Greater Jobs Inc. held their annual meeting Wednesday. The organization’s vice president, Pam Bishop, said it was a strong year.

&uot;We feel we’ve had a phenomenal year,&uot; she said. &uot;We surpassed all first-year goals for the business development center. In the last 12 months we have helped initiate six new companies and have a 90 percent occupancy of the center.&uot;

Greater Jobs, the economic-development agency for Albert Lea and Freeborn County, was started in the 1940s in an effort to build jobs for returning World War II soldiers. Over the years its focus has changed a little, but Bishop says they are still heavily recruiting businesses.

&uot;We continue to make contact with companies,&uot; she said. &uot;Last year we made contact with 25 companies from outside the Albert Lea area, including Quality Pork Processors, Ford Motor Company and Winnebago Industries.&uot;

Many of these companies, like Ford and Winnebago, strongly considered Albert Lea, but in the end went elsewhere. Quality Pork has not announced a decision about whether it will build a processing facility in Albert Lea.

&uot;Even though we do want more (companies), it has been a good testament to our diversified economy that it has been so stable,&uot; Bishop said. &uot;In hard times, many cities have done poorly, losing companies and jobs. I think we’ve had a great year.&uot;

Bishop said that Greater Jobs will most likely focus its efforts on a Premium Pork, LLC plant if a deal is made. The company says it is considering Albert Lea and at least one other city for a slaughterhouse and corporate headquarters.

Greater Jobs members discussed two othe rmain goals at their meeting.

The Rural Telework Initiative, a national grant program for setting up computer telenetworking centers, and lake-improvement projects are going to be Greater Jobs’ main focus for the year, Bishop said.

She said that working with the chamber on a long-term plan, which will likely be tied in with lake clean up, is another priority. &uot;We want to support and be the catalyst for projects that are identified for improving our lakes,&uot; she added.

Brad Arends, the current Jobs president, said at the meeting that the group should focus on encouraging a positive attitude for the community. &uot;We need to have a willingness and initiative to encourage that,&uot; Bishop said.

Around 75 people attended the meeting. The jobs board had two members whose terms ran out: John Lindeman and Keith Fligge. They will be replaced by Noel Austin of Wells Fargo, and Mike Larson of Lou-Rich.