Ian Hoppe’s Birminghambased Condoit finds, visualizes, understands
shares
about buildings’ electrical systems. Photo by Joe De Sciose.
61: Huntsville’s Von Braun Center spiffs itself up to celebrate 50 years.
53: From its base in Muscle Shoals, the International Fertilizer Development Center works to improve soil at home and around the world.
90: During World War II, military ship construction at Alabama Dry Dock & Shipbuilding Co. attracted a flood of people to the Port City. LISTING
51
Exchange Bank of Alabama President Catherine Ray Martin keeps the family tradition of banking alive by cultivating and serving personal relationships, one customer at a time.
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Benchmarks
Alabama sees $7B in capital investment in 2024
Economic development efforts in Alabama in 2024 resulted in $7 billion in capital investments across 224 projects. Nearly half came from foreign direct investment.
The numbers are included in the “2024 New & Expanding Industry Announcements Report” released in March by the Alabama Department of Commerce.
“Alabama’s economy is on the move, and this report proves it,” said Gov. Kay Ivey. “With more than $7 billion in new investments and thousands of jobs created, we are building a future filled with opportunity.”
The report stated that Alabama’s rural counties attracted $1.2 billion in investment and nearly 1,700 new jobs. That includes Republic Airways’ LIFT Academy, a flight training center at Moton Field in Macon County.
“We are making sure economic prosperity reaches every corner of our state,” Ivey said. “From advanced manufacturing to aviation training and auto parts production, rural Alabama is on the rise.”
In addition to home-grown investments, Alabama had capital investment of
TARIFF YES & NO
While federal tariffs have gone up, down and sideways over the past month, two Alabama companies had specific responses. On the upside, Bloomberg is reporting that German automaker MercedesBenz, which has a major plant in Tuscaloosa County, is weighing whether to shift more manufacturing to the U.S. in the wake of new tariffs. On the downside, Teledyne Brown Engineering in Huntsville is among the companies on an export ban list from China. China has placed new restrictions on receiving dual-use items – those that can be used for civilian and military purposes.
$3.5 billion from outside the U.S., from companies in 17 countries in 2024, according to the Department of Commerce.
The top five were India, Australia, South Korea, Japan and Mexico.
The Novelis aluminum plant, under construction in Baldwin County, is the largest single item – a $1.6 billion expansion of the original plan by the company that’s based in India. That brings the total investment to more than $4 billion.
The Novelis project gave Baldwin County the top spot overall. Montgomery ranked second with $1,095 million. Mobile County took third with $864 million. More than $700 million of that came in two expansions at shipbuilder Austal USA.
Escambia County saw the most investment of any rural county, valued at $355 million. Most of that, $350 million,
ALABAMA’S COOLEST
The Patriot Advanced Capability-3 Seeker, made by Boeing in Huntsville, has been named the “Coolest Thing Made in Alabama” by Manufacture Alabama. More than 130,000 votes for 44 entries were cast in the competition.
HEAVY LIFTING
The International Intermodal Center at the Port of Huntsville said its 2024 rail lifts were the most since 2008. The port saw 22.3% more rail lifts than in 2023. On March 19, the port surpassed 1 million rail lifts.
PLASTIC PLANT PLANS
Plastic extrusion specialist Primo
is committed to one project, a Pine Gate Renewables solar generation plant in Canoe. The same firm is investing $117 million in Baldwin County.
Madison County saw $524.5 million in investments; Jefferson, $450 million; and Lee $307 million. Other counties topping $100 million are Montgomery, DeKalb, Marshall, Chambers, Cleburne, Coosa, Morgan and Talladega.
A/S, based in Denmark, is opening its first U.S. production facility in Mobile. Its polyvinyl chloride and polyolefins extrusion plant will be on the premises of SLB OneSubsea, which makes umbilicals for undersea use.
COLD SPACE
Baldwin Cold Logistics is opening a $27 million warehouse and office complex in the Foley Beach Express Industrial Park in Foley. Construction is expected to begin in 2026.
JOB LOSS WOES
Chicken processor AlaTrade Foods, based in Phenix City, has announced plans to lay off 165 employees in Alabama.
Grede Manufacturing, which has been in Brewton since 1976, will close its facility there, affecting as many as 220 jobs. The Michigan-based company said it would move operations to other locations. In Brewton, Grede produces ductile iron castings primarily for the U.S. auto market.
BRIDGE SLOWDOWN
The Alabama Department of Transportation and the Mobile Bayway Constructors team are parting ways on the $3.5 billion Mobile River Bridge and Bayway project. ALDOT says the project will move forward as the search begins for the next best bidder for a design and construction team.
The Novelis aluminum plant, under construction in Baldwin County.
Limestone tops counties for growth
With 4,139 new residents between July 2023 and July 2024, LIMESTONE COUNTY is claiming honors as Alabama’s fastest-growing county, with a 3.6% growth rate. Numbers are based on U.S. Census data.
Since 2020, the county has seen 15,381 new residents, a growth rate of 14.9%.
With its new residents, Limestone is now tenth largest of the state’s 67 counties.
Limestone is part of the rapidly growing Huntsville metro area.
BUSINESS BRIEFS
LET THE GAMES BEGIN
The international First Responder Games, with competition in everything from firefighting skills to table tennis to darts, is slated for June 27 through July 5 in Birmingham.
MERGERS & ACQUISITIONS
Legacy Credit Union, based in Birmingham, is buying First Community Bank of Cullman The transaction will be an allcash transaction, though the amount was not disclosed. Anniston-based Southern States Bank is being acquired by FB Financial Corp., which is based in Tennessee. Renasant Bank and First Bank, both based in Mississippi but with Alabama branches, are merging. Renasant’s acquisition of
First Bank closed on April 1. Birmingham-based Waverly Advisors, an investment management company, has acquired GGM Wealth Advisors, based in Baltimore, and NBW Capital, based in Massachusetts. Birmingham-based logistics software firm Fleetio announced that it raised $450 million and invested it to acquire Auto Integrate, a maintenance authorization platform.
CONTRACTS
Huntsville-based Collins Aerospace has received an $80 million U.S. Army contract to upgrade the avionics system of Black Hawk helicopters. The upgrade will feature Collins’ Mosarc technology system.
“Limestone County continues to be a prime destination for businesses and families alike,” said Bethany Shockney, who is president and CEO of the Limestone County Economic Development Association. “Our strong job market, excellent quality of life and strategic investments in infrastructure make this county a top choice for those looking to relocate.”
Pammie Jimmar, president and CEO of the Athens-Limestone Chamber, gave credit to the impact of small businesses. “Our small businesses are the heartbeat of this county, creating jobs and opportunities that draw people here. The economic momentum we are seeing is a testament to the hardworking entrepreneurs and business leaders who make Limestone County a great place to live, work and play.”
Beyond small business, Limestone County saw more than $83 million in capital investment in 2024. Of that, $74.2 million came in an expansion announcement at fabricated structural metal firm Shape Corp.
Local officials say they expect growth to continue.
“People want to live in communities with character, where they can walk to restaurants, shops and events,” said Tere Richardson, executive director of Athens Main Street. “Limestone County offers that and more, with its rich history, welcoming atmosphere and dynamic local culture. Our growth reflects the investment and passion of those who call this place home.”
NEW AT THE TOP
The Tennessee Valley Authority board of directors selected Don Moul as president and CEO of the nation’s largest public power utility. TVA serves customers in 16 counties of north Alabama. Gina Spivey-Brown has been named president of Huntsville’s Oakwood University. She comes to Oakwood after serving as dean of the College of Nursing and Allied Health Sciences at Howard University. Brandan Lanman is the new CEO of Birmingham’s McWane Science Center. Lanman comes to Birmingham from the Orlando Science Center.
ON CAMPUS
The University of South Alabama has broken ground on a 25,000-square-foot, $10 million facility for the Jaguar marching band. The complex is scheduled to be completed in January 2026. Troy University will launch its College of Science and Engineering in the fall. The new college replaces the former College of Arts and Sciences and will focus on STEM-related fields. America’s First Federal Credit Union has begun construction on its student branch at Jacksonville State University in Jacksonville. The new branch is set to open in the fall.
Downtown Athens offers shops and events, all in a walkable space.
Hyundai plans $21B investment in U.S., including in Alabama
South Korea-based HYUNDAI MOTOR CORP. announced plans in late March for a $21 billion investment in its U.S. operations, including upgrades and capacity expansion at Hyundai Motor Manufacturing Alabama in Montgomery.
Hyundai Motor Manufacturing Alabama in Montgomery will see a boost from parent company’s investment.
The investment, planned between this year and 2028, aims to increase automobile production, localize steel and part production to avoid supply chain issues, and invest in EV charging infrastructure, among other goals.
Also in March, related firm Hyundai Steel announced plans for a $5.1 billion electric-arc steel mill in Louisiana, able to produce steel for Hyundai and Kia vehicles. The plant plans to produce low carbon steel from scrap steel.
Hyundai also opened its Metaplant in Georgia the same week.
Hyundai Motor broke down its $21 billion investment in three units:
• $9 billion to increase auto production capacity for Hyundai, Kia and Genesis vehicles to 1.2 million vehicles. This includes Hyundai Motor Manufacturing Alabama.
• $6 billion to localize part and component production,
BUSINESS BRIEFS
ANYTIME CRUISIN’
Carnival Cruise Line will institute a year-round schedule out of Mobile beginning in spring 2027. It will be the first time the cruise line has sailed year-round from the Alabama port since before the pandemic.
NO MORE VENDING
Birmingham-based Buffalo Rock has sold its vending machine operations to two other companies, one based in Tennessee and one in North Carolina. The change allows the company to focus on and expand its beverage operations, company officials say.
WIND CREEK IN CHICAGO
Wind Creek Chicago Southland Casino & Resort,
owned by the Atmore-based Wind Creek Hospitality, an authority of the Poarch Creek Indians, opened in April. The facility includes a casino, hotel and spa.
NEW MANAGEMENT
Birmingham-based Highline Hospitality Partners has acquired the 510-room Hilton Atlanta Airport. Though terms were not disclosed, the hotel last sold in 2019 for $101 million.
PRO GOING
Birmingham-based medical liability insurer ProAssurance Corp. has agreed to be acquired by The Doctors Company, a California-based medical malpractice group. The deal, which is expected to
including EV battery packs.
• $6 billion to innovative programs including work with Boston Dynamics on robotic processes and with NVIDIA on AI systems, providing robotaxis to Waymo and more. This investment includes initiatives to support sustainable energy projects.
Hyundai anticipates 14,000 new direct jobs as a result of the investment.
Just three weeks after the Hyundai announcement, South Korean auto supplier Samkwang announced plans to open a manufacturing plant at the Regional East Alabama Logistics Park in Macon County.
Samkwang is a supplier to Hyundai, Kia and Samsung.
close early next year, is valued at $1.3 billion.
TREE PARK
The Rotary Club of Greater Huntsville has donated $50,000 to help fund an arboretum project in Huntsville’s John Hunt Park. The three-acre park will include 100 species of native trees.
HOSPITAL HELPERS
The Poarch Creek Indians have donated $750,000 to the Atmore Community Hospital. The hospital provides rural health care near the Poarch Creek reservation.
TEEING UP THE BUCKS
Austal USA’s 2025 Charity Golf Invitational raised more than
$225,000 for 14 Mobile-area charities. The annual event at Magnolia Grove Golf Course has raised more than $2.7 million over the past decade.
ALABASTER UPGRADE
The Alabaster City Council has awarded a $43.7 million contract to Clements Dean Building Co. for a new recreation center and library. The complex will include indoor courts, event and meeting space, outdoor pool, workout space and a library triple the size of the current library.
MOBILE SPLASH?
The Mobile County Commission is considering a proposal for a $60 million water park that would include an indoor sports
of
Infirmary Health breaks ground for Baldwin County office, surgery center
Construction of a 94,000-square-foot medical office building and ambulatory surgery center in Malbis is officially underway after WHITE-SPUNNER CONSTRUCTION and INFIRMARY HEALTH SYSTEM celebrated its groundbreaking in late March. The two-story facility will feature an ambulatory surgery
BUSINESS BRIEFS
facility, shopping and dining. Leisure Sports and Recreation proposed the new park. The park would be built at the Mobile County Sportsplex
TRASH PLANT
The Baldwin County Solid Waste Authority has opened a $25 million Materials Recovery Facility in Robertsdale, with plans to recycle materials and convert trash to energy.
NEW AT REDSTONE
National security and technology company Peraton has opened a new facility at Huntsville’s Redstone Gateway. About 200 employees will work at the 27,000-square-foot complex.
MEAT ME IN SUMMERDALE
Maximus Meats has announced plans for an $11 million processing plant in Summerdale, in Baldwin County, which will serve local farmers and offer retail sales of meats.
BUILDING MILESTONES
Robins & Morton broke ground in March on a $150 million tower expansion at Huntsville Hospital. The five-story, 154,000-square-foot project will add 120 beds. In April, the firm celebrated the topping out of a $220 million expansion at AdventHealth in Daytona Beach, Florida.
HOME PLACE
Ascend Birmingham has opened a multi-family unit,
center, imaging center, linear accelerator, women’s imaging and physician offices. The building was designed by Neil King with Evans Terry Associates.
“This project represents an exciting opportunity to further our partnership with the Infirmary Health System and contribute to the growth of vital health care services in our community,” said Jake Carrico, senior project manager at White-Spunner. “We are committed to delivering a facility that not only meets the highest standards of quality but also serves the evolving needs of patients and providers.”
Infirmary Health is the largest non-government, nonprofit health care system in the state, with 700 physicians treating 1.5 million patients per year.
a supportive community for 18-24 year olds from difficult backgrounds. The project is a collaboration among Nequette Architecture & Design, Signature Homes and Big Oak Ranch.
HOSPITAL PARTNERS
Birmingham-based Encompass Health and Piedmont, the largest health care system in Georgia, have opened the Rehabilitation Hospital of Athens in Athens, Georgia. The joint venture between the companies includes six other facilities in Georgia and Alabama.
NC HOMES
Birmingham-based Daniel Communities, along with Silverwing Partners, is building
a 100-acre community in the mountains of North Carolina. Cashiers Lake will include 54 home sites.
AIRPORT SPEEDUP
Huntsville International Airport has finished renovating its concourse connector area, adding elevators, escalators and stairwells. The airport doubled access points for passengers.
DEAN STEPS DOWN
Chad Carson, dean of Samford University’s Brock School of Business for 14 years, will step down effective June 30. After a sabbatical, he plans to return as a full-time faculty member, teaching entrepreneurship and management.
A rendering
the new Infirmary Health building in Malbis.
Wings for Saraland
AAA USA, a Mobile-based joint venture of the Canadian firm Drakkar and the French firm Daher, has donated a maintenance training aircraft to Saraland High School to support its airframe technology program.
The retired Piper PA-28 will allow students to receive hands-on experience in aircraft airframe training.
“As the aerospace industry thrives along the U.S. Central Gulf Coast, especially in Mobile, AAA USA remains committed to the local community through job creation, economic development and education,” said Perry Rucker, vice president and chief operating officer of AAA USA. “By investing in workforce development and partnering with Saraland High School and Coastal Alabama Community College, we aim to highlight the career opportunities available to students after graduation.”
Saraland’s airframe technology program educates students on aircraft construction and operation.
“We are extremely fortunate to have this opportunity to partner with AAA USA, specifically to have a piece of machinery like the functioning airplane for the students to be able to physically put their hands on day in and day out, and it’s something that I feel like a lot of high school students do not have that opportunity,” said Scott Croley, principal of Saraland High School.
annually.
In addition to the donation of the aircraft, AAA USA has launched the Wings of Opportunity aviation scholarship for Saraland High School students. The scholarship will be awarded
BUSINESS BRIEFS
GROCERIES GOING
Winn-Dixie plans to close four stores in Alabama in April and May. The stores include two in Mobile (Grelot Road and Highway 90 West) and one each in Phenix City (U.S. Highway 80) and Vestavia Hills (Crosshaven Drive).
WONDERFUL WORKPLACE
Birmingham-based Regions Bank is on the list of winners for Gallup’s Exceptional Workplace Award. It’s the 11th year that Regions has been recognized by Gallup.
SECURE SPACE
The U.S. Space Force has certified United Launch Alliance’s Vulcan rocket for use in National Security Space Launch missions. ULA, located
in Decatur, is now one of two certified providers with rockets eligible to launch NSSL missions.
FLY ME TO DETROIT
Spirit Airlines is adding twice weekly nonstop flights between Birmingham-Shuttlesworth International Airport and Detroit. The flights will begin on June 13 and can be booked now. Spirit also flies from Birmingham to Fort Lauderdale and Newark.
AIR TRANSPORT
Ahead of Allegiant Air adding flights starting May 21, Gulf Shores International Airport has added two major rental car companies. Both Hertz and Dollar rentals will be available soon at the airport.
AAA USA provides technical workforce solutions, production engineering services and contract assembly in the aerospace, ground transportation, defense and industrial sectors across the U.S. It employs more than 1,300 professionals across the Americas and is part of the Daher Services Group and Drakkar Group of affiliates.
SAME COURSE, NEW OWNERS
The sale of the Birmingham Race Course to the Poarch Creek Indians has been finalized, and the new owners plan to spend the next year expanding the facilities and operation. Terms were not announced, but the new owners called the deal a “significant financial investment.”
SENIOR SPACE
Hoover’s Arise Knox Square has opened a second building in its community serving adults 55 and older. Nequette Architecture & Design worked with Signature Homes to design the community.
NEW LOCATION
Montgomery-based Four Star
Freightliner has opened an eighth location, its fourth in Alabama, in Georgiana. The company provides service to commercial truck drivers.
DESIGN WORK
Birmingham-based Five South Architecture will lead the design of Ecoplastic America’s new manufacturing facility in Statesboro, Georgia. Ecoplastic America is a major supplier for the new Hyundai Metaplant near Savannah, Georgia.
UNDER CONSTRUCTION
FabArc Steel Supply, based in Oxford, has completed a steel structure for a $14.3 million food processing facility in Robinson, Texas. The structure required more than 1,800
AAA USA donated a plane so Saraland High School students could begin learning about aircraft maintenance and repair.
Austal USA christens first steel-hulled ship
Austal’s first steel ship is a T-ATS for the U.S. Navy.
AUSTAL USA has christened the first ship completed on its three-year-old steel production line.
The USNS Billy Frank Jr. is a Towing, Salvage and Rescue ship. In addition to the uses in the ship name, it can also be used for tasks such as oil spill response or humanitarian aid.
Billy Frank Jr., a member of the Nisqually Indian Tribe, served in the U.S. Marine Corps in the Korean War. Later he chaired the Northwest Indian Fisheries Commission. He was honored with the Common Cause Award for Human Rights Efforts, the Albert Schweitzer Prize for Humanitarianism, the American Indian Distinguished Service Award, the 2006
Wallace Stegner Award, the Washington State Environmental Excellence Award and the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
Peggen Frank, daughter-in-law of the ship’s namesake, broke the champagne bottle across the bow at the ceremony March 28.
“Austal USA is excited to christen our first steel ship today,” said Dave Growden, vice president of surface programs. “It’s an honor to participate in this ceremony alongside the ship sponsor, Ms. Frank, and the Native American tribes represented here today. I am proud to represent our talented workforce in celebrating this milestone accomplishment and we look forward to completing T-ATS 11 and delivering her to the fleet.”
Including T-ATS 11, Austal has two T-ATS ships in progress and contracts for two more.
BUSINESS BRIEFS
tons of structural steel framing. Construction firm Robins & Morton, based in Homewood, has broken ground on two freestanding emergency departments in Florida. The facilities, both for AdventHealth, are in St. John’s County and in Ocala.
