Business Alabama - May 2023

MAY 2023

Let them eat cake

APRIL McCLUNG IS COOKING UP PROFITS WITH EMILY’S HEIRLOOM POUND CAKES

Page 34

STIRS UP BOTH 26 BBQ APPETITES AND ARGUMENTS

43 WOMEN IN TECH 2023 SPOTLIGHT ON

53 MADISON COUNTY

Volume 38 / Number 5

MAY 2023

CONTENTS

16

Will Heaps leads the team that has created the young Merit Bank in Huntsville.

Photo by David Higginbotham.

Features

29

SMALL BUSINESS REVVING UP A DREAM Mechanic Allen Hartley builds a path to entrepreneurship.

11

FINANCIAL PLANNING MARKET MADNESS Finding the right path in a time of financial confusion.

32

VIRTUALLY ANYWHERE Mobile’s 3rd Realm Creations uses AR, VR and a talent for film to take users anywhere they need to be.

16

BANKING & FINANCE MERIT JOINS STATE’S BANK RANKS 4-year-old bank takes off in Huntsville market.

34

LET THEM EAT EMILY’S CAKE April McClung took a family recipe and built it into a budding pound cake empire.

23

26

OAKWORTH CAPITAL’S AUDACIOUS GOAL Alabama-based financial services company seeks to become an iconic brand.

RESTAURANTS OMG, IT’S BBQ In Alabama, barbecue can stir up both appetites and arguments.

4 | BusinessAlabama.com May 2023

39

DIVERSITY BEYOND POLITICALLY CORRECT Alabama companies find significant value in pursuing diversity.

74

RETROSPECT A PLACE AT THE TABLE Soaking up history at Golden Eagle Syrup Co.

26

On the Cover: April McClung turned a family pound cake recipe into a growing brand, selling her Emily's Heirloom Pound Cakes near and far.

Photo by Cary Norton.

26: Ribs are the star of the show at Full Moon Bar-B-Que. Photo by Art Meripol.

29: Allen Hartley grew up around cars.

Now he has an independent mechanic shop in Pelham. Photo by Joe De Sciose.

23: Oakworth Capital Bank Senior Managing Director Forest Whatley, left, and CEO Scott Reed are leading the drive to make their 15-year-old bank the industry's next iconic brand. Photo by Joe De Sciose.

TOP RANK 14 FINANCIAL PLANNING & INVESTMENT ADVISORY FIRMS SPECIAL SECTIONS 36 FACES OF FINANCE 43 WOMEN IN TECH GEOGRAPHIC SPOTLIGHT 53 MADISON COUNTY

29

Departments 7

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76 77 79

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BENCHMARKS: MONTHLY BUSINESS NEWS BRIEFING COMPANY KUDOS: A MONTH OF ACHIEVEMENTS CAREER NOTES: WHO’S MOVING UP BA INDEX: HUNDREDS OF LEADS EACH MONTH HISTORICAL ALABAMA: A WALK DOWN MEMORY LANE ALABIZ QUIZ: TEST YOUR KNOWLEDGE

May 2023 BusinessAlabama.com | 5

MAY 2023 BusinessAlabama.com Volume 38 / Number 5

PUBLISHER Walker Sorrell / wsorrell@pmtpublishing.com ASSISTANT PUBLISHER Stephen Potts / snpotts@pmtpublishing.com EXECUTIVE EDITOR Alec Harvey / alec@pmtpublishing.com EDITOR Erica Joiner West / ewest@pmtpublishing.com COPY EDITOR Nedra Bloom / nedra@pmtpublishing.com ART DIRECTOR Vic Wheeler / ads@pmtpublishing.com DIGITAL EDITOR Kathryn Dorlon / kdorlon@pmtpublishing.com ACCOUNTING Keith Crabtree / acct@pmtpublishing.com ADMINISTRATION/OFFICE MANAGER Lauren Sullivan / lsullivan@pmtpublishing.com ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES Birmingham: 205-802-6363 Hal Cain / Ext. 111 / hcain@pmtpublishing.com Lee Mills / Ext. 102 / lmills@pmtpublishing.com Mobile: 251-473-6269 Joe Hyland / Ext. 214 / jhyland@pmtpublishing.com DIRECTOR OF INTEGRATED MEDIA & EVENTS Sheila Wardy / swardy@pmtpublishing.com BIRMINGHAM OFFICE 3324 Independence Drive / Homewood, AL 35209 205-802-6363 MOBILE OFFICE 166 Government Street / Mobile, AL 36602 251-473-6269 CORPORATE T.J. Potts, President & CEO Thomas E. McMillan, Partner & Director Business Alabama is published monthly by PMT Publishing Co., Inc. Copyright 2023

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6 | BusinessAlabama.com May 2023

Benchmarks State sets economic development record in 2022

Novelis announced and broke ground on a $2.5 billion aluminum plant in Baldwin County in 2022. Photo by Mike Kittrell.

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT IN ALABAMA generated more than

$10 billion in new capital investment in 2022, setting a record.

The 2022 Alabama Economic Development Impact Report, compiled by the Department of Commerce, puts investment at $10.1 billion last year, topping the previous record of $8.7 billion in 2018.

“Strategic economic development has been a top priority of my administration since I first became governor because I fully understand the impact it can have on our citizens, their families and their communities,” Gov. Kay Ivey said. “This success is blatant evidence that our efforts are producing a brighter future for the great state of Alabama.”

These projects generated 13,078 jobs,

B U S I N E S S OSCAR GLORY Daniel Scheinert, a graduate of the International Baccalaureate School at Shades Valley in Birmingham, won the best director Oscar this year, and Homewood High School graduate Paul Rogers won for best film editing, both for the best picture winner “Everything Everywhere All at Once.”

SOCKS ANYONE? The owner of a Fort Payne hosiery mill being turned into a sports training facility is giving away 3 million pairs of socks that were left in the mill when he bought it. Tony Hendon is giving socks found in the old Bailey Knit Corp. building to groups that can give them to the homeless and others in need.

SCHOOL’S OPEN The board of BirminghamSouthern College announced

up from 10,190 in 2021.

Airbus, Hyundai and Toyota all announced major investment projects in Alabama in 2022, as did Novelis (a $2.5 billion aluminum mill in Bay Minette), First Solar (a $1.1 billion factory in Lawrence County) and Advanced ACT (a remote air traffic control tower center in Selma).

Baldwin County led the way with $2.5 billion in new investment in 2022, followed by Montgomery with $1.7 billion, Mobile with $1.4 billion and Lawrence with $1.1 billion.

Montgomery topped the county list for job creation, followed by Mobile, Jefferson and Baldwin, according to the report.

B R I E F S in early April that it plans to stay open. The college was hit with financial troubles that caused it to consider closing, but the board says it now has a plan to move forward.

Baldwin County gained more than 7,000 residents from mid2021 to mid-2022, more than any other Alabama county. It’s ranked fourth among the state’s 67 counties.

BAMA BILLIONAIRE Forbes Magazine has published its annual state-by-state list of billionaires. Jimmy Rane, owner of Great Southern Wood Preserving in Abbeville, is Alabama’s lone representative on the list.

DRONE GUARD Huntsville International Airport is one of five airports nationwide testing technologies to protect manned aircraft from unmanned aircraft, or drones.

Testing in Huntsville will take place until late September.

BIG HONORS FOR SMALL Selma’s Daryl Thomas, of Thomas Accounting & Income Tax Service, is a national Small Business Person of the Year. The U.S. Small Business Administration picked one winner from each state.

BIGGER & BETTER Alabama-based Milo’s Tea Co. broke ground in mid-March on a $130 million manufacturing and distribution facility in Spartanburg County, South Carolina. The 110,000-squarefoot facility will bring more than 100 jobs to the community.

Global Resources International and its subsidiary Advanced

BIGGER BALDWIN New census estimates show that

Product Solutions plan a $1.6 million expansion in Houston County. The Georgiabased firm provides medical devices and industrial products.

Birmingham’s ServisFirst Bank has expanded its correspondent banking division into Texas.

Northrop Grumman has opened two buildings on its campus near Redstone Arsenal in Huntsville, providing more space for its launch and missile defense development projects.

Motion Industries, an industrial technology solutions company based in Birmingham, has opened a Motion Ai facility in Beverly, Massachusetts.

HOUSING MARKET DIPS Home sales in February 2023 declined 22.3% over the previous February, according to the monthly Alabama Economic and Real Estate Report from Alabama Realtors. In addition,

May 2023 BusinessAlabama.com | 7

BENCHMARKS

Toyota teams on $49M solar project A $49 million, 168A rendering of the 168-acre solar acre solar project for project in Huntsville, scheduled to TOYOTA in Huntsville begin providing solar energy for now includes a power Toyota by the summer of 2024. purchase agreement.

Huntsville Utilities, Toyota Alabama and Toyota Tsusho America announced the agreement in early April at an event in Huntsville.

The plan includes a 30-megawatt solar-generated system in the North Huntsville Industrial Park, near the Toyota engine plant. The system is expected to generate 62,000 megawatt hours annually, enough to power more than 5,600 homes.

“Toyota is taking a transparent, science-based approach to address climate change,” said Jason Puckett, president of Toyota Alabama. “By relying on the sun to power our operations, we will reduce our carbon footprint and create a model of environmental stewardship in North

B U S I N E S S

B R I E F S

the median sale price of a house was $206,253, a decrease of 5.5% from a year ago.

MERGERS & ACQUISITIONS Alcrete Industries, a Pell Citybased provider of precast concrete products, has acquired Cape Fear Precast in North Carolina. Dothanbased Flowers Insurance Agency has agreed to merge with Where Relationships Matter Group, which formed as a result of a merger between Byars|Wright Insurance and Pritchett-Moore Insurance.

Dothan-based road-building firm Construction Partners Inc. has acquired Pickens Construction, headquartered in Anderson, South Carolina, including its asphalt plant. Ford Meter Box Co. has acquired some assets of Baker Coupling, expanding the line of pipe products at Ford’s Pell City plant.

Birmingham Fastener, which recently acquired Californiabased Pacific Coast Bolt, has

MORE FUN The University of West Alabama plans to build a $450,000, 500-seat amphitheater. Construction is expected to start this summer and take six to eight months to complete.

CIVIL RIGHTS FUNDING Jefferson County has approved $2.7 million to enhance the Civil Rights District in Birmingham.

Projects were approved for the 16th Street Baptist Church, Urban Impact Inc., Birmingham Civil Rights Institute, Alabama Jazz Hall of Fame, St. Paul’s United Methodist Church and Historic Bethel Baptist Church.

8 | BusinessAlabama.com May 2023

Alabama.”

Tsusho led the project’s development and will manage construction, which is scheduled to begin this spring. Tsusho also will be the owner of the solar facility, which is scheduled to begin generating solar energy in the summer of 2024. 

opened its first Arizona branch call Phoenix Fastener. Pinnacle Solutions, a Huntsville-based provider of training and services for defense customers around the world, has been acquired

by Akima, a Virginia-based firm providing similar services.

Hiller Companies, a fire safety and protection company based in Mobile, acquired the service business of Nevada Fire Protection and merged with North Carolina-based Unifour Fire & Safety, expanding the reach of Hiller.

NEW AT THE TOP Brenda Carlisle has been named chief executive officer of UAB Hospital and Susan Jennings was named chief financial officers for the UAB Health System. Both had been filling the new jobs on an interim basis.

NEW ON CAMPUS Wallace State Community College in Hanceville has teamed with Fitzgerald Peterbilt to offer an apprenticeship in diesel technology.

GENEROUS GOLFERS Mobile shipbuilder Austal USA raised more than $200,000 through its annual golf tournament and used the funds to support three local charities.

SAY GOODBYE CVS Health will close its distribution center in Bessemer over the next two months.

It’s not known how many employees will be affected by the closing.

PARK PLACE The City of Mobile has finished a master plan for development of 98 acres on Mobile Bay’s

BENCHMARKS

Two manufacturers announce new Alabama plants SUNBELT SOLOMON, which makes

commercial and industrial electrical distribution equipment, and Epsilon Industries, which makes off-site construction materials, have announced plans for new plants in Alabama.

Sunbelt Solomon plans a $5 million service center in Elba in Coffee County, while Epsilon Industries, a Canadian firm, plans a $3 million plant in Tuscaloosa.

Sunbelt plans to offer transformer repair and recycling, field services and equipment rental from the new Elba site.

“At Sunbelt Solomon, we strive to help our customers achieve their sustainability goals within the electrical space,” said CEO Gus Cedeño. “Elba is the first greenfield facility we’ve built in several years, affirming our strategy of getting closer to our customer base and developing the human capital wherever we operate.”

The company expects to hire 50 workers.

Sunbelt Solomon recently acquired Holland Industrial Services in Bay

Epsilon Industries creates pre-fab construction systems.

Minette.

EPSILON INDUSTRIES plans to invest

about $3 million in a new facility in the Tuscaloosa County Airport Industrial Park, where it will support the delivery of prefabricated modular utility systems. The facility will be in an existing building, and production is scheduled to start in May. “We are excited to be a part of the Tuscaloosa community,” said Chris Wieder-

B U S I N E S S

B R I E F S

western shore. Plans for Brookley by the Bay include an amphitheater, playgrounds, dog park, beach access and more.

FUN TIMES Ensley Social, a 5-acre planned development in Birmingham that’s slated to open in 2024, will include an amphitheater, garden and green space, living spaces and a large bar area. Project support comes from Parker & Associates, Barnes & Associates, Phil Amthor, REV Birmingham and Alabama Power.

NAME CHANGE Bruno Event Team, the event management company behind the Regions Tradition golf tournament, Indy Grand Prix, SEC Baseball Tournament and other events, is rebranding as Eventive Sports.

INVESTIGATING INTELLIGENCE The new Alabama Artificial Intelligence Center of Excellence, a public-private partnership based in Auburn, will work to improve the development and understanding of AI and machine learning. Eight nearby colleges and universities are partners, along with the cities of Auburn, Opelika and Montgomery and the AUBix data center.

FLIGHT UPGRADE Birmingham-Shuttlesworth International Airport will receive $6.5 million in federal funding as part of the FAA’s Airport Infrastructure Grant program. The funding will go toward making improvements to the safety of aprons and taxiways at the airport.

PAPER PLANS Georgia-Pacific has donated $100,000 to Auburn University for a new paper digester, part

ick, president of Epsilon Industries. “We will be hosting many of our top clientele at our facility, and we feel that Tuscaloosa offers a convenient location with direct access to the airport, as well as a welcoming and entertaining environment.”

For the new facility, Epsilon will hire boilermakers, pipefitters, pipe welders, electricians, engineers and more. 

of the equipment students and faculty use for research into better methods of making paper.

MORE WATER FUN Construction has begun on a $70 million expansion of the water park at Owa, the amusement park operated by the Poarch Band of Creek Indians in Foley in Baldwin County.

CARGO CAPABILITY Kuehne+Nagel, one of the world’s largest global logistics companies, landed its first charter cargo flight at the Birmingham-Shuttlesworth International Airport in early April. Kuehne+Navel will eventually operate from a new $25 million air cargo facility, with plans to break ground in May.

INTERNATIONAL OPS Regions Bank has launched an International Subsidiaries Banking Group, offering services to U.S.-based subsidiaries of international firms. The bank also launched an initiative to support Black-owned businesses in the Birmingham area.

HAIL & FAREWELL John Caddell, founder of Caddell Construction, died in late March. Working with his wife to found the firm in their kitchen, he grew the company to handle $16 billion in projects in 36 countries. Jim Wilson III, a Montgomery businessman, philanthropist and civic leader, died in mid-March. He was 59. Wilson, son of Jim Wilson Jr., founder of Jim Wilson & Associates, was on the board of trustees of the University of Alabama system.

May 2023 BusinessAlabama.com | 9

BENCHMARKS

Honda celebrates new accessories plant in Lincoln AMERICAN HONDA MOTOR CO. marked

the official opening of a $16 million, 66,000-square-foot accessory-installation plant on its campus in Lincoln in midApril. The plant adds accessory packages to completed vehicles — including the Ridgeline, Pilot and Pilot TrailSport — which are made next door at the Alabama Auto Plant.

Honda has operated a Post-Production Option, or PPO, program — which adds enhanced wheels, towing capability, fender flares, roof rails and more — in Alabama since 2020, but until late last year, it was housed in the nearby Alabama Industrial Training Center.

Workers and dignitaries attended the ribbon-cutting for Honda’s PostProduction Option facility in Lincoln.

Photo by Art Meripol.

Chris Hodgson, manager of the PPO facility (inset), was among the speakers at the event.

Ground was broken for the new plant in summer 2022 and it began operation in November. But the April event marked the ribbon-cutting and attendant celebration.

“Our customer-focused Honda ac-

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cessories program represents an incredible effort by our highly engaged team of associates who believed in this new business area and had the drive to make it succeed,” said Susan McCormick, department head of accessory product planning at AHM. Many of those associates joined dignitaries at today’s event. Speakers included Chris Hodgson, manager of the PPO facility; Shugo Watanabe, vice president, auto sales, for Honda; Bob Sadler, president of Road and Rails, one of Honda’s PPO partners; Lamar Whitaker, Honda Alabama Auto Plant lead; and Lew Watson, mayor of Lincoln.

Hodgson spoke to the success of the PPO program, saying it will eventually expand to include more vehicle models and accessory packages.

It’s a sign of Honda’s continued investment in the Lincoln area, Watanabe said.

“This is more than an investment in a new building,” he told the crowd. “It’s a reminder of Honda’s investment in the local community.” 

FINANCIAL PLANNING

Market MADNESS Finding the right path in a time of financial confusion

I

By CRYSTAL CASTLE

nvest. Don’t invest. Buy gold. Put your money in a safety deposit box. It’s a bull market. It’s a bear market. There’s a recession coming. We are actively in a recession. Buy a house now before the rates get higher. Now is the worst time you could think to buy a house.

It seems as though the opinions and advice regarding how to best use and safeguard your money are as varied as colors of azaleas blooming in Mobile springtime. Though the options and decisions around your finances are seemingly infinite, we’ve asked a couple of financial advisors to weigh in on the available paths and how to make the right decision for you or your family.

William Nicrosi, of Leavell Investments in Birmingham, says

‘‘

the asset allocation, or money you choose to invest, can be the most important decision you make on your financial journey.

“The younger you are, the more risk you can take,” Nicrosi says. “Always make sure you’ve got that safety net for maybe six months of living needs someplace — in a savings account, money market account, CD, U.S. Treasuries. Make sure that’s secure.

Obviously, you can be more conservative there, but we encourage the younger clients that the real way to increase your wealth is to take some risks. That typically means investing in stocks, and that can be done through mutual funds and exchange-traded funds.”

With rising interest rates from the Fed, U.S. Treasuries and CDs are becoming more attractive investment vehicles for many

We highly encourage people not to day trade; you’re in it for the long term. You do your daily job; let the investment professionals work on the investment side. Don’t try to outguess the market, because we don’t feel like you can do that.”

— WILLIAM NICROSI, LEAVELL INVESTMENTS

May 2023 BusinessAlabama.com | 11

F I N A N C I A L PL A N N I N G

‘‘

We all have financial obligations we need to meet, but the best way to ensure a successful result in your financial plan is to be disciplined in saving and spending. It’s fine to reduce your savings rate if you experience a temporary threat to your budget, just keep in mind that the tradeoff is less retirement income later.”

— SHAW PRITCHETT, CPA AND PRINCIPAL, JACKSON THORNTON ASSET MANAGEMENT

who are risk averse, Nicrosi says, adding that it’s a good general practice to focus on asset allocation first and then look at keeping your fees down.

“I think looking at bonds you’re looking at low-cost mutual funds or exchange trade funds,” Nicrosi says. “On the stocks side, you’re looking at actively-managed mutual funds and then index mutual funds and then exchange-traded funds. We highly encourage people not to day trade; you’re in it for the long term.

You do your daily job; let the investment professionals work on the investment side. Don’t try to outguess the market, because we don’t feel like you can do that.”

Shaw Pritchett, a CPA and principal at Jackson Thornton Asset Management in Montgomery, says he encourages his clients to be disciplined with their savings rates as they are frequently more important to the success of an investment plan than what stocks you pick. He also discusses taxable investment accounts and how they are used.

“In a taxable account, income generated by your investments is taxable to you in the year you receive it,” Pritchett says. “In this type of account, you are able to get the beneficial capital gains tax rates available for qualified dividends and long-term gains from the sale of investments. A traditional IRA, 401(k), SIMPLE IRA or 401(k) or SEP IRA are all referred to as tax deferred accounts.

You generally are allowed a tax deduction for contributions to these types of accounts and the income and growth earned in the account each year is not taxable.”

When you take a distribution from one of these accounts, Pritchett adds, the money you receive is taxable at ordinary income rates. Each of these accounts has annual limits on the amount of contributions you can deposit to them. Tax-free accounts operate a little differently.

“A Roth IRA or 401(k) is referred to as a tax-free account,” Pritchett says. “Income and growth in these accounts is never taxable if the account has been in existence for five years. These accounts also have annual limits on the amounts you can contribute.”

Pritchett says each of these account types allows for the investor to buy individual stocks, which may seem risky but allows for more potential for gains. There are other account types to consider when looking to expand your portfolio.

“Mutual funds and ETFs are diversified pools of investments that can invest in stocks or fixed income,” Pritchett says. “Fixed 12 | BusinessAlabama.com May 2023

income can carry some risk due to changes in interest rates, but are generally thought of as safer and more stable investments.

Since the risk is typically lower in fixed income, the growth of those assets is slower.”

As far as asset allocation into these various investment accounts, Nicrosi strongly emphasizes not making knee-jerk reactions to the news or market trend reports.

“You should change your investment strategy based on what’s happening in your life from a needs standpoint, whether it’s sending children to college or getting close to retirement or buying a new house — things like that,” Nicrosi says. “So, right now with the market being very volatile, now is not the right time to make an emotional decision or change your asset allocation. Yes, the market’s going to go down, and yes, the market’s going to go up.

If you look at any long-term investment chart, the equities and the bonds have positive returns over time.”

Pritchett echoes the advice — don’t let market noise affect your investing strategy. Instead, he advises, the only thing that should make changes to your allocations are changes in circumstance.

“I’ve heard someone say that the best time to invest in the markets was yesterday and the second-best time is today,” Pritchett says. “We all have financial obligations we need to meet, but as I said earlier, the best way to ensure a successful result in your financial plan is to be disciplined in saving and spending. It’s fine to reduce your savings rate if you experience a temporary threat to your budget, just keep in mind that the tradeoff is less retirement income later.”

Overall, no matter what you are thinking of investing in and despite all other information out there, the most unanimous advice given is to start your savings and investment journey as soon as your able to protect your future.

“It’s never too late to start saving,” Pritchett says. “We all need to be able to provide for ourselves when we don’t work any longer. I’ve spoken to many people who expect to work for the rest of their lives, but what happens if your health doesn’t allow for that any longer? If you are late to start saving, the reality is that you may need to work longer to make things work in retirement, but it is still an achievable goal.”

