21 minute read
By Dawn Suiter
from HBJ April 22 Issue
Vision Hospitality Group Cuts Ribbon on New Hampton Inn & Suites in Downtown Huntsville
Downtown Huntsville celebrated a sparkling new addition to its growing roster of hospitality options on Wednesday with a ribbon cutting ceremony at the new Hampton Inn & Suites Hotel Huntsville Downtown, located at 313 Clinton Ave. W. on the corner of Clinton and Monroe.
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Directly across the street from Mars Music Hall and Rhythm on Monroe, the new hotel marks the entry of Vision Hospitality Group (VHG) into the Huntsville market. It is operated by Humanist Hospitality, a wholly owned subsidiary of VHG.
Vision Hospitality Group officially began in 1997, founded by President and CEO Mitch Patel in Chattanooga. Humanist Hospitality, which operates the hotel, is an award-winning operator of leading hotel and restaurant brands with an emphasis on fostering meaningful human interactions.
When asked what sets his hotels apart from the competition, Patel responded “First and foremost, what sets us apart is we believe that what we do–we’re in the people business. First and foremost. We’re not in the real estate business….it’s about people, it’s a beautiful hotel but it’s about people…you don’t go just for the room or the public spaces. It’s a service.”
“I think if you look around, this is not your ordinary Hampton Inn…
Mitch Patel cuts the ribbon at the grand opening of the new Hampton Inn & Suites in downtown Huntsville
we like to elevate that experience that guests experience, and through design, through art, and those kinds of things. It’s storytelling, and we want to make you want to be a part of the fabric of this great community of Huntsville,” he continued.
Patel’s eye for detail is obvious with the artistic touches found throughout the hotel’s decor, which features subtle aerospace-themed artworks not only on the walls, but also on the bar shelves. The new hotel is tastefully decorated and well-designed inside and out, situated in a prime corner location that greets visitors as they first arrive in Downtown Huntsville.
Patel stated that with Huntsville located just an hour and a half away from the company’s hometown in Chattanooga, “we’ve always had an eye on this great community, as [it has an] obviously great educated population, great household income. It’s growing rapidly, the downtown particularly.”
He noted the proximity of the Von Braun Center and its new music venue right across the street, as well as the large developments taking place nearby: “huge amount of residential growth, which I think is important. When you have people living in an area, they’re going to frequent the restaurants and other businesses, and guess what? That’s what our guests want too. Our guests want to stay here and be able to experience what local people in Huntsville are experiencing,” Patel said.
Although the Hampton Inn & Suites Huntsville Downtown does not feature a restaurant, it does have a bar. “There are plenty of restaurants. We don’t want to compete with the 25 or 30 restaurants that are in this [immediate] area. They do a great job. Many are chef driven-type restaurants…there’s so many food and beverage outlets,” Patel explained, adding that the bar is perfect because of its location right across from the VBC, which allows concertgoers the opportunity to enjoy a drink within walking distance of the venue before or after events.
As the large group of attendees awaited the ribbon cutting ceremony, Patel addressed the audience, thanking his company’s partners and supporters. Among those he recognized was Harry Gross of Truist Bank for providing financing for the hotel project. “Thank you for believing in us and the partnership and the support. It means a lot,” Patel said.
He also thanked Hilton Hotels: “We have a longstanding partnership with Hilton; we have developed and operated many hotels with Hilton over the years. We love this brand, there’s 2500 Hampton Inns globally, and I’ve gotta say, this Hampton Inn here is #1 in the world in cleanliness, and in the top 1% of the brand in almost every other category, which is friendliness and guest satisfaction and so forth. So they are doing an incredible job. And I say this often–this is a beautiful hotel, no question. But
By Dawn Suiter / Photos by Steve Babin
it comes to life with people. So we have a great, great team here.”
Chad Emerson, President and CEO of Downtown Huntsville then welcomed Patel and the hotel to the city: “we’re excited that your front door is at our front door as you come in. Here at Downtown Huntsville we really lean into a simple but important concept. It’s called “Best in Class.” We want our coffee shops to be best in class. We want our breweries to be best in class. We want everything we do that if you’d take it to any city and place it there, it would look awesome there,” Emerson said.