NOTHING TO EAT
Bubba’s Seafood House, an Orange Beach fixture for more than 25 years, closed on April 1. No reason was given for the closure, which was announced on the restaurant’s Facebook page. The Cypress Inn, a once popular Tuscaloosa restaurant on the shores of the Black Warrior River, is for sale or lease. The restaurant
opened in 1984 and closed in 2019. The real estate firm CBRE has listed the property.
NEW BANK OPTION
Ohio-based Fifth Third Bank will open a branch in Huntsville, part of its plan to open 15 branches in Alabama in the next three years. The opening date is unknown for the branch on University Drive Northwest.
FOOD MOVES
Eugene’s Hot Chicken, which opened in Birmingham in 2017, is planning a new location in Montgomery. It will be the company’s third brick-and-mortar location and its first outside of the Birmingham area.
KNEE SAVER
Sophia Aulisio, a junior in Auburn University’s Harbert College of Business majoring in accountancy, won the $30,000 first prize in Auburn’s Tiger Cage startup competition. Her Protector Innovations offers a volleyball knee pad that improves upon traditional pads.
NEW DIGS
Truck dealer Truckworx has moved its corporate headquarters into a building on 24th Avenue North in Birmingham, across from its flagship dealership. The new space represents a $6.8 million investment.
LEADERSHIP EXCHANGE
Catherine Ray Martin named president of bank her family has guided for generations
By DEBORAH STOREY — Photos by JOE DE SCIOSE
If a business client of Exchange Bank needs help processing payroll with the bank’s software, a bank employee drives over to help. Personal banking customers can do all their business by mail if they prefer.
As the new president of Exchange Bank of Alabama, Catherine Ray Martin promises that things that make her bank special won’t change.
Banking runs in the family for Catherine Ray Martin, whose parents, grandparents, great-grandparents, uncles and child have all been involved in the business.
They compete aggressively against big banks “because we offer pretty much all the same services that they do,” Martin says, but also a personal relationship. If a customer has an issue, he or she “can walk in here and talk to somebody about it.
“You can call on the phone,” she says, and “someone answers.”
Another advantage is that bank officials don’t have to consult with someone in another state on loans.
“All our decisions are made right here,” she says. “When I say right here, I mean literally in this building where I sit; any loan decisions made — every single last one. That’s where I think we don’t just compete. We thrive as a community bank.”
Exchange Bank’s home office is in Altoona, where it has been since the early 1900s, but the financial center is in downtown Gadsden. “We’ve never moved a branch,” she says.
When Martin took over the presidency earlier this year, she says she was honored to follow in the footsteps of those who came before her. Some of those footsteps were from members of her own family.
Martin’s great-grandmother Mary Lou Ray was a banker. Grandfather Jack L. Ray, who died in 2006, was CEO and chairman. Her father, John Richard Ray, is the current CEO and chairman of the board. She works with uncles William Allen Ray and H. Daniel Ray. Her cousin, Christopher Ray, is CFO.
“All our decisions are made right here. When I say right here, I mean literally in this building where I sit; any loan decisions made — every single last one. That’s where I think we don’t just compete. We thrive as a community bank.”
— President Catherine Ray Martin
Catherine Martin has been married to her husband, Jeff, for 29 years and has two adult children. Son Harrison Martin is a loan officer at the Gadsden branch, making him the family’s fifth generation at the bank.
“I’ve basically been with the bank my entire life,” says Martin, 52, who has been with the bank since her college graduation in 1995.
A native of Gadsden, Martin earned a bachelor’s in finance from the University of Alabama. She also graduated from the Alabama Banking School at the University of South Alabama and the National Commercial Lending School at Southern Methodist University. She completed the Alabama Bankers Association Bank Executive Leadership Certification Program as well.
Martin worked at Exchange Bank as a teller while still in high school. After college, she started in the credit card program, then later in loan compliance, collections and as a business manager — “a little bit of everything,” she says.
“The majority of my career has been in some form of marketing,” Martin says, calling it “where I needed to be.
“I’ve been in the marketing department since around 2002. For the past several years, I was the senior vice president of marketing, but I was also on the loan committee and many policy committees,” she adds. “I was doing managerial work for the whole bank while I was still also doing the marketing.”
Exchange Bank has assets of $375 million and operates five branches in Etowah County: Altoona, Attalla, Gadsden, Noccalula Falls and Rainbow City. It started in a rented tin building at the turn of the 20th century and is now the largest locally owned bank in the region.
Altoona citizens met to organize the much-needed bank in 1909. The DwightCone cotton mill had opened in Gadsden in 1895, followed by a steel mill in 1902. Early depositors received a small metal bank. By 1922, construction was under way on the Main Street location, now a historic landmark.
Gadsden businessmen James B. Allen and Jack L. Ray bought controlling stock of the Gadsden Corp., the holding company of First State Bank of Altoona. Ray modernized operations and even personally sang the slogan, “Later or sooner, you’ll bank in Altoona,” in early advertising campaigns.
In 1990, Duke University graduate Jack Ray decided it was time to merge First State Bank of Altoona and Exchange Bank of Attalla. The three-story financial center at Third and Locust streets opened in Gadsden in October 2000.
New President Martin will still serve as chief retail officer and supervise the marketing and retail branches.
“I’m still over commercial services, the branches, the branch managers, the advertising, the marketing, all of that. If you see it out in the public, it came from someone that reports to me basically,” she explains.
The bank has survived for more than a century, “so we have a good thing going,” she says of the legacy operation. Some customers are grandchildren of original clients.
“We’ll just keep running the bank the way we know how and the way that has worked in the past, the way that we can best serve our customers and our community,” says Martin. “I think we do a pretty good job of that now. I mean, there might be a few internal things that get tweaked, but nothing that our customers will see change drastically.”
Business customers want advice, she says, and a friendly ear.
“They want somebody to talk to about their business and help them in their business — especially a new business,” Martin says.
“Even businesses we’ve had forever, the principal owners will still come and sit in here every other week and talk to their banker about things. I think that’s invaluable in this day and time.”
One advantage for smaller banks is the ability to pivot to address local needs.
“Basically, in my office, I decide what the CD rates are by looking at the people around us and by looking at what we need, and the bigger banks,” she says.
Martin has held several leadership positions in the community with United Way, Habitat for Humanity, Cultural Arts Foundation and Industrial Development Authority, as well as statewide leadership roles.
“One of our biggest things is serving our customers, but also serving our community,” Martin says. Bank employees donate hundreds of volunteer hours in Etowah County.
In addition to strong family ties, Martin brings a great deal of experience, said one bank executive.
“She will undoubtedly excel in this position and has started out doing an excellent job bringing new ideas to grow the bank,” adds Exchange Senior Vice President and Chief Lending Officer Kevin Phillips.
Bank board member Marie Akin agrees.
“Catherine leads with a servant’s heart and has always been selfless in volunteering her time while staying engaged in the community,” Akin says. “Catherine has always displayed leadership qualities, even when she was still in school and working part-time at Exchange Bank.”
Deborah Storey and Joe De Sciose are freelance contributors to Business Alabama. She is based in Huntsville and he in Birmingham.
Exchange Bank of Alabama bankers are (from left to right) Lending Officer Harrison Martin, Senior Vice President and CFO Christopher Ray, Executive Vice President and COO Allen Ray, President and Chief Retail Officer Catherine Ray Martin and Chairman and CEO Ricky Ray.
BANKING NEIGHBORLY
Community banks promote their hometown connections, friendly service
By GAIL ALLYN SHORT
Inflation, job layoffs, threats of tariffs and rising home prices are sources of angst for many American businesses and individuals today.
But in tough economic times, local community banks can be a stabilizing force offering jittery individuals, entrepreneurs and companies more personalized service and financial guidance than the typical regional or national bank.
“When you have a community bank, and you walk in and know everybody in that bank, and you have the cellphone numbers of your loan officer and the executive management, it’s much easier to get assistance versus if you’re just an account number and one of so many that they don’t know who you are, or know your business,” says Will Heaps, president, CEO and co-founder of Merit Bank in Huntsville.
Community banks are independent, locally owned finan-
cial institutions and, according to Independent Community Bankers of America, they tend to have strong connections to the towns and cities where their depositors live and work, and they reinvest in those communities.
The American Bankers Association states that community banks help drive the American economy. In fact, the ABA notes that in 2023, lending by community banks totaled $2.31 trillion. They also hold more than 4.5 million small-dollar loans for businesses equaling $325 billion.
One quality community banks are best known for is their heavy emphasis on relationship banking in which bankers strive to get to know their customers over the years and gain insight into each customers’ financial needs, so they can introduce them to products and services based on those needs.
“Community banks are an integral part of Main Street; they
reinvest local dollars back into the community and help create local jobs. Their relationship banking philosophy is ingrained in the way they conduct business, one loan — one customer — at a time,” says the ICBA.
In Auburn, David Hedges is president and CEO of AuburnBank, which opened back in 1907.
“We have 118 years in this community and that obviously lends itself to developing lifelong relationships,” Hedges says.
“The people that we bank with are the people we go to church with and spend time on the ball field with. You see them in the grocery store. This is who we live with every day and try to make sure their needs are met and that the community’s needs are met,” Hedges says.
Meanwhile, Jim Dunklin, regional president of First Citizens Bank of Luverne, says that by forming long-term relationships with customers, it gives him a better feel for who is most likely to pay back a loan.
“If you have a history of 30 years with a customer always paying, unless something happens health-wise or something tragic happens, then the relationship is paramount. You have a history of dealing with them.”
Besides lending decisions, one example of personalized attention at a community bank was when Dunklin was CEO of First Lowndes Bank in Lowndes County.
“When you have a community bank, and you walk in and know everybody in that bank, and you have the cellphone numbers of your loan officer and the executive management, it’s much easier to get assistance versus if you’re just an account number and one of so many that they don’t know who you are, or know your business.”
— Will Heaps, president, CEO and co-founder of Merit Bank
“There were rumors that First Lowndes Bank would probably not make it. So, as CEO, on a weekly basis, I had employees to check the CDs. Back then, the guaranteed amount from the FDIC was up to $250,000,” Dunklin says.
However, one customer had $400,000, he says.
“I didn’t think he had any family members. We tried to contact him, and we ended up finding two sons. They were able to be put on the CDs so in the event the bank failed, he wouldn’t have lost any money,” Dunklin says.
In addition, understanding the local economy and industries impacted by downturns in the economy is also important for making decisions on lending.
Heaps says that in Huntsville, the city has a huge federal government presence.
“If a government contracting company comes in and says, ‘Hey, I’ve got a big contract with the government and I’m going to need some working capital. Can you help me?’ To us, when you have a receivable that’s payable by our U.S. government, that’s about as a good a form of pre-payment for a loan as you could get,” Heaps says.
A bank unfamiliar with the Huntsville area might think the
receivables are soft, he says.
“One of the defining factors of banks that are very successful is they understand that that’s a huge component of our local economy, and we’re comfortable with it, whereas some banks that are not community focused, or are new to the market are not going to have that level of understanding and oftentimes might meet it with resistance,” Heaps says.
Besides personalized service, community banks are often freer than regional and national banks to offer flexible repayment plans and other solutions when customers struggle to make payments.
“We need large banks. We need what they provide to larger corporate clients. But I think where community banks make a difference is that our headquarters is right here in Huntsville and we can make decisions based on what’s happening here in our community and not what’s happening on a larger regional or national scale,” Heaps says.
Heaps says when a business or individual first has trouble repaying a loan, the community bank can offer several options for repayment relief or restructuring the loan.
“If it’s a job loss that’s driving it, what are your prospects for new employment? What does your safety net of personal cash look like? And then, once we gather all the facts, we can sit down with that individual customer and come up with a plan that works for the bank and the client,” Heaps says.
In addition to hometown service and tailored solutions, community bank customers can also access personalized counseling and education.
Hedges says he remembers having to calm AuburnBank customers in March 2023 when national headlines announced the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank in Santa Clara, California.
Inadequate risk management, the crash of the tech boom and too many depositors with more than the $250,000 Federal Deposit Insurance limit in SVB led to the bank’s downfall when SVB depositors made a run on the bank all at once.
“Over that weekend, we sent out an email to all of our customers, just reminding them not only of the safety of FDIC insurance, but showing them our strength and stability and the ability to meet their needs,” Hedges says.
“And frankly, with a 118-year history, we have standing. We’ve seen a number of different economic cycles like the Depression, world wars, high inflation and COVID, and have navigated all of that,” Hedges says.
Dunklin says he especially enjoys counseling and educating new business owners on topics such as cash flow and how to
“The
people that we bank with are the people we go to church with and spend time on the ball field with. You see them in the grocery store. This is who we live with every day and try to make sure their needs are met and that the community’s needs are met.”
— David Hedges, president and CEO of AuburnBank
reduce their spending.
“What I love to do is to work with the young business owners, young entrepreneurs,” Dunklin says. “I’ve been doing it so long, but I enjoy watching and helping them along the way as they purchase businesses or establish businesses and literally watching them go through the roller coaster of owning your own business.”
“I had one person tell me, ‘You’re not only my banker, you’re also my psychologist.’ I think community bankers tend to feel like we’re heavily vested in the businesses and the lives of those business owners as we walk hand-in-hand with them,” Dunklin says. “That’s what I enjoy the most about being at a small bank.”
Gail Allyn Short is a Birmingham-based freelance contributor to Business Alabama
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.
S. Wesley Carpenter, CPWA, CFP, ChFC, CRPC, CPFA
Co-founder
THE HARTY CARPENTER GROUP at Merrill
Wesley Carpenter, a Dothan native, is the co-founder of The Harty Carpenter Group at Merrill, one of the preeminent wealth advisory teams in the Southeast based in Fairhope.
In 2025-2021, Carpenter was selected to Barron’s “America’s Top 1200 Financial Advisors” list and named to Forbes’ “Best-in-State Wealth Advisors” list (2025-2019). Carpenter was also named to Forbes’ “Top Next-Generation Wealth Advisors” (2025-2019) list.
Carpenter has been in the financial services industry for 21 years and is a graduate of the University of Alabama. He enjoys Alabama football, offshore fishing, golfing and spending free time with his wife, Aeana, and two sons, Quin and Wells.
Bryant Bank has promoted Mike Johnston as Huntsville city president. With 28 years of banking experience and 18 years at Bryant Bank, Johnston will oversee operations and strategic initiatives in Huntsville. The Madison County native holds engineering and business degrees from Auburn University and completed the Graduate School of Banking at LSU. Active in the community, Johnston serves as president-elect of Huntsville Rotary Club and on boards including Arc of Madison County. His leadership will support Huntsville’s growth as Alabama’s fastest-developing area.
Bryant Bank | bryantbank.com
Mike Johnston Huntsville City President | Bryant Bank
DeMarco McClain
Area President for Madison County Bank Independent
DeMarco McClain serves as area president for Madison County at Bank Independent. Since joining the bank in 2015, McClain has held several leadership roles, including senior vice president and city president of Huntsville.
McClain holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Auburn University Montgomery, an MBA from Troy University, and is a graduate of both the LSU School of Banking and the University of South Alabama’s Banking School. He is active in Leadership Alabama, the Alabama Bankers Association, and serves on multiple boards, including the Von Braun Center and the Huntsville Public Building Authority. He also supports local nonprofits through his involvement with Bank Independent’s Helping Hands Foundation and other civic organizations.
Bank Independent | bibank.com
Eric Heslop
North Alabama Division President Cadence Bank
Cadence Bank’s vision is to help people, companies and communities prosper. Eric Heslop, a seasoned banker with 27 years of experience, elevates customer care to new heights and leads more than 150 bankers across 22 branches in north Alabama. Together, they provide sophisticated financial products and services for our $50 billion regional bank, while offering the personal engagement of a community bank. A graduate of the University of Alabama, Heslop has strong roots in the state and gives back through active involvement on the board of Easterseals Alabama and as treasurer for Easterseals West Alabama. Heslop and his wife, Katherine, have three boys.
Cadence Bank | cadencebank.com
Robin Hanes
Investment Counselor | Leavell Investments
Robin Hanes joined Leavell in 2019. His previous work experience includes 13 years in commercial banking with leadership roles in relationship management and underwriting. Hanes graduated from Auburn University with a B.S. in finance. He holds the Certified Financial Planner designation. Hanes has served in various community organizations,
including JH Outback, UMS-Wright Alumni Association, Victory Health Partners, Rotary Club of Mobile, Leadership Mobile, Partners for Environmental Progress and Propeller Club. Currently, Hanes is on the Mobile Chamber and Boys and Girls Clubs of South Alabama boards. Hanes enjoys spending time with his wife and three daughters.
Leavell Investments | leavellinvestments.com
Brittney Shonk
Senior Vice President, Private Banking Manager Merit Bank
Brittney Shonk is senior vice president over private banking for Merit Bank. Shonk joined Merit in 2022 taking on the mission to build and lead a top-tier private banking department. She focuses on providing comprehensive financial solutions and offers unparalleled service to high-networth clients.
As SVP, she also mentors young lenders and is directly involved in the Bank’s strategic planning and overall vision. Shonk is passionate about giving back, and does so by serving on the boards of directors for the Huntsville Museum of Art, the Huntsville Symphony Orchestra and UCP.
Shonk and her husband, Darrell, have been blessed with a daughter, Blaire, and son, Dean.
Merit Bank is a full-service bank headquartered in Huntsville.
Merit Bank | meritbank.com
Jimmy Stubbs
Director and the CEO | River Bank & Trust
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 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.
River Bank & Trust | riverbankandtrust.com
Kevin Phillips
Senior Vice President and Chief Lending Officer | The Exchange Bank of Alabama
Kevin Phillips serves as senior vice president and chief lending officer of The Exchange Bank of Alabama in Gadsden. He possesses more than 22 years of banking, finance and accounting experience, working in diverse financial positions with multiple companies where he has gained an extensive insight within these fields. Phillips has also passed the Uniform Certified Public Accountant Examination and maintains a Certified Public Accountant professional designation. Phillips is committed to serving his community, holding leadership positions in Gadsden including multiple positions with United Way of Etowah County and Downtown Gadsden Inc. where he is currently treasurer of both organizations.
The Exchange Bank of Alabama | exba.com
Gray Ingle
Director of Qualified Plans | Mitchell McLeod Pugh & Williams Investment Adviser
MMPW’s Director of Qualified Plans Gray Ingle works as a liaison between plan sponsors and service providers on more than 100 retirement plans for which MMPW serves as fiduciary adviser.
Ingle joined MMPW in 2019 and has been in the financial services industry since 2007. She is a graduate of the University of Alabama and is a Chartered Retirement Plans Specialist® designee.
MMPW was founded in Mobile in 2006 as a fee-only, independent investment adviser. The employee-owned firm had $2.3 billion in assets under management as of Dec. 31, 2024, for clients including individuals, institutions, nonprofits and retirement plans.
Mitchell McLeod Pugh & Williams Investment Adviser | mmpw.com
A forprescription small towns
Fourth-generation
By EMMETT BURNETT — Photos by JAY HARE
Tyler Dalton is the fourth generation to run his family pharmacy business.
Visitors to Slocomb often do double takes while driving down South Dalton Street. They see the street’s namesake drugstore with a mural on a brick wall. The inscription reads: “Dalton Pharmacy, Your Pharmacy
The pharmacy has been owned and operated by four generations of Daltons throughout its 122 years. Evidence of the store’s longevity is just beyond the front
On display inside is an original cash register, more than a century old, made of brass and other metals long before plastic was a thing. A store mortar and pestle from yesteryear accompanies it.
Black-and-white checkered floors are indicative of the soda fountain of bygone days, where pharmacists mixed ingredients that transformed into Coca-Cola.
Theodore Roosevelt was president, radio was experimental and Slocomb was two years old when Jep P. Dalton opened the store downtown. “He did it to support his brother, C.C. Dalton’s medical practice,” says Joe
Dalton, third-generation family pharmacist.