Crystal Castle is a Mobile-based freelance contributor to Business Alabama.

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F I N A N C I A L PL A N N I N G

Financial Planning & Investment Advisory Firms

COMPILED BY ERICA JOINER WEST

FIRM

TOP EXECUTIVE

ADDRESS

PHONE/WEBSITE

VALUE OF ASSETS UNDER MANAGEMENT AS OF 12/31/22

# OF ALABAMA EMPLOYEES

# EMPLOYEES WORLDWIDE

YEAR FOUNDED

Ranked by Value of Assets Under Management as of Dec. 31, 2022.

1

Captrust

Phil Anderson, Paul Owen, John Maloney, Brandy Hydrick, Principals

2614 19th St. S. Birmingham, AL 35209

205-949-6040 captrust.com

$12.9 billion

25

1,331

1997

2

Waverly Advisors

Josh Reidinger, CEO

600 University Park Place, Ste. 501 Birmingham, AL 35209

205-871-3334 waverly-advisors.com

$4.0 billion

52

86

1999

3

Peachtree Planning

Dustin Dawes, President of Distribution

3500 Blue Lake Dr., Ste. 220 Birmingham, AL 35243

205-533-9452 peachtreeplanning.com

$3.2 billion

30

165

1987

4

The Welch Group LLC

Stewart Welch III, Founder

3940 Montclair Rd., Fifth Floor Birmingham, AL 35213

205-879-5001 welchgroup.com

$2.5 billion

31

31

1984

5

Bridgeworth Wealth Management

DeLynn Zell, CEO & Co-founder

101 25th St. N., Ste. 100 Birmingham, AL 35203

205-208-8700 bridgeworthllc.com

$2.2 billion

62

62

2008

6

Leavell Investments

Andrew Grinstead, CEO

210 St. Joseph St. Mobile, AL 36602

251-433-3729 leavellinvestments.com

$2.1 billion

30

30

1979

7

EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC

Mark Wesson, CEO

3500 Colonnade Pkwy., Ste. 150 Birmingham, AL 35243

205-982-5515 eversourcewealthadvisors. com

$1.8 billion

23

46

2017

8

Mitchell McLeod Pugh & Williams Inc.

Richard Mitchell, Douglas McLeod, Bragg Van Antwerp, Managing Directors

2610 Dauphin St. Mobile, AL 36606

251-471-2027 mmpw.com

$1.8 billion

15

15

2006

9

Jackson Thornton Asset Management LLC

Thomas Bedsole Jr.

200 Commerce St., Ste. 300 Montgomery, AL 36104

334-834-7660 jt-am.com

$1.5 billion

17

17

1999

10

RFG Advisory LLC

Bobby White, Founder & CEO

1400 Urban Center Dr., Ste. 475 Birmingham, AL 35242

205-397-2450 rfgadvisory.com, rfgadvisorywealth.com

$1.4 billion

37

69

2003

11

Advo(k)ate Advisors LLC

Renn Williams, Andrew Blankenship, Partners

6801 Cahaba Valley Rd., Ste. 206 Birmingham, AL 35242

659-238-0020 advokateadvisors.com

$1.3 billion

8

8

1982

12

1919 Investment Counsel

B. Hanson Slaughter, Managing Director

2311 Highland Ave. S., Ste. 190 Birmingham, AL 35205

205-414-3350 1919ic.com

$992 million

10

130

1919

13

Kelley & Mullis Wealth Management

Michael Mullis, Managing Partner

2008 Stonegate Trail, Ste. 112 Vestavia Hills, AL 35242

205-733-8006 kmwealthmanagement.com

$875 million

8

8

1986

14

Southern Financial Group

Todd Holder, David Painter, Principals

700 Corporate Pkwy.

Birmingham, AL 35242

205-383-1415 thesouthernfinancialgroup.com

$826.7 million

8

8

2006

15

MavenCross Wealth Advisors

Jeff Roberts, Founder

31 Inverness Center Pkwy., Ste. 550 Birmingham, AL 35242

205-313-9150 mavencrosswealth.com

$757 million

14

14

1992

16

Porter White Investment Advisors Inc.

Goodloe White, President

15 Richard Arrington Jr. Blvd. N. Birmingham, AL 35203

205-252-3681 pwco.com

$641 million

12

12

1995

17

CapSouth Wealth Management

Marshall Bolden, President

2216 W. Main St. Dothan, AL 36301

334-673-8600 capsouthwm.com

$569.1 million

14

22

2001

18

Meld Financial

Kyle Whittington, President

3008 Pump House Rd. Birmingham, AL 35243

205-967-4200 meldfinancial.com

$497.6 million

12

15

1984

19

BMSS Wesson Wealth Solutions

Mark Wesson, CEO

3500 Colonnade Pkwy., Ste. 150 Birmingham, AL 35243

205-982-5555 bmsswesson.com

$404 million

7

8

2015

20

BCR Wealth Strategies LLC

Marshall Rathmell, CEO

1952 Liberty Pkwy.

Vestavia Hills, AL 35242

205-298-1234 bcrwealth.com

$330 million

11

12

1996

RANK

Source: Business Alabama surveys 14 | BusinessAlabama.com May 2023

For more financial planners, visit BusinessAlabama.com.

Birmingham

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May 2023 BusinessAlabama.com | 15

BANKING & FINANCE

Merit joins state’s bank ranks Four-year-old bank takes off in Huntsville market

By KATHY HAGOOD — Photos by DAVID HIGGINBOTHAM

M

erit Bank, a Huntsvillebased community bank has been one of the top 10 fastest growing Alabama banks since it was founded in April 2019 by a group of area commercial bankers and business leaders.

The shareholder-owned bank provides all types of general banking services but primarily caters to small and mediumsize businesses, their owners and other professionals throughout North Alabama with commercial banking, private executive banking and agricultural lending, says Will Heaps, the bank’s president and chief executive officer. The bank serves a diverse business clientele, including rocket scientists and farmers.

“As they say of our area, from the cotton fields to the moon,” he says.

Merit’s founders predetermined that consumer banking was well covered in the Huntsville area but saw a need for a locally based bank with a commercial focus. “Being locally owned and operated is important to commercial customers who want to be able to call and talk to their banker, who then can make a decision on the spot rather than having to answer to a corporate office looking over

16 | BusinessAlabama.com May 2023

their shoulder,” Heaps says.

Since opening its Huntsville headquarters in July 2019, Merit’s assets have grown to more than $270 million, and the future looks bright — not only because of the bank’s popularity but the strength of the local economy, Heaps says.

Huntsville now is the most populous city in the state, according to the 2020 U.S. Census. “While there were $7 billion in deposits in this area in 2018, now there are $11 billion,” Heaps says. “And there’s still a lot of momentum in the market.

The economy continues to grow with such additions as Mazda Toyota, Amazon and the new FBI headquarters.”

Back in 2018, there were more than 30 banks in the Huntsville market, but at the time, only one was locally owned and operated, notes Mark McIntyre, Merit’s chief banking sales officer. “Other, smaller cities in Alabama, like the Shoals and Cullman, had multiple locally owned banks, but Huntsville, an economic engine for the state, didn’t,” he says.

That one other bank, Progress, has since merged with Greenville, South Carolina-based United Community Banks, which has about 200 offices in the Southeast. Merit now is the only bank

Visiting the new space on Governors Drive that will soon be home to Merit Bank are bank officials, from left, Will Heaps, president and CEO; Mark McIntyre, chief banking sales officer; and Frank Aldag, chief operating officer.

owned and operated in Huntsville, Heaps says. “Others are interested in opening community banks, but it’s not easy to raise the capital and get FDIC approval,” he says. “We were able to initially raise $25 million from 200 shareholders, business owners and financially active individuals in Huntsville and North Alabama, and then in 2022 we raised an additional $17.4 million from 80 new shareholders.”

Starting a new community bank was the brainchild of Chad Falciani, a Huntsville-area serial entrepreneur, who suggested it to McIntyre, his longtime commercial banker and friend. Falciani currently serves on Merit’s board of directors and is founder and CEO of Strategix Medical Solutions, a precision medical manufacturer in Madison.

Falciani’s background includes consulting on mergers and acquisitions for a private equity group acquired through one of his enterprises. “Chad had been involved

BANKING & FINANCE

with numerous businesses, but had always wanted to start a bank,” McIntyre says.

The timing for such an enterprise seemed right to both men. “We put together a plan, and I said ‘Now we’ve got to put together the right team, find the right group of people with defined roles,’” says McIntyre, who at the time was a senior vice president of commercial banking for ServisFirst Bank.

Heaps, Frank Aldag (currently Merit’s chief operating officer) and Hill Womble, all then veteran executives at ServisFirst Bank, were tapped to help start the new bank, serving on the bank’s internal management team, as well as its board of directors. Womble has since left the group. Jordan Crow, who had commercial banking and real estate experience, was chosen to become part of the internal management team but is not a board member. “Our group talked about it during the summer of 2018, and then in September, right after Labor Day, we all left our jobs to do what we needed to

Merit Bank expects to occupy its new headquarters on Governors Drive by early next year.

do to start Merit Bank,” McIntyre says.

In addition to Falciani, a handful of outside management team and board members were enlisted as part of the founding group. “Our outside directors have diverse backgrounds and brought unique skills to the table,” McIntyre says. “It was instrumental to the success of the bank to pull all these individuals together.”

Kevin Heronimus, who currently serves as chairman of the board, was a space program engineer before starting a series of successful technology companies.

Steven Cost was tapped because of his accounting, financial administration and strategic planning experience with companies including Hexagon Safety

& Infrastructure, where he serves as president. Jeff Huntley worked in management consulting before purchasing Huntsville’s T-H Marine, which he has grown from a small manufacturer to one of the largest accessory suppliers in the industry. Brent Romine’s government contracting industry experience includes public service as MIT’s Lincoln Laboratory assistant head of the air and missile defense division, as well as starting his own scientific, engineering and technical services company.

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May 2023 BusinessAlabama.com | 17

BANKING & FINANCE

To capitalize the new bank, founders targeted business owners and financially active individuals throughout North Alabama to purchase stock. To expedite forming the bank, in April 2019 the group purchased the second smallest bank in the state, The Citizens Bank of Valley Head, which held $28 million in assets, Heaps says. “We could have started

a bank from scratch but it would have taken a lot more time to get through the FDIC’s approval process,” he says.

The Valley Head bank, which now has two active Merit Bank branches, focused on rural personal banking. “We obtained their charter, changed the name to Merit Bank, re-branded to primarily providing commercial banking and relocated the

bank headquarters to Huntsville,” Heaps says. “While our niche is commercial banking, we provide all the services any bank provides, including home loans, equity loans and auto loans.”

The former Citizens Bank continues to serve the Valley Head area community, and the Merit Bank team considers the branches a valuable part of their business.

Merit founders believe local banks and credit unions had Huntsville’s general consumer market well covered. “We do consumer banking but it’s primarily for our commercial customers,” McIntyre says. “We tend to go after our banking customers often from referrals vs. using mass marketing to drive customers to us.

It’s a rifle vs. shotgun approach.”

The community bank’s management is focused on meeting customer’s needs, including by providing a seamless technology platform that’s vertically integrated, Heaps says. “While most community banks offer good service and local decision making, often their technology is not up to par,” he says.

“When we formed, we decided to get the best technology out there. We look and feel like a Wells Fargo or Bank of America in terms of our technology. We want to offer the best of both worlds.”

Merit Bank initially opened with 10,000 square feet of leased space in downtown Huntsville. A 3,000-squarefoot satellite was added to accommodate the bank’s mortgage department.

Because of the bank’s tremendous growth, its headquarters will now be relocated to 20,000 square feet at The Range, a new office development on Governors Drive in Westside Huntsville.

The move is expected by early 2024, Heaps says.

The bank opted to lease space rather than buy because of the quicker turn around and lower expense, McIntyre says. “Because of opening a new business ourselves, we now have a better understanding of what our customers go through. Our bank is closer to the entrepreneurial spirit,” he says. “We put businesses in business.”

Kathy Hagood and David Higginbotham are freelance contributors to Business Alabama. She is based in Homewood and he in Decatur.

18 | BusinessAlabama.com May 2023

SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION

May 2023 BusinessAlabama.com | 19

SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION

20 | BusinessAlabama.com May 2023

SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION

May 2023 BusinessAlabama.com | 21

SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION

22 | BusinessAlabama.com May 2023

BANKING & FINANCE

Guiding Oakworth Capital toward its audacious goals are, from left, Senior Managing Director Forest Whatley Jr. and CEO and Chairman Scott Reed.

Oakworth Capital’s Audacious Goal

Alabama-based financial services company seeks to become an iconic brand

By GAIL ALLYN SHORT — Photos by JOE DE SCIOSE

B

ack in 2008, a group of bankers in Birmingham teamed up to launch Oakworth Capital Bank, a financial institution targeting the region’s most successful families and individuals, and privately held entities, including medical, attorney and accounting practices.

Fifteen years later, with offices in Birmingham, Mobile and Brentwood, Tennessee, Oakworth Capital serves clients in 17 states and is now expanding its footprint to the Carolinas in what CEO and Chairman Scott Reed says is a move toward Oakworth’s “BHAG” or Big Hairy

Audacious Goal.

“Our BHAG is to become one of the iconic brands,” Reed says.

“We went to Nashville about two years ago and that was a really important move for us because we really wanted to test our approach in a market that’s considered a high growth and dynamic market, and the results in the feedback have been fantastic,” he says.

“The Carolinas is the next step in executing on that goal of becoming an iconic brand. It’s another market that’s very dynamic. It’s very fast growing, and we believe our approach to the market will be

well received,” Reed says.

As one of Oakworth Bank’s founders, Reed says the company views itself more as a financial services company than a bank, since it provides not only private and commercial banking, but wealth management and advisory services as well.

“Our advisory services include financial and estate planning for individuals, as well as valuations and succession planning for businesses,” he says.

The basic tenet of Oakworth’s approach to working with clients, and the cornerstone of their service model, is that every client is assigned what is called a May 2023 BusinessAlabama.com | 23

BANKING & FINANCE

primary client adviser, he says.

“The role of that adviser is to coordinate all of our disciplines for the benefit of the client,” Reed says.

Oakworth Capital Bank recently announced it had wrapped up 2022 with a 47% increase in core earnings and a 34% increase in its core revenue.

The bank also reported a net income in 2022 of $11.5 million with total revenue reaching $51.8 million and earnings per share at $2.36 on an adjusted, diluted basis. That figure was up from where it was in 2021 at $1.62 per share.

For its 2022 revenue growth, the bank credits a 27% rise in net interest income — 43% when excluding 2021 PPP fees — and a 10% increase in wealth management fees. Moreover, at the end of 2022, Oakworth reported wealth assets of $1.8 billion and deposits 7.5% higher than in the previous year.

Oakworth also reported $0 charge-offs, $0 non-performing assets and $0 90-day past due loans as of and for the year end-

ing Dec. 31, 2022.

Forest Whatley Jr., Oakworth Capital’s senior managing director and chief performance officer, says the company’s careful approach to extending credit is one contributor to the bank’s strength.

“Our focus has been to grow the organization while maintaining sound and solid credit quality. A key to our solid credit quality history has been really knowing our clients. If it’s a business, we take the time to understand the industry in which they operate.”

Whatley says Oakworth Capital has experienced client advisers, lenders and a dedicated credit analyst.

“We certainly are creative with our clients in how we may structure a credit opportunity, but we don’t compromise on sound credit fundamentals,” Whatley says Oakworth Capital added a new perk in 2022, when it began for the first time publicly trading on the OTCQX Best Market under the OAKC symbol.

According to Oakworth FAQ page, the

OTC Markets Group Inc. platform is designed to be an efficient way for Oakworth’s shareholders to buy and sell Oakworth shares, and they can make transactions through most brokers instead of having to locate buyers and sellers on their own.

“It provides a much smoother trading experience for our shareholders and prospective buyers of the stock,” Reed says.

The bank also has racked up a number of accolades over the years. By 2020, Oakworth Capital had made Inc. magazine’s annual Inc. 5,000 list of the fastest growing private companies in the United States four times.

Then last year, Oakworth earned a top, five-star rating from BauerFinancial, an independent bank rating firm, based on the bank’s Q4 2022 financial data. The rating looks at factors such as account profitability, loan delinquencies, asset quality, reserves and regulatory compliance.

With Oakworth Capital’s financial

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BANKING & FINANCE

success, the bank is moving forward with its plans for expansion, which Reed says is key to the goal of becoming an iconic brand.

Oakworth first expanded to South Alabama in 2015 with an office in Mobile.

Then in 2021, the company opened a branch near Nashville. Now it plans to open a new office in Charlotte, North Carolina, later this year.

Whatley oversaw efforts to hire a market leader and the associates to run the branch there. Last September, the company announced it had hired banker Tim Beck as the Central Carolinas market leader. Whatley says they are now prospecting for new clients and looking to grow the market share there, he says.

“Our marketing is accomplished through the business development process, through one-on-one conversations, from our associates being visible and active in the market and is supported by a strong digital marketing campaign where we have a digital marketing presence,”

Whatley says.

Meanwhile, the failures of two regional banks, Silicon Valley Bank (SVB) and Signature Bank, captured national headlines in March.

Regulators forced SVB, which served the tech industry, to shut down after the value of bonds in which the bank had invested fell and nervous depositors began withdrawing their money in a panic. Afterward, anxious depositors at Signature Bank started withdrawing their money.

To prevent further panic, the Federal Reserve Bank took several actions, including partnering with the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. (FDIC) and the Department of the Treasury to ensure that all SVB and Signature depositors would be able to access their monies even if those deposits were over $250,000, the maximum amount normally insured by FDIC. Reed says the news made a few Oakworth Capital clients uneasy.

“We certainly had a handful of conver-

sations with clients who really just wanted to get reassurances that we weren’t in a similar situation that Silicon Valley and Signature were in,” Reed says.

Oakworth limits its risk by keeping its total investment portfolio at about 10% of total assets, he says.

Looking back over a decade of change at Oakworth Capital and in the banking industry, Reed says he is most proud of Oakworth’s positive impact on its clients and their associates and is appreciative of the communities where the bank operates.

“The growth that we’ve been fortunate enough to be a part of is really just a by-product of having good people and saying, ‘Look, just do the right thing, day in and day out,’ and people will recognize that and the company will grow because people are attracted to that sort of thing.”

Gail Allyn Short and Joe De Sciose are Birmingham-based freelance contributors to Business Alabama.

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May 2023 BusinessAlabama.com | 25

RESTAURANTS

Chris Lilly, pitmaster at Big Bob Gibson Bar-B-Q in Decatur, which was founded by his wife's greatgrandfather, with some of the key tools of the trade.

26 | BusinessAlabama.com May 2023

R E S TAU R A N T S

labama versus Auburn is probably the most vocal debate that regularly takes place in this state. Politics and religion can easily stir up passionate feelings and discourse as well.

But if you truly want to get tongues wagging (and lips smacking), then start talking about barbecue.

Sure, we like fried chicken and catfish and all manner of butter-soaked veggies.

But we absolutely looooove barbecue.

And it seems like every meat-eater out there has a favorite barbecue joint that is unquestionably the best in the business.

To suggest otherwise can cause tempers to flare faster than a pitmaster’s fire.

This is the case throughout Alabama and beyond. From Kansas City to Memphis, Texas to North Carolina, regions throughout the country lay claim to having the quintessential Q. It is a disagreement that even extends to how the food is spelled. Is it barbeque or barbecue?

Bar-B-Que or simply BBQ? (AP Style says barbecue.)

“Everybody has their own idea as to what the best barbecue is, going all the way back to childhood,” says Chris Lilly, pitmaster and one of the partners at Big Bob Gibson Bar-B-Q in Decatur, which has been serving up the tasty meat treat since 1925. “In the South, we’re all about comfort food, and barbecue is certainly that.”

Barbecue historians (yes, they actually

exist) trace the origins of the food in this country to the Caribbean, where — because of favorable weather — it has been a common practice for centuries to slowcook meat for several hours outdoors over a wooden platform. Spanish explorers used the word “barbacoa” to describe this style of cooking and the meal it provided, then brought the concept with them to what is now the United States.

Once here, barbecue initially gained traction in the South because the region has an abundance of the two main ingredients: hickory trees for the fire and pigs.

“That’s a pretty good combination,” says Van Sykes, owner of Bob Sykes Bar-B-Q in Bessemer and son of the restaurant’s namesake founder. “Before all the interstate transportation, you just ate whatever was available to you in that area.

And for Alabama, barbecue was sort of like finding coal and iron ore in Birmingham to make steel.”

Barbecue became particularly popular among Black communities, which embraced the social aspect of gathering together while slowly cooking a large amount of food. In fact, Van Sykes says that is how his father first learned to barbecue.

“It was an African American art,” Sykes says. “My daddy learned in the 1920s from a Black man who just dug a pit in the ground, then figured out how to control the fire. That’s the craft of it all.

It’s almost engineering.”

LEFT: Van Sykes, owner of Bob Sykes Bar-B-Q in Bessemer, is the son of the restaurant's namesake founder.

RIGHT: Brothers David and Joe Maluff serve up the tasty treats at Full Moon BarB-Que in Birmingham.

Indeed, for hardcore barbecue aficionados, the act of cooking the meat can be as appetizing as the finished product. This isn’t merely tossing some burgers and hot dogs on the grill for 15 minutes. This is an all-day (and even overnight) process that involves low heat and plenty of patience. It is, in essence, the basic origin of cooking.

Meat smoking over a flame.

“It’s all about the wood-burning pit, and smoke coming out of the chimney. If there ain’t smoke, it ain’t real,” says David Maluff, who owns Birmingham-based Full Moon Bar-B-Que with his brother Joe. “It just creates this aroma that is amazing.

“But it’s hard to manage a pit. It’s easier to put something in the oven and pull it out. Working the pit is not something you can just jump on and do right away.

You have to know the temperature of the fire, how it works. You have to take your time. You can’t run late and have that meat ready in an hour.”

Lilly, who is married to the great-granddaughter of Bob Gibson, agrees. He has been working at the restaurant for more than 30 years, and he is now teaching two of his children the tricks of the barbecue trade.

“It takes a long time to learn how to May 2023 BusinessAlabama.com | 27

R E S TAU R A N T S

cook great barbeque. There is a lot of skill to it,” Lilly says. “Whereas most foods you can whip up in 20 or 30 minutes, you have to put a lot of time and love into barbecue. You have to know what you’re doing, how to manage your fire. It’s less like cooking and more like an art.”

But while the meat obviously needs to be moist and tender, that element rarely is what creates such passionate disagreements among the barbecue faithful.

Rather, it is the sauce, be it traditional tomato-based or tangier mustard-based or even the mayonnaise-based white sauce made popular by Big Bob Gibson.

“What was a game-changer was when people started making barbecue sauce,” Sykes says. “Before that, people were pretty much cooking the same thing.

Now you have an identity to go with your

28 | BusinessAlabama.com May 2023

meat.”

