Business Alabama - March 2023

MARCH 2023

CEO OF THE YEAR

Stephanie Bryan IS ONE OF OUR INAUGURAL AWARD WINNERS

12

ALABAMA’S AUTOMAKERS GO ELECTRIC

89

CREDIT UNIONS’ HIGH IMPACT SPOTLIGHT ON COFFEE,

103 DALE AND GENEVA COUNTIES

Page 55

MARCH 2023

Volume 38 / Number 3

CONTENTS

38

Scott Gordy is manager at Mobis, which is prepping to provide EV battery modules for its next-door neighbor Hyundai. Photo by Cary Norton.

Features 12 17 20 22 26 30 32 36 38 42

AUTOMOTIVE UPDATE ALABAMA’S INDUSTRIAL MAINSTAY IS ELECTRIFYING ELECTRIC TIMES AT HYUNDAI MERCEDES DRIVES FORWARD WITH ELECTRIC BRANDS T&C STAMPING MAKES SMALL PARTS FOR A BIG INDUSTRY HONDA — HOME OF THE PILOT MAZDA TOYOTA RAMPS UP PRODUCTION AUTOMAKERS WORK TO FIND WORKERS TOYOTA REVS UP NEW ENGINE LINE MOBIS WINS TOP TIER 1 SUPPLIER HONORS FROM AAMA ROBOTS AT THE READY

4 | BusinessAlabama.com March 2023

46

AAMA OFFICERS, CORPORATE PARTNERS AND MEMBERSHIP

89

CREDIT UNIONS HIGH IMPACT Credit unions aim to benefit communities as well as members.

99

NOT YOUR SAME OLD JOB COMPUTERIZED CRUNCH Even a job as mundane as stump removal is impacted by technology.

RETROSPECT 122 KNITTED TOGETHER The W.B. Davis & Son Hosiery Mill & the resurrection of Fort Payne.

79

79: M. Miller Gorrie, one of our Lifetime Achievement honorees, leads Brasfield & Gorrie, a general contracting firm that creates building wonders, including the aquarium in Atlanta.

103: The City of Enterprise has added a new water tower.

89: Credit unions across Alabama work to support their communities; in this case Dothan-based Five Star supports area schools.

On the Cover: Stephanie Bryan, chair and CEO of the Poarch Band of Creek Indians, is Business Alabama’s inaugural CEO of the Year

TOP RANK 93 ALABAMA’S LARGEST CREDIT UNIONS SPECIAL SECTIONS 55 BA AWARDS The inaugural Business Alabama Awards celebrates the accomplishments of companies and business professionals during the prior year.

95 BUSINESS COUNCIL OF ALABAMA GEOGRAPHIC SPOTLIGHT 103 COFFEE, DALE AND GENEVA COUNTIES

Departments 7

103

121

124 125 127

89

127

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

March 2023 BusinessAlabama.com | 5

MARCH 2023 BusinessAlabama.com Volume 38 / Number 3

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

by PMT Publishing Co., Inc. All rights reserved.

Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission prohibited.

Letters to the editor are welcome.

Moving? Please note US Postal Service will not forward magazines mailed through its Bulk Mail unit.

Four to six weeks before moving, please send old mailing label and new address to Business Alabama, P.O. Box 43, Congers, NY 109209922 or call 1-833-454-5060.

6 | BusinessAlabama.com March 2023

Benchmarks Record-setter | Montgomery

With $1.7 billion in capital investment, the CITY OF MONTGOMERY saw a banner year for economic progress in 2022 — the best ever for the city, says Mayor Steven Reed.

“I want what you want; and we want Montgomery to be the kind of place where we not only raise our children — but those children return because Montgomery offers opportunities — opportunities for fulfilling careers, excellent education and immersive cultural experiences,” Reed said in his State of the City address.

Here’s the list of projects developed by the Montgomery Area Chamber:

• $65 million for the new inland port designed to give rail access to the state seaport in Mobile • $52 million for a FedEx expansion • $32 million for a new Premier Tech facility • $300 million invested toward electric vehicles at Hyundai • $200 million for a related battery plant at Hyundai Mobis • $400 million for Diageo North America • $600 million for a Manna Beverages & Ventures beverage park The chamber’s list counted 23 projects to reach the $1.7 billion total.

B U S I N E S S

B R I E F S

WRONG WAY Alabama’s economy will shrink slightly in 2023, according to the annual economic forecast from the Center for Business and Economic Research at the University of Alabama.

The forecast is for Alabama’s economic output to decrease 0.1% this year.

PANDEMIC WOES Alabama hospitals have lost a total of $1.5 billion over the past three pandemic years, according to a report prepared

by Kaufman Hall at the request of the Alabama Hospital Association.

POWER BOOST The Alabama Public Service Commission has approved $62 million in refunds to be paid to Alabama Power customers in August. The power company was above the allowed rate of return by $62 million in 2022.

There’s no word, yet, on how much individual customers will see in refunds.

HERITAGE Alabama’s 14-county Black Belt region has been designated a National Heritage Area. The designation means up to $1 million a year will go toward the protection and preservation of the region.

LEGACY Montgomery’s Legacy Museum, which opened in 2021, now ranks as Alabama’s second-

Alabama’s capital city is celebrating its best-ever year for economic development.

Taken together, the investments will result in more than 2,000 jobs, said Reed.

Reed also praised the city as a safe place to be: “You are as safe — if not safer in Montgomery — than in any city our size in this state or in our region” — and a place that works to prevent violence, intimidation and aggression in its policing and a city that is inclusive.

Reed also talked about plans for the city — a new downtown arena and convention center, a new fire station, a renovated farmers market, added greenspace in north Montgomery and more .

most popular paid attraction, according to Alabama Tourism.

It’s second only to Huntsville’s Space and Rocket Center.

HEAPS OF HONDAS Honda, which has a major plant in Lincoln, has passed the 30 million mark for cars produced in America. The firm also has plants in Ohio, Georgia and Indiana.

BETTER CONNECTIONS The U.S. Treasury approved Alabama’s plan for the Capital Projects Fund, including nearly $200 million to expand broadband in the state. The Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs will administer the

$191.8 million to support projects to extend service to previously unserved areas.

BUILDING UP Birmingham-based Robins & Morton has completed work on Paradise Point of Ormond Beach, an assisted living facility in Florida.

JUNE JAM RETURNS June Jam, one of the biggest country music events in the nation until it stopped in 1997, will return June 3 at the VFW Fairgrounds in Fort Payne. Randy Owen and Teddy Gentry, members of the band Alabama, made the announcement at the Fort Payne Chamber of Commerce’s

March 2023 BusinessAlabama.com | 7

BENCHMARKS

Record-setter | Alabama Port Authority The ALABAMA PORT AUTHORITY wrapped up a year of monthly container cargo records with a new annual cargo handling record — 563,191 twenty-foot equivalent container units (TEUs). It’s the first time the port has handled more than 560,000 TEUs. The 11% increase is the 9th time since 2009 that the port has recorded double-digit growth.

The container terminal also handled 312 ships, 75 more than the previous year.

“Time and again, we are showing that shipping through Mobile is an efficient and cost-effective way for businesses to get their goods into or out of the United States,” said Port Authority Director and CEO John Driscoll. “These numbers reflect shippers’ confidence in Alabama’s port, and Mobile has consistently offered supply chain stability.”

The container cargo facilities at the port are in the midst a multiphase expansion that will increase its capacity to 1 million TEUs annually. Other key projects at the port, all slated for completion by 2025, include deepening and widening channels to handle bigger vessels and adding an intermodal container facility in Montgomery with direct CSX rail access to and from the port in Mobile. Also in the works are a fly-over bridge to provide on-dock rail access at the container terminal, modernizing general cargo piers and developing an inland intermodal facility in North Alabama.

“With proven fluidity, the Port of Mobile continues to attract new routes, creating more direct services from the Far East to Mobile and enhancing our gateway’s connection to growing global markets,” said Chief Commercial Officer Beth Branch.

An economic impact report written before the record-breaking 2022 numbers indicated that the Port of Mobile has an $85 billion annual economic impact on the state. 

B U S I N E S S

B R I E F S

Awards Banquet, where they accepted a lifetime achievement award along with Lisa Cook, widow of band member Jeff Cook.

government to resolve allegations that it submitted false claims to the Connecticut Medicaid program for applied behavior analysis services.

Amvik offers billing, claims and collections services for health care providers using its WebABA software.

TAX WOES Data released from the Tax Foundation shows that Alabama ranks fourth when it comes to combined state and local sales tax rates. The top five are Louisiana at 9.55%, Tennessee at 9.548%, Arkansas at 9.46%, Alabama at 9.25% and Oklahoma at 8.98%. Alabama ranks first on the list of average local sales tax rates, at 5.25%.

SETTLE UP Birmingham-based Amvik Solutions has agreed to pay $153,300 to the federal

NEW AT THE TOP Dawn Bulgarella is the new CEO of the UAB Health System and UAB/Ascension St. Vincent’s Alliance, and Anupam Agarwal has been named dean of the UAB Heersink medical school, senior vice president of medicine and chair of the Health Services Foundation Board. D. Mitchell Henry

8 | BusinessAlabama.com March 2023

Containers transit the Port of Mobile via sea, rail and truck.

has been inaugurated as the ninth president of Faulkner University. Stephanie Smith has been named president and CEO of the Alabama Policy Institute.

MAKING SPACE The City of Mobile has awarded a contract for demolition of old buildings in the Brookley Field area, making space for an additional Airbus assembly line that would be needed if the Lockheed Martin-Airbus team wins the contract to build a new refueling tanker for the U.S. Air Force.

BIGGER & BETTER Schmidt Automotive, an Auburn company that makes automotive powertrain components and

assemblies, said a planned $7.7 million expansion will create 25 new jobs over the next two years. The company, which came to Auburn in 2015, has a plant on Innovation Drive. Pack Health, a firm specializing in health coaching and patient engagement, which is now part of Quest Diagnostics, has announced plans to expand, adding some 200 workers in Birmingham. Briggs & Stratton has announced plans to move its home standby engine business from Wisconsin to its existing facility in Auburn. Iron Tribe Fitness, a Birmingham-based fitness chain with 29 gyms in eight states, is planning at least five more locations by the end of 2023. Development deals

BENCHMARKS

Record-setter | Regions Financial REGIONS FINANCIAL CORP., headquartered in Birmingham, has reported a total revenue increase for 2022 of 12% year-over-year to a record $7.2 billion on both a reported and adjusted basis, driven by growth in net interest income.

The company reported fourth quarter net income available to common shareholders of $660 million and earnings per diluted share of $0.70. For the full year 2022, the company reported net income of $2.1 billion and record pre-tax pre-provision income of $3.1 billion.

“I want to congratulate and thank our 20,000 associates for their hard work and dedication throughout the year,” said John Turner, president and CEO of Regions Financial Corp. “During the year, we continued to make banking easier for our customers and our associates through innovations and account enhancements that improve the customer experience and better enable our teams to deliver tailored financial solutions.

“Our strategic investments continue to provide opportunities to broaden and deepen relationships with our customers,” Turner added. “Additionally, our attractive footprint, combined with our innovative and comprehensive product

set, has supported continued customer acquisition and revenue growth while delivering benefits for all stakeholders.”

For total revenue in third quarter 2022, Regions noted in its release that while capital markets income decreased 34% and mortgage income decreased 35%, card and ATM fees increased 3% and wealth management income remained stable compared to the prior quarter.

Average loans and leases increased 1% during the fourth quarter 2022 compared to the prior quarter, driven primarily by growth in commercial and industrial lending, investor real estate, residential first mortgages and EnerBank, a lender program aimed at residential construction remodelers. Average business lending increased 2%, reflecting broad-based growth

B U S I N E S S

B R I E F S

have been signed for gyms in Auburn; Tampa, Florida; Charleston, South Carolina; and Nashville, Tennessee. Morgan Metals, based in Athens, plans a $286,000 expansion, enabling it to handle larger projects. Law firm Capell & Howard grew by eight attorneys when joined by the teams from Sasser, Sefton & Brown and from Red Oak Legal.

to lay off 224 employees at its Auburn facility by March 7. The layoffs are listed on the Alabama Department of Commerce’s Warn list, which tracks layoffs and closures.

LAYOFFS Publishing giant Dotdash Meredith has laid off 7% of its national workforce, including 3% of its Birmingham staff, where it publishes Southern Living, allrecipes.com and more. Wheel Pros, a wheel manufacturer based in Colorado with operations in Auburn, plans

WHAT’S IN A NAME? Jacksonville State University is now branding itself as Jax State.

A new logo with a focus on the nickname is the first update to the school’s visual identity in 15 years. JSU will use Jax State in marketing and promotional materials.

BABYSITTER FINDER An app developed in Birmingham to help match babysitters with customers has expanded to Huntsville and Mobile. Wyndy helps parents

in financial services, wholesale durables, information services and multi-family.

Commercial loan line utilization levels ended the quarter at approximately 43.4%, increasing 30 basis points over the prior quarter, while line commitments grew approximately $800 million during the quarter.

Regions notes that it maintains a solid capital position with estimated capital ratios remaining well above current regulatory requirements. The Tier 1 and Common Equity Tier 1 ratios were estimated at 10.9% and 9.6%, respectively, at fourth quarter end 2022. The company’s liquidity position also remains robust including cash held at the Federal Reserve totaling $9.2 billion and a loan to deposit ratio of 74% at fourth quarter-end. 

find, hire and pay backgroundchecked college babysitters.

ROCKET REDO REQUIRED Discussions are taking place to determine what to do about the Saturn 1B rocket that stands at the Ardmore Welcome Center in North Alabama. The rocket, one of three Saturn rockets developed in Huntsville, is deteriorating and in need of restoration.

SAY GOODBYE Brewbaker Motors, an 84-yearold family-owned car dealership in Montgomery, has been sold to Sons Auto Group. Sons, based in Georgia, owns a dealership in Auburn, as well as dealerships in Georgia and Tennessee.

ON CAMPUS The University of North Alabama’s spring semester enrollment is up 20% from spring 2022, its 15thconsecutive semester of growth. UNA calls itself the fastest-growing university in Alabama. Athens State University and Northrop Grumman celebrated the grand opening of the school’s new STEM learning lab in late January. The lab was made possible by a donation from Northrop Grumman.

CORPS QUARTERS The Mobile City Council approved a 100-year lease with a private developer that paves the way for construction of an office building and parking

March 2023 BusinessAlabama.com | 9

BENCHMARKS

Record-setter | Alabama Exports ALABAMA EXPORTS set a record in 2022 at $25.5 billion. That tops the previous annual record of $21.7 billion set in 2017.

The numbers suggest that a strong recovery made in 2021 is accelerating, said Alabama Secretary of Commerce Greg Canfield.

“Alabama is full of next-level innovation taking place in key industries, and we’re ready to bring what’s happening inside our factories and laboratories, and within our entrepreneurial ecosystem to the world,” Canfield said.

“Despite turbulence on the national scene, Alabama’s economy is really humming on all cylinders and can keep rolling as a bounty of growth projects bring in

new jobs and investment,” he said.

Gov. Kay Ivey added, “Our recordbreaking success when it comes to our exports is yet another example of the far reach of the ‘Made in Alabama’ brand and a direct result of our incredible companies and top-notch workforce.

Exporting is a fundamental economic pillar that supports growth in Alabama, contributing economic vitality and spurring job creation across the state.”

Alabama-made goods were shipped to 196 countries in 2022.

Germany remained the top destination, taking $4.3 billion in Alabama goods, a 21% increase over the previous year. Next on the list are China at $3.8 billion, up 10%; Canada at $3.2 bil-

B U S I N E S S

B R I E F S

garage on the Civic Center site. The six-story building and 1,000-space garage would be regional headquarters for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

the pilot group for the program, which will certify businesses that are at least 51% Black-owned to be eligible for contracting and procurement opportunities.

SPORTS AT HAYS FARM The City of Huntsville is building two new multipurpose fields across from Grissom High School. The complex, called Hays Farm Sports Park, will feature fields for soccer, lacrosse, ultimate Frisbee, football and other sports.

TRACKSIDE Norfolk Southern Corp. partnered with 120 companies for 159 industrial development projects along its rail network in 2022. In Alabama, that included Packaging Corporation of America investing in a plant in Jackson.

CERTIFIED BLACK The National Alliance for Black Business is launching a Black Business Enterprise Certification and Scorecard, first in a small pilot group and later nationally.

Tuskegee is one of the cities in

MERGERS & ACQUISITIONS North Carolina-based Spatco Energy Solutions has acquired McKinney Petroleum Equipment, a Mobile company founded in 1933. Spatco

10 | BusinessAlabama.com March 2023

lion, up 3%; Mexico at $2.8 billion, up 11%; and Japan at $1 billion, representing a 42% jump. Other countries in the top 10 are South Korea, Brazil, the United Kingdom, Belgium and Australia.

The No. 1 export category is transportation equipment, which includes motor vehicles and parts, aerospace products and parts, and ships, among other items.

Transportation equipment reached $11.4 billion, with motor vehicles accounting for most of that at $8.9 billion.

Other export categories showing strong increases during 2022 included chemicals, minerals and ores, primary metals and paper — with minerals and ores up a whopping 178%. 

provides electronic vehicle infrastructure, among other services.

and more. The 110,000-squarefoot facility should be finished in late 2024.

BUDGET BOOST As part of an $81 million budget surplus, the Birmingham City Council has voted to help fund a proposed new amphitheater on the old Carraway hospital campus. The city will give $5 million toward the effort, part of a larger multiuse development under way in the area.

WATER WORK Dauphin Island Sea Lab has opened a new research facility allowing it to examine the effects of multiple variables — salinity, oxygen pH and temperature — on sea life at the same time.

FUN IN ENTERPRISE Enterprise has broken ground on a multi-million-dollar recreation and aquatics center that will be the largest municipal building in the city. The facility will include indoor gyms, indoor and outdoor swimming pools

TEE TIME Construction is in progress on a new Topgolf facility near the intersection of I-10 and I-65 in Mobile. The $22 million project, with dining and activities for non-golfers, is slated to open later this year. Topgolf already has facilities in Birmingham and Huntsville.

Record-setter | PCI Gaming WIND CREEK HOSPITALITY’S PCI GAMING has agreed to acquire Magic

City Casino in Miami, Florida, in a deal that multiple news outlets are saying could be worth $600 million.

“We are excited to grow our footprint in another major metropolitan area, this time in Miami, Florida,” said Stephanie Bryan, tribal chair and CEO of the Atmore-based Wind Creek parent Poarch Band of Creek Indians. “Our expansions in Pennsylvania, Illinois and now Florida provide us the ability to take care of and grow opportunities for our Tribe. We look forward to becoming a valued partner in the Miami community.”

A purchase price was not disclosed, but the Miami Herald said industry estimates put it at $600 million, which would be the largest casino deal in Florida history.

Southern Florida “is a natural connection” to PCI’s properties in Aruba

and Curacao, said Jay Dorris, CEO and president of Wind Creek.

“With close proximity to Miami International Airport, the location is

fantastic for players from all Wind Creek properties and gives Miami locals an easy way to experience the Wind Creek brand everywhere we operate.” 

Wind Creek’s first casino in Atmore.

March 2023 BusinessAlabama.com | 11

A AM A : S PEC I A L S EC T I O N

//////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

ALABAMA AUTOMOTIVE MANUFACTURERS ASSOCIATION

//////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

ADS-TEC Energy, a maker of fast electric vehicle charging stations, will open its first U.S. location, an $8 million facility for sales, warehousing and assembly, in Auburn, creating approximately 180 jobs over the next two years.

//////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

ALABAMA’S INDUSTRIAL MAINSTAY IS ELECTRIFYING

/////////////AS /////THE ////////INDUSTRY /////////////////PIVOTS /////////////TO //////ELECTRIC ////////////////VEHICLES, //////////////////THE ////////VALUE ////////////OF ////////////// VEHICLES BEING EXPORTED CONTINUES TO INCREASE

A

LABAMA, ONCE KNOWN FOR STEEL PRODUCTION AND COAL MINING, is now home to a robust automotive manufacturing sector.

But as more and more consumers make the switch from gas-powered to electric-powered vehicles to reduce carbon emissions into the environment, some Alabama automakers and key supplier firms are stepping up their electric vehicle game.

12 | BusinessAlabama.com March 2023

By GAIL ALLYN SHORT

“The Alabama auto industry is doing great,” says Ron Davis, president of the Alabama Automotive Manufacturers Association. “We have very dynamic OEM manufacturers in our state.

“We have suppliers that are engaging and participating in a transition to electric vehicles. We have the electric vehicle transition being planned by our OEMs. We’re positioned to continue to be successful in Alabama in the automotive industry,” he says.

This comes, says Davis, even as automotive manufacturing faces hefty headwinds nationwide from rising inflation and interest rates.

Currently, the production capacity of automotive assembly plants in Alabama tops 1.3 million vehicles annually, making the state among the top five producers of cars and light trucks in the United States. Mercedes-Benz, Honda, Hyundai and Mazda Toyota craft vehicles here and SPECIAL SECTION

A AM A : S PEC I A L S EC T I O N

‘‘

For the past 25 years, the auto industry has been Alabama’s main economic engine, generating massive investment and sustained job creation in communities throughout the state.”

— ALABAMA DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE SECRETARY GREG CANFIELD

Toyota maintains a significant and growing engine plant as well as producing vehicles.

The state’s Department of Commerce estimates these companies together have invested around $15 billion in their Alabama assembly operations.

“For the past 25 years, the auto industry has been Alabama’s main economic engine, generating massive investment and sustained job creation in communities throughout the state,” Alabama Department of Commerce Secretary Greg Canfield says.

Already in 2023, the growth continues.

South Korean auto supplier firm Samkee Corp. announced plans in early February to invest $128 million in a new plant in Tuskegee, where it will make die-cast aluminum components for engines, transmissions and electric vehicles, primarily serving nearby Hyundai.

“The industry’s dynamic growth has elevated Alabama’s profile on the international stage and powered a surge in vehicle exports that has extended the ‘Made in Alabama’ brand globally. The impact of the auto industry on Alabama has been nothing short of spectacular, and we’re confident that’s going to continue well into the future as the EV revolution unfolds,” Canfield says.

When it comes to vehicle exports, the Alabama Department of Commerce reports that motor vehicles are Alabama’s No. 1 export category; the state ranks No. 3 in the nation for vehicle exports. Final export numbers for 2022 show the vehicles 14 | BusinessAlabama.com March 2023

reached $8.9 billion, a key element of the state’s record-setting export year.

That is up from 2021 when exports of vehicles produced in Alabama exceeded $7.7 billion.

Alabama’s exported vehicles go primarily to Germany, China, Canada, Mexico and Australia, according to the Alabama Department of Commerce.

The growth and continued investment by the automotive manufacturing industry in Alabama was evidenced by the actions of several companies in 2022.

For example, the engine plant Toyota Motor Manufacturing, Alabama, which produces four-cylinder, V-6 and V-8 engines, announced a $222 million expansion project last year. Once complete, Toyota’s investment at the Huntsville facility will reach $1.4 billion, with employment totaling 1,800, the Alabama Commerce Department reports.

Another plant, Honda Manufacturing of Alabama debuted the redesigned Honda Pilot SUV for 2023.

And in Auburn, Shinhwa Auto USA Corp. is constructing a second 400,000-square-foot auto parts manufacturing plant in Alabama. The new plant will be across from the current plant located at Auburn Technology Park West.

The move is part of a $78 million expansion effort by the company to increase its output for aluminum products.

The Shinhwa plant makes parts for the Hyundai Motor Manufacturing Alabama auto assembly plant in Montgomery and a Kia assembly plant in West Point, Georgia.

But 2022 also saw several expansion projects and announcements in Alabama directly related to the EV market.

The Mercedes-Benz assembly plant in Tuscaloosa County, for example, debuted the all-electric EQS SUV in 2022 and announced that it will also produce the all-electric EQE SUV. In addition, the company opened its new EV battery plant

in Bibb County.

Another automaker, Hyundai, announced its plan to assemble a hybrid version of its Santa Fe sport utility and an electric Genesis GV70 SUV at its Montgomery factory with an investment of $300 million.

Meanwhile, Hyundai Mobis, a supplier to Hyundai Motor Manufacturing of Alabama (HMMA), revealed its intentions to build a $205 million EV battery plant in Montgomery, creating an estimated 400 jobs. The plant is scheduled to start production in 2024.

Another automotive supplier, Li-Cycle, a lithium-ion battery recycler, opened a plant last year in Tuscaloosa.

“This facility will play an important role in the lifecycle of batteries powering electric vehicles by contributing an innovative sustainability solution,” Gov. Kay Ivey said in a press statement at the time.

In Coosa County, Westwater Resources and its subsidiary, Alabama Graphite Products LLC, began construction on a $202 million graphite processing plant.

Refined graphite is a key material in EV batteries and other products.

But while Alabama is making some strides when it comes to building electrified vehicles, it still has some catching up to do when it comes to accessibility to EV charging stations, says a recent report by the Alabama Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Plan by the Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs (ADECA).

The document says, “Alabama needs more charging stations serving more strategic corridors, more communities, and more travel destinations to help fully realize all the benefits of transportation electrification.”

According to the report, Alabama currently has 48 unique Level 3 Direct Current Fast Charger sites with 77 charging ports across the state along with 195 Level 2 charging stations with 431 publicly SPECIAL SECTION

A A M A : S PEC I A L S EC T I O N

accessible EV ports. In addition, 16 proprietary Tesla-only DC fast-charging sites with 164 charging ports exist in Alabama.

Tesla owners, however, can charge their vehicles at most DC fast-charging stations.

Grant programs by ADECA and the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure program are designed to help boost those EV charging station numbers in Alabama.

Meanwhile, interest in EVs is growing slowly across Alabama. According to the Alabama Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Plan, Alabama saw a 61% jump in the number of EVs registered in the state in 2021.

“EV registrations in Alabama have definitely skyrocketed,” says Michael Staley, president of the nonprofit Alabama Clean Fuels Coalition. The coalition has organized EV chapters and hosted special events around the state that are attended

by EV drivers, Staley says.

“The best way for a consumer to learn about an EV is to talk to somebody that owns one and to see one and feel it and

SPECIAL SECTION

touch it. So those have been very successful. We organize a lot of those kinds of educational opportunities at farmers markets and other locations around the state where we encourage EV drivers to show off their vehicles and answer questions other drivers have about the technology,” Staley says.

But Davis says getting most Alabamians to switch from gas-powered vehicles to EVs will take time.

“It’s not like flipping a switch where we have internal gas combustion engines and then all of a sudden now we’re going to have EVs. I think the marketplace is going to demand all of those products over transition time and each of the OEMs, based on what kind of vehicle they produce, what the fuel economy, what kind of mixed hybrids they have. It all fits into their strategic plan for a transition to electric vehicles,” Davis says.

Gov. Ivey is, however, attempting to drive up interest in EVs through her new Drive Electric Alabama initiative.

Coordinated by ADECA, Drive Electric

Alabama aims to inform and educate consumers, state and local government leaders, OEMs and others who could play a key role in bringing EV-related jobs to the state.

Last Sept. 21, under the Drive Electric umbrella, the Clean Fuels Coalition, ADECA and others even held an EV Summit meeting at the BirminghamJefferson Convention Center.

“I’m excited about the future of Alabama in the automotive industry,” Davis says — an excitement driven by the way OEMs, state agencies, the community college system and others are working together to support Alabama’s auto manufacturing industry.

“We’re all working together in such a nice way. That makes us a force of energy that I think is hard to model. I don’t see it in any other state.”

Gail Allyn Short is a Birmingham-based freelance contributor to Business Alabama.

March 2023 BusinessAlabama.com | 15

A A M A : S PEC I A L S EC T I O N

The Hyundai plant in Montgomery.

//////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

ELECTRIC TIMES AT HYUNDAI

//////PRODUCTION //////////////////////OF /////THE ///////ELECTRIC ///////////////GENESIS //////////////GV70 /////////IS////UNDERWAY //////////////////IN ////MONTGOMERY //////////////////////////

H

AVING TURNED OUT SOME 3,000 HYBRID SANTA FE SUVS LAST YEAR, Hyundai Motor Manufacturing Alabama expects to have fully joined the electric vehicle revolution by the time you read this.

“Not only are we producing the first EV Genesis in North America, but we would now also be producing both brands, the Hyundai brand and the Genesis brand,” says Scott Posey, public affairs manager for HMMA in Montgomery.

Genesis is a luxury vehicle division of Hyundai. HMMA will be turning out the Genesis Electrified GV70, a new luxury SUV. According to caranddriver.com, the Electrified GV70 will be the third all-electric model for the Genesis brand.

The website quotes Genesis as saying the model features a fast-charging battery system that can go from 10% to 80% in less than 20 minutes at a public charging station.

Horsepower is estimated at 429, the website states. Zero-to-60 acceleration is estimated at 4.5 seconds.

The vehicle’s design is said to be much SPECIAL SECTION

By JANE NICHOLES

like the gasoline-powered version. Bells and whistles include a large widescreen “infotainment” display mounted on the dashboard with the latest version of the Genesis software interface.

Motortrend.com named the gasolinepowered version its 2022 SUV of the Year. “Considering our high regard for the gas-powered GV70 and the company’s other EVs, we’re eager to try it out,” it said of electric version.

While building cars at a mighty pace, Hyundai also sponsors robotics events and others aimed at attracting the next-generation workforce.

Posey says the price had not yet been set, but Motortrend estimates the base price at $65,000, and notes that owners will save money by never needing gas or oil.

To make way for the addition of March 2023 BusinessAlabama.com | 17

A AM A : S PEC I A L S EC T I O N

Hyundai produced 332,832 vehicles last year, almost all headed for the U.S. market.

electric-powered vehicles to the existing lines turned out by HMMA, the Montgomery plant underwent a $300 million infrastructure expansion and upgrade last year. HMMA also added 200 employees, bringing the total workforce to 3,800.

Posey says HMMA also estimates it is responsible for between 1,400 and 1,450

indirect jobs in Alabama through suppliers and service providers. On top of that, Hyundai Mobis is building a new plant next door to make EV batteries for HMMA and its sister, Kia Motor Manufacturing plant in West Point, Georgia.

The battery plant brings another investment of $205 million and 400

new jobs to Alabama. “The batteries currently are shipped to us from South Korea, but beginning in 2024 they’ll be Alabama-made,” Posey says.

“You can see how [with] an employer like HMMA moving into production of its first all-electric vehicle, the economic impacts are far larger than even the $300 million that we invested.”

With advanced manufacturing techniques in general requiring an ever more educated and trained skills set among employees, HMMA has worked to ensure that it will have the needed workforce in both the short- and long-term.

To that end, it offers technical and leadership training in-house and supports next-generation education initiatives in local public schools.

Last year, HMMA produced 332,832 motor vehicles, including Sonatas, Elantras, Santa Fes, Tuscons, Santa Cruzes and Santa Fe Hybrids. Of those, 316,566 went to U.S. dealers. The rest, 16,266, were exported to countries including Canada, Mexico, Puerto Rico and El Salvador. More than half of the exports were gasoline-powered Santa Fe SUVs sent to Canada.

While HMMA continues to deal with supply chain challenges, particularly the international shortage of semiconductor chips, production has not been affected, Posey says. “While it is still a challenge for us to address, it hasn’t prevented us from producing the automobiles that we’ve been asked to produce.”

And the COVID-19 pandemic is no longer an issue.

