In 2001, Fayette

residents learned they were not immune from bad economic times.

Throughout

the year, the county's unemployment rate mirrored the rest of the Atlanta

region and continued to inch higher.

The biggest

shock wave in the county occured in the late fall when Delta Air Lines

announced that more than 13,000 positions would be cut by the end of the

year.

Delta first

asked for voluntary leave from its employees, and then reevaluated the

situation Nov. 1 to determine how many involuntary cuts the company will

have to make.

Many of the

cuts did come from Delta employees who took the early leave and all of

the cuts are supposed to be completed by Monday.

Once the cuts

were announced, the Fayette County Chamber of Commerce and Development

Authority sprang into action.

The two groups

announced the formation of Team Fayette.

Chamber President

Elissa Hall said the program was developed to assist displaced workers

in locating social services and employment outreach.

Recent statistics

indicate that more than 10 percent of Delta's Atlanta workers live in

Fayette.

The county

also saw several businesses come and go during the year. The first Jo-Ann

etc store in Fayetteville opened at Fayette Pavilion in October, but Dekor

shuttered its doors at the Pavilion in the fall.

Ross Dress

for Success opened at the county's largest shopping center, along with

Kohl's department store.

Peachtree City's

Avenue shopping center opened to great acclaim from avid shoppers. The

center brough such names as Banana Republic, Gap and Williams-Sonoma to

town.

Perhaps the

most interesting retail story of the year occurred at the Avenue, when

Harry's in a Hurry opened its first south side upscale grocery store early

last summer.

Residents did

have to hurry to experience it, since it had closed by the end of the

year.

The county

also saw Cub Foods in Fayetteville close, and Peachtree City's Harris

Teeter was converted into a Kroger.

One of the

county's businesses also was honored by the Chamber of Commerce this year.

Arnie's Fine

Wine, owned andoperated by Arnie and Liz Geiger, was selected as the Small

Business of the Year.

The Peachtree

City company has been in business since 1995 and joined the chamber in

1996.

"Within

six months of purchasing the company, we had a 20 percent growth. After

joining the chamber," Geiger said, "we have enjoyed a 5 to 10

percent growth each year."

The award was

announced by Jim Watkins, chairman of the chamber Small Business Committee.

Among the criteria

for consideration is having been in business for at least three years,

being a current member of the chamber, projecting a positive image and

adhering to strict business ethics, and having fewer than 50 employees.

The application

also had to show the percentage of annual growth, customer satisfaction,

awards or industry recognition, involvement in the chamber and the innovation

and creativity of the business.

Applications

also were received from Accounting Resources, AIS Computers, Drug Free

Works Associates, Kwik Kopy Printing, Partner's Pizza, Peachtree Flight

Center, The Complete Insurance Source and The Harbin Agency.

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