Timothy Mowrey, chairman and CEO of Mowrey Elevator, is building a $1.5-million headquarters in his city block-sized manufacturing complex in downtown Marianna— a move he's confident will dovetail with an economic rebound.

Three years ago Mowrey Elevator, the largest privately owned elevator manufacturer in the Southeast, was making and installing some 400 elevators a year. This year, it expects to do around 100.

Plans include an R&D center for new product lines. Mowrey wants to boost employment from 125 to its previous 200. "Business is going to come back,'' he says.