“The excitement for this year is the beginning of production of the GV70, and the fact that we will now be officially a part of this growing EV revolution in Alabama.

“Of course, we’ve come out of the pandemic. Last year, we were still readapting the processes and the people back to some semblance of normalcy that we kind of all forgot about, that we had pre-pandemic,” Posey says.

Overall, Posey says, Hyundai is now the third largest automaker in the world.

Jane Nicholes is a Daphne-based freelance contributor to Business Alabama.

18 | BusinessAlabama.com March 2023

SPECIAL SECTION

A AM A : S PEC I A L S EC T I O N

//////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

MERCEDES DRIVES FORWARD WITH ELECTRIC BRANDS

////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// THE ALABAMA PLANT’S EXPANSION KEEPS THE COMPANY MOVING TOWARD ITS GOAL OF BEING ALL ELECTRIC BY THE END OF THE DECADE

By GAIL ALLYN SHORT

Mercedes opens its battery plant in Bibb County.

I

T HAPPENED 30 YEARS AGO. One of the world’s best-known luxury vehicle brands, Mercedes-Benz, chose tiny Vance, Alabama, in 1993 as the location for an American assembly plant to produce its M-Class SUVs. In 2017, Mercedes-Benz announced its plan to invest another $1 billion in its Vance plant, Mercedes-Benz U.S. International (MBUSI), to launch the production of electric-powered vehicles.

The company stated that its aim was to go fully electric by the end of the decade.

Fast forward to today, and MBUSI is celebrating more than a quarter of a century of production in Vance with its new, all-electric Mercedes-EQS sport utility vehicle, moving the plant into a new era of building electric vehicles (EVs).

Besides the EQS — which is produced exclusively at MBUSI — the plant’s other products include the GLE SUV, the GLE Coupe, the GLS Luxury SUV, the Mercedes Maybach GLS and — soon to hit the road as well — the all-electric EQE SUV. In an August 2022 press release, Jörg Burzer, a member of the Mercedes-Benz

20 | BusinessAlabama.com March 2023

Group AG, production and supply chain board of management, said, “Our production network is very well positioned for the sustainable and rapid scaling of electric vehicle volumes. With the new EQS SUV joining our production portfolio of all-electric Mercedes-EQ models, we reached another important milestone in our strategy to go all electric by the end of the decade — wherever market conditions allow.”

Business Alabama reported in April

2022 that the EQS SUV can seat seven and has “powerful electric motors, responsive 4MATIC all-wheel drive and an intelligent OFFROAD driving mode,” for its ability to easily handle light terrain.

The vehicle’s aerodynamic exterior features a Black Panel radiator grille system with sensors that transmit information to the SUV’s driving assistance systems.

The MBUX Hyperscreen is designed to display information such as a battery charge, where to find charging stations and other features. Customers can charge their vehicles at any charging station in Europe, the United States and Canada.

Under the hood, the EQS carries a lithium-ion battery with up to 12 cell modules and can be charged in just 15 minutes at a DC fast charging station for a range of up to 250 kilometers or just over 155 miles.

Mercedes has also introduced what it calls the Mercedes me Charge, a charging network of more than 700,000 AC and DC charging points around the world.

Moreover, to help their EV customers better understand how to charge

Mercedes reveals the EQS SUV, built in Tuscaloosa.

SPECIAL SECTION

A A M A : S PEC I A L S EC T I O N

their electrified vehicles, the company has posted a website, mbusa.com/en/ charge, that features detailed instructions and how-to videos about Mercedes me Charge and how to charge vehicles at home and while traveling.

Regarding the assembly plant, company literature says the facility in Vance “uses state-of-the-art digital, sustainable, efficient and flexible production methods” and is modeled after the company`s Factory 56 in Sindelfingen, Germany.

“Thanks to early investments into flexible production and the use of the state-of-the-art MO360 digital production ecosystem, Mercedes-Benz is already able to produce battery-electric vehicles in large volumes,” Mercedes said in a press statement.

The company opened its battery factory in nearby Bibb County last year. The factory’s 985-foot production line has more than 70 workstations to assemble battery systems for its EVs. Mercedes’ Bibb County battery plant is a part of the company’s battery production network, which includes plants on three continents.

Moreover, Mercedes-Benz announced in a statement in 2022 that all MercedesBenz US production sites would begin operating on a CO2 neutral basis.

“As of this year the Mercedes-Benz US production sites operate on a CO2 neutral basis as all of the MercedesBenz owned passenger car and van plants worldwide. In line with the MercedesBenz strategy of expanding renewable energy production at its plants, the Bibb County battery site’s entire electricity needs will be met through renewable energy sources from 2024 onwards.”

The most recent available report says MBUSI employed about 4,500 people in 2022 and the company estimated that the battery plant would foster 600 new jobs.

In addition, Mercedes reports that MBUSI fosters around 11,000 jobs with suppliers and service providers and that the Tuscaloosa plant has assembled about 4 million vehicles since it opened in 1997. That number included around 260,000 SUVs assembled in 2021 alone.

Mercedes also reports that about two-thirds of MBUSI’s annual production is exported, making it one of the SPECIAL SECTION

largest exporters of automobiles from the United States. Its vehicles are sold in 135 countries.

Regarding the new EQS, Michael Göbel, president and CEO of MBUSI, said in the 2022 company press release, “We have a highly skilled and motivated team that has absolutely delivered in the successful product launch of the

new EQS SUV. Our team members in Tuscaloosa have shown a lot of flexibility, energy and commitment in helping us to achieve milestone after milestone since our first Mercedes-Benz rolled off the production line more than 25 years ago.”

Gail Allyn Short is a Birmingham-based freelance contributor to Business Alabama.

March 2023 BusinessAlabama.com | 21

A AM A : S PEC I A L S EC T I O N

Wendell Smith works a press making parts for BMW at T&C Stamping in Athens.

//////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

SMALL PARTS FOR A BIG INDUSTRY

/////////////T&C ///////STAMPING ////////////////STARTED ///////////////AS /////A///SUPPLIER ////////////////TO /////THE ///////APPLIANCE //////////////////INDUSTRY, ///////////////////////// NOW EARNS TOP HONORS FOR ITS ROLE SUPPORTING THE STATE’S AUTOMOTIVE SECTOR

By KATHERINE MacGILVRAY — Photos by DAVID HIGGINBOTHAM

I

N OCTOBER 2022, the Alabama Automotive Manufacturers Association (AAMA) named T&C Stamping Inc. its Small Manufacturer of the Year during the association’s Supplier of the Year event.

T&C Stamping is a self-certified, woman-owned small business based in Athens that provides metal stampings, tool and die and related assembly services to a variety of industries. Other services include tooling design, prototyp-

22 | BusinessAlabama.com March 2023

ing, progressive die stamping and drawn stampings.

Weston Coleman’s grandfather, Mike Coleman, co-founded T&C Stamping in 1985 with John Turner. After Mike Coleman’s death in 1997, members of his family bought out Turner’s interest, and the company continues to run as a privately held, family-owned business today.

“We started as a supplier for the appliance industry -— electromechani-

cal controls, thermostat controls, those kinds of things,” says Weston Coleman, director of sales at the company.

But, he recalls, as manufacturing jobs for those smaller items started to go overseas, the company had to diversify, and in 2010 T&C Stamping started looking more and more toward the automotive industry for business growth. It was an obvious choice, with companies like Mercedes-Benz U.S. International Inc. in Tuscaloosa, Hyundai Motor SPECIAL SECTION

A A M A : S PEC I A L S EC T I O N

Manufacturing Alabama (HMMA) in Montgomery and Toyota Motor Manufacturing, Alabama Inc. in Huntsville already well-established entities in the state and with other OEMs increasingly looking to move their operations to the Southeast.

“There might not have been the number of [automotive] plants in Alabama then that there are now, but you could definitely say that the shift was happening, and we just felt like that was the right direction for us to go,” says Coleman, adding that the stamping supplier’s automotive business has grown to make up about 20-25% of total revenue.

T&C Stamping’s primary customer is the BMW Group manufacturing plant in Spartanburg, South Carolina. Other customers include the Volkswagen Chattanooga Assembly Plant in Tennessee and the Honda Alabama Auto Plant in Lincoln.

T&C Stamping, which employs 80 people, initially operated in a small section of a now 96,000-square-foot facility, located near the center of Athens in a seven-acre industrial park. Design, manufacturing and shipping operations all take place at the location. Currently, the plant processes more than 15,000 tons of raw materials and stamps more than 130 million pieces annually. They can produce stampings with thickness ranging from .002 to .250 inch and have experience working with a variety of traditional and non-traditional materials, including galvanized steel, stainless steel, copper, Mylar, polyester, insulating paper, phenolic and fine silver.

The company credits its proximity to I-65, the Huntsville International Airport and its major raw material suppliers as a significant contributor to its success over the past 25 years.

“And we’d like to expand, but we’re kind of limited on floor space,” says Coleman.

In the meantime, there are tentative plans to bring in some bigger presses.

Currently, the stamping presses range in size from 20 to 330 tons with press bed sizes ranging from 48 to 106 inches, with shut heights of up to 24.5 inches.

“I would like to see us get rid of some of the smaller presses that we use to run SPECIAL SECTION

Weston Coleman is director of sales at T&C Stamping, which his grandparents founded.

appliance control parts on and move toward the larger presses, 100-ton and up, that better serve our automotive customers,” says Coleman.

Each year the AAMA recognizes large and small manufacturing suppliers for outstanding achievements in areas such

as innovation, quality, safety and commitment to the community.

Last year, Coleman, who serves on AAMA’s young professionals committee, threw T&C Stamping’s hat in the ring, and AAMA President and Chairman Ron Davis toured the facility.

March 2023 BusinessAlabama.com | 23

A AM A : S PEC I A L S EC T I O N

Bins full of brackets that will find their purpose welded to a cross beam behind the dashboard of a BMW.

“He was very complimentary of the cleanliness of the plant and the overall atmosphere,” Coleman recalls. “We try to create as relaxed of a work environment as we can for a manufacturing plant.” A couple weeks after his visit, Davis notified Coleman that T&C Stamping would receive the 2022 Supplier of the Year Award.

Coleman says it was a surprise and honor to win the award. “When you think about the number of people in our state that do the same thing we do and to be selected as supplier of the year, it’s pretty awesome. I can’t take any credit for it. I got to stand up there and receive the award, but there are 80 people here who run parts every day, and they’re the ones who deserve the credit.”

“T&C Stamping was the clear winner of AAMA’s Supplier of the Year Award for small manufacturer, and the decision was unanimous by the AAMA selection committee,” says Davis. “T&C Stamping has a history of strong performance in products produced, quality and customer service. I was especially impressed with 24 | BusinessAlabama.com March 2023

“When you think about the number of people in our state that do the same thing we do and to be selected as supplier of the year, it’s pretty awesome. I can’t take any credit for it. I got to stand up there and receive the award, but there are 80 people here who run parts every day, and they’re the ones who deserve the credit.”

— WESTON COLEMAN, DIRECTOR OF SALES AT T&C STAMPING

their employee-focused culture as they treat their employees as their most valuable resource.

“This culture is not just talk; it is backed up with action, consistency and employee-focused programs. T&C

Stamping has very strong employee retention resulting from training provided, balance of compensation and benefits, apprenticeship opportunities and displayed care for their workers,” Davis adds. “As I walked the shop floor it was all clearly evident to me as I observed a very happy, productive, top-notch small manufacturer at work.”

“We’re here to serve the automotive industry in Alabama,” says Coleman, adding that he sees opportunity for future growth for the company as automotive manufacturers continue to focus on adding electric vehicles to their lineups.

“They’re going to need stamping companies like ours that know quite a bit about different materials like copper, brass and particularly aluminum. We have a lot of aluminum stamping experience and expertise that some of the other automotive stamping companies may not have.”

Katherine MacGilvray and David Higginbotham are freelance contributors to Business Alabama. She is based in Huntsville and he in Decatur.

SPECIAL SECTION

A AM A : S PEC I A L S EC T I O N

//////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

HOME OF THE PILOT

////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// THE NEW PILOT HAS MORE SPACE FOR PASSENGERS AND CARGO, AS WELL AS A REDESIGNED ENGINE

By JANE NICHOLES

T

HE HONDA PILOT SUV IS ALL-NEW FOR 2023, and preparing for its launch kept the Alabama Auto Plant in Lincoln busy in 2022.

AAP is “the exclusive global production source” for the Pilot and Passport SUVs, according to company literature.

The newest version of the Pilot is the largest and most powerful since the SUV was introduced in 2003. The Pilot line includes the new Pilot TrailSport SUV, which AAP spokesperson Samantha Davis described as “the most off-road capable Honda SUV ever.”

Overall, the 2023 Pilot is longer,

wider and more powerful, with more space for passengers and cargo. It has a new V-6 engine that is also built at AAP and represents the first major redesigned engine since the plant opened.

The TrailSport offers special features that include an off-road tuned suspension, all-terrain tires and thick steel skid plates that protect the engine and fuel tank.

The new Pilot launched in December.

AAP now builds the Honda Odyssey minivan, the Honda Pilot and Pilot TrailSport SUVs, the Honda Passport and Passport TrailSport SUVs and the Honda Ridgeline pickup truck, as well as

the V-6 engines.

“Typically, about 6% to 8% of the Alabama Auto Plant’s production is allocated for global export, but this figure is fluid due to fluctuations in the global economy,” Davis says. “Over 99% of the vehicles Honda sold in the U.S. in 2022 were made in North America.”

The plant employs about 4,500 people and has a production capacity of more than 340,000 vehicles and engines annually, Davis says. It is hiring and has partnerships with workforce development programs in Alabama, as well as local technical schools, community

Carefully crafting the new 2023 Honda Pilot and Pilot TrailSport models.

26 | BusinessAlabama.com March 2023

SPECIAL SECTION

A A M A : S PEC I A L S EC T I O N

In January, Honda employees across the country — including these at the Alabama Automobile Plant — celebrated the completion of 30 mlllion vehicles in the U.S.

colleges and state colleges.

Last year also saw a major change in leadership at AAP. In October, Lamar Whitaker, an Alabama native, became the new plant lead. Whitaker succeeded Bob Schwyn, who was promoted to senior vice president of Honda Development & Manufacturing of America and lead of the Ohio manufacturing management center.

Whitaker started his career at Honda in 2001 as a mass production buyer and has held multiple positions at AAP over 22 years. He is now responsible for leading all AAP production operations.

Like other auto manufacturers, Honda has had to deal with supply chain shortages including semiconductor chips in recent years, as well as other impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Like the rest of the industry, we aren’t out of the woods yet with supply issues, but we anticipate higher production levels this year vs. 2022,” Davis says.

As for the industry trend toward electric vehicles, the Lincoln plant for now is focused on the internal combustion engine. But that doesn’t mean electrification isn’t on the way to Honda North America.

Honda’s goal is to sell 100% batteryelectric and fuel-electric vehicles in North America by 2040, Davis says.

Progressive targets of 40% by 2030 and 80% by 2035 also have been set.

In October, Honda and LG Energy SPECIAL SECTION

The Honda Passport and TrailSport are new stars in the company's production array.

Solution announced a new joint venture battery plant in Fayette County, Ohio, expected to be completed by the end of 2024. The electric vehicle batteries will go to Honda auto plants to produce EVs to be sold in North America.

Honda also plans to begin retooling three production facilities in Ohio to produce electric vehicles. With the battery plant, Honda will operate a new EV hub in that state.

“The Alabama Auto Plant has a critical role to play in this future,” Davis

says. “As Honda begins to prepare for BEV production, we need to sustain our current production of internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles to continue to meet anticipated strong customer demand through 2030 and beyond.

“Moreover, the sustained success of the ICE vehicles made at AAP will support the required investment in our electrified future.”

Jane Nicholes is a Daphne-based freelance contributor to Business Alabama.

March 2023 BusinessAlabama.com | 27

A AM A : S PEC I A L S EC T I O N

//////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

RAMPING UP VEHICLE PRODUCTION

////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// MORE TEAM MEMBERS ARE BEING HIRED AND TRAINED AS MAZDA TOYOTA INCREASES PRODUCTION — GOING TO A SECOND SHIFT ON ONE OF ITS PRODUCTION LINES

By KATHY HAGOOD

In the paint shop at Mazda Toyota.

M

AZDA TOYOTA MANUFACTURING (MTM) continues to ramp up production and hiring at its new Huntsville plant. The operation is the first joint Mazda and Toyota collaboration of its kind, representing a $2.3 billion investment in the creation of a cutting-edge manufacturing environment.

Mark Brazeal, vice president of administration for MTM, is understandably proud of the growing operation.

“What is truly unique about Mazda Toyota Manufacturing is that we are not just a manufacturing plant located in Huntsville, built in Limestone County, and hiring Alabamians,” he says. “We

30 | BusinessAlabama.com March 2023

are the only location for Mazda Toyota Manufacturing in the world. We are the manufacturing facility and the corporate office — MTM is Alabama, specifically North Alabama, and we hope to represent the values of the people who live here.”

Toyota and Mazda first announced in August 2017 an alliance to create a joint venture to produce vehicles in the United States. By then Huntsville had paved the way for the plant — commissioning a master plan in 2008 for newly annexed land in Limestone County; then winning Tennessee Valley Authority certification for the land as a 1,242-acre TVA megasite in 2016. Combining the certified

megasite with workforce, education, infrastructure and quality of life measures, the city was able to lure MTM. The plant began production of its first SUV model, the Toyota Corolla Cross, in September 2021 on the Apollo assembly line. A second model, the Mazda CX-50, was first manufactured on the company’s Discovery line in late January 2022. “These new model SUVs were launched on two separate production lines within a four-month time period in a new manufacturing plant,” Brazeal says. “This really is a remarkable achievement accomplished through a lot of teamwork and quite a bit of perseverance.”

SPECIAL SECTION

A A M A : S PEC I A L S EC T I O N

By July 2022, a second shift was added to the Apollo line. About 1,000 new workers were hired last year as the plant marched forward on its goal of 4,000 employees. It currently employs 3,700.

Since production began, the Huntsville plant has built in excess of 125,000 vehicles, including more than 90,000 Toyota Corolla Cross and more than 35,000 Mazda CX-50. Production numbers could go up over the coming year.

The plant’s capacity for production on the Apollo and Discovery assembly lines is 300,000 vehicles annually. “As MTM continues to improve its process capability and team member skill through its ramp-up period, daily production volume continues to increase,” Brazeal says.

Now the operation is planning the start of a new Discovery line second shift this year, which will require additional staffing. “MTM continues to build capacity and ramp up its production, while continuing to hire new team members every week,” Brazeal says. “In a competitive labor market, MTM finds innovative ways to attract, onboard and train its team members. This unprecedented hiring and production plan has helped to build a stronger culture at MTM, where everyone contributes to building something new and innovative.”

The Toyota Corolla Cross is Toyota’s first entry into the crossover market, combining features of a traditional sedan with an SUV, including all-wheel drive and fuel efficiency. The model is supplied to customers in the continental United States and four U.S. territories. It’s also exported to Canada and Mexico.

The Mazda CX-50 crossover SUV combines different drive modes and offers an available turbo engine to match various types of terrains. It’s supplied to customers in the continental United States and Puerto Rice and is exported to Canada, Mexico and Colombia.

Looking over the past year, Brazeal calls attention not only to the plant’s manufacturing success but also to MTM’s Inaugural Grant Fund, which provided $180,000 to 10 area nonprofits. “MTM takes pride in reaching start of production milestones for both of the vehicles that it produces,” he says.

“MTM also takes pride in living up to SPECIAL SECTION

On the Discovery Assembly Line.

On the Apollo Quality Line.

its promise to be a hometown company, providing support to the local community and nonprofit organizations who serve their team members.”

Nonprofits that benefitted were Huntsville Hospital Foundation, Agape of North Alabama, United Way of Madison County, Drake State Technical College, Limestone County Career Technical Center, Madison County Career Tech Center, Madison City Schools, Athens State University Foundation, the Cap

and Gown Project and KTECH. This year will be exciting for the operation because of the planned start of the Discovery Line second shift, as well as additional hiring and giving, Brazeal says. “MTM will continue to be a steward of its local community, supporting workforce partners, as well as launching the second round of grant fund giving.”

Kathy Hagood is a Homewood-based freelance contributor to Business Alabama.

March 2023 BusinessAlabama.com | 31

A AM A : S PEC I A L S EC T I O N

//////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

FINDING THE WORKERS

////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// AUTOMAKERS TURN TO JOB FAIRS, TV ADS, STATE AGENCIES TO FIND WORKERS FOR THE BURGEONING INDUSTRIAL SECTOR

By DEBORAH STOREY

G

OOD-PAYING JOBS WITH BENEFITS ARE HERE FOR THE TAKING in Alabama’s automotive industry.

Employers are luring workers through job fairs, TV ads, partnerships with workforce development and educational organizations and even appeals on social media.

Roughly 42,000 people work in auto and parts manufacturing in Alabama, labor statistics show, but companies need more. Their strategies include flexible schedules, scholarships, certificate programs that practically guarantee a job and possibly hiring workers with a few blemishes on their criminal records.

SUPPLIERS HIRING Original equipment manufacturers and companies that supply Alabama automakers are all hiring, says Alabama Automotive Manufacturers Association President Ron Davis.

“They’re all in the mode of continuing to work through current workforce challenges,” he says. “There are a lot of jobs out there — jobs with good pay and good benefits.”

Companies are strategizing with the

state Department of Commerce, the Department of Labor, the community college system and AIDT to address workforce challenges, he says.

“The OEMs are working together to share best practices that can help the state and not cross any competitive lines defined by antitrust (restrictions) but to really, really improve how we’re managing our workforce,” says Davis.

Every OEM has a strong initiative to evaluate the workforce and continue working on issues like employee retention and recruiting the right people, he says.

“We’ve created videos to encourage young people to take a look at the industry,” Davis adds.

Honda, Mercedes-Benz, MTM, Hyundai and Toyota Alabama are represented together in an AIDT initiative called SHIFT aimed at career “shifters,” high school graduates and workers from other states. The ShiftinAlabama.com website connects people directly to job listings.

SHIFT is “about how you can shift your thinking and shift into a new career and shift into a better life,” Davis says.

“We have creative things going on all across the state,” he says. “One of the things we looked at was the labor participation rate.”

One source of potential workers is

‘‘

families needing a flexible schedule.

“They just can’t do a rotating shift because they need to be home at night when the kid gets home from school,” Davis says, “so we were looking at that.”

Another untapped labor source could be people with a criminal record, he says.

The idea is practical — and philanthropic. “How can we help them recover from their problems in the past and have a good job in the industry?" asks Davis.

‘WILL KEEP HIRING’ Mazda Toyota Manufacturing in North Alabama currently has 3,700 team members and is casting the net for hundreds more. MTM has partnered with AIDT (Alabama Industrial Development Training) to facilitate hiring, onboarding and training new team members, says Mark Brazeal, MTM vice president of administration. Local chambers of commerce and educational institutions also are helping with recruitment.

“We market opportunities at career and job fairs, and through advertising employee services on social media, television and digital platforms,” Brazeal says.

MTM will keep hiring “until it reaches the approximately 4,000 team members outlined in its mass hiring plan.”

The goal is to operate “two production lines on two shifts in alignment,” he adds.

They’re all in the mode of continuing to work through current workforce challenges. There are a lot of jobs out there — jobs with good pay and good benefits.”

— RON DAVIS, PRESIDENT, ALABAMA AUTOMOTIVE MANUFACTURERS ASSOCIATION

32 | BusinessAlabama.com March 2023

SPECIAL SECTION

A A M A : S PEC I A L S EC T I O N

GEARING FOR GROWTH Toyota Alabama currently employs more than 1,800 people and is looking for more also.

“We are hiring production and maintenance team members,” says Jason Puckett, president of Toyota Alabama.

“We are gearing up for growth.

“Our new engine line will start up this year, but, to us, growth is more than increased production,” he says. The company wants to be “a force for growth and change in the community. Ensuring that we have the right qualities for a great career coupled with a strong community mission and impact is our key to attracting great talent,” Puckett says.

“As electrification changes mobility, my focus is on our 1,800 team members and their skill development,” he adds.

“We’re the total package — great pay and benefits, career opportunities, challenging and fulfilling work and a culture of inclusion.”

In 2022, Toyota announced a $222 million investment in its manufacturing facility in Huntsville to create a four-cylinder line that will include engines for hybrid electric vehicles. That project should be complete in late 2023.

“This investment marks our sixth building expansion and eighth major investment,” Puckett notes.

‘‘

‘HUGE DEMAND FOR SKILLED WORKERS’ Hyundai Motor Manufacturing Alabama currently employs about 3,800 people, says Scott Posey, public affairs manager for HMMA. That’s up about 200 during the past year.

Much of the increase has been due to the plant’s move into electric vehicles, beginning with the Santa Fe Hybrid SUV last year and the new Genesis brand electrified GV70 SUV. Posey says employees with technical expertise are needed throughout the state’s manufacturing sector, not just the growing automotive industry.

“There is a huge demand for skilled workers, and especially those that have the more highly skilled jobs in maintenance and engineering and other jobs that require strong technical skills. The demand is outweighing the supply,” he says.

SPECIAL SECTION

There is a huge demand for skilled workers, and especially those that have the more highly skilled jobs in maintenance and engineering and other jobs that require strong technical skills. The demand is outweighing the supply.”

— SCOTT POSEY, PUBLIC AFFAIRS MANAGER, HYUNDAI MOTOR MANUFACTURING ALABAMA

Attrition and expansion create a consistent pressure on recruiting, he says, adding, “It’s squeezed and it’s tight, but it’s certainly not critical or catastrophic.

It’s not affecting our production.”

Hyundai recruits on college campuses and offers in-house training to existing employees who might be interested in maintenance and engineering work.

There are also management and leadership programs. Hyundai also works with AIDT on worker training.

Aside from current recruiting, HMMA has worked in recent years to ensure that the next generation has the needed skills. “As manufacturing processes become more advanced, the skills that are needed by manufacturing become more advanced. I think we all share in this challenge,” Posey says.

HMMA has partnered with the Southeastern Center for Robotics Education (SCORE) based at Auburn University. SCORE creates student teams and encourages competitions. “Their

mission is to create interest in robotics technology in middle school and high school students and others,” Posey says.

The result has been the creation of the Hyundai Initiative for Robotics Excellence (HIRE), with HIRE teams now in every middle and high school in the Montgomery public school system.

Also last year, HMMA donated vehicles through the Central Alabama Works program to two area high schools for hands on education. “Those vehicles allow students to basically take them apart and put them back together again. They learn about vehicles and how advanced they are.” If some of the students one day decide to work at Hyundai, so much the better.

“We’re investing in a workforce of our future,” Posey says. “It’s absolutely our hope that by being exposed to the technology and making it fun and getting them interested in that early, that we’re also getting them familiar with the Hyundai brand. We’re a local employer with very competitively paying jobs right here in their backyard.”

DEVELOP THE SKILLS Honda’s Alabama Auto Plant, in Lincoln, employs about 4,500 people.

“Like most businesses and industries, we have been impacted by the growing labor shortage,” Samantha Davis, spokesperson for AAP, says.

“That’s why Honda has been active in creating and participating in a number of workforce development initiatives in Alabama, as well as working closely with local and state leadership and groups such as East Alabama Works, the Alabama Workforce Council and AIDT, as part of our efforts to develop the skills of potential associates.”

EDUCATING WORKERS To keep new workers up to date with technology, auto industry leaders are turning to the state’s community colleges to develop employees ready to step onto the plant floor.

“The automotive industry is rapidly changing with advances in electric vehicles, battery technology and the manufacturing processes associated with them,” says Barry May, executive director March 2023 BusinessAlabama.com | 33

A AM A : S PEC I A L S EC T I O N

of workforce and economic development for the Alabama Community College System.

“The colleges are working closely with the industry to understand these advances and adapt our curriculum accordingly to ensure our students are prepared with the skills they need to be successful.”

May says the college system introduc-

es students to important technologies early in their education programs and joins forces with businesses to make that happen.

“We are a proud partner with the Alabama Automotive Manufacturers Association to provide scholarships to students who are interested in pursuing automotive-connected careers,” May

‘‘

The colleges are working closely with the industry to understand these advances and adapt our curriculum accordingly to ensure our students are prepared with the skills they need to be successful.”

— BARRY MAY, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF WORKFORCE AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, ALABAMA COMMUNITY COLLEGE SYSTEM

notes. “We also take the lead in developing corporate sponsorships through our FAME apprenticeship programs that connect students to businesses before they graduate from college.”

Students who participate in Federation for Advanced Manufacturing programs are expected to earn 40% more in five years than students who did not pursue these programs, May adds. For more information on the scholarships, see dreamitdoitalabama.com/aama.

The Alabama Community College System website lists dozens of automotive industry careers from service technicians to engineers, with classes on nearly every campus.

Deborah Storey is a freelance writer based in Huntsville. Gail Allyn Short, Jane Nicholes, Kathy Hagood and Katherine MacGilvray also contributed to this story.

34 | BusinessAlabama.com March 2023

SPECIAL SECTION

A AM A : S PEC I A L S EC T I O N

//////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

INVESTING IN TOYOTA AND ALABAMA

////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// A NEW FOUR-CYLINDER LINE, A $222 MILLION INVESTMENT, WILL PRODUCE ENGINES FOR COMBUSTION AND HYBRID ELECTRIC VEHICLES BY LATE FALL

By KATHY HAGOOD

Members of Toyota's engine making team.

T

OYOTA MOTOR MANUFACTURING, ALABAMA INC., which is located in Huntsville, is an essential part of Toyota’s supply chain, producing one-third of all engines for Toyota vehicles assembled in the United States. It’s the only Toyota plant in North America to produce twin-turbo engines.

The coming year looks promising for the plant, says Jason Puckett, president of Toyota Alabama. “We are gearing up for growth,” he says. “Our new engine line will start up this year, but, to us,

36 | BusinessAlabama.com March 2023

growth is more than just increased production. We want to be a force for growth and change in the community and be a true partner to all those folks fighting to help our city and state reach its amazing potential.”

The completion of the new fourcylinder line, which will include engines for hybrid electric vehicles (HEV), is expected by late fall. The company’s $222 million investment, announced last year, represents the 1.3 million-squarefoot plant’s sixth building expansion on its 403-acre site. It’s the eighth major

investment for a total of $1.5 billion.

Puckett is proud of the new line and the plant’s expansion. “With the creation of the new four-cylinder line, all four of our lines at Toyota Alabama will make combustion and HEV engines,” he says. “This milestone positions Toyota Alabama to play a major role in Toyota’s larger electrification strategy for years to come. As a company, we have to be forward thinking and make sure we are keeping the customer at the forefront of all our decisions.”

The Huntsville operation’s president SPECIAL SECTION

A A M A : S PEC I A L S EC T I O N

notes that Toyota Alabama, which was established in 2001 and started production in 2003, has grown from 300 team members to more than 1,800 employees.

“Last year we celebrated our 20th anniversary with team members and their families with a concert at Toyota Field,” Puckett says. “We also hosted an open house for the first time in five years.

After the disruption caused by COVID, gatherings and being able to connect with our team members outside of work and meet their families was very special.”

The Toyota Alabama plant produces an average of 3,000 engines per day.

Last year, 665,000 engines were built, compared to 642,000 engines in 2021.

The plant has the capacity to build up to about 900,000 engines per year.

