By Jerry Underwood Made in Alabama Pharmacy giant Walgreens is adding 150 new jobs at its high-tech customer contact center in Muscle Shoals, pushing the total workforce at the Northwest Alabama facility to around 600, officials announced.

Deerfield, Illinois-based Walgreens, the second largest U.S. pharmacy chain, is seeking to fill the customer care [...]]]>  

By Jerry Underwood
Made in Alabama
Pharmacy giant Walgreens is adding 150 new jobs at its high-tech customer contact center in Muscle Shoals, pushing the total workforce at the Northwest Alabama facility to around 600, officials announced.

Deerfield, Illinois-based Walgreens, the second largest U.S. pharmacy chain, is seeking to fill the customer care advisor positions at the center immediately. Applications can be filed online. Officials say the customer contact center is a major employer in the region and its expansion is welcome news.

“To have a known company such as Walgreens select Muscle Shoals as a growth center is a testament to the state’s and community’s ‘can do’ attitude,” said Forrest Wright, president of the Shoals Economic Development Authority.

“This expansion could not have occurred without strong leadership and support from the Alabama Department of Commerce, our state Legislature and TVA,” he said. “And the most important partners are those Walgreens employees who, day in and day out, make this center successful.”

‘Vital connection’

Muscle Shoals Mayor David Bradford called Walgreens a great corporate partner in the Shoals, providing good jobs and opportunities for workers.

“As part of the global Walgreens Boots Alliance health and well-being enterprise, you can start your career in Muscle Shoals and have growth opportunities throughout the United States and much of the world,” Bradford said. “We enjoy a great relationship with one of America’s best companies and thank them again for investing in the Shoals area.”

The Walgreens facility in Muscle Shoals opened in October 2004 as one of the company’s most technologically advanced contact centers. At its opening, the center employed 30 people; today, the number is around 450.

“The Walgreens customer care center in Shoals acts as a vital connection between the company and its vast customer base across the nation, and Walgreens’ move to significantly expand the workforce at the Alabama facility is a strong vote of confidence in the operation,” said Greg Canfield, secretary of the Alabama Department of Commerce.

“The jobs being created by Walgreens will provide a boost to the community and to many families in the region,” he said.

This story originally appeared on the Alabama Department of Commerce’s Made in Alabama website.

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – A federal jury has found in favor of the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) in a federal disability discrimination lawsuit against the retail giant Dollar General, the federal agency announced today. EEOC had charged Dollar General with firing a cashier at its Maryville, Tenn., store because of her need [...]]]>

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – A federal jury has found in favor of the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) in a federal disability discrimination lawsuit against the retail giant Dollar General, the federal agency announced today. EEOC had charged Dollar General with firing a cashier at its Maryville, Tenn., store because of her need to treat her diabetes.

According to EEOC’s suit, the cashier, an insulin-dependent diabetic, told her supervisor she was a diabetic and requested on several occasions that her supervisor allow her to keep juice near the register to prevent a hypoglycemic attack. At trial, the cashier testified that her supervisor told her that Dollar General did not allow employees to keep food or drink near the register. Although Dollar General had an accommodation policy that could have allowed the cashier to keep juice near the register, the employees, including management at the Maryville store, did not know about the policy.

While alone in the store one day, the cashier drank orange juice prior to purchase, in violation of Dollar General’s “grazing” policy, in response to symptoms of a hypoglycemic attack and to protect the store. As soon as the medical emergency passed, the cashier paid for the bottle of orange juice that cost $1.69 plus tax. Later, the district manager and loss prevention manager appeared in the store to address inventory shrinkage and fired the cashier after she admitted to drinking orange juice prior to purchase. The store fired the emp­loyee even though it knew she drank the orange juice because of her diabetes and that she had requested to keep juice near the register.

EEOC filed suit (Civil Action No.3:14-CV-441) in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee) against Dolgencorp, LLC, dba Dollar General Corporation, on Sept. 23, 2014, after first attempting to reach a pre-litigation settlement through its conciliation process. The discrimination victim joined the suit as a plaintiff in her own personal lawsuit on Dec. 18, 2014.

The jury returned a verdict on Friday afternoon for EEOC and the victim, awarding the former cashier $27,565 in back pay and $250,000 in compensatory damages.

“We are very pleased with the jury verdict,” said EEOC General Counsel P. David Lopez. “It is disappointing, however, that we continue to see cases where employers fail to train their employees on basic requirements under the ADA. The Commission will continue to carry out its goal of ensuring equal opportunity in the workplace for persons with disabilities.”

EEOC Regional Attorney Faye A. Williams added, “This case highlights another employer who failed to train its employees on the reasonable accommodation requirements under the ADA. Dollar General represents one of the largest variety retailers in the country. Yet it failed to ensure that its employees and management staff knew about its reasonable accommodation policy. It was as if Dollar General had no policy at all. Instead of accepting responsibility for its inaction, Dollar General argued the employee did not need an accommo­dation. We hope this jury verdict sends a message to its employers, train your employees on the reasonable accommo­dation requirements under the ADA.”

