A few years ago the naysayers in the community were winning the public opinion war.

Hearing negative comments about the economy of the Miss-Lou was not uncommon.

Gripes were the order of the day including:

“Nothing is ever going to come here.”

“We’ll never have job growth again.”

The whining and complaining was perhaps slightly justified. Natchez-Adams County had a pretty steady stream of bad luck with the closure of nearly every major manufacturing facility the community had, all shuttered within a span of just a few years.

We were knocked down, but we were not out.

Don’t believe us?

Look no further than one of our area’s most successful manufacturers — Enersteel.

The Adams County Board of Supervisors honored the company as Business of the Month.

But the recognition should be more than just the passing of a banner and a pat on the back. Enersteel is a local economic success story.

With local workers, the company builds steel tanks that are shipped around the world.

They are succeeding from right here in little old Natchez, where a few years ago the naysayers would have you believe such a thing couldn’t be done.

Clearly, our economy still has a long way to rebound to the strength of 20 years ago, but rather than complaining about what we no longer have, we appreciate the county’s willingness to celebrate the successes we do have.