The Huntsville operation’s current line of four-cylinder engines, which started production in 2011, are used in RAV4, Corolla, Corolla Cross, Highlander and Sienna vehicles. The plant’s V-6 engines are built for Tacoma trucks, and its twin-turbo V-6 engines for Tundra trucks and Sequoia full-size SUVs. Toyota made a $288 million investment to produce both a hybrid electric

powered twin-turbo V-6 engine and gas-powered twin-turbo V-6 engine for the all-new 2022 Tundra. That investment kicked up employment at the plant by 450 workers to its current staffing level of 1,800, the largest hiring increase in the plant’s history.

None of the vehicle engines manufactured by Toyota Alabama are exported, but instead are shipped to six of Toyota’s domestic plants. While Toyota produced more than 1 million vehicles in the United States during 2020, more than 2 million were sold here.

Puckett expects the new four-cylinder engine line will bring exciting changes and challenges for the Huntsville staff and continue the operation’s need for skill development. “A quote that’s resonated with me lately from the father of TPS (Toyota Production System), Taiichi Ohno, is ‘People don’t go to Toyota to ‘work,’ they go there to ‘think,’” he says. “This is at the root of our focused development, to improve our members’ problem solving and analytical skills.”

According to Puckett’s company bio, he began his career in 1997 as an engineer at Toyota Indiana and worked his

way up the corporate ladder, serving in roles including vice president of administration and vice president of manufacturing before taking his current role at Toyota Alabama in 2021.

“What’s unique about a career at Toyota, you are learning from the day you start at Toyota, until the day you retire,” Puckett says. “Creating those opportunities to learn and kaizen (Japanese for continuous improvement) are what keep our members engaged and ready for the next challenge.”

The Huntsville operation has additional good news for the coming year.

Toyota recently announced that Toyota Alabama would be one of three pilot sites for the Driving Possibilities project, a $110 million national initiative to support PreK-12 education and beyond.

“The goal of the initiative is to improve communities and get people excited and prepared for the job market,” Puckett says. “Toyota Alabama was selected, and we are looking forward to announcing several new partnerships later this year.”

Kathy Hagood is a Birmingham-based freelance contributor to Business Alabama.

Toyota produced 665,000 engines at the Huntsville plant last year, all of which were shipped to six of Toyota's U.S. plants.

SPECIAL SECTION

March 2023 BusinessAlabama.com | 37

A AM A : S PEC I A L S EC T I O N

//////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

MOBIS WINS TOP TIER 1 SUPPLIER HONORS FROM AAMA

////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// SUPPLIER FIRM IS AT WORK ON $205 MILLION EXPANSION TO SUPPORT ELECTRIC VEHICLE PRODUCTION

By NEDRA BLOOM — Photos by CARY NORTON Producing chassis and cockpit modules, bumpers and instruments panels is the life blood of Mobis Alabama, a key supplier to Hyundai.

38 | BusinessAlabama.com March 2023

W

HEN A SUPPLIER FIRM WINS KUDOS FROM THE ALABAMA AUTOMOTIVE MANUFACTURERS ASSOCIATION, it’s something to brag about.

This year’s winner among large manufacturing firms, Mobis Alabama LLC, has earned those bragging rights.

The firm that’s nestled alongside Hyundai Motor Manufacturing Alabama was nominated by the OEM firms it supports, then vetted by the association and then selected as the year’s winner.

Although the firm has announced a major expansion, that’s not the reason they won, says AAMA CEO Ron Davis.

“It isn’t why they won, but it highlights their role. It’s the bow on the package,” he says.

“What’s more important,” says Kevin Taylor, assistant director of prospect recruitment and training for AIDT, the state agency committed to helping companies find the workers they need, “is operational excellence and production to their customers. Hyundai is heavily involved in the nominating process. The OEMs know who produces good quality parts — that’s most important — and making sure they’re coming in in the proper time.”

That phrase, “the proper time,” may seems somewhat off-hand and casual.

For Mobis, however, it’s anything but.

When the team’s associates go to work to craft front and rear chassis and cockpit modules for HMMA, the turnaround time — from order to delivery — averages 45 minutes to an hour, says Senior Manager Scott Gordy.

The modern trend to just-in-time delivery, where neither supplier nor client devotes voluminous space for storage or SPECIAL SECTION

A A M A : S PEC I A L S EC T I O N

Producing the elements of an automobile just as the OEM needs them is a carefully choreographed dance, says Mobis manager Scott Gordy.

inventory, results in a carefully choreographed system.

“It’s a very precarious dance we do,” says Gordy.

Most of the company’s team works in the module building, where those chassis and cockpit units are created.

Next door is the plastic extrusion facility, molding bumpers and instrument panel skeletons for both HMMA and its sister Kia plant nearby in Georgia.

“There’s a little more leeway on timing” for those elements, Gordy says.

Mobis has two more buildings at the Hyundai location, part of the redistribution center that gathers its own parts plus more from other Tier 1 and Tier 2 suppliers, then ships them to dealerships and others who need aftermarket parts.

Early in 2022, Hyundai announced that it would begin to produce electric vehicles at its 21-year-old Montgomery plant. Just a few months later, Mobis announced that it would invest $205 million to develop an EV battery module plant to support both Hyundai and Kia. SPECIAL SECTION

“As the EV market continues to grow, having a strong production capacity will be key in allowing Hyundai Mobis to see continued growth in the market,” says H.S. Oh, vice president of electric powertrain business of Korean-based parent company Hyundai Mobis. “We believe this new facility in Montgomery will be an important step in that process, and we are excited for the project to be

Most of the auto elements crafted at Mobis go to Hyundai, next door; others to Kia in Georgia.

under way.”

Alabama Secretary of Commerce Greg Canfield lauded the announcement, saying “Hyundai Mobis’ investment project in Montgomery reflects an acceleration in the development of the EV supply March 2023 BusinessAlabama.com | 39

A AM A : S PEC I A L S EC T I O N

chain in Alabama’s auto industry. We’re going to be a major production player in the EV market, and that’s going to trigger more growth within the sector.”

At present, the firm has about 900 employees and a total of 1,100 workers, when contractors and temporary hires are included. Adding the new battery stacking capability will add some 400 employees to the staff, Gordy says.

At the same time, parent company Hyundai Mobis is opening an additional plant in McCalla to support Mercedes.

While finding workers is a challenge for all industrial employers these days, Gordy says, “We have been fortunate enough to secure the labor we need, but it is difficult. We use several temp firms and outsource some to contractors.”

He hopes that the firm will be able

to find the additional workers it needs, because the jobs on offer are “full-time permanent jobs, well compensated.”

Beyond the new battery work, the new emphasis on electric vehicles creates changes in the module facilities, too, says Gordy. Because of different needs, the cockpit module for an EV is quite different from that for a gasolinepowered vehicle.

Growth is nothing new for the Montgomery Tier 1 supplier. The module and plastics element of the plant were completed in 2004, all designed to serve two Hyundai models. Now it provides key elements for seven models.

Growth is nothing new for the Montgomery Tier 1 supplier. The module and plastics element of the plant were completed in 2004, all designed to serve two Hyundai models. Now it provides key elements for seven models.

Gordy worked for Hyundai until 2020, then moved to be closer to family during the worst of the COVID-19 times. But that move meant a change to a different industry. When the chance arose to come to Mobis, back to Montgomery and back into the automotive world, he jumped at it, moving into his leadership role in 2022.

“Automotive is where my heart is pulling me,” he says.

Now he is thrilled at the honor from the AAMA. “With the numerous Tier 1 suppliers in Alabama — and there are some huge names out there — to be recognized for the things we do every day, for doing the right things for the right reason at the right time, to be honored by the OEMs is a great honor, a huge honor.”

Nedra Bloom is a Mobile-based writer/editor for Business Alabama, and Cary Norton is a Birmingham-based freelance contributor.

40 | BusinessAlabama.com March 2023

SPECIAL SECTION

A AM A : S PEC I A L S EC T I O N

Training space at the Robotics Center includes a simulated shop floor and classrooms.

//////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

ROBOTS AT THE READY

//////////HOW ////////AN //////IDEA ////////TO /////HELP /////////ALABAMA ////////////////BUSINESSES ////////////////////RETAIN ////////////EMPLOYEES ///////////////////BECAME ///////////////// AN AMAZING DRAW FOR COMPANIES TO LOCATE IN THE STATE Story and Photos by JENNIFER G. WILLIAMS

A

SPRAWLING 85-ACRE CAMPUS complete with a test track and structures filled with stateof-the-art equipment sits across U.S. 31 from Calhoun Community College just north of the Tennessee River in Limestone County.

And while its buildings blend with the surrounding collegiate and industrial landscape, the mission of this campus makes it unique. The Robotics Technology Park (RTP) shares the latest innovations in technology and industry; it also trains Alabama workers how to best utilize and repair the equipment — all at no charge.

42 | BusinessAlabama.com March 2023

The RTP represents an $80 million collaboration among the state of Alabama, Alabama Community College System, Alabama Industrial Development Training (AIDT) and robotics industry leaders. These partnerships allow the RTC to offer its facilities and training as a benefit to Alabama companies — the only thing they need to pay for is lodging if needed.

“We look at this center as an asset for companies all across the state and for those looking to locate here,” says Ed Castile, executive director of AIDT and the deputy secretary of the Alabama Department of Commerce’s Workforce

Development.

“Everything is happening so fast… we want to help companies, our businesses, keep up with that and the way you do that is by keeping your staff, your folks skilled up with today’s constantly changing technology and equipment — whether they need to get certified, recertified or learn a whole new system.”

Alabama State Sen. Arthur Orr (R-Decatur) says the RTC has played a huge role in the state’s economic development over the past decade. “It has served its purpose as a jobs magnet — not only for North Alabama, but for the whole state,” he says.

SPECIAL SECTION

A A M A : S PEC I A L S EC T I O N

‘‘

Everything is happening so fast… we want to help companies, our businesses, keep up with that and the way you do that is by keeping your staff, your folks skilled up with today’s constantly changing technology and equipment — whether they need to get certified, recertified or learn a whole new system.”

free training available at the RTC. In fact, the RTC has made such an impact on the rapidly growing Alabama automotive industry that it was selected as Service Provider of the year in the Supplier of the Year awards presented recently by the Alabama Automotive Manufacturers Association, a trade group representing companies in the industry.

ROOTED IN RETENTION “In about 2009, then-Gov. Bob Riley approached us [at AIDT] about helping companies that were losing their employees — particularly their skilled and industrial maintenance employees…the folks who keep our businesses running,” says Castile.

“So, we started with one building that opened in 2010 with plans for additional facilities. We opened our third phase in

2016 and still have about 35 acres on our site for future projects.”

Each of the three facilities serves a special purpose. Phase I, which opened in 2010, hosts the majority of the training and classes on campus.

Phase II, which opened in 2011, is the 30,000-square-foot Advanced Technology Research and Development Center and features a test track and facility for robotics manufacturers. Phase III includes a 52,000-square-foot facility that houses the Integration, Entrepreneurial and Paint Dispense Training Facility, and is designed to facilitate building, installing and adapting automation equipment for new and existing manufacturing processes.

These expansions allow for more training because the technologies are continuing to grow, says Castile. “There’s

— ED CASTILE, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF AIDT AND THE DEPUTY SECRETARY OF THE ALABAMA DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE’S WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT

“Employers and companies considering coming to Alabama are blown away by the facility and what it offers,” says Orr. “And when they learn that there’s no cost for companies that locate in Alabama, their eyes light up and they connect the dots to this invaluable workforce training in the emerging field of robotic technology.”

When the center opened in 2010, there were a few automobile manufacturers across Alabama, says Castile. Since that time, Alabama has quietly risen to become one of the top auto export states in the country, thanks in large part to incentives and programs that include the SPECIAL SECTION

The large robotic arm can be configured for multiple applications, broadening the training options for students.

March 2023 BusinessAlabama.com | 43

A AM A : S PEC I A L S EC T I O N

a new thing now that some refer to as industry 4.0 — it’s like the new industrial revolution with technology — with everything going to cloud-based technologies, machines now are talking with each other. Our workers have to keep up with these things that seem to change and evolve almost daily.”

The RTC features new and specialized equipment and technology that constantly is updated and upgraded by the vendors themselves, says Castile, which ensures that the equipment used for training is the same as what Alabama employees will encounter on the job.

Companies can train their employees to use new equipment before it’s even installed in their plants.

And while companies and employees from outside Alabama cannot use the RTC facilities, they are always welcome to visit and get pointers on how to create a similar facility in their own state. “As far as I know, this is the only facility of its kind in the country — one that exists solely to

The RTC features new and specialized equipment and technology that constantly is updated and upgraded by the vendors themselves, which ensures that the equipment used for training is the same as what Alabama employees will encounter on the job. benefit in-state businesses,” says Castile.

Kristi Bain, AIDT assistant director for North Alabama, says the park and its purpose “have become part of my being. I feel blessed every time we get a call from another state or country agency asking [if ] they can come see what we are doing here. We are always willing to

show them and to help them connect with the best vendors that are out there.”

NEVER A DULL MOMENT Larry Harris was one of the first instructors hired at the RTC. He’s taught several classes in various disciplines and loves the constant challenge of learning something new. “It’s never boring,” he says. “This field in general doesn’t get boring because there’s so much technology — it just keeps coming.

“I tell everybody, if you want to get a job where you don’t have to learn anything else after you get the job, this is not the career for you,” says Harris. “But if you go into this, they’re going to bring out a new system. You’re going to have to learn how it works and if they bring in a new robot, somebody’s going to have to know how it works. They have to know how to program it, how to take it apart and put it back together.”

“The neat thing about my job is that they’re constantly getting new stuff and I get to learn how to use it and play with it,” he laughs.

Harris says he lets students experiment with the new equipment — to a point.

“I tell them to get their money’s worth while they’re here,” he says. “Somebody will ask me, ‘will it do this?’ And I’m like, ‘Try it! Let’s see if it works,’ you know?

The only thing I won’t let them do is anything that I think might get them injured or damage the equipment.”

Bain, who in April will be leaving the RTC she helped to build, says that trainee numbers have “skyrocketed” to the point of adding additional parking to accommodate everyone attending classes since “we [have] filled every inch of space with training.”

She adds that another amazing thing about RTP is that all classes offer an industry-recognized credential. “That speaks volumes of how hard the instructors work,” she says. “It has been an honor to work with businesses and vendors together to see them gain the training they need to be successful. The vendors have worked so hard with me to see the vision of industry come true.”

Jennifer Williams is a freelance contributor to Business Alabama. She is based in Hartselle.

44 | BusinessAlabama.com March 2023

SPECIAL SECTION

A A M A : S PEC I A L S EC T I O N

//////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

AAMA BOARD, OFFICERS & PARTNERS

///////////Ron///Davis, ///////////////////////////////Ron///Davis/////////////////////////////Tom////Devall /////////////////////////////Mike///Oatridge ///////////////// President

AAMA President

Larry Deutscher AAMA Vice President General Manager, Manufacturing Support Toyota Motor Manufacturing Alabama Gene Cleveland AAMA Secretary Assistant Vice President KTH Leesburg Products LLC Larry Deutscher, Vice President

Gene Cleveland, Secretary

Steve Sewell AAMA Treasurer Executive Vice President Economic Development Partnership of Alabama

Director, Manufacturing Initiatives Auburn University, Industrial & Systems Engineering Patrick Frey Purchasing & Localization Mercedes-Benz U.S. International

Michael Gaines Division Leader, Manufacturing Planning & Control Division Alabama Auto Plant, Honda Development & Manufacturing of America John Hackett General Manager Kamtek

Dr. Bharat Balasubramanian Executive Director University of Alabama Center for Advanced Vehicle Technologies

Jackie Hogan Vice President, Administration Y-tec Keylex Toyotetsu Alabama Inc. (YKTA)

Mark Brazeal Vice President, Administration Mazda Toyota Manufacturing

Warren Matthews Partner Burr & Forman

Robert Burns Vice President of Human Resources & Administration Hyundai Motor Manufacturing Alabama

Barry May Executive Director of Workforce & Economic Development Alabama Community College System

Ed Castile Deputy Secretary of Commerce for Workforce Programs/AIDT Executive Director Alabama Department of Commerce/AIDT

Mark McClanahan Vice President of Sales MS Metals Solutions

Executive Director Alabama Mobility and Power Center Keith Phillips Executive Director Alabama Technology Network Scott Shoemaker Senior Process Manager Navistar

Jack Sisk Advisory Board Member Technology Acceleration & Innovation Services Angela Till Deputy Secretary, Business Development Division Alabama Department of Commerce Doug Vanata Plant Manager DaikyoNishikawa USA Inc. Jason Weaver General Manager Stamped Products Inc. Kevin Williams President & CEO GAA Solutions

Steve Sewell, Treasurer

CORPORATE PARTNERS AIAG

Business Council of Alabama

NRTC Automation

Port of Huntsville

Alabama Clean Fuels Coalition

Cobbs Allen

Marengo County Economic Development Agency

RSM

Alabama Community College System

DiCentral

Mercedes-Benz U.S. International

Seraph

Alabama Department of Commerce

Honda Development & Manufacturing of America

Mazda Toyota Manufacturing

T&W Operations

Alabama Technology Network

Hyundai Motor Manufacturing of Alabama

Navistar

The Onin Group

Alliance Solutions

Integrity Solutions

Northwest Alabama Economic Development Alliance

Toyota Motor Manufacturing Alabama

Burr & Forman

Leadec

Omron

University of Alabama College of Continuing Studies Office of Research & Economic Development

46 | BusinessAlabama.com March 2023

SPECIAL SECTION

A AM A : S PEC I A L S EC T I O N

Alabama Automotive Manufacturers Association Membership Directory COMPANY NAME

ADDRESS

PRIMARY CONTACT

PHONE/WEBSITE

A&K Finishing Inc.

2825 Briarwood Dr., Huntsville, AL 35801

Chad Ludwig

256-975-9541/akfinishing.com

ACT Automotive NA

P.O. Box 3153, Bethlehem, PA 18917

Gregory Labelle

610-990-6026/actautomotivena.com

AFCS

4900 Webster St., Dayton, OH 45414

Scott Urton

937-673-6653/afcstamping.com

AIAG

4400 Town Center, Southfield, MI 48075

Chris Lewis

248-213-4642

AIDT

One Technology Ct., Montgomery, AL 36116

Ed Castile

334-280-4409/aidt.edu

Air Hydro Power

782 McEntire Ln., Decatur, AL 35601

Scott Castleberry

502-292-4283/airhydropower.com

Alabama Clean Fuels Coalition

200 Century Park S., Birmingham, AL 35226

Michael Staley

205-907-2239/alabamacleanfuels.org

Alabama Community College System

135 S. Union St., Montgomery, AL 36104

Barry May

334-293-4709/accs.cc

Alabama Department of Commerce

401 Adams Ave., Ste. 670, Montgomery, AL 36104

Angela Till

334-353-0221/madeinalabama.com

Alabama Port Authority

250 N. Water St., Mobile, AL 36602

Anna Ward

251-441-7516/alports.com

Alabama Technology Network

135 S. Union St., Ste. 441, Montgomery, AL 36104

Keith Phillips

334-293-4672/atn.org

AlabamaGermany Partnership

500 Beacon Pkwy. W., Birmingham, AL 35209

Tine Hoffmeister

205-943-4772/alabamagermany.org

Alliance Solutions Group Inc.

3535 Roswell Rd., Ste. 41, Marietta, GA 30062

Terri Seese

678-230-6773/alliancesinc.com

American Leakless Co.

136 Roy Long Rd., Athens, AL 35611

Eric Sedensky

256-206-9560/mericanleakless.com

ASG HOPE Foundation

3535 Roswell Rd., Ste. 41, Marietta, GA 30062

Terri Seese

678-230-6773/alliancesinc.com

Auburn University

3301E Shelby Center, Auburn, AL 36849

Tom Devall

251-753-0799

AutoMOBILE International Terminal LLC

One St. Louis Centre, Mobile, AL 36602

Finn Roden

904-303-5545/automobileterminal.com

Automotive Quality & Logistics Inc.

14744 Jib St., Plymouth, MI 48170

Nikhil Shah

734-459-1670/aql-inc.com

Axalta Coating Systems

208 Blue Springs Trail, Cropwell, AL 35054

Frank Boswell

205-473-8030/axaltacs.com

Bank of America Business Capital

110 N. Wacker Dr., Chicago, IL 60606

Ira Kreft

312-305-6834/bofaml.com

Bates Enterprises Inc.

51 Hollywood Blvd., Childersburg, AL 35044

Carla Bates

256-368-6118/batesenterprises.com

BDO

1100 Peachtree St. NE, Atlanta, GA 30309

Bob Gray

404-692-9198/bdo.com

BearCom

202 Business Center Dr., Birmingham, AL 35244

Terri Sullivan

205-988-5522/bearcom.com

Berney-Xerox

4000 Colonnade Pkwy., Birmingham, AL 35242

Don DeWeese

205-739-8913/berney.com

Birmingham Business Alliance

505 20th St. N., Birmingham, AL 35203

Christy Hollingsworth

205-241-8136/birminghambusinessalliance.com

BL Fabricators Inc.

335 Harbor Dr., Scottsboro, AL 35769

Dina Stephens

256-259-3683/blfabricators-inc.com

BL Harbert International

820 Shades Creek Pkwy., Birmingham, AL 35209

Milton Davis

205-802-2800/blharbert.com

BLG Logistics Inc.

10077 Brose Dr., Ste. 100, Vance, AL 35490

Tom Burke

205-886-6183/blg-logistics.com

Boostersinc.net

2509 E. Fifth St., Montgomery, AL 36107

Wylie Parks

334-263-4711/boosterspromo.com

Bridgewater Interiors

1 Bridgewater Dr., Eastaboga, AL 36260

Kelvin Wright

256-240-7975/bridgewater-interiors.com

Burr & Forman LLP

420 N. 20th St., Birmingham, AL 35203

Warren Matthews

205-251-3000/burr.com

Business Council of Alabama

2 N. Jackson St., Ste. 501, Montgomery, AL 36104

Helena Duncan

334-240-8714/bcatoday.org

Butler County Commission for Economic Development

750 Greenville Bypass, Bldg. 1, Ste. A, Greenville, AL 36037

David Hutchison

334-313-0341/bcced.com

C-P-S Automotive LP

1 Research Dr., Greenville, SC 29607

Ingmar Wunderlich

864-560-5250/c-p-s-us.com

Central AlabamaWorks

600 S. Court St., Montgomery, AL 36104

Mikki Ruttan

334-300-8592

Central Six AlabamaWorks

3500 6th Ave. S., Birmingham, AL 35222

Antiqua Cleggett

205-276-6867

City of Opelika Economic Development (Opelika IDA)

204 S. 7th St., Opelika, AL 36801

Kathryn Daugherty

334-705-5114/opelika.org

Clean Air America

7 Superior Dr. SE, Rome, GA 30161

Part Willings

205-901-1299/clean-air.com

Cobbs Allen

115 Office Park Dr., Birmingham, AL 35223

Bo Hartsfield

205-414-8100

Colliers International

880 Montclair Rd., Birmingham, AL 35213

Joseph Azar

334-590-8861/colliers.com/en/united-states/cities/ birmingham

48 | BusinessAlabama.com March 2023

SPECIAL SECTION

A A M A : S PEC I A L S EC T I O N

COMPANY NAME

ADDRESS

PRIMARY CONTACT

PHONE/WEBSITE

ConMoto Consulting Group Inc.

7930 W. Kenton Cir., Huntersville, NC 28078

Susanne Reckord

704-572-5391/conmoto-consulting.com

Consulate General of Canada

1175 Peachtree St., 100 Colony Sq., Ste. 1700, Atlanta, GA 30361

David Weiner

404-532-2000/atlanta.gc.ca

Crate Pros

500A Blake Bottom Rd. NW, Huntsville, AL 35806

Tim Slicker

256-212-0065/cratepros.net/locations/huntsville-al

DaikyoNishikawa USA Inc. (DNUS)

9000 Greenbrier Pkwy. NW, Madison, AL 35756

Doug Vanata

252-916-3946/daikyonishikawa.co.jp/en

Dean and Co.

11050 Big Hurricane Rd., Brookwood, AL 35444

Walter Dean

205-737-7689/deanandcompanyal.com

DiCentral Corp.

1199 NASA Pkwy., Houston, TX 77058

David Eyes

470-270-4182/dicentral.com

Diversified Contractors Inc.

3350 Ball St., Birmingham, AL 35234

Perry Towns

205-322-2868/dcial.com

Diversified Recruitment Services LLC

2103 Gulfview, Holiday, FL 34691

Patricia Miller

574-265-9643/diversified-recruitment.com

Dynetics Inc.

1051 Enterprise Way, Huntsville, AL 35806

Terry Byard

256-713-5206/dynetics.com

East AlabamaWorks

1130 Quintard Ave., Ste. 100, Anniston, AL 36201

Lisa Morales

256-454-4276

Economic Development Partnership of Alabama

1320 1st Ave. S., Birmingham, AL 35233

Steve Sewell

205-943-4742/edpa.org

Elk River Mechanical & Controls LLC

25931 Huntsville Brownsferry Rd., Madison, AL 35756

Jessica Li

256-366-6585/elkrivermc.com

EnSafe Inc.

119 Fox Den Ct., Madison, AL 35758

Matt Moore

800-588-7962/ensafe.com

Environmental Recyclers of America LLC

2501 W. Hwy. 27, Ozark, AL 36360

Nigel Wells

334-733-2025/evbatteryrecyclers.org

Falcon IP Capital

4080 McGinnis Ferry Rd., Ste. 1004, Alpharetta, GA 30005

Rick Walker

770-314-9040/falconipcapital.com

FilmLOC Inc.

4190 Thurmon Tanner Rd., Flowery Branch, GA 30542

Shirl Handly

404-892-8778/filmloc.com

G2 Capital Advisors

420 Boylston St., Boston, MA 02116

Rusty Kruciak

615-739-2617/g2capitaladvisors.com

Gadsden Etowah County IDA

1 Commerce Square, Gadsden, AL 35901

William Greene

256-543-9423/gadsdenida.org

Gadsden Industrial Distributors

192 Wiggins St., Rainbow City, AL 35906

Tim Ponder

256-442-1361/giddirect.com

Gardner Controls

1457 Oakridge Dr., Birmingham, AL 35242

Brad Gardner

205-310-8836/gardnercontrols.com

Gray Construction

1728 3rd Ave. N., Birmingham, AL 35203

Patrick McCowan

205-380-1800/gray.com

Heiche US Surface Technologies (AL) LLC

4080 Whitehouse Rd., Jasper, AL 35501

Andre Kairies

205-878-0931/heichegroup.com

HL-A Co. Inc.

902 Ravenwood Dr., Selma, AL 36701

Sam Jeffers

Hodges Warehouse + Logistics

1065 N. Eastern Blvd., Montgomery, AL 36117

Ena Piao

334-280-2033/hodgeswarehouse.com

Honda Development & Manufacturing of America

1800 Honda Dr., Lincoln, AL 35096

Michael Gaines

205-355-5000/honda.com

Horizon Point Consulting Inc.

P.O. Box 1014, Decatur, AL 35602

Mary Ila Ward

256-227-9075/horizonpointconsulting.com

Hyundai Motor Manufacturing Alabama LLC

700 Hyundai Blvd., Montgomery, AL 36105

Kelly Quattlebaum

334-296-8027/hmmausa.com

Industrial Coatings & Services LLC

4711 Fosters Industrial Dr., Tuscaloosa, AL 35401

Traci Watkins

205-534-6591/ics-team1.com

Industrial Development Board of the City of Auburn

144 Tichenor Ave., Auburn, AL 36830

Amy Brabham

334-501-7301/auburnalabama.org/economicdevelopment

Insequence Inc.

750 Jim Parker Dr., Smyrna, TN 37167

Tom Mitchell

615-559-7211/insequence.com

IntegrityATL

1311 Pine Heights Dr. NE, Atlanta, GA 30324

Anke Jahn

770-456-5547/integrityatl.com

J. F. Drake State Technical & Community College

3421 Meridian St. N., Huntsville, AL 35811

Terell Jackson

256-551-3117/drakestate.edu

Jacksonville State University

700 Pelham Rd. N., Jacksonville, AL 36265

Jennifer Green

256-782-5324/jsu.edu/ced

Jensen Shipping Co. Inc.

244 W. Valley Ave., Birmingham, AL 35209

Forrest King

205-328-2343/jensenshipping.com

JPMorgan Chase

2100 3rd Ave. N., Ste. 800, Birmingham, AL 35222

Chip Smallwood

jpmorganchase.com

KAMTEK Inc.

1595 Sterilite Dr., Birmingham, AL 35215

Cassandra Bradford

magna.com

Kenmar Corp.

2912 Faldo Dr., Spring Hill, TN 37174

Kenneth Elliott

615-840-9291/ekenmar.com

Kids to Love/KTECH

140 Castle Dr., Madison, AL 35758

Lee Marshall

256-880-3455/goktech.org

KTH Leesburg Products LLC

P.O. Box 219, Leesburg, AL 35983

Gene Cleveland

256-526-3530/kth.net

Leadec Industrial Services

5531 Powder Plant Ln., Bessemer, AL 35022

Daniel Diehl

205-533-2522/leadec-services.com/usa

Lear Corp.

17499 Brookwood Pkwy., Vance, AL 35490

Mike Puckett

lear.com

Limestone County Economic Development Association

101 S. Beaty St., Athens, AL 35611

Bethany Shockney

256-232-2386/lceda.com

Low Latency Communications LLC

241 Applegate Trace, Pelham, AL 35124

David Kaufmann

205-397-5457/lowlatencycomm.com

Madison Metals Processing LLC

9000 Greenbrier Pkwy., Madison, AL 35756

Joe Lewis

662-308-0186/madisonmetalprocessing.com

SPECIAL SECTION

March 2023 BusinessAlabama.com | 49

A AM A : S PEC I A L S EC T I O N

COMPANY NAME

ADDRESS

PRIMARY CONTACT

PHONE/WEBSITE

Manville Material Handling Solutions

147 Business Center Dr., Birmingham, AL 35244

Brooks Adams

800-423-2857/manvillesolutions.com

Marengo County EDA

2400 E. Coats Ave., Linden, AL 36748

Jo Ellen Martin

334-295-4418/marengoeda.com

Material Systems Inc.

150 Hollywood Blvd., Childersburg, AL 35044

Mike Orr

205-420-8754/materialsys.com

Matsu Alabama

9650 Kellner Rd., Huntsville, AL 35824

Barry Courtney

256-772-5888/matcor-matsu.com

Max Coating Inc.

3653 Industrial Pkwy., Birmingham, AL 35217

Chuck Gault

205-849-2737/maxcoating.com

Maynard Cooper & Gale P.C.

1901 Sixth Ave. N., Birmingham, AL 35203

Tom Brinkley

205-254-1000/maynardcooper.com

Mazda Toyota Manufacturing USA Inc.

900 Greenbrier Pkwy. NW, Madison, AL 35756

Mark Brazeal

256-285-5000/mazdatoyota.com

Measuring Solutions

832 Snow St., Ste. G, Oxford, AL 36203

Ron Corzatt

888-322-4243/measuringsolutions.com

Mercedes-Benz U.S. International

1 Mercedes Dr., Vance, AL 35490

Felyicia Jerald

205-507-2464/mbusi.com

Mind Your Culture LLC

1311 Pine Heights Dr., Atlanta, GA 30324

Anke Jahn

678-825-7001/mindyourculture.com

Mobis Alabama LLC

1395 Mitchell Young Rd., Montgomery, AL 36108

Scott Gordy

334-387-4800/mobisalabamallc.com

MRM LLC

2236 Cahaba Valley Dr., Birmingham, AL 35242

Terry Young

256-504-3288/mrm-llc.com

MS Metal Solutions

4121 Rushton St., Florence, AL 35630

Mark McClanahan

msmetalsolutions.com

Multi-Skill Training Services

459 Main St., Ste. 101, P.O. Box 245, Trussville, AL 35173

Lensey King

205-746-9437/industrialmaintenancetraining.com

Murrplastik Systems Inc.