Dollar General is the nation’s largest small-box discount retailer. It is a convenience store offering major brands with many of its products costing a dollar or less. The company operates over 11,000 stores nationwide, and the corporate headquarters are in Goodlettsville, Tenn.

The Memphis District Office of EEOC oversees Tennessee, Arkansas, and parts of Mississippi. EEOC enforces federal laws prohibiting employment discrimination. Further information about EEOC is available on the website at www.eeoc.gov.

MADISON — Adam Downs, Ph.D. and licensed marriage and family therapist, is a national thought leader and clinician in the field of substance abuse treatment for young, or emerging, adults. He has 10 years of experience in primary and long-term residential programs and has had successful tenure at academic institutions. The programs he has [...]]]>

MADISON — Adam Downs, Ph.D. and licensed marriage and family therapist, is a national thought leader and clinician in the field of substance abuse treatment for young, or emerging, adults. He has 10 years of experience in primary and long-term residential programs and has had successful tenure at academic institutions. The programs he has developed to motivate and inspire patients and their families have been nationally recognized as standards of care for successful recovery.

Prior to coming to Bradford, Downs was the director of Substance Abuse Services at the University of Alabama. He received his undergraduate degree from Texas Tech University with research and clinical interests in the study of substance abuse and addiction studies. He received his doctorate in human development and family studies from Michigan State University.
Downs will oversee all clinical services for the emerging adult programming continuum. This programming will include primary care for males and females at Bradford’s Madison campus. Transition to male patient services at the Reprieve sites in Opelika, Tuscaloosa, etc. Transition to female patient services at A Reprieve for Women in Tuscaloosa and intensive outpatient programs in 24 regional locations Bradford serves.

Bradford Health Services has been treating alcoholism and drug addiction in adults and adolescents for nearly 40 years.

Mark your calendar! Due to an overlap of tax deadlines and Federal/State holidays, the IRS has announced some new due dates for the upcoming 2016 tax season.

Most 2015 individual income tax returns will actually be due on Monday, April 18, 2016 (rather than Friday, April 15, 2016). Here’s why:

412 South Court, where Robinson Capital Investments was renting an office.

Bryan Robinson, CEO of companies that backed the Dreamvision amusement park, is being sued by his landlord for not paying rent on his office.

Robinson Capital Investments was renting an office at 412 S. Court Street in Florence. Rent [...]]]>

412 South Court, where Robinson Capital Investments was renting an office.

Bryan Robinson, CEO of companies that backed the Dreamvision amusement park, is being sued by his landlord for not paying rent on his office.

Robinson Capital Investments was renting an office at 412 S. Court Street in Florence. Rent was not paid in February, court documents state.

The legal documents state that Robinson gave a personal guaranty in which he “unconditionally and absolutely guarantees full and
prompt payment and performance of all rent, liabilities, and obligations”.

The term of the Lease is from May 1, 2015 through April 30, 2020, and
Robinson Capital agreed to pay total rent of $245,824.20.

Greater Alabama Building, L.L.C., is seeking damages from Robinson Capital Investments, LLC and Bryan
Robinson for the amount of back rent due under the Lease, the amount of lost
future rent under the Lease, late fees, court costs, attorney fees, pre- and postjudgment
interest, and such other and further relief as the Court may deem
appropriate.

The amusment park, plannned to be built in Lauderdale County, has been severly delayed.

Robinson is also being sued in Tennesse for a Christmas pageant production that had problems and by the state of Alabama for selling securties without having the proper registration.

Barry Auchly

As of today, March 1, 2016, Barry Auchly is officially Interim President of the Shoals Chamber of Commerce.

Prior to accepting this position, he had retired from American Wholesale Book Co. (Books-A-Million) in Florence, AL where he worked for nearly 20 years. Barry previously held management positions in Green [...]]]>  

Barry Auchly

As of today, March 1, 2016, Barry Auchly is officially Interim President of the Shoals Chamber of Commerce.

Prior to accepting this position, he had retired from American Wholesale Book Co. (Books-A-Million) in Florence, AL where he worked for nearly 20 years. Barry previously held management positions in Green Bay, WI for a privately held retail chain for 3 years and for May Department Stores for 19 years.

Barry is a native of St. Peters, MO, and holds a B.S. degree in Business from Fontbonne College. He has served on Advisory Boards for:

– United Way
– YMCA
– Executive Board of the Shoals Chamber
– NW AL Regional Airport Authority Board

Barry and his wife Brenda have 3 children and 3 grandchildren. Their 2 boys and grandchildren live in the Shoals and their daughter resides in Savannah, GA.

His personal interests include flying airplanes and hang gliders, boating, water and snow skiing, hunting, motorcycling and scuba diving.