Founding father Jeb died in 1930. His wife, Mantye Hollis Dalton, continued the business as a sundry store until the oldest of her two sons, Charles Hollis Dalton, a 1934 pharmacy graduate from Auburn University, took the reins.
Mantye’s youngest son, Paul Dalton, graduated from Auburn with a pharmacy degree in 1942. After four years in the navy, Paul joined his brother in running the shop.
Charles Dalton died in 1997. Paul ran the store for 60 years until passing it down to his son, Joe Dalton. “In those six decades, Dad never missed a day of work and never complained,” said Joe about his father.
“When I was a kid, the store also sold jewelry, gifts, ice cream, roasted peanuts and more,” recalls Joe. Back then, Slocomb’s school children’s textbooks were issued through the drugstore. Dalton Pharmacy became a hometown icon.
Joe loves to reminisce.
“During school years, I worked the soda fountain,” Joe says. “My standard required the straw to stand in the middle of the milkshake unassisted. Now that’s a milkshake. … In the early days, we sold wristwatches and the little pins to attach a new wrist band when the old one broke off. Today, you just
RIGHT: Joe Dalton and his son, Tyler, are committed to providing local pharmacy services to small towns like Slocomb, Abbeville, Hartford and Opp.
BELOW: The original cash register holds a place of honor in the 122-year-old Dalton Pharmacy in Slocomb.
throw away the watch and buy a new one.”
“Our business was and is all about customer service and relationships,” Joe says. “It is critical we keep the small, independent pharmacy in existence, especially for the small communities. The big-box drug stores are not going to come to a small town like Slocomb.”
Joe’s son, Tyler Dalton, is the latest to run the business. He started working at the family’s store during childhood days. “I began as a young pup, working with my grandfather,” he recalls. “I screwed lids on bottles and other tasks, during holidays, summer vacation and after church. I tinkered around the business.”
Tyler is the fourth generation and the seventh family member to receive a college degree in pharmacy.
He explains how a small drugstore in Slocomb, population 2,080, can compete with big-box pharmacies in Dothan, 20 miles away. “They know us and we know them.”
He adds, “We are in their Sunday School classes, attend church together, play sports with them and contribute to local programs. We support our community because it’s our community, too.”
Tyler’s father, Joe, adds, “Years ago, a pharmacist was almost the top of the food chain, maybe even more so than the doctor because everyone had access to the pharmacist. That is not necessarily so with doctors.”
Tyler is emphatic about the importance of hometown pharmacies. “This is a relationship that matters,” he says. “It’s not like ordering a pizza. Your medications are extremely important. One or two wrong moves and you’re taking the wrong medicine and going to the hospital.”
“We have a lot of seniors here in Slocomb that cannot or will not navigate Amazon,” he says. “Many do not have Wi-Fi, and some can’t drive to Dothan.”
Joe agrees, adding, “It is critical we keep the small, independent pharmacy in existence, especially for the small communities. Big-box pharmacies are not coming to a small town like Slocomb, but we have been here for over a century.
“Our customers know the person behind the counter. They ask us questions that they might feel intimidated by if they ask their physician.”
Continuing his dad’s thought, Tyler notes, “We fill their prescriptions, consult their doctors. And often seek alternative medicines on their behalf that are less expensive. At times, we deliver the prescriptions to their homes. We often know the medicines our regular customers need before they ask us.”
Joe recalls earlier times. “Back then, drugstores only handled a handful of in-house made and dispensed medicines. Now there are thousands.” There is also more availability and scope of services such as vaccines, consultation and greater accessibility.
Both men proclaimed that in the early days, drugstores were cash driven. Today they are insurance driven — and that can mean they are being driven out of business.
“In Alabama, we are losing a pharmacy almost every week,” Tyler warns. “They cannot keep losing money. Insurance costs are undercutting us. Prescription costs are extremely expensive.”
He offers a somber statistic. “Over 20% of prescriptions we dispense are sold at a loss. For example, a medicine that costs us $1,000 might be reimbursed $800 by the insurance company. We lose $200.”
Both father and son pharmacists explained that scenario is being played out all over the state.
“We (the state’s small pharmacies) are pushing the Alabama House and Senate for fair legislation. We want to at least be paid the cost of the drug,” says Tyler.
He appreciates the expertise handed down by his ancestors, pharmaceutical training one does not learn in college. He says, “It is an honor to follow in my family’s footsteps.”
Today the family footsteps encompass nine locations. In addition to Slocomb, the Dalton Pharmacy group includes eight pharmacies in southeast and east-central Alabama and a ninth pharmacy in Double Springs in north Alabama.
The Slocomb, Abbeville, Hartford, Troy and Opp stores operate under the Dalton name. The Dadeville, Headland, Luverne and Double Springs locations operate under other names.
“The business is a challenge,” Tyler concedes. He references ever-increasing government regulations, both state and federal, and notes, “This is a tough business to run now.”
But like the Daltons before him, he loves it.
“We must continue the legacy of the small rural town pharmacist,” he says. “It is vital for those who need medicines but cannot travel far for prescriptions.”
Also, so many people are in need and cannot afford medicine. “What do you tell someone who needs a $600 blood thinner and his monthly paycheck is $800? We must find a way to lower prices, and we try to every day.”
Joe and Tyler agree that running a pharmacy is difficult these days. It is a balance between customer relationships, government regulations, insurance mandates and helping people.
But they also agree that local pharmacists are not only convenient, they save lives. Says Tyler, “That is a reason I love this business.”
Emmett Burnett and Jay Hare are freelance contributors to Business Alabama.
Burnett is based in Satsuma and Hare in Dothan.
Founded in 1903, the Dalton Pharmacy in downtown Slocomb is still in the same family. Photo by Walker Sorrell.
Providing a Boost
A simple fundraising idea for school sports teams becomes a multi-million-dollar company
By CARY ESTES — Photos by CARY NORTON
Greg Crowe took a TV and a table and — without much of an initial strategy — turned it into a $30 million business. OK, there was a bit more to it than that. But not too much more. And there certainly was no grand business plan in place in 2012 when Crowe began
looking for a way to help raise money for the boys’ basketball team he coached at American Christian Academy in his hometown of Tuscaloosa.
At the time, advertising opportunities for potential sponsors largely were limited to game programs or maybe hanging a banner in the auditorium. Hard to raise big bucks that way, especially for a small K-12
school with approximately 1,000 students.
Crowe’s solution was to buy a 70-inch Samsung and build a table around it where the scorekeepers and other game officials could sit. Advertising then could be sold to local businesses and displayed electronically on a rotating basis on the TV screen during the games.
Just like that, ACA’s annual basketball
Greg Crowe just needed a fundraiser for the highschool basketball team he coached — but he has boosted it into the $30 million Boostr Digital Displays.
budget increased 10-fold, from $1,500 a year to $15,000. And nearly as quickly, a burgeoning business was born. As word spread among the small-school coaching community about this new fundraising possibility, Crowe and fellow ACA coach Matthew Renicks began building tables out of Renicks’ garage to sell.
“He had to move his cars out of there so we had room to build them,” Crowe says. “It was something we kind of just started as a hobby to help schools raise money.”
That hobby has grown into an established company called Boostr Digital Displays, with 40 employees and a new 17,500-square-foot office and production building in Coker (just outside of Tuscaloosa) to go along with the company’s
10,000-square-foot warehouse.
Boostr still sells versions of the original scorers table, but also offers large indoor LED video walls and outdoor LED marquees and signage, including football stadium jumbotrons. With this expanded lineup, Crowe expects Boostr to hit $32 million in sales this year.
“I wish I could explain how it happened,” Crowe says with a chuckle. “I built a table for my team, and out of that has morphed this entire thing.”
Crowe says he came up with the idea when he saw an elaborate LED scorers table at a University of Alabama basketball game. He researched the product and found that the versions used by major colleges cost six-figures, and he could not find a company producing smaller, cheap-
er tables. So, he made his own.
The value of the tables quickly became evident to the members of the ACA basketball team, which included one of Crowe’s sons, Collin.
“It helped us raise a lot of money,” says Collin, who now works for Boostr as vice president in charge of operations, along with Crowe’s two other children, Caitlin (marketing) and Carson (sales). “Soon we had all kinds of new gear, new uniforms, a renovated locker room. The funds we were able to raise made our whole experience in high school athletics so much better.”
What started in a garage has morphed into a major business housed in its own 17,500-square-foot facility in Coker, near Tuscaloosa.
Other coaches noticed and started asking Crowe about the tables. Before long, he and Renicks began making and selling them. But Crowe says there was absolutely no business plan around all this. After all, he had a full-time job that he enjoyed as a salesperson with Wood Fruitticher. He figured the tables would be nothing more than a temporary side gig, but the interest they began receiving convinced him otherwise.
“We started getting more and more people around Alabama wanting tables,” Crowe says. “Then we started getting out-of-state people. A coach would move from Alabama to Georgia, order one in Georgia, and the next thing you knew we’d have orders for 20 tables in Georgia.
“By the second year, I realized we were onto something here. Not only did I have the sales experience from my job at Wood Fruitticher, but I had the fundraising experience from being a coach, so I knew what coaches needed. When we sold one to a coach, I’d ask him if he had any buddies who might be interested, then I’d call them. It was completely word-of-mouth.”
After building the first seven tables, the company was moved out of Renicks’ garage and into a workshop. Another 30 or so tables later, they rented a 2,000-squarefoot building and added three full-time employees.
Around this time, Collin began accompanying his father to area conventions to promote the product, including the Alabama High School Athletic Directors’ Conference. “That first year, we had to stop people who were walking past our booth and explain to them what we had, what it does and how it’s helpful,” he says. “By the third year, we had the busiest booth there.”
Crowe says the company experienced annual growth of about 10% through 2019. Like many small businesses, Boostr struggled during the Covid pandemic in 2020 and nearly went under. But Crowe says the company has surged since then, experiencing sales growth of nearly 800% as it has increased its product offerings.
“People like that we’re a one-stop shop,” Crowe says. “We sell it, build it, install it and service it. We want to make things as simple as possible for them.”
While sports-related projects account
for around 85% of the company’s work, Crowe says Boostr is increasing its client base among churches and businesses as well. And most of this continues to come from word-of-mouth referrals, as Crowe says the company spends less than 1% of its budget on advertising.
This approach apparently is working. Boostr has now sold tables to entities in all 50 states, indoor video walls in 15 states and outdoor football scoreboards in six states. Initially most of the sales were to high schools and middle schools, but Crowe says the company has expanded
“People like that we’re a one-stop shop. We sell it, build it, install it and service it. We want to make things as simple as possible for them.”
— Greg Crowe, president of Boostr
into the college market and has done work for nearly 30 Division I schools.
“I genuinely feel like we’re not just selling a product,” Crowe says. “I think we are helping these schools by giving them an avenue to raise money and improve their programs.”
Which really is all Crowe was trying to do when he bought that first TV and table 13 years ago.
Cary Estes and Cary Norton are Birmingham-based freelance contributors to Business Alabama
Empowering Electricians
Birmingham-based Condoit offers first-of-its-kind tool to support industry’s digital transition
By KATHLEEN
Ian Hoppe knew there had to be a better way to access data on
FARRELL — Photos by JOE DE SCIOSE
Ian Hoppe, founder and CEO of Condoit and a commercial electrician, grew up in the electrical industry. His father is a design consulting engineer who runs a firm in Birmingham, and his uncle and godfather was an electrical engineer who worked on international projects.
As a teenager, Hoppe fell in love with the trade while working for Birminghamarea commercial and industrial installer Summit Electric and with a local journeyman. His family members and mentors taught him the importance of high-quality installation, record keeping and analysis.
After high school, Hoppe spent time offshore in the Gulf of Mexico working in the oil and gas field before returning to his hometown to attend the University of Alabama at Birmingham. After graduation, he was employed by Ray Engineering Group, where he did a large amount of data collection on electrical systems across the state.
“A lot of the work we did was at the hospitals in the Birmingham area,” says Hoppe. “The process was digging through electrical rooms, tracing conduit runs down hallways and literally drawing diagrams and taking pictures of equipment with a digital camera.”
After this time-consuming undertaking, he would then have to redraw everything with computer-aided design software. “The process was cumbersome, prone to error and made me mad,” says Hoppe.
After a few years with Ray Engineering Group, Hoppe made a career change and began working as a journalist with Alabama Media Group (AMG) during his late 20s and early 30s. But he never stopped thinking about ways to streamline the data-collection process and solve the problems he and other electricians faced.
In 2020, Hoppe left AMG to found Condoit and successfully applied for the Techstars Alabama EnergyTech Accelerator, a 12-week program that gave him the opportunity to pitch his company in front of hundreds of business leaders, investors and fellow startup founders — and to make connections with local and
Condoit’s cloud-based platform ensures standardized data collection and management that is accessible on any iOS or Android device. The app-based tool helps electrical contractors show their customers how their electrical system affects their organization, compliance and risk profile.
national mentors.
Condoit’s cloud-based platform ensures standardized data collection and management that is accessible on any iOS or Android device. The app-based tool helps electrical contractors show their customers how their electrical system affects their organization, compliance and risk profile. By monetizing this existing data, contractors have the potential to build recurring revenue.
Condoit offers a variety of features including a digital single-line diagram builder.
“It’s not just about making drawings — it’s about capturing the intelligence of an electrical system in a living, interactive format,” says Hoppe. “Our mobile-first approach means field teams can collect, view and update this information on-site, in real-time. That kind of accessibility and interactivity is a game-changer for contractors and facility owners.”
This feature also provides the ability to attach photos, videos and notes to any piece of equipment for easy documentation of maintenance issues, code violations or any other relevant information.
The company’s mission is to accelerate the electrical industry’s digital transition by making change easy, data accessible
and analysis instant. The app can be customized by user role. For example, engineers and estimators can run analyses and export data for proposals, and project managers can track system health or upcoming maintenance.
“We built Condoit to be flexible. Field users see simplified tools focused on data capture and navigation — like scanning a QR code on a panel and instantly seeing where it fits in the system,” says Hoppe. “We’re building role-based access and views so that every stakeholder gets exactly what they need, without the clutter.”
Condoit’s path to market validation has been a journey of trial and error. “The tool itself is fairly complex — you have to be able to collect anything you may find in the field, and anyone who has ever worked in and around construction knows that things can get messy,” says Hoppe.
It took around 18 months for the Condoit team to develop a tool that was practical in the field. The company initially found traction around site feasibility studies in the fast-growing EV charger installation space. “We ran down that path for a couple of years but recently expanded our target market to include larger electrical contractors focused on maintaining large, complex electrical systems,” says Hoppe.
Hoppe notes that the electrical industry’s size offers an abundance of opportunities for digitalization, making it easy to get pulled into a variety of directions at once. “Building something truly impactful means saying no to a lot of tempting paths,” says Hoppe. “We’ve had to stay disciplined about solving one real, painful problem at a time — and doing it better than anyone else.”
Once the team identified Condoit’s ideal customer, responses were incredibly validating: “We’ve seen growing demand from service and maintenance divisions, particularly as preventative maintenance and 70B compliance become more central to their business. Our customer base has expanded rapidly in the past year, and we’re now getting inbound interest from across the country — from major contractors to national facility owners.” Full-service national contractor Gaylor
Electric; Miller Electric Company, one of the nation’s largest commercial electric firms; and Birmingham-headquartered Bright Future Electric are featured among successful case studies listed on the Condoit website.
Although the company is proudly based in Birmingham, Condoit’s team is remote-first, with employees in Texas, Utah, Georgia, Boston, Massachusetts and other locations across the U.S.
“Despite the distance, we’re a tightknit group that works well together,” says Hoppe. After closing a $4.25 million seed round in April 2024, Condoit brought on Peyton Sherwood (formerly of Venmo and Bond Street, among others) as CTO. Sherwood and the development team worked to rebuild the Condoit application that following summer, adding support for QR-based asset tracking, improving 70B compliance workflows and rolling out tools that help contractors package preventative maintenance contracts. Sherwood is currently working on building features around newly available AI engines that the team is excited to roll out in the coming months.
“On the sales side, we brought in new leadership and launched a fresh go-to-market strategy, and the results are showing in our pipeline and close rates,” says Hoppe.
Seeing clients’ responses to the Condoit platform has been extremely rewarding for the team. “That ‘aha’ moment when someone realizes they no longer have to dig through drawings or guess what’s up or downstream from a panel — that’s everything,” says Hoppe.
Condoit aims to empower — not replace — field workers, engineers, estimators and facility managers by connecting everyone in those roles with the right information, at the right time, in the simplest way possible.
“We’re putting power back in the hands of the people who actually work with power,” says Hoppe. “The future of electrical work is digital, and we’re proud to help build it.”
Kathleen Farrell and Joe De Sciose are freelance contributors to Business Alabama. She is based in Mobile and he in Birmingham.
Meet the Alabama women propelling the tech scene
Technology is transforming Alabama’s economy — and women are helping to lead the charge. The 2025 Women in Tech list honors 25 professionals across the state whose achievements are shaping the future of industries from biotechnology to infrastructure, cybersecurity to advanced manufacturing. These trailblazers are launching startups, managing multimillion-dollar programs, driving research breakthroughs and mentoring future innovators. Their work is not only redefining what’s possible in Alabama but also setting a national standard for innovation and impact. Meet the women redefining tech — one breakthrough at a time.
CHRISTIE AITKEN, marketing and communications manager for Alabama State Parks, directs media strategy for 21 parks statewide, including more than 50 social media pages and websites. Aitken launched the Plan Your Adventure Online portal and leads the Alabama State Parks Newsletter. Aitken founded Redeeming Red, a digital campaign that transformed her family’s dyslexia journey into World Dyslexia Day. She is part of Leadership Montgomery’s Class 41 and is the
creative force behind the MGM Reel Movement. Aitken was named the 2024 Chapter President of the Year for the Public Relations Council of Alabama and the Southern Public Relations Federation. She established PRCAcon in Montgomery. She earned a bachelor’s degree in marketing, management and research and an associate degree in business administration, both from Troy University.
SHANNON ALLEN, director of Innovate Alabama’s talent development strategies, works in Alabama’s tech ecosystem, driving strategies to build a future-ready workforce. She leads statewide initiatives that bridge the gap between higher education and high-growth industries, with a special focus on cybersecurity, software development and entrepreneurship. Allen has connected thousands of students to real-world tech opportunities and empowered organizations
through more than $4 million in strategic funding. Allen has more than a decade of experience in strategic partnerships, economic development and creative leadership. She holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Alabama and lives in Birmingham.
MIRANDA BYRNE-STEELE is the COO and vice president of R&D at iRepertoire in Huntsville, which develops multiplex amplification technologies for comprehensive and inclusive analysis of the adaptive immune
SPONSORED BY
CHRISTIE AITKEN
SHANNON ALLEN
receptor repertoire. iRepertoire uses molecular snapshots of the immune system as an early and ultrasensitive biomarker of human health, disease and treatment response. Byrne-Steele has helped shape iRepertoire since its inception, leading innovation and operations across the organization. She co-developed key technologies such as RepSeq+ for multichain TCR/BCR analysis, the single-cell platform iPair and the immunophenotyping panel ImmunoSight. Byrne-Steele received her bachelor’s degree in chemistry with a minor in mathematics from the University of South Alabama. In 2009, she received her doctorate in biotechnology science and engineering from the University of Alabama in Huntsville.
TAMBRA CLARK is a library/media specialist and technology leader at Birmingham City Schools. An Apple Distinguished Educator, she spearheads technology initiatives, optimizes Apple-exclusive and STEM learning environments and aligns educational goals with district leadership. Clark mentors emerging educators through the Computer Science Teacher Association/MITRE organization and Samford University’s Black Alumni Association. Clark
is a Robolink Ambassador, member of Penn State’s E3 program, on the Homewood Library Foundation board and member of Birmingham Women in Technology. Among her recognitions, she was selected for the inaugural Momentum Works leadership development program, is a Samsung Solve for Tomorrow state winner and an ALTEC Challenge $10,000 pitch winner. Clark is pursuing a doctorate in education and organizational leadership from Samford University.