P.O. Box 698, Hatfield, PA 19440

Beth Blank

513-201-3069/murrplastik.com

NAOS On-Site Staffing

2002 McFarland Blvd. E., Tuscaloosa, AL 35404

Alexandra Adenin

678-387-2880/naosstaffing.com

Narmco Group, The

1108 Airport Industrial Dr., Gadsden, AL 35904

Don Rodzik Jr.

256-413-0587/armco.com

National Association for Surface Finishing

1800 M St. NW, Ste. 400S, Washington, DC 20036

Matthew Martz

202-527-0252/nasf.org

National Technical Systems

7800 Hwy. 20 W. (Madison Blvd.), Huntsville, AL 35806

Robert Bridges

256-603-4138/nts.com

50 | BusinessAlabama.com March 2023

SPECIAL SECTION

A A M A : S PEC I A L S EC T I O N

COMPANY NAME

ADDRESS

PRIMARY CONTACT

PHONE/WEBSITE

Navistar Inc.

485 Short Pike Rd., Huntsville, AL 35824

Scott Shoemaker

256-772-1210/internationaldelivers.com

Nemak USA Inc.

2170 Old Sylacauga Hwy., Sylacauga, AL 35150

John Parrish

256-401-2600/nemak.com

North Alabama Industrial Development Association

410 Johnston St., Decatur, AL 35601

Brooks Kracke

256-353-9450/aida.com

North Alabama International Trade Association (NAITA)

819 Cook Ave., Huntsville, AL 35801

Anne Burkett

256-532-3505/naita.org

North AlabamaWorks

2208 Ringold St., Guntersville, AL 35976

Micah Bullard

256-436-0411

Northwest Alabama Economic Development Alliance

4020 U.S. Hwy. 43, Guin, AL 35563

Jamie Christian

205-468-3213/northwestalabamaeda.org

NRTC Automation

4700 Pinson Valley Pkwy., Pinson, AL 35126

Dan Hill

248-342-3158/nrtcautomation.com

NSRW Inc.

701 Thames Ct., Pelham, AL 35124

Brian Johnson

205-663-1500/nsrw.com

Omron Automation & Safety

2895 Greenspoint Pkwy., Ste. 200, Hoffmann Estates, IL 60169

Whitney Lojewski

847-285-7343/omron247.com

Onin Group, The

3800 Colonnade Pkwy., Birmingham, AL 35243

Hugh Thomas

205-914-5257/oninstaffing.com

Original Equipment Suppliers Association

25925 Telegraph Rd., Ste. 350, Southfield, MI 48033

Steve Horaney

248-340-5969/oesa.org

Outsource Corporate Partners LLC

450-B Century Park S., Birmingham, AL 35226

Patrick Higginbotham

205-380-4881/outsourcecorporatepartners.com

P3 USA

One N. Main St., Greenville, SC 29601

Christopher Smith

864-568-6607/p3-group.com

PALCO Telecom Inc.

290 Dunlop Blvd. SW, Huntsville, AL 35824

Janice Migliore

256-651-4408/gotopalco.com

Parker Trutec MMi

134 River Bend Dr., Sevierville, TN 37876

Tracy Leymeister

865-453-9186/parkertrutec.com

PassionHR Consulting Inc.

2608 Newby Rd. SW, Ste. 200, Huntsville, AL 35805

Mike Bean

256-665-5966/passionhr.net

Personnel Staffing Inc.

611 Walnut St., Gadsden, AL 35901

Aletha Pickett

256-456-0243/personnelstaffing.com

Plasman Corp. LLC

403 Airport Rd. W., Fort Payne, AL 35968

Paula Giroux

519-737-6984/applasman.com

Plex Manufacturing

3820 Roswell Rd. NE, Atlanta, GA 30342

Kelly Plantz

574-339-6385/plex.com

PMT Publishing

3324 Independence Dr., Homewood, AL 35209

Sheila Wardy

205-802-6363/businessalabama.com

Port of Huntsville

1000 Glenn Hearn Blvd., Huntsville, AL 35824

Jim Hutcheson

256-258-1260/hsvairport.org

Progressive Finishes Inc.

501 Industrial Rd., Alabaster, AL 35007

Lisa Davis

205-685-8056/progressivefinishes.net

Real Time Intelligence

2400 Leechburg Rd., New Kensington, PA 15068

David Zingery

878-302-3342/rtintel.com

RSM US

216 Summit Blvd., Ste. 300, Birmingham, AL 35243

Chuck Freeman

205-949-2184/rsmus.com

Schoel Engineering

1001 22nd St. S., Birmingham, AL 35205

Chrystal Whitehead

205-313-1146/schoel.com

Sejong Alabama LLC

450 Old Fort Rd. E., Fort Deposit, AL 36032

Vickie Porter

334-227-0821

Seraph

5800 Crooks Rd., Ste. 101, Troy, MI 48098

Richard Payne

248-985-7906/seraph.com

ServisFirst Bank

2500 Woodcrest Place, Birmingham, AL 35233

Cameron Ricks

servisfirstbank.com

Shelton State Community College

9500 Old Greensboro Rd., Tuscaloosa, AL 35405

Ann Tinsley

205-391-2283/sheltonstate.edu

SK Services LLC

440 Church St., Alexander City, AL 35010

Sonya Jacks

844-755-6248/skstaffing.com

SOLA Environmental LLC

5184 Caldwell Mill Rd., Hoover, AL 35244

Brad Arnold

205-834-8922/sola-environmental.com

Soule Packaging Co.

300 E. Elm St., Athens, AL 35611

Roger Boldizsar

205-308-8193/soulepackaging.com

Southeast AlabamaWorks

P.O. Box 638, Dothan, AL 36302

Ryan Richards

334-714-0773

Southern States Automotive Contractors Association

5629 FM 1960 W., Ste. 354, Houston, TX 77069

Glenn Rex

281-440-4380/ssaca.net

Southwest AlabamaWorks

605 Bel Air Blvd., Ste. 32, Mobile, AL 36606

Shernita Taylor

251-635-7738

Spire Inc.

605 Arrington Blvd. N., Birmingham, AL 35203

Mike Swinson

205-326-8177/energen.com

Spray Equipment & Service Center

177 Mullins Dr., Helena, AL 35080

Barry Early

205-663-2611/sprayequipment.com

Stamped Products Inc.

2620 E. Meighan Blvd., Gadsden, AL 35903

Jason Weaver

256-494-3265/msi-mfg.com

Star-Tech Inc.

12232 Industriplex Blvd., Ste. 18, Baton Rouge, LA 70809

David Legendre

225-756-8803/startechla.com

Supplier Development Systems LLC

101 Rainbow Dr., Gadsden, AL 35901

Jeannie Thrower

256-673-0786/sdsal.net

Suppliers Partnership for the Environment (SP)

1156 15th St. NW, Ste. 800, Washington, DC 20005

Kellen Mahoney

202-530-0096/supplierspartnership.org

SWJ Technology

1490 Northbank Pkwy., Ste. 270, Tuscaloosa, AL 35406

Gudrun Piepke

844-479-5872/swj-technology.com

T&C Stamping Inc.

1403 Freeman Ave., Athens, AL 35613

Weston Coleman

256-233-7383/tandcstamping.com

T&W Operations Inc.

430 Wynn Dr., Huntsville, AL 35805

Rick Head

256-535-0857/tnwops.com

SPECIAL SECTION

March 2023 BusinessAlabama.com | 51

A AM A : S PEC I A L S EC T I O N

COMPANY NAME

ADDRESS

PRIMARY CONTACT

PHONE/WEBSITE

Technology Acceleration and Innovation Services

3490 Kerr Hill Rd., Lynnville, TN 38472

Jack Sisk

931-363-7475

Toyota Motor Manufacturing Alabama

1 Cottonvalley Dr., Huntsville, AL 35810

Larry Deutscher

256-746-5401/toyota.com/alabama

Transcend LLC

1300 Meridian St. N., Huntsville, AL 35801

Linda Roden

844-489-2680/leadfearlessly.com

TriDim Filter Corp.

700 Hyundai Blvd., Montgomery, AL 36105

Jay Burzynski

419-729-9378/tridim.com

Tuscaloosa County Industrial Development Authority

2204 University Blvd., Tuscaloosa, AL 35401

Sissie Browning

205-349-1414/tcida.com

UA SafeState

624 Bryant Dr., Tuscaloosa, AL 35487

Donald Elswick

205-348-8590/alabamasafestate.ua.edu

United Plating Inc.

3400 Stanwood Blvd., Huntsville, AL 35811

Jim Butler

256-852-8700/unitedplating.com

University of Alabama - Alabama Productivity Center

1818 University Blvd., Box 870318, Tuscaloosa, AL 35406

Alan Hill

205-348-6032/apc.ua.edu

University of Alabama - College of Continuing Studies

121 N. 1st St., Gadsden, AL 35901

Ashley Olive

256-546-2886/gadsden.ua.edu

Veryable Inc.

1 Perimeter Park S., Birmingham, AL 35243

Joel Holmes

205-202-0499/veryableops.com/birmingham

Von Braun Center

700 Monroe St., Huntsville, AL 35801

Marie Arighi

256-551-2379/vonbrauncenter.com

Vulcan Heating & Air Conditioning Service Inc.

532 Mineral Trace, Birmingham, AL 35244

Patrick Grogan

205-444-9671/vulcanac.com

Waring Oil Co. LLC

P.O. Box 66, Vicksburg, MS 39181

Jamie Yearwood

601-218-3236/waringoil.com

West AlabamaWorks

P.O. Box 020410, Tuscaloosa, AL 35401

Donny Jones

205-391-0552/tuscaloosachamber.com

WKW North America LLC

103 Parkway E., Pell City, AL 35125

Todd Green

205-338-4242/wkw.de

Women in Manufacturing (WiM)

6363 Oak Tree Blvd., Independence, OH 44131

Lisa Tarcy

216-503-5700/womeninmanufacturing.org

Worldwide Foam

1806 Conant St., Elkhart, IN 46516

Anne Marie Bosher

615-686-8344/worldwidefoam.com

ZF Chassis Systems Tuscaloosa LLC

1200 Commerce Dr., Tuscaloosa, AL 35401

Denise Lawson

205-333-5104

52 | BusinessAlabama.com March 2023

SPECIAL SECTION

2 0 2 3

H o n o r e e s

BUS I N E S S

A L A BA M A

A W A R D S

2 0 2 3

Large Company of the YearMercedes-Benz U.S. International

M

ercedes-Benz U.S. International produced its first vehicle in Vance in February of 1997, and though 25 years have passed, the company is far from standing still.

The year 2022 saw the culmination of a $1 billion investment, with the opening of a battery factory nearby in Bibb County and the beginning of production of the EQE SUV, a new all-electric SUV. That’s a total of $7 billion in investment that Mercedes has made in Alabama. The newest growth added 1,000 employees amid preparations for EV production and growing demand for other vehicles.

“That is how we made it happen,” Michel Göbel, president and CEO of Mercedes’ Alabama operations, said in thanking local and state worker recruitment and training organizations. “We did it together as a team and as a community.”

The battery plant and the EQE SUV, which joins the EQS SUV being produced at the Tuscaloosa plant, are all part of Mercedes’ plan to go all-electric by the end of the decade, said Jörg Burzer, member of the Board of Management of Mercedes-Benz Group AG, Production and Supply Chain. “With the new EQS SUV joining our production portfolio of all-electric Mercedes-EQ models, we reached another important milestone in our strategy to go all-electric by the end of the decade — wherever market conditions allow,” he said. “I am absolutely sure that our great Tuscaloosa team will make the electric SUV another great success.”

The Finalists 56 | BusinessAlabama.com March 2023

Airbus In 2022, Airbus announced plans to almost double its footprint in Mobile with new paint shops, new final phase flight line hangars and a third final assembly line. That planned expansion will create

1,000 jobs and will help increase worldwide production of the A320 aircraft family. Airbus told Reuters that major production would remain in Europe, but expansion in Mobile is a key factor.

“We can go faster in Mobile and will be gaining critical mass,” Airbus CEO Guillaume Faury said. “It will benefit the

whole ecosystem of Airbus and benefit all our sites.”

Austal USA Austal USA, the Mobile shipbuilder, has long provided aluminum ships for the U.S. Navy and Coast Guard. But in 2022, the company added a production line so that it now can produce steel ships. “In some ways, it’s a seismic shift,” Larry Ryder, Austal’s vice president for business development and external affairs, said at the time. “In some ways, it’s just a logical progression. … It’s a really significant change for the company.” Soon after, Austal USA was awarded a U.S. Coast Guard contract worth a potential $3.3 billion, designing and constructing offshore patrol cutters.

Boeing The company, with major operations in Huntsville, was credited with a $2.7 billion economic impact on Alabama in 2022 and continued to be a major player in the aerospace industry and in NASA’s plan to return to the Moon and go to Mars. A Boeing-built rocket was key to the Space Launch System and its Artemis I flight, and in late 2022, Boeing finalized a $3.2 billion contract with NASA for future Space Launch System rockets. The company also picked up a $5.2 billion contract for work related to the Ground-Based Midcourse Defense System.

United Launch Alliance The Boeing-Lockheed Martin joint venture producing rockets in Decatur announced a $300 million expansion in 2022, in addition to an expansion at Beyond Gravity, which is on the ULA campus. The expansion comes as ULA prepares to support Amazon’s Project Kuiper, providing Vulcan rockets for 38 launches to increase broadband access worldwide. “We are honored to be entrusted with the majority of Amazon’s launches,” ULA President and CEO Tory Bruno said. The first Kuiper launch is scheduled for 2024, and the ULA expansion is expected to be complete in 2026.

March 2023 BusinessAlabama.com | 57

BUS I N E S S

A L A BA M A

A W A R D S

2 0 2 3

Small Company of the Year Master Boat Builders

M

aster Boat Builders began its 2022 on national television, being featured on Discovery’s “Dirty Jobs” show. The show came on the heels of the company, formed in Coden in 1979, beginning construction on the first all-electric ship-assist tug in the United States.

That’s what the company does — designs and builds tugs, fishing vessels, offshore supply vessels, dive support vessels and more. In addition to the all-electric tug, Master Boat Builders also built a new hybrid tug, the Titan, which can operate on electrical power, mechanical power or both.

Michael Rice, who founded Master Boat Builders with his father, James, still works there, but his son, Garrett, became president in 2020. The company and its 250 employees have built about 430 vessels for customers around the world.

“In this business, you have to learn to build different boats at different times,” Michael Rice said last year.

These days, that means tugboats, and some of the most innovative tugboats around. “We’re kind of sitting right in the middle of the next-generation tugboat,” Garrett Rice said. “We’ve worked to put ourselves in a position to set the trend for what tugboat operators are doing.”

The Finalists Altaworx

Founded in 2003 by Rickie Richey, Altaworx was built to address the emerging Voice Over Internet Protocol (VoIP) business television systems. The compa-

ny grew to offer Altaworx-branded SIP trunks and, now, is offering cloud-based data centers in Dallas and Atlanta, with a presence in 46 states. In 2022, Altaworx was named Small Business of the Year by the Mobile Area Chamber of Commerce.

Also in 2022, Altaworx announced a partnership with U.S. Cellular. “Along with existing relationships with AT&T

and Verizon, this will provide a complete product portfolio for our agents and resellers,” company President Forrest Derr said.

Capstone Building Corp.

A $45.6 million apartment development in Athens. A $13.5 million housing March 2023 BusinessAlabama.com | 59

project in West Point, Georgia. A $35.4 million mixed-income residential project in Atlanta. A $51.4 million Madison County apartment complex. Those are just a few of the projects tackled

by Capstone Building Corp. in 2022, along with opening a Huntsville office, the second location for the 25-yearold Birmingham-based company. The company prides itself on its employee culture, but that isn’t cultivated at the expense of growing. Capstone also strives toward sustainability, including to recent LEED-certified projects.

CommentSold Huntsville-based CommentSold, a digital commerce platform that enables live and social selling, got a new president, Steven Power, in 2022. The company also reached quite a milestone — $1 billion in value. CommentSold powers ecommerce operations for more than 7,000 companies. What began as a team of two now includes more than 250 employees around the world. G2, which provides business software and services reviews, recognized CommentSold in 2022 as the Leading Live Commerce Platform. It was the first time that G2 ranked live commerce software, an industry that is projected to hit $57 billion by 2025.

Douglas Manufacturing Douglas Manufacturing, based in Pell City, was named 2022 small manufacturer of the year by the Business Council of Alabama. Established in 1978, Douglas Manufacturing makes conveyor components and also offers engineered conveying solutions. Also in 2022, the company announced an investment of more than $2 million in new manufacturing technologies, including CNC equipment and automation, as well as expansion of its Pell City plant. “The significant new investment Douglas is making to expand its Pell City manufacturing plant illustrates our strong commitment to the conveyor industry, to Alabama and our local community,” company President Paul Ross said.

60 | BusinessAlabama.com March 2023

BUS I N E S S

A L A BA M A

A W A R D S

2 0 2 3

CEO of the Year Stephanie Bryan

S

tephanie Bryan became the Poarch Creek Indians’ first female political leader in 2014 when she was elected tribal chair and CEO. She oversees all tribal operations, including tribal government, Creek Indian Enterprises Development Authority and PCI Gaming Authority.

Bryan is a lifelong member of the Poarch community and has worked tirelessly on its behalf on a local and national level. In 2022, the Poarch tribe’s Wind Creek Hospitality, based in Atmore, announced plans for a partnership with the Chicago Bulls and the new Wind Creek Chicago Southland Casino and Resort.

The Poarch Band of Creek Indians also acquired Fortis Industries, a defense contractor in Huntsville. In addition, 2022 saw the tribe investing $10.5 million in a meat processing facility in Atmore.

In the daily operations of the tribe, Bryan is responsible for supervising the attorney general and chief legal officer, chief of staff, chief government and public affairs officer, chief financial officer, director of strategy and special projects, and the tribal council office director. Bryan last year was appointed to a select committee of tribal leaders who will serve as direct advisors to the U.S. Department of Interior.

The Finalists Josh Carpenter

Josh Carpenter has been president and CEO of Birmingham’s Southern Research since 2021, and the company has seen many changes during his two years at the helm. Two high-profile areas of research for the enterprise have been regarding COVID-19 and contributing to the development of the James Webb Space Telescope. In 2022, Southern Research broke ground on a flagship biotech center that will anchor the development of 200,000 square feet of new or renovated wet lab space for life sciences.

A report on the economic impact of UAB, with which Southern Research is affiliated, said that Southern Research generated $221.8 million in statewide economic impact in 2022.

Mark Crosswhite Mark Crosswhite retired as chairman, president and CEO of Alabama

Power Co. at the end of 2022 after eight years at the helm. He joined Southern Company, Alabama Power’s parent company, in 2004 and served in a variety of roles. Crosswhite is a native of Decatur. He is credited with enhancing the working relationship between the power company and its union employees, promoting an inclusive culture at the company and collaborating with state government and economic development agencies to work toward an innovation economy. Crosswhite helped launch Prosper, a coalition of community, civic and business leaders committed to creating a more vibrant, racially and gender inclusive economy, and continues to chair Prosper’s board.

Bill Roark Bill Roark is the founder and CEO of Starfish Holdings, the parent company of Torch Technologies and Freedom Real Estate & Capital. Roark has guided Torch to national recognition as one of Forbes’ Small Giants on the America’s Best Small Companies list

and Entrepreneur Magazine’s Top 100 Fastest-Growing Companies in America. Torch has been recognized 13 consecutive years on the Inc. 5000 list.

Torch is a major player when it comes to defense contracts, and Roark has more than 30 years of Department of Defenserelated experience.

Tim Vines Tim Vines serves as president and CEO of Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Alabama — the largest provider of health care benefits in Alabama — serving nearly 3 million members. He has been with Blue Cross for 29 years and became president and CEO in 2018. Vines is chairman of the board for the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association. He is on the Board of Directors of Regions Financial Corp., the Board of Trustees for Auburn University and Samford University and on the boards of the Birmingham Business Alliance, Leadership Birmingham, Business Council of Alabama, Economic Development Partnership of Alabama and Prosper.

March 2023 BusinessAlabama.com | 63

BUS I N E S S

A L A BA M A

A W A R D S

2 0 2 3

Philanthropic Project of the Year P

Protecting Good

rotecting Good was launched by Protective in an effort to give back to Northside Birmingham residents that live near Protective Stadium. Under the Protecting Good umbrella, community projects have focused on, but are not limited to, neighborhood health, wellness, education and initiatives focused on the betterment of the five neighborhoods surrounding the stadium: Druid Hills, Evergreen, Fountain Heights, Norwood and Central City.

One impactful initiative to be launched out of Protecting Good so far is the Strengthen, Repair and Protect program, which already has provided more than 65 homeowners with new roofs and other home repairs, provided at no-cost to the homeowners. As part of the program, qualified homes can receive up to $10,000 for a roof replacement to help protect against wind damage. Other initiatives have included an ongoing engagement with Phillips Academy and assistance at neighborhood clean-up days.

Throughout the journey, Protective has acted as a convenor and joined forces with several other dedicated community-focused organizations to make this work possible, further amplifying what can be done through public-private partnerships focused on strengthening its communities. Protective launched Protecting Good in collaboration with the City of Birmingham and the State Department of Insurance.

The Finalists Christmas for Kids

Christmas or Kids is a more than 25-year effort by Progress Rail to help disadvantaged children in the Albertville community by providing needed items over the holiday season. Volunteer shoppers are presented with a wish list from a child; then they shop for toys, clothes and other essentials. Gifts are distributed via the Marshall County Christmas Coalition and to children who live at Big Oak Ranch. An annual golf tournament raises enough money to help hundreds of children whose families need help purchasing gifts during the holiday season.

Kicks for Kids Kicks for Kids, a project of Listerhill Credit Union in Muscle Shoals, picks elementary schools in Alabama and Tennessee with children who need new shoes

the most. Based on the school, shoes may be given to selected grades or to the whole school. One of the reasons Kicks for Kids focuses on shoes is that they’re often the most visible sign of poverty, sometimes creating a disparity among children that can be divisive. A new pair of athletic shoes, the project says, can increase self-esteem, encourage school participation, reduce prejudice and help children reach their potential.

Helping Hands Sheffield-based Bank Independent’s Helping Hands program includes a number of charitable giving and community outreach initiatives designed to make a positive difference in the lives of people across the communities the bank serves. The bank serves seven counties, and charitable requests can be filled in one of five areas: education, civic and community life, arts and cultural activities, health and human services, and economic development. In addition, scholarships in the name of former board

chair Edward Fennel Mauldin have been created at the University of North Alabama, Athens State University and Northwest-Shoals Community College.

Hero Foundation Funded and administered by employees at Birmingham’s Harbert Management Corp., the Hero Foundation provides financial assistance to people who have been affected by natural disasters, medical conditions or temporary financial hardships. The foundation was established in 1998, after a spring tornado season left dozens of people in Alabama without shelter, clothes or food. Community partners include Children’s of Alabama, Alabama Children’s Rehabilitation Services and the Alabama Head Injury Foundation. During the pandemic, the Hero Small Business Relief Fund was funded with more than $1 million from Harbert Management Corp. and its employees. They funded grants for businesses in 27 different neighborhoods.

March 2023 BusinessAlabama.com | 65

BUS I N E S S

A L A BA M A

A W A R D S

2 0 2 3

Startup of the Year

The Insider: A Collective Eatery

A

“big-city feel” is what Matt LeMond and Jake Peavy were going for when they opened up The Insider: A Collective Eatery in downtown Mobile in 2022. “I didn’t invent the food hall concept, but I just kind of fell in love with it,” LeMond told Mobile Bay magazine.

With a build out by Chris Alves at Mobile’s CNA Construction and help from the folks at Mobile’s Katie Kirby Interiors, The Insider provides a number of dining options, including P.S. Taco Co., Hammered Cow and Poke Bowl Sushi Burrito.

All the restaurants are under the same roof and share common seating, but each has its own kitchen and counter space.

Not only does The Insider provide dining options, but it serves as a kind of testing ground for the restaurant business.

Restaurateurs can test their concept at The Insider before committing to a brick-andmortar location. “For a lot of aspiring restaurateurs, opening up a brick-andmortar downtown can be scary — and expensive,” LeMond told Mobile Bay. “My goal is that these vendors can incubate themselves and eventually move into other vacant buildings downtown. To me, that’s a success story.”

The Finalists Repowr

Repowr is a digital solution for the trucking industry, giving owners a way to earn extra income with excess equipment and renters to have on-demand access to available trucks and trailers nearby. In 2022, it closed a $4.2 million seed round led by Koch Disruptive Technologies, the growth and venture arm of Koch Industries Inc. The seed round also included participation from Perot Jain Alliance, Plug and Play March 2023 BusinessAlabama.com | 67

Venture Group and a number of angel investors. Repowr is based in Birmingham and works with some of the largest truckload fleets in the country.

Shipshape Urban Farms Shipshape Urban Farms describes itself as an “agritech company focused on the development of the Container Garden.”

And just what is the Container Garden?

A 3.4-acre hydroponic farm inside an up-cycled shipping container. The goal of the Mobile company is to get “agripreneurs” to use these Container Gardens to provide a fresher food source than might otherwise be available in an area. The company also has an app that will help owners run their Container Garden. The company was part of the Techstars Alabama EnergyTech Accelerator in 2022.

TaxxWiz TaxxWiz, a Birmingham company that uses a professional tax team to help people prepare their taxes online, was established in 2015, but 2022 was a big year for the group. TaxxWiz was a winner in Alabama Launchpad’s Cycle 2, earning $50,000 to help expand its services.

TaxxWiz also was a finalist in the Black Ambition contest, founded by Grammy-winner Pharrell Williams and focusing on Black and Latinx entrepreneurs.

There were more than 1,000 applicants, and TaxxWiz made the top 50.

Zaden Technologies Zaden Technologies, based in Huntsville, delivers automation solutions for enterprise software product teams. Its flagship product is Olympus, a cloud platform that helps with product development and management. Zaden Technologies’ co-founder Valentine Nwachukwu, formerly with Boeing and Northrop Grumman, recently was named to Forbes’ 30 Under 30. In 2022, the company was part of the small business venture capital firm Gener8tor. Headquartered in Madison, Wisconsin, the accelerator launched in Huntsville in 2021, and Zaden is one of the first local businesses working with it.

68 | BusinessAlabama.com March 2023

BUS I N E S S

A L A BA M A

A W A R D S

2 0 2 3

T

im Cook, a native of Robertsdale and a graduate of Auburn University, is the CEO of Apple and serves on its board of directors.

Before being named CEO in August 2011, Cook was Apple’s chief operating officer and was responsible for all of the company’s worldwide sales and operations, including end-to-end management of Apple’s supply chain, sales activities, and service and support in all markets and countries. He also headed Apple’s Macintosh division and played a key role in the continued development of strategic reseller and supplier relationships, ensuring flexibility in response to an increasingly demanding marketplace.

Prior to joining Apple, Cook was vice president of Corporate Materials for Compaq and was responsible for procuring and managing all of Compaq’s product inventory. Before joining Compaq, Cook was the chief operating officer of the Reseller Division at Intelligent Electronics. Cook also spent 12 years with IBM, most recently as director of North American Fulfillment, where he led manufacturing and distribution functions for IBM’s Personal Computer Company in North and Latin America.

Cook earned an MBA from Duke University, where he was a Fuqua Scholar. Cook often returns to Alabama, particularly to support the Auburn Tigers football team.

The Finalists Max Angerholzer

Max Angerholzer, who grew up in Mobile and graduated from St. Paul’s Episcopal School before going on to the University of the South and George Washington University, is the CEO of the George & Barbara Bush Foundation. The foundation coordinates and promotes education, policy and service-oriented efforts at the George H.W. Bush Presidential Library & Museum and Texas A&M University’s Bush School of Government & Public Service. The Bush Foundation also works closely with the Barbara Bush Foundation for Family Literacy, the Barbara Bush Houston Literacy Foundation and Points of Life. The foundation has headquarters in College Station, Texas, with offices in Houston and Washington, D.C.

Marillyn Hewson Marillyn Hewson, who grew up in Tuscaloosa, earned two degrees from the

University of Alabama and was chairman, president and CEO of Lockheed Martin from 2013 to 2020. The recipient of numerous accolades and honors, Hewson was named CEO of the Year by Chief Executive magazine and was one of Time magazine’s 100 Most Influential People in 2019. She is a member of the Alabama Business Hall of Fame, and Hewson Hall at the Culverhouse College of Business is named in honor of Hewson and her husband. In addition, a University of Alabama center for innovation and education bears her name.

Tom Joyner Tom Joyner, the son of a Tuskegee Airman, grew up in Tuskegee and graduated from the Tuskegee Institute.

A career in radio took him to Montgomery, among other markets, and eventually to Chicago, and in 1994, nationally, with “The Tom Joyner Morning Show.” In 1998, he became the first African American to be inducted into the National Radio Hall of Fame. In 1998, Joyner

founded the Tom Joyner Foundation to help historically black colleges and universities financially. Joyner also founded Reach Media Inc. and BlackAmericaWeb.com.

Jimmy Wales Jimmy Wales grew up in Huntsville and holds degrees from Auburn University and the University of Alabama.

He is founder of Wikipedia, the online encyclopedia. Wales sits on the board of the Wikimedia Foundation and founded the U.K.-based Jimmy Wales Foundation, which is dedicated to fighting against human rights violations in the field of online freedom of expression. He was named one of Time’s 100 Influential Scientists and Thinkers and was awarded UNESCO’s Niels Bohr Medal, the Dan David Prize for outstanding contributions to the study of history and the President’s Medal of the British Academy, which he won in 2017 for facilitating the spread of information via his work with Wikipedia.

March 2023 BusinessAlabama.com | 71

BUS I N E S S

A L A BA M A

A W A R D S

2 0 2 3

Project of the Year Space Launch System

T

he Space Launch System, with strong roots in Huntsville, powered its first space launch in 2022, the uncrewed Artemis I mission. Next up?

A crewed mission that will once again put astronauts on the Moon. Though the rocket, and the Orion spacecraft it powered, launched from Florida, the rocket — NASA’s most powerful — was designed at Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville. In addition, Decatur’s United Launch Alliance, under contract with Boeing, and Huntsville’s Dynetics, among other companies, were involved with the SLS and the Artemis mission.

The Orion spacecraft splashed down after a successful 25-day mission that covered more than 1.4 million miles and went beyond the Moon and back. “With Orion safely returned to Earth we can begin to see our next mission on the horizon, which will fly crew to the Moon for the first time as a part of the next era of exploration,” said Jim Free, NASA associate administrator for the Exploration Systems Development Mission Directorate. “This begins our path to a regular cadence of missions and a sustained human presence at the Moon for scientific discovery and to prepare for human missions to Mars.”

