U.S. Sen. Richard Shelby has already visited 25 Alabama counties in 2014 year on his statewide jobs and industry tour. As he’s done every year since he was elected, he’ll visit every county in the state at least once by the end of the year. Since being elected to the U.S. Senate in 1987, Shelby has made an impressive 1,834 county visits.

Among the diverse range of businesses Shelby has visited this year are a steam plant, multiple hospitals, a timber company, multiple aerospace manufacturers, a water treatment plant, a livestock auction, a ship builder, a packaging plant and a prison.

Shelby said this morning that his reasoning is simple — the focus must remain on jobs.

“Job creation must be our top priority as a nation, and it will be the focus of my statewide travel,” he said. “It is critical that I hear firsthand from job creators and workers how federal policies are affecting economic growth, and what we can do to create more jobs in Alabama. These conversations with my constituents have always played a critical role in informing how I vote on issues before the Senate, and I look forward to traveling the state again this year.”

Yellowhammer readers will get an exclusive behind-the-scenes look at Shelby’s jobs tour in a couple of weeks. In the mean time, here are a handful of shots from his most recent stops.

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