“This hotel is certainly the best in class. You could take this and put it in any city in America and all my colleagues in every downtown would love to have this Hampton Inn in their downtown. It’s beautiful, you drive by at night and see all the lights, you see the bar lit up, it’s just a really special place. So thank you for investing in Downtown Huntsville, and we hope that we’ll have more Vision products coming soon.”
Before introducing Ashley EnglesRoss, VP of Small Business with the Huntsville-Madison County Chamber of Commerce, Patel noted that “as for more Vision products, we have a site right next door and we’re looking at doing another hotel very soon.”
Engles-Ross also expressed excitement about welcoming Patel to Huntsville, “not only your investment in the community but your support of the Chamber of Commerce,” presenting the hotel with a Chamber plaque.
Judy Ryals, President of the Huntsville Convention & Visitors Bureau (CVB), made a final statement before the ribbon cutting, expressing her joy at welcoming the new hotel to Downtown Huntsville: “Today is really a special day, to have this hotel in our downtown. The CVB has needed additional rooms downtown within walking distance of our Convention Center for so long, and we’re finally getting there. And we appreciate you all investing in Huntsville and being here,” she said.
Following a ribbon cutting inside the lobby, followed by a second one outside, Patel mingled with the atttendees as they enjoyed wine, champagne, and a lovely charcuterie selection in the art-filled, spacious lobby. Lynn Mucciano, VP of Sales & Marketing for Humanist Hospitality, added an additional touch of hospitality to the event when she approached one of the guests at the reception, letting him know which of the snacks were vegetarian.
“We wanted to make sure we had some things that vegetarians and vegans could eat so we had them specially made,” she told him. w
Pictured: Mitch Patel and Ashley Engels-Ross
Doster to Begin Construction on New Mixed-Use Commercial Project
By Dawn Suiter / Image courtesy of Doster
Cummings Research Park will soon add additional office, retail, and restaurant options to its rapidly growing roster with the upcoming construction of HQ at Upland Park, a new 110,000 square foot, four-story mixed-use project.
HQ is the final project in Nicol Investment Company’s Upland Park, a 60-acre mixed-use community along Enterprise Way in Research Park.
Alongside its ground-floor retail and restaurant amenities, HQ will also feature an outdoor gathering space that will be a focal point for the larger Upland Park master development.
For the HQ project, Nicol Investment Company partnered with Vintage South Development, a Nashville-based real estate development firm.
“We are honored and excited to
have the opportunity to partner with Nicol Investment in delivering a creative and retail environment that is unique to Huntsville,” said Nathan Lyons, Vintage South’s founder and CEO. “The migration of national corporations and agencies flocking to this vibrant city as well as the organic growth of local businesses is remarkable, and we are eager to help facilitate Huntsville’s continued success.”
Doster Construction Company will break ground at the site in the coming weeks, with construction scheduled to be completed in the Spring of 2023.
“Doster has a strong presence in the multi-family, industrial, and healthcare markets in North Alabama; we’re excited for the opportunity to show our capabilities in the commercial market while partnering with Nicol Investment and Vintage South,” said Conn Crabtree, Doster’s VP and Huntsville Operations Manager. “This is a beautiful building with several unique design elements that is going to be well received in the community.”
For leasing information, contact Kyle Collins (Colliers International) at 256-518-2274 or at kyle.collins@ colliers.com. w
SLS at Launch Pad 39B in Preparation for Final Test Before Launch
By Dawn Suiter / Photos courtesy of NASA
NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) with the Orion spacecraft on top arrived at Launch Pad 39B at Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Friday, March 18 in preparation for its final test before the Artemis I Moon Mission.
Stacked on the mobile launcher and mounted on the crawler-transporter, the 322-foot tall, 3.5-million-pound SLS made the four-mile trek from the Vehicle Assembly Building to Launch Pad 39B over a total of 10 hours and 28 minutes.