SARA COOPER leads a team at the HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology that uses genetic and genomic tools to study cancer. The goal is to improve cancer diagnosis and personalize cancer treatment. The Sara Cooper lab is particularly focused on breast, ovarian and pancreatic cancers. Cooper, who has been with HudsonAlpha since 2010, also leads the institute’s Information is Power community outreach effort. She completed undergraduate work in genetics at the University of Wisconsin – Madison, received her doctorate in genetics from Stanford University in 2006 and completed her postdoctoral work at the University of Washington in Seattle in 2010. HudsonAlpha is based in Huntsville.
CATHLEEN DE LA GARZA is president of Uniti Fiber, a real estate investment trust that acquires and constructs communication infrastructure and provides fiber and other wireless solutions for the communications industry. As of December 2024, Uniti owns about 145,000 fiber route miles and 8.8 million fiber
strand miles throughout the U.S. De La Garza, among the first female combat pilots in the U.S. military, flew an F-15C for 12 years. De La Garza holds a bachelor’s degree in government from the University of Texas at Austin, as well as a master’s in organizational management from George Washington University. Uniti Fiber is based in Spanish Fort.
SHARON JOHNSON is deputy director for the Center for Cybersecurity Research and Education (CCRE) at the University of Alabama in Huntsville. Johnson is an engineer with more than 20 years of experience in cybersecurity, modeling and simulation, software and testing. She developed and operated the CCRE Cyber Force Incubator. Johnson also has worked for and maintains relationships with Special Operations Command, Program Executive Office-Aviation, U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command and U.S. Army Threat Systems Management Office. She holds Defense Acquisition University Level III Certifications in program management, test and evaluation, and systems engineering. Johnson received a bachelor’s degree in industrial and systems engineering from UAH.
MIRANDA BYRNE-STEELE
SHARON JOHNSON
CATHLEEN DE LA GARZA
TAMBRA CLARK
SARA COOPER
KATIE MCCANN, an engineer for Polaris Sensor Technologies in Huntsville, has more than a decade of engineering design, assembly and test experience developing smallto-large scale optical systems for various commercial and defenserelated applications. She specializes in opto-mechanical design of advanced imaging systems used for visible waveband to long-wave infrared sensing. McCann plays a key role in overseeing the integration and testing of those optical systems to ensure performance and reliability, while also lending program management support to Polaris’ facial recognition, navigation and counter-UAS programs. She received her bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering in 2014 from Auburn University and serves on the Auburn University Mechanical Engineering external advisory board.
KAREN MIMMS, a senior director on the enterprise program management team at Torch Technologies Inc., in Huntsville, is program manager for the Oasis contract and oversees a portfolio valued at approximately $4 billion. With more than 35 years in the defense industry, she specializes in program management,
business development, modeling and simulation, and data management. Her leadership roles include chief of staff, deputy program manager for the $800 million AMCOM Express contract and program manager for the $377 million missile element simulation contract. She holds a bachelor’s in computer science and mathematics from Murray State University and a master’s from the University of Alabama in Huntsville.
RACHEL MOOREHEAD is the executive director of infrastructure and operations at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, where she provides strategic leadership and fosters key partnerships to advance the university’s enterprise technology goals. She directs and oversees all facets of the university’s virtual and physical IT infrastructure, data centers, Windows and Linux servers, databases and cloud services, adhering to ITIL best practices. Moorehead establishes the strategic vision and direction for infrastructure and operations departments and is proficient in evaluating, monitoring and managing cloud providers and integrations. Moorehead designed and executed the establishment of a $26.5 million IT data center and personnel space, accommodating 100 workstations and a 375kW Tier 2 data center facility. She also teaches as an adjunct faculty member in the computer science department at UAB.
ANGELA PELLE is an engineering faculty member at the Alabama School of Cyber Technology and Engineering (ASCTE) in Huntsville. She holds a master’s in environmental engineering from the University of Alabama and a bachelor’s in civil engineering from the University of Tennessee. Her specialties include computational hydrology, data science and stream restoration. Pelle has worked in a number of research centers such as Oak Ridge National Lab, the National Water Center, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and multiple universities. She has also worked in industry as a consultant for the Department of Energy and as a stream restoration specialist. Transitioning to education, she is now a high-school engineering instructor.
SHAY PILCHER started her first company, Archangel Industries, in 2022, focusing on R&D for a new type of artificial muscle technology. While talking with other small businesses in the area, she discovered a lack of prototyping and design support available to young entrepreneurs. Three years later, she has added Sindri LLC to her portfolio to bring manufacturing and prototyp-
KATIE MCCANN
KAREN MIMMS
RACHEL MOOREHEAD
ANGELA PELLE
SHAY PILCHER
ing capabilities to the area at prices that are more affordable for new companies as well as smaller businesses. She lives in Auburn, where she received both her bachelor’s and master’s in mechanical engineering from Auburn University.
CAROL TRULL PITTMAN is founder and CEO of RedKnot Resource Group, a consulting firm based in Birmingham. Pittman played vital roles in Top 5 bank mergers, including the most extensive treasury management integration in U.S. banking history. She has led multi-million-dollar technology platform implementations, including lead roles in change management, migration journey strategy, development, testing, deployment and post-conversion optimization. She is on the National Small Business Association leadership council, past president of the Alabama Treasury Management Association, past president of the UAB Department of Communications advisory board, past board of directors member of the Central Alabama Women’s Business Center and member of the Association for Financial Professionals. Pittman also holds the distinguished Artificial Intelligence Governance Professional certification (AIGP) from the IAPP. She earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Alabama at Birmingham.
JENNIFER RIGGS-SAUTHIER is chief development officer and vice president, chemistry, at Score Pharma in Huntsville. She has more than 25 years’ experience in drug discovery and development in the
CAROL TRULL PITTMAN
pharmaceutical industry. RiggsSauthier accomplishments include the generation of 14 development candidates, 10 investigational new drug applications and two marketed medications with more than 50 patents. Riggs-Sauthier has held various positions, including co-founder & CSO of Nova Mentis Pharma and COO of Foresight Biosciences. She has served on both the BIO Alabama board and Southeast Family YMCA board for six years. Riggs-Sauthier received a bachelor’s in chemistry from the University of Alabama in Huntsville, doctorate in organic chemistry from the University of Notre Dame and executive education in business from the University of California, Berkeley Haas School of Business.
BECCA RILES is manager of the business intelligence team at Abacus Technologies, in Birmingham, where she leads a team of data professionals dedicated to helping clients optimize their businesses through data-driven solutions. Her team specializes in consulting and assessment, technology strategy, data visualization, process automation, and Magnify — Abacus Technologies’ Business Intelligence platform,
designed for CPAs. Before joining Abacus, Riles held multiple roles at a Fortune 500 company, including serving as a technical SAP trainer. She earned her undergraduate degree from the Georgia Institute of Technology and holds a master’s in business administration and business analytics from Auburn University.
PEGGY
SAMMON, CEO of GeneCapture Inc., is a serial technology and social entrepreneur who has co-founded or led multiple disruptive technology companies and innovative nonprofits. Her focus is on transformative technologies that create new market categories by solving previously intractable problems. At GeneCapture, Sammon and her team of biomedical, biochemical, software and hardware engineers have developed a portable, multi-pathogen instrument and cartridge that can test for dozens of pathogens in less than an hour and for less than $20. Sammon has raised $18 million from government contracts and private investors and won $345,000 in business plan competitions. She received her bachelor’s degree from Bucknell University. Sammon lives in Huntsville.
ANNIE V. SAYLOR is CEO and president of Simulation Technologies Inc. in Huntsville. SimTech supports missile performance evaluations through situation and field tests for high-technology defense-oriented requirements. Saylor co-founded SimTech in 1983 and was previously an engineer with Boeing and an instructor of advanced mathematics at the University of Alabama in Huntsville. Saylor received her doctorate
and a master’s degree in numerical analysis from the University of Kentucky. Under Saylor’s leadership, SimTech has quadrupled in size and expanded to include new customers at Redstone Arsenal and Eglin Air Force Base. Saylor’s community work includes with the Huntsville/Madison County Chamber of Commerce, Women’s Business Council and Wellstone.
MICHELLE KENNEDY SCOTT
is founder and CEO of Mobile-based Gulf Sterilization Inc., which creates safe, sustainable sterilization solutions in the medical manufacturing industry using chlorine dioxide gas technology. Scott led Gulf Sterilization through the ISO 13485 process and continues to drive innovation in CD technology, including process optimization and packaging development. Scott is a member of Bio Alabama and Women in Bio, the biotechnician task force for AACS and the Florida Medical Manufacturers Association. Supporting building Alabama into a hub for life science innovation, Scott collaborates with AACS, the University of South Alabama, Bio Alabama and Hatch Fairhope, an innovation hub.
MICHELLE KENNEDY SCOTT
ANNIE V. SAYLOR
PEGGY SAMMON
BECCA RILES
JENNIFER RIGGS-SAUTHIER
ROCHELLE SILVEIRA
, managing director of Gener8tor’s gBeta programs, is a business leader and innovation strategist with experience helping entrepreneurs launch and grow their businesses. Under Silveira’s leadership, Huntsville-based Gener8tor has worked with nearly 200 startups that have raised more than $80 million in capital and created more than 1,000 jobs. Silveira fosters innovation and economic impact by equipping founders with mentor-
ship, preparing them for investment and connecting them to Gener8tor’s robust local and national networks. Born in Brazil, Silveira launched her first fintech company, Bela, at 15 years old, revolutionizing banking and operations for tourism. Over 15 years, she has led fintech, SaaS and payment innovations across B2B and B2C markets.
ANNIKA BROETZMANN SNEAD
,
network architect for Hibbett, is a dual citizen of the U.S. and Germa-
ny whose career has carried her to both countries. She earned a master’s degree in biotechnology from the University of Applied Science in Darmstadt, Germany, and worked as a Cisco certified instructor for seven years, largely on U.S. miliary bases in Europe. She worked with the military and other customers to help them learn more about their networks and pass their certifications. In 2015, she moved to Gadsden, working for Progress Rail as a network engineer. In 2022, she became Hibbett’s first senior network engineer and became the IT network architect for the Birmingham-based company in 2024, converting 1,200 stores within 14 weeks to an overhauled network design without downtime in the stores.
ANGELA SPEETJENS
is co-founder and chief science officer at Shipshape AgWorks, which develops environmentally responsible farming
ANNIKA BROETZMANN SNEAD
ROCHELLE SILVEIRA
solutions. Graduating with a horticulture degree from Auburn University, specializing in hydroponics and fruit and vegetable production, Speetjens worked for nearly a decade in the dental and surgical field before turning to agriculture, including sustainability, food security and innovation. She and her team have developed hydroponic systems that integrate AI, renewable energy and advanced climate control all aimed at making vertical farming more efficient and more accessible, serving communities in urban and more remote regions. Speetjens lives in Birmingham, where Shipshape AgWorks is based.
DESPINA STAVRINOS
, director of the University of Alabama Institute for Social Science Research, is also a professor of psychology and chief human factors research and development officer for the Alabama Transportation Institute. Stavrinos is the founding director of the TRIP Lab, where she has led pioneering efforts to merge simulation, automation and behavioral science — including the development of the world’s first SUV driving simulator and a second high-fidelity system through a partnership with Mercedes-Benz International. Her work has been fea-
tured on CNN, NBC’s “Today” show and in more than 100 peer-reviewed publications. Stavrinos’ research focuses on real-world applications of technology to improve safety and performance. A recognized voice in applied AI, Stavrinos is the only woman leading the Human-AI track of Google Summer of Code.
KAILA SZMAJDA, global demand planner at Trussville’s SPOC Automation, holds a bachelor’s degree in economics from the University of Alabama at Birmingham and an MBA from Auburn University. She has built a career at SPOC leveraging data and technology to drive meaningful change in the energy sector. Her expertise lies in bridging the gap between sales and operations, fostering alignment that enhances performance and delivers results. Outside of her professional work, Szmajda is a licensed Ham radio operator and a dedicated weather enthusiast, using her skills to support local communities and maintain communication during severe weather events.
EMILY TERRY is a senior analytics engineer at DigitalOcean, pioneering an analytics platform that delivers
actionable insights into customer behavior. Terry began her career in Birmingham at CTS, a consulting firm where she contributed to major enterprise implementations at Regions and BBVA. These formative experiences immersed her in Birmingham’s vibrant technology ecosystem and sparked her passion for data. At BBVA, she later served as a big data product owner, leading a multi-year transformation initiative that unified more than 80 legacy systems into a modern, scalable data platform — laying the foundation for advanced analytics and data governance across the organization. She earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Alabama.
SHANDA TUCK is the strategic business officer at Auburn University, where she plays a pivotal role in optimizing the utilization of business systems within the business and administration division. Tuck supports various organizations, including human resources, finance and facilities management. In her role, Tuck is responsible for integrating and aligning business systems to enhance management capability and improve efficiency, effectiveness and work execution. She also collaborates with different departments and external partners to ensure the successful implementation of new systems and processes. Prior to joining Auburn, Tuck worked as a consultant for several firms implementing finance and HCM systems for more than 20 years. Tuck is an Auburn University graduate and is pursuing her MBA.
SHANDA TUCK
KAILA SZMAJDA
EMILY TERRY
DESPINA STAVRINOS
ANGELA SPEETJENS
MONEY MANAGEMENT
Tips for finding the right financial planner to advise you
By NANCY RANDALL
R
emember those old Yellow Pages commercials with the slogan “Let Your Fingers Do the Walking?” The ads urged using the directory to find information on businesses vs. driving around town.
Today, with a cell phone in every pocket and internet access, finding a financial planner has far surpassed such rotary dial methods.
But choosing the right financial planner goes beyond just using technology, as four pros recently shared. Here are several factors to consider.
PROFESSIONAL CREDENTIALS VS. EXPERIENCE
Like other industries, financial planning has its share of alphabet soup credentials, from certified financial planner to chartered financial analyst to personal financial specialist.
The “gold standard” among these is the certified financial planner, or CFP for short, according to both Mac Frasier of Oakworth Capital Bank and Rusty Yerkes at Samford University. Frasier is the director of planning at Oakworth, and Yerkes is professor of risk management and insurance and associate professor of finance at Samford’s Brock School of Business. Both earned the CFP credential.
“The CFP is the best way to get a broad education as a planner,” Frasier says. As he and Yerkes notes, earning the CFP requires passing the program’s educational requirements including a section on investments that covers investment planning, tax planning and estate planning, such as estates and wills.
“
Now, are there good financial advisers who are not CFPs?
Absolutely. I think it just demonstrates a level of professional commitment that goes beyond the minimum requirements to do your job. It is one criterion to look at.”
— Rusty Yerkes, Samford’s Brock School of Business Wealth Solutions
Insurance planning also is covered, along with employee benefits programs.
The credential also requires passing an arduous exam, having at least three years of financial planning experience, abiding by a code of ethics and earning or holding a four-year degree in any discipline.
“Now, are there good financial advisers who are not CFPs? Absolutely,” says Yerkes, who previously worked in finance. “I think it just demonstrates a level of professional commitment that goes beyond the minimum requirements to do your job. It is one criterion to look at.”
Shaw Pritchett, president and financial adviser at Jackson Thornton Wealth Management in Montgomery, sees the benefits of attaining the CFP, although he has not pursued it. At the same time, he notes his experience level as a certified public accountant. “I think a CPA brings a lot of expertise to financial planning as well. My previous experience in tax preparation has lent a lot of benefit to financial planning for clients,” Pritchett explains.
Whether it’s earning the CFP or another credential, building this knowledge base enables professionals to be confident in giving financial planning advice to clients, Pritchett says. “I would say they separate the pretenders from the contenders in financial planning.”
The CFP is the best way to get a broad education as a planner.”
— Mac Frasier, Oakworth Capital Bank
REFERRALS AND FREE CONSULTATIONS
If you have a friend or family member already using a financial planner, that’s a good place to start searching, our experts agree, especially if your contact’s financial situation is similar to yours. It’s best to interview a couple of different planners to determine who you’re most comfortable with, Frasier suggests. “As financial planners, we tend to know a lot about a client’s
“
You’re trusting an individual with all of your financial resources. No one wants to go into retirement and realize in the eleventh hour that they’re unprepared for that. Knowing someone else who has trust in an adviser speaks volumes and certainly would help a client make that decision.”
—
Shaw Pritchett, Jackson Thornton Wealth Management
personal life, and we may hear things that they have not told anybody else,” he says. “So, you want to make sure that it is a good personality fit in addition to them being qualified to provide that advice.” And, he notes, most planners offer an initial consultation for free.
To Pritchett, finding and working with a financial planner is all about trust. “You’re trusting an individual with all of your financial resources. No one wants to go into retirement and realize in the eleventh hour that they’re unprepared for that,” he says. “Knowing someone else who has trust in an adviser speaks volumes and certainly would help a client make that decision.”
FEE STRUCTURE
An important question to ask potential planners is how they will be paid.
Frasier explains the three common compensation models:
• Fee only, where the client pays either an hourly flat fee or a percentage of assets managed
• Fee-based could be a mixture of fees and the adviser earning commissions on financial products that he or she sells (mutual funds, annuities, insurance)
• Commission-based.
true advisers looking at the whole of somebody’s financial life,” Frasier says. And, he notes, these changes in fee models align with being a fiduciary, one who can only act in the best interest of clients.
You should also understand a planner’s capabilities. Some only focus on the planning aspect. “So, they are there to create the financial plan, make the recommendations, and help clients with the implementation of the plan, but they don’t necessarily manage investments for people,” Frasier explains. On the flip side, other advisers may do all of that and manage your money, he says.
With the commission-based model, there are potential conflicts of interest as the planner could recommend a product that results in a greater commission vs. another product, Frasier notes. This model’s use has waned compared with 10 to 20 years ago, he says, with more advisers moving to the fee only or a feebased model for compensation.
“Advisers were more financial salesmen but have become more
COMMUNICATIONS
Knowing how often a planner will meet with you and by what means are other questions to ask during your research, Yerkes advises. Will meetings be in person? Virtually? By phone? Quarterly, monthly or yearly? The CFP credential requires a planner to meet with you at least once a year, Yerkes says.
CLIENT BASE/SPECIALIZATION
As you search for a planner, ask what types of clients he or she has served.
For example, if you own a business, seek out planners who have served other business owners and their unique financial planning situations, Frasier advises, whether that is a medical practice or some other industry.
You should also understand a planner’s capabilities. Some only focus on the planning aspect. “So, they are there to create the financial plan, make the recommendations, and help clients with the implementation of the plan, but they don’t necessarily manage investments for people,” Frasier explains. On the flip side, other advisers may do all of that and manage your money, he says.
CONSIDER AN EARLY START AND INSURANCE
CFP Mandy Harrelson, an instructor and program champion in the Harbert College of Business Department of Finance at Auburn University, guides finance majors on careers and helps set
up internships for them. Like Yerkes, she worked as a financial adviser before entering the academic world.
Part of her guidance to students: Get with a financial adviser right out of college and start making a plan.
But there’s a misconception that you have to have a lot of money to have a financial adviser, Harrelson says. “They [students] will be making a salary for the first time. I tell them that it’s easier to start off with a plan of action with their new income.”
While still working as a financial adviser, she gave this same strategic advice to her husband as he prepared to become a nurse anesthetist. His new salary was going to be significantly higher than what he had been earning as a nurse, Harrelson explains.
