Business

Habitat’s dual impact: Calhoun County businesses benefit as homeowners reap benefits

By Jessica Centers
Star Business Writer
06-13-2003

Susanne Limberis serves Habitat worker Paul Miller, right, and his daughter, Emily. The Millers are from Hartville, Ohio, and were having dinner at Roma’s Pizza and Steak House in Jacksonville. Several local businesses have seen an increase in customers this week. Photo: Trent Penny.

More than a thousand out-of-towners are working and sleeping in Calhoun County this week as volunteers for the Jimmy Carter Work Project. While the sweat they put toward helping 36 families become homeowners today will have the most valuable and lasting impact, where they sleep also has affected at least one local business sector — the hotel industry.
Free lodging was offered to Habitat for Humanity volunteers at Jacksonville State University, but fortunately for local hotels, hundreds decided to make their own arrangements.
According to Dana van Ekris, executive director of Habitat for Humanity of Calhoun County, at least five hotels in the area are completely booked as a result of the Jimmy Carter Work Project. She said those that were either full or near-full include Oxford’s Hampton Inn, Comfort Inn, Best Western, Jameson Inn and Holiday Inn; The Victoria and Villager Lodge in Anniston; and Jacksonville’s University Inn.
At the Victoria, general manager Jean Ann Oglesby said that out of 59 available rooms, 54 are occupied by people in town for the work project.
“We are completely booked,” Oglesby said. “It helps us out a lot.”
Rooms at the Victoria usually cost about $89, but a discounted rate of $72 per room was offered for Habitat volunteers.
The Comfort Inn’s 62 rooms are also booked this week, and about 30 of those rooms are occupied by people in town for the work project. An employee said it is very rare for the hotel to be full except during the NASCAR races in Talladega.
The Jameson Inn is completely full, but a manager did not know how many of the 62 rooms were occupied by Habitat volunteers.

Limberis chats with Habitat worker Harry Burnett. Photo: Trent Penny.

Despite the three meals a day provided to volunteers and exhausting 10-hour workdays, some restaurants still felt a surge of extra business last weekend and during the evening hours. The restaurants in Jacksonville near the JSU dormitories were some of the largest beneficiaries of extra business.
At Roma’s Pizza and Steak House, Susanne Limberis and her husband, owner Jack Limberis, said there was a noticeable – and well -appreciated – increase in customers.
Employees of Struts said they also noticed a significant increase in business.
In addition to what volunteers spend while in town, Habitat for Humanity of Calhoun County has also been able to put some of the money it raised back into the local economy by buying supplies here.
Van Ekris said most of the building supplies were bought from Webb Concrete, Oxford Lumber and Lowe’s. Office supplies were bought from Office Max in Anniston. Taylor Printing provided all the printing services needed leading up to the project, including a 19-month welcome calendar provided to every volunteer in their welcome packet.
But much of the supplies Habitat for Humanity would have had to buy, businesses decided to instead donate.
Even something as simple as ice would have cost thousands of dollars. Reddy Ice is providing about 15 tons of ice for the work project.
At regular price, Reddy Ice plant manager Paul Trammell said that much ice would cost about $6,500 but about 75 to 80 percent of the cost was donated.
The largest purchase Habitat had to make not directly related to the building was more than $200,000 for its food service provider, Sodexho.
Habitat for Humanity of Calhoun County Director of Development Nan Williams said the group tried to get a local provider but was unable to find one capable of providing three meals a day to 2,500 people on site.