The Finalists AUBix AUBix is a 40,000-square-foot data center that opened in March 2022 in Auburn. The $120 million project “is addressing the increasing requirements for high-speed computing and cybersecurity compliance by providing state-of-the-art infrastructure and services,” Andrew Albrecht, co-founder and CEO, said when the company opened. “In addition, we are committed to increasing the technology-enabled workforce in the region by partnering with academic institutions.” At the end of the year, Montgomery’s Internet Exchange, MGMix announced it would extend its network fabric down I-85 to AUBix, extending high-speed internet connectivity down the highway corridor.

Drax pellet facility In 2022, Drax Group, the U.K.-based producer and user of sustainable biomass, opened a pellet plant in Demopolis. The $100 million investment created 350 construction jobs and 60 new March 2023 BusinessAlabama.com | 73

BUS I N E S S

A L A BA M A

direct jobs. The plant is expected to produce 360,000 tonnes of sustainable biomass pellets a year from sawmill residues such as sawdust, chips and savings. “Drax’s wood pellet plant … in Demopolis represents a major investment that will drive long-term economic growth and spark significant job creation in Marengo County,” Gov. Kay Ivey said. Drax also has a pellet plant in Aliceville in Pickens County.

HudsonAlpha greenhouse

and educational space Huntsville is now home to a 14,000-square-foot glass greenhouse, a facility equipped with two lab spaces, seven grow rooms with 15-foot ceilings and other features. The facility will help researchers at HudsonAlpha’s Center for

A W A R D S

Plant Science and Sustainable Agriculture use genomics to help sustainably feed and fuel the planet. The impressive greenhouse was designed by Albert J. Lauer Inc. and constructed by Brasfield & Gorrie. It’s one of only a few of its kind in the nation. “The features here are unique because we were given the freedom to make design decisions based on our research needs,” said Kankshita Swaminathan, HudsonAlpha faculty investigator.

Huntsville airport approved for Dream Chaser In 2022, the Federal Aviation Administration issued a license making the Huntsville International Airport the first commercial service airport in the country authorized to operate as a

2 0 2 3

reentry site for commercial spacecraft.

Specifically, the approval was for Sierra Space’s Dream Chaser, a reusable reentry vehicle capable of carrying payloads to and from low Earth orbit. “This process can, and did, take several years for the application, environmental review and subsequent approval,” says Ryan Gardner, senior manager of airport operations in Huntsville. The Dream Chaser vehicle will be carried as payload on the United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket, made in Decatur.

Innovate Alabama In 2020, Gov. Kay Ivey established the Alabama Innovation Commission, a group charged with making recommendations to foster entrepreneurship, technology and innovation in the state.

One major result? Establishing the Alabama Innovation Corp., which was branded Innovate Alabama and in 2022 became the state’s first public-private partnership charged to prepare Alabama for the economy of the future. Innovate Alabama already has launched a supplemental grants program, supplementing federal grants already received by small businesses in Alabama. Grants are made up to $100,000 to qualifying companies.

Mazda CX-50 Early in 2022, Mazda Toyota Manufacturing celebrated the first Mazda CX-50 coming off the assembly line in Huntsville. Along with the Toyota Corolla Cross, which began production in 2021, MTM will produce about 150,000 of each vehicle yearly. “Every CX-50 will be assembled right here, in North Alabama by our MTM team members,” said Mark Brazeal, vice president of administration for MTM. The $2.3 billion MTM facility will eventually employ up to 4,000 people. In April, a Mazda dealership in Huntsville was the first dealer to receive a CX-50, an SUV aimed at outdoor enthusiasts.

74 | BusinessAlabama.com March 2023

BUS I N E S S

A L A BA M A

A W A R D S

2 0 2 3

Orion Amphitheater

Port of Mobile

The $46 million, 8,000-seat Orion Amphitheater opened in Huntsville in 2022. The amphitheater, a project of Mumford & Sons’ Ben Lovett in partnership with Huntsville Venue Group, featured a full slate of music acts during its maiden season. Three shows — Dave Matthews Band, Chris Stapleton and Stevie Nicks — were sold out. “More than an amphitheater, this facility will help us grow our music and culture economy,” said Huntsville Mayor Tommy Battle. “In addition to arts festivals, markets and world-famous musicians, we’ll be able to incubate our own talent, showing that our next great entrepreneurs don’t all have to be in space and missile defense.”

Tony & Libba Rane Culinary Science Center

2022 was a big year for the Port of Mobile, setting a cargo record and continuing to expand its facilities. The latter includes an intermodal hub under construction in Montgomery. It will connect the city to the port by direct rail service when it opens in 2025.

The port has increased cargo capacity to 1 million 20-foot equivalent units annually and added both a new freezer facility and a new automobile handling facility. In addition, the port kicked off a deepening and widening project that will allow it to accommodate bigger ships. “Everyone in Mobile recognizes the significance of the port,” Mayor Sandy Stimpson said.

Funded by a lead gift from Great Southern Wood’s Jimmy Rane and named for his parents, the new complex in Auburn houses not only Auburn University’s Hospitality Management Program, but it includes a fine restaurant and boutique hotel, both open to the public and being used as learning labs for hospitality students. The $110 million, seven-story building, built by Auburn’s Bailey-Harris Construction, also includes a coffee house, a soon-to-open brewery, classrooms, and demonstration and food production labs. “The bottom line is this center will train future generations in the hospitality industry in first-class style,” Gov. Kay Ivey said. “It will be a credit to future generations and give lots of young folks opportunities that they never would have had.”

additions

March 2023 BusinessAlabama.com | 75

BUS I N E S S

A L A BA M A

A W A R D S

2 0 2 3

Lifetime Achievement Dr. David Bronner

S

ince 1973, David Bronner has held the position of CEO of the Retirement Systems of Alabama, a public pension fund with assets in excess of $53 billion providing benefits for more than 380,000 public employees and retirees. RSA is ranked 115 of the world’s top 300 largest private/public retirement funds.

Bronner earned a Ph.D. and law degree from the University of Alabama, where he taught in the graduate schools of business and education and served as assistant dean and lecturer in the School of Law before joining RSA. Bronner has been featured in numerous publications for his investment strategies and financial market decisions. In 2003, PlanSponsor magazine named the RSA “Plan Sponsor of the Year.” Bronner also has received the Institutional Leadership Award presented by the International Economic Development Council in 2017.

High-profile investments to help Alabama thrive are a hallmark of Bronner, including office buildings in Montgomery, Mobile and New York and the development of eight hotels and conference centers in Alabama. Other investments include Gray Television, with more than 180 TV stations, and Community Newspaper Holdings Inc., with more than 100 newspapers that provide free advertising for the state of Alabama.

The venture of which Bronner is most proud is Alabama’s Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail, a collection of 26 championship golf courses at 11 sites that has put Alabama at the top of the list of golf destinations worldwide and helped increase tourism from a $1.8 billion industry to a yearly $24-plus billion industry.

March 2023 BusinessAlabama.com | 77

BUS I N E S S

A L A BA M A

A W A R D S

2 0 2 3

Lifetime Achievement M. Miller Gorrie

M

. Miller Gorrie was born in Birmingham and grew up in Birmingham and New Jersey, graduating from Birmingham’s Shades Valley High School in 1953.

In 1947, Miller and his father built a cabin on farmland the family owned, leading to his strong interest in engineering and construction. After earning a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering at Auburn University and serving three years in the U.S. Navy, he began his career in construction. In 1964, he purchased the construction assets of the Thos. C. Brasfield Company from Brasfield, the sole proprietor.

Gorrie purchased the name of Brasfield’s company, which had a strong reputation in the Birmingham community, and began operating as Thos.

C. Brasfield Inc. He then built his own company from the ground up, his first project being a $475 repair and renovation for First National Bank on the 14th floor of the John Hand Building in Birmingham.

In 1967, he changed the name to Brasfield & Gorrie and moved the company offices to the current headquarters in Birmingham. In 2011, he turned over the role of chief executive officer to his successor, Jim Gorrie, and continues to serve as chairman.

Gorrie was inducted into the Alabama Engineering Hall of Fame in 1997, Alabama Business Hall of Fame in 2002, Birmingham Business Hall of Fame in 2003, Alabama AGC Construction Hall of Fame in 2004 and the Alabama Academy of Honor in 2006.

He also received the Auburn University Alumni Lifetime Achievement Award in 2005. The M. Miller Gorrie Construction Center at Auburn, supported by donations from Brasfield & Gorrie employees and dedicated in 2006, is named in his honor.

Gorrie and his wife, Frances, have three children, five grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren.

March 2023 BusinessAlabama.com | 79

BUS I N E S S

A L A BA M A

A W A R D S

2 0 2 3

Lifetime Achievement Abraham “Abe” Mitchell

A

braham “Abe” Mitchell built a real estate development empire and is one of Alabama’s leading philanthropists in support of higher education.

His contributions to the University of South Alabama reach $100 million, making Mitchell the most generous donor in the history of the institution.

Included are gifts to the Mitchell College of Business, Mitchell Cancer Institute and Mitchell-Moulton Scholarship Initiative. Along the way, he has helped create a culture of philanthropy that has set an example for other donors and supporters of the University and USA Health.

In Mobile, Mitchell is known for his support of Congregation Ahavas Chesed, along with the Mobile Public Library, the Mobile Arts Council and the Mobile Symphony. Other beneficiaries include Alabama Public Television, Alabama Contemporary Dance and the Gulf Coast Exploreum Science Center.

Mitchell attended the Wharton School of Finance at the University of Pennsylvania and earned a law degree from the University of Alabama and a master’s of law in taxation from the New York University School of Law. He served as interim district attorney for Mobile County.

In 1958, he and his brother, Mayer, founded the Mitchell Company, which became one of the most successful real estate development firms in the southeastern United States, and one of the largest employers in Mobile. The Mitchell Company built more than 25,000 single family homes, 20,000 apartment units and 175 shopping centers. The brothers sold their interest in the company in 1986 and formed a private investment firm.

The Mitchell College of Business carries the family name. Abe Mitchell has served on the college’s Executive Advisory Council and meets each year with entering Mitchell Scholars, recipients of a scholarship that helps promising business students develop to their full potential.

In 2014, Mitchell pledged $50 million to the University for its 50th Anniversary — $25 million for the Mitchell College of Business and $25 million for the separate Mitchell-Moulton Scholarship Initiative.

Abe Mitchell is an honorary member of the University of South Alabama Board of Trustees. He was chosen Mobilian of the Year in 2006 and, in 2017, was recognized as “Alabama’s Top Philanthropist.”

March 2023 BusinessAlabama.com | 81

BUS I N E S S

A L A BA M A

A W A R D S

2 0 2 3

Lifetime Achievement Sen. Richard Shelby

R

ichard Shelby is the former United States senator from the state of Alabama. He was first elected in 1986 to the U.S. Senate, where he recently retired following his sixth term.

Shelby is the former chairman of the Senate Committee on Appropriations, the Senate Committee on Rules and Administration, the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, as well as the Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee, where he holds the record as the longest-serving member in the history of the committee.

Prior to his time in the U.S. Senate, he represented Alabama’s seventh Congressional District for four terms in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Born in Birmingham, as a fifth generation Alabamian, Shelby was educated by the Birmingham public school system. He went on to receive his undergraduate and law degrees from the University of Alabama and practiced law in Tuscaloosa for 15 years. He served as city prosecutor from 1963 to 1971, during which time he was appointed a U.S. magistrate for the Northern District of Alabama from 1966 to 1970 and Special Assistant Attorney General of Alabama from 1969 to 1971.

In 1970, Shelby won a seat in the Alabama State Senate that he held for eight years, where he was elected chairman of the Legislative Council. As a conservative Southern Democrat, he was elected to the 96th Congress in 1978 to represent Alabama’s 7th congressional district in the United States House of Representatives, and was re-elected in 1980, 1982 and 1984. In 1986, he was elected to the United States Senate, defeating the incumbent, and was re-elected in 1992, 1998, 2004, 2010 and 2016. In March 2019, he became the longest-serving U.S. senator from the state of Alabama. In January 2023, at the completion of his sixth term in the U.S. Senate, he retired from public office.

After the 1994 midterm election, Shelby switched parties to better support his electorate following the realignment of the Republican Party in the South. He became a member of the Senate Republican Conference and went on to eventually chair four committees. From 1997 to 2001, Shelby served as chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence. In 2003, he became chairman of the Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee, a position he held until 2007 and again from 2015 to 2017. Following his leadership on the Senate Banking Committee, he served as chairman of the Senate Committee on Rules and Administration from 2017 to 2018. In April 2018, Shelby became chairman of the full Senate Appropriations Committee and the Defense Appropriations Subcommittee, a position he held until 2021, when control of the Senate switched and he assumed the position of vice chairman of the full Committee and the Defense Subcommittee.

Shelby is married to the former Annette Nevin.

March 2023 BusinessAlabama.com | 83

BUS I N E S S

A L A BA M A

A W A R D S

2 0 2 3

Lifetime Achievement Dr. Shelley Stewart

S

helley Stewart, of Birmingham, overcame poverty and family tragedies as a child to become one of Birmingham’s best-known radio personalities and one of America’s most prominent African American businessmen and philanthropists.

Stewart’s lifetime odyssey is chronicled in “Mattie C’s Boy: The Shelley Stewart Story.”

His broadcasting career began in 1949 as a local radio personality. He was a key communicator during Birmingham’s human rights struggles of the 1960s for young people involved in street protests there. He then owned a radio station and continued his prolific 55-year journey in broadcasting. He is recognized by the Smithsonian Institution for his radio career. In September 2019, Stewart was inducted into the National Black Radio Hall of Fame, the same evening receiving a proclamation from the Atlanta City Council commending him for his role in the success of Black radio in that city. In 2008, he was the first African American inducted into the Alabama Broadcasters Association Hall of Fame.

Stewart’s career in advertising also began in the 1960s. In 1967, he co-founded o2ideas, a marketing, advertising and public relations firm based in Birmingham, which serves both local and global brands. He has received countless national and regional business and humanitarian honors. He received the Faithful Servant Award in 1992 from the Southern Christian Leadership Conference alongside honorees that included Maya Angelou, Harry Belafonte, Rosa Parks and Alex Haley. He was recognized as a Living Legend

by Warner Brothers, Reprise Records and the Urban Network alongside other honorees including Chaka Khan and Quincy Jones.

He has been nominated into the National Advertising Hall of Fame.

He has been honored locally as well, receiving The Vulcan Hero Award in 2014, as well as being included in Positive Maturity’s Top 50 Over 50. In 2015 he was a featured Ted Talk presenter at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. In 2017 he was recognized by the American Marketing Association with its inaugural Lifetime Achievement Award for his contributions to the marketing profession.

In 2018, in his honor Samford University established the Shelley Stewart Endowed Scholarship supporting African American students in the School of Health Professions. He is an honorary member of the Samford University Class of 2013 and also holds an honorary doctorate from Miles College. He is frequently consulted for media interviews on social movements and cultural topics.

Stewart also is president and founder of the Mattie C. Stewart Foundation, a national nonprofit organization dedicated to reducing the dropout rate. He established the MCSF in honor of his late mother, Mattie C. Stewart. To date, the Foundation’s work is estimated to have reached 19 million children, educators, community leaders and parents across 49 U.S. states.

March 2023 BusinessAlabama.com | 85

BUS I N E S S

A L A BA M A

A W A R D S

2 0 2 3

Thank you to our Sponsors

Gold Sponsors

Silver Sponsor Bronze Sponsors

March 2023 BusinessAlabama.com | 87

CREDIT UNIONS

Five Star Credit Union supports its community with gifts to local colleges.

Five Star supports its community by donating funds to help a local person with a year of rent or mortgage payments.

High

IMPACT

Credit unions aim to benefit communities as well as members

F

ive Star Credit Union was founded in 1964 in Cedar Springs, Georgia, and was chartered to serve the employees of the Great Southern Paper Co. Today, the nonprofit financial institution is headquartered in Dothan and serves more than 55,000 members across Alabama and Georgia. Alabama residents are eligible for credit union membership if they live, work, worship or attend school in eight southeast Alabama counties, and membership is open to individuals who live and work in 15 counties in southern Georgia.

As credit unions like Five Star ease membership restrictions, they are finding new ways to get involved and invest in the larger communities they serve.

‘‘

By KATHERINE MacGILVRAY

I think credit unions, because they are member-owned and, really, locally owned in that respect, have always had an affinity to our communities.”

— PATRICK LA PINE, CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER AT THE LEAGUE OF SOUTHEASTERN CREDIT UNIONS AND AFFILIATES

“I think credit unions, because they are member-owned and, really, locally owned in that respect, have always had

an affinity to our communities,” says Patrick La Pine, chief executive officer at the League of Southeastern Credit Unions and Affiliates.

Among the many ways different credit unions impact their communities, you’ll find scholarships, fundraising and wide-ranging community work.

In 2022, the Five Star Credit Union Foundation awarded three $10,000 scholarship grants to three colleges in communities it serves — Wallace Community College in Dothan, the College of Coastal Georgia in Brunswick and Southern Regional Technical College in Bainbridge, Georgia. The grants provided tuition assistance for incoming freshmen for the 2022-2023 academic year.

Five Star also runs two promotions March 2023 BusinessAlabama.com | 89

CREDIT UNIONS

Alabama Credit Union employees donate to Secret Meals for Hungry Children, which provides meals on weekends to children.

annually through its Facebook page — 5 Days of Back to School, which takes place just before the beginning of the school year, and 5 Days of Christmas, which runs for two weeks prior to Christmas. Prizes include a television, an outdoor stove and a video game system.

“It’s a way to have fun, get some interaction and do something for our members and non-members during two stressful times of the year,” says Mike Bridges, vice president of marketing and communications at Five Star. “It’s a huge hit.”

And for the past two years, Five Star has collaborated with JOY FM (WIZBFM) for its Home Free promotion, which provides free rent or mortgage for a year for a nominated station listener with Five Star providing the sponsorship money.

“The purpose of Five Star Credit Union is to brighten the financial future of the communities it serves,” says Robert Steensma, president and CEO of Five Star. “Members own Five Star Credit Union. It is natural for us to find as many ways as possible to give back to our member-owners that make a real impact on their lives. We want to live our purpose statement.”

90 | BusinessAlabama.com March 2023

Listerhill Credit Union was founded just more than 70 years ago when seven employees at Reynolds Metals decided to form a cooperative that would address a growing issue of predatory lending to vulnerable plant workers. Today, it is the seventh largest credit union in Alabama with $1 billion in assets and serving 100,000 members in northwest Alabama and south central Tennessee.

The Muscle Shoals-based credit union supports its communities through a variety of fundraising and education programs, as well as donations and scholarships. The Listerhill Foundation funds a Kicks for Kids program, which collaborates with schools in Alabama and Tennessee to provide new name-brand athletic shoes for students during the school year.

Through the Listerhill Cares program, credit union employees are encouraged to volunteer their time at local charities and nonprofits in their communities. Each year the credit union asks members and employees to complete a charitable contribution survey identifying the fundraising opportunities they care about the most.

Those efforts have led to regular annual support for the American Cancer Society’s

Relay for Life and St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. In addition, Listerhill promotes higher education through three foundation scholarships — the Charlotte Y. and Albert E. Williams Scholarship at University of North Alabama, the Listerhill Employees Credit Union/UNA Alumni at University of North Alabama and the Joseph Wade Endowment Scholarship at Northwest-Shoals Community College.

Alabama Credit Union (ACU) is a nonprofit financial cooperative founded in 1956 to serve the University of Alabama. Today, ACU has 34 branches throughout Alabama and North Florida.

ACU created its signature charity, Secret Meals for Hungry Children, in 2008 to ensure children in Alabama and Florida who rely on free and reduced breakfasts and lunches during the school week also have access to food on weekends. Through a partnership with local food banks, the Secret Meals program provides nutritious meal packs for students, discreetly placing them into their backpacks on Fridays.

“Thanks to our wonderful donors and volunteers, we are currently serving 2,167

CREDIT UNIONS

students every weekend in Alabama and northwest Florida,” says Nicole Fulgham, community involvement coordinator at ACU, adding that credit union employees plan several fundraisers each year to cover the program’s operational costs. “In 2022 alone, ACU employees raised $154,315 for Secret Meals. Not only are employees a driving force behind fundraising, they also pack the meals and deliver them to schools each week.”

‘‘

their communities.

In addition to broader community outreach, another major focus for credit unions, large and small, says La Pine, centers on providing financial education to members and non-members alike. “Credit unions put a lot of emphasis on financial wellness and how we can help individuals acquire financial education and help them

build the skills to be able to learn better saving and spending habits so they can live a better life.”

Combined, La Pine continues, those efforts embody the core mission of credit unions: “People helping people.”

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

“Thanks to our wonderful donors and volunteers, we are currently serving 2,167 students every weekend in Alabama and northwest Florida.

In 2022 alone, ACU employees raised $154,315 for Secret Meals. Not only are employees a driving force behind fundraising, they also pack the meals and deliver them to schools each week.”

— NICOLE FULGHAM, COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT COORDINATOR AT ACU

ACU also participates in several local events and fundraisers for a variety of causes. ACU is a top sponsor for the American Heart Association and has a large presence at the annual Tuscaloosa Heart Walk. ACU employees also participate in Junior Achievement, a national organization that offers lessons in financial literacy, work and career readiness, and entrepreneurship for young people. ACU also provides 15 hours of paid leave for each of its employees to use volunteering for a charity of their choice.

The initiative contributes thousands of volunteer hours annually and helps build connections between ACU employees and March 2023 BusinessAlabama.com | 91

CREDIT UNIONS

Alabama’s Largest Credit Unions

Ranked by total assets. Source: National Credit Union Administration’s September 2022 data N/A indicates Not Available.

RANK

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50

NAME OF CREDIT UNION

Redstone Federal

APCO Employees

ADDRESS

220 Wynn Dr., Huntsville, AL 35893

750 17th St. N., Birmingham, AL 35203

TELEPHONE

WEB SITE

256-837-6110

205-226-6800

334-598-4411

allincu.com

$2,413,271,256

334-260-2600

mymax.com

205-313-4300

America’s First Federal

1200 4th Ave. N., Birmingham, AL 35203

205-320-4186

Max

Alabama Listerhill Avadian

Family Security Alabama One Guardian Five Star

Family Savings

Legacy Community Federal Alabama Teachers

Alabama State Employees

400 Eastdale Cir., Montgomery, AL 36117 909 Anna Ave., Tuscaloosa, AL 35401

4790 2nd St., Muscle Shoals, AL 35661

One Riverchase Pkwy. S., Hoover, AL 35244

2204 Family Security Pl. SW, Decatur, AL 35603

1215 Veterans Memorial Pkwy., Tuscaloosa, AL 35404 418 Madison Ave., Montgomery, AL 36104

5105 Montgomery Hwy., Dothan, AL 36303 205 Rescia Ave., Rainbow City, AL 35906

100 Corporate Rdg., Ste. 200, Birmingham, AL 35242 702 Walnut St., Gadsden, AL 35901

4217 Lomac St., Montgomery, AL 36106

corpam.org amfirst.org

888-817-2002

alabamacu.com

205-985-2828

avadiancu.com

205-759-1595

alabamaone.org

256-383-9204 256-340-2000

listerhill.com myfscu.com

334-244-9999

myguardiancu.com

256-547-8190

familysavingscu.com

334-793-7714

fivestarcu.com

myaucu.org

Mutual Savings

Alabama Central ACIPCO Federal ECO

Alatrust

Heritage South Naheola

Riverfall

North Alabama Educators Mobile Educators Railroad Federal Valley

Jefferson

The Bridgeway

Four Seasons Federal Rocket City Federal Florence Federal

Mead Coated Board Federal

University of South Alabama Federal Gulf Coast Federal

Champion Community 1st Resource

Sycamore Federal Solutions First

Tuscaloosa VA Federal Red Oak WCU

2040 Valleydale Rd., Hoover, AL 35244

3601 4th Ave. S., Birmingham, AL 35222

1501 31st Ave. N., Birmingham, AL 35207 105 Frankfurt Cir., Birmingham, AL 35211 1810 Merchants Dr., Hoover, AL 35244

60 Gene E. Stewart Blvd., Sylacauga, AL 35151 5480 Main St., Pennington, AL 36916 2520 6th St., Tuscaloosa, AL 35401

2309 Whitesburg Dr. SE, Huntsville, AL 35801 3150 Airport Blvd., Mobile, AL 36606 1808 2nd Ave. S., Irondale, AL 35210 200 E. 6th St., Tuscumbia, AL 35674

5261 Ross Bridge Pkwy., Hoover, AL 35226 1810 Opelika Rd., Phenix City, AL 36867

2915 Pepperell Pkwy., Opelika, AL 36801

2200 Clinton Ave. W., Huntsville, AL 35805 1505 N. Pine St., Florence, AL 35630

145 Hwy. 165, Phenix City, AL 36869 103 Hillcrest Rd., Mobile, AL 36608

1001 Spring Hill Ave., Mobile, AL 36604

16601 County Rd. 150, Courtland, AL 35618 47 W. Oxmoor Rd., Birmingham, AL 35209 18070 AL Hwy. 21, Talladega, AL 35160

1108 Boll Weevil Cir., Enterprise, AL 36330 3701 Loop Rd., Tuscaloosa, AL 35404

1008 Veterans Memorial Pkwy., Tuscaloosa, AL 35404 2505 Hwy. 31 S., Decatur, AL 35603

$956,825,066 $840,260,607 $732,997,268 $725,808,859

$393,671,189

334-844-4120

1010 Golden Springs Rd., Anniston, AL 36207

$962,336,528

tvaccu.com

coosapinesfcu.org

Fort McClellan

$1,211,472,939

256-383-1019 256-378-5559

1290 S. Donahue Dr., Auburn, AL 36832

$1,295,664,372

$429,850,708

33710 U.S. Hwy. 280, Childersburg, AL 35044

Auburn University Federal

$1,540,313,367

yourasecu.com

atcu.com

Coosa Pines Federal

622 Azalea Rd., Mobile, AL 36609

$1,977,948,787

334-420-7466

256-543-7040

256-237-9494

New Horizons

$2,327,194,441

legacycreditunion.com

12 Elm St., Oxford, AL 36203

1405 S. Wilson Dam Rd., Muscle Shoals, AL 35661

$2,975,022,146

205-933-9933

AOD Federal

TVA Community

$7,769,381,572

$3,508,009,774

4365 Crescent Rd., Irondale, AL 35210 238 Virginia Ave., Daleville, AL 36322

redfcu.org

TOTAL ASSETS

apcocu.org

Corporate America All In

Compiled by MEGAN BOYLE

251-316-1530

aodfcu.com

newhcu.org

256-237-2113

fortmcclellancu.org

205-510-1300

alabamacentral.org

205-682-1100 205-328-4371

205-226-3900

mutualsavings.org acipcofcu.org ecocu.org

205-581-8800

alatrustcu.com

205-844-5527

naheola.com

256-245-4776

myhscu.com

205-759-1505

riverfallcu.com

251-473-4712

yourmecu.com

256-534-2423 205-956-0678

256-381-4800

naecu.org

railroadccu.com

valleycreditunion.net

205-444-4528

jeffersoncreditunion.org

334-745-4711

fourseasonfcu.org

256-767-4700

ffcuonline.com

334-291-3000

256-533-0541

334-855-5232 251-706-0255

bridgewaycu.org rocketcityfcu.org meadfcu.com

usafedcu.com

251-438-7464

gulfcoastfcu.org

205-944-1192

my1resourcecu.com

334-347-9000

solutionsfirstcu.com

205-759-7317

readoakcu.com

256-637-6511

256-245-5887

205-556-7819 256-355-5010

caecu.org

sycamorefcu.com tvacu.com

wcucu.com

$605,834,757 $488,141,684

$425,370,082 $335,956,683 $257,891,887 $227,705,850 $222,749,757 $211,570,970 $203,911,371

$189,492,150 $189,279,991 $185,006,747 $173,576,998 $165,617,838 $163,633,400 $131,640,164

$110,433,263 $109,630,481

$97,040,934 $80,430,688

$78,995,395 $78,077,590

$68,603,175 $68,556,448 $63,852,302 $62,063,755

$61,659,299 $56,440,896 $49,037,482

$48,529,607 $46,972,590 $46,963,119 $40,800,342 $35,953,678

March 2023 BusinessAlabama.com | 93

CREDIT UNIONS

RANK

NAME OF CREDIT UNION

ADDRESS

TELEPHONE

51

Lauderdale County Teachers Social Security

103 Mangum St., Florence, AL 35630

256-766-2936

52 53

Electrical Workers No. 558 Federal

1705 E. 17th St., Sheffield, AL 35660

256-383-6551

130 Mobile Infirmary Rd., Mobile, AL 36607

251-435-5900

54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72

Azalea City

The Infirmary Federal

Baldwin County Federal

McIntosh Chemical Federal Brewton Mill Federal Health

ANG Federal

Alabama River

Mobile Government Employees Chattahoochee Federal City

Covington Schools Federal

East Alabama Community Federal Federal Employees

Railway Employees Mobile Postal

Northeast Alabama Postal Federal Fedmont Federal

Alabama Law Enforcement

1200 Reverend Abraham Woods Jr. Blvd.

Birmingham, AL 35285 5662 Cottage Hill Rd., Mobile, AL 36609 2509 Hand Ave., Bay Minette, AL 36507 7895 Hwy. 43, McIntosh, AL 36553

2549 South Blvd., Brewton, AL 36426

1400 6th Ave. S., Birmingham, AL 35233

5401 E. Lake Blvd., Bldg. 630, Birmingham, AL 35217 3365 S. Alabama Ave., Monroeville, AL 36460 109 Saint Joseph St., Mobile, AL 36602 519 Fob James Dr., Valley, AL 36854

2302 Jack Warner Pkwy., Tuscaloosa, AL 35401 931 River Falls St., Andalusia, AL 36420

509 E. Thomason Cir., Opelika, AL 36801

1509 4th Ave. S., Birmingham, AL 35233

1604 Gusmus Ave., Muscle Shoals, AL 35661 800 Downtowner Loop W., Mobile, AL 36609 200 S. Quintard Ave., Anniston, AL 36201

330 Eastdale Cir., Montgomery, AL 36117 3712 4th Ave. S., Birmingham, AL 35222

205-323-7028

251-316-0000

WEB SITE

TOTAL ASSETS

lctcu.org

$35,846,892

ew558fcu.com

$35,438,974

theinfirmaryfcu.com

$30,958,000

ssacu.com

azaleacitycu.com

251-937-0334

baldwincountyfcu.com

251-867-3162

brewtonmillfcu.org

205-841-4525

angfcu.org

251-944-8034 205-930-1213 251-575-2921

mccfcu.com

healthcu.com arivercu.com

251-694-4100

mobgecu.com

205-349-4209

ccutuscaloosa.com

334-364-2850

eamcfcu.com

334-756-7027 334-222-2169

205-322-4026

chatt.coop N/A

federalempscu.com

256-383-7940

railwaycreditunion.com

256-237-4259

neapfcu.com

251-342-1472 334-270-5532 205-583-4632

mobilepostalcu.com fedmontfcu.org allecu.org

$35,678,699

$35,239,882 $29,695,109 $29,175,738 $27,010,913 $26,759,517 $25,246,384

$23,623,814 $23,079,535 $22,601,786 $22,058,531 $22,054,214 $20,159,766

$19,526,885 $19,178,531 $18,443,024

$17,325,538 $15,628,484 $15,605,287

For more credit unions, visit BusinessAlabama.com.