“Rolling out of the Vehicle Assembly Building is an iconic moment for this rocket and spacecraft, and this is a key milestone for NASA,” said Tom Whitmeyer, deputy associate administrator for Common Exploration Systems Development at NASA Headquarters in Washington. “Now at the pad for the first time, we will use the integrated systems to practice the launch countdown and load the rocket with the propellants it needs to send Orion on a lunar journey in preparation for launch.”
The upcoming final test, known as the wet dress rehearsal, will run the Artemis I launch team through operations to load propellant into the rocket’s tanks, conduct a full launch countdown, demonstrate the ability to recycle the countdown clock, and then drain the tanks to give the team an opportunity to practice the timelines and procedures they will use for launch.
During the approximately twoday test, teams will begin by activating the launch facilities and formally beginning the countdown sequence. NASA staff at the Launch Control Center at Kennedy will connect with staff in the Mission Control Center at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, the Space Force Eastern Range, and the SLS Engineering Support Center at Huntsville’s Marshall Space Flight Center. Launch controllers will power on the different rocket and spacecraft systems along with ground support equipment.
Teams will then load over 700,000 gallons of cryogenic propellants including liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen into the rocket at the launch pad as it sits on the mobile launcher according to the detailed timeline they will use on the actual launch day. They will practice every phase of the countdown, including weather briefings, pre-planned holds on the countdown, conditioning and replenishing the vehicle’s propellants as needed, and validation checks.
Once launch controllers reach the point just before the rocket’s RS-25 engines will ignite on launch day, they will recycle back to the T-10 minute point, then resume the countdown once more after a hold. The countdown will then be deliberately halted at about 10 seconds before the simulated liftoff to demonstrate stopping a launch and draining the propellants from the rocket.
This last step simulates a “scrub,” a halt to the launch that takes place when launch controllers decide not to proceed with a launch due to technical or weather issues that arise during or prior to the countdown.
Several days after the wet dress rehearsal, the integrated rocket and spacecraft will return to the Vehicle Assembly Building, where sensors specifically used for monitoring during the wet dress rehearsal will be removed. Technicians will also charge Orion and other system batteries, stow late-load cargo into Orion in preparation for the launch, run final checkouts on several elements, and perform other necessary tasks. Orion and SLS will roll to the launch pad for a final time about a week before launch.
NASA will review data from the rehearsal before setting a specific launch date for the Artemis I launch.
This news comes just a few weeks after Marshall updated the Huntsville community on the city’s involvement in the Artemis project.
“Having a successful Flight Readiness Review at the Center and being able to let that be the next step that takes us to the Agency Flight Readiness Review is just a monumental effort that is not only about our Marshall team, but about our contractor team and all the suppliers that are all over the United States that have supported this vehicle,” Marshall Space Flight Center Director Jody Singer said. “Not only getting this vehicle ready for Artemis 1, but making sure that they were ready for the Artemis II, and III, and IV missions as we go farther and farther into space and also as we deliver the first female and the first person of color to the surface of the Moon.”
“So, yes, we are launching SLS this year, and it is a proud moment to say that,” she continued. Singer also stated that the SLS has finished the last of its tests inside the Vehicle Assembly Building and will start its day-long, four mile trip to Launch Complex 39B on March 17 for a series of tests known as the wet dress rehearsal.
“I know all of us have friends and neighbors who have contributed to the success that we’re going to see on this first historical flight of the Space
Launch System and the Rocket City will have another proud launch day to celebrate,” Honeycutt said. “ I do know this launch is going to inspire the next generation of engineers and STEM professionals, and boy, we really do need that.”
Honeycutt reported that there are four other SLS rockets in various stages of production “in some shape or form as we speak today, but Artemis 1 will be the test flight that lays the foundation for a new era of deep space exploration that will take humans to the moon and on to Mars.”
In response to a question regarding potential complications arising from strained relations with Russia with regard to both the SLS and the International Space Station, Singer stated that NASA continues to have a great working relationship with all of its international partners. “We are going strong. Space is the place where there has been an opportunity for cooperation that is boundless.”
“Technology and security, internet security, has been on the forefront for us since the beginning of the program…any computers or electronic equipment that we use on