It is an identity that can create devout followers. This, in turn, has helped establish barbecue’s widespread appeal. So many choices, and nearly everybody has an opinion on which one is best. Even acclaimed Birmingham restauranteur Frank Stitt, a James Beard Award winner, once declared that the outside-cut pork at Full Moon was one of the top five dishes to eat in Birmingham.

“What more do you want than having the best chef in the South saying he comes here and enjoys our barbecue,” Maluff says with a smile.

Of course, it probably wouldn’t take long to find somebody with a different opinion. Again, that is one of the wonderful things about barbecue. We find our favorites and faithfully stick with them,

year after year after year.

“It’s a generational thing,” Sykes says.

“I know 40-year-olds who first came in here as kids. People will take photos of their baby’s first trip to Bob Sykes, just to get a little barbeque sauce on their lips.

They talk about how their granddaddy used to bring them here.

“You find those people who like your barbecue, and they’ll keep coming back.

You don’t have to be everything, every day to everybody. You can just be the barbecue guy.”

And in Alabama, that’s more than enough.

Cary Estes and Art Meripol are Birminghambased freelance contributors to Business Alabama.

SMALL BUSINESS

Revving Up a

Dream Mechanic Allen Hartley builds a path to entrepreneurship

By GAIL ALLYN SHORT — Photos by JOE DE SCIOSE

Allen Hartley in his Pelham shop.

May 2023 BusinessAlabama.com | 29

SMALL BUSINESS

F

ollowing years of working, saving, planning and dreaming, Birmingham native Allen Hartley, 45, opened his own independent auto repair shop, Hartley Auto Service, last November.

One could say auto repair is in Hartley’s blood. He says his maternal grandfather was a mechanic, and his father, Charles Hartley, at one time ran three full-service Gulf Oil stations in the metro area.

“I grew up at a gas station. I started pumping full-serve gas when I was around 12 or 13, checking tires and that sort of thing,” he says.

And he still remembers the fun he had riding in the station’s wrecker with his dad, he says.

“At home, with bicycles and skateboards, I was the one everybody came to if they needed something done on their bicycle. So I was lucky that I could tell I was mechanically inclined at a pretty early age,” he says.

Hartley graduated from Erwin High School in 1996 and immediately entered the workforce.

“I cleaned carpets at one time; I painted at one time; but I always went back to automotive. No matter what I did, I always ended up working on cars,” he says.

Hartley started working full time at his parents’ gas stations, which by then, were under the ownership of British Petroleum (BP).

Though the Hartleys’ gas stations

maintained their repair shops, the stations now featured convenience stores, too, so Hartley not only fixed cars, he sometimes worked the cash registers inside. Over time, his parents promoted him to manager for one of the stores.

Hartley’s parents had planned to lease their Homewood store to Hartley and continue operating their Vestavia Hills store to fund their retirement.

“The Vestavia location was an unreal location. They pumped over 100,000 gallons a month, so he was still making a decent living there,” Hartley says.

But the neighborhood around the Homewood store had begun to decline and the elder Hartley expressed his fears that Hartley would have difficulties making a living at that location. Hartley says he took his father’s advice and the family sold the Homewood store instead.

“When he did that, it didn’t close the door. There was still opportunity, but I guess I just made up my mind that I wanted to go and try something else,” Hartley says.

So in 2006, he took a job as a “floater” at Havoline Express Lube, working under the supervision of a lead mechanic performing oil changes. Hartley excelled and

Auto repair is a lifelong passion for Hartley, who now owns his own shop.

30 | BusinessAlabama.com May 2023

the company eventually promoted him to lead mechanic.

“When I became the one that ran the mechanical shop, it wasn’t but a couple years and I was like, ‘I can do this on my own.’ That was around 2017-2018,” he says.

So, Hartley made a plan. He accepted a job with Express Oil Change to learn the business side of operating a repair shop.

“I felt like I needed that type of training.

I knew how to work on cars, but I needed more training to deal with the customers.

When somebody comes in for something or comes back for something, I don’t go and get my boss. I have to handle it.”

Hartley says Express Oil Change and Havoline both held monthly and quarterly clinics to keep their technicians up-to-date on skills such as electrical diagnostics, drive line repair or engine repair.

“I remember when I first started to go to them, and I’d been a mechanic for a while, but it was kind of over my head a little bit. A lot of times I didn’t know a lot of what the guy was talking about. But the longer I went, it started hitting and making sense to me,” he says.

Since then, Hartley says he continues to stay knowledgeable about the latest technologies and takes relevant courses online.

“Even to this day, as long as I’ve been doing this, I’m learning stuff all the time,” he says.

While at Express Oil Change, Hartley says he saved his money, eventually amassing a nest egg of around $40,000.

“When I felt like I was ahead enough, I went in and thanked everybody for everything they had done for me and turned in my two-week notice.”

That was in September of 2022.

He began the hunt for a shop location.

But the search stalled many times, he says.

“There was zero inventory. I’m looking

SMALL BUSINESS

every day. In the mornings and afternoon.

In the evening before I went to bed, I’m looking online trying to find somewhere.”

Hartley eventually spotted a space once occupied by an auto detailing shop at 2961 Pelham Parkway, Suite 103 in Pelham.

Real estate agent Glenn Ponder, director of sales, leasing and development at NAI Chase Commercial in Hoover, says he advised Hartley on what it would take to meet city and county planning and zoning requirements for the space.

“It helps to have a preliminary discussion with city officials to gain an understanding of what their latest requirements are to gain acceptance into the system,” Ponder says.

“One seemingly simple change of code or zoning discovered after the fact can end up costing the prospective business thousands of dollars in unexpected construction upgrades prior to obtaining a business license,” he says.

Fortunately, the tasks the city outlined for Hartley to pass inspection proved manageable, Ponder says.

Hartley opened his auto repair shop on Nov. 14, 2022.

His lease is $1,700 a month, he says.

And with having to purchase equipment like a lift and a tire machine balance as well as supplies and his business license, Hartley says that as of March, he had spent around $30,000.

Today, Hartley works on any and all types of vehicles and, because of his lower overhead costs, he can beat dealership service charges, he says.

“I’ve been blessed, and I’ve been able to pay my bills,” he says.

Another advantage is that by being independent, he is — unlike the dealership — able to get to know his repeat customers, he says.

But, Hartley says he is keeping an eye out on the digitization of today’s cars and trucks and the growing electric vehicle market. After all, the U.S. Department of Energy says all-electric vehicles require less scheduled maintenance than gas-powered ones.

“I do have some concerns, but I’m ready to change with the times,” says Hartley. “Things are always changing, and you’ve got to be able to adapt. That just

means more training. You’ve got to stay up to date on the technology,” he says.

Despite the challenges, Hartley says he finds satisfaction in doing a good job for his clients. “I just try to treat people like I would my mom or my sister,” Hartley says.

Unfortunately, Hartley Auto Service’s launch came about a year after his father’s death. “But I feel like he can see it,”

Hartley says.

“My mom talks about it all the time and says he would be just tickled. He would probably come up here and hang out during the day with me sometimes.

I’m sure of it.”

Gail Allyn Short and Joe De Sciose are Birmingham-based freelance contributors to Business Alabama.

May 2023 BusinessAlabama.com | 31

SMALL BUSINESS

obile plays host to many notable industries. From Airbus and Austal to downtown eateries and health care providers, you can find Azalea City businesses virtually everywhere. More recently, a tech company focusing on virtual reality and augmented reality wants to take clients virtually everywhere.

Founded in 2009 by Nathaniel Nuon and Charles Phanthapannha, 3rd Realm Creations is a full-service augmented and virtual reality (AR and VR) development company located near Mardi Gras Park in downtown Mobile. Nuon and Phanthapannha attended college together at Full Sail University in Florida, majoring in digital media and film. Both worked in the film industry after college and worked on virtual effects before returning to Mobile. Nuon says that’s when it became time for a career pivot.

“We were just kind of stuck,” Nuon says. “It felt like we were working deadend jobs. We got this opportunity when a friend of ours put us in contact with a company out of Huntsville. This was in the early stages of virtual walk-throughs for the military, so we jumped on that project. Coming from a visual effects background and having learned programming as a hobby, I didn’t think anything of it.”

Their military project lasted close to three years, after which the pair decided 32 | BusinessAlabama.com May 2023

to reinvest in film passions before fully committing to virtual reality.

“We started our own little production company just doing small commercials here and there,” Nuon says. “Then in 2009, we got asked to come up with a solution for VR for Abbott Medical. We formed 3rd Realm Creations, and we spent a while on that project developing a cath lab for them.”

A catheterization laboratory, commonly referred to as a cath lab, is a facility equipped with imaging technology to diagnose and treat cardiovascular issues.

3rd Realm recreated Abbott’s cath lab in the digital space after studying with the company’s doctors and filming them for VR. Abbott still uses 3rd Realm’s simulation internally for training and educational purposes, an area Nuon sees as ripe for growth in his industry.

“We’re always getting requests from these companies to help develop training,” Nuon says. “We’re able to help them cut costs but also put their trainees in the VR space in a position they normally wouldn’t be able to get into. There are some situations you can’t replicate in the real world, but you can in VR in safe manner.”

The company has also been approached about developing lineman training for

Alabama Power and police de-escalation simulations. VR isn’t for everyone, Nuon says, but he sees its future as more of a tool than an entertainment vehicle.

“I say that training is going to be a big part of this industry, because these days everyone is constantly distracted by their phones,” Nuon says. “Our attention span is getting shorter and shorter, and I think VR is great in that once you are in that headset, everything else is irrelevant around you. You are immersed and forced to be in that moment.”

Relatively newer technology, VR isn’t fully immersed in the market yet, but insiders see potential for extensive growth.

According to a Fortune Business Insights forecast report, the global virtual reality market share in 2021 was valued at $11.64 billion, with a predicted 45.2% annual growth rate to some $227.34 bil-

SMALL BUSINESS

Nathaniel Nuon (pictured) and business partner Charles Phanthapannha combine their film background with new technology to create a virtual world for work, training or leisure.

lion by 2029.

While originally founded to pursue VR and AR projects, 3rd Realm has branched out to digital film production as well. Disney’s use of VR technology and LED walls was “inspired,” Nuon says. “I thought to myself ‘Why are we not doing that?’” Nuon says. “Coming from a film background and with all the software we were using to build the VR simulations for Abbott, that really played into what we’re doing now. We partnered with a couple of vendors and the city, and we were able to bring the LED wall to Mobile. We started producing film projects with the LED wall, and that sort of launched 3rd Realm to where it is now.

We’re a VR/AR company, but we also have a full-stage virtual production side, too.”

3rd Realm currently operates two stage

spaces at its Mobile facility. Nuon and Phanthapannha’s film background have helped position their company as a major player in the digital film production space, as well as shape how they approach the company’s VR projects.

“I don’t think a lot of people look at it from the perspective of having to direct the user through the headset,” Nuon says.

“It does take someone with a storytelling background or a film background that understands composition and how to guide an audience. That was actually something we had over our competitors early on.”

What started out as two friends in a garage with a dream, 3rd Realm has grown to more than 15 employees. Nuon says he has always considered his business more of a research and development (R&D) company, where he and his partner always try to have a hand in anything that might be a good future technology.

What continues to draw him in, he says, is the limitless potential of shared experiences.

“In the Megaverse project, we’re able to put six individuals or a whole family in this 4D theater we have,” Nuon says.

“It’s tetherless, so you’re free to roam. I was able to watch a family in the theater recently ranging in age from 8 to around 60. We’re able to transport them together to a space they typically wouldn’t be able to go to.”

Nuon is optimistic about his compa-

ny’s future. As an R&D-focused company, 3rd Realm is always striving to make breakthroughs and find the next great element in the industry. “We’re actually applying for another patent that we came across as we were developing,” Nuon says.

“We realized we were doing something in the VR space that nobody’s actually doing yet.” That meant a trip to the patent lawyers in hopes of aligning themselves at the front of the pack with a new technology.

With multiple contracts freshly signed, this is just the beginning for 3rd Realm.

Before going back inside an industry conference, Nuon reflected on his goals for the company and his gratitude for its continued success.

“When we started out, the backbone of 3rd Realm was just me and my business partner, Charles,” Nuon says. “We were given a problem to then go out and find the solution. I consider us more of an R&D company. For us, we’re always trouble shooting and forever growing. Until technology stops and there’s nothing for us to research and develop anymore, I think we’ll keep going. I enjoy solving problems and facing challenges. I get to do what I love here at home, and I’m around my family. Right now, I feel like I already made it.”

Crystal Castle and Dan Anderson are Mobilebased freelance contributors to Business Alabama.

Nick Hampton, property manager for Innovation Portal, tests a 3rd Realm Creations virtual training program.

May 2023 BusinessAlabama.com | 33

SMALL BUSINESS

Let them eat Emily’s cake April McClung took a family recipe and built it into a budding pound cake empire

By ALEC HARVEY — Photos by CARY NORTON

April McClung started Emily's Heirloom Pound Cakes in her own kitchen, but in late 2022, she moved into a commercial kitchen in Pelham.

34 | BusinessAlabama.com May 2023

SMALL BUSINESS

A

sk April McClung about the earliest days of her Emily’s Heirloom Pound Cakes business, and she’ll tell you a story of humble beginnings.

She’ll tell you about the two Birmingham farmers markets she’d head to each weekend, with 10 cakes in the back of her car, and she’ll tell you about the rudimentary display she used — just a card table and a tablecloth.

But she’ll also tell you how those early days led to raising more than $14,000 for her two sons, led to her being able to walk away from her day job after 25 years in the corporate grind and how Emily’s Heirloom Pound Cakes is now nationally known.

“Now, look at us,” McClung says proudly. “We’ve been in business for eight years, we’re producing over 5,000 slices a month, and we’re selling them all over the country. … And our display is just beautiful.”

Back in 2014, it was a mother’s love that set McClung and her family on a course toward cake greatness. She and her then-husband were trying to figure out a way to raise $14,000 to send their boys on trips — one to Europe and the other to China, where he could hone his Mandarin skills.

“This was a mother’s heart to do something for her children to do something they had never experienced,” she says.

After praying as a family, McClung’s husband, a pastor, said, “The spirit says, ‘What about the pound cake?’”

“And in nine months, with one pound cake recipe, we raised over $14,000,” McClung says. “It is truly amazing.”

The recipe had long been in McClung’s ex-husband’s family, and he had been making it for years for church and family gatherings. He taught his wife how to make the cake.

“I had never baked a pound cake before, and that’s how you know it was God,” McClung recalls. “And I’m not a pound cake eater. I’m not a big sweets and cake eater.”

But she became a pound cake maker, and the cakes sold out during their farmers market visits. The McClungs raised the money for their sons’ travel,

April McClung's son, Tre, manages her kitchen.

and a customer suggested McClung start a business.

Emily’s Heirloom Pound Cakes, named after her ex-husband’s mother, was born in 2015. McClung soon quit her job to devote herself full-time to the new business, and it has grown steadily since then.

The cakes — an original pound cake, plus flavored pound cakes such as lemon, key lime, chocolate, strawberry lemonade and butter pecan — are sold as bites, slices, half or full loaves, or rounds. The company also makes pound cakes for weddings.

The original pound cake is the No. 1 seller, and a strong second is the lemon blueberry buttermilk, McClung says.

Among many accolades, Emily’s Heirloom Pound Cakes was featured on QVC in 2020, named one of five America’s Retail Champions by the National Retail Federation in 2022 and was named Alabama Retailer of the Year in 2021.

McClung also is part of Sam’s Clubs road shows. What that means is that Emily’s Heirloom Pound Cakes are not on the shelves at Sam’s Clubs, but McClung will

appear in Sam’s Clubs at certain times and the cakes will be available in the stores where she appears.

In December, McClung moved into a commercial kitchen in Pelham, and from there her company bakes hundreds of cakes each month. Customers can order on the company’s website and either pick cakes up or have them shipped, and Emily’s Heirloom Pound Cakes does a robust corporate business, too.

“The biggest order we’ve gotten is $40,000 from a business,” McClung says.

“Then we have law firms. A company will commit to maybe 500 rounds and give them as gifts. … We’ll ship from the list the company gives us, and within a couple of days, the phone is ringing off the hook from the people who received them.”

The cakes aren’t cheap, with rounds selling for $55.

“It’s an expensive product, but we’re trying to scale,” McClung says. “Right now, I’m more of a Harry & David type thing, a gourmet product.”

Not surprisingly, McClung won’t divulge the pound cake recipe, but she’s quick to point out the two main ingredients.

“Love and butter,” she says. “It’s an all-butter poundcake, which is very expensive and why a lot of people probably opt not to make it that way. It’s costly.”

McClung’s son J. is a firefighter, and her other son Tre, the one who went to China, now manages the Emily’s Heirloom Pound Cakes kitchen.

“It’s so satisfying to see my son love what his momma loves,” she says.

McClung wants the company to continue to grow.

“Our end goal is to franchise and open kitchens in different areas,” she says.

McClung has a fairly lofty goal when it comes to annual sales.

“I’d like to get to $1.4 million, and we’re about halfway there,” she says.

“From where we came from, that’s a lot. We’ve come a long way. I’m so proud of what we’ve been able to accomplish.”

Alec Harvey is executive editor of Business Alabama and Cary Norton is a freelance contributor. Both are based in Birmingham.

May 2023 BusinessAlabama.com | 35

FACES OF FINANCE

FACES of

FINANCE Finance touches every aspect of business, from purchasing to payroll to profit, in every type of business, from startups to multi-tiered corporations. Day-to-day decisions are often rooted in company finance. If a business wishes to add employees, expand locations, purchase equipment or even acquire another company, the first step is a study of the balance sheet followed by consultation with the company’s financial team. In this issue, we highlight some of those financial team members — the bankers, financial planners, accountants and others — who help guide business leaders across the state in making those crucial decisions.

Jimmy Stubbs

Tommy Coblentz

CEO & Director | River Bank & Trust

Athens City Market President | Bryant Bank

Jimmy Stubbs is a director and the CEO at River Bank & Trust.

Under his leadership, the bank was organized in 2006 and is now one of the largest banks headquartered in Alabama. Stubbs earned his undergraduate degree from Auburn University and an executive MBA from Troy University.

He also completed the Alabama Banking School at the University of South Alabama, the Graduate School of Banking at LSU, and the Professional Masters of Banking at the Executive Banking Institute in Austin, Texas. He is a past chair of the Alabama Bankers Association and now serves as a board director for the Federal Home Loan Bank of Atlanta and the Business Council of Alabama. _______________________________________________

Tommy Coblentz serves as the Athens City Market President for Bryant Bank with more than 22 years of expertise in the banking industry. Throughout his career, Tommy has held various leadership positions in community banking including community market leader, branch retail division leader and commercial team leader. In addition to his professional accomplishments, Tommy is also actively involved in the community, serving on the board of directors for the Limestone County Economic Development Association, Athens Main Street and the Athens State University Foundation. Bryant Bank celebrated the grand opening of the Athens office in December 2022. Tommy is a graduate of Auburn University and the University of North Alabama. He is a lifelong Athens native and currently resides there with his wife and three children. _______________________________________________

River Bank & Trust | riverbankandtrust.com 36 36| |BusinessAlabama.com BusinessAlabama.com May May2023 2023

Bryant Bank | bryantbank.com S P EC IA L A DV ERTI S I N G S EC TI O N

FACES OF FINANCE

Jordan Crow

Senior Vice President | Merit Bank Jordan Crow is Senior Vice President and founding member of Merit Bank, where he has been a vital part of its growth and success since inception. Jordan specializes in business banking and commercial lending and manages the bank’s largest client portfolio of loan and deposit relationships. As Senior Vice President, he also mentors younger lenders and is directly involved in the bank’s strategic planning and overall vision. Jordan holds a B.S. in finance from the University of Alabama and lives in Huntsville, with his wife, Heather.

Merit Bank is a full-service commercial bank chartered in Alabama and headquartered in Huntsville. _______________________________________________

Gary Holemon

President and CEO | Robertson Banking Company Gary Holemon joined Robertson Banking Company as a commercial lender in 1994. He is the bank’s president and CEO, on the board of directors, and is a shareholder.

Gary graduated from the University of Alabama with a concentration in finance and bank administration. He completed the Graduate School of Banking at LSU and the Southeastern School of Commercial Lending at Vanderbilt University.

He previously served as president of the Alabama Multifamily Loan Consortium. He has also served with the American Heart Association, American Cancer Society and Boy Scouts of America.

Gary and his wife, Janice, have two sons: Bill and Wesley.

He is a member of the First United Methodist Church. _______________________________________________

Merit Bank | meritbank.com

Robertson Banking Company robertsonbanking.com

Andrew Grinstead

Billy Livings

Chief Executive Officer | Leavell Investments

Market President | Troy Bank & Trust

Before joining Leavell Investments in 2010, Andrew Grinstead served as an investment consultant to the New York-based hedge fund Southpoint Capital Advisors LP. Andrew’s previous work experience includes private equity and investment banking roles with Raymond James, Equity Group Investments, IPC Industries and Chestnut Partners. Andrew graduated magna cum laude with a degree in economics from Harvard College, and received his MBA, with distinction, from Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management, where he was chosen by faculty as the top finance student in his graduating class. Andrew taught courses in advanced financial management and money and capital markets as an adjunct lecturer at Spring Hill College. He is a member of the board of trustees of the McCallie School, the board treasurer at the Women’s Resource Center, and an active alumni volunteer for both Harvard and Northwestern. _______________________________________________

Billy Livings is a seasoned banker with more than 34 years of experience. He started his career in 1989 after earning his bachelor’s degree in banking and finance at the University of Alabama. Throughout his career, Billy has served the needs of the River Region through his extensive knowledge and experience. In addition to his day job, Billy has been actively involved in several community service initiatives and has served on the boards of various non-profit organizations. Today, Billy serves as the River Region’s market president for TB&T, overseeing a large portfolio and managing a team of experienced bankers. _______________________________________________

Leavell Investments | Leavellinvestments.com S P EC IA L A DV ERTI S I N G S EC TI O N

Troy Bank & Trust | troybankandtrust.com May May 2023 2023BusinessAlabama.com BusinessAlabama.com| 37 | 37

DIVERSITY Brafield & Gorrie works to make sure its workforce reflects the communities it serves.

Beyond

Politically Correct

Alabama companies find significant value in pursuing diversity

By DEBORAH STOREY

F

rom recruiting at historically black colleges to educating employees, companies around the state are taking diversity efforts seriously.

Rather than just supporting the idea in theory, many businesses are launching new initiatives on diversity, equity and inclusion.

‘ROBUST’ STRATEGY

At Brasfield & Gorrie, company leaders call their inclusion strategy “robust.” The

“

general contracting company has more than 3,400 employees at its offices in Birmingham, in Huntsville and in the field.

“Our workforce should represent the communities that we serve, and that means providing opportunities to individuals from all different backgrounds and perspectives,” says Natalie Kelly, vice president of corporate responsibility at Brasfield & Gorrie.

The company believes that when people from different backgrounds are on an equal playing field, it breaks down

traditional thinking.