94 | BusinessAlabama.com March 2023

NOT YOUR SAME OLD JOB

Eliminating stumps from downed trees used to be as hard on the stump grinder as the stump.

Technology has made it at least a little easier.

Computerized Even a job as mundane as stump removal is impacted by technology

By EMMETT BURNETT — Photos by MIKE KITTRELL

F

Editor’s Note: This is the second in an occasional series about the impact of technology on jobs.

or as long as trees have grown among us, they have been harvested. And oftentimes, the stumps have been left behind, because stump removal has long been ribcracking, slipped disc-provoking work.

Today, a modern stump grinding machine operates by remote joysticks, much like operating a drone or playing Super Mario.

That is, if Mario had 45 steel teeth on a jaw rotating faster than your lawnmower’s blade, shredding an oak’s remnants into instant sawdust.

Jason Knapp, owner of K&S Professional Stump Removal in Mobile, owns such a machine. The SG75 Bandit combines robotics, remote sensing and metallic brawn in a $75,000 package. It is similar in size to an SUV. It is similar in demeanor to a wolverine.

“We have much more technology now than in the past,” says Knapp, alluding to the days of old when removing stumps required hardened muscles, strong backs and copious amounts of Bengay.

“We have more technology now.

“Older machines are very manual, relying on levers and hydraulics,” Knapp adds. “Mine is remote control.”

Today’s stump grinding machine is operated with joysticks reminiscent of a video game.

March 2023 BusinessAlabama.com | 99

N O T YO U R S A M E O L D J O B

Jason Knapp mans the joysticks that control the grinder that rips out the stump.

The might and main for the task are embedded in the 4,600 pounds of machinery.

Admittedly it is a bit unsettling, watching a 4,600-pound metallic device, larger than a minivan, meander through a wooded backyard — without a driver.

The operator stands about 10 feet away, commanding all aspects of the 74-horsepower apparatus from a remote-control device’s tiny joysticks.

“There are many advantages to running the machine remotely,” Knapp adds. “It offers much greater visibility. I can monitor everything simply by walking around the machine as it works. And for safety, I can stand out of the way of flying debris.”

Actually, the machine itself does a good job of debris containment, Knapp says, but wayward wood occasionally flies out.

He recalls, “I once had a large chunk hit me in the face. I’m glad my helmet and face shield were on.”

Machine design is different than the lumberjack wannabes of yesteryear. The 27-inch diameter wheel’s teeth are more like iron square pegs than cutting tools. It bites and pulls rather than cuts.

There is no manual digging and 100 | BusinessAlabama.com March 2023

uprooting a stump with shovels. “As the wheel spins, the teeth grab and dig in the wood, but not so much of cutting it,” Knapp notes. “With sheer force the teeth knock off chunks of stumps continuously.”

The process is so fast, saw dust and fragments flying off the surrendering stump resemble a flowing stream. Within minutes an excavation marks the spot were a stump used to be.

The unit’s driving wheels are embedded in a rotating track, just like an army tank. Also like an army tank, the Bandit can travel over almost any terrain. And it does, with the operator walking along close by.

Once onsite, the Bandit is a sight to behold. “Watching the machine work is impressive,” says Fairhope customer, Jaime Cooper, who watched the machine decimate seven stumps in her yard. “It was cool watching him drive it and not be sitting in it.”

Knapp, a college music major who performs with the Mobile Opera, is relatively new to the stump grinding business. His

company is co-owned with his father, Mike Knapp. During the pre-stump days, the son’s experience included industrial pressure washing, security guard work, forklift driver, warehouse employee and the night shift in a Mobile barbecue restaurant.

In July 2021, after discussions and training from Tennessee family members who were already successful in the stump removal trade, Knapp brought newly learned skills home. “I felt I could do it here. I felt it was the right time for me,” the Alabama relative recalls.

He decided to enter the field — lawns, yards and anywhere else stumps reside but should not. Though his Tennessee relatives taught him the ropes, he also learned by on-the-job experience.

“Each stump is different. Each has a personality. You never know how it will react until you start grinding it,” Knapp recalls.

“Some trees are more accommodating than others.” He gives examples: “Oaks are fairly easy to cut and remove. Also, cedar trees are like cutting butter.”

That’s the good news.

The bad news is two-fold. First, Southern pine is one of South Alabama’s most prolific growers. But second, according to Knapp, “Pine stumps don’t go down without a fight. It is at times difficult to get a bite on a pine stump and pull it out. Pines also have sticky sap that causes many problems for us. It sticks to everything.”

N O T YO U R S A M E O L D J O B

trees cut down but leave the stumps.

Later, after getting tired of mowing grass around a stump or even just tired of looking at it, they call me,” he adds.

During peak months, K&S will grind hundreds of stumps, depending on the job. The biggest job to date was 350 stumps. It took him two and half days.

All in a days’ work for what was

once a strong back and brawny muscle occupation. Today, shovels are replaced by joysticks. Not long ago, the grueling tasks of just one extraction, grinding and chipping, took hours. Now it is a matter of mulch in minutes.

Emmett Burnett and Mike Kittrell are Mobilearea freelance contributors to Business Alabama.

As in any good plan, start with the roots, if possible. “If roots are visible, I try to extract it first, before the stump,” Knapp says. “I visualize where the roots are, find it, then grind it.” After that, on to the stump.

Trees are often historical markers. A 300-year-old oak for example can tell many tales when digging up its roots.

“Trees bring along with them whatever surrounds them,” Knapp adds. For example workers may have laid tools beside a trunk. Children could have played with toys under shady branches, early settlers possibly met under an oak’s shade, 200 years ago.

“I was working a job in Fairhope next to a church when a metal rod shot out,” he recalls. “The stump cutter’s teeth grabbed it and spit it out. I was lucky it didn’t hit me.”

“The homeowner said it could have been there since the Civil War, when the church was occupied by Union troops.”

The customer kept the historic shrapnel.

As one might imagine, in South Alabama, where rain is common on days ending in Y, trees are plentiful. There is work for everybody and stump grinders are a close-knit bunch.

“We help each other,” he says. “I receive calls from other grinders asking if I can take a job that they are too busy to do. I also return the favor.”

Summer is the busiest time, but all year is steady. “Often, customers will have March 2023 BusinessAlabama.com | 101

SPOTLIGHT Coffee Dale County County Geneva County

Coffee, Dale & Geneva Counties

by LORI CHANDLER PRUITT

Fort Rucker.

Boll Weevil Monument.

Flowers Center for Performing Arts.

C

OFFEE, DALE AND GENEVA COUNTIES are part of the Wiregrass region of the state, known for aerospace, agriculture and a lot more in between.

This area is home to Fort Rucker and the U.S. Army Aviation Center of Excellence, the primary training facility for military helicopter pilots worldwide.

It provides thousands of military and civilian jobs in aerospace, helicopter training and simulation and related industries.

It’s also home to the Alabama Aviation College in Ozark.

Fort Rucker assists in supporting the economy of surrounding communities, and just within a 50-mile radius has an annual economic impact of $1.97 billion.

Significant investment of all kinds continues in this area. In 2022, ground was broken for the Command Sgt. Maj. Bennie G. Adkins State Veterans Home in Enterprise. The home will employ about 200 people and house about 174 residents.

Manufacturing and other development continues, too. One of the largest investments is a new Ben E. Keith Foods foodservice distribution center, opened in 2022 in New Brockton. Already a major employer, the new facility serves eastern Mississippi, western Georgia, the Florida Panhandle and all of Alabama.

Major economic sectors include agriculture and food production, automotive suppliers, metal fabrication, health care and distribution. Workforce development is of utmost importance here, from K-12 programs to adult education and retraining. Every government and agency supports it through career exploration, job fairs and more.

“In the era of workplace shortages, we have several programs for military spouses and young military retirees to help them with workforce transitions,” says Holle Smith, president of the Ozark-Dale County Economic Development Corp.

Many school systems already have or have opened career technical centers. In

the works is a career exploration center at an Ozark middle school, with plans to introduce younger students to regional job opportunities through STEM and robotics programs.

The city of Enterprise and Enterprise State Community College also plan to add a $10 million workforce development center to meet business and industry needs, training students in fields such as automotive, advanced manufacturing, aerospace, composites, nursing and welding.

And Geneva County schools, Geneva city schools, industry partners, the Alabama Community College System and the Alabama National Guard recently converted a former armory in Geneva County that houses the guard and the school systems’ career technical programs.

Quality of life is important here, too. Many communities have grasped the concept of community and tourism development as a vital part of economic development. Family fun features and events are being added, features that also attract people from other areas.

For example, the city of Enterprise, in Coffee County, broke ground for a multi-million-dollar recreation and aquatMarch 2023 BusinessAlabama.com | 103

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

ics center that will include a competition-ready swimming pool, a kiddie pool with beach entry and play structure, five basketball courts that can be converted into volleyball or pickleball courts, activity rooms, locker rooms and more.

The city of Ozark, in Dale County, just broke ground on a new farmer’s market, and its city-owned shopping center property has new life with a new restaurant coming, the city’s new library space and more. The city also is refurbishing its outdoor tennis courts and is adding indoor pickleball courts.

And in the city of Geneva, in Geneva County, new soccer

Lori Chandler Pruitt is a freelance writer for Business Alabama.

She is based in Birmingham.

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

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

Madison County: $71,153 Baldwin County: $64,346 Coffee County: $59,034 Jefferson County: $58,330 Montgomery County: $52,511 Mobile County: $51,169 Houston County: $50,222 Dale County: $50,052 Covington County: $46,186 Geneva County: $43,581 State of Alabama $54,943 Pike County: $40,106 Barbour County: $36,422 Source: U.S. Census Bureau

104 | BusinessAlabama.com March 2023

fields are underway as well as a new city park downtown that will include a splash pad, amphitheater, all-accessible playground and walking trails. Another park is being developed for campsites.

This area also is known as a route to Gulf beaches — so some cities are adding EV charging stations, with the hope that travelers will eat at local restaurants and shop in picturesque downtowns while charging their vehicles.

Jefferson County: 667,820 Mobile County: 413,073 Madison County: 395,211 Baldwin County: 239,294 Montgomery County: 227,434 Houston County: 107,458 Coffee County: 54,174 Dale County: 49,342 Covington County: 37,524 Pike County: 32,991 Geneva County: 26,701 Source: U.S. Census Bureau Barbour County: 24,964

Economic Engines

U.S. Army Aviation Center of Excellence.

It is the primary training center for Army aviation. Fort Rucker assists in supporting the economy of surrounding communities, and just within a 50-mile radius has an annual economic impact of $1.97 billion.

Fort Rucker’s population includes 5,328 military, 5,306 military family members, 2,226 Department of the Army civilians, 1,376 civilians in other departments and 5,556 contractors.

Military retirees within 50 miles number 7,768, with more than 25,000 retiree dependents.

In addition, Fort Rucker provides support to an additional 3,327 soldiers at Eglin Air Force Base and Camp Shelby.

At some point this year or early 2024, Fort Rucker will be renamed Fort Novosel, after Chief Warrant Officer 4 Michael J. Novosel Sr., a Medal of Honor recipient, Army aviator and Enterprise resident who flew missions during World War II, Korea and Vietnam and died in 2006.

A class at Alabama Aviation Center.

FORT RUCKER

U.S. Army Aviation Center of Excellence Fort Rucker’s 63,660 acres is located

B U S I N E S S

mostly in Dale County, but it has farreaching impact on the entire region and the world. One of the largest employers in the state, Fort Rucker is home to the

Aviation/Aerospace Fort Rucker has attracted several companies involved in this sector. Key in the field are M1 Support Services and Commercial Jet. Others in this sector are General Dynamics Information

B R I E F S

JANUARY 2023: Dorsey Trailers, one of the largest employers in Coffee County, will open its new truck parts division, adding about seven jobs.

JANUARY 2023: The Dale County School System welcomed the first students to the Bridge Academy, a career tech facility.

JANUARY 2023: A cityowned shopping center in downtown Ozark has been renovated and is the new home to the Ozark-Dale County Public Library, an indoor pickleball facility and the soon-to-open Jamison's Restaurant. Construction has begun on a permanent farmers market pavilion next to the shopping center.

DECEMBER 2022: Fort Rucker will become Fort Novosel by 2024, renamed in honor of Enterprise native Michael Novosel Sr., a military aviator who received the Medal of Honor.

NOVEMBER 2022: Hecate Energy will operate a $96 million solar farm in Dale and Geneva counties. The solar energy will be sold to Alabama Power to provide enough

energy to power 13,000 Alabama homes.

$75 million into this three-year project.

OCTOBER 2022: The Ozark Technology Center added four new business incubator tenants within the past year for a total of seven startups.

OCTOBER 2022: Oregonbased ISA Corp., which makes nitrile and latex gloves, announces it will open a production facility in a spec building at Geneva County’s industrial park. It should create 80 jobs over two years.

OCTOBER 2022: First Ozark Methodist Church broke ground on a new and expanded $1.8 million daycare facility.

OCTOBER 2022: Pea River Electric Cooperative announced plans to expand broadband access throughout Dale, Barbour and Henry counties. They are investing

Lancaster, Pennsylvania, to Ozark. The company upcycles used truck tires into rubber flooring materials. The company began its first line of production in November 2022 and plans to be fully operating in April 2023. Ecore will invest $25.5 million and create 84 jobs.

SEPTEMBER 2022: Dothan-based KIH, which makes fire hoses and other products, expands into Geneva County.

AUGUST 2022: The Ozark City Board of Education announced plans for a Career Exploration Center at D.A. Smith Middle School.

AUGUST 2022: Ecore International announces its expansion from

AUGUST 2022: Elba Health Care opens, a new clinic supported by

March 2023 BusinessAlabama.com | 105

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

TAXES PROPERTY TAX Not including city or school millage

COFFEE COUNTY: 10.5 mills DALE COUNTY: 14.0 mills GENEVA COUNTY: 14.6 mills

SALES TAX

COFFEE COUNTY: 1% Cities within the county

Elba: 4% Enterprise: 4% Kinston: 4% New Brockton: 4% DALE COUNTY: 2% Cities within the county

Ariton: 2% Daleville: 4% Grimes: 4% Level Plains: 3% Midland City: 3% Napier Field: 3% Newton: 3% Ozark: 4% Pinckard: 4%

Wayne Farms Feed Mill.

Technologies, an IT and aviation simulation company, and Arista Aviation.

Ozark is home to the Alabama Aviation Center, which has been a catalyst for growth in this sector.

AGRICULTURE & FOOD PRODUCTION

GENEVA COUNTY: 2% Cities within the county

Black: 2% Coffee Springs: 2% Geneva: 3.5% Hartford: 3% Malvern: 2% Samson: 3% Slocomb: 3% STATE OF ALABAMA: 4% Source: Alabama Department of Revenue

B U S I N E S S Mizell Memorial Hospital in Opp. JUNE 2022: Ground is broken for the Command Sgt. Maj. Bennie G. Adkins State Veterans Home in Enterprise.

MAY 2022: Sanders Capital Partners acquires a 70,000-square-foot hangar at Enterprise Municipal Airport, in-

All three counties rank among the top in total agricultural production in the state.

Several area schools offer classes such as agricultural science and agricultural engineering to help boost employment.

Coffee County ranks high in poultry production, cotton and cattle. Larger employers in this sector include poultry processors Wayne Farms and Pilgrim’s Pride, peanut processor Sessions Corp., and food and beverage distributor Ben E. Keith. The Texas-based Keith recently

opened a $100 million food service distribution center in New Brockton to serve all of Alabama plus Eastern Mississippi, Western Georgia and the Florida Panhandle.

Other larger companies in this sector in the three-county area include a Wayne Farms grain producer, SYSCO Food Services Gulf Coast, Olam Peanut Shelling Co., Sowega Cotton and Lincoln Fabrics. One of the newest companies, Brittanie’s Thyme, a new skin care company, is located in Dale County.

AUTOMOTIVE SUPPLIERS

Metal fabrication The area has several Tier 1 and Tier 2 automotive suppliers, due to its proximately to Hyundai in Montgomery

B R I E F S

vesting $9.2 million. The hangar is home to Arista Aviation, a military and civilian contractor that maintains and refurbishes a variety of Bell and Sikorsky helicopters.

MAY 2022: M1 Support Services and the Alabama Aviation College sign an agreement for a registered apprenticeship program at M1.

106 | BusinessAlabama.com March 2023

MAY 2022: The City of Ozark partnered with Alabama Power Co. to install electric vehicle charging stations in downtown Ozark.

JANUARY 2022: Ben E. Keith Foods opens its new food service distribution center in New Brockton in Coffee County.

SEPTEMBER 2021: Jesse Quillen is appointed executive director of the Wiregrass Economic Development Corp.

AUGUST 2021: Ozark was selected for the Alabama Communities of Excellence program for the Class of 2021.

JULY 2021: Brittanie’s Thyme, a manufacturer of

organic skincare products and plastic containers, announces its relocation to the Ozark Industrial Park. This project involves an investment of $685,000 and the creation of 50 jobs.

MARCH 2021: The OzarkDale County Economic Development Board appoints Holle Smith as its new president.

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

and Kia in West Point, Georgia, but the reach is not limited to those two manufacturers.

In Coffee County, Hwaseung Automotive Alabama, HS Automotive and INZI Controls of Alabama are among the largest manufacturing employers.

All three counties also count metal fabrication as a thriving sector. Coffee County’s major employers include two companies that manufacture truck trailers, along with two more that are in the fabrication and die casting industries.

Those include Dorsey Trailers and Alfab Inc., E&H Steel Corp., Quality Fab, Trailer World Manufacturing and Air Performance, Utility Trailer and Motobilt, which makes custom fabrication parts for Jeeps.

Geneva County has three companies that produce aluminum products among its larger manufacturing employers. Those include Reliable Metal Products, Air Performance and Outdoor Aluminum.

HEALTH CARE

All three counties count hospitals and health care facilities among the top five employers in the area, and the facilities are growing to meet patient needs.

Hospitals in the area include Medical Center Enterprise in Coffee County, Dale Medical Center in Dale County and Wiregrass Medical Center in Geneva County.

This sector is expected to have a further boost with the new Command Sgt. Maj. Bennie G. Adkins State Veterans Home in Enterprise, which will employ about 200 people and house about 174 residents.

Largest Industrial Employers COFFEE COUNTY

E&H Steel Corp. | MIDLAND CITY

Poultry processing • 1,730 employees

Structural steel fabricating 125 employees

Pilgrim’s Pride | ENTERPRISE

Wiregrass Construction | ARITON

Wayne Farms | ENTERPRISE

Poultry • 650 employees

Hwaseung Automotive Alabama ENTERPRISE

Automotive parts • 550 employees

HS Automotive | ENTERPRISE

Automotive supplier • 570 employees

Ben E. Keith Foods/Kelley Meats NEW BROCKTON

Food distribution/meat processing 250 employees

Utility Trailers | ENTERPRISE

Asphalt • 115 employees

MAHA Inc. | PINCKARD

Automotive lifts • 70 employees

Quality Fab | ARITON

Metal fabrication • 61 employees

Wayne Farms | OZARK Grain • 45 employees

GENEVA COUNTY

Reliable Metal Products | GENEVA Louvers, grills • 465 employees

Truck trailers • 185 employees

SYSCO Food Services Gulf Coast

Dorsey Trailers | ELBA

Wholesale food • 305 employees

Truck trailers • 150 employees

Arista Aviation | ENTERPRISE

GENEVA

Olam Peanut Shelling Co. | SAMSON

Aircraft MRO • 140 employees

Peanut shelling/processing 120 employees

DALE COUNTY

Sowega Cotton | HARTFORD

M1 Support Services | FORT RUCKER Aviation maintenance • 3,800 employees

Michelin North America Inc. DALE COUNTY

Automobile tires • 477 employees

Commercial Jet

DALE COUNTY/DOTHAN

Aviation maintenance • 350 employees

General Dynamics Information Technology | DALE COUNTY

IT/Aviation simulation • 130 employees

Cotton gin • 100 employees

Air Performance | HARTFORD

Aluminum louvers • 82 employees

Outdoor Aluminum | GENEVA

Aluminum products • 80 employees

Lincoln Fabrics | GENEVA Weaving • 37 employees

Samson Plastic Pipe | SAMSON Plastic pipe • 37 employees

Sources: Wiregrass Economic Development Corp., Ozark-Dale County Economic Development Corp.

JANUARY 2021: Nemean Solutions announces it is expanding into Alabama to support the U.S. Army Aviation Center of Excellence and Fort Rucker. The firm provides computer engineering, software development, risk management, cybersecurity and more.

SEPTEMBER 2020: Amazon chooses Daleville for one of its newest “last mile” distribution facilities, located in the former Fred’s Building on U.S. 84 near All-In Credit Union.

Source: Economic developers March 2023 BusinessAlabama.com | 107

Movers & Shapers TRAE AVANT is a State Farm agent in

Ozark, opening his business in 2016.

He is a member of the Ozark Rotary Club, president of the board of Boys & Girls Club of Southeast Alabama; chair elect of the Wiregrass United Way board and a board member with Dale Medical Center, Dale County Ag-Plex and Dale County United Way. A Brewton native, Avant is a graduate of T.R. Miller High School and the University of Alabama.

BEN BAKER is superintendent of Dale

County Schools. He and his team have led the Dale County system to honors as the highest achieving county school system in the state, based on state and federal Report Cards, and numerous other state and national awards.

Baker is a graduate of Ariton High School and Troy University. He volunteers with the Wiregrass United Way, is a member of the Ozark Rotary Club, and is an avid supporter of Vivian B. Adams School and the Southeast Alabama Boys Home.

TERRY BARNES, a registered

Professional Engineer, is director of operations for Southeast Gas Central and Western divisions, overseeing operations and maintenance facilities in Andalusia, Brundidge, Daleville, Elba, Enterprise, Fort Deposit, Greenville, Luverne, Montgomery, Opelika, Opp, Ozark, Pike Road and Troy. Prior to his career with Southeast Gas, Barnes worked for seven years for CDG Engineers as a project engineer and project manager.

MARK BLANKENSHIP is mayor of

Ozark. He previously served on the Ozark City Council and on the Dale County

Commission. He has volunteered and served for many organizations over the years including the Wiregrass United Way Board, Ozark Boys and Girls Club Board, Ozark Downtown Committee, Dale County Performing Arts Board and the Friends of Fort Rucker.

NICKY BULL is an attorney in Ozark and serves as municipal judge in Ozark and Clayhatchee and prosecuting attorney in Daleville. Earlier, he worked in the broadcast industry and as a teacher. He serves as president of the Ozark City Board of Education, the Dale County Bar Association, the Dale County Court Services Board and the Dale County Republican Party. He also serves on the boards of Boys and Girls Club of Southeast Alabama, Wish Upon a Star Performing Arts Co., Dale County Children’s Policy Council and the Mary Hill Family Service Center.

DANNY DICUS is president of ALFAB

Inc., a metal fabricating company in Enterprise. He began as a material handler loading and unloading trucks, then as a metal stair project estimator, followed by 20 years in purchasing. He is a graduate of Enterprise High School and Enterprise State Jr. (now Community) College and attended Troy University. He is a member and past president of the Enterprise Rotary Club.

ERIN GRANTHAM is executive director

of the Enterprise Chamber of Commerce. Under her leadership the Enterprise chamber has earned a 4-Star designation as an accredited chamber, awarded by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and earned the distinction of an Alabama Accredited

Chamber through the Chamber of Commerce Association of Alabama.

Her community service includes the Medical Center Enterprise’s Healthy Woman Council, Coffee County Farm-City Committee, Coffee County Youth Leadership Council, AUSA Fort Rucker-Wiregrass Chapter, Main Street Enterprise board of directors, and the Enterprise High School technology information and education advisory committee.

DAVID HAYES, a native of Geneva,

has been mayor since 2020. He is a 40-year business professional and economic developer, serving as CEO of C&D Investment Properties, a commercial development company, and president of Center Plaza Shopping Centers Inc. Since Hayes became mayor, the city has undertaken projects including airport improvements, a new City Hall and downtown park, EV charging stations, street rehabilitation, new soccer complex and neighborhood revitalization.

JOEY HESTER is CEO of Medical

Center Enterprise.

Earlier, he was interim CEO for North Okaloosa Medical Center in Crestview, Florida; vice president of hospital operations at South Baldwin Regional Medical Center in Foley, and in various management roles at Flowers Hospital in Dothan. He serves on the Wiregrass Economic Development Corp., the state legislative committee for Alabama Hospital Association, and represents Medical Center Enterprise on the Southeast Alabama Regional Hospital Council.

DANIEL LONG is president of

Enterprise State Community College after a 26-year career as a teacher and

March 2023 BusinessAlabama.com | 109

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

administrator. Under his leadership, ESCC has seen an increase in enrollment, with numbers now above 2,000; added more technical training programs to meet workforce needs in areas such as composites manufacturing and healthcare; and has seen the start of several renovation and construction projects on both campuses. Long holds bachelor’s, master’s and specialist degrees from Troy University.

TOM MADDOX is mayor of Elba and

superintendent of the Water Works and Electric Board. He has been a local business owner for approximately 40 years. A music graduate of the University of Southern Mississippi, he also is a retired music educator. Prior to being elected mayor in 2020, he served as the District 4 representative on the Elba City Council. He sits on the boards of PowerSouth, Elba Chamber of Commerce and Elba Rotary Club.

BRIAN MCLEOD is a CPA and

executive vice president/CFO/ COO of The National Security Group Inc. in Elba. A Coffee County native, he is a graduate of Troy University with a master’s from Florida State University.

McLeod serves on the boards of the Coffee County Board of Education, River Financial Corp., Wiregrass Economic Development Corp., Coffee County Habitat for Humanity and Wiregrass United and as president of the Association of Alabama Life Insurance Companies.

GEN. MICHAEL C. MCCURRY is

commanding general, USAACE and Fort Rucker. A former Army aviation officer and helicopter pilot, he is a graduate of the University of Idaho with master’s degrees from both the Navy and Army War Colleges. He has won numerous

110 | BusinessAlabama.com March 2023

military awards and decorations, including the Defense Superior Service Medal, Legion of Merit with five oak leaf clusters, the Bronze Star Medal with three oak leaf clusters, the Meritorious Service Medal, the Air Medal with Numeral 3, and the Army Commendation Medal with three oak leaf clusters.

CASEY MOORE is director of career

and technical education programs in the Ozark City School District.

She is an Alabama native and two-time graduate of Troy University. Moore is in her 13th year in education with experience as a teacher, instructional coach, assistant principal and principal. In her first year with Ozark City Schools, she has increased participation in dual enrollment, launched new programs, partnered with local industries and expanded opportunities for career exploration in the middle grades.

JESSE QUILLEN is executive director

of the Wiregrass Economic Development Corp. for Coffee and Geneva counties.

Earlier, he worked with projects in the chemical, aviation, distribution, manufacturing, pulp and paper and timber industries, creating more than 500 jobs and bringing investments of hundreds of millions of dollars. He is a graduate of the University of Mississippi with a master’s from the University of Southern Mississippi. Quillen worked for more than 20 years in the family insurance business and became owner.

In 1999, he was elected mayor of Bruce, Mississippi, where he was introduced to the economic development field.

TOBY SEAY is Geneva County probate

judge and County Commission chair.

Earlier, he was chief juvenile probation officer in Geneva County. He is a veteran of Operation Iraqi Freedom and served in the Alabama Army National Guard, retiring as a major after 32 years. He is a graduate of Troy University and Columbia Southern University, past president of Geneva Rotary Club, a member of American Legion Post 59, Southeast Alabama Regional Planning Commission, the Wiregrass Economic Development Corp., and on the board of directors of the Geneva County Community Punishment and Corrections Authority.

HOLLE HARTZOG SMITH is president

of the Ozark-Dale County Economic Development Corp. A graduate of Huntingdon College, she has additional credentials in economic development. She is a member of the Ozark Rotary Club, serves on the boards of the Boys and Girls Club of Ozark, Carroll High School career tech advisory committee, the Dale County Performing Arts Council, the Wiregrass United Way, the Dale County Youth Leadership Program, the Ozark City Schools Career Exploration Advisory Council and Grow Southeast Alabama.

She is the local coordinator for Ozark as they participate in the Class of 2022 Alabama Communities of Excellence program.

JANET SMITH is CEO at Wiregrass

Medical Center in Geneva. She has more than 17 years of experience in healthcare administration and finance. Prior to becoming the CEO at Wiregrass, she served as the CFO. She is a graduate of

the University of Southern California in Los Angeles. She also is a licensed Nursing Home Administrator in the State of Alabama.

Community Development New City of Enterprise water tower.

PHILIP WILKES is market executive

for Synovus Bank.

A 39-year banking veteran, he is a graduate of MidSouth School of Banking at Memphis State University and Graduate School of Banking at LSU. Wilkes serves as chairman of Wiregrass Economic Development Corp., member of Enterprise Industrial Development Board and is a past board member of Enterprise Chamber of Commerce.

SANDY BYNUM WILLIAMS is

president of the Elba Chamber of Commerce and Main Street Elba.

She is a University of Southern Mississippi graduate with a master’s from the University of Mississippi and additional credentials. She serves on two national boards — the U.S. Travel Communications Committee and the Appalachian Regional Commission’s Tourism Advisory Council. A Rotarian, she is currently assistant district governor.

She won the Public Relations Association’s 2019 Overall Best Public Relations and Marketing Campaign Award.

LINDA YOUNG is president of Wallace

Community College-Dothan. She is a graduate of Enterprise State Junior College and Troy University with a doctorate from Auburn University. She is a graduate of Leadership Alabama and will become chair of its board in 2023. In 2017, she was one of 19 college presidents in the nation to receive the Shirley B. Gordon Award of Distinction

by Phi Theta Kappa. She was named a 2022 Alabama Woman of Impact by Yellowhammer News.

COFFEE COUNTY

In the city of Elba, the county seat, residents have a new medical clinic, Elba Health Care, operated by Mizell Memorial Hospital in Opp. The facility brings several services closer to home, says Sally Bane, city clerk.

The Elba Theatre is in its second phase of renovations and is already being used for numerous events, including a Smithsonian exhibit, she says. Much is being done via grants from the Fox Theatre in Atlanta.

By the end of this year, the city will have completed more than $11 million of water and sewer projects through the USDA program, she says. More roads will be resurfaced, she says, and noted that a project that four-laned U.S. 84 from Andalusia to Dothan has helped the city of Elba also. The city also is collaborating with the National Park Service and the

Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources to determine further uses for Pea River Whitewater Creek to enhance tourism and for residents.

The city is renovating its recreational center, with help from Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs, Bane says, and plans to add amenities including pickleball and volleyball courts.

The city of Enterprise is progressing with several capital projects, including a multi-million-dollar recreation and aquatics center. Ground was broken in early January at the site of the now-demolished Rec Center building that served the city for 64 years.

Features of the new 110,000-square-foot complex include a competition-ready swimming pool, a kiddie pool with beach entry and play structure, indoor sport courts, activity rooms, locker rooms and more.

March 2023 BusinessAlabama.com | 111

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

A rendering of the new Adkins State Veteran's Home.

Fort Rucker headquarters.

“After years of preparation, we are beyond excited to start this project for the citizens of Enterprise,” Mayor William Cooper says. “We know this will be a place for families to not only work out, but to gather and play. We also look forward to the potential to bring people in to utilize the facility, whether for a swim meet or basketball or volleyball tournament. This new space will allow for several uses, and we know it will serve us well for many years to come.”