Unfortunately, her husband was involved in an accident. Fully disabled now, he has not been able to work as a nurse anesthetist since 2018. But the couple was prepared by having “fantastic” disability insurance, helping to minimize their financial burden, Harrelson says.
Some advisers just want to focus on investments — the “sexier side of financial planning,” she says, not addressing the “defensive side” that is insurance. “But not talking about insurance is doing a disservice to the client,” Harrelson notes.
Nancy Randall is a Tuscaloosa-based freelance contributor to Business Alabama.
“ — Mandy Harrelson, Harbert College of Business Department of Finance at Auburn University
They [students] will be making a salary for the first time. I tell them that it’s easier to start off with a plan of action with their new income.”
Financial Planning & Investment Advisory Firms
Ranked by value of assets under management from Alabama offices as of Jan. 31, 2025. If firms are tied, they are ranked by number of Alabama employees.
THE OTHER MUSCLE SHOALS SOUND
Fertilizer innovation with a global reach
By ALEC HARVEY
Ask folks about Muscle Shoals, one of the four places that make up north Alabama’s Quad Cities, and the first thing that will probably come to mind is music. Home to the famed FAME recording studio, the area is known for its vibrant music history, as well as its perch on the banks of the Tennessee River.
But one other thing the Shoals city is recognized for, worldwide in scope but little-known even to those who live in the area, is the International Fertilizer Development Center. The IFDC oversees fertilizer and soil research around the globe, with offices in the U.S. and 25 countries. And it’s all based in Muscle Shoals, population less than 20,000.
“People are surprised that it’s here,” says Henk van Duijn, president and CEO of IFDC. “But there’s a long history of fertilizer research here.”
Greenhouse Technician Joshua Andrews leads a tour during an open house at IFDC. Photos courtesy IFDC.
Various coated fertilizer products can be found in the IFDC lab.
IFDC works with a variety of products to experiment with various coated fertilizer products.
LONG HISTORY OF RESEARCH
IFDC turned 50 last year, but fertilizer research goes back about a century in the Shoals, when the U.S. Department of Defense came to the area to develop nitrogen for bombs.
“You need electricity to make nitrogen, and that’s why we’re near the Tennessee River and Wilson Dam in Florence,” van Duijn says.
By the early 1930s, the thought was that the knowledge gained about developing nitrogen could be used for agriculture, and in 1939, the National Fertilizer Development Center was created under the Tennessee Valley Authority. The impetus? Using that nitrogen to develop fertilizer for U.S. agriculture. “As of today, 60% to 70% of all of the innovations applicable in fertilizer globally are still coming from this area,” according to van Duijn.
That research went international in 1974, when the International Fertilizer Development Center was born.
“Our mandate at the time, because of the National Fertilizer Development Center, was to focus on everywhere other than the U.S.,” van Duijn says. “The NFDC closed in the 1990s, and the IFDC, as of the last two or three years, has also been focusing on the U.S., taking up the legacy of the NFDC.”
SMALL STAFF, BIG IMPACT
IFDC, which became a public international organization in 1977, has 700 employees globally. About 70 of them are in the U.S., including 10 in the IFDC’s office in Washington, D.C., and 60 at the Muscle Shoals headquarters.
“The core of our research and innovation is here in Muscle Shoals,” says Upendra Singh, IFDC’s vice president for research. “Number-wise it is 60 people, but in terms of continuity and long-term investment, the Muscle Shoals office probably has a longer-term impact on our global mission. The impact of our small staff is quite a lot in terms of global impact.”
And what exactly are they doing? Van Duijn says the work is two-fold.
“One part of our work is working with the commercial industry to develop new fertilizer products,” he says. “The second part … is to help farmers around the world use fertilizer in a better way and improve agriculture productivity.”
IFDC, which is not affiliated with TVA but leases its Muscle Shoals facilities from them, receives some private-sector funding, but recent funding cuts to USAID could hit IFDC hard. Real hard.
The funding cut at USAID “has a major impact because USAID support accounts for 30% of the budget and 50% of indirect cost (overhead),” Singh writes in an email, adding that the total impact would be $58.5 million, with $53.5 million of that affecting the Muscle Shoals headquarters.
BIG PLANS FOR FUTURE
Van Duijn and Singh have big plans for IFDC, not the least of which is developing a fertilizer innovation center of excellence. IFDC is already working with startups and universities, but the goal is to expand that model.
“These days, there’s much more demand for innovation within the fertilizer industry,” van Duijn says. “If you look at where we are, fertilizer is a $300 billion business globally. But it’s still building on the same technologies and innovations that were created in the early 1900s.”
The fertilizer innovation center would be “an ecosystem of incubators, startups, universities and ourselves in one location or several locations to really accelerate innovations,” van Duijn says. “Right now, we do research with startups on an individual basis. There is a lot of innovation power in the sector, mostly led by startups. It would be helpful if they started coming together and grow a bigger research capacity than what they’re able to deliver by themselves.”
Though the ultimate goal is to have permanent facilities at one or more locations to house the center for excellence, IFDC already has launched a global fertilizer innovation center network, according to van Duijn.
“Brazil, India and other countries are requesting us to work with them on fertilizer innovation,” he says. “There is a global need to bring innovation and research together to develop innovations in fertilizer.”
RAISING ITS PROFILE
IFDC is working to delineate its work from others in similar areas — other research institutions and universities doing agriculture-based research — and doesn’t see them as competitors.
“We see a clear delineation in roles,” he says. “We will not do anything on plant nutrition, agriculture productivity, new varieties, pest resistance. … We will focus on how the plant grows and how we can
From top to bottom at right, an enhanced efficiency fertilizer test at IFDC, greenhouses at IFDC, and organic and mineral fertilizer samples.
assure nutrients are available. That’s our domain.”
In the end, more innovation is going to come out of collaboration, believe the folks at IFDC.
“We do need new technologies, but we also need people thinking together,” Singh says. “We are a neutral organization. We can bring universities and others together to address these questions that need to be addressed for mankind. We should work together on these questions to really make a change.”
Van Duijn says one of those major questions is how to make soil more sustainable.
“In the end, we work with natural resources, and they are limited,” he says. “We add nutrients to the soil, but we take a lot of nutrients away, and that has to change. … Over the last 60 years, we invested heavily in developing new seed variety, to assure they’re pest-resistant and drought-resistant, and that was a big driver, the same with pesticides. What we didn’t invest in was how to restore soil dynamics so that fertilizers, when they’re added to the soil, are used in the most optimal way by the plant.”
And with the fertilizer development center and recent events, including open houses, surrounding its 50th year, IFDC’s profile is starting to rise.
“We are building on a hundred-year legacy, and for us that connection to Alabama is key,” says van Duijn. “Our network is here, our investment is here, and TVA is a big energy partner in the American ecospace.”
It’s something more Alabamians — and others around the world — need to be aware of, the CEO and president says.
“Alabama is sitting on something that’s globally unique, and nobody knows about it,” says van Duijn. “It’s 100 years of American agriculture history — a gem that is undiscovered.”
Alec Harvey is executive editor of Business Alabama, working from the Birmingham office.
Madision County
by KATHERINE MacGILVRAY
Madison County surpassed Mobile County in 2023 to become the second-most populated county in Alabama. It is also the third-fastest growing county, adding roughly 9,400 residents in 2024. Huntsville, the county seat, is the largest city in Alabama.
“When we start talking about success in the community, we talk about offering opportunity,” says Huntsville Mayor Tommy Battle. “What attracts people to be part of your community? What makes your city continue to grow? Those kinds of things are what we work on on a regular basis.”
Madison County’s leading industry sectors include aerospace, defense, information technology, bioscience and advanced manufacturing.
The U.S. Army Redstone Arsenal, which has 65 tenant organizations, including the FBI and NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center, is the county’s largest employer. Redstone contributes more than $36 billion to the state’s economy and supports more than 90,000 jobs in the region.
Madison County is also home to Cummings Research Park, the country’s second-largest science and technology research park. It is home to more than 300 companies representing a mix of Fortune
500 companies, high-tech enterprises, U.S. space and defense agencies, business incubators and higher education institutions.
While many cities boast a skyline, Huntsville is known for its spaceline, six historic rockets that make up Rocket Row and the Space Shuttle Pathfinder, all located at the U.S. Space and Rocket Center.
The Huntsville metro area was the 15th fastest-growing metro area in the country in 2024. The city issued certificates of occupancy for 6,404 residential units last year and completed 16 multi-family complexes, the most in 40 years. Huntsville also issued 574 non-residential building permits in 2024. Downtown Huntsville had more non-residential permits issued than any other neighborhood. A brandnew City Hall building opened last spring and a new federal courthouse recently opened in the downtown area as well.
Front Row, a new mixed-use development, also is under construction in
Huntsville’s downtown. Located on more than 11 acres, Front Row will feature 545 residential units, 36,000 square feet of Class-A office space and 47,000 square feet of retail space.
Next door to Huntsville, the city of Madison is Alabama’s ninth largest city.
After more than two years of construction, Madison celebrated the opening of a new I-565 interchange in March. The nearly $37 million project eases the flow of westbound traffic into Town Madison, a mixed-use development that is one of the city’s fastest-growing neighborhoods and includes Toyota Field, home of the Double A baseball team Rocket City Trash Pandas.
Clift Farm, another rapidly developing
Madison County
Rocket Park in Huntsville celebrates the city’s sky-high heritage.
Cyclists take to the road for the 2023 UCI Para-Cycling Road World Cup competition in Huntsville.
MEDIAN HOUSEHOLD INCOME
Limestone County: $83,534
Madison County: $83,528
Baldwin County: $75,019
Morgan County: $64,858
Jefferson County: $64,589
Marshall County: $60,946
Montgomery County: $58,153
Mobile County: $58,119
Jackson County: $49,454
area in Madison, welcomed a new Costco late last year. It is the wholesale club’s fifth location in Alabama and second in Madison County.
Madison County is famously home to the U.S. Space and Rocket Center, the state’s top paid tourist attraction and the world’s largest space attraction. The center is also home to Space Camp, the oldest and largest STEM camp in the world with more than 1 million alumni.
The Orion Amphitheater, in Hunts-
POPULATION Total Alabama Population: 5,108,468
Jefferson County: 664,744
Madison County: 423,355
Mobile County: 412,339
Baldwin County: 261,608
Montgomery County: 225,894
Morgan County: 126,084
Limestone County: 118,943
Marshall County: 102,156
Jackson County: 53,780
ville’s MidCity District, continues to receive national attention and was featured on Billboard’s global Top Music Venues 2024 list. Since opening in 2022, the 8,000-capacity venue has hosted headliners such as Snoop Dogg, Stevie Nicks, Brandi Carlisle, Jack White and Neil Young.
The nearly 450-acre John Hunt Park is Huntsville’s largest park and includes Joe Davis Stadium, a multi-sport venue that is home to the Huntsville City Football
Club. The park’s other features include sand volleyball and cross-country championship facilities; a festival site for large outdoor gatherings; a 52,000-square-foot skate park and an 18-hole disc golf course.
Soon the park will welcome a 60,580-square-foot recreation center that will include the city’s largest pickleball facility.
Katherine MacGilvray is a Huntsville-based freelance contributor to Business Alabama State of
Source: U.S. Census Bureau
In Focus
VON BRAUN CENTER
By NANCY MANN JACKSON
In 1975, the city of Huntsville spent $15 million to build the Von Braun Center, originally known as the Von Braun Civic Center. Over the years, the downtown landmark has been the backdrop for countless performances, gatherings and community events.
This year, the VBC celebrates its 50th anniversary — and the venue has undergone an extensive facelift in celebration.
“After five decades of continuous use and routine maintenance, it was time to start giving some areas of the VBC a facelift,” says Samantha Nielsen, director of marketing and public relations. “We are fortunate to be led by a diligent and forward-thinking board of control, as well as a supportive city leader who understands the importance of investing in facility improvements. Huntsville Mayor Tommy Battle has been very supportive of the center and its enhancements, particularly in recent years.”
THE HEARTBEAT OF A COMMUNITY
Since opening in 1975 with an arena, exhibition hall, playhouse, concert hall and art museum, the VBC has played an important role as the heart of the Huntsville community. Johnny Cash was the first headliner to play the VBC, performing just 10 days after it opened. Elvis Presley performed seven sold-out shows there in 1975 and 1976. And in addition to big-name acts, the VBC has hosted touring Broadway shows, local theater, trade shows and conventions, and many high school and college graduations.
Throughout the past 50 years, “The VBC has cemented itself as North
Alabama’s hub,” Nielsen says. “Seeing favorite concerts and touring Broadway shows, watching sporting events, walking across the stage to receive your diploma, performing in your first dance recital and attending your first prom, taking your kids and later your grandkids to see ‘Disney On Ice,’ all of those moments happen at the VBC. Almost everyone in our area has a memory at the VBC. And that’s pretty special.”
Fittingly, the VBC adopted as its 50th anniversary campaign tagline “Your Place Through Time.”
CONTINUAL UPDATES
Over the years, the VBC has been expanded as community needs grew. In 1980, the city added West Exhibit Hall, and in 1987, North Hall was added, which included a dedicated ballroom venue with breakout rooms. In 1997, the center’s South Hall was constructed, adding more than 100,000 square feet of continuous space and 82,000 feet of column-free exhibit space, additional meeting rooms, pre-function area and a
500-space covered parking garage. At that time, the center changed its name from Von Braun Civic Center to just Von Braun Center, “as it was now able to entice larger out-of-market conferences,” Nielsen says.
In 2010 and 2011, the arena and concert hall underwent major renovations, including new seating, exterior upgrades and lobby expansions. During those renovations, both venues were renamed Propst Arena and Mark C. Smith Concert Hall.
MARKING THE OCCASION
More recently, as the VBC began nearing its milestone 50-year anniversary, other major enhancements began taking place, Nielsen says. First, in 2020, the center added Mars Music Hall, a 1,200-person capacity venue with an intimate setting, and Rhythm on Monroe, the VBC’s first onsite restaurant that features a rooftop bar. The following year, the Propst Arena backstage area was expanded and renovated, and the steel rigging system in the Mark C. Smith Concert Hall was updated.
In 2022, Propst Arena received exterior upgrades with a roof replacement, paint and the installation of a new LED lighting system with full-color chang-
Von Braun Center today and in 1975.
ing capabilities. North Hall underwent renovations in 2023 with new flooring, lighting, wall coverings and a name change to Saturn Ballroom. Last year, East Hall and the pre-function area in South Hall received facelifts, and digital signage was installed across the facility. Currently, the backstage area of Mark C. Smith Concert Hall is undergoing renovation and expansion with the addition of new dressing rooms, a dedicated green room and expanded loading dock area to accommodate larger shows.
These ongoing updates are important for the Center to continue attracting meetings, conventions and touring acts, so that it continues to make an outsized impact on the local economy, Nielsen says. In addition, the continual changes keep the building relevant as the city changes around it.
“In a sense, the concrete and steel of the VBC is a living facility,” wrote Paul Gattis, communication specialist for the city of Huntsville, on the City Blog. “It’s growing, changing, improving. Through
new construction and refurbishment, it’s a fresh building that doesn’t look its age.”
ANCHORING A VIBRANT DISTRICT
The VBC is arguably the anchor of a thriving downtown Huntsville, which continues to experience growth and transformation. Some of the major projects in the works are Lewter District Development, which will include townhomes, retail, restaurants and office space; CityCentre at Big Spring, another mixed-use development featuring AC Hotel by Marriott; and Front Row, which will include luxury residential units, retail and restaurant space, office space, public urban green space and a boutique hotel.
In the past five years, as the VBC has focused on renovating and expanding, downtown Huntsville has seen the addition and announcement of several hotels, “reflecting the city’s ongoing growth and efforts to enhance its hospitality offerings,” Nielsen says. For example, in 2019, AC Hotel by Marriott opened; in 2020, the city added a downtown Hampton
Inn & Suites, 106 Jefferson and Curio by Hilton. This summer, Autograph Collection Hotel by Marriott is slated to be completed. And newly announced downtown hotels include Moxy Hotel, Hyatt House, Residence Inn and Tribute Portfolio Hotel.
Looking ahead, the VBC aims “to always be a space for our community to gather together and create memories in a facility they’re proud of, and to continue making a positive impact on the local economy,” Nielsen says. “There is a lot that will go into making those goals happen, including always keeping a pulse on the community’s needs and evolving to meet them as the Center has a proven track record of doing, continuing to cultivate our team of hospitality professionals so all of our guests have a positive and welcoming experience when they visit, and continuing to bring events to North Alabama that people want to see.”
Nancy Mann Jackson is a Huntsville-based freelance contributor to Business Alabama
Economic Engines
HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology is home to more than 50 associate companies.
REDSTONE ARSENAL
Madison County is home to a thriving aerospace and defense technology industry, much of which centers on the U.S. Army Redstone Arsenal, a 38,000-acre federal installation located in the center of the community. The arsenal is a Federal Center of Excellence with 65 tenant organizations, including the FBI and NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center, and contributes $36.2 billion to Alabama’s economy, accounts for 58% of the Gross Regional Product for the Tennessee Valley and provides more than 90,000 jobs in the region.
The installation’s newest tenants include the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Engineering and Support Center, the Army Futures Command Contested Logistics Cross-Functional Team and the Space Development Agency.
To accommodate growth, the arsenal
is partnering with the city of Huntsville, Alabama Department of Transportation and the Federal Highway Administration on an interchange modification project to increase access from I-565 to the Arsenal. Construction is expected to begin in 2026.
FBI
The FBI’s presence on the arsenal continues to grow. Employment has risen from 500 full-time employees in 2018 to more than 2,000 today, with the capacity for 5,000 by 2028.
A 250,000-square-foot Innovation Center dedicated to training, cyber-threat intelligence and digital forensics recently was completed. Projects in the works include Tech Buildings 2 and 3, expected to be completed at the end of 2026, and warehouse, shipping and receiving expansions. A multipurpose range complex, which will accommodate small- and large-scale training events, and practical problem venues that provide realistic testing and training scenarios are in the preconstruction phase.
MARSHALL SPACE FLIGHT CENTER
NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville is celebrating its 65th year
BUSINESS BRIEFS
MARCH 2025: The city of Huntsville receives a $50,000 donation from the Rotary Club of Greater Huntsville to help fund an arboretum project in John Hunt Park. The three-acre park will meet the Arbor Day Foundation requirements for a level II arboretum and include 100 different species of native trees.
MARCH 2025: Huntsville Hospital begins a $150 million tower expansion project that will add 120 private beds, a new Cardiothoracic Intensive Care Unit, a new Neuro Intensive
Care Unit, three floors of acute medical space and a new Emergency Department vehicle entrance.
FEBRUARY 2025: Pearce Construction Co. receives a nearly $2.5 million contract to add a second floor to the openair pavilion at John Hunt Park’s sand volleyball courts and make other improvements to the facility. The two-phase project is expected to wrap up by fall 2026.
TAXES
PROPERTY TAX
Not including education MADISON COUNTY: 14 mills Including education
35 mills
46.5 mills
38.5 mills
STATE OF ALABAMA: 6.5 mills SALES TAX MADISON
0.5%
3.5%
4.5%
3.5%
3.5%
2.5%
3.5%
STATE OF ALABAMA: 4.0%
Source: Alabama Department of Revenue of service to the U.S. space program in 2025. The team at Marshall is leading development of NASA’s Space Launch System to carry explorers and payloads deeper into space than ever before. Other active missions and programs include the Human Landing System that will take astronauts to the lunar surface as part of
FEBRUARY 2025: Science and Engineering Services LLC opens a new 111,000-square-foot facility at Huntsville International Airport. The company provides system development, maintenance, modification, integration, training and contractor logistics support of rotary and fixed wing aircraft for the U.S. government and foreign military partners.
FEBRUARY 2025: Bank47, formerly LifeSteps Bank and Trust, establishes its headquarters in Huntsville.