“Individuals from different groups offer new and unique ideas that would have typically been unavailable otherwise, and these fresh perspectives will allow any company to adopt a modern mindset and succeed in more significant ways,” says Kelly.

Brasfield & Gorrie is expanding recruitment efforts by “meeting potential candidates where they are.

“Our Campus Engagement Partner program has paired our employees with

Our workforce should represent the communities that we serve, and that means providing opportunities to individuals from all different backgrounds and perspectives.”

— Natalie Kelly, vice president of corporate responsibility at Brasfield & Gorrie May 2023 BusinessAlabama.com | 39

DIVERSIT Y

“

Our associate-led Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Council works to ensure our company meets the needs of our associates, customers and communities where we live and serve.”

— Gianetta Jones, senior vice president and chief people officer at Coca-Cola United

historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) across the South,” Kelly says.

In 2022, 26 of the company’s campus engagement partners attended 27 HBCU campus events, she adds. That led to hiring several new full-time employees, as well as interns and co-op students.

“We’ve also strengthened our connections with the Academy of Craft Training to recruit and offer job experience to inner-city and rural high school students who don’t typically have access to trades education,” Kelly says.

Students from the academy go to jobsites across the state. The company typically hires five to 10 seniors from the program each year.

DIVERSITY IMPROVES PATIENT CARE

Encompass Health, a Birmingham-based network of rehabilitation hospitals across the country, believes that a diverse workforce improves patient care.

“Substantial health care research shows that patients are better cared for and are more satisfied with their health care when they see themselves within the health care workforce,” says Laterrica Shelton, national director of diversity, equity and inclusion at Encompass.

The Encompass workforce of more than 36,000 employees in 37 states and Puerto Rico reflects the communities it serves, she adds.

“People from different backgrounds naturally bring a tremendous amount of diverse experiences, knowledge, cultural awareness and skills through the doors every day,” Shelton says.

Encompass Health uses specific marketing strategies and engages with local organizations.

“In addition to sourcing diverse talents, we give hiring managers the tools to con40 | BusinessAlabama.com May 2023

duct unbiased and equitable interviews and selections,” Shelton says.

Creating a welcoming and inclusive environment for all employees is important, she says, “which is why we are incorporating DEI into every stage of the employee life cycle. We believe demonstrating our commitment to growing our internal diverse talent will also attract diverse external talent,” Shelton says.

LONG-TERM CHANGE

At Coca-Cola United, DEI is central to a so-called “associates first” culture where everyone feels valued and empowered.

“Our associate-led Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Council works to ensure our company meets the needs of our associates, customers and communities where we live and serve,” says Gianetta Jones, senior vice president and chief people officer.

Integrating DEI “enhances innovation and problem solving, and ensures longterm, sustainable change,” she adds.

Coca-Cola United has more than 10,000 employees across six states, including approximately 3,200 in Alabama.

Last year, Coca-Cola United established a workforce engagement team to ensure that recruitment, hiring and development reflects communities they serve.

“As part of our ‘Recruiting Equitably’ plan, we connect with organizations representing minorities, women, high school and college students, senior citizens, people with disabilities and the LGBTQA population, and actively provide information about our internship and career opportunities,” says Jones.

Their strategy also includes connecting with professional and industry organizations, active-duty military, veterans and spouses on employment opportunities.

“We consider ourselves one big family at Coca-Cola United,” Jones says. “Our associates benefit from the broad range of experiences, insights and skill sets they each bring to the table.”

Diversity provides opportunities to learn and grow, company leaders believe.

“A diverse workplace allows for more ideas and processes, more creativity and brings out the very best in our associates to reach their full potential,” says Jones.

MAKES US STRONGER

At Vulcan Materials Company, having a visibly diverse group of employees is only part of the equation.

“Diversity is not only gender and ethnicity, but includes differences in thought and backgrounds,” says Darren Hicks, Vulcan senior vice president and chief human resources officer for the company that employs 12,000.

“The bigger part is fostering an inclusive and collaborative culture in which different backgrounds are appreciated, valued and leveraged. And we know that makes us a stronger company,” Hicks says.

Calling the mindset a “business imperative,” Hicks says “diversity allows us to be more creative and innovative, and it opens the door to skills, insights and experiences that make us better problemsolvers, better relationship builders, leaders, team members and company stewards.”

The thinking is that working with people from different backgrounds gives employees a chance to learn something new and find common ground. It can help attract new talent and “thought leaders,” Hicks says. “Diversity attracts more diversity.”

In 2018 the company launched the Vulcan Historically Black Colleges and

C E L E B R AT I N G D I V E R S I T Y 2023

STEPHANIE MAYS Shareholder & Chief Talent Officer || Maynard Nexsen

“T

ogether as many, forward as one.” These words are inherent to the principles of Maynard Nexsen, and few embody them as well as Stephanie Mays.

For over 15 years, Stephanie has been a consummate and integral part of the legal community. A shareholder in Maynard Nexsen’s Labor & Employment Practice, she defends employers in litigation and provides training, day-to-day legal advice, and pragmatic solutions tailored to her clients’ needs.

“Our Firm’s initiatives, pipeline programs, and heritage month celebrations help us further live out our commitment to advancing diversity and championing the innovation that stems from diverse teams.”

Equally important and exemplary of Stephanie, she serves as Maynard Nexsen’s Chief Talent Officer. She has successfully implemented numerous programs to support and enhance Diversity, Equity & Inclusion within the Firm and beyond in the communities they serve. Stephanie’s words are illustrative of what diversity means to her and everyone at Maynard Nexsen: “Our Firm’s initiatives, pipeline programs, and heritage month celebrations help us further live out our commitment to advancing diversity and championing the innovation that stems from diverse teams.”

Maynard Nexsen

1901 Sixth Avenue North, Suite 1700, Birmingham, AL 35203 205 254 1000 • maynardnexsen.com

DIVERSIT Y

Universities Initiative in partnership with six institutions. “We established this program to deepen our relationships with universities in our region and develop a strong talent pipeline of engaged, dynamic thinkers with a diversity of lived experiences,” Hicks says.

Several divisions also partner with the National Society of Black Engineers and Women in Construction to attract talent

and with high schools to help students with resume and interviewing skills.

Vulcan CEO Tom Hill signed the “Action for Diversity and Inclusion CEO Pledge to Act on Supporting More Inclusive Workplaces” in 2019. By doing so, he committed to ongoing conversations on DEI, expanding education and sharing what works or doesn’t with other leaders.

YOUR STATE.

YOUR JOBS.

YOUR PORT.

AL ABAMA

PORT AUTHORITY PORT OF MOBILE

ALports.com

42 | BusinessAlabama.com May 2023

Vulcan established employee resources groups in 2022. “These groups provide strong internal communities where employees who share common identity, goals and interests have access to open forums that foster personal and professional development,” Hicks says.

SEATS AT THE TABLE

At Regions Financial Corp., the best team “is one that’s inclusive of all,” leaders believe.

“An organization is stronger when people not only have a seat at the table but also a voice to help shape and influence the ways we can better serve our diverse customer base,” says Dave Keenan, chief administrative and human resources officer.

Regions’ 20,000 employees are encouraged to bring “their whole self ” to work. “We are committed to giving them an opportunity to contribute, do their best work, and bring their insights and perspectives to the table,” Keenan says.

“A company is better positioned to serve a diverse marketplace when diversity is at the core of how it operates. As people from diverse walks of life come together to refine products and services, interact with clients and fulfill our mission as a bank, we are better suited to compete effectively and outperform for our customers,” he adds.

In 2018, Regions launched a Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Center of Expertise to help associates understand “how to lean into both our similarities and our differences as people.” The company enhanced processes on diversity in hiring, attracting and retaining military veterans and spouses and those with disabilities.

Regions is enhancing its internal processes with diversity in mind.

“We prioritize conferences like the National Black MBA Conference and the Veteran MBA Conference to better market careers at Regions,” says Keenan.

They also connect students from historically Black colleges and universities, National Pan-Hellenic Council organizations and state vocational rehabilitation organizations with career opportunities.

Deborah Storey is a Huntsville-based freelance contributor to Business Alabama.

SPECIAL SECTION

WOMEN IN TECH

Meet the Alabama women propelling the tech scene GOLD SPONSOR

JILL ALBIN-HILL

JILL ALBIN-HILL is deputy CIO and executive director of tech-

SILVER SPONSORS

BRONZE SPONSOR

cations Inc., a telecommunications

software implementation expe-

company in central Illinois. She

rience with new technologies.

holds an MBA with a concentra-

Becker coordinated the successful

tion in human resources from

implementation of the Alabama

Dominican University, a bachelor’s

Community College System’s

degree in computer management

enterprise resource planning

from Eastern Illinois University

system — OneACCS — and led

and an associate in science de-

the decision-making for software

gree in computational mathemat-

solutions that help solidify the op-

ics from Lake Land College.

erational processes that capture

nology operations for Auburn

all types of vital data. Becker also

University, responsible for the

assists with IT for Women organi-

daily central IT operations at the

zations within EDUCAUSE, a non-

university. A recognized leader in

profit association whose mission

the information technology field,

is to advance higher education

Albin-Hill was named CIO+ of the

through the use of information

Year in October 2020 by the Society of Information Management.

At that time, she served as vice

KAREN BECKER

technology. She has degrees from Georgia Southern University and Georgia State University.

president of technology and oper-

KAREN BECKER is the vice chan-

ations for Dominican University.

cellor for strategic enterprises at

VALENCIA BELLE is the CEO

Before joining higher education,

the Alabama Community College

and founder of two programs,

Albin-Hill worked for almost 10

System. She has more than 30

S.C.H.O.O.L.S. for scholars and

years at Consolidated Communi-

years of higher education and

C.L.E.A.R.E.D. for scholar-athletes.

May 2023 BusinessAlabama.com | 43

WOMEN IN TECH

SPECIAL SECTION

network and enterprise systems across the portfolio, ensuring the proper infrastructure is in place to enhance the quality of the overall guest experience. Boggus holds a bachelor’s degree in computer

VALENCIA BELLE The programs provide stan-

science from Jacksonville State University.

dardized test preparation, with

for the home services depart-

ing NCAA D1 clearance. A Mobile

ment at C Spire in Mobile. She has

native, Belle has spent her career

worked with the diversified tele-

in STEM education. She is one of 2021 Wharton Knowledge for Im-

JACQUELINE CHANDLER

pact Awards from the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School of Business. She also received a scholarship from Harvard University’s Institute of Urban School Leaders. Belle holds degrees from the University of Alabama, Virginia Commonwealth University and the University of Maryland and has an extensive background in biomedical research.

ANITA CLARKE serves as the marketing development specialist

C.L.E.A.R.E.D. focusing on obtain-

the six inaugural recipients of the

ANITA CLARKE

JACQUELINE CHANDLER works

communications and technology services company for 18 years. In her current role, she is responsible for establishing relationships with city and county entities

with the Birmingham Business

that assist with bringing internet/

Alliance, focusing on attracting

broadband access to their com-

new businesses in the knowl-

munities for the citizens that C

edge-based economy and high-

Spire serves. Additionally, Clarke

tech manufacturing operations to

builds and retains relationships

the Greater Birmingham Region.

with builders, developers and

She also manages the aerospace

planning commissions who work

and bioscience existing industry

to bring fiber to the neighbor-

portfolio, which includes connect-

hoods. Clarke previously served as

ing and convening leaders in the

public relations/brand ambassa-

industries, aiding the growth of

dor for the technology company.

companies, managing expansion

She has a degree in journalism/

projects and developing solutions

public relations from the Universi-

to ensure the region is positioned

ty of Southern Mississippi.

competitively and for continued

KATIE BOGGUS

KATIE BOGGUS is the corporate infrastructure administrator at PCH Hotels and Resorts — a hotel management company that manages world-class hotels, many of which are located along the famed Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail. Boggus manages the 44 | BusinessAlabama.com May 2023

growth in each industry. Chandler, from Guntersville, earned an economics degree from Auburn University, where she was SGA president and a War Eagle Girl.

She previously worked as the director of industrial development for the City of Auburn.

CYNTHIA CRUTCHFIELD

CYNTHIA CRUTCHFIELD is the CEO of Innovate Alabama. Prior to that, she was founder, president

SPECIAL SECTION

DANA INGALSBE is the first

and CEO of Crutchfield Manage-

is a graduate of the University of

ment Consulting and COO of the

Mobile and earned an MBA with a

Crutchfield Company, a real estate

focus in information systems from

investment company. Throughout

the University of North Alabama.

her career, which included 40

She has been with Austal USA

years within the federal govern-

since 2019.

ment market as a civil servant and

Applied E ad.pdf

contractor, Crutchfield received

WOMEN IN TECH

woman to serve as head of Jacksonville State University’s Department of Applied Engineering, which prepares students to face the manufacturing challenges of

1

4/3/23

21st century, including work10:04 the AM

numerous recognitions, including winning the CSC Presidents Award for Program Management and receiving the Women of Color Information Technology All-Star Award. She has a computer science degree from Alabama A&M University and is a graduate of Leadership Huntsville and com-

A BETTER PLACE

pleted professional military education in-residence programs for Squadron Officer School and Air Command and Staff College.

C

M

Y

CM

MY

ELIZABETH DONALD

CY

CMY

ELIZABETH DONALD is the IT se-

K

curity manager for Austal USA, responsible for the implementation and assurance of network security for the company’s information application systems. She ensures Austal USA’s IT systems are compliant with all government contractor prescribed requirements from the Department of Defense and Department of Homeland Security. She is active in the Mobile community, including playing clarinet with the Mobile Pops. Donald

Our students are learning to apply engineering principles to make the world a better place. If you are interested in helping to solve the manufacturing challenges of the 21st century such as workplace safety, industrial automation, control DEPARTMENT OF systems, and effective industrial APPLIED ENGINEERING leadership, then the Department JACKSONVILLE STATE UNIVERSITY of Applied Engineering is the jsu.edu/applied-engineering place for you.

All undergraduate programs as well as the graduate program are accredited by ATMAE.

May 2023 BusinessAlabama.com | 45

WOMEN IN TECH

SPECIAL SECTION

Valley Accelerator, gener8tor’s

high-quality design solutions that

first program in Alabama, which

exceed expectations.

focuses on founders from backgrounds historically excluded from access to capital. Before joining gener8tor, she led teams

DANA INGALSBE

responsible for training more

place safety, industrial automa-

professionals with in-demand

tion, advanced manufacturing technologies and effective industrial leadership. Ingalsbe joined JSU’s faculty in 2002 after receiving a doctorate from Georgia Tech in pulp and paper science. In 2021, Gov. Kay Ivey recognized the

than 700 local aspiring tech skills to meet regional employer demand as executive director of Innovate Birmingham. Kendrick

MONICA MASON is the direc-

has a master’s and doctorate

tor of core services for contract

from the University of Alabama at

research at Southern Research

Birmingham.

in Birmingham. Her career encompasses scientific, technical

department’s internship program

and business operations with-

as a Region 2 Best Practice in

in nonclinical and clinical drug

work-based learning. Passionate

development research programs.

about workforce development,

At Southern Research, she and

Ingalsbe has helped strengthen

her team provide nonclinical

the university’s partnerships with local industry, particularly Hon-

KELLI LUCAS

da Alabama Auto Plant. Housed within her department is the JSU Center for Manufacturing Support.

HAYLEY MEDVED KENDRICK

HAYLEY MEDVED KENDRICK is the senior managing director of investment accelerators at gener8tor. In her role, she oversees gener8tor’s investment accelerators located in the southern U.S. Prior to joining the investment accelerator team, Kendrick launched the Bronze 46 | BusinessAlabama.com May 2023

MONICA MASON

KELLI LUCAS is a design strat-

drug development services that support toxicology, infectious diseases, immunology and oncology programs. Prior to this role,

egist and leader, currently serv-

she served as a quality assurance

ing as the co-founder and chief

auditor in the quality and com-

design officer at LunarLab, a UX

pliance department at Southern

Design and Product Strategy

Research. Mason earned a bach-

consulting firm in Birmingham.

elor’s in biology and a master’s in

With experience in creating

anatomic science from the Univer-

aesthetically pleasing and high-

sity of Alabama at Birmingham.

ly engaging products for both

She also holds ASCP board certi-

startups and enterprises, Lucas is

fication as a histotechnician and a

an expert in the field of product

graduate certificate in biotechnol-

design. Throughout her career,

ogy and regulatory affairs.

Lucas has honed her skills in designing mobile and web products

CARMEN MAYS is an urbanist

for a diverse range of industries,

and entrepreneur with more than

including FinTech, health care,

a decade of public sector expe-

publishing, sports, social media,

rience, with a significant portion

advertising, education, logistics

of her career spent in community

and more. Lucas has a reputa-

economic development at various

tion for consistently delivering

local governments. Mays served

SPECIAL SECTION

CARMEN MAYS as the neighborhood revitalization

WOMEN IN TECH

roles including Windows, Solaris

technology and Technical and Sci-

and Linux system administrator,

entific Application Inc. She joined

software engineer, cloud engi-

AWS In 2019. Mullican shares her

neer, devops engineer, IT director

career journey with students and

and IT consultant. In Alabama,

educators through the Amazon

Mullican’s tenure has included

Future Engineer program and

ADTRAN, Northrop Grumman,

has presented multiple talks at

HudsonAlpha Institute for Bio-

conferences and area meetups. In

and public safety administrator for the mayoral transition team

The secret to our success?

in the City of Birmingham. There, she led a team of 70+ community volunteers through the policy development process, culminat-

O people.

ing with a report that details the community’s policy directives.

Mays also re-launched the minority business development program for the City of Spartanburg in South Carolina, earning Federal Transit Administration approval for the city’s Disadvantaged Business Enterprise Program. Additionally, she has led courses on anti-racism in local government and provided thought leadership on equity centered policy and programming.

O team embodies service that goes beyond

typical hospitality, transforming experiences into traditions, inspiring our guests and empowering our associates. We are committed to excellence through a "people first" philosophy and a genuine care for others.

Visit pchresorts.com to learn more.

KATREENA MULLICAN

CONGRATULATIONS to Katie Boggus for being recognized as one of Alabama’s Top 23 Women in Tech in 2023.

KATREENA MULLICAN, principal solutions architect for Amazon Web Services in Huntsville, has been engineering IT solutions for 30 years. Throughout her career, she has mastered a variety of IT

PCH3568PeopleAdKATIE_BusinessAL_H.indd 1

May 2023 BusinessAlabama.com | 47 4/6/23 7:07 PM

WOMEN IN TECH

SPECIAL SECTION

addition to numerous IT certifica-

and top 10 fastest-growing

tions, Mullican has degrees from

woman-owned companies in the

Midland Lutheran College and

country. She has led large-scale

Florida Institute of Technology.

transformation and modernization projects with major Fortune 500 companies. Quates, who is on

MISSY POLHEMUS

the national board of the Girl

in need of childcare with back-

entrepreneur-in-residence for

ground-checked sitters attending

MELANIE BARKSDALE NEWTON

college and looking for a flexible

MELANIE BARKSDALE NEWTON

east, including Birmingham,

is director of operations and strategic development for JBS Solutions, an engineering services firm headquartered in Huntsville, with employees in Alabama, Maryland, Texas and Virginia. The company supports the Department of Defense and NASA. Newton is capture manager and proposal lead for highly technical contracts with NSA and the DoD in addition

way to earn an income. Wyndy serves families across the Southwhere it is headquartered; Nashville; Memphis; and New Orleans.

Prior to joining Wyndy as CEO,

Scouts of the USA, is a former a New York-based venture development organization that has raised more than $1 billion in funding. Quates is a member of the Forbes Business Council and Inc. Masters and has been featured in both publications.

Polhemus spent more than 20 years leading marketing teams at high-growth companies, including Shipt, Daxko and TaxSlayer. She holds a degree in business administration from Birmingham-Southern College and a master’s in busi-

LIZ READ

ness from Samford University.

to being program manager for

LIZ READ is founder of clear-

contracts with those organizations.

MINDnow, which brings inno-

She teaches at the Catalyst Center

vative accountability to people

for Business & Entrepreneurship

navigating a drug-use disorder.

as part of its TechRich program

ClearMindnow won the Alabama

and at the University of Alabama

Launchpad competition and a

in Huntsville. Newton’s focus is STEM and she has a background in business development for technology startups. She is the president of Women in Defense-Tennessee Valley chapter. Her work as president initiates and supports funding

VENUS QUATES

VENUS QUATES is president and CEO of LaunchTech, which specializes in providing technology, engineering

for young women entering tech.

and intelligence solutions to

MISSY POLHEMUS is the CEO

financial services and health care

of Wyndy, a family care company founded in 2017. Wyndy is a mobile app that connects parents 48 | BusinessAlabama.com May 2023

customers in the space, public, sectors. LaunchTech has been recognized as one of the top 50 fastest-growing companies

$50,000 grant in 2020. Since then, clearMINDnow has closed an oversubscribed seed round, received an Alabama Inno Fire Award and has been featured in numerous publications. Prior to clearMINDnow, Read worked in a family-owned business with her mother, Allison L. Morgan, designing jewelry for their line, Charlotte Allison. She was lead designer and held this position for eight years. Other positions include

WOMEN IN TECH

SPECIAL SECTION

sales for Prepaid Technologies Inc.

for young women considering a

and Takeda Pharmaceuticals. She

career in robotics. Since joining

studied finance at Auburn Univer-

Aerobotix in June 2021, Stejskal

sity.

has played a key role in developing innovative robotic and automated solutions for the company’s

ANGELA SANDRITTER

customers, which include some of

ANGELA SANDRITTER is

defense contractors. She holds

the world’s largest aerospace and

co-founder and CEO of Ripple-

a degree in industrial engineer-

Worx, a performance acceleration

ing and mathematics from Olivet

company incorporating business

Nazarene University. Stejskal says,

intelligence, analysis and AI. Rip-

“I personally do not know many

pleWorx focuses on effective ways

women who are also working in ro-

ident and CEO of Riverstone

to digitize and scale performance

botics but would love to see more

Solutions Inc., an information

optimization for business, first

in the near future.”

technology and cybersecurity

responders and the Department

company delivering Enterprise IT

of Defense. Prior to RippleWorx,

solutions. She is also the president

Sandritter was vice president of

and a founder of CyberReach.Org,

global services for Haufe, the lead-

a nonprofit organization head-

ing talent management provider

quartered in Huntsville. Ritten-

in Europe. She opened the U.S.

bach is a long-time advocate for

office at Haufe, with clients such

women in technology and STEM

as Nike, Zeiss and Hilti. Sandritter

programs. The mission of Cy-

also co-founded Cygnus Strategy

berReach is to connect, prepare

Group, a consulting firm for small

MARTHA SYLLA UNDERWOOD is

and grow a qualified and diverse

businesses. Sandritter holds an

the founder and CEO of Prismm,

cyber workforce. CyberReach is

executive MBA from the Universi-

a company devoted to the wealth

focused on supporting cyberse-

ty of Alabama and serves on the

transfer process at the end of life

curity development for all while

university’s EMBAAN board of

through technology. Underwood

providing specific development

directors.

is a software technology industry

ANGELA RITTENBACH

ANGELA RITTENBACH is pres-

MARTHA SYLLA UNDERWOOD

programs for women, minorities,

veteran whose career has taken

veterans and STEM students. Rit-

her to Florida, Silicon Valley and

tenbach has served on the boards

Birmingham. Her background is in

of Cyber Huntsville and GEO

developing enterprise solutions for

Huntsville, and currently serves on

insurance carriers, creating early

the Huntsville/Madison Chamber

versions of health care patient

of Commerce Women’s Business

portals and positioning startups for

Council. Rittenbach has a degree in computer science from Clemson University.

