Harrison Poultry, Inc. located in Bethlehem, is the second largest employer in Barrow County with around 400 employees.
The business was begun in 1948 and grew from a hatching/broiler house, to a processing facility with a capacity of 4,800 birds per hour. R. Harold Harrison, the son of the
founder, Luther Harrison, died in 2001, but not before purchasing the land and paying to construct the new Bethlehem United Methodist Church located on Highway 11. He also
established trusts, in honor of his parents, to be used for the good of the community. The football stadium at Apalachee High School is among the Harrison foundation projects.

Highway 316 has brought growth to this small town which had a population of 878 in the 2002 Census.

At the intersection of 316 and Highway 11 are two convenience stores and a Dollar General Store. Community Bank and Trust has purchased land in the town for a bank branch and a small development, Southern Woods, was recently built on the South side of the town.