Comprehensive improvements within the Enterprise Parks and Recreation Department are taking place in other parts of the city as well. Through a collaboration with Enterprise State Community College, the city will add a $4.5 million multi-purpose sports complex. The 25-acre addition will connect to the existing 23-acre Peavy Park and will include multi-purpose fields, sand volleyball courts, walking and biking trails and support facilities. Peavy Park also is slated to receive a makeover with more multipurpose fields and other features.

The city hopes these improvements will 112 | BusinessAlabama.com March 2023

increase the ability to host sports tourism.

The city’s new disc golf course is drawing enthusiasts from throughout the Wiregrass and has already hosted several tournaments. Pickleball courts also are in progress, in partnership with the college.

The city and the college also will add a $10 million workforce development center to meet business and industry needs. The 20,000-square-foot facility will train students in fields such as automotive, advanced manufacturing, aerospace, composites, nursing and welding.

“This facility, on the ESCC campus, will create a robust pipeline of skilled workers in high demand positions,” Cooper says. “Everywhere you look you see ‘help wanted’ signs. Having the skills and trades that employers need is critical, and we are proud to offer that training in Enterprise.”

Enterprise continues to see steady growth. More than $42 million worth of residential dwellings were permitted last year. There also are many new commercial projects underway, including restaurants, car dealerships, banks, doctor’s offices, a

grocery store, a hotel and a storage facility.

Meanwhile, construction continues on the Command Sgt. Maj. Bennie G. Adkins State Veterans Home.

In a proactive measure, and due to commercial and residential growth in northeast Enterprise, the city replaced its 500,000-gallon water tank with a 1.5 million-gallon water tank.

To allow for more traffic at the Enterprise Municipal Airport, the city is working with the FAA toward expanding the existing runway. Traffic on major thoroughfares through Enterprise are also being addressed. ALDOT resurfaced the state highways that form Main Street and two other major arteries into the heart of the city and started a long-awaited fivelane project on Highway 167 North, a heavily traveled entryway into Enterprise from the northeast. The city has more than 200 miles of street repaving and has emphasized staffing its police force and fire department.

Downtown Enterprise continues to be a popular destination for residents and visitors alike, with a variety of restaurants, shopping and entertainment options. Main Street Enterprise has received 10 major Main Street Alabama Awards of Excellence in just three years.

The Enterprise Chamber of Commerce was awarded 4-star accreditation by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, and is one of only five in the state to be accredited.

Weevil Way, the public art program comprised of fiberglass Boll Weevil statues, continues to garner local, national and international attention, including a feature on CBS Sunday Morning.

City and county schools offer a variety of career technical programs.

DALE COUNTY

Dale County is home to Fort Rucker and the U.S. Army Aviation Center of Excellence. Fort Rucker is one of the largest military installations in the state and is a primary helicopter training facility.

Dale County schools were named again as the only county school system in Alabama to earn an “A” on the State Department of Education report card, while also offering a variety of career technical options and championship-level athletics.

In the city of Ozark, Mayor Mark

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

Blankenship points to the progress in the downtown area, recently breaking ground on a new Farmers Market.

A nearby shopping center is getting new life as well. Using USDA funding, the city has renovated it and a steakhouse restaurant, Jamison’s, will open soon. Next door, the city built six indoor pickleball courts and will add two more, Blankenship says.

The city also is refurbishing its outdoor tennis courts. The library moved into a renovated space, and another building of the shopping center is available for development.

The city also entered into an agreement with other cities in the county to provide EMS services, Blankenship says.

The city of Daleville, home to the Dale County Fair, which is now in its second year, has also welcomed new businesses.

Daleville also has hosted a variety of events from the Native American Powwow to the Southeast Alabama Highland Games and the Dale County Relay for Life.

The city also opened its countywide storm shelter a few times this past year for some hurricanes and as a warming station in December. When the shelter isn’t needed, it serves as a cultural and convention center that is available for rent. The center has hosted several events, including Paranormal Con and gaming convention Tezalcon.

School systems emphasize career programs as well as academics.

In the Dale County system, students can work in the student-operated bank, in new health science labs, or in programs in aviation maintenance, welding, EMT, criminal justice and mechatronics. The system also offers agri-science options.

Ozark City Schools offer students options from drafting to cosmetology, business to TV production. The Ozark schools also partner with local industry — from Alabama Power to Bean Brothers Coffee — and with the city police, to help students learn about many options.

“We are also excited to announce that Ozark City Schools will be opening a Career Exploration Center on the D.A. Smith Middle School campus,” says Casey Moore, career and technical education director. “The Career Exploration Center will expose students in middle school to opportunities for career awareness, explo-

Participants in the Southeast Alabama Highland Games in Daleville.

ration and early preparation. Students will receive hands-on experiences in STEM, computer science, construction, manufacturing, business and more.”

GENEVA COUNTY

Infrastructure is getting a lot of attention.

The county resurfaced 18 miles of county roads through the Rebuild Alabama program at a cost of $3.2 million and will resurface 7.5 more miles by fall 2023, says Toby Seay, probate judge and Geneva County Commission chairman.

Other road work is planned this year.

Gov. Kay Ivey has prioritized a four-lane expansion project for Alabama Highway 52 in Geneva County, running from the city of Malvern to the city of Hartford, which will add 12 miles of four-lane access in and out of the county, Seay says.

The county built a new jail in 2020, and using $2 million of ARPA funds, the county plans to do critical upgrades and repairs at the Geneva County Courthouse, a project that will begin in fall 2023. Other grants will help fund sidewalk and parking upgrades at the courthouse.

The county already completed a circuit courtroom renovation project, removing its former jail dome. The parking lot was expanded, he says.

In the city of Geneva, Mayor David Hayes points to upcoming new soccer fields, a project that was halted due to

COVID-19. The city also is developing a park downtown that will include a splash pad, amphitheater, all-accessible playground and walking trails.

The new park will also offer EV charging stations, hoping to encourage people passing through on the way to the beach, to stick around for a while.

“We think the stations will be a benefit for travelers, and that they may be able to eat here and take time to visit,” Hayes says.

The city also has another park that it is developing for campsites.

The city also has started planning for a new city hall. The current one was built in the 1960s and there is a need for more space and updates. A firm is working on the design, and bids will soon be taken, he says.

The main thoroughfare from Geneva to the Florida state line has been resurfaced, Hayes says.

Geneva County schools, Geneva city schools, industry partners, the Alabama Community College System and the Alabama National Guard converted a former armory in Geneva County that houses the guard and the school systems’ career technical programs. The Geneva Regional Technology Center, or G-Tech, offers career tech programs where students can earn college credit and industry certification in automotive, aviation, health science, IT and welding, among others.

March 2023 BusinessAlabama.com | 113

Health Care

Medical Center Enterprise.

Dale Medical Center.

MEDICAL CENTER ENTERPRISE

Medical Center Enterprise, in historic downtown Enterprise, is a 131-bed acute care hospital offering a full range of health services to Enterprise, Fort Rucker, Coffee County and surrounding areas.

Key services include obstetrics and gynecology, emergency medicine, orthopedics, diagnostic imaging with 3D digital mammography and lung cancer screening, general surgery, inpatient physical and occupational therapy, family and internal medicine, and a sleep study center. MCE houses a swing bed option for inpatient rehabilitation. Across the street, MCE Outpatient Therapy offers physical and speech rehab. In addition, Medical Center Enterprise operates MCE Medical Group Cardiology and MCE Medical Group Surgery, both located in the Medical Office building beside the hospital.

In addition to being accredited by The Joint Commission, MCE is accredited by the American College of Radiology in mammographic imaging services and it

Wiregrass Medical Center.

has board-certified radiologists reading all results. Enterprise Sleep Center is accredited by the American Academy of Sleep Medicine. MCE was awarded the Blue Distinction Center for Maternity Care and the Blue Distinction Centers for Knee and Hip Replacement from Blue Cross and Blue Shield. MCE is listed as an Acute Stroke Ready Hospital by The Joint Commission.

DALE MEDICAL CENTER

Dale Medical Center, in Ozark, is an 89bed acute care community hospital providing 24-hour emergency room service, plus general medical and surgical care for inpatient, outpatient and emergency room patients. It has an ICU, lab services, diagnostic imaging, home health, hospice, cardiopulmonary care, surgery center and more.

It also offers hospice and home health.

WIREGRASS MEDICAL CENTER

Wiregrass Medical Center, in Geneva, provides healthcare services to south-

eastern Alabama and northwest Florida residents and is licensed for 83 acute care beds. With about 400 employees, Wiregrass is among the largest employers in the county.

Wiregrass also has a 96-bed nursing home that offers long-term care and rehabilitation therapy. It offers several types of outpatient therapy and a 16-bed geri-psych senior care unit.

Other services offered include imaging, nuclear medicine, outpatient surgery, swing beds, outpatient infusion, diagnostic imaging, respiratory care, drug and alcohol inpatient detox services, lab and pathology services, emergency services, ICU, alcohol and drug treatment, specialty care for geriatric patients and pulmonary function testing.

Wiregrass partners with Lurleen B. Wallace and Wallace Community College to provide health care students with onsite clinical training. They also partner with Geneva Regional Career Tech Center to provide high school students with the opportunity for hands-on education.

March 2023 BusinessAlabama.com | 115

Higher Education

WCCD Library reopening.

Enterprise State.

ENTERPRISE STATE COMMUNITY COLLEGE/ALABAMA AVIATION CENTER

Enterprise State Community College and the Alabama Aviation College, a unit of ESCC, offer academic transfer and technical degree programs for students, as well as customized employee training 116 | BusinessAlabama.com March 2023

solutions.

Facilities and additional programs are on the agenda for ESCC to help meet an increased need for a trained workforce in areas from health care to automotive maintenance to industrial automation.

Several renovation and construction projects will be taking place to modernize and add facilities on both campuses. These projects include a performing arts center, designed to offer the growing fine arts community at the college and in the Wiregrass a facility to showcase their talents, and a new workforce technology center that will house welding, automotive technology, mechatronics/CNC machining, construction science, plumbing and electric, and HVAC. The James Douglas Brown Sr. Building also is being renovated on the AAC campus to provide classrooms, labs and a hangar for aviation training.

A new softball and baseball complex is expected to open this spring.

In addition to new facilities, ESCC saw the addition of the mechatronics program on the Enterprise campus for the Fall 2022 semester, a program already offered on the AAC campus.

Since Spring 2022, ESCC added the state’s first nursing bridge program and a traditional, three-semester practical nursing program. The bridge program allows paramedics and others to add nursing credentials.

Daniel Long, former vice president and dean of instruction, was named the sixth president of Enterprise State in 2022. Chellye Stump was named dean of administrative services and Dr. Anna Head was named dean of instruction.

For the Fall 2022 semester, ESCC saw an 11% increase in enrollment to more than 2,000 students. For the Spring 2023 semester, the college saw another 15% increase.

WALLACE COMMUNITY COLLEGE-DOTHAN

WCCD has campuses in Dothan and Eufaula. It serves approximately 4,000 students each year through career technical and academic programs, including health sciences, workforce development, dual enrollment for high school students, GED classes and adult education. There are 431 full-time and part-time faculty and staff.

Programs with the highest enrollment include general studies and nursing.

WCCD recently was recognized, for the second year in a row, for being a top 10 feeder school to the Samuel Ginn College of Engineering at Auburn University. It also won reaccreditation from the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges.

The college also holds many workforce development events for K-12 students. A recent one is the health sciences simulation clinic for 1,300 Wiregrass second graders. And the college also has partnerships with several other colleges for easier transfer for a four-year degree.

In addition, the college recently celebrated the grand opening of the renovated Phillip J. Hamm Library on the Dothan campus.

Culture & Recreation Eagle Stadium, home to the Ozark Eagles.

fiberglass boll weevil statues on Weevil Way. Geneva Wings was painted by Shane and Kristin Joelle Mixon-Davis on the side of the Merle Norman Cosmetics Studio building.

GET WET!

Bama Slam, in New Brockton, includes a water park with a slide and pools, plus camping, golf, ATV trails and more.

Ozark Community Swimming Pool is ready for competition with shallow areas for non-swimmers.

HISTORIC HIGHLIGHTS

Pea River Historical and Genealogical Society, in Enterprise, keeps the history of early settlers. The Old Coffee County Jail, in Elba, was built nearly a century ago and has seen its share of tragedy, including the murder of a sheriff. The Coffee County Civil War Battlefield Marker, in Enterprise, marks the site of the only Civil War battle in Coffee County. Elba United Methodist Church is the first of any denomination in Elba and is still active today.

Ed Lisenby Public Lake.

TRIBUTES TO INDIVIDUALS

ONLY IN THE WIREGRASS

Standing in the center of downtown Enterprise, the Boll Weevil Monument, dedicated in 1919, stands as a testament to man’s ability to overcome adversity.

The Junction in Geneva, reflects on the days when steamboats and barges on the Choctawhatchee were the main method of transportation south to the Gulf of Mexico. Or visit the Working Cows Dairy, in Slocomb, to see the milking process or Sessions Peanuts, in Coffee County, to get shelled peanuts, crude peanut oil, peanut meal, peanut seed and peanut hulls.

GO FISH

Ed Lisenby Public Lake, in Ozark, offers 92 acres of fishing. Coffee County Lake covers 80 acres and offers three fishing piers. Lake Tholocco, on Fort Rucker, is a prime outdoor recreation spot. Geneva County Public Fishing Lake is another great spot where two lakes combine to offer 65 acres of water fun.

RIDE ’EM COWBOY

The annual South Alabama Pro Rodeo Classic, in August in Ozark, features bull riding, team roping, cowgirl barrel racing, calf roping, bareback riding, steer wrestling, saddle bronc and more.

PONDER PLANES

The U.S. Army Aviation Museum at Fort Rucker maintains a collection of more than 150 military aircraft, including one of the largest collections of military helicopters in the world.

MUSE ON THE MURALS

A Salute to Rucker, in downtown Enterprise, tells the story of Fort Rucker’s past, present and future from its beginnings in 1942 as Camp Rucker to today as the Home of Army Aviation.

Nearby, the Boll Weevil Mural, by artist Wes Hardin, pays tribute to the boll weevil, which gave rise to the peanut industry that still flourishes in the Wiregrass. On your art stroll, visit the

Located in downtown Elba, the birthplace of Gov. James E. “Big Jim” Folsom is designated as a state historic landmark.

The Aviator Monument, in Enterprise, honors aviators past, present and future.

The Veterans Memorial, at the Geneva County Courthouse, honors the armed services with special events on Memorial Day and Veterans Day. EAT FRESH

Enterprise Farmers Market offers food from local farmers, along with arts and crafts and an event venue. Ozark Farmers’ Market offers fresh local produce and fresh flowers from mid-May through July.

SIGNIFICANT STRUCTURES

Coffee County Courthouse started life near the river but was moved to the heart of downtown later. The Stinson House in Elba, the home of the African American couple Pauline and Martin Stinson, was built in 1903 for $1,000. The Rawls Building, in Enterprise, was founded in 1903 as a hotel that surpassed any of its kind. It is now home to business March 2023 BusinessAlabama.com | 117

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

offices, a fine dining restaurant, bar and an event venue. Claybank Church was built in 1852 of logs with fat lightwood stumps serving as a foundation. Eagle Stadium / B.F. Williams Field was built in 1946 as home to the Ozark Eagles, a class D minor league team in the Alabama-Florida League. This baseball stadium is the only one in the region still in use that was built during the grand era. Geneva Panthers Football Stadium was home to the Geneva Red Birds, a St. Louis Cardinal affiliate, from 19461951. Ozark’s Carillon and Bell Tower was built in 1975 to honor all military and civilian personnel who served at Fort Rucker since 1942. The Kenan Home, in Geneva, is an example of Victorian cottage architecture built approximately in 1887 by W.K. and Emma Knox Kenan. The Emma Knox Kenan Public Library was named in her honor. The Samson Log House Museum is a pioneer home in “dog trot” design. Piney Grove Farmhouse is a 119-year-old restored farmhouse and event venue in Samson with original barns, grain bins and large pecan trees. Fink’s Mill, built in 1932, is a Depression-era grain mill just west of Samson and still operational. Dalton Pharmacy, in Slocomb, was founded in 1903 and later was among the first to have gasoline pumps.

FORE!

The Bridges at Tartan Pines Golf Club winds its way through picturesque homes and across bridges through the protected wetlands of the Tartan Pines community in Enterprise. Enterprise Golf and Country Club offers 18 holes on varying terrain, plus a pool and dining. River Oaks Golf Course offers nine holes, a lighted driving range and a banquet facility.

ABOUT THE ARTS

Dowling Museum/Ann Rudd Art Center, in Ozark, offers a rotating display of art exhibits. Coffee County Arts Alliance has been bringing big-name performances to the Wiregrass for nearly 50 years. The Atlanta Pops Orchestra, the Blues Brothers Revue, the Lettermen, Jay & the Americans, and Ricky Skaggs and Kentucky Thunder have all played

the venue. Southern Broadway Dinner Theater, in downtown Enterprise, delivers original historical plays in a dinnertheater format.

GO TO THE PARK

Veterans Memorial Park, in Elba, was built to show appreciation to all veterans for their efforts to preserve peace and freedom. Donaldson Park, in Enterprise, features ballfields, tennis, a pond, playground and walking trail. Robert Fowler Memorial Park, in Geneva Park, is home of the oldest Live Oak in Alabama and is located at the junction of Chocawahatchee and Pea rivers. The park features boating, camping, playground and more. Johnny Henderson Park and Enterprise Recreational Complex consists of a lake, fishing pond, walking/ jogging trails, playgrounds, splash pad, bark park, sports fields and a tribute to our military and allies with the Wall of Freedom, Huey Helicopter and GermanAmerican friendship marker. Tiger Town Park, in Elba, provides a playground, art project and outdoor amphitheater. Sam Dale Park, in Elba, is part of the lake complex, with picnic areas and more. Steagall Park, in Ozark, has picnic pavilions, playground and a splashpad, along with athletic fields, tennis courts and basketball court. And Ozark’s Police Memorial Park features ball courts and fields, picnic areas and more.

VENUES FOR FUN

Enterprise Civic Center houses a ballroom, dance floor, performance stage and more. Ozark Civic Center supports concerts, expos, pageants, fairs, circuses, wrestling, boxing events and much more.

The Flowers Center for the Performing Arts hosts high school plays, concerts, pageants and meetings. Enterprise High School Performing Arts Center, on the high school campus, hosts numerous local and national events, plays, ballets and musical performances throughout the year. Vintage Room event venue, in Geneva, opened in 2017 in a historical building and can host up to 250 people.

J&J’s Place – The Springs is available for events in Coffee Springs. Holman House is a neoclassical structure available for weddings and more.

festivities and events: MARDI GRAS BALL | Geneva | February Mardi Gras Ball is

sponsored by the Geneva County Historical Society each year.

ST. PATRICK’S DAY PARADE AND 0.5K RACE | Enterprise | March The world’s

smallest St. Patrick’s Day parade followed by the world’s smallest road race.

PINEY WOODS ARTS FESTIVAL | Enterprise | April One of the oldest

juried arts and crafts shows in the area.

CRAWDAD FESTIVAL | Ozark | April

Cajun food, a taste of the Caribbean, plus arts, crafts, music and children’s activities.

FESTIVAL ON THE RIVERS | Geneva | April Live music, car show, parade —

even a 5k run and a baking contest.

FESTIVAL IN THE PARK | Enterprise | May Food and fun at the Johnny

Henderson Family Park, followed by fireworks at the lake.

TOMATO FESTIVAL | Slocomb | June

Tomato Trot, music, pageant and more.

BOLL WEEVIL FALL FESTIVAL | Enterprise | October This annual

festival spotlights a variety of artists and talent.

CLAYBANK JAMBOREE ARTS AND CRAFTS FESTIVAL | Ozark | October

A quilt show, ats, crafts, fine arts and fun.

CHRISTMAS AT THE JUNCTION | Geneva | November Robert Fowler

Park is transformed with lights for Christmas.

CHRISTMAS PARADE | Enterprise | November or December The largest

Christmas parade in the Southeast.

WHOVILLE | Enterprise | December

All of downtown is transformed into “Whoville for the Holidays.”

March 2023 BusinessAlabama.com | 119

Company Kudos

by ERICA JOINER WEST

APRIL STEM in the Classroom Alabama’s Largest Accounting Firms Women Soar in the Tech Sector Highlands College, in Birmingham, has been selected for Endeavor Business Media’s American School & University 2022 Architectural Portfolio. The annual competition honors education design excellence in effective learning environments. Highlands College purchased a three-story building on 62 acres, then renovated the building extensively to create a collaborative place for students and faculty. TurnerBatson Architects, headquartered in Birmingham, served as the architect on the project.

Aerobotix, of Huntsville, has been presented a 2022 Supplier Recognition Award for Ease of Doing Business from Lockheed Martin.

Infirmary Health, with hospitals in Mobile and Baldwin counties, has been recognized in multiple categories of the 2023 Women’s Choice Award.

The Alabama Department of Transportation has been recognized

by Keep America Beautiful with a State Agency Partnership Award for its Keep Alabama Beautiful program. It was one of eight states recognized.

Intelligent.com has recognized Northeast Alabama Community College for having the best cultural experiences of the 27 community colleges in Alabama.

American Family Care, headquartered in Birmingham, has moved up 60 spots on the 2023 Entrepreneur Franchise 500 list from the previous list. It came in at no. 81.

The Frazer Lanier Co. Inc., based in Montgomery, has ranked first in Thomson Reuters’ ranking of Alabama bond deals, with 42 transactions totaling $1.172 billion.

Hyundai has landed five vehicles on the 2023 Best Value New Cars report from Cars.com, including the Elantra SE, Santa Cruz SE and Tucson PHEV SEL models, which are made in Montgomery.

Hyundai also has ranked first in customer loyalty for a 14th consecutive year, as ranked by Brand Keys Customer Loyalty Engagement Index.

Premier Tech, with a manufacturing equipment facility in Montgomery, is celebrating its 100th anniversary this year.

The global company was founded in 1923 and has operations in 28 countries.

Talladega Superspeedway was presented the Excellence in Track Services Award, the Nursing Director of the Year Award and the Teamwork Award for 2022 by NASCAR Safety and Operations.

The University of Alabama at Birmingham’s in-person master’s degree in cybersecurity was ranked no. 1 in the country by Fortune.

Vista Engineering & Consulting LLC, of Homewood, is celebrating its 25th anniversary. The firm provides materials consulting, research and design services.

Geographic Spotlight: Etowah, St. Clair & Blount Counties

MAY Community Banks Build Community Faces of Finance Power in Diversity Small Business Success Stories Geographic Spotlight: Madison County Check BusinessAlabama.com for daily business headlines and additional content

Follow us: Business Alabama @BusinessAlabama

March 2023 BusinessAlabama.com | 121

RETROSPECT

A photo from the late 19th century shows Fort Payne's "Big Mill" under construction across the railroad tracks. Photo courtesy of the Alabama Department of Archives & History.

Knitted together

The W. B. Davis & Son Hosiery Mill & the Resurrection of Fort Payne

S

ocks make for an odd kind of savior. But in Fort Payne, the manufacture of cotton-knit socks brought the town back from near total economic ruin. Detroit made cars. Huntsville built rockets. Fort Payne knitted socks, and lots of them, beginning in 1907.

In 1885, surveyors discovered untapped deposits of coal and iron ore near Fort Payne. Almost overnight, the news changed the fortunes of the small Alabama community. Wealthy New Englanders descended, enticed by the potential. They built the trappings of luxury, including opulent homes, an opera house and a 125-room hotel.

Newspapers throughout the country pronounced the “boom times” of the northeastern Alabama hamlet nestled between the mountains.

Boosters hoping for a “Pittsburgh of the South” were met with bitter disappointment. Early indications as to the breadth of Fort Payne’s mineral resources proved inaccurate. After four years of meteoric economic growth, the boom bubble burst. The new residents left as quickly as they had come, leaving empty homes and shuttered storefronts. Once-crowded streets fell silent.

122 | BusinessAlabama.com March 2023

By SCOTTY E. KIRKLAND

W.B. Davis

Between 1890 and 1900, the town’s population fell by 51%.

It took more than a decade for the beleaguered town’s prospects to improve.

In the early twentieth century a group of Southern textile mill investors founded there the Florence Knitting Co. They purchased an abandoned factory site along 8th Street as their headquarters.

Locals called the building the “Big Mill” and it loomed large, indeed, in Fort Payne’s history. On Oct. 16, 1907, the town’s newspaper heralded the early-morning beginnings of the new industry, which commenced with “the sonorous blast of a deep-toned whistle.”

The roughly 75 initial employees of the mill were all women, with a smattering of men serving in supervisory roles.

Within a few years, Fort Payne was growing once more, owing in no small part to the mill. The streets teemed with commerce and there were 300 new residents. Twice that number arrived in the coming decade. “Everybody is buoyant and hopeful for the growth of the town,” wrote one observer.

Walter Bishop Davis, a partner in the Florence Knitting Co., took over the enterprise in 1915. Born in Virginia in 1860, Davis had successful textile concerns in several towns, including Chattanooga. He moved to Fort Payne and renamed the company the W. B. Davis & Son Hosiery Mill. Davis expanded the scope of production to include the dyeing and finishing of socks, as well as packaging them for purchase. At the time, the mill employed 300 workers and could produce 500 dozen pairs of socks each day.

By 1922 the number of employees exceeded 500. Like many Southern manufacturers, Davis endeavored to maintain a well-contented workforce, which led to fewer stoppages and kept labor union organizers at bay. The sock-makers enjoyed a company baseball team and an employ-

R E T RO S PE C T

ee clubhouse, complete with a swimming pool, and broadcast Previous page: A portrait of W.B. Davis. This page: Workers at the W.B. Davis & Son Hosiery Mill circa 1920; Mill employee Ada nightly radio concerts, a rare treat in 1920s rural Alabama.

Chitwood Jones made this colorful quilt from remaindered sock There was no larger knit goods manufacturer in all of tops in 1934. Photos courtesy of Landmarks of DeKalb County.

Alabama in the 1920s. The company operated eight hulking industrial sewing machines and hundreds of knitting and there were more than a dozen textile mills in DeKalb County. ribbing machines. With a payroll exceeding $30,000, the mill That number continued to grow. Davis & Son was sold to a was DeKalb County’s largest taxpaying entity, a fact which did holding company, caught up in mergers and acquisitions aplennot stymie W. B. Davis’ philanthropic spirit. He put forth the ty. Still, the mill remained for many years the world’s leading funding to pave many of Fort Payne’s streets and purchased the producer of its patented cushion-sole socks. town’s first fire engine.

The hosiery empire begun by Davis & Son outlasted the In the mid-1920s, the sockcompany by two decades. At its height maker’s son took the helm. R. E. in the 1990s, there were about 150 Davis knew the textile industry hosiery mills around Fort Payne, with well. He undertook a series of an annual payroll of $150 million and patent applications, which fostered nearly 8,000 employees who produced a new era of expansion. In 1937, 600 million dozen pairs of socks a he received a patent for a “tubular year — one out of every eight pairs of stocking,” a sock with an elastic rib socks in the world. Locals rightly toutabove the ankle. Two years later, ed their “official sock capital” status.

Davis patented a “seamless, fitted How far the town had come over sweat sock,” or cushion-sole sock, the course of the twentieth century, with a thickly knitted instep. The and largely thanks to socks. But all heavily absorbent fabric kept feet dry empires eventually fall. and prevented blisters. It was a timely Foreign competition and internainvention as the nation prepared to tional free-trade agreements resulted enter World War II. The U.S. Army in the closure of most of the mills by prized Davis’ new socks above all the second decade of the 21st century. others and made them standard issue Socks are still made in Fort Payne for servicemen.

— good ones, too — but in far By 1944, some 50 million pairs smaller quantities. The “Big Mill” still were made, most of them in Fort stands and today houses an antique Payne. In October 1944, Davis & store and restaurant. Mill artifacts, A New York newspaper ad showed off some Son received the prestigious Arincluding the steam whistle that Alabama-made socks. my-Navy “E” Award for excellence heralded the arrival of the hosiery in its contributions to the war effort. For the millworkers, the industry to the town in 1907, reside in the nearby Hosiery Muconflict was not merely a faraway notion. Just two weeks before seum. Opened in 2000, the museum honors the industry that the ceremony, Sgt. Curtis Newsome, a former employee, was transformed a busted boom town into a global manufacturing killed while fighting in the North African campaign. leader, one pair of socks at a time.

There were many postwar adjustments for the mill and the kingdom of socks it established. The number of workers began Historian Scotty E. Kirkland is a freelance contributor to Business to dwindle as competition steadily increased. By the late 1950s, Alabama. He lives in Wetumpka.

March 2023 BusinessAlabama.com | 123

Career Notes

by ERICA JOINER WEST

ABBY ROVEDA

BRADY MCALEER

LINDSEY FARNELL

SAVANNA WOOD

DAN JOHNSON

JENNIFER STRIPLING

MARGARET COOK

SUZY BAKER

AUSTIN RENFROE

CHRIS STATT

BAKARI BROCK

TINA DAI

JESSICA SOUTHWOOD

ASHLEY WILLIAMS HOGUE

ACCOUNTING

Crow Shields Bailey has promoted Abby Roveda to audit manager, Sarah Stacey to tax supervisor and Brady McAleer, Lindsey Farnell and Savanna Wood to senior accountant. In addition, the firm has hired Skyler Helman and Charlene Hoon.

JamisonMoneyFarmer PC has added Dan Johnson and Jennifer Stripling as new shareholders.

Kassouf has promoted Margaret Cook and Joni Wyatt to director and Sally Bradley, James Dicks, Rachelle North and Shannon Pike to principal. In addition, the firm has promoted Julie

VICTOR WHATLEY

Myers to manager; Peri Cabral and Stewart Garner to senior healthcare advisor; Levi Blalock, Meghan Custer and Bridget Adams O’Neal to supervising senior accountant; and Lacey Harris Klumpp and Hayden Williams to senior accountant.

Warren Averett has promoted Jeri Groce and Sarah Clement Magette to member.

INSURANCE

The ATA Comp Fund and Alliance Interstate Risk Service have promoted Victor Whatley to regional risk manager and Suzy Baker to director of claims.

Renfroe has promoted Austin Renfroe to chief executive officer and named Chris Statt chief financial officer. In addition, the company has added Bakari Brock and Tina Dai to the company’s board of directors.

LEGAL

Armbrecht Jackson LLP has hired David Kirkwood Palmer Jr. as an associate attorney.

Danielle Mashburn-Myrick, counsel with Phelps Dunbar in Mobile, has been certified in business bankruptcy law by the American Board of Certification.

MEDICAL

Jessica Southwood, M.D., has joined Premier Medical Ear, Nose and Throat Group in Mobile.

Ashley Williams Hogue, M.D., with USA Health University Hospital in Mobile, has been selected as a Future Trauma Leader through the American College of Surgeons Committee on Trauma.