50 | BusinessAlabama.com May 2023

SAMANTHA STEJSKAL

SAMANTHA STEJSKAL is a pro-

acquisition. She graduated from the University of South Florida and is certified in executive management

cess engineer for Huntsville-based

and leadership from the McCombs

robotics integrator Aerobotix. In

School of Business at the University

that position, she’s a role model

of Texas at Austin. She serves on

numerous boards, including Bronze Valley C-Suite Advisory Board, Prosper Healthcare Accelerator Advisor, Tech Birmingham and Innovate Birmingham, where she is board chair.

LYDIA WALKER

LYDIA WALKER is the executive vice president of operations for both Altaworx and its sister software company, AMOP. Walker joined Altaworx in 2007 and has held many leadership positions throughout the years.

As executive vice president of operations, her responsibilities include engineering, automation, fulfillment, implementation, support and billing for Altaworx. As executive vice president of AMOP, she oversees and manages the development, support and overall software experience for both the user interface and development stack. Walker’s experience and leadership have allowed her to mentor many young men and women in the tech industry. She sits on the board of the local ENRG, where she leads a small group, guiding other business professionals learning and implementing the EOS (Entrepreneurial Operating System) management methodology.

May 2023 BusinessAlabama.com | 51

SPOTLIGHT

Madison County

Madison County

by KATHERINE MacGILVRAY

Huntsville Hospital.

Huntsville Botanical Gardens.

Biology student at Oakwood University.

L

ocated in the heart of North Alabama’s Tennessee Valley, MADISON COUNTY is the third-most populated county in the state.

Huntsville, the county seat, is now Alabama’s largest city, thanks to high scores in housing affordability, employment opportunities and quality of life. The city regularly earns national recognition as a desirable place to live, including ranking No. 1 on U.S. News & World Report’s 2022-2023 Best Places to Live and being named among the South’s best cities by Southern Living.

The neighboring city of Madison also gets its fair share of the limelight. Niche, a national research group that ranks communities based on quality of schools, education, crime and safety, cost of living, diversity and access to outdoor recreation, ranked Madison the second-best place to raise a family in Alabama. Madison City Schools also received an A+ ranking from Niche, making it the No. 1 ranked school district in the state.

Industry in Madison County centers on aerospace and defense, information technology, bioscience and advanced manufacturing.

With more than 60 federal organizations and contractor operations, Redstone Arsenal is the area’s largest employer, and agencies and program offices on the Arsenal employ more than 43,000 people. Marshall Space Flight Center, one of NASA’s largest field centers with 7,000 employees, is located at Redstone, and the FBI continues to expand its presence on the Arsenal and expects to have full-time capacity for 5,000 employees by 2028.

Cummings Research Park, the nation’s second largest research park, is home to more than 300 companies. Its tenants, including Dynetics Inc., SAIC, Lockheed Martin, Redstone Federal Credit Union and Raytheon Technologies, are among the county’s other

Huntsville City Soccer Club.

leading industrial employers.

Automotive manufacturing in Madison also is revving up. The first Mazda CX-50 rolled off the assembly line at the Mazda Toyota Manufacturing plant last year, and Toyota Alabama announced plans to create a new $222 million production line for four-cylinder engines at its facility.

But Madison isn’t all work and no play. New mixed-use developments that incorporate entertainment, retail, dining and other recreational amenities alongside May 2023 BusinessAlabama.com | 53

S P O T L I G H T: OV E R V I E W

work and living spaces are popping up all over, and more are on the way.

The $110 million Anthem House project will add 30,000 square feet of retail space, 20,000 square feet of office space and 330 residential units to the MidCity District. The landscape of downtown Huntsville is preparing to be dramatically altered by Front Row Huntsville, a $325 million development on more than 11 acres opposite the Von Braun Center.

There’s plenty for non-locals to enjoy as well, making Madison the second-most visited county in the state. Along with long-time destination favorites like the U.S. Space & Rocket Center, the state’s top paid tourist attraction, Madison has some new rising stars.

The Orion Amphitheater opened last year and drew more than 150,000 patrons during its first season. The outdoor entertainment venue impressed performers, too, garnering praise from Stevie Nicks, Jason Isbell and Dave Matthews Band. Toyota Field, home stadium of the Rocket City Trash Pandas minor league baseball team, also hosts a variety of events during the off-season, including a holiday light show. And soccer fans are looking forward to kicking off the first season of the Huntsville City FC soccer team this year at the newly renovated Joe Davis Stadium.

M E D I A N H O U S E H O L D I N CO M E

P O P U L AT I O N Total Alabama Population: 5,074,296

Katherine MacGilvray is a Huntsville-based freelance contributor to Business Alabama.

Jefferson County: 667,820 Mobile County: 413,073 Madison County: 395,211 Montgomery County: 227,434 Morgan County: 123,668 Limestone County: 107,517 Marshall County: 98,228 Source: U.S. Census Bureau Jackson County: 52,773

Madison County: $71,153 Limestone County: $70,736 Jefferson County: $58,330 Morgan County: $56,128 Marshall County: $52,938 State of Montgomery County: $52,511 Alabama Mobile County: $51,169 $54,943 Jackson County: $43,785 Source: U.S. Census Bureau

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Economic Engines

Cummings Research Park. Photo by Gerrit Burke, Sparrow Digital Media.

REDSTONE ARSENAL

Redstone Arsenal is a federal research, development, test and engineering center.

Located on more than 38,000 acres, the arsenal is home to more than 60 federal organizations and contractor operations, including the Army’s missile, aviation and missile defense programs, the Missile Defense Agency, the Defense Intelligence Agency and NATO’s MEADS program.

NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center is headquartered at the arsenal, as well as the Army’s materiel management, logistics and foreign military sales. In all, agencies and program offices on the arsenal employ more than 43,000 people and oversee more than $50 billion in annual federal budgets.

In March, officials broke ground on the Missile and Space Intelligence

B U S I N E S S MARCH 2023: Officials break ground on the Missile and Space Intelligence Center’s Advanced Analysis Complex at the Richard C. Shelby Center for Missile Intelligence at Redstone Arsenal.

MARCH 2023: Huntsville-based PCI Productions, a media company owned by the Poarch Band of Creek Indians, wins a $200 million NASA contract to manage communication services for all of NASA’s centers.

Center’s (MSIC) Advanced Analysis Complex at the Richard C. Shelby Center for Missile Intelligence. The new addition to the MSIC campus adds state-of-the-art laboratories and dedicated analysis space that will enhance mission capabilities and collaboration between the Defense Intelligence Agency and foreign partners.

NASA/MARSHALL SPACE FLIGHT CENTER

For more than 60 years, NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center has played a key role in shaping nearly every facet of the country’s space exploration efforts.

Marshall manages the Space Launch System rocket and the Human Landing System Program; both support NASA’s Artemis program, which aims to establish a sustainable human presence on the moon by 2028.

B R I E F S

MARCH 2023: Officials break ground on a $200 million, 2.2 millionsquare-foot Huntsville Logistics Center that will bring 700 jobs to the Huntsville area.

JANUARY 2023: Crestwood Medical Center announces plans for a freestanding ER in Harvest, the first of its kind in North Alabama.

JANUARY 2023: Construction begins on Wellory Living, a $108 million net-zero multi-use residential development situated on 4.2 acres

56 | BusinessAlabama.com May 2023

in Huntsville’s MidCity District.

NOVEMBER 2022: Aerojet Rocketdyne announces plans to expand its Huntsville footprint with a 379,000-squarefoot manufacturing facility near Huntsville International Airport, expected to be operational in 2023.

OCTOBER 2022: Radiance Technologies breaks ground on Phase II of its Huntsville facility, which will add lab, hi-bay, work and collaboration spaces to its Huntsville campus.

Marshall is one of NASA’s largest field centers and has a significant impact on the state’s economy by supporting thousands of jobs and investing millions of dollars in research and development. It directly employs nearly 7,000 people and supports more than 41,000 jobs in Alabama. Marshall operates on an annual budget of approximately $4 billion and, according to its 2021 economic impact report, has an economic output of more than $8 billion, generating more than $233 million in state tax revenue.

FEDERAL BUREAU OF INVESTIGATION

The FBI has had a presence on Redstone Arsenal for more than 50 years, dating back to the establishment of the Hazardous Devices School in 1971, and in recent years its footprint has expanded dramatically. In 2016 the bureau’s Terrorist Explosive Device Analytical Center relocated to the arsenal from the FBI Laboratory in Quantico. In 2019 it completed construction of a new Ballistics Research Facility.

Today, the FBI continues development of two distinct campuses on the arsenal.

Four buildings have opened on the north campus and several others are underway, including an Innovation Center scheduled to open in the spring of 2024.

Source: Economic development officials

SEPTEMBER 2022: RCP Companies broke ground on Anthem House, a $110 million mixed-use development in Huntsville’s MidCity District.

JULY 2022: SmartAsset ranks Huntsville second in the U.S. for best places for career opportunities due to its May 2022 unemployment rate of 1.9% and seventh-highest income growth between professionals aged 25 to 44 and those aged 45 to 64 (25.85%). Overall median earnings for workers in the metro area increased by roughly

15% over a two-year period ending in 2021.

JUNE 2022: Boeing celebrates 60 years in Alabama by awarding two $60,000 grants to the Boys and Girls Club’s STEM programs and the Huntsville/Madison County Chamber Foundation’s Hiring Our Heroes program.

JUNE 2022: Meta, the parent company of Facebook, announces it will expand its Huntsville data center facility by nearly 3.5 million square feet and bring total

S P O T L I G H T: ECO N O M I C E N G I N E S

The expansion also includes developing the 900-acre south campus located near the Hazardous Devices School to include a training facility for FBI agents and technicians.

The FBI currently has approximately 1,500 employees at Redstone Arsenal and expects to have full-time capacity for 5,000 employees by 2028 with the capability of accommodating an additional 3,800 for training.

CUMMINGS RESEARCH PARK

Cummings Research Park (CRP) celebrated its 60th anniversary in 2022.

The 3,800-acre park is home to more than 300 companies, 27,000 employees and 11,500 students. It is the second-largest research park in the country and the fourth-largest park in the world.

CRP consists of a mixture of Fortune 500 companies, local and international high-tech enterprises, U.S. space and defense agencies, business incubators and higher education institutions. The park’s anchor tenants include Teledyne Brown Engineering, the University of Alabama in Huntsville, Lockheed Martin, Redstone Federal Credit Union, Calhoun Community College, ADTRAN, Dynetics and the HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology.

CRP is also home to the Alabama School of Cyber Technology and Engineering’s new campus, which opened

employment to more than 300 jobs.

JUNE 2022: Lockheed Martin breaks ground on a 25,000-square-foot, $16.5 million Missile System Integration Lab, which will be used for developing its Next Generation Interceptor program.

JUNE 2022: Everbloom Health Inc., an associate company of HudsonAlpha, opens a new food product manufacturing facility on the HudsonAlpha campus.

in September 2022. The innovative high school is the first in the country to teach cyber resiliency in all disciplines. It is Alabama’s third state magnet school, with 254 students representing 61 Alabama cities and towns. Just over 100 students live in the campus residential building.

Other recent developments within the park include: In 2022, Lockheed Martin, the park’s second-longest resident, broke ground on a $16.5 million, 25,000-square-foot Missile System Integration Lab that will support development, testing and integration for its Next Generation Inceptor program.

In October 2022, Radiance Technologies broke ground on Phase II of its campus, only two years after opening its new headquarters in the park.

In September 2022, ground was broken for the Arcadia, a 6-story mixeduse development that will include 10,935 square feet of office space for lease; 7,025 square feet of commercial retail, restaurant and amenity space; and 250 multifamily rental units.

TAXES PROPERTY TAX Including education

MADISON COUNTY: 14 mills Huntsville: 19.5 mills Madison: 36 mills Triana: 28 mills

STATE OF ALABAMA: 6.5 mills

SALES TAX MADISON COUNTY: 0.5% Cities within the County

Gurley: 3.5%

Huntsville: 4.5% Madison: 3.5%

New Hope: 3.5%

Owens Cross Roads: 2.5% Triana: 3.5%

STATE OF ALABAMA: 4.0% Source: Alabama Department of Revenue

HUDSONALPHA

The HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology celebrates its 15th anniversary in 2023. The nonprofit organization has generated more than $3.2 billion in economic impact in Alabama and more than $900 million

MAY 2022: The Orion Amphitheater celebrates its grand opening with a three-day festival, “The First Waltz,” featuring performances by Brittany Howard, Drive-By Truckers and Jason Isbell.

MAY 2022: Huntsville ranks #1 in U.S. News & World Report’s 20222023 Best Places to Live.

MAY 2022: Huntsville International Airport secures FAA approval to allow commercial space vehicles to land on its runway, becoming the first commercial airport in

the country to operate as a re-entry site for space vehicles.

APRIL 2022: Toyota Alabama announces plans to invest $222 million to create a new production line for four-cylinder engines, including a hybrid electric version, at its Huntsville facility.

MARCH 2022: Tech company Geeks and Nerds Corp. will build a new $5 million facility in Cummings Research Park, adding 100 new jobs.

from mergers and acquisitions. Its 152-acre campus, located in Cummings Research Park, is home to more than 50 biotech companies and 1,109 biotech business professionals.

The HudsonAlpha educational

MARCH 2022: Blue Origin announces plans to add more than 300 new engineers, machinists and technicians to its Huntsville rocket engine plant.

MARCH 2022: FedEx Ground breaks ground for its new distribution center in Madison. With a capital investment of approximately $50 million, the 337,000-square-foot facility is expected to create 120 jobs.

MARCH 2022: Orbital Assembly relocates to Huntsville. The company negotiated $3 million worth of incentives from state and local governments to develop gravity-enabled structures that will ultimately be constructed in space.

JANUARY 2022: The first Mazda CX-50, a crossover SUV, rolled off the assembly line at the Mazda Toyota Manufacturing plant in Huntsville.

May 2023 BusinessAlabama.com | 57

Mazda CX-50 reveal.

outreach team reached more than 1.7 million students and educators in 2022 by providing materials, programming and inperson and virtual learning experiences.

In July 2022, HudsonAlpha opened the newest addition to its campus. The Greenhouse and Education Learning Labs is a 14,000-square-foot facility that includes cutting-edge molecular laboratories and technological features to help advance research conducted in the institute’s Center for Plant Science and Sustainable Agriculture. With two lab spaces and seven grow rooms, the 14,000-square-foot facility significantly increases lab and greenhouse space for the growth and propagation of research plants. The campus expansion also will support more collaboration with AgBio companies.

In August 2022, HudsonAlpha announced a partnership with the city of Dothan, marking the first expansion of the organization’s physical footprint outside of Huntsville. The HudsonAlpha Wiregrass campus will focus on three main areas: genomics education in Wiregrass schools and for the general public, genomics research on Alabama peanuts and recruiting agriculture tech start-up companies to the area.

In addition to its physical growth, HudsonAlpha continues to make significant progress in its research on neurological diseases; ovarian, breast, pancreatic and other types of cancer; childhood genetic disorders; and plant science and agriculture.

AUTOMOTIVE MANUFACTURING

Mazda Toyota Manufacturing, a joint 58 | BusinessAlabama.com May 2023

undertaking between Mazda Motor Corp. and Toyota Motor Corp., currently produces the Mazda CX-50, a crossover SUV, and the Toyota Corolla Cross at its Huntsville facility. The plant has the capacity to manufacture 300,000 vehicles annually, with production split evenly between the Mazda and Toyota product lines. Production at the plant is supported by 15 on-site partners that operate either under the roof of MTM’s massive 3.7 million-square-foot facility or on its nearby campus.

Toyota Motor Manufacturing Alabama Inc. (TMMAL), also in Huntsville, supplies engines for one-third of the Toyota vehicles assembled in the U.S. at its 1.3 million-square-foot facility and is the only plant globally to build four-cylinder, V-6 and V-8 engines under one roof. The plant has more than 1,800 employees and builds more than 3,000 engines each day. TMMAL’s latest $222 million investment, expected to be complete this fall, will add a new 4-cylinder engine line and will support HEV production. It also adds an additional 114,000 square feet to the Huntsville facility.

PORT OF HUNTSVILLE

The Port of Huntsville is an inland port facility that is home to Huntsville International Airport, the International Intermodal Center, Jetplex Industrial Park, Foreign Trade Zone #83, Signature Flight Support, the Sheraton Four Points Hotel and the Sunset Landing Golf Course. It is ranked No. 19 for international air cargo in the continental U.S. with connections to Europe, Asia

and South America.

Huntsville International Airport (HSV) is the largest commercial airport in north Alabama and serves more than 1.2 million travelers annually with non-stop commercial service to 14 destinations.

In May 2022, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) issued a license that made HSV the first commercial service airport in the country authorized to operate as a reentry site for commercial spacecraft.

In October, Breeze Airways announced the addition of a nonstop service to Orlando and a one-stop, no-change flight to Charleston, South Carolina, both starting in March 2023. Breeze also offers flights to Las Vegas and Tampa.

Last summer, HSV received a $10 million grant from the FAA, part of the $1 billion Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) Airport Terminal Program grants, that will go toward improving amenities and access in the airport terminal. HSV was eligible for the BIL funds because it is operated by the Port of Huntsville, an airport authority.

TOURISM

If people aren’t heading to the beaches in Baldwin County, it’s a safe bet they’re on their way to Madison County, the second most visited county in the state. After all, it’s home to the U.S. Space & Rocket Center, the largest space museum in the world and Space Camp. The Rocket Center regularly tops the list of most popular tourist attractions in the state.

The Huntsville Botanical Garden, located next door on 112 acres, also was recently named among the 10 best botanical gardens in the nation for 2023 by USA Today.

The newest major draw to Madison County is the Orion Amphitheater, an 8,000 capacity outdoor entertainment venue that kicked off its inaugural season in May 2022 and sold more than 100,000 tickets in less than two months.

According to the 2021 Alabama Tourism Industry Economic Impact Report, the estimated economic impact of visitors in Madison County, which welcomed 3.7 million visitors in 2021, exceeded $1.7 billion.

HIGHER EDUCATION

Madison County is home to the University of Alabama in Huntsville, Alabama A&M University, Drake State Community & Technical College and Oakwood University. Calhoun Community College and Faulkner University both have satellite campuses in Huntsville.

Largest Industrial Employers MAZDA TOYOTA MANUFACTURING USA INC. 3,500 employees • Automotive manufacturing

THE BOEING COMPANY

3,048 employees • Aerospace and defense

DYNETICS INC.

2,946 employees • Aerospace and defense

SAIC

2,746 employees • Research and development

NORTHROP GRUMMAN CORP.

2,266 employees • Aerospace and defense

I love being at HudsonAlpha because of the unique environment—a mix of entrepreneurial spirit, life and agricultural scientists, and networking resources combined in this amazing space. It has exactly what we need to conduct research for CHONEX, collaborate with other researchers, and build the foundation for our product. I’m inspired and energized by HudsonAlpha’s atmosphere to continue growing CHONEX here.”

— Sofia Andreola, PhD CTO, CHONEX

POLARIS INDUSTRIES

1,932 employees • Utility vehicles

TOYOTA MOTOR MANUFACTURING, ALABAMA INC.

1,800 employees • Engine manufacturing

LOCKHEED MARTIN CORP. 1,685 employees • Aerospace and defense AMAZON.COM SERVICES LLC

1,100 employees • Fulfillment center

REDSTONE FEDERAL CREDIT UNION 1,095 employees • Finance

HEXAGON

1,059 employees • Software development

RAYTHEON TECHNOLOGIES 945 employees • Research and development

YULISTA HOLDING LLC

923 employees • Aerospace and defense Sources: Local economic development officials

May 2023 BusinessAlabama.com | 59

Higher Education UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA IN HUNTSVILLE

The University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH) is a public university that consists of nine colleges and offers 89 degrees in more than 100 areas of study, including a new bachelor’s degree in engineering technology that launched in 2022. UAH has 9,237 students enrolled, representing 49 states and 48 countries.

The university has seen a 41% increase in degrees conferred since the 2015-2016 academic year.

The university is the twelfth largest employer in Madison County and has 371 full-time faculty members.

UAH is ranked as an “R1 - Very high research activity” university in the Carnegie Classification of Institutes of Higher Education. It also has earned national rankings for federally funded research expenditures, including sixth in aerospace/aeronautical/astronautical engineering, ninth in computer and information sciences, tenth in atmospheric science and meteorology, twelfth in astronomy and eighteenth in industrial and manufacturing engineering.

UAH cultivates strong partnerships with federal agencies and organizations in the Huntsville area, including the HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology, NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center, the Missile Defense Agency, the DIA Missile and Space Intelligence Center and the U.S. Army Materiel Command. Its nearly 500acre campus is home to 17 high-tech research centers and labs that generate nearly $170 million in annual research and development expenditures. The university also is the anchor tenant for Cummings Research Park.

In October, the College of Engineering received notice that all seven of its undergraduate programs received the highest accreditation from the Engineering Accreditation Commission of the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology.

Last year, the University of Alabama Board of Trustees gave conceptual approval for the first planning phase of a new 80,000-square-foot multistory academic and research facility for the 60 | BusinessAlabama.com May 2023

Calhoun Community College.

College of Engineering.

Working with the city of Huntsville, UAH is considering a "college town" area on the 58-acre site of the former Executive Plaza. The area would include housing, dining, entertainment, recreation, conference and hotel facilities. In the meantime, UAH has 155 student-run organizations, 11 fraternities and sororities and 15 NCAA sports.

CALHOUN COMMUNITY COLLEGE

With a 110-acre campus in Decatur, as well as a campus in Cummings Research Park in Huntsville, Calhoun Community College serves approximately 10,000 students and offers more than 100 associate degree options and career/certificate programs. It is the largest two-year college in the Alabama Community College System and the sixth-largest higher education institution in the state.

For the second year in a row, Calhoun was recognized in 2021 as the nation’s top advanced manufacturing degree-awarding institution in the Emsi (Economic Modeling Specialist International) Manufacturing Engineering/Technician degree rankings.

The nursing program at Calhoun is one of the top-ranked in the state, with both registered nurse and licensed practical nurse graduates exceeding state and national pass rates on licensing exams.

DRAKE STATE COMMUNITY & TECHNICAL COLLEGE

J.F. Drake State Community & Technical College was founded in 1961 as the Huntsville State Vocational Technical School and later changed its name in

honor of long-term Alabama A&M University President Joseph Fanning Drake. The college currently serves more than 800 students and offers 10 programs with more than 30 career pathways. It is one of 10 community colleges nationwide selected for the Institute for Evidence-Based Change (IEBC) Caring Campus Initiative and also is listed among University HQ’s Top 50 Best Historically Black Colleges and Universities for 2022.

