On Tuesday, the Troup County Board of Commissioners approved the bid of Skillet Kitchen, which is under the umbrella of Kimble’s Food by Design, to provide food service to the Troup County Jail and Annex.

While Skillet Kitchens was not the lowest bidder on the project, the company did produce a bid lower than the cost the Troup County Jail had been paying to the previous vendor. The savings, however, will likely be negligible, per Commission Chairman Patrick Crews.

It was evident that the cost of the vendor contract was not the only factor in this decision-making process, as another important piece of this decision dealt with proximity to the jail. Skillet Kitchens and Kimble’s Food by Design are local, which helped sway the commissioners’ decision to award this business the contract. 

Skillet Kitchens was one of five businesses to present a bid for this work, and was the only company that developed an actionable plan in the event of a power outage at the jail. While other companies relayed that they would feed inmates sack lunches until a better outcome could be reached, Skillet Kitchens stated they would simply cook meals in the Kimble’s kitchen, a five-minute drive from the jail. 

In business, there are many occasions where outsourcing work makes too much financial sense to ignore. However, when work can remain local, it should. In this case, the county recognized the need for fiscal responsibility, but also took steps to ensure work remained in the local economy, helping to reach the best solution possible.