Steve Holt
FLORENCE-Steve Holt, former President of the Shoals Chamber of Commerce, is a candidate for Mayor of the City of Florence. Holt, 67, served the Shoals Chamber for 22 years in economic and community development and wants to lead Florence in recruiting and attracting good paying jobs.
“The latest labor market data reveals that the Florence Metropolitan Statistical Area ranks 11th out of 12 MSA’s in Alabama, with an unemployment rate of 6.8%. The rate for the City of Florence is 6.6%, compared to Dothan at 6.1%, Decatur at 6.0% and Huntsville at 5.8%. Florence is an all-around great city. I have spent the past 22 years looking at our community and there are so many things right about us. We need to be moving forward in creating jobs. An old saying in economic and community development is – when the sun comes up, you better be running, and that is what we will do,” said Holt. “Jobs will be our number one priority.”
Holt has been involved in all aspects of economic and community development for 45 years.
Other issues that will be on Holt’s priority list are: getting the animal shelter completed; taking action on the senior center and having a clear plan for development; bandwidth availability and capacity for businesses and residents; maintaining a clean community; fighting and preventing crime; enhancing the Veterans Memorial and developing Veterans Park; the best k-12 education possible for our children, including quality facilities, competitive pay for educators and supporting Shoals Scholar Dollars as a way to assist students needing resources to continue their education after high school; supporting higher education and the town-gown relationship with the University of North Alabama; breaking ground for the new hospital; ensuring appropriate funding for the Shoals Entrepreneurial Center to foster small business start-ups.
Holt was an active leader along with other Shoals officials, and state and national legislators in securing funding for the Singing River Bridge, Highway 157 and Shoal Creek Bridge. He is a strong supporter of the Florence/Lauderdale Port and the Northwest Alabama Regional Airport.
Holt is a graduate of the University of Tennessee, with a BS degree in Public Administration, majoring in political science and minoring in economics. He is also a graduate of the Economic Development Institute at the University of Oklahoma, conducted by the International Economic Development Council and is a Certified Economic Developer (CEcD). Holt graduated from the United States Chamber of Commerce Institute for Organization Management at the University of Georgia and is a Certified Chamber Executive (CCE). He is one of only about 100 professionals in the United States to hold both certifications.
Holt is a graduate of Leadership Alabama, Leadership Shoals, and is a past chairman of the Chamber of Commerce Association of Alabama. He is a past winner of the Jamie Wallace Award, the highest award offered to a chamber professional in Alabama. He has served on the Board of Directors of the Business Council of Alabama.
Holt and his wife, Susie, are the parents of five children, eight grandchildren and another grandchild to be born in August. They are members of First Baptist Church of Florence, where Holt serves as a Sunday School teacher.
For further information, contact Steve Holt at 256-810-2992.