In 2021, Drake State was awarded a $1.3 million grant through NASA/ MSFC MUREP Program to develop a STEM pipeline for minorities and underrepresented populations.

Last fall, the first class of students began the college’s LPN Launch Program, a partnership between Drake State and Huntsville Hospital that provides training from college nursing faculty and a job at Huntsville Hospital upon successfully completing the program. Students in the program receive up to $15,000 in financial assistance from Huntsville Hospital for tuition, fees, books and other expenses.

In exchange, students commit to work for three years as an LPN at the hospital after graduation.

Last summer, Drake State received a $2.4 million grant from the U.S. Department of Commerce and National Telecommunications and Information Administration’s Connecting Minority Communities Pilot program. The funding will help combat historical broadband and computer access inequities in and around Madison County by providing access to enabled laptops to students, including dually enrolled high school students; increasing at-home broadband access for students and their families; and creating a mobile cyber-lab learning bus.

ALABAMA A&M UNIVERSITY

Alabama Agricultural and Mechanical University (AAMU) is a traditional 1890 land-grant institution and the largest historically Black college and university in Alabama, with 6,100 undergraduate, graduate and doctoral students. AAMU consists of four colleges and offers more than 60 undergraduate, graduate and

S P O T L I G H T: H I G H E R E D U C AT I O N

certificate programs and concentrations.

It also enrolls the largest number of minority STEM majors in the state, and 52.3% of the university’s STEM majors are women.

In spring 2022, AAMU launched a new Master of Public Administration (MPA) program that focuses on social, entrepreneurial and business approaches to public service issues and opportunities in local, county and state levels of government. The 36-credit-hour program is geared toward mid-career professionals in public, private and nonprofit sectors.

After two years of construction, AAMU cut the ribbon on its new 135,000-squarefoot Events Center in November 2022.

The multi-function $52 million, 6,000 capacity arena creates a gateway to the west side of the campus. In addition to serving the AAMU basketball and volleyball teams, the facility will host other university and community functions, including graduations and

special guest speaker events.

The university also opened a $7.6 million Welcome Center in November. The building houses the Office of Admissions and serves as a hub for student-related functions and information. The welcome center also includes an executive conference area, commercial restaurants and retail space.

OAKWOOD UNIVERSITY

Oakwood University is a private, historically Black Seventh-day Adventist university and the only HBCU owned and operated by the Seventh-day Adventist church. The university offers 58 majors across five schools. It also offers five graduate programs in pastoral studies, urban ministry, public health, business administration and social work.

In June 2022, the university’s Community Health Action Center launched Camp Oaks, a summer science, technology, engineering, arts and math camp for children in grades K-7. Over

a course of four weeks, students receive instruction in confidence building, intellectual property development, entrepreneurship, design thinking, persistence, creative problem solving, innovation, collaboration and health principles.

In January, Oakwood opened a new COVID-19 vaccination clinic at the university’s Community Health Action Center with the goal of ensuring equitable distribution and administration of vaccines among highrisk and underserved populations.

FAULKNER UNIVERSITY (HUNTSVILLE CAMPUS)

Faulkner University is a private, Christian liberal arts university based in Montgomery. The university’s extension campus in Huntsville has been operating for more than 30 years and offers bachelor’s degree options in business, psychology and criminal justice fields, plus several associate degree programs.

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Health Care HUNTSVILLE HOSPITAL

Founded in 1895 by volunteers, Huntsville Hospital is the second-largest hospital in Alabama and the flagship campus of the Huntsville Hospital Health System. The 881-bed hospital serves as the regional health care center for more than 1 million residents in north Alabama and southern Tennessee. Its major services include comprehensive cardiovascular care, Level 1 trauma and emergency care, full surgical services that include neurosurgery and orthopedics, medical services, outpatient services, Physicians Network and a dedicated Women & Children’s facility.

Huntsville Hospital was one of only two North Alabama-based businesses to make Forbes’ America’s Best Employers

by State 2022 list. Also in 2022, U.S. News & World Report named Huntsville Hospital a Best Regional Hospital, joining a list of just 12% of hospitals in the country that earned the distinction in 2022-2023. Additionally, the hospital received top ranking in nine critical areas:

• Hip replacement • Heart attack • Heart failure • Heart bypass surgery • Colon cancer surgery • Stroke • Diabetes • Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD)

Last spring, Huntsville Hospital and Drake State Community and Technical College announced the Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN) Launch Program, a joint venture that offers three semesters of nursing courses taught by Drake State at Huntsville Hospital’s Cochran Training Center and a job at Huntsville Hospital upon graduation. The hospital provides financial assistance for students in the program to cover tuition, fees, books and other expenses up to $15,000.

HUNTSVILLE HOSPITAL FOR WOMEN & CHILDREN

Huntsville Hospital for Women & Children provides pediatric emergency services, pediatric intensive care, level three neonatal intensive care and pedi62 | BusinessAlabama.com May 2023

Encompass Health Rehabilitation Hospital of North Alabama.

atric surgery. It is home to one of eight St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital Affiliate Clinics in the country, and the only one in Alabama.

The hospital also provides specialized health care for women, including women’s surgery, the F. Joseph Kelly Adult Intensive Care Unit and the Breast Center.

The Maternity Services department offers the region’s only obstetric emergency department, a 24/7, 10-bed unit that handles pregnancy-related emergencies, complications and concerns; a full-time maternal fetal medicine program; board certified pediatric hospitalists; a level three neonatal ICU; pediatric ER and pediatric ICU. MADISON HOSPITAL

Part of the Huntsville Hospital Health System, Madison Hospital opened in 2012 and is now a 90-bed facility with the capacity to double in size to meet the needs of its fast-growing community. The hospital offers comprehensive emergency services, medical and surgical services, maternity services and advanced imaging, outpatient, wellness and physician services.

In February, Madison Hospital became the fifth HH Health System facility to perform robotic surgery when Dr. Mark Purvis, an OBGYN, and a team of surgical nurses and surgical assistants completed two minimally invasive hysterectomies using the hospital’s new da Vinci Xi robotic system. For now, the hospital’s robotic surgery program will

focus on hysterectomies, but the goal is to eventually expand robot-assisted procedures to include gall bladder removal and inguinal hernia repair.

CRESTWOOD MEDICAL CENTER

Crestwood Medical Center is a 180bed full-service acute care hospital. Its accreditations and recognitions include being named: • A tier 1 Facility by Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Alabama • An Accredited Chest Pain Center with Primary PCI and Resuscitation

by American College of Cardiology • A Primary Stroke Center by The Joint Commission and American Heart Association • A Blue Distinction Center+ for Bariatric Surgery, Maternity Care and Spine Surgery • The American Heart Association’s Get With The Guidelines for Heart Failure (Gold Plus) and AFib (Gold) • A Certified Treatment Center of Excellence from the ALS Association In January, Crestwood was awarded a Certificate of Need from the Alabama State Health Planning & Development Agency to build a freestanding emergency department in Harvest. The 11,047-square-foot facility will include 10 private patient rooms, on-site radiology and lab services and a helicopter pad for patient transfer. The center, which is slated to begin serving patients in 2024,

General Contracting | Design - Build | Construction Management will offer 24/7 emergency service and will be the first freestanding emergency department in north Alabama.

ENCOMPASS HEALTH REHABILITATION HOSPITAL OF NORTH ALABAMA

For more than three decades Alabamabased Encompass has operated as an inpatient rehabilitation hospital for stroke, brain injury, hip fracture and other complex neurological and orthopedic conditions. The hospital staff consists of physical, speech and occupational therapists, rehabilitation physicians and nurses, case managers and dietitians. It has earned The Joint Commission’s Gold Seal of Approval for Disease-Specific Care Certification in stroke, hip fracture, amputee and brain injury rehabilitation.

In March 2022, Encompass cut the ribbon on its new Huntsville location, which includes 85 beds and employs more than 300 doctors, medical and technical staff. The new facility has a therapy gym and courtyard, an in-house dialysis suite, four bariatric rooms, four isolation rooms, an in-house pharmacy and dining room.

DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS, BIRMINGHAM VA HEALTH CARE SYSTEM, HUNTSVILLE CBOC

Part of the Birmingham VA Health Care System, which celebrated 70 years of service in March, the Huntsville VA outpatient clinic offers primary care and specialty health services, including mental health services, optometry, audiology and women’s health services.

Last March, the Department of Veterans Affairs recommended to the Asset and Infrastructure Review Commission that a new medical center be built in the Huntsville area to better serve the fast-growing community. The current 47,800-square-foot facility has been in operation since 2015.

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64 | BusinessAlabama.com May 2023

Movers & Shapers MATTHEW BANKS is CEO at

Crestwood Medical Center. Born and raised in Pinson, Banks earned undergraduate and master’s degrees in nursing at the University of Alabama at Birmingham.

He also earned an associate degree in nursing from Troy University. Banks was named a Presidential Leadership Scholar in 2018 and also was awarded the UAB School of Nursing Young Alumni Merit Award in 2013.

CYNTHIA CRUTCHFIELD

is CEO of Innovate Alabama, the state’s first public-private partnership focused on entrepreneurship, technology and innovation. A graduate of Alabama A&M University, Crutchfield worked for the Departments of the Air Force and Navy for 18 years before founding her own IT services and consulting company, Crutchfield Management Consulting.

ANTHONY DANIELS

has represented the 53rd District in the Alabama State House of Representatives since 2014 and has served as minority leader since 2017. Daniels was selected as one of 14 leaders nationwide to join The NewDEAL (Developing Exceptional American Leaders), and he serves on the board of directors for Innovate Alabama. Daniels earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees at Alabama A&M University.

GENERAL CHARLES HAMILTON is the

21st Commanding General of the U.S. Army Materiel Command, where he leads one of the Army’s largest commands consisting of 165,000 employees in all

50 states. He has served as deputy chief of staff, G-4 of the U.S. Army, deputy chief of staff, G-3 of the Army Materiel Command, and held commands in Afghanistan on three separate occasions.

He earned his undergraduate degree at Virginia State University and master’s degrees from Central Michigan University and Marine Corps University.

CHUCK KARR

is president at the University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH).

A graduate of the University of Alabama (UA), where he earned his undergraduate, master’s and doctorate degrees, Karr joined the faculty at UA, a position he held for 26 years, including 16 years as dean of the College of Engineering. During his tenure as dean, undergraduate engineering enrollment tripled, research awards grew by $45 million and new facilities totaled $250 million.

DAVID KING is

the former group president and CEO of Dynetics, a Leidos company.

King retired from his 25-year career with NASA as director of the Marshall Space Flight Center. He serves on the board of directors for Innovate Alabama and Leadership Alabama and is chairman of the Huntsville Hospital Foundation board of trustees. King earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of South Carolina and a master’s degree from the Florida Institute of Technology.

NEIL LAMB is

the president of HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology.

Lamb joined HudsonAlpha in 2006 to lead the educational outreach team. In 2019, he was appointed by Gov. Kay Ivey to lead the Governor’s Advisory

Council for Excellence in STEM, and in 2021 was named the recipient of the Arno Motulsky-Barton Childs Award for Excellence in Human Genetics Education by the American Society of Human Genetics. Lamb earned his undergraduate degree at Auburn University and completed his Ph.D. and postgraduate training at Emory University.

BRENDAN MCCORMICK is vice

president and general manager of Turner Construction Co.’s Huntsville office.

McCormick started with the company as project engineer at its Indiana office before transferring to Huntsville in 2004 to serve as project manager.

Turner Construction won the contract to build Huntsville’s new City Hall last year. McCormick is a graduate of the University of Cincinnati and earned a master’s degree at Indiana Wesleyan University.

RYAN MURPHY

is president and general manager of Huntsville Venue Group, where he directed the design and construction of the new Orion Amphitheater, which celebrated its first season last year with headliners like Stevie Nicks, Dave Matthews Band and Jack White. Murphy also oversees operations at the venue and the surrounding 40-acre Apollo Park.

Murphy earned a master’s degree at the University of Florida.

DAVID NAST is

state president for Alabama and the Florida Panhandle at United Community Banks Inc. He was a founder of Progress Bank in Huntsville where he served as president and chief executive officer until its merger with United Community Bank. He is a member of the board of directors of the Birmingham Branch of the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta. He also serves on the board of directors of the Huntsville Museum of Art, the Alabama May 2023 BusinessAlabama.com | 65

S P O T L I G H T: M OV E R S & S H A PE R S

Bankers Association, the Huntsville Sports Commission and Leadership Alabama. He earned BS and MBA degrees from Jacksonville State University, as well as banking certificates from the Louisiana State University’s Graduate School of Banking and Georgia State University’s Leadership Institute.

JOE RITCH has

practiced law at the firm Dentons Sirote since 1983.

Last year, he was nominated by President Joe Biden to serve his second term on the Tennessee Valley Authority’s board of directors. Ritch was previously nominated

by President Barack Obama and served on the board from 2013 to 2017. He is chair of the Redstone Regional Alliance and also led the Tennessee Valley Base Realignment Commission. Ritch earned his BA at the University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH) and attended law school at Samford University’s Cumberland School of Law and New York University’s School of Law. He has served on the University of Alabama System board of trustees and is known as the founder of UAH hockey. Ritch has been inducted into the Alabama Business Hall of Fame.

KIMBERLY ROBINSON is

The University of Alabama in Huntsville is one of the nation's premier research universities, offering a challenging hands-on curriculum that ensures our graduates are prepared to become tomorrow's leaders.

HUNTSVILLE’S COMPREHENSIVE RESEARCH UNIVERSITY www.uah.edu

66 | BusinessAlabama.com May 2023

executive director and CEO of the U.S. Space & Rocket Center.

A Birmingham native, Robinson earned her bachelor’s degree from Vanderbilt University and completed her Ph.D. and master’s degrees at the University of Alabama in Huntsville. She began her career at Marshall Space Flight Center in 1989 as a project engineer in the Propulsion Laboratory and went on to hold a number of positions, including astronaut trainer and payload mission manager for Artemis I. She has earned numerous NASA performance awards, including an Exceptional Achievement Medal and the Silver Snoopy.

JEFF SAMZ is

CEO of Huntsville Hospital Health System where he previously served as executive vice president and COO. His extensive career in public health administration also includes positions at Vanderbilt Health, Duke Health and Mission Health. Samz graduated from the University of North Carolina and earned his master’s degree at Wake Forest University. He serves on the Huntsville/ Madison County Chamber of Commerce board of directors.

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JOHNNIE SHARP JR. is the assistant

director of the IT Infrastructure Division at the FBI campus in Huntsville. Sharp joined the FBI as a special agent in 1998 and has served temporary FBI locations in London, Cairo, New Delhi and Saudi Arabia. He was selected to serve as the special agent in charge of the Birmingham Field Office in 2017. Sharp holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Tennessee and, prior to joining the FBI, was a deputy sheriff and police officer in Knoxville.

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LYNN TROY is

president of Troy7 Inc., a womanowned small business specializing in missile and aerospace engineering solutions that was acquired by Yulista last year. A graduate of the University of Alabama in Huntsville, Troy spent more than 19 years at Teledyne Brown and Teledyne Solutions before founding Troy7 in 2007.

Troy is chair of the Huntsville/Madison County Chamber of Commerce and also serves the Women’s Philanthropy Society’s advisory board and the UAH College of Business advisory board.

DANIEL WIMS is

president of Alabama A&M University where he previously served as provost and vice president of academic affairs and research and as a professor of agricultural sciences. Wims attended undergrad at Fort Valley State College, earned his master’s degree from Ohio State University and a doctorate from the University of Maryland, College Park.

He has served as an itinerant elder in the African Methodist Episcopal Church and is a member of the Omega Psi Phi Fraternity Inc., Sigma Pi Phi Fraternity and the Fort Valley State University Alumni Association.

May 2023 BusinessAlabama.com | 67

Community Development The Orion Amphitheater. Photo by Josh Weichman.

Last spring, Gov. Kay Ivey approved three major road projects in Madison County and pledged 60% of state funds to support them, with the cities of Huntsville and Madison and the Madison County Commission collaborating to provide the remaining 40%.

The state-funded projects include widening Interstate 565 from County Line Road to Wall Triana Highway, widening U.S. 72 West from Providence Main to Nance Road and widening Alabama Highway 53 from Taurus Drive to Harvest Road. All three projects are priorities in Round 2 of the Huntsville-area Restore Our Roads plan and are expected to have far reaching impacts for commuters in north Alabama.

Citing an influx of students, last fall the Madison County Board of Education approved a $196 million capital budget plan that includes adding two new schools. One of the future schools will be built on McKee Road in Toney and the other at an as yet unidentified location in Hazel Green.

The Madison County School System serves nearly 20,000 students in Buckhorn, Gurley, Harvest, Hazel Green, Meridianville, New Hope, New Market and Toney.

The system includes 28 campuses, with five high schools, four middle schools, two intermediate schools, 11 elementary schools, two K-8 schools and two K-6 schools. The system also operates a career tech center, the PACE Academy and Virtual Academy. It is the eighth largest school system in Alabama.

CITY OF HUNTSVILLE

With high scores in housing affordability and quality of life, Huntsville won kudos 68 | BusinessAlabama.com May 2023

from U.S. News & World Report as the best place to live in the United States in 20222023. U.S. News analyzed 150 large metropolitan areas, taking into consideration job market, housing affordability, quality of life, desirability and net migration. In addition to rising from its No. 3 spot on the previous year’s Best Places to Live list, Huntsville also was named the third most affordable place to live in the country.

The largest and fastest-growing city in Alabama shows no signs of slowing down.

In 2022, Huntsville grew by more than 450 residents per month, and commercial, industrial and residential real estate developments are working hard to keep up with the pace. In 2022, the city’s Inspections Department issued more certificates of occupancy than any year since it began keeping records in 1983.

Development in north Huntsville is still going strong after the 2021 opening of the new Madison County Service Center on Memorial Parkway. In May, the city council approved a $4.6 million construction services contract with Consolidated Construction Co. to build Legacy Park near the Johnson Legacy Center. Residential developments in the area also are underway in the Blue Springs, Pulaski Pike and Bob Wade Lane corridors.

As construction progresses on a new federal courthouse and city hall, other dramatic changes and additions are taking place in downtown Huntsville. The Von Braun Center is boasting new upgrades, including a $1.4 million exterior facelift and the installation of a decorative Lumenpulse

LED lighting system. Across the street, construction is underway on the Autograph

by Marriott, a six-story, 187-room hotel overlooking Big Spring Park. The downtown area will be further transformed by its largest redevelopment to date: Front Row Huntsville, a $325 million mixed-use development to be built on the 11-acre site of the former Coca-Cola bottling plant. A $68 million permit issued by the city in December means CityCentre at Big Spring is ready to proceed with construction on two additional phases: a food hall, boutique hotel and parking deck and a mixed-use retail, office and residential space.

In the MidCity District, the 8,000 capacity Orion Amphitheater opened in May and attracted more than 150,000 patrons during its first season. The Anthem House project, a $110 million mixed-use space that includes 30,000 square feet of retail space, 20,000 square feet of office space and 330 residential units, broke ground in September. In January, construction began on Wellory Living, a $108 million, net-zero energy, multi-use residential development. Situated on 4.2 acres, the six-story development will include 328 apartment units, 13,528 square feet of ground floor retail, coworking spaces, a roof-level lounge and an outdoor terrace. A five-story, 120-room Hotel Indigo also is in the works. It is one of three hotels planned so far for the district.

Other major mixed-use developments in Huntsville include the Hays Farm development in South Huntsville, which has 1,000 residential units and 200,000 square feet of commercial space in the renovated Haysland Square development; and the Village of Providence, which added 61 homes in 2022 and has roughly 1,000 apartment units under construction.

The 2.2 million-square-foot Huntsville Logistics Center is expected to be completed in 2023. The roughly 132-acre, four-building industrial park is located at Old Highway 20 and Gunters Way, with access to I-565.

Huntsville Public Transportation is preparing for a major overhaul and unveiled a five-phase plan to add more buses, more route hours and a Sunday bus service, announced at a February City Council meeting.

In September, Huntsville City Schools (HCS) announced plans for a new cen-

S P O T L I G H T: CO M M U N I T Y D E V E LO PM E N T

tral office and a new technical education academy that will be built on 14 acres at the intersection of North Memorial Parkway and Max Luther Drive. Currently scheduled for completion in summer 2025, HCS plans to move to the new headquarters that fall; students will start at the career tech academy at the same time. More than 5,000 students are enrolled in more than 18 HCS Career & Technical Education Academies.

The new Alabama School of Cyber Technology and Engineering (ASCTE) opened its facility in Cummings Research Park in September. The new location has 125,000 square feet of academic and research space.

ASCTE is a public, commuter and residential magnet high school that serves 254 students representing 61 Alabama communities in the 2022-2023 school year. Tuition and housing are free. It is the nation’s first high school to teach cyber resiliency in all disciplines and Alabama’s third state magnet school.

In October 2022, representatives from HCS, Calhoun Community College and Drake State Community & Technical College announced a new partnership to support Career Technical Education (CTE) students after graduation. The Graduate Ready with Opportunities to Work initiative gives CTE graduates an opportunity to earn a total of 12 scholarships covering tuition and other education costs at both community colleges. Starting in April 2023, each of the six HCS high schools will award one scholarship from each community college to a graduating CTE senior.

New Century Technology High School (NCTHS), Huntsville High School and Grissom High School were listed among the top high schools in the state last year. U.S. News & World Report ranked high schools based on data from the 2019-2020 school year. NCTHS was rated the second-best school in Alabama; Huntsville High ranked 17th and Grissom ranked 31st.

HCS has 23,665 students enrolled for the 2022-2023 academic year in 26 elementary schools, 11 middle and junior high schools and six high schools.

CITY OF MADISON

Madison added 275,000 square feet of business space in 2022 and another 269,000 square feet has been approved or is already under construction for this year. Several

A view of downtown Huntsville.

Photo courtesy of Huntsville/Madison County Chamber of Commerce.

of those new businesses are slated for the sprawling Town Madison project, including the state’s first BJ’s Wholesale Club, a Massachusetts-based membership-only warehouse chain. Town Madison also will be the future location of North Alabama’s first dual-branded Marriott, The Courtyard and Residence Inn by Marriott.

In November, the Madison City Council approved the city’s first arts and entertainment district for Town Madison. The ordinance will allow customers aged 21 and older to purchase alcoholic beverages and carry them outdoors within the district’s designated boundaries, which includes Toyota Field.

In February, construction began on a $37 million project for flyover ramps that will connect westbound traffic on I-565 to Town Madison. The project, expected to be completed by November of 2024, brings the city’s investment in Town Madison to around $76 million; that amount includes infrastructure projects and $46 million for Toyota Field.

Across town, Clift Farm is busy with its own expansion, including the addition of 12 new stores and restaurants this year and several new housing complexes. The mixed-use development’s 2019 master plan allocates roughly 400,000 square feet for retail space and 350,000 square feet of office space, as well as 1,735 residential units.

