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PAGE 3 October 2025
$4.45M Investment To Create 60 Jobs The Town of Valley
Head approved a tax abatement for G2 Supply, LLC to support the company’s expansion into the former Shaw Industries facility. The project represents a $4.45 million capital investment that will bring 60 jobs to Valley Head and create new capacity for G2 to potentially double its workforce in the coming years. “The Shaw Industries building has been vacant for a decade, and we are happy to partner with G2 Supply as they breathe new life into Valley Head’s economy,” said Mayor Karen Vest. “In addition to the new job opportunities that will be created for residents, the ripple effects of industrial activity in our town will be a boon to other local businesses.” G2 Supply, a leading single-source provider of packaging, shipping, and industrial supplies, announced in August its acquisition of the former Shaw Plant 14 in Valley Head. The company’s decision to expand operations at the 180,000-square-foot facility reactivates one of DeKalb County’s most significant industrial facilities. “G2 Supply is eager to ramp up operations in Valley Head,” said Ryan Griffith, owner of G2 Supply. “This investment marks a major milestone in our company’s history and a long-term investment in DeKalb County. We're thankful for the support from both the Town of Valley Head and the DeKalb County Economic Development Authority, as well as the City of Fort Payne, where our operations will continue to thrive. We look forward to a long partnership ahead." The company’s tax abatement request was facilitated with the assistance of the DeKalb County Economic Development Authority (DCEDA).
Former Medicaid Employee Sentenced to 10 years in Prison Photo by Brandon K. Pierce, Alabama Ledger The picture above shows some of the many items that were for sale in the Leesburg area during the annual Highway 411 Yard Sale. The 250 mile event was held on October 2-5, 2025. The yard sale goes from Leeds, Alabama to Newport, Tennessee.
Submitted Photo G2 Owner Ryan Griffith and Valley Head Mayor Karen Vest.
DCEDA worked closely with the Town of Valley Head to structure the incentive package following the company’s acquisition of the property. “Shortly after I came into this role last year, I made it a personal goal to help put an industrial user in the former Shaw plant in Valley Head,” said Dr. Brett Johnson, Executive Director of the DeKalb County Economic Development Authority. “Within weeks of being cleared to bring potential buyers to the table, this property which had sat there for nearly ten years suddenly became extremely popular – and I am glad to see it once again being used to elevate our local economy.” The former Shaw Industries plant, which opened in 1971, was once the largest employer in Valley Head, providing jobs
to more than 350 residents at its peak before closing in 2016. The reopening of the facility marks a powerful comeback for local manufacturing and opens the door for continued regional growth. “Reactivating this building will have region- wide economic impacts,” said Johnson. “The three buildings that G2 will vacate in Fort Payne creates new capacity for further industrial job creation, and the increased activity in Valley Head will make it even more attractive to retail developers seeking to capture market share in the growing Valley Head, Mentone, and Hammondville corridors.” With this partnership between the Town of Valley Head and G2 Supply, the community celebrates a new chapter of revitalization, investment, and opportunity.
Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall has announced that former Alabama Medicaid employee Natalie Lewis has been sentenced for aggravated theft by deception in connection with the theft of more than $100,000. Lewis pled guilty to the charge in August. Lewis admitted to using her position as a Medicaid employee to approve fraudulent payments over 1,600 times over the course of five years totaling over $100,000. Those payments were loaded onto an EBT card that Lewis used. At a sentencing hearing held October 2, Judge Brooke Reid sentenced Lewis to ten years in prison, with three years to serve. After serving three years, Lewis will be placed on
probation for two years, with the remaining seven years suspended. Judge Reid ordered Lewis to begin serving her sentence immediately in the county jail. At a later date, the court will determine whether Lewis may serve the remainder of her three-year sentence in the community corrections program. "Public employees hold a position of trust, and when that trust is violated, particularly when taxpayer dollars are stolen, there must be consequences," Attorney General Marshall said. "This sentence makes clear that abuse of public office will not be tolerated, and the people of Alabama will be made whole." As required by state
law, Lewis will forfeit her state retirement benefits because she used her official position to commit a felony. While she will not receive her state-funded retirement, she is entitled to the contributions she made to her retirement account with interest. Lewis has agreed that those funds will be applied toward restitution owed. The Attorney General’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit investigated and prosecuted the case after the theft was discovered by the Alabama Medicaid Agency. The Medicaid Fraud Control Unit receives 75 percent of its funding—$1.2 million in FY2024—through an annual grant from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Service’s Office of Inspector General.
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