124 | BusinessAlabama.com March 2023

Index ADS-TEC Energy................................................12 AE&H Steel Corp.............................................105 Aerobotix Inc..................................................121 Agape of North Alabama...................................30 Agarwal, Anupam...........................................................8 AIDT..................................................... 32, 38, 42 Air Performance LLC................................ 105, 107 Airbus Americas...........................................8, 56 Alabama Academy of Honor..............................78 Alabama AGC Construction Hall of Fame............78 Alabama Automotive Manufacturers Association........................... 12, 22, 32, 38, 42 Alabama Aviation College............... 103, 105, 116 Alabama Broadcasters Association Hall of Fame................................................85 Alabama Business Hall of Fame.................. 71, 78 Alabama Children's Rehabilitation Services.......65 Alabama Clean Fuels Coalition..........................12 Alabama Communities of Excellence....... 105, 109 Alabama Community College System.......................32, 42, 103, 111 Alabama Contemporary Dance..........................81 Alabama Credit Union......................................89 Alabama Department of Commerce.........................9, 10, 12, 32, 28, 42 Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources...............................111 Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs.................... 7, 12, 111 Alabama Department of Education..................111 Alabama Department of Labor..........................32 Alabama Department of Transportation... 111, 121 Alabama Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Program................................12 Alabama Engineering Hall of Fame...................78 Alabama Graphite Products LLC.........................12 Alabama Head Injury Foundation......................65 Alabama Hospital Association.....................7, 109 Alabama Industrial Development Training.......................................... 32, 38, 42 Alabama Innovation Corp.................................73 Alabama Launchpad.........................................67 Alabama National Guard................. 103, 109, 111 Alabama Policy Institute.....................................8 Alabama Port Authority................................8, 73 Alabama Power Co.........................7, 63, 105, 111 Alabama Public Service Commission...................7 Alabama Public Television................................81 Alabama State Senate.......................................42 Alabama Tourism Department............................7 Alabama Workforce Council..............................32 Alabama-Florida League.................................117 Alabama, Band...................................................7 Alabama, State of.............................................42 Albert J. Lauer Inc.............................................73 Albrecht, Andrew..........................................................73 ALFAB Inc.......................................................109 Alliance Interstate Risk Fund..........................124 Altaworx LLC....................................................59 Alves, Chris...................................................................67 Amazon Inc.............................................. 56, 105 American Academy of Sleep Medicine.............115 American Cancer Society...................................89 American College of Radiology.......................115 American College of Surgeons........................124 American Family Care.....................................121 American Heart Association..............................89 American Legion............................................109 American Marketing Association.......................85 Amvik Solutions.................................................8 Angelou, Maya.............................................................85 Angerholzer, Max.........................................................71 Appalachian Regional Commission.................109 Apple Inc..........................................................71 Ardmore Welcome Center...................................9 Arista Aviation....................................... 105, 107 Ariton High School.........................................109 Armbrecht Jackson LLP...................................124 Association of Alabama Life Insurance Companies................................................109 AT&T Corp.........................................................59 ATA Comp Fund..............................................124 Athens State University................................9, 65 Athens State University Foundation..................30 Atlanta City Council..........................................85 AUBix..............................................................73 Auburn Technology Park West...........................12 Auburn University..............32, 63, 71, 73, 78, 116 AUSA Fort Rucker-Wiregrass Chapter...............109 Austal USA.......................................................56 Avant, Trae................................................................. 109 Bailey-Harris Construction................................73 Bain, Kristi....................................................................42 Baker, Ben................................................................. 109 Baker, Suzy................................................................ 124 BamaSlam, New Brockton...............................117 Bane, Sally................................................................. 111 Bank Independent...........................................65 Barbara Bush Foundation for Family Literacy.....71

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

Barnes, Terry.............................................................. 109 Battle, Tommy...............................................................73 Bean Brothers Coffee......................................111 Belafonte, Harry...........................................................85 Ben E. Keith Foods.......................... 103, 105, 107 Beyond Gravity USA Inc.....................................56 Big Oak Ranch..................................................65 Birmingham Business Alliance.........................63 Birmingham Public School System....................83 Birmingham-Jefferson Convention Center........12 Birmingham, City of...................................10, 65 BlackAmericaWeb.com.....................................71 Blalock, Levi............................................................... 124 Blankenship, Mark............................................ 109, 111 Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Alabama..... 63, 115 BMW Group......................................................22 Boeing Co............................................ 56, 67, 73 Boll Weevil Fall Festival, Enterprise.................117 Boll Weevil Monument, Enterprise..................117 Boys & Girls Club of Southeast Alabama..........109 Bradley, Sally............................................................. 124 Branch, Beth...................................................................8 Brasfield & Gorrie.......................................73, 78 Brasfield, Thomas.........................................................78 Brazeal, Mark....................................................30, 32, 73 Brewbaker Motors..............................................9 Bridges at Tartan Pines Golf Club.....................117 Bridges, Mike...............................................................89 Briggs & Stratton................................................8 Brittanie's Thyme...........................................105 Brock, Bakari.............................................................. 124 Bronner, David..............................................................77 Brookley Field....................................................8 Bruno, Tory....................................................................56 Bryan, Stephanie....................................................11, 63 Bulgarella, Dawn............................................................8 Bull, Nicky.................................................................. 109 Burzer, Jörg............................................................20, 56 Business Council of Alabama...................... 59, 63 C&D Investment Properties.............................109 Cabral, Peri................................................................ 124 Caddell Construction Co. LLC...........................127 Caddell, John............................................................ 127 Caddell, Joyce............................................................ 127 Calhoun Community College............................42 Camp Shelby..................................................105 CAN Construction.............................................67 Canfield, Greg...................................................10, 12, 38 Cap and Gown Project.......................................30 Capell & Howard................................................8 Capstone Building Corp....................................59 Car and Driver Magazine...................................17 Carillon and Bell Tower, Ozark.........................117 Carpenter, Josh.............................................................63 Carraway Hospital............................................10 Carroll High School.........................................109 Cars.com........................................................121 Castile, Ed.....................................................................42 CBS Sunday Morning......................................111 CDG Engineers...............................................109 Center for Business and Economic Research.........7 Center Plaza Shopping Centers Inc..................109 Central Alabama Works....................................32 Chamber of Commerce Association of Alabama................................................109 Chicago Bulls...................................................63 Chief Executive Magazine.................................71 Children's of Alabama......................................65 Christmas at the Junction, Geneva..................117 Christmas for Kids............................................65 Christmas Parade, Enterprise..........................117 Claybank Church............................................117 Claybank Jamboree Arts and Crafts Festival, Ozark...........................................117 Coffee County................................................103 Coffee County Arts Alliance.............................117 Coffee County Courthouse..............................117 Coffee County Farm-City Committee................109 Coffee County Lake.........................................117 Coffee County Schools....................................109 Coffee County Youth Leadership Council..........109 Coleman, Michael........................................................22 Coleman, Weston.........................................................22 College of Coastal Georgia, Brunswick...............89 Columbia Southern University........................109 Command Sgt. Maj. Bennie G. Adkins State Veterans Home.................. 103, 105, 111 CommentSold Inc.............................................59 Commercial Jet...................................... 105, 107 Community Newspaper Holdings Inc................77 Compaq Computer Corp....................................71 Congregation Ahavas Chesed............................81 Cook, Jeff........................................................................7 Cook, Lisa........................................................................7 Cook, Margaret.......................................................... 124 Cook, Tim......................................................................71 Cooper, Jaime...............................................................99 Cooper, William......................................................... 111

Crawdad Festival, Ozark..................................117 Creek Indian Enterprises Development Authority...............................63 Crosswhite, Mark..........................................................63 Crow Shields Bailey........................................124 Culverhouse College of Business......................71 Custer, Meghan......................................................... 124 Dai, Tina..................................................................... 124 Dale County...................................................103 Dale County Ag-Plex.......................................109 Dale County Bar Association............................109 Dale County Children's Policy Council.............109 Dale County Court Services.............................109 Dale County Fair.............................................111 Dale County Performing Arts Council...............109 Dale County Relay for Life...............................111 Dale County Republican Party.........................109 Dale County Schools....................... 105, 109, 111 Dale County United Way.................................109 Dale Medical Center....................... 105, 109, 115 Daleville, City of ............................................111 Dalton Pharmacy, Slocomb.............................117 Dauphin Island Sea Lab....................................10 Dave Matthews Band........................................73 Davis, R.E................................................................... 122 Davis, Ron...................................................12, 22, 32, 38 Davis, Samantha.....................................................26, 32 Davis, Walter Bishop.................................................. 122 Derr, Forrest..................................................................59 Diageo North America.........................................7 Dicks, James.............................................................. 124 Dicus, Danny.............................................................. 109 Dirty Jobs TV Show...........................................59 Discovery Channel............................................59 Donaldson Park, Enterprise.............................117 Dorris, Jay.....................................................................11 Dorsey Trailers....................................... 105, 107 Dotdash Meredith..............................................9 Douglas Manufacturing....................................59 Dowling Museum/Ann Rudd Art Center, Ozark.............................................117 Drake State Technical College............................30 Drax Group......................................................73 Driscoll, John..................................................................8 Drive Electric Alabama......................................12 Duke University...............................................71 Dynetics Inc......................................................73 E.A. Renfroe & Co............................................124 E&H Steel Corp...............................................107 Eagle Stadium/B.F. Williams Field...................117 East Alabama Works.........................................32 Economic Development Partnership of Alabama..................................................63 Ecore International.........................................105 Ed Lisenby Public Lake....................................117 Eglin Air Force Base........................................105 Elba Chamber of Commerce............................109 Elba Health Care..................................... 105, 111 Elba Rotary Club.............................................109 Elba United Methodist Church.........................117 Elba, City of............................................ 109, 111 Emma Knox Kenan Public Library....................117 Endeavor Business Media...............................121 EnerBank...........................................................9 Enterprise Chamber of Commerce........... 109, 111 Enterprise Civic Center...................................117 Enterprise Farmers Market..............................117 Enterprise Golf and Country Club....................117 Enterprise High School...................................109 Enterprise Industrial Development Board.......109 Enterprise Municipal Airport................... 105, 111 Enterprise Rotary Club....................................109 Enterprise State Community College...............................103, 109, 111, 116 Enterprise State Junior College.......................109 Enterprise, City of............................. 10, 103, 111 Entrepreneur Magazine....................................63 Facebook Inc....................................................89 Farnell, Lindsey......................................................... 124 Faulkner University............................................8 Faury, Guillaume..........................................................56 Federal Aviation Administration............... 73, 111 Federal Reserve..................................................9 Federation for Advanced Manufacturing............32 FedEx Corp.........................................................7 Festival in the Park, Enterprise........................117 Festival on the Rivers, Geneva.........................117 Fink's Mill......................................................117 First National Bank, Birmingham......................78 First Ozark Methodist Church..........................105 Five Star Credit Union.......................................89 Florence Knitting Co.......................................122 Florida State University..................................109 Flowers Center for the Performing Arts............117 Folsom, Gov. James E. "Big Jim"............................... 117 Forbes Magazine..............................................63 Fort Novosel...................................................105 Fort Payne Chamber of Commerce.......................7 Fort Rucker...................... 103, 105, 109, 111, 117

Fortis Industries...............................................63 Fortune Magazine..........................................121 Fox Theatre, Atlanta........................................111 Frazer Lanier Co..............................................121 Free, Jim.......................................................................73 Freedom Real Estate & Capital...........................63 Friends of Fort Rucker.....................................109 Fulgham, Nicole...........................................................89 Gardner, Ryan...............................................................73 Garner, Stewart.......................................................... 124 Gener8tor Management LLC.............................67 General Dynamics Information Technologies..................................... 105, 107 Geneva City Schools.......................................111 Geneva County...............................................103 Geneva County Historical Society....................117 Geneva County Public Fishing Lake.................117 Geneva County Schools...................................111 Geneva Panthers Football Stadium..................117 Geneva Red Birds...........................................117 Geneva Regional Career Tech Center................115 Geneva Rotary Club........................................109 Geneva, City of .............................. 103, 109, 111 Gentry, Teddy..................................................................7 George & Barbara Bush Foundation...................71 George H.W. Bush Presidential Library & Museum.......................................71 George Washington University.........................71 Göbel, Michael.......................................................20, 56 Gordy, Scott...................................................................38 Gorrie, Frances..............................................................78 Gorrie, Jim....................................................................78 Gorrie, M. Miller...........................................................78 Grantham, Erin.......................................................... 109 Gray Television.................................................77 Great Southern Paper.......................................89 Great Southern Wood Preserving......................73 Grissom High School.........................................10 Groce, Jeri.................................................................. 124 Gulf Coast Exploreum Science Center.................81 Habitat for Humanity......................................109 Haley, Alex....................................................................85 Hammered Cow...............................................67 Harbert Management Corp...............................65 Hardin, Wes............................................................... 117 Harris, Larry..................................................................42 Hartford, City of.............................................111 Hayes, David...................................................... 109, 111 Hays Farm Sports Park......................................10 Head, Anna................................................................ 116 Hecate Energy................................................105 Helman, Skyler.......................................................... 124 Helping Hands.................................................65 Henry, D. Mitchell...........................................................8 Hero Foundation..............................................65 Hester, Joey............................................................... 109 Hewson, Marillyn.........................................................71 Highlands College..........................................121 Hogue, Ashley Williams............................................ 124 Holman House...............................................117 Honda Development & Manufacturing of Alabama..................................................26 Honda Manufacturing of Alabama............................. 7, 12, 22, 26, 32 Hoon, Charlene......................................................... 124 Hosiery Museum, Fort Payne..........................122 HS Automotive....................................... 105, 107 HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology..........73 Huntingdon College.......................................109 Huntsville Hospital Foundation........................30 Huntsville International Airport.................. 22, 73 Huntsville Venue Group...................................73 Huntsville, City of............................................10 Hwaseung Automotive Alabama............. 105, 107 Hyundai Initiative for Robotics Excellence.........32 Hyundai Mobis....................................... 7, 12, 17 Hyundai Motor Manufacturing Alabama.............7, 12, 17, 22, 32, 38, 105, 121 IBM Corp..........................................................71 Inc. Magazine...................................................63 Infirmary Health............................................121 Innovate Alabama............................................73 Insider: A Collective Eatery, The.........................67 Intelligent Electronics Inc.................................71 Intelligent.com..............................................121 International Economic Development Council...77 INZI Controls of Alabama................................105 Iron Tribe Fitness................................................8 ISA Corp.........................................................105 Ivey, Gov. Kay........................................... 10, 12, 73, 111 J&J's Place - The Springs, Coffee Springs..........117 Jacksonville State University..............................9 James Webb Space Telescope............................63 Jamison's Restaurant............................. 105, 111 JamisonMoneyFarmer PC...............................124 Jimmy Wales Foundation.................................71 John Hand Building, Birmingham....................78 Johnny Henderson Park and Enterprise Recreational Complex................................117

March 2023 BusinessAlabama.com | 125

INDEX

Johnson, Dan............................................................ 124 Joint Commission, The...................................115 Jones, Quincy...............................................................85 JOY FM.............................................................89 Joyner, Tom..................................................................71 Junction, The, Geneva.....................................117 June Jam, Fort Payne.........................................7 Junior Achievement.........................................89 K&S Professional Stump Removal.....................99 Kassouf & Co. PC.............................................124 Katie Kirby Interiors.........................................67 Kaufman, Hall & Associates Inc............................7 Kenan Home, Geneva.....................................117 Kenan, Emma............................................................ 117 Kenan, W.K................................................................ 117 Khan, Chaka.................................................................85 Kia Motor Manufacturing Georgia..12, 17, 38, 105 Kicks for Kids...................................................65 KIH LLC..........................................................105 Klumpp, Lacey Harris................................................. 124 Knapp, Jason................................................................99 Knapp, Mike.................................................................99 Koch Disruptive Technologies...........................67 Koch Industries Inc...........................................67 KTECH, Madison...............................................30 Lake Tholocco.................................................117 LaPine, Patrick..............................................................89 Leadership Alabama.......................................109 Leadership Birmingham...................................63 League of Southeastern Credit Unions and Affiliates...............................................89 Legacy Museum, Montgomery............................7 LeMond, Matt...............................................................67 LG Energy Solution...........................................26 Li-Cycle Corp.....................................................12 Limestone County Career Technical Center.........30 Lincoln Fabrics....................................... 105, 107 Listerhill Credit Union................................65, 89 Lockheed Martin Corp......................8, 56, 71, 121 Long, Daniel...................................................... 109, 116 Louisiana State University..............................109 Lovett, Ben....................................................................73 Lurleen B. Wallace Community College...........115 M1 Suport Services................................. 105, 107 Maddox, Tom............................................................. 109 Madison City Schools........................................30 Madison County Career Tech Center...................30 Magette, Sarah Clement............................................ 124 Magic City Casino, Miami, Florida......................11 MAHA Inc.......................................................107 Main Street Alabama......................................111 Malvern, City of..............................................111 Manna Beverages & Ventures.............................7 Marshall County Christmas Coalition................65 Marshall Space Flight Center.............................73 Mary Hill Family Service Center.......................109 Mashburn-Myrick, Danielle....................................... 124 Master Boat Builders........................................59 Mattie C's Boy: The Shelley Stewart Story..........85 Mauldin, Edward Fennel..............................................65 May, Barry.....................................................................32 Mazda Toyota Manufacturing...........12, 30, 32, 73 McAleer, Brady.......................................................... 124 McCurry, Gen. Michael C............................................ 109 McKinney Petroleum Equipment......................10 McLeod, Brian............................................................ 109 Medical Center Enterprise....................... 109, 115 Memphis State University...............................109 Mercedes-Benz Group AG............................20, 56 Mercedes-Benz U.S. International...................12, 20, 22, 32, 38, 56 Meta Platforms Inc...........................................89 Miami Herald...................................................11 Miami International Airport..............................11 Michelin North America..................................107 Miles College...................................................85 Mitchell Cancer Institute...................................81 Mitchell Co.......................................................81 Mitchell College of Business.............................81 Mitchell, Abraham "Abe"..............................................81 Mitchell, Mayer............................................................81 Mixon-Davis, Kristin Joelle........................................ 117 Mixon-Davis, Shane................................................... 117 Mizell Memorial Hospital....................... 105, 111 Mobile Area Chamber of Commerce..................59 Mobile Arts Council..........................................81 Mobile Bay Magazine.......................................67 Mobile Civic Center............................................9 Mobile County.................................................81 Mobile Opera...................................................99 Mobile Public Library.......................................81 Mobile Symphony............................................81 Mobile, City of................................................8, 9 Mobile, Port of.............................................8, 73 Mobis Alabama LLC...........................7, 12, 17, 38 Montgomery Area Chamber of Commerce...........7 Montgomery Internet Exchange........................73 Montgomery, City of...........................................7

Moore, Casey..................................................... 109, 111 Morgan Metals...................................................8 Motobilt Inc...................................................105 MotorTrend Magazine......................................17 Mumford & Sons..............................................73 Myers, Julie............................................................... 124 NASA.........................................................56, 73 NASCAR.........................................................121 National Advertising Hall of Fame.....................85 National Alliance for Black Business..................10 National Black Radio Hall of Fame.....................85 National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Program................................12 National Park Service......................................111 National Security Group Inc.............................109 Native American Powwow...............................111 Nemean Solutions..........................................105 New York University.........................................81 Newsome, Curtis....................................................... 122 Nicks, Stevie.................................................................73 Norfolk Southern Corp......................................10 North, Rachelle.......................................................... 124 Northeast Alabama Community College..........121 Northrop Grumman Corp..............................9, 67 Northwest-Shoals Community College........ 65, 89 Novosel, Michael J. Sr................................................ 105 Nwachukwu, Valentine.................................................67 O'Neal, Bridget Adams.............................................. 124 O2ideas Inc......................................................85 Oh, H.S..........................................................................38 Ohno, Taiichi.................................................................36 Olam Peanut Shelling Co........................ 105, 107 Old Coffee County Jail....................................117 Orion Amphitheater.........................................73 Orr, Arthur.....................................................................42 Outdoor Aluminum Inc........................... 105, 107 Owens, Randy.................................................................7 Ozark City Schools.......................... 105, 109, 111 Ozark Civic Center..........................................117 Ozark Community Swimming Pool..................117 Ozark Eagles..................................................117 Ozark Farmers' Market............................ 111, 117 Ozark Industrial Park......................................105 Ozark Technology Center................................105 Ozark-Dale County Economic Development Corp...................... 103,105, 109 Ozark-Dale County Public Library....................105 Ozark, City of..........................103, 105, 109, 111 P.S. Taco Co.......................................................67 Pack Health........................................................8 Packaging Corporation of America....................10 Palmer, David Kirkwood Jr......................................... 124 Paradise Point, Ormand Beach............................7 Parks, Rosa....................................................................85 PCI Gaming................................................11, 63 Pea River Electric Cooperative.........................105 Pea River Historical and Genealogical Society..117 Pea River Whitewater Creek............................111 Peavy Park, Enterprise....................................111 Peavy, Jake...................................................................67 Perot Jain Alliance............................................67 Phelps Dunbar...............................................124 Phi Theta Kappa.............................................109 Phillips Academy.............................................65 Pike, Shannon........................................................... 124 Pilgrim's Pride....................................... 105, 107 Piney Grove Farmhouse..................................117 Piney Woods Arts Festival, Enterprise..............117 Plug and Play Venture Group............................67 Poarch Band of Creek Indians...................... 11, 63 Poke Bowl Sushi Burrito...................................67 Police Memorial Park, Ozark...........................117 Port of Mobile..............................................8, 73 Posey, Scott...................................................................17 Power, Steven...............................................................59 PowerSouth Energy Cooperative.....................109 Premier Medical Ear, Nose and Throat Group....124 Premier Tech Inc.........................................7, 121 Progress Rail....................................................65 Protecting Good...............................................65 Protective Life..................................................65 Protective Stadium...........................................65 Puckett, Jason.........................................................32, 36 Quality Fab............................................ 105, 107 Quest Diagnostics..............................................8 Quillen, Jesse.................................................... 105, 109 Rane, Jimmy.................................................................73 Rawls Building, Enterprise.............................117 Reach Media Inc...............................................71 Rebuild Alabama............................................111 Red Oak Legal....................................................8 Reed, Steve.....................................................................7 Regions Financial Corp.................................9, 63 Reliable Metal Products.......................... 105, 107 Renfroe, Austin.......................................................... 124 Repowr Inc.......................................................67 Reprise Records................................................85 Retirement Systems of Alabama.......................77

126 | BusinessAlabama.com March 2023

Reynolds Metals...............................................89 Rice, Garrett..................................................................59 Rice, James...................................................................59 Rice, Michael................................................................59 Richey, Rickie................................................................59 Riley, Gov. Bob..............................................................42 River Financial Corp........................................109 River Oak Golf Course.....................................117 Roark, Bill.....................................................................63 Robert Fowler Memorial Park, Geneva.............117 Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail.............................77 Robins & Morton................................................7 Robotics Technology Park.................................42 Ross, Paul.....................................................................59 Rotary International.......................................109 Roveda, Abby............................................................. 124 Ryder, Larry...................................................................56 Sam Dale Park, Elba........................................117 Samford University....................................63, 85 Samkee Corp....................................................12 Samson Log House Museum...........................117 Samson Plastic Pipe........................................107 Sanders Capital Partners.................................105 Sasser, Sefton & Brown.......................................8 Schmidt Automotive...........................................8 Schwyn, Bob.................................................................26 Seay, Toby.......................................................... 109, 111 Secret Meals for Hungry Children......................89 Sessions Corp. ...............................................105 Sessions Peanuts............................................117 Shades Valley High School, Birmingham...........78 Shelby, Annette Nevin..................................................83 Shelby, Sen. Richard.....................................................83 ShiftinAlabama.com.........................................32 Shinwha Auto USA Corp....................................12 Shipshape Urban Farms....................................67 Sierra Space Dream Chaser................................73 Smith, Holle Hartzog................................. 103, 105, 109 Smith, Janet.............................................................. 109 Smith, Stephanie............................................................8 Smithsonian Institution...................................85 Sons Auto Group.................................................9 South Alabama Pro Rodeo Classic....................117 Southeast Alabama Boys Home.......................109 Southeast Alabama Highland Games...............111 Southeast Alabama Regional Hospital Council........................................109 Southeast Alabama Regional Planning Commission................................109 Southeast Gas................................................109 Southeastern Center for Robotics Education.......32 Southern Association of Colleges and Schools..116 Southern Broadway Dinner Theater.................117 Southern Christian Leadership Conference........85 Southern Co.....................................................63 Southern Regional Technical College, Bainbridge, Georgia.....................................89 Southern Research...........................................63 Southwood, Jessica................................................... 124 Sowega Cotton....................................... 105, 107 Space Launch System.................................. 56, 73 Spatco Energy Solutions...................................10 St. Jude Children's Research Hospital................89 St. Louis Cardinals..........................................117 St. Patrick's Day Parade and 0.5K Race, Enterprise.................................117 St. Paul's Episcopal School, Mobile....................71 Stacey, Sarah.............................................................. 124 Staley, Michael.............................................................12 Stapleton, Chris............................................................73 Starfish Holdings.............................................63 State Department of Insurance..........................65 State Farm Insurance......................................109 Statt, Chris................................................................. 124 Steagall Park, Ozark.......................................117 Steensma, Robert.........................................................89 Stewart, Eddie............................................................ 127 Stewart, Mattie C..........................................................85 Stewart, Shelley............................................................85 Stimpson, Sandy...........................................................73 Stinson House................................................117 Stripling, Jennifer...................................................... 124 Stump, Chellye.......................................................... 116 Swaminathan, Kankshita..............................................73 Synovus Bank................................................109 Sysco Food Services Gulf Coast................ 105, 107 T.R. Miller High School....................................109 T&C Stamping Inc.............................................22 Talladega Superspeedway..............................121 Tax Foundation, The............................................8 TaxxWiz, Birmingham......................................67 Taylor, Kevin..................................................................38 Techstar Alabama EnergyTech Accelerator..........67 Tennessee Valley Authority...............................30 Texas A&M University.......................................71 Thomson Reuters..................................... 56, 121 Thos. C. Brasfield Co..........................................78 Tiger Town Park, Elba......................................117

Time Magazine.................................................71 Tom Joyner Foundation....................................71 Tom Joyner Morning Show, The........................71 Tomato Festival, Slocomb................................117 Tony & Libba Rane Culinary Science Center........73 Topgolf International Inc..................................10 Torch Technologies...........................................63 Toyota Indiana.................................................36 Toyota Motor Manufacturing, Alabama.....................................12, 22, 32, 36 Trailer World Manufacturing...........................105 Troy University...............................................109 Turner, John (Regions CEO)............................................9 Turner, John (T&C Stamping)........................................22 TurnerBatson Architects..................................121 Tuscaloosa Heart Walk......................................89 Tuskegee Airmen..............................................71 Tuskegee Institute............................................71 Tuskegee, City of..............................................10 U.S. Air Force......................................................8 U.S. Army .............................................. 109, 122 U.S. Army Aviation Center of Excellence... 105, 111 U.S. Army Aviation Museum at Fort Rucker......117 U.S. Army Corps of Engineers..............................9 U.S. Cellular.....................................................59 U.S. Chamber of Commerce..................... 109, 111 U.S. Coast Guard...............................................56 U.S. Department of Agriculture.......................111 U.S. Department of Defense..............................63 U.S. Department of the Interior.........................63 U.S. House of Representatives...........................83 U.S. Navy................................................... 56, 78 U.S. Senate.......................................................83 U.S. Travel Communications Committee..........109 U.S. Treasury......................................................7 UAB Health System.............................................8 UAB/Ascension St. Vincent's Alliance...................8 United Launch Alliance............................... 56, 73 United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization.............71 United Way of Madison County.........................30 University of Alabama.... 7, 71, 77, 81, 83, 89, 109 University of Alabama at Birmingham.................................. 63, 85, 121 University of Idaho.........................................109 University of Mississippi................................109 University of North Alabama................... 9, 65, 89 University of Pennsylvania...............................81 University of South Alabama.............................81 University of Southern California....................109 University of Southern Mississippi..................109 University of the South.....................................71 Urban Network.................................................85 USA Health ......................................................81 USA Health University Hospital.......................124 Utility Trailers........................................ 105, 107 Verizon Communications Inc.............................59 Veterans Memorial Park, Elba.........................117 Vines, Tim.....................................................................63 Vintage Room, Geneva...................................117 Vista Engineering & Consulting LLC.................121 Vivian B. Adams School...................................109 Volkswagen Chattanooga Assembly Plant, Tennessee..........................................22 Vulcan Hero Award...........................................85 W.B. Davis & Son Hosiery Mill.........................122 Wales, Jimmy...............................................................71 Wallace Community College......89, 109, 115, 116 Warner Brothers...............................................85 Warren Averett...............................................124 Wayne Farms......................................... 105, 107 Weelth Inc........................................................67 Weevil Way Art Project, Enterprise..................111 Westwater Resources........................................12 Whatley, Victor........................................................... 124 Wheel Pros.........................................................9 Whitaker, Lamar...........................................................26 Whoville, Enterprise.......................................117 Wikimedia Foundation.....................................71 Wikipedia........................................................71 Wilkes, Philip............................................................. 109 Williams, Hayden...................................................... 124 Williams, Pharrell.........................................................67 Williams, Sandy Bynum............................................ 109 Wind Creek Chicago Southland Casino and Resort........................................63 Wind Creek Hospitality............................... 11, 63 Wiregrass Construction..................................107 Wiregrass Economic Development Corp... 105, 109 Wiregrass Medical Center................ 105, 109,115 Wiregrass United Way....................................109 Wish Upon a Star Performing Arts Co...............109 Wood, Savanna.......................................................... 124 Working Cows Dairy, Slocomb.........................117 Wyatt, Joni................................................................. 124 Wyndy LLC.........................................................9 Yellowhammer News......................................109 Young, Linda.............................................................. 109 Zaden Technologies..........................................67

Historic Alabama

FROM A HUMBLE START… John and Joyce Caddell started Caddell Construction out of their home in east Montgomery 40 years ago. In this early photo, John Caddell is working at his dining room table with a young estimator named Eddie Stewart. Stewart is now chairman and CEO of Caddell Construction, based in Montgomery and with a project portfolio of more than $16 billion. The company also has offices in Bentonville, Arkansas; Woodstock, Georgia; and Jacksonville, Florida.

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

Alabiz Quiz

Challenge yourself with these puzzlers from past issues of Business Alabama magazine. If you feel pretty confident, beginning March 20, work the quiz online and check your answers at businessalabama.com.

March 2023:

March 2022: (one year ago)

March 2013: (10 years ago)

Q: Virtually all of Alabama’s automakers are gearing up for electric vehicles. Which two are also making or about to make batteries here?

Q: A credit union announced plans to drop an unpopular fee. Since then, many banks and credit unions have also dropped the fee. What fee?

A) Ford and Kia B) Honda and Toyota C) Hyundai and Mercedes D) Mazda Toyota and Hyundai

A) Check printing fee B) Not sufficient funds fee C) Paper document fee D) Safe deposit box fee

Q: Two oil fields in one Alabama county were reversing the state’s declining oil production, accounting for half of the state’s production. What county?

February 2023: (one month ago) Q: The new Tony & Libba Rane Center at Auburn University is home to what professional discipline?

A) Communications B) Forest Products C) Hospitality Management D) Veterinary Science

A) Autauga B) Cherokee C) Conecuh D) Jefferson

March 2018: (five years ago) Q: Businessman Michael E. Stephens bequeathed $3.6 million to an Alabama university, its largest gift ever. What university? Hint: its college of business is named for him.

A) Auburn University B) Troy University C) University of Alabama D) University of Montevallo

March 1998: (25 years ago) Q: A hot topic in state government was the effort to prevent people in what line of work from serving in the Legislature?

A) Education B) Farming C) Law enforcement D) Medicine Answers from February: C, C, A, C, D, D March 2023 BusinessAlabama.com | 127