A new community center is coming to Madison in the form of a renovation of the old Three Springs facility. The 30,000-square-foot facility will have meet-

ing rooms, arts and craft spaces, a multi-use gym and 30 acres of outdoor space. The renovation is expected to be complete by August 2024.

Construction on the new Journey Middle School is almost complete. Coming in under budget at $51 million, the 170,000-square-foot facility is expected to serve 1,200 students when it opens this fall.

It will be Madison’s third middle school.

In response to the city’s rapid growth, Madison City Schools (MCS) announced in March that its board has approved financing plans to build a new elementary school in the district. MCS also announced plans to expand its high schools.

MCS and each of its schools received all A’s on their 2022 State Department of Education report cards, one of only five districts statewide to do so.

MCS also received an A+ rating from Niche.com, a national school ranking research group. MCS is ranked No. 1 out of 138 school districts statewide and 57th out of 10,571 school systems nationwide. All of its elementary schools were on the top 10 list out of 741 elementary schools ranked statewide. Discover placed first and Liberty fifth out of 397 middle schools, and James Clemens and Bob Jones placed sixth and ninth, respectively, out of 365 Alabama high schools.

MCS, which celebrated its 25th anniversary last year, is the 12th largest school district in Alabama with 12,400 students enrolled across 11 campuses.

May 2023 BusinessAlabama.com | 69

ER UND I N

C O N S T R U C T I O N

CALL FOR NOMINATIONS Nominations accepted through June 30 at alagc.org/events/top-40-under-40/

ALABAMA AGC AND BUSINESS ALABAMA 40 UNDER 40 IN CONSTRUCTION CLASS OF 2023 DO YOU KNOW SOMEONE UNDER 40 MAKING A DIFFERENCE IN THE CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY? Alabama AGC and Business Alabama are proud to present the Top 40 Under 40 rising stars in commercial construction, which will recognize the top 40 individuals who demonstrate an incredibly high level of leadership, professional excellence and commitment to the construction industry throughout the state.

NOMINATIONS WILL CLOSE JUNE 30, 2023 Important Information About Nominations:

organizations, play a critical role in the community and will play a key role in the construction industry moving forward. Letters of recommendation are also helpful, but the key is to provide tangible examples of why a person is a good candidate. Nominees are judged on merit, rather than quantity of nominations.

• Nominees MUST submit a headshot. Must be a high-res image and a minimum of 300dpi. Send headshots to jennad@alagc.org

• An ideal nomination consists of a bulleted-point list detailing tangible accomplishments and reasons why an honoree is worthy of consideration for Top 40 Under 40.

• If you have additional supporting materials (letters of recommendation, etc.) email them to jennad@alagc.org

• We are looking for individuals who have contributed to company growth and success, are key leaders in their

• Nominees MUST be employed by a current Alabama AGC member company. If you are not a member but would still wish to apply, visit alagc.org/membership/join/

ALABAMA AGC | 5000 GRANTSWOOD ROAD, SUITE 100, IRONDALE, AL 35210

Culture & Recreation U.S. Space & Rocket Center.

baseball team of the Southern League and the Double-A affiliate of the Los Angeles Angels. The facility also is available for corporate functions, banquets, wedding receptions and other events. In the offseason, the ballpark hosts special events including movie nights and a holiday light show.

JOHN HUNT PARK

U.S. SPACE AND ROCKET CENTER

Alabama’s No. 1 paid tourist attraction is a Smithsonian Affiliate, the official visitor center for NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center and the official museum for the U.S. Army. It boasts one of the largest collections of rockets and space memorabilia in the world and is home to the U.S. Space Camp Training Center.

Interactive exhibits center on Apollo, Mercury and Space Shuttle spacecraft and the history of space exploration. Visitors also can experience space travel simulators and travel through space during planetarium shows.

HUNTSVILLE BOTANICAL GARDEN

The 112-acre Huntsville Botanical Garden, recently named among the 10 best botanical gardens in the nation for 2023 by USA Today, is open year-round and includes the nation’s largest openair butterfly house, a children’s garden, wooded nature trails, specialty gardens and native plant collections. The garden also hosts a variety of events, exhibits and programs throughout the year with an eye on plant conservation and education.

HUNTSVILLE MUSEUM OF ART

Located in downtown Huntsville’s Big Spring Park, this nationally accredited

museum boasts a 2,522-piece permanent collection and houses seven galleries featuring a variety of traveling exhibitions and works by nationally and regionally acclaimed artists. The museum also is home to the world’s largest collection of Buccellati silver animals.

ORION AMPHITHEATER

The Orion Amphitheater opened in May 2022, and the 8,000-capacity outdoor venue, inspired by the open-air amphitheaters of ancient Greece, offers a space for concerts and community events year-round, as well as a variety of food and drink options for Orion patrons and the surrounding MidCity district. The amphitheater is located in Apollo Park, a new leisure, activity and nature park.

VARIETY IS THE SPICE

Huntsville’s MidCity District, Town Madison and the Village of Providence all mix restaurants, retail and entertainment options in mixed-use areas of residential and office space.

TOYOTA FIELD / ROCKET CITY TRASH PANDAS

Located in Madison, the 7,000-capacity Toyota Field is the home stadium for the Rocket City Trash Pandas, a minor league

This 428-acre site in Huntsville includes the newly renovated Joe Davis Stadium, home of the Huntsville City FC (Football Club) soccer team, which kicks off its first regular season this year. Last fall, the city council approved construction of a new 53,000-square-foot John Hunt Park Recreation Center that will include outdoor pickleball courts, four full-size gymnasiums and a fitness center. The park’s Raymond W. Jones Community Center is undergoing a $6.3 million renovation and a renovation of Kids’ Space is expected to be completed this summer.

MADISON COUNTY GREENWAYS AND NATURE TRAILS

Huntsville offers 26 miles of greenways for pedestrians and cyclists, and many of the city’s parks connect directly to popular walking trails. Madison also has a number of greenways with additional projects underway. The Singing River Trail, one of the area’s latest developments, is a proposed 220-plus-mile greenway, themed with Native American history, that will eventually connect eight counties and 27 towns. Still in its early stages, small sections of the trail are open in South and West Huntsville.

LAND TRUST OF NORTH ALABAMA

The Land Trust of North Alabama provides a variety of ways to connect with nature, including nine public nature reserves and a paved greenway that offer more than 80 miles of public hiking and biking trails.

HARRISON BROTHERS HARDWARE STORE

The state’s oldest continuously operating hardware store has been located on the square in downtown Huntsville since 1897. The store retains its original historic fixtures and offers a selection of art, toys, May 2023 BusinessAlabama.com | 71

S P O T L I G H T: C U LT U R E & R EC R E AT I O N

housewares, gourmet food, books and other regional gift items.

BURRITT ON THE MOUNTAIN

The historic 1930s mansion and its surrounding 167 acres overlook Huntsville and invite visitors to explore Alabama’s history and natural beauty.

The site includes six authentic 19th century homes, a blacksmith shop and outbuildings and the McCurdy Barnyard.

Interpreters in period dress answer questions, give tours and demonstrate 1800s farm life. Burritt’s nature trails circle Round Top Mountain and connect to the Land Trust of Madison County and Monte Sano State Park.

EARLYWORKS CHILDREN’S HISTORY MUSEUM

This hands-on, interactive history museum is geared toward younger children, featuring a talking tree that tells stories of Alabama history and cultures,

a 46-foot historically accurate keelboat, a dedicated space for preschoolers to develop fine motor skills, a building block light table, an African American history exhibit and an exhibit that offers a glimpse inside popular toys.

WEEDEN HOUSE MUSEUM AND GARDEN

Located in Huntsville’s historic Twickenham District, the Weeden House was home to several notable early Huntsvillians, including Maria Howard Weeden, a poet and watercolorist who became well-known for her portraits of freed slaves and accompanying poems that told their stories.

Feel good.

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Federally Insured by NCUA.

72 | BusinessAlabama.com May 2023

HARMONY PARK SAFARI

A two-mile drive through the federally licensed Harmony Park Safari nature preserve offers visitors an opportunity to observe free-ranging exotic and endangered animals, including zebras, ostriches, giraffes and tortoises. The park is open March through November.

VETERANS MEMORIAL MUSEUM

NORTH ALABAMA RAILROAD MUSEUM

Located just east of Huntsville in Chase, the North Alabama Railroad Museum features a display passenger train, an excursion train, a historic watchman’s hut and over 30 pieces of major rolling

stock. Visitors are welcome to take a selfguided tour seven days a week. Museum volunteers are available on Wednesday and Saturday mornings.

Operated by the Alabama Center of Military History, the Veterans Memorial Museum features a collection of military memorabilia, artifacts and equipment dating back to the Revolutionary War. It also maintains a collection of more than 30 military vehicles from World War I to the present, including the oldest surviving jeep, the Ford Pygmy.

Find the high-value financial solutions, digital convenience, and personal, friendly service you deserve at one of our 35 area branches.

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AlabamaCU.com

Company Kudos

by ERICA JOINER WEST

Bridgeworth Wealth Management has been recognized as a 2023 Best Places to Work for Financial Advisors by InvestmentNews.

It was one of 75 firms chosen for this year’s listing and it is the firm’s fifth consecutive year on the list.

Four Alabama-based financial advisory service firms have been named to the National Association of Plan Advisors 2022 Top DC Advisor Teams list with Assets under Advisement over $100 million. They are: Advo(k)ate Advisors and EverThrive Financial Group, both of Birmingham; Smith Thornton Advisors of Huntsville; and The Wiregrass Group at Morgan Stanley in Dothan.

Auburn Stormwater Research Facility has received the International Erosion Control Association’s sustained partner award for the facility’s practical and innovative solutions for stormwater management.

Brasfield & Gorrie, headquartered in Birmingham, was chosen as the 2023 top-performing health care contractor and sports complex contractor by Associated Builders and Contractors.

Drax, which has multiple plant locations in Alabama, has shipped its 200th sustainable biomass shipment to the UK. That amounts to more than 10 million tonnes shipped.

Faulkner University’s Thomas Goode Jones School of Law, Samford University’s Cumberland School of Law and the University of Alabama School of Law have been named among the Best Law Schools in the nation by Princeton Review’s Best Law Schools 2023 rankings.

Infirmary Health’s Heart & Vascular Institute has performed a branched thoracic endovascular aortic repair utilizing the GORE TAG Thoracic Branch Endoprosthesis, the first of its kind along the greater Gulf Coast region.

Fourteen Alabama-based companies made Inc. Magazine’s Regionals-

Southeast list for fastest-growing private companies. They are: LaunchTech LLC, Mid-America Catastrophe Services, Global K-9 Companies LLC, Southern Veterinary Partners, Apex Roofing & Restoration, Renfroe, OneAscent Holdings LLC, FitzMartin Inc., Gray Analytics Inc., Alabama Goods, Guideway Care, Madison Core Laboratories, Divine Expressions Family Dentistry and Coastal Outfitters.

Mobile Infirmary has earned the Gold Seal of Approval for Total Knee Replacement and Total Hip Replacement certification by The Joint Commission, making it one of only two hospitals in Alabama with this distinction.

Performance Contractors Inc., with an office in Mobile, has received Associated Builders and Contractors’ National Contractor of the Year award. In addition, the firm received a National Safety Excellence Award and two Eagle Awards for projects it completed.

The University of Montevallo has been upgraded to a STARS Silver rating by the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education. The university also has, for a third consecutive time, been ranked as a Military Friendly School in the small public schools category.

USA Health University Hospital has been certified as a Comprehensive Stroke Center from DNV Healthcare USA Inc. Thompson Fabricating, of Tarrant, is celebrating its 70th anniversary in business. The company is a manufacturer of engineered aluminum, stainless and steel fabricated products.

JUNE Manufacturing: A diverse field Moving Alabama-made Goods Associated General Contractors Directory Geographic Spotlight: Mobile County

JULY Keeping Health Care Healthy Alabama’s Private Companies Banking & Finance Geographic Spotlight: Houston & Henry Counties Check BusinessAlabama.com for daily business headlines and additional content

Follow us: Business Alabama @BusinessAlabama

May 2023 BusinessAlabama.com | 73

RETROSPECT

The Golden Eagle Syrup factory in Fayette. Photo courtesy of Golden Eagle Syrup Co..

A PLACE AT THE TABLE

F

or nearly a century, the small northwest Alabama town of Fayette has been home to one of the sweetest, and stickiest, Alabama businesses. The Golden Eagle Syrup Co. has used the same recipe since 1928 and in the same location since 1944. The product boasts a loyal, national patronage who prize the simply made syrup at their breakfast tables and as a key ingredient in pecan pies and other desserts. Scores of Fortune 500 companies can only dream of such stability and brand loyalty.

Syrup maker Victor S. Patterson was born in Fayette County in 1895. He served in the Army during World War I and for a time was stationed in France.

Returning to Alabama, he married Lucy Bobo of Fayette and worked as a conductor for a Birmingham streetcar company. A job with the Alabama Highway Department brought the Pattersons back to

74 | BusinessAlabama.com May 2023

The Golden Eagle Syrup Co.

By SCOTTY E. KIRKLAND

Fayette around 1920, the same year they welcomed their first child, a son named Victor Jr. Necessity is oftentimes the mother of invention. This was true, indeed, for how Golden Eagle syrup came into the world.

Victor Patterson found that the table syrups popular at the time were too hard on his stomach. He and Lucy turned their kitchen into a laboratory and created a mixture of cane sugar, corn syrup, mo-

lasses and honey — four ingredients that made syrup history in north Alabama.

Soon, the Pattersons were offering their elixir to friends and neighbors.

In October 1928, the couple decided to start their own business in a small, wooden structure next to their home.

Patterson chose the name Golden Eagle for his new creation: golden for its color and eagle because it would soar above the competition, “A Syrup Without an Equal for Any Meal,” he said. The original label was slightly less colorful than the ubiquitous blue and yellow version known today. But from the start the slogan was the same: “Pride of Alabama.” So popular was the breakfast-table staple that, in some parts of Alabama, it quickly entered the lexicon. A north Alabama farmer’s market advertisement pronounced its ears of corn to be “young and tender and sweet as Golden Eagle.”

Their syrup business soon grew beyond the bounds of the backyard

R E T RO S PE C T

factory. Additions were necessary in 1932, 1938 Making Golden Eagle Syrup and 1942. In 1944, the company relocated to a vain 1965. Photo courtesy of cant brick building in downtown Fayette that once Golden Eagle Syrup Co. housed a grocery warehouse. It was a rare change in a largely unchanging business. But it allowed production to increase, pushing the Golden Eagle brand, that “Pride of Alabama” into surrounding states.

In 1948, Victor Patterson partnered with popular Alabama broadcaster Joe Rumore. Golden Eagle became an official advertiser and sponsor of Rumore’s morning radio program called “Yawn Patrol.” (Golden Eagle also later sponsored a television show by Duke Rumore, Joe’s brother.)

For years to come, Rumore broadcast the honeyed goodness of Golden Eagle over the Alabama airwaves. In Jasper, the winner of a 1953 radio contest received $50 cash (about $565 today) and a whopping 30 gallons of Golden Eagle syrup, A Pickens County editorial in 1962 appealed to readers’ presented to her in person by Patterson and Joe Rumore. The sense of community pride to support Golden Eagle. “It is your radio personality became so synonymous with the brand that duty to demand their brands, not only because it is the best, but some grocers’ advertisements of the 1950s labeled the product because it is your own local brand and merits your support.” Pa“Joe Rumore’s Golden Eagle.” trons of Alabama-made products were doing more than merely In 1950, Gov. Jim Folsom launched “Alabama Industry purchasing their favorite brands — they were supporting their Days,” an annual weeklong promotional campaign for products fellow Alabamians. made in the Yellowhammer State. Golden Eagle Syrup Co. was Victor Patterson died on December 24, 1960. A few days an early participant. In Fayette, displays of local products were earlier, the syrup-maker of more than 30 years had collapsed at placed in a hardware store window. An advertisement paid for the end of a Christmas party for Golden Eagle’s 14 employees.

by Victor Patterson included the line “What Alabama Makes…

Lucy Patterson and the couple’s two children continued on in Makes Alabama.” This was more than a catchphrase. By 1955, the business. Lucy Patterson died in 1972. Victor Patterson Jr. dozens of Alabama-made products totaling an inventory exceedassumed his father’s mantle. With the exception of his time in ing $10 million could be found in stores throughout the state. military service during World War II and Korea, the younger Among those offerings were foodstuffs like canned blackberries Patterson spent his life in the family business, first as a laborer from King Pharr Canning in Selma and smoked meats from and then as a truck driver and sales manager.

R. L. Ziegler & Co., salad and peanut oil from Sessions Co. in Victor Patterson Jr., alongside his sister Jeanie Patterson Enterprise and Fayette’s syrupy “Pride of Alabama.” They repreNewell and her husband, Herbert, ran Golden Eagle well into sented hundreds of jobs in communities across the state. their sixties. But ill health forced them to sell in 1986. After nearly six decades as a family business, the Golden Eagle Syrup Co. changed hands. Following a series of other owners, Temple Bowling and John Blevins Workers at Golden Eagle Syrup in 1961. Photo purchased the company in 2011. courtesy of Golden Eagle Syrup Co. Today, Golden Eagle syrup is made in the same facility that Victor Patterson purchased in 1944. A mural depicting the company’s history now graces one side of the building. Golden Eagle is made with the same recipe the Pattersons concocted in the kitchen of their small, Fayette home. Alongside syrup in various sizes and quantities, the company now offers clothing bearing the iconic blue-andyellow label and slogan. In 2019, the company began offering its own brand of caramel corn, drizzled, of course, with Golden Eagle syrup. It was the first new product in company history.

Historian Scotty E. Kirkland is a freelance contributor to Business Alabama. He lives in Wetumpka.

May 2023 BusinessAlabama.com | 75

Career Notes LEE ANNE LOGGINS

ELIZABETH JACOBUS

DREW JONES

AVERY G. A. SCHULER

by ERICA JOINER WEST

WILL EPPERSON

IRA BATES JR.

MIKE STOVER

JESSE WHITAKER

JACKIE CRUTCHER

with the Samuel Boykin Medal of Excellence.

EQUIPMENT TOM HANRAHAN

DARREN ROWAN

ERIC LEISY

BANKING

ServisFirst Bank has promoted Lee Anne Loggins to vice president, treasury management sales officer; Elizabeth Jacobus to assistant vice president, commercial banking officer, and Drew Jones to branch operations manager, bank officer for the Huntsville region.

CONSTRUCTION

Avery G. A. Schuler has been hired as

KATIE THIBODEAUX ORTIZ

BEN PACE

senior project manager at McNair Historic Preservation Inc.

CREDIT UNION

Will Epperson has been promoted to chief retail officer at Max Credit Union.

EDUCATION

The University of Mobile has honored Ira Bates Jr., vice president-community development officer of The First Bank,

Ingram Equipment Co. has promoted Tray Pritchard to vice president of operations, Clay Baldis to Pelham shop manager and Melissa Reid to warranty manager. The company also has hired Chris Leopard as Priceville shop manager, Delina Stearns as human resource director, and AJ Atkinson as Theodore service manager.

HOTELS

Mike Stover has joined PCH Hotels & Resorts as director of talent and culture.

LUMBER

Wilson Lumber Co. has promoted Jesse Whitaker to director of millwork operations, and Jackie Crutcher to director of truss operations.

MEDIA

SummitMedia LLC has named Tom Hanrahan as WZZK program director and vice president of country programming and talent development.

MEDICAL

Darren Rowan, M.D., FACS, boardcertified general surgeon, has joined Infirmary Surgical Specialists in Fairhope.

REAL ESTATE

Eric Leisy, ALC, with Great Southern Land in Montgomery, has been recognized as a part of the 2022 APEX Producers Club by the Realtors Land Institute.

Katie Thibodeaux Ortiz has joined Exit Realty Gulf Shores.

TELECOMMUNICATIONS

C Spire CFO Ben Pace has moved to the company’s Birmingham office to pilot continued growth and expansion across the state, where the company has invested $500 million in fiber infrastructure and network enhancements.

76 | BusinessAlabama.com May 2023

Index 16th Street Baptist Church, Birmingham.............8 3rd Realm Creations.........................................32 Abbott Medical.................................................32 Adtran Inc.................................................. 43, 56 Advanced ACT.....................................................7 Advanced Product Solutions...............................7 Advo(k)ate Advisors..........................................73 Aerobotix Inc....................................................43 Aerojet Rocketdyne..........................................56 African Methodist Episcopal Church..................65 Airbus Group................................................7, 32 Akima Global Technology...................................8 Alabama A&M University.................43, 56, 60, 65 Alabama Artificial Intelligence Center of Excellence.......................................9 Alabama Bankers Association...........................65 Alabama Business Hall of Fame........................65 Alabama Center of Military History...................71 Alabama Community College System.......... 43, 60 Alabama Department of Commerce.....................7 Alabama Department of Education....................68 Alabama Department of Veterans Affairs...........62 Alabama Goods................................................73 Alabama Highway Department.........................74 Alabama Jazz Hall of Fame..................................8 Alabama Launchpad.........................................43 Alabama Power Co........................................9, 32 Alabama Realtors...............................................7 Alabama School of Cyber Technology and Engineering.................................... 56, 68 Alabama State Health Planning & Development Agency................................62 Alabama State House of Representatives...........65 Alabama Tourism Department..........................56 Albin-Hill, Jill................................................................43 Alcrete Industries...............................................8 Aldag, Frank..................................................................16 ALS Association................................................62 Altaworx LLC....................................................43 Amazon Inc.......................................... 16, 43, 59 American College of Cardiology........................62 American Health Partners.................................62 American Heart Association..............................62 American Honda Motor Co................................10 American Society of Human Genetics.................65 Amthor, Phil...................................................................9 Anthem House, Huntsville.......................... 53, 68 Apex Roofing & Restoration..............................73 Apollo Park, Huntsville............................... 65, 71 Arcadia Mixed-Use Development.......................56 Archibald's B-B-Q..............................................26 Artemis Program, NASA....................................56 Associated Builders and Contractors..................73 Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education...............73 Atkinson, AJ..................................................................76 AUBix LLC...........................................................9 Auburn University................................ 43, 65, 73 Auburn, City of.............................................9, 43 Austal USA............................................. 8, 32, 43 Autograph by Marriott, Huntsville....................68 Bailey Knit Corp.................................................7 Baker Coupling..................................................8 Baldis, Clay...................................................................76 Baldwin County.................................................7 Bank of America...............................................16 Banks, Matthew............................................................65 Barnes & Associates............................................9 Bates, Ira Jr...................................................................76 BauerFinancial.................................................23 Beck, Tim......................................................................23 Becker, Karen................................................................43 Belle, Valencia..............................................................43 Biden, President Joe....................................................65 Big Bob Gibson Bar-B-Q.....................................26 Big Spring Park, Huntsville......................... 68, 71

A guide to businesses (bold) and individuals (light) mentioned in this month’s issue of Business Alabama.

