If you were living here 15 years ago as I have, you have probably noticed the tremendous amount of growth that has come along. As this has always been a rural area, the growth we have seen in the past fifteen years has been phenomenal. Helping us with this growth is our own Central Baldwin Chamber of Commerce. If you have been following along in the paper you would know that the Central Baldwin Chamber of Commerce has had some great events going on.

First: The Central Baldwin Chamber of Commerce is getting a new home. The ground breaking was February 1st at the southeast corner of Highway 59 and U. S. Highway 90 in Robertsdale where the new building will stand. This won’t be completed until next year.

Second: There is a new Executive Director of the Chamber of Commerce, Marian Mason. Mrs. Mason tells us: "There is so much potential for growth here in the Central Baldwin area. We have people coming through our communities every day who spend a lot of money on the Gulf Coast. We need to find a way to keep some of that money here in Central Baldwin county.”

And third: The call for volunteers is great for the day to day workings of the Chamber of Commerce. “Without volunteers,” Marian Mason says, “a chamber cannot function properly.”

We must be able to keep up with more people moving south, new housing developments being built, and new businesses moving in. We are so blessed to have a bigger and better Chamber of Commerce to help with our rural development. Mrs. Mason sees great things for our area and hopefully with the volunteers for the organization, the Chamber of Commerce will keep up with all the growth and we shall see new businesses move in.

With a new building, a new Executive Director and volunteers to help on a daily basis, the Central Baldwin area is bound to grow in business and financial strength as it is grown with population. It is an exciting time for us to live here and we have good things going on in our community.

Loxley resident Valerie J. Steimle is the author of two books, “Home Is Where The Heart Is, A look at strengthening the American Family,” and her latest book, “Home Is Where The Learning Is” (www.amazon.com/gp/product/1403379637). Contact her at valeriesteimle@yahoo.com or visit her website at www.stengthenyourhome.com.