JANUARY 2025: The city of Huntsville and Breeze Airways reach an agreement that will add six new non-stop destinations from Huntsville International Airport. The airline will receive $10,000 per month in base incentive payment to meet the threshold.
SEPTEMBER 2024: Toyota Alabama assembles its 10-millionth engine, an i-Force MAX 2.4-liter for the Tacoma hybrid. The facility assembles more than 777,000 engines a year, a third of all Toyota engines in North America.
the Artemis program, the Chandra X-ray Observatory and supporting the International Space Station.
Marshall is one of NASA’s largest field centers and has a significant economic impact by supporting thousands of jobs and investing millions of dollars in research and development. In 2024, NASA accounted for 35,494 jobs and more than $265 million in state tax revenue, according to the annual update it provided the Huntsville-Madison County Chamber in December. Marshall also regularly collaborates with local K-12 and higher education institutions to support STEM education.
CUMMINGS RESEARCH PARK
The country’s second-largest science and technology research park is home to more than 300 companies, including Fortune 500 companies, high-tech enterprises, U.S. space and defense agencies, business incubators and higher education institutions. Anchor tenants include Teledyne Brown Engineering, the University of Alabama in Huntsville, Lockheed Martin, Calhoun Community College, Adtran, Dynetics and HudsonAlpha, and Cummings Research Park (CRP) continues to attract leading companies.
Last year, the city of Huntsville approved a development agreement with Glaukos Corp., a global ophthalmic pharmaceutical and medical technology company, to build a multimillion-dollar research, development and manufacturing facility in CRP on 25 acres adjacent to the HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology. The multi-year, $82 million project will
bring 154 full-time jobs to the region by 2030.
CFD Research Corp. expanded its operations in CRP with the addition of a 21,967-square-foot facility in the former Davidson Technologies building.
Also last year, Special Aerospace Service broke ground on a 40,000-square-foot facility, which includes 30,000 square feet of flexible manufacturing space. The new facility will create up to 60 new jobs.
HUDSONALPHA
HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology’s 152-acre campus in Cummings Research Park is home to more than 50 associate companies that support genomics-based research to improve human health and well-being.
In 2024, HudsonAlpha earned the Innovate Alabama Network Designation and was awarded a $250,000 Innovate Alabama grant to support two key initiatives:
• funding the HudsonAlpha Shared Lab on the Huntsville campus to support startups and entrepreneurs with small R&D operations and minimal capital and
• funding a maker’s space in the Izell Reese Community Center in Dothan, a collaboration with HudsonAlpha Wiregrass.
In 2023, HudsonAlpha opened a 93,000-square-foot building that serves as a global headquarters for Discovery Life Sciences and unites the company’s products and services, including genomics, proteomics, molecular pathology, flow cytometry and cell biology, under
BUSINESS BRIEFS
SEPTEMBER 2024: Teledyne
Brown Engineering wins a $476 million NASA contract to provide Earth observation data and other services.
JANUARY 2025: Signature Aviation unveils a renovated facility at Huntsville International Airport that adds more than 2,500 square feet of new space for travelers, a redesigned entrance and ramp expansion and a dedicated lounge for military personnel.
DECEMBER 2024: The city of Huntsville approves a development agreement with Glaukos Corp. to build a multimillion-dollar research, development and manufacturing facility in Cummings Research Park. The multi-year project represents an $82 million capital expenditure and will bring 154 full-time jobs to the region by 2030.
DECEMBER 2024: QinetiQ US announces its expansion into Huntsville. The move allows the
one roof. It also houses one of the world’s most extensive commercial biospecimen inventories. The facility was funded by the state of Alabama, Madison County and the city of Huntsville.
MANUFACTURING
The manufacturing industry in Madison County consists of aerospace, defense, automotive, electronics and other advanced technology production companies.
Blue Origin joined Madison County’s manufacturing community in 2020 when it opened a rocket engine production facility in Cummings Research Park. The company conducts tests at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center and recently launched its inaugural New Glenn rocket from Cape Canaveral.
With nearly 2,000 employees, Toyota Motor Manufacturing Alabama is among the top ten industrial employers in Madison County. The Huntsville plant supplies more than a third of all engines for Toyota’s North American operations, and last year it celebrated the assembly of its 10-millionth engine.
PORT OF HUNTSVILLE
The Port of Huntsville serves as Alabama’s inland gateway for international commerce and is the busiest air cargo and intermodal facility in the state. The Port encompasses 7,400 acres and is home to Huntsville International Airport (HSV), the International Intermodal Center, Jetplex Industrial Park and Spaceport. The Port has a total regional economic impact of more than $1.8 billion. Revenue
defense and national security company to better support critical programs such as the recently awarded U.S. Army Aerial Target Systems 3 contract, which supports the U.S. Army’s Threat Systems Management Office at Redstone Arsenal.
JULY 2024: UAH announces a search for a master developer to restore the 58-acre former Executive Plaza site into a multi-use “college town” district with housing, dining, entertainment, recreation, conference and hotel facilities.
NOVEMBER 2024: The city of Huntsville finalizes agreements for the Mill Creek redevelopment project, including formally accepting a $50 million Choice Neighborhood Implementation Grant from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. The development is a partnership with Huntsville Housing Authority that will invest $350 million into a mixed-income community with workforce housing, medical and childcare services and retail options.
sources include commercial passenger air service, rail cargo, air cargo, land purchase and lease and airport-owned and leased facilities.
HSV, the largest commercial airport in north Alabama, set a new travel record in 2024, serving more than 1.6 million travelers, an 11% increase over 2023.
The International Intermodal Center serves as a single hub for receiving, storing, transferring and distributing domestic and international cargo by air, rail and highway. U.S. Customs and Border Protection port inspectors, USDA inspectors, freight forwarders and customs brokers are located onsite.
The 4,000-acre JetPlex Industrial Park is home to more than 70 companies representing seven countries and a variety of industries, including automotive suppliers, electronics, aviation/aerospace, office and lab, aircraft MRO, unmanned aerial systems and office development.
TOURISM
Madison County remains the second most-visited county in Alabama, after Baldwin County. According to the Alabama Tourism Department’s economic impact report, Madison County welcomed nearly 4 million visitors in 2023 with an economic impact of roughly $2.4 billion, a 15% increase over 2022 and a new record for the county. As a result of those travel expenditures, households in Madison County saved more than $1,300 in additional taxes. Tourism also supports 23,355 jobs in the county.
Sports tourism is starting to have a significant impact in Madison County, and 2024 was a record-setting year. Huntsville hosted 68 events with an economic impact of more than $50 million. The Conference USA men’s and women’s basketball championships were hosted for the first time in Huntsville and had a $3.2 million impact. Other notable events included the USA Table Tennis National Championships, the NJCAA Division II men’s and women’s soccer championships, the Major League Fishing Toyota Series Championship at Ditto Landing, the NCAA Division II Cross County South Regional and the Huntsville Marathon, which set a record with 4,000 participants.
HIGHER EDUCATION
The University of Alabama in Huntsville and Alabama A&M University are both leading employers in Madison County and contribute millions annually through employment, research and student spending. The county also is home to Drake State Community College and Oakwood University, and Calhoun Community College and Faulkner University both have satellite campuses in Huntsville.
Largest Industrial Employers
COMPANY
employees • Aerospace and defense
INC. 2,843 employees • Aerospace and defense
2,746 employees • Research and development NORTHROP GRUMMAN CORP. 2,266 employees • Aerospace and defense TOYOTA MOTOR MANUFACTURING
INC. 1,994 employees • Engine manufacturing
LOCKHEED MARTIN CORP. 1,984 employees • Aerospace and defense BLUE ORIGIN 1,235 employees • Rocket engine manufacturing
1,100 employees • Electronics manufacturing
983 employees • Aircraft glass manufacturing
964 employees • Research and development KOHLER COMPANY 956 employees • Bath fittings manufacturing RAYTHEON, AN RTX BUSINESS 945 employees • Research and development HEXAGON 924 employees • Software development
Health Care
HUNTSVILLE HOSPITAL
The Huntsville Hospital Health System is the third-largest publicly owned hospital system in the country and consists of 15 hospitals and hundreds of outpatient locations across northern Alabama and southern Tennessee. Huntsville Hospital is the flagship campus of the Huntsville Hospital Health System. The 881-bed, public, not-for-profit hospital is the second largest in Alabama and provides care for patients in a 16-county service area.
Huntsville Hospital was named the top acute-care facility in North Alabama and the number two hospital in the state for 2024-25 by U.S. News & World Report. It was also recognized for 10 “High Performing” areas of excellence:
• Aortic valve surgery
• Colon cancer surgery
• Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
• Gynecological surgery
• Heart attack care
• Heart bypass surgery
• Heart failure care
• Hip replacement
• Knee replacement
• Leukemia, lymphoma, myeloma
Recently, Huntsville Hospital began a $150 million expansion of its Madison Street Tower that will add 120 new private beds and convert 70 existing patient rooms from double occupancy to single occupancy. The project also includes a new Neuro Intensive Care Unit for neurosurgical and stroke patients, a new Emergency Department vehicle entrance and three floors of new acute medical care space. A Cardiothoracic Intensive Care Unit will also be added, thanks to a $10 million private gift. The project is expected to be completed in 2027.
HUNTSVILLE HOSPITAL FOR WOMEN & CHILDREN
Huntsville Hospital for Women & Children, a member of the Huntsville Hospital Health System, is the only hospital in the region dedicated to women’s health and advanced pediatric health. The facility provides pediatric emergency services, pediatric intensive care, level three
neonatal intensive care and pediatric surgery. It is one of only eight St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital Affiliate Clinics in the nation, and the only one in Alabama. The hospital is also home to the F. Joseph Kelly Adult Intensive Care Unit, the Breast Center and a dedicated OB emergency program that is part of its Maternity Services department. Newsweek named Huntsville Hospital for Women & Children among “America’s Best Maternity Hospitals” for 2024.
Huntsville Hospital recently started a $150 million expansion. Rendering courtesy of Robins & Morton.
Last year, the hospital announced that it has equipped all of its labor rooms with wireless fetal monitoring devices. The GE NOVii+ wireless monitoring system is a belt-free, battery-powered fetal monitor that allows mothers to move more freely around the delivery room.
MADISON HOSPITAL
Madison Hospital, part of the Huntsville Hospital Health System, opened in 2012 with 60 licensed beds and has since expanded to a 90-bed facility with a capacity of up to 200 beds. The hospital employs about 800 people.
Madison Hospital partnered with Madison City Schools and launched a workplace training and student ambassador program for the 2024-2025 academic year. The immersive, leadership-based program is designed to inspire high school students to pursue careers in a community hospital environment. The program includes leadership workshops and seminars, career panels with healthcare professionals, job-shadowing opportunities with different hospital departments and networking events.
CRESTWOOD MEDICAL CENTER
Crestwood Medical Center is a 180-bed full-service acute care hospital that offers surgical and diagnostic procedures. The facility has been named a Tier 1 Facility
by Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Alabama and has been recognized as an Accredited Chest Pain Center with Primary PCI and Resuscitation by the American College of Cardiology, a Primary Stroke Center from The Joint Commission and American Heart Association, a Blue Distinction Center+ for Bariatric Surgery and Spine Surgery and a Certified Treatment Center of Excellence by the ALS Association. Other accolades include the American Heart Association’s Get With The Guidelines for Heart Failure (Gold) and AFib (Gold).
Earlier this year, Crestwood announced plans to construct a new freestanding emergency department. The proposed 12,000-square-foot facility will provide 24/7 emergency care for residents in Madison and surrounding communities and be fully equipped with advanced imaging technology, on-site laboratory services and private treatment rooms for those needing a higher level of care than urgent care facilities offer. Crestwood opened its first freestanding emergency department in Harvest in 2024.
The hospital also recently expanded its ICU with the addition of 10 beds, a central nursing station and embedded workstations and renovated the north lobby.
ENCOMPASS HEALTH REHABILITATION HOSPITAL OF NORTH ALABAMA
Encompass Health Rehabilitation Hospital of North Alabama is an 85-bed inpatient rehabilitation hospital for patients recovering from stroke, brain injury, hip fracture and other complex
Encompass Health offers care for complex neurological and orthopedic conditions.
neurological and orthopedic conditions. The facility offers 24-hour nursing care as well as physical, occupational and speech therapies and features all private patient rooms, a therapy gym, in-house pharmacy, dialysis suite, courtyard, dining room and dayroom areas.
The hospital has earned Disease-Specific Care Certification from The Joint Commission for its stroke rehabilitation program and The Joint Commission’s Gold Seal of Approval for Disease-Specific Care Certification in brain injury, hip fracture and amputee
rehabilitation. It also received the Stroke Center of Excellence award in 2024.
DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS, BIRMINGHAM VA HEALTH CARE SYSTEM, HUNTSVILLE CBOC
This outpatient clinic is part of the
Birmingham VA Health Care System and provides primary care and specialty health services, including mental health services, vision care, treatment for hearing loss and women’s health services.
Earlier this year, the Birmingham VA Health Care System offered a live demonstration at the Huntsville VA Clinic of robotic-assisted tools, including the Ion Robotic Bronchoscope, Cone Beam CT and Da Vinci Surgical System, that are used for early lung cancer detection and treatment. The Birmingham VA is preparing to launch a new tele-clinic at the Huntsville VA Clinic.
UNITY PSYCHIATRIC CARE, HUNTSVILLE
Unity Psychiatric Care in Huntsville, a division of American Health Partners, is a 20-bed hospital that offers comprehensive inpatient care for individuals aged 55 and older who are experiencing serious mental health symptoms or having a psychotic episode. The facility has achieved the Gold Seal of Approval by The Joint Commission.
Movers & Shapers
CHARLES “CHUCK” KARR is the 10th president of the University of Alabama in Huntsville. A native of Gulf Breeze, Florida, Karr is a threetime University of Alabama graduate. After spending seven years as a research engineer with the U.S. Bureau of Mines, Karr joined the faculty at UA where he received numerous recognitions for his teaching and leadership achievements and served as head of the university’s aerospace engineering and mechanics department before becoming associate dean for research and graduate studies and ultimately dean of the college. He has published three books, 44 journal articles and holds several patents.
MATT MANDRELLA is music officer for the city of Huntsville and leads the Huntsville Music Office, which oversees music-related strategic and economic development initiatives and serves to create a more dynamic music environment throughout the city. The Mobile native earned his bachelor’s degree in marketing from the University of South Carolina.
MATT MASSEY is president of the Alabama School of Cyber Technology and Engineering, a public state magnet high school that has become a model for integrating cyber and engineering resiliency in all disciplines. Before joining ASCTE,
Massey was the superintendent of Madison County Schools. A national board-certified teacher, Massey earned his bachelor’s degree from Troy University, a master’s from the University of Mississippi, and a master’s degree and an educational specialist certification from Samford University. Massey works toward collaboration among academia, industry, government and nonprofits to foster a vibrant community of learning.
is deputy commanding general of the U.S. Army Materiel Command and senior commander of Redstone Arsenal. He also is acting AMC commanding general, leading one of the Army’s largest commands with 165,000 employees in all 50 states. He has served as commander of Army Sustainment Command, Rock Island Arsenal, Illinois; 21st Theater Sustainment Command, Kaiserslautern, Germany; and held command in both Iraq and Afghanistan. He earned his undergraduate degree at Appalachian State University and master’s degrees from the Naval War College and the Army War College.
RYAN MURPHY is partner at TVG Hospitality and president of Huntsville Venue Group, where he directed the design and construction of the Orion Amphitheater. The venue has been open for several seasons and hosted headliners such as Lana Del Rey, Chris Stapleton, Snoop Dogg, Stevie Nicks, Dave Matthews Band and Jack White. Murphy also oversees operations at the venue, the newly re-opening Lum-
beryard and other projects throughout the country. Murphy earned his master’s degree at the University of Florida.
EDWIN NICHOLS is superintendent of Madison City Schools. He holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the University of Tennessee and a doctoral degree from the University of Alabama. Nichols has served as president of the University of Tennessee Alumni’s North Alabama Chapter and the Madison Rotary Club and served on the Huntsville Symphony Orchestra board, the Redstone Arsenal Community advisory board, the Madison Chamber of Commerce board, the Huntsville Chamber of Commerce Foundation board, the School Superintendents of Alabama board and the Council of Leaders in Alabama Schools board.
JAMI PEYTON is chief executive officer at Canvas Inc. She earned her bachelor’s degree at Athens State University and master’s degree at Auburn University’s College of Business. Peyton is chair-elect of the Huntsville/Madison County Chamber of Commerce executive committee, a lifetime board member of the Boys and Girls Club of North Alabama and a member of the Huntsville Committee of 100.
JASON PUCKETT is president of Toyota Motor Manufacturing Alabama, where he oversees all production and administration functions. Previously, Puckett served as vice president of administration and
LT. GEN. CHRIS MOHAN
SPOTLIGHT:
manufacturing at Toyota Motor Manufacturing Indiana. He serves on the boards of the Business Council of Alabama, the Huntsville/ Madison County Chamber and Huntsville/Madison County Port Authority. Puckett holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Kentucky and an MBA from the University of Evansville.
LUTHER “BUTCH” ROBERTS JR. is CEO of the Port of Huntsville, working with Huntsville International Airport, the International Intermodal Center and the Jetplex Industrial Park. Roberts earned his bachelor’s degree from the University of Alabama in Huntsville and is a Certified Management Accountant and an Accredited Airport Executive. He is a member of the American Association of Airport Executives and the National Association of Accountants and serves on the Aviation Council of Alabama board. Roberts also serves on the Alabama Space Authority, which promotes the research and development of new space exploration and Spaceport technologies.
JEFF SAMZ is president and CEO at Huntsville Hospital Health System, which includes 15 hospitals and related facilities. He was a Morehead Scholar at the University of North Carolina and earned an MBA from Wake Forest University. Samz is chair of the Huntsville/Madison Coun-
ty Chamber of Commerce, secretary treasurer for the Alabama Hospital Association, treasurer of the Business Council of Alabama, vice chair of the U.S. Space and Rocket Center Foundation and a board member for the Alabama School of Healthcare Sciences, VIVA Health and Vizient Southwest. He also serves on the Huntsville Committee of 100.
experience as a teacher, principal and administrator. He previously served as the district’s chief of staff, deputy superintendent of learning supports and chief academic officer.
JUSTIN SERRANO was named chief executive officer of Crestwood Medical Center in 2024. Prior to that, he served as chief executive officer of Santa Rosa Medical Center in Mil-
ton, Florida. A Johns Hopkins University graduate, he holds a master’s degree in healthcare administration from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Health.
PATRICIA G. SIMS is president of Drake State Community and Technical College, a position she has held since 2018. Sims was appointed by President Joe Biden to the National
Infrastructure Advisory Council, where she advises on improving the security and resilience of critical infrastructure. She also serves on the Tennessee Valley Authority’s Regional Energy Resource Council and was appointed by Gov. Kay Ivey to the Alabama Port Authority board. She earned her bachelor’s degree from the University of West Alabama, her master’s degree from Alabama A&M University and her doctoral degree from Vanderbilt Peabody College.
BRANDON TUCKER is a project executive for Turner Construction Co. in the Huntsville office. A graduate of Auburn University, Tucker has led the construction of the new Huntsville City Hall, which was completed in 2024, and has managed other projects in the region for Redstone Arsenal, Alabama A&M University, Jacksonville State University and others. Tucker serves on the board of directors for Second Mile Development, Maranatha Camp and Conference Center and the Greater Huntsville Humane Society.
CLARENCE SUTTON serves as superintendent of Huntsville City Schools and is a veteran educator with nearly 30 years of
DANIEL WIMS is president of Alabama A&M University. He previously served as provost and vice president for academic affairs and research and professor of agricultural sciences at the university. He earned his bachelor’s degree from Fort Valley State College, a master’s degree from The Ohio State University and a doctorate degree from the University of Maryland, with additional credentials in education. 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.