Birmingham Business Alliance.........................43 Birmingham Civil Rights Institute.......................8 Birmingham Fastener.........................................8 Birmingham VA Health Care System..................62 Birmingham-Shuttlesworth International Airport......................................9 Birmingham-Southern College.....................7, 43 Birmingham, City of.........................................43 BJ's Wholesale Club.........................................68 Blevins, John................................................................74 Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Alabama.............62 Blue Origin Federation LLC................................56 Bob Sykes Bar-B-Q............................................26 Boeing Co., The.......................................... 56, 69 Boggus, Katie...............................................................43 Bowling, Temple...........................................................74 Boys and Girls Clubs.........................................56 Brasfield & Gorrie....................................... 39, 73 Breeze Airways.................................................56 Bridgeworth Wealth Management....................73 British Petroleum Co. PLC.................................29 Bronze Valley Accelerator..................................43 Brookley By the Bay...........................................8 Bruno Event Team..............................................9 Burritt on the Mountain....................................71 Byars|Wright Insurance......................................8 C Spire Wireless......................................... 43, 76 Caddell Construction..........................................9 Caddell, John.................................................................9 Calhoun Community College................ 56, 60, 68 Cape Fear Precast................................................8 Carlisle, Brenda..............................................................8 Catalyst Center for Business & Entrepreneurship.....................................43 Cedeño, Gus...................................................................9 Central Michigan University.............................65 Chandler, Jacqueline....................................................43 ChuckWagon BBQ, The......................................26 Citizens Bank of Valley Head.............................16 CityCentre at Big Spring...................................68 Civil Rights District, Birmingham........................8 Clarke, Anita.................................................................43 ClearMINDnow Inc............................................43 Clemson University..........................................43 Clift Farm, Madison..........................................68 Coastal Outfitters.............................................73 Coca-Cola United..............................................39 Consolidated Communications Inc....................43 Consolidated Construction Co...........................68 Construction Partners Inc....................................8 Cost, Steven..................................................................16 Cotton State BBQ..............................................26 Courtyard and Residence Inn by Marriott, The....68 Crestwood Medical Center.................... 56, 62, 65 Crow, Jordan.................................................................16 Crutcher, Jackie............................................................76 Crutchfield Management Consulting.......... 43, 65 Crutchfield, Cynthia................................................43, 65 Cumberland School of Law......................... 65, 73 Cummings Research Park................53, 56, 60, 68 CVS Health.........................................................8 Cyber Huntsville..............................................43 CyberReach.Org...............................................43 Cygnus Strategy Group.....................................43 Daniels, Anthony..........................................................65 Dave Matthews Band.................................. 53, 65 Daxko LLC........................................................43 Defense Intelligence Agency.............................56 Dentons Sirote.................................................65 Divine Expressions Family Dentistry.................73 DNV Healthcare USA Inc....................................73 Dominican University.......................................43 Donald, Elizabeth.........................................................43 Dothan, City of.................................................56 Drake State Community & Technical College........................56, 60, 62, 68

Drake, Joseph Fanning.................................................60 Drax Group PLC................................................73 Dreamland Bar-B-Que.......................................26 Drive-By Truckers..............................................56 Duke Health.....................................................65 Dynetics Inc.....................................53, 56, 59, 65 E.A. Renfroe & Co. Inc........................................73 Earlyworks Children's History Museum.............71 Eastern Illinois University.................................43 Educause.edu...................................................43 Emily's Heirloom Pound Cakes..........................34 Emory University..............................................65 Encompass Health............................................39 Encompass Health Rehabilitation Hospital of North Alabama...........................62 Ensley Social......................................................9 Epperson, Will..............................................................76 Epsilon Industries..............................................9 Erwin High School............................................29 Eventive Sports..................................................9 Everbloom Health Inc.......................................56 EverThrive Financial Group...............................73 Everything Everywhere All at Once......................7 Exit Realty Gulf Shores......................................76 Express Oil Change...........................................29 Facebook Inc....................................................56 Fairhope Courier..............................................79 Fairhope Single Tax Colony...............................79 Fairhope Single Tax Corp...................................79 Fairhope, City of...............................................79 Falciani, Chad...............................................................16 Faulkner University............................... 56,60, 73 Federal Aviation Administration...................9, 56 Federal Bureau of Investigation.......16, 53, 56, 65 Federal Deposit Insurance Corp................... 16, 23 Federal Reserve Bank.......................................23 Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta........................65 FedEx Ground...................................................56 First Bank, The..................................................76 First Solar Inc.....................................................7 Fitzgerald Peterbilt.............................................8 FitzMartin Inc...................................................73 Florida Institute of Technology.................... 43, 65 Flowers Insurance Agency...................................8 Folsom, Gov. Jim Sr.......................................................74 Forbes Business Council...................................43 Forbes Magazine..........................................7, 62 Ford Meter Box Co..............................................8 Fort Valley State College...................................65 Fortune Business Insights.................................32 Front Row Huntsville.................................. 53, 68 Full Moon Bar-B-Que.........................................26 Full Sail University...........................................32 Gaston, E.B....................................................................79 Geeks and Nerds Corp.......................................56 Gener8tor Management LLC.............................43 GEO Huntsville.................................................43 Georgia Institute of Technology........................43 Georgia State University...................................65 Georgia-Pacific LLC..............................................9 Girl Scouts of the USA.......................................43 Global K-9 Companies LLC.................................73 Global Resources International...........................7 Golden Eagle Syrup Co......................................74 Gray Analytics Inc.............................................73 Great Southern Land.........................................76 Great Southern Wood Preserving........................7 Guideway Care.................................................73 Gulf Oil Corp....................................................29 Hamilton, Charles.........................................................65 Hanrahan, Tom.............................................................76 Harmony Park Safari.........................................71 Harrison Brothers Hardware Store.....................71 Hartley Auto Service.........................................29 Hartley, Allen................................................................29

Hartley, Charles............................................................29 Haufe Talent Management................................43 Havoline Express Lube......................................29 Hays Farm, Huntsville......................................68 Haysland Square, Huntsville.............................68 Heaps, Will...................................................................16 Hendon, Tony.................................................................7 Heronimus, Kevin.........................................................16 Hexagon Safety & Infrastructure.......................16 Hexagon US Federal Inc....................................59 Hicks, Darren................................................................39 Hill, Tom.......................................................................39 Hiller Companies...............................................8 Historic Bethel Baptist Church.............................8 Hodgson, Chris.............................................................10 Hog Wild Beach & BBQ......................................26 Holland Industrial Services.................................9 Honda Alabama Auto Plant......................... 10, 43 Hotel Indigo, Huntsville...................................68 Howard, Brittany...........................................................56 HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology............................43, 56, 60, 65 Human Landing System Program......................56 Huntley, Jeff.................................................................16 Huntsville Botanical Garden....................... 56, 71 Huntsville City FC....................................... 53, 71 Huntsville City Schools.....................................68 Huntsville Hospital.............................. 60, 62, 65 Huntsville Hospital for Women & Children........62 Huntsville Hospital Health System.............. 62, 65 Huntsville International Airport....................7, 56 Huntsville Logistics Center......................... 56, 68 Huntsville Museum of Art........................... 65, 71 Huntsville Sports Commission..........................65 Huntsville State Vocational Technical School......60 Huntsville Utilities.............................................8 Huntsville Venue Group...................................65 Huntsville, City of................................ 53, 60, 68 Huntsville, Port of............................................56 Huntsville/Madison County Chamber of Commerce..................... 43, 56, 65 Hyundai Motor Manufacturing Alabama.............7 Inc. Magazine............................................. 23, 73 Inc. Masters......................................................43 Indiana Wesleyan University............................65 Indy Grand Prix..................................................9 Infirmary Health..............................................73 Infirmary Surgical Specialists............................76 Ingalsbe, Dana.............................................................43 Ingram Equipment Co.......................................76 Innovate Alabama...................................... 43, 65 Innovate Birmingham......................................43 International Erosion Control Association..........73 International Intermodal Center, Huntsville......56 InvestmentNews..............................................73 Isbell, Jason............................................................53, 56 Ivey, Gov. Kay................................................7, 43, 65, 68 Jackson Thornton Asset Management...............11 Jacksonville State University...................... 43, 65 Jacobus, Elizabeth........................................................76 James Beard Award..........................................26 JBS Solutions...................................................43 Jefferson County................................................8 Jennings, Susan.............................................................8 Jetplex Industrial Park.....................................56 Jim Wilson & Associates.....................................9 Joe Davis Stadium, Huntsville.................... 53, 71 John Hunt Park................................................71 Johnson Legacy Center, Huntsville....................68 Joint Commission, The............................... 62, 73 Jones, Drew..................................................................76 Jones, Gianetta.............................................................39 Karr, Chuck...................................................................65 Keenan, Dave...............................................................39 Kelly, Natalie.................................................................39 Kendrick, Hayley Medved.............................................43

May 2023 BusinessAlabama.com | 77

INDEX

King Pharr Canning..........................................74 King, David...................................................................65 Kuehne+Nagel..................................................9 Lake Land College............................................43 Lamb, Neil....................................................................65 Land Trust of North Alabama.............................71 Lannie's Bar-B-Q...............................................26 LaunchTech LLC.......................................... 43, 73 Leadership Alabama.........................................65 Leadership Huntsville......................................43 Leavell Investments.........................................11 Legacy Park, Huntsville....................................68 Leidos Inc.........................................................65 Leisy, Eric......................................................................76 Leopard, Chris...............................................................76 Lilly, Chris.....................................................................26 Lincoln, City of.................................................10 Lockheed Martin Corp........................... 53, 56, 59 Loggins, Lee Anne........................................................76 Los Angeles Angels...........................................71 Louisiana State University................................65 Lucas, Kelli....................................................................43 LunarLab Benefit LLC........................................43 Madison City Schools.................................. 53, 68 Madison Core Laboratories...............................73 Madison County......................................... 53, 68 Madison County School System.........................68 Madison Hospital.............................................62 Madison, City of......................................... 53, 68 Maluff, David................................................................26 Maluff, Joe....................................................................26 Marine Corps University...................................65 Marshall Space Flight Center...... 53, 56, 60, 65, 71 Mason, Monica.............................................................43 Max Credit Union.............................................76 Mays, Carmen...............................................................43 Mazda Motor Corp............................................56 Mazda Toyota Manufacturing USA Inc....................................... 16,53, 56, 59 McClung, April..............................................................34 McClung, J....................................................................34 McClung, Tre.................................................................34 McCormick, Brendan....................................................65 McCormick, Susan........................................................10 McIntyre, Mark.............................................................16 McNair Historic Preservation Inc........................76 Merit Bank.......................................................16 Meta Platforms Inc...........................................56 Mid-America Catastrophe Services.....................73 MidCity District, Huntsville..............53, 56, 68, 71 Midland Lutheran College................................43 Milo's Tea Co......................................................7 Missile and Space Intelligence Center......... 56, 60 Missile Defense Agency.............................. 56, 60 Mission Health.................................................65 Mobile Infirmary..............................................73 Mobile Symphonic Pops Band...........................43 Mobile, City of....................................................8 Monte Sano State Park......................................71 Montgomery, City of...........................................9 Morgan, Allison L..........................................................43 Motion Industries..............................................7 Mullican, Katreena.......................................................43 Murphy, Ryan...............................................................65 NAI Chase Commercial......................................29 NASA................................... 43, 53, 56, 60,65, 71 Nast, David...................................................................65 National Association of Plan Advisors................73 National Retail Federation................................34 National Society of Black Engineers...................39 Nevada Fire Protection........................................8 New York University.........................................65 Newell, Herbert............................................................74 Newell, Jeanie Patterson..............................................74 Newton, Melanie Barksdale.........................................43 Niche.com.................................................. 53, 68

Nicks, Stevie...........................................................53, 65 Nicrosi, William............................................................11 North Alabama Railroad Museum.....................71 North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)..........56 North Huntsville Industrial Park.........................8 Northrop Grumman Corp........................ 7, 43, 49 Novelis Inc.........................................................7 Nuon, Nathaniel...........................................................32 Oakwood University................................... 56, 60 Oakworth Capital Bank.....................................23 Obama, President Barack.............................................65 Ohio State University........................................65 Olivet Nazarene University...............................43 Omega Psi Phi Fraternity Inc.............................65 OneAscent Holdings LLC...................................73 Opelika, City of ..................................................9 Orbital Assembly Corp......................................56 Orion Amphitheater, Huntsville............................ 53, 56, 65, 68, 71 Ortiz, Katie Thibodeaux................................................76 Owa Parks & Resort............................................9 Pace, Ben......................................................................76 Pacific Coast Bolt................................................8 Parker & Associates.............................................9 Patterson, Lucy Bobo....................................................74 Patterson, Victor Jr........................................................74 Patterson, Victor S.........................................................74 PCH Hotels & Resorts.................................. 43, 76 PCI Productions................................................56 Performance Contractors Inc.............................73 Phanthapannha, Charles..............................................32 Phoenix Fastener...............................................8 Pickens Construction..........................................8 Pinnacle Solutions Inc........................................8 Poarch Band of Creek Indians........................9, 56 Polaris Industries.............................................59 Polhemus, Missy..........................................................43 Ponder, Glenn...............................................................29 Port of Huntsville.............................................56 Prepaid Technologies Inc..................................43 Princeton Review.............................................73 Prismm, Wunderwood Corp..............................43 Pritchard, Tray...............................................................76 Pritchett-Moore Insurance..................................8 Pritchett, Shaw..............................................................11 Progress Bank............................................ 16, 65 Prosper Healthcare Accelerator..........................43 Puckett, Jason.................................................................8 Purvis, Mark..................................................................62 Quates, Venus...............................................................43 Qurate Retail Group..........................................34 QVC.................................................................34 R.L. Ziegler & Co...............................................74 Radiance Technologies.....................................56 Rane, Jimmy...................................................................7 Range, The, Huntsville......................................16 Raytheon Technologies............................... 53, 59 RCP Companies................................................56 Read, Liz.......................................................................43 Realtors Land Institute.....................................76 Redstone Arsenal................................... 7, 53, 56 Redstone Federal Credit Union.............. 53, 56, 59 Redstone Regional Alliance..............................65 Reed, Scott....................................................................23 Regions Bank.....................................................9 Regions Financial Corp.....................................39 Regions Tradition Golf Tournament.....................9 Reid, Melissa................................................................76 REV Birmingham................................................9 RippleWorx Inc.................................................43 Ritch, Joe......................................................................65 Rittenbach, Angela.......................................................43 Riverstone Solutions Inc...................................43 Road and Rails.................................................10 Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail.............................43 Robinson, Kimberly......................................................65

78 | BusinessAlabama.com May 2023

Rocket City Trash Pandas..............................53,71 Rogers, Paul....................................................................7 Romine, Brent..............................................................16 Rowan, Darren..............................................................76 Rumore, Duke..............................................................74 Rumore, Joe.................................................................74 Rusty's Bar-B-Q.................................................26 Sadler, Bob...................................................................10 SAIC Inc...................................................... 53, 59 Sam's Club.......................................................34 Samford University.............................. 43, 65, 73 Samz, Jeff.....................................................................65 Sandritter, Angela.........................................................43 SAW's BBQ.......................................................26 Scheinert, Daniel............................................................7 Schuler, Avery G.A.........................................................76 Scientific Applications Inc.................................43 SEC Baseball Tournament...................................9 ServisFirst Bank..................................... 7, 16, 76 Sessions Co......................................................74 Seventh-Day Adventist Church, The...................60 Sharp, Johnnie Jr..........................................................65 Shelton, Laterrica..........................................................39 Sheraton Four Points Hotel, Huntsville..............56 Shipt Inc..........................................................43 Sigma Pi Phi Fraternity.....................................65 Signature Bank................................................23 Signature Flight Support..................................56 Silicon Valley Bank...........................................23 Singing River Trail............................................71 SmartAsset.......................................................56 Smith Thornton Advisors..................................73 Smithsonian Institution...................................71 Society of Information Management.................43 Southern League..............................................71 Southern Living...............................................53 Southern Research...........................................43 Southern Veterinary Partners............................73 Space Camp................................................ 56, 71 Space Launch System........................................56 Spartanburg, South Carolina, City of.................43 St. Jude Children's Research Hospital................62 St. Paul's United Methodist Church.....................8 Stearns, Delina.............................................................76 Stejskal, Samantha.......................................................43 Stitt, Frank.....................................................................26 Stover, Mike..................................................................76 Strategix Medical Solutions..............................16 SummitMedia LLC............................................76 Sunbelt Solomon................................................9 Sunset Landing Golf Course, Huntsville.............56 Sykes, Van.....................................................................26 T-H Marine.......................................................16 Takeda Pharmaceuticals...................................43 TaxSlayer LLC...................................................43 TechBirmingham..............................................43 Teledyne Brown Engineering...................... 56, 65 Tennessee Valley Authority...............................65 Tennessee Valley Base Realignment Commission............................65 Thomas Accounting & Income Tax Service............7 Thomas Goode Jones School of Law...................73 Thomas, Daryl.................................................................7 Thompson Fabricating......................................73 Town Madison............................................ 68, 71 Toyota Alabama................................................53 Toyota Field, Madison........................... 53, 68, 71 Toyota Motor Corp............................................56 Toyota Motor Manufacturing, Alabama Inc....................................7, 8, 56, 59 Toyota Tsusho America........................................8 Troy University.................................................65 Troy, Lynn......................................................................65 Troy7 Inc..........................................................65 Turner Construction Co.....................................65 Tuscaloosa County Airport Industrial Park...........9

U.S. Air Force....................................................65 U.S. Army........................................56, 60, 65, 71 U.S. Department of Commerce..........................60 U.S. Department of Defense..............................43 U.S. Department of Energy................................29 U.S. Department of Homeland Security..............43 U.S. Department of the Treasury........................23 U.S. Navy.........................................................65 U.S. News & World Report................53, 56, 62, 68 U.S. Small Business Administration.....................7 U.S. Space & Rocket Center...............53, 56, 65, 71 UAB Health System.............................................8 UAB Hospital......................................................8 Underwood, Martha Sylla.............................................43 Unifour Fire & Safety..........................................8 United Community Banks Inc...................... 16, 65 Unity Psychiatric Care, Huntsville......................62 University of Alabama................................ 43, 65 University of Alabama at Birmingham......... 43, 65 University of Alabama in Huntsville..............................43, 56, 60, 65 University of Alabama School of Law.................73 University of Alabama System............................9 University of Cincinnati....................................65 University of Florida.........................................65 University of Maryland............................... 43, 65 University of Mobile................................... 43, 76 University of Montevallo..................................73 University of North Alabama.............................43 University of North Carolina.............................65 University of Pennsylvania...............................43 University of South Carolina.............................65 University of South Florida...............................43 University of Southern Mississippi....................43 University of Tennessee....................................65 University of Texas...........................................43 University of West Alabama................................8 Urban Impact Inc................................................8 USA Health University Hospital.........................73 USA Today.................................................. 56, 71 Vanderbilt Health.............................................65 Vanderbilt University.......................................65 Veterans Memorial Museum.............................71 Village of Providence, Huntsville................ 68, 71 Virginia Commonwealth University..................43 Virginia State University...................................65 Von Braun Center, Huntsville...................... 53, 68 Vulcan Materials Co..........................................39 Wake Forest University.....................................65 Walker, Lydia................................................................43 Wallace State Community College.......................8 Watanabe, Shugo.........................................................10 Watson, Lew.................................................................10 Weeden House Museum and Garden.................71 Weeden, Maria Howard................................................71 Wellory Living, Huntsville.......................... 56, 68 Wells Fargo......................................................16 Whatley, Forest Jr.........................................................23 Where Relationships Matter Group.....................8 Whitaker, Jesse.............................................................76 Whitaker, Lamar...........................................................10 White, Jack...................................................................65 Wiederick, Chris.............................................................9 Wilson Lumber Co............................................76 Wilson, Jim III.................................................................9 Wims, Daniel................................................................65 Wiregrass Group at Morgan Stanley..................73 Womble, Hill................................................................16 Women in Construction....................................39 Women in Defense...........................................43 Women's Philanthropy Society.........................65 Wunderwood Corp. d/b/a Prismm.....................43 Wyndy LLC.......................................................43 WZZK Radio......................................................76 Yulista Holding LLC..................................... 59, 65

Historic Alabama

An Early Newspaper

In this undated photo from the 1930s or 1940s, some staff are working at the printing press of the Fairhope Courier. The newspaper was founded in 1894, almost 15 years before the incorporation of Fairhope, by E.B. Gaston. At the same time, he led a group who established the Fairhope Single Tax Colony. Now the Fairhope Single Tax Corporation, it’s one of only two single-tax colonies, along with one in Delaware, remaining in the U.S., according to fairhopesingletax.com. The not-for-profit corporation owns about 4,500 acres of land in and around Fairhope, according to the website.

Do you have a photo you’d like us to consider for Historic Alabama? Send it to Erica West at ewest@pmtpublishing.com.

Alabiz Quiz May 2023:

Q: Merit Bank, just 4 years old, sped up its organizational steps by buying the charter of another bank. What’s unusual about the bank they bought?

A) It was based in Demopolis.

B) It was also called Merit.

C) It was owned by Retirement Systems of Alabama.

D) It was the second smallest in the state.

April 2023: (one month ago)

Q: Our cover story introduced Helena Duncan. She’s the new leader of what organization?

A) Alabama Republican Party B) Business Council of Alabama C) Governor’s Office on Employment D) North Alabama Trade Association

Challenge yourself with these puzzlers from past issues of Business Alabama magazine. If you feel pretty confident, send your answers via email to ewest@pmtpublishing.com or, beginning May 22, work the quiz online and check your answers at businessalabama.com.

May 2022: (one year ago)

May 2013: (10 years ago)

A) Both are among the top 10 largest banks in Alabama.

B) Both are based in Birmingham.

C) Both are Black-owned.

D) Both are more than a century old.

A) Dothan and Auburn B) Gulf Shores and Madison C) Muscle Shoals and Sylacauga D) Troy and Gadsden

Q: Banking was a topic in May, with a feature about Commonwealth National Bank that mentioned another Alabama bank, Alamerica. What do the two have in common?

May 2018: (five years ago)

Q: Our cover story featured David TeichertCoddington of Boligee, one of a handful of people raising a particular crop in Alabama. What crop can he raise, thanks to the unusual qualities of the underground Eutaw aquifer?

A) Canola B) Cotton C) Koi D) Shrimp

Q: Alabama has long had medical schools in Birmingham and Mobile, but early in the 2000s, two new medical schools joined the mix — the Alabama College of Osteopathic Medicine and the Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine. Where are they?

May 1998: (25 years ago)

Q: The May issue focused on high-tech companies, including a list of the top 100 by sales figures. What company topped the list, with nearly half again as much in sales as the next? Careful, all four of these options ranked in the top 15.

A) Boeing B) Intergraph Corp.

C) QMS Inc. D) SCI Systems

Answers from April: D, C, B, A, C, B May 2023 BusinessAlabama.com | 79