made several visits to Prattville recently, looking at the industries and layout of the community. He was impressed with the city, as well as the community and the history.
“The future is unlimited,” he said. “I see so many areas that are primed for economic development. My ideas have already started firing up, and I have to tell myself to slow down, take it easy. I will have to get there.”
He said he looks forward to meeting more people in the community, local government, and staff with the City of Prattville.
If Whaley wraps up his impression of his future home, he put it this way. “A lot of potential. A lot of good things. The thing about potential is, you can want to achieve it all. But, you have to be primed and ready to go. I am eager to come and help the city to make those things happen.”