Community Development
MADISON COUNTY
In his 2024 State of the County address, Madison County Commissioner Mac McCutcheon highlighted the county’s 10year road plan, which entered 2025 with 22 projects underway totaling $96 million and plans for $7 million in repaving projects.
Last fall, the Madison County Commission approved three projects totaling $2.9 million and funded by the American Rescue Plan Act. Together they will add a combined 11,000 linear feet of new water main line in Meridianville and Hazel Green and make improvements at the Hazel Green water well.
The commission also approved a $14.2 million construction bid for a new community center at Sharon Johnston
Park in New Market.
A $38 million interstate widening project on Interstate 565, which includes additional lanes from west of the County Line Road interchange to east of Wall Triana Highway, is expected to wrap up in summer 2026.
The Madison County School System (MCSS) is one of the fastest growing in north Alabama and serves more than 20,000 students across 30 campuses. Last fall, MCSS broke ground on a new intermediate school that will serve the Harvest and Toney communities. The Sparkman Intermediate School is expected to open for the 2026-27 school year with an estimated 800 students in fourth, fifth and sixth grades. It is the first new MCSS campus in ten years.
CITY OF HUNTSVILLE
The Huntsville metro area, which extends in Limestone County as well as Madison, was the 15th fastest growing metro area in the country in 2024.
Huntsville’s housing inventory saw record growth last year, in particular due to a surge of multi-family complexes. In 2024, the city issued certificates of occupancy for 6,404 residential units, 81% of which were for multi-family complexes. Sixteen multi-family complexes were completed in 2024, the most in 40 years.
The city also saw a boost in commercial growth in 2024 and issued 574 non-residential building permits, an increase of 4.2%. Much of that was for retail, restaurants and hotels, followed by commercial office buildings.
The downtown area has been at the center of a flurry of development activity. Downtown Huntsville had more non-residential permits issued than any other neighborhood, including one for Front Row, a mixed-use development that spans more than 11 acres where the Coca-Cola bottling plant once stood. The new space will include 545 residential units, 36,000 square feet of Class-A office space and 47,000 square feet of retail space as well as a public urban green space. Retail space is expected to be available in late 2025, with apartments following in early 2026. A second phase is expected to include a boutique hotel, a Class-A office high rise and luxury condos.
A brand-new City Hall building opened last spring, marking the culmination of a two-year construction project. The 169,781-square-foot facility brings together under one roof departments that had previously been working in seven different locations throughout the city. Turner Construction Co. worked as the general contractor for the building and an adjacent seven-level parking facility.
A new federal courthouse also recently opened. The 123,100-square-foot building houses the U.S. District Court, Northern District of Alabama, and includes five courtrooms and six judges’ chambers. It also provides workspace for several other federal agencies, including the U.S. Marshals Service, the U.S.
Huntsville City Hall. Photo by Dennis Keim for the City of Huntsville.
New Federal Courthouse. Photo by Hiroko Sedensky for the City of Huntsville.
Probation and Pretrial Services, the U.S. General Services Administration and a U.S. Senate Office.
Elsewhere, the city is moving forward on the Mill Creek redevelopment project located just west of Memorial Parkway along Governors Drive near Lowe Mill and Campus 805. The Huntsville Housing Authority is investing $350 million into a mixed-income community with workforce housing, family services and retail space. The project also received a $50 million Choice Neighborhood Implementation Grant from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. Huntsville Hospital intends to contribute $25 million to create 125 workforce housing units and an on-site health clinic.
The Sandra Moon Community Complex project has entered its fourth and final phase. Located on the old Grissom High School campus on Bailey Cove Road, the facility is home to the South Huntsville Public Library, multiuse recreation fields, lighted outdoor pickleball courts and an ADA-accessible playground. The complex also houses five musical arts organizations and Arts Huntsville. The last phase includes transforming the former high school auditorium into a 611-seat theater with a new lobby, improving back-of-house facilities and constructing a 300-seat event center where the school’s lunchroom used to be.
Last fall, Birmingham-based general contractor Capstone Building Corp.
completed Arcadia, a $56.8 million luxury apartment complex in Cummings Research Park. The project is the first mixed-use node in Cummings Research Park’s 2016 master plan.
Huntsville also has been busy kicking off a series of quality-of-life projects, including a recreation center at John Hunt Park that will include the city’s largest pickleball facility, an expansion of the Huntsville Tennis Center at John Hunt Park, a new 27,350-square-foot recreation center in west Huntsville, the Stoner Park skating rink in north Huntsville and The Park at Hays Farm in south Huntsville.
Huntsville is moving closer to a start date for the Pedestrian Access and Redevelopment Corridor (PARC) project, which includes a proposed “skybridge” pedestrian walkway over Memorial Parkway that will connect the Lowe Mill area with downtown. Other project plans include two miles of linear park space, 5,600 feet of Pinhook Creek channel excavation, 3,200 feet of low-flow channel along Pinhook Creek, 6,000 linear feet of greenway, three precast pedestrian bridges over Pinhook Creek, one concrete railroad bridge and 1,400 feet of pedestrian cable suspension bridge. The two-year construction project will be completed in four phases.
As Huntsville continues to grow, city officials and Huntsville Utilities are prioritizing a shift toward solar energy to meet future energy demands. In his 2024 State of the City address, Mayor Tommy Battle unveiled plans for a 200-megawatt
solar power plant that will be developed by Huntsville Utilities on a 748-acre site near the Tennessee River. The city and the utility company also have established a 12-member Energy Task Force to develop a forward-looking approach to energy planning.
Huntsville International Airport broke all of its previous travel records in 2024, serving more than 1.6 million travelers, an 11% increase over 2023. To better accommodate the increase in traffic, the airport is undergoing a major three-phase renovation that will bring new food and beverage options for travelers and double seating capacity. Tailwind Hospitality is handling the $5 million project that is expected to be completed by the end of this year.
The city of Huntsville and Breeze Airways recently reached an agreement that will expand the airline’s portfolio at Huntsville airport to include six new direct non-stop destinations. Breeze will receive $10,000 per month in base incentive payment to meet the threshold.
Huntsville City Schools topped 24,000 in enrollment for the 2024-25 school year. The system employs 2,819 people across 43 campuses and one virtual school.
CITY OF MADISON
Located adjacent to Huntsville and primarily in Madison County, Madison is the ninth largest city in Alabama.
In January, city and community leaders celebrated the grand opening of the Madison Community Center after transitioning the former Three Springs youth detention facility into a 30,000-squarefoot facility that houses multiple meeting rooms, arts and crafts spaces, music rooms and a multi-use gym for the city’s special needs community.
The westbound I-565 interchange at Town Madison officially opened in March. The new interchange provides access to Redstone Arsenal and the Town Madison Development, which includes Toyota Field. The $37 million project was fully funded by the city of Madison, making it one of the largest city-funded infrastructure projects in recent history.
A new dual-branded Courtyard by Marriott and Residence Inn opened in
The Arcadia apartment complex in Cummings Research Park is one of the newest in Huntsville.
late 2024 in Town Madison. The 208room hotel is located next to Toyota Field.
As the Town Madison area continues to grow, so do efforts to boost public safety. In January, the city broke ground on a $9 million substation in the Town Madison development for the Madison Police Department and Fire & Rescue.
The city’s zoning board approved Crestwood Medical Center’s application to build a freestanding emergency department near Town Madison. The plan includes a 12,000-square-foot, singlestory facility with an on-site helipad.
A new $6 million preschool building also is in the works for Town Madison. The 24,162-square-foot Ardent Preschool and Daycare facility, located adjacent to Madison Golf Center and Quarry Park, is expected to open in the fall.
Clift Farm, a 500-acre mixed-use development, is another one of Madison’s fastest-growing neighborhoods. The area recently added a new Costco, the wholesale club’s fifth location statewide and the second in Madison County. Newly opened dining options in Clift Farm include First Watch, Capriotti’s, Walk-On’s Sports Bistreaux, Stoney River Steakhouse and Grill and Chuck’s Fish.
Madison will welcome a new Aldi grocery store, thanks to a $3.1 million permit issued in January. The 19,432-square-foot store will be located on Madison Boulevard and is expected to open in 2026.
Earlier this year, Madison Parks and Recreation announced more than $300,000 in upgrades to eight neighborhood parks throughout the city. In March, the city held a ribbon cutting for Sunshine Oaks Park, a newly developed 40-acre recreational space that includes a large playground, three pavilions, a full bathroom facility and an 18-hole championship disc golf course.
The Madison City School System, which serves Madison and Triana, is the fastest-growing and 12th-largest school system in the state and recently surpassed 13,000 in enrollment. Last fall, Madison City Schools broke ground on what will be its eighth elementary school. Russell Branch Elementary is located in Limestone County, which accounts for 27% of the district’s student body.
Higher Education
UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA IN HUNTSVILLE
The University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH) is a public university that consists of six colleges and offers more than 100 degree programs, including a new MBA program that launched in 2025. It also offers 26 certifications.
The school supports more than 170 student-run organizations, 15 fraternities and sororities and 15 NCAA sports teams. It has been recognized as a Military Friendly school with a special award in the gold category. More than 8,500 students are enrolled in the university, representing 49 states and 56 countries.
UAH is the 11th-largest employer in Madison County and has 374 full-time faculty members.
The school is an anchor tenant of Cummings Research Park, and its nearly 500-acre campus is home to 17 high-tech research centers and labs that generate more than $150 million in annual research and development expenditures.
UAH ranks high for its research activity and has consistently earned national rankings for federally funded research expenditures, including eighth in aerospace/aeronautical/astronautical engineering; 10th in computer and information sciences, atmospheric sciences and astronomy; and 25th in industrial and manufacturing engineering.
The university maintains strong partnerships with the many federal agencies and organizations in the Huntsville area.
Construction is well underway on the Raymond B. Jones Engineering Building, a 76,000-square-foot collaborative
teaching facility that will provide modernized, research space for the College of Engineering, the university’s largest college. The College of Engineering
recently received notice that all seven of its undergraduate programs earned the highest accreditation from the Engineering Accreditation Commission of the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology.
Working with the city of Huntsville, UAH will be developing a “college town” area on the 58-acre site of the former Executive Plaza. The area will include housing, dining, entertainment, recreation, conference and hotel facilities.
CALHOUN COMMUNITY COLLEGE
Calhoun Community College is one of the largest of the two-year institutions in the Alabama Community College System and serves almost 9,500 students at its three campuses, one of which is located in Huntsville’s Cummings Research Park.
Calhoun’s $802.8 million economic impact is the highest of all Alabama community colleges and represents nearly
1.8% of the total gross regional product of the college’s service area, which includes Madison, Morgan, Limestone and Lawrence counties. The school also employs 915 full- and part-time faculty and staff with a payroll of $46.4 million.
“Calhoun Community College is more than an educational institution; we are an economic engine for North Alabama,” says President Dr. Jimmy Hodges. “We are incredibly proud to contribute to the growth and prosperity of our region. Whether students prefer in-person, online or hybrid learning, Calhoun is here to meet them where they are, offering flexible options for those with demanding schedules.”
Earlier this year, the college announced a new Systems Engineering Technician (SET+) pilot program that offers students a fast-track opportunity to earn an associate of applied science degree in systems engineering technology — a two-year program that includes paid, hands-on industry experience.
Last fall, the college’s Criminal Justice Department, in partnership with the local unit of the US Coast Guard Auxiliary, received a $40,000 grant from Alabama’s Mountains, Rivers & Valleys RC&D to support the purchase and deployment of a new safety vessel to serve the Decatur, Morgan, Limestone and Madison counties areas. The boat will promote recreational boating safety and students will receive hands-on training in evidence recovery and search and rescue operations.
Also last fall, the college’s Process
Conceptual view of the Raymond B. Jones Engineering Building at The University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH).
Nursing students at Calhoun Community College practice their skills in a simulation lab.
Technology Program received a $100,000 donation from GE Aerospace to support workforce development and the purchase of lab equipment and training materials.
Students in the college’s nursing, physical therapist assistant and dental hygiene programs have achieved excellent pass rates on licensing exams.
Calhoun is still recognized as the nation’s top advanced manufacturing degree-awarding institution in the Emsi (Economic Modeling Specialist International) Manufacturing Engineering/Technician degree rankings.
Outside the classroom, the college has expanded its athletics offerings to include women’s and men’s soccer and cheerleading, and a new women’s flag football team will kick off its first season in Fall 2025.
DRAKE STATE COMMUNITY AND TECHNICAL COLLEGE
J.F. Drake State Community and Technical College in Huntsville offers nearly 40 certificate and degree programs as well as a variety of workforce development, adult education and other courses designed to meet the needs of the local economy. The school also offers numerous clubs, organizations, volunteer opportunities and campus events. Total enrollment for 2024 was 1,528 students.
According to the school’s FY 202324 Economic Impact Report, provided by Lightcast, Drake State generated a total economic impact of $61 million in added income for the college’s service area economy, which consists of Madison and Morgan counties. The school employs
170 full- and part-time faculty and staff.
Following a signing day ceremony in December 2024 that solidified a partnership between Drake State and the newly established Huntsville Tech Federation Advanced Manufacturing Education (FAME) chapter, the college will offer a new two-year Advanced Manufacturing Technician program starting in June 2025. Students in the program will receive formal classroom training two days a week and work onsite at a sponsoring company three days a week. FAME chapter members include Blue Origin, Bruderer, Mazda Toyota Manufacturing, Plasma Processes, Runergy and Toyota Motor Manufacturing Alabama.
In November 2024, Leidos announced a $1.75 million donation to Drake State to help fund advanced manufacturing and IT programs.
Last fall the college launched a pilot Skills for Success - Flooring Installation Technician course. The program, made available through a partnership among Drake State, the Alabama Community College System Innovation Center, the Floor Covering Education Foundation and the U.S. Department of Labor Employment and Training Administration, is the first of its kind in the region. It includes an online component and handson labs and is offered at no cost.
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. This year, AAMU observes its sesquicentennial anniversary, and a series of events and activities are planned to celebrate the impact the institution has had for the past 150 years.
AAMU serves 7,200 undergraduate, graduate and doctoral students, and its four colleges offer more than 60 undergraduate, graduate and certificate programs and concentrations. It also enrolls the largest number of minority STEM majors in the state.
AAMU will soon break ground on two new buildings.
Last year, the university’s board of trustees approved construction of a new Science Building. The $82 million facility will nearly triple classroom and lab space for biology, chemistry and physics.
The board also approved construction of a new Student Amenities Building. The $58 million facility will include a food court, theater, students activities and services, bookstore, game rooms and more.
OAKWOOD UNIVERSITY
Situated on a 1,185-acre campus that blends historic landmarks with modern buildings and amenities, Oakwood University in Huntsville is a historically Black university and the only HBCU owned and operated by the Seventh-day Adventist Church.
Oakwood University has consistently been ranked by U.S. News & World Report as one of the best regional colleges and universities to attend. The school offers more than 58 majors across five schools as well as graduate degrees in public health, urban ministries, business administration, pastoral studies and social work. A variety of student organizations give students an opportunity to take part in a vibrant campus life, and Oakwood students regularly participate in local tutoring, child development and community improvement initiatives. Oakwood’s athletic department has been admitted into the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics.
The Department of Biological Sciences recently announced that five of its students from the Class of 2025 have been accepted into the Mayo Clinic Alix School of Medicine.
FAULKNER UNIVERSITYHUNTSVILLE CAMPUS
Faulkner University is a private, Christian liberal arts university based in Montgomery with additional campuses in Birmingham, Mobile and Huntsville. The Huntsville campus offers bachelor’s degrees in business, psychology and criminal justice and associate degrees in liberal arts, computer and information science and legal studies.
J.F. Drake State Community and Technical College served 1,528 students in 2024.
Culture & Recreation
ONLY IN MADISON COUNTY
• The U.S. Space and Rocket Center in Huntsville is Alabama’s top paid tourist attraction and the world’s largest space attraction, with dozens of interactive exhibits showcasing the past, present and future of spaceflight. Visitors can experience elements of astronaut training and travel through the universe during shows at the Intuitive Planetarium. The USSRC also is home to Space Camp.
• Since opening in 2022, The Orion Amphitheater has garnered national attention and has been featured on Billboard’s global Top Music Venues. In addition to concerts, the 8,000-capacity venue hosts markets, art displays and educational events plus large-scale events.
• Lowe Mill Arts & Entertainment is the largest privately owned arts facility in the United States and is located in a redeveloped historic factory building that accommodates more than 150 working studios for more than 200 artists, makers and independent businesses. The facility also includes seven art galleries, a theater, restaurants, a community garden and four performance venues.
• The 118-acre Huntsville Botanical Garden is open year-round, and has nature trails, a family garden and a butterfly house, plus hosts events like the Galaxy of Lights holiday display. In April, the Garden unveiled its newest permanent exhibit, “Mama Zelda,” a 20-foot troll sculpture by renowned Danish artist Thomas Dambo.
VISIT HISTORY
SIGNALS - The Museum of Information Explosion just opened in Huntsville in March showcasing communication technologies throughout history. Alabama Constitution Hall Park offers guided tours of the site where Alabama became a state and offers a glimpse at how residents of Huntsville lived in 1819. The park is open March through December. Burritt on the Mountain is the mountaintop home of Dr. William Henry Burritt, who built the x-shaped mansion in the 1930s. The 167-acre site features restored buildings that interpret what rural life was like in 19th-century Alabama, hiking and nature trails. Harrison Brothers Hardware Store is Alabama’s oldest continuously operating hardware store and has been located on
Huntsville’s Orion Amphitheater has already hosted an array of stars. Photo by Josh Weichman.
The U.S. Space and Rocket Center is Alabama’s top paid tourist attraction.
Huntsville’s downtown square since 1897. EarlyWorks Children’s History Museum is a hands-on, science and history museum geared towards children ages two to 12. Built in 1819, the Weeden House Museum and Garden has been a home to some notable figures, including John McKinley, associate justice of the U.S. Supreme Court; Bartley M. Lowe, the first president of Huntsville Bank; and it was the birthplace and lifelong home of artist and poet Maria Howard Weeden. The U.S. Veterans Memorial Museum in Huntsville houses memorabilia, artifacts and military equipment from the American Revolutionary War to the present day, including the oldest surviving Jeep vehicle, the Ford Pygmy.
TOOT! TOOT!
The North Alabama Railroad Museum in Chase, just east of Huntsville, features some 30 pieces of rolling stock, including freight and passenger equipment, and three historic locomotives. The museum’s volunteer staff are available on Wednesdays and Saturdays to take train ride reservations and assist visitors.
ART, MUSIC & DANCE
Located in Big Spring International Park in downtown Huntsville, the Huntsville Museum of Art houses a permanent collection of more than 3,000 objects, primarily focused on 19th and 20th century American art with an emphasis on art from the Southeast. The Huntsville Symphony Orchestra has been performing for 70 years and is the oldest, continuously performing orchestra in Alabama. Each season, HSO offers a Classical Series, a Pops Series and Casual Classics Concerts in addition to annual Young People’s Concerts and a free Family Concert. In 2015, the Huntsville Ballet Company became the first professional ballet company in North Alabama. Its
annual performance of The Nutcracker is a beloved holiday tradition and gives students from the Huntsville Ballet School the opportunity to audition and perform with the company at the Von Braun Center Concert Hall. And catch concerts, Broadway shows, music, dance and even sports at the city’s Von Braun Center
GO TO THE PARK
Built around the water source that first lured settlers to the area over 200 years ago, Big Spring International Park, in downtown Huntsville, hosts Panoply Arts Festival and Concerts in the Park and more. John Hunt Park is home to soccer, sand volleyball and crosscountry championship facilities; a Kids Space playground; a festival site for large outdoor gatherings; a 52,000-square-foot skatepark; an 18-hole disc golf course; plus tennis, ice skating, mountain bike trails and more sports options. Apollo Park is Huntsville’s newest park. Located in MidCity, the 20-acre space includes a pond for kayaks and canoes, a water feature and lots of open space with landscaping, irrigation and walking paths.
GET OUTDOORS
Monte Sano State Park offers over 2,000 acres for outdoor recreation, including 20 miles of hiking trails, 14 miles of biking trails, an 18-hole disc golf course, playground, recreation fields and campgrounds, all with spectacular views. Ditto Landing is Huntsville’s gateway to the Tennessee River. In addition to water recreation, hiking and camping, Ditto Landing hosts events throughout the year. And, the Land Trust of North Alabama, originally the Huntsville Land Trust, provides over 80 miles of free public trails on their nature preserves in seven counties.
SPORTS
The Rocket City Trash Pandas are the Double-A affiliate of the Los Angeles Angels, playing April through August, with fireworks shows after Friday and Saturday games. In the offseason, Toyota Field hosts special events from movie nights to holiday lights. The Huntsville City Football Club held their first-ever match at Wicks Family Field at Joe Davis Stadium in May 2023. HCFC competes as Nashville Soccer Club’s affiliate in the MLS NEXT Pro league.
Huntsville is home to the Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail at Hampton Cove, one of the most picturesque and playable courses on the famous trail. The 54-hole course covers 650 acres and includes the Highlands Course, the River Course and the Short Course.
NIGHTLIFE
Huntsville’s MidCity District is home to the Orion Amphitheater; The Camp, a restaurant and bar that serves up live music and entertainment every night; and several other dining, entertainment and retail options. Located on the site of the old Martin Stove Factory, Stovehouse is a destination for dining, drinks, shopping and live entertainment. Campus No. 805 is a 13-acre development that transformed the site of the former Stone Middle School into a local craft brewery center, dining, entertainment and event venue. Downtown Huntsville Inc. has created trail guides for those who want to sip their way through the Rocket City. The Craft Beer Trail features nine local craft breweries, and the Craft Cocktail Trail includes over 10 locations, including hidden speakeasies. If that’s not your thing, a Craft Coffee Trail guide also is available.
The Rocket City Trash Pandas play at Toyota Field.
The Huntsville City Football Club, which plays in the MLS Next Pro League, was founded in 2022.
Career Notes
ACCOUNTING
Jillian Lane has joined Wilkins Miller LLC, an accounting and advisory firm in Mobile and Fairhope.
ADVERTISING
The late John Zimmerman, owner of o2 Ideas, was honored by the American Advertising Federation Birmingham for this two decades of experience in the city.
BANKING
Eddie Smith, senior vice president and Opelika city president of AuburnBank, has retired. Succeeding Smith as Opelika city president is Greg Pettey, current senior vice president, commercial/ consumer loans.
Phyllis Gamble has been promoted to senior vice president, private banker for SmartBank’s Tuscaloosa market. In addition, Kelli Shomaker has been appointed to the board of directors of SmartFinancial Inc., parent of SmartBank.
Michael Bishop has been promoted to assistant vice president for ServisFirst Bank in Huntsville.
Mike Johnston has been named Huntsville city president for Bryant Bank.
CONSTRUCTION
The Associated Builders and Contractors of Alabama has named Drew Hall, of Garrison Steel, as the 2025 Safety Director of the Year.
Universal, a division of Lexicon Inc. in Trussville, has appointed Joseph Loudermilk executive vice president.
by ERICA JOINER WEST
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
Ted Clem has been named president of the Pike County Economic Development Corp
EDUCATION
Martin Hebel, a music composition and theory faculty member in the Department of Music at the University of North Alabama, has released a new album, “Orchestral Masters Vol. 11” on Ablaze Records. Hebel also was a featured composer for the 2025 Hot Air Music Festival at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music.
University of Alabama in Huntsville College of Business Professor Xiaotong Li has been named to Clarivate Analytics’ list of the world’s most cited researchers.
ENGINEERING
Spencer-SHE, an engineering consulting and training firm in Birmingham, has promoted Savannah Smith to compliance solutions manager, Syed Imam to project engineering manager and Kelvin Eades to director of training and safety. The firm also hired Cory Troiano as project geologist and compliance specialist. In addition, firm founder and CEO Lori Purnell has been named the 2025 Enterprising Women of the Year by Enterprising Women magazine.
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Sheriff Billy Murray, of St. Clair County, has been sworn in as president of the Alabama Sheriffs Association.
LEGAL
Jonathan Maples has joined Phelps as counsel in the firm’s Mobile office.
David Rains has been named a shareholder in Maynard Nexsen’s Corporate & Business Transactions practice group.
MEDICAL
Troy Regional has named Paige Myers administrator of physician services.
USA Health Chair of Urology
Christopher Keel has been named a 2025 Young Urologist of the Year Award winner by the American Urological Association. In addition, Richard Menger, chief of complex spine surgery and vice chair of the Department of Neurosurgery at USA Health, has been selected for the Scoliosis Research Society’s Leadership, Education and Development cohort.
Kerrie Cox has been named director of Critical Care Services at Southeast Health Medical Center. Hope Poole joined Southeast Health Cardiovascular Institute team. In addition, Jordan Condrey has been promoted to nursing director of 2 East.
Yung Lau has been chosen as the new chair of the UAB Department of Pediatrics and physician in chief at Children’s of Alabama
REAL ESTATE
Capital Growth Medvest LLC, a health care real estate development and investment firm in Birmingham, has hired Brad Glossinger as senior vice president of development and John Staton IV as vice president of development.
Ben DuPré has joined The Adoption Law Firm
PHYLLIS GAMBLE
JONATHAN MAPLES
EDDIE SMITH
LORI PURNELL
KERRIE COX
JORDAN CONDREY
JOSEPH LOUDERMILK
CHRISTOPHER KEEL
GREG PETTEY
BILLY MURRAY
MICHAEL BISHOP
BEN DUPRÉ
TED CLEM
HOPE POOLE
XIAOTONG LI
YUNG LAU
MIKE JOHNSTON DREW HALL
PAIGE MYERS
“SHIPS, SHIPS, SHIPS”
ADDSCO during World War II
By SCOTTY E. KIRKLAND
The U.S. government declared Mobile to be the most overcrowded city in America in 1943. In less than two years, the population of the Port City had risen 60%, from 78,000 to 125,000. Sales on consumable goods rose 40%. Writer John Dos Passos described Mobile as if it were in the midst of a human hurricane, “trampled and battered … like a city that’s been taken by storm.”
Wartime mobilization was, of course, the reason for the population boom. Men and women flocked to the city seeking good-paying jobs that were contributing to the cause. For many of them — and certainly for the city itself — those hectic years were defining ones.
Mobile was well positioned for the growth when war came. A new aluminum plant, improved state docks and the establishment of an Army Air Force supply base along the waterfront all enticed war workers. But the city’s largest wartime employer had older roots. What started out as a relatively small shipyard three decades earlier contributed mightily to the Allied victory.
ABOVE: Female welders at the Alabama Dry Dock & Shipbuilding Co.
In 1916, David R. Dunlap, president of the Alabama Iron Works, proposed a new venture with his cousin George H. Dunlap, who owned Mobile Marine Ways. They combined their resources and acquired the Ollinger & Bruce Shipbuilding Co.,
along with a boiler works, to create a large maritime construction and repair facility. The Dunlaps named their new enterprise the Alabama Dry Dock & Shipbuilding Company (ADDSCO). With an initial capitalization of more than $500,000, it was built to last.
TOP: A night scene at the Alabama Dry Dock & Shipbuilding Co. during World War II.
Slowly, ADDSCO transformed Pinto Island — located across the Mobile River from the downtown docks — into a Gulf Coast behemoth with several dry dock slips, warehouses, water towers and offices.
The new shipyard’s contributions to World War I were few but included a 10,000-ton minesweeper and a few wooden and steel ships. Other early projects included barges for use by the Panama Canal Commission and the Tennessee Coal, Iron & Railroad Co. for its routes along the Black Warrior River.
In 1941, ADDSCO workers completed their largest project to date: construction and installation of the steel sections for the underwater Bankhead Tunnel connecting the shores of Mobile Bay for automobile traffic. Complex as it was, the tunnel project could have never prepared ADDSCO for what came later that same year when America entered World War II.
Thirty thousand souls soon worked for ADDSCO. One of their main tasks was constructing 21,000-ton cargo vessels called Liberty Ships, each stretching just over 500 feet in length. Here was David Dunlap’s vision come true, a shipyard capable of constructing several of these hulking vessels at the same time, stem to stern, start to finish. One employee described the typical, seven-day workweek: “Twelve hours, fives days a week. Ten hours on Saturday. On Sunday, when you only worked eight hours, you felt like you’d had a week off.”
Black workers were initially hired only in support roles. Southern social norms were fully in force on the shipyard. There were segregated ferries and segregated pay lines. By 1943, ADDSCO employed about 7,000 African Americans, among them Herbert Aaron, a boilermaker’s assistant whose young son, Henry, honed his baseball skills at Mobile’s sandlots.
In May 1943, after six months of foot-dragging that endangered its federal contracts, ADDSCO officials promoted a dozen African American men to welders on an overnight shift. White employees arriving for work the following morning reacted violently and threw the shipyard into a race riot that slowed production for several days. The following year, a crew comprised entirely of African Americans set a new ADDSCO record, constructing a Liberty Ship in just 79 days. As the tanker slid into the water with a thunderous splash, the workers paused only for a moment and then began anew.
During the war, ADDSCO employed approximately 2,500 women, including several hundred as welders who would have fit the “Rosie the Riveter” mold to perfection. They included Effie Keller of Fairhope, who started as an assistant in the welding department at 60¢ an hour. When she left two years later her salary had doubled and Keller was certified as a first-class pipefitter.
ADDSCO’s contribution to the war effort included 20 Liberty Ships, more than 100 other tanker types and some 3,000 repair
jobs. Once victory came, the tide of war workers quickly receded from the Port City. Ninety thousand temporary residents were gone by the summer. The shipyard that once teemed with people now employed a comparatively scant 8,500. Layoffs and drawdowns continued apace, at ADDSCO and elsewhere. “What are the jobs?” mused a local labor leader, when thinking about the future of Mobile’s postwar economy. “Can we make a baker, a policeman or a laundry worker out of a first-class pipefitter, welder or plumber?” Time would tell.
Repairs were the primary work of the shipyard until the late 1960s when it received a Navy contract to build several rescue ships, followed soon thereafter by construction of the George Wallace Tunnel on Interstate 10. On a smaller scale, the company built semi-submersible oil platforms for use in the Gulf. ADDSCO closed in 1988. At the time, the company employed 400 workers. Other businesses that have since occupied the Pinto Island property include Atlantic Marine, BAE Systems and Alabama Shipyard.
Most of the WWII-era vessels built at ADDSCO were scrapped long ago. Little remains of the infrastructure that transformed Pinto Island and made Mobile into a “War Town.” More broadly, however, ADDSCO ushered in a new era of largescale maritime industry in Mobile, the effects of which are still an important part of the local economy.
From high above the Port City today, one can see a similar scene to the one John Dos Passos wrote of as he departed the downtown office of a federal contract overseer: “Across a welter of sunblackened roofs we can see in the slanting afternoon sunlight the rows of great cranes and the staging and the cradled hulls and beyond, in the brown strip of river, packed rows of new tankers…. In spite of turmoil and confusion, ships are getting built, ships, ships, ships.”
Historian Scotty E. Kirkland is a freelance contributor to Business Alabama. He lives in Wetumpka.
An undated photo of the entrance gate to the Alabama Dry Dock & Shipbuilding Co. Photos courtesy of the Doy Leale McCall Rare Book and Manuscript Library, University of South Alabama.
Discovery Life Sciences ....................................63
Ditto Landing, Huntsville 83
Doctors Company, The 10 Dollar/The Hertz Corp.......................................12
Dos Passos, John 90
Downtown Huntsville Inc. 83
Drakkar Group 12
Druid City Vital Care ........................................94
Duke University ..............................................14
Dunklin, Jim 19
Dunlap, David R. 90
Dunlap, George H. 90
DuPré, Ben 89
Dwight-Cone Cotton Mill 14
Dynetics Inc./Leidos 63
Eades, Kelvin 89
EarlyWorks Children’s History Museum ............83
Ecoplastic America 12
Eglin Air Force Base 38
Encompass Health Rehabilitation Hospital of North Alabama 11, 69
Energy Pipe & Supply ......................................94
Enterprising Women Magazine ........................89
Escambia County 8
Eugene’s Hot Chicken 13
Evans Terry Associates......................................11
Exchange Bank of Alabama ..............................14
Exchange Bank of Attalla 14
FabArc Steel Supply 12
FAME Recording Studio ....................................53
Faulkner University ............................. 63, 79, 94 FB Financial Corp. 9 Federal Bureau of Investigation 58, 63 Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. .......................19 Federal Highway Administration......................63 Federation Advanced Manufacturing Education ...................................................79
Third Bank 13 First Bank 9 First Citizens Bank of Luverne ..........................19
First Community Bank of Cullman......................9
First Lowndes Bank 19
First Responder Games, Birmingham 9 First State Bank of Altoona ...............................14 First Watch Restaurants Inc. .............................75 Five South Architecture 12 Fleetio/Rarestep Inc. 9 Floor Covering Education Foundation ...............79 Florida Medical Manufacturers Association .......38
Legacy Credit Union 9
Leidos Inc. 66, 79
Lewis, Kim 94
Lewis, Larry 94
Lewter District Development, Huntsville 61
Li, Xiaotong 89
LifeSteps Bank and Trust ..................................63
Limestone County ....................................... 9, 75
Limestone County Economic Development Association ...................................................9
Lockheed Martin Corp. 63, 66
Los Angeles Angels 83
Loudermilk, Joseph 89
Lowe Mill Arts & Entertainment, Huntsville ............................................ 75, 83
Lowe, Bartley 83
MacCutheon, Mac 75
Madison City Schools 69, 75
Madison Community Center ............................75
Madison County .................................. 58, 63, 75
Madison County School System 72, 75
Madison Hospital 69
Madison, City of ........................................ 58, 75
Major League Fishing ......................................63
St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital 69 Stanford University .........................................38 Staton, John IV 89
Stavrinos, Despina 38
Stoner Park, Huntsville 75
Stoney River Steakhouse and Grill....................75 Stovehouse, Huntsville ....................................83
Summit Electric 35
Sunshine Oaks Park, Madison 75 Sutton, Clarence 72 Szmajda, Kaila 38
Tailwind Hospitality Inc. 75
Techstars Alabama EnergyTech Accelerator 35
JUNE
Company Kudos
by ERICA JOINER WEST
1818 Farms, founded by Natasha McCrary in Mooresville, has been featured on Amazon’s women-owned storefront, dedicated to female entrepreneurs across the country.
The state of Alabama has tied for third in the nation on the EdChoice Friedman Index regarding school choice. Taking first place was Florida, followed by Arkansas in second. Alabama tied with Arizona for third.
The Associated Builders and Contractors of Alabama has been awarded the Strategic Plan Chapter Performance Award for 2024-2029 by ABC National. It is the first time the Alabama chapter has received the award.
Austal USA, in Mobile, recently honored five suppliers. The suppliers are Air Movement Inc., for Small Business Supplier; Southern Controls Inc., which won for Indirect Supplier; Rubber Hose & Gasket, for Supplier Performance; W&O Supply, for Supplier Innovation, and Energy Pipe and Supply, for Supplier Excellence.
Baldwin Preparatory Academy, part of the Baldwin County Public Schools, has received the 2025 Projects with a Purpose award from Site Selectors Guild.
Barnett Jones Wilson LLC, of Tuscaloosa, has received a National Recognition Award for engineering achievement from the American Council of Engineering Companies. The recognition was for the Smart Communities and Innovation Building at the University of Alabama.
Orange Beach Festival of Art has been voted the Best Arts Festival in the U.S. by USA Today’s 10Best Readers’ Choice Awards. The annual festival is held at Coastal Arts Center in Orange Beach in March. Orange Beach also was listed at no. 4 in the Best Small Town Arts Scene category, while Gulf Shores was listed at no. 5 for the National Shrimp Festival in the Best Specialty Food Festival category and no. 7 for the Hangout Music Festival in the Best Music Festival category.
Druid City Vital Care, an infusion pharmacy in Tuscaloosa, has received the Top Gun award for performance by Vital Care Infusion Services. The Tuscaloosa location was recognized as the no. 1 franchise in the network for 2023 and 2024 and was the first Vital Care site to exceed $100 million in receipts for a calendar year.
Faulkner University’s physician assistant program has earned accreditationcontinued status from the Accreditation Review Commission on Education for the Physician Assistant.
Ingram Equipment Co., of Birmingham, has been honored with the Pac-Mac Dealer of the Year award. Ingram Equipment provides environmental, waste management and commercial equipment.
Project XYZ Inc. owners Kim and Larry Lewis have been selected as Alabama Small Business Persons of the Year by the U.S. Small Business Administration.
For an 11th time, Regions Bank has received the 2025 Gallup Exceptional Workplace Award for employee engagement.
Southern Sun Laundry, of Foley, has been named the Alabama Veteran-Owned Small Business of the Year by the U.S. Small Business Administration.
Thompson Engineering, of Mobile, has received a National Safety Excellence Award from the Associated Builders and Contractors. Taking home Merit Awards were White-Spunner Construction of Mobile and Tusco Inc. of Cottondale.
Historic Alabama
BEGINNINGS OF AN INDUSTRY
In its supplement The New South, Harper’s Weekly ran a photo touting “The Great Industry of Birmingham, Alabama – A Pig-Iron Furnace.” It’s not known where this 1887 photo was taken, but Sloss Furnaces was a major pig-iron producer starting in 1882 and through the beginning of the 1970s. Pig iron is the raw iron produced by blast furnaces. Photo courtesy of the Alabama Department of Archives and History.
Alabiz Quiz
May 2025:
Q: It’s not the most populous county in Alabama, but it’s the fastest growing. Which county claimed that title in 2024?
A) Baldwin County
B) Limestone County
C) Madison County
D) Montgomery County
April 2025 (one month ago):
Q: The Alabama Port Authority broke ground on an intermodal site hundreds of miles from the port in Mobile? Where is this newest cargo facility?
A) Auburn
B) Dothan
C) Montgomery
D) Tuscaloosa
Challenge yourself with these puzzlers from past issues of Business Alabama magazine. Beginning May 20, work the quiz online and check your answers at businessalabama.com
May 2024 (one year ago):
Q: Demopolis-based Two Rivers announced plans for a new $115 million plant in Coosa County. What will the plant produce?
A) Graphite
B) Lumber
C) Marble
D) Steel
May 2020 (five years ago):
Q: Birmingham-based contractor Robins & Morton handled a conversion job in two weeks, transforming the Miami Convention Center into what?
A) Baseball stadium
B) Cruise terminal
C) Field hospital
D) Scout camp
May 2015 (10 years ago):
Q: Business Alabama highlighted the state’s military and defense clusters, including Fort Rucker (now Fort Novosel) in Dale County, Maxwell Gunter Air Force Base in Montgomery, the Army’s Redstone Arsenal in Huntsville and the Coast Guard Aviation Training Center in Mobile. The fifth is the Army Depot that maintains combat vehicles, bridging and more. Where is it?
A) Anniston
B) Cullman
C) Gadsden
D) Selma
May 2000 (25 years ago):
Q: Daniel Corporation and Brookmont Realty both announced plans for new office towers—a 17-story building to house Bradley, Arant, Rose & White law firm and an 11-story structure as home to Lange, Simpson, Robins & Somerville law firm. Today, both buildings are fixtures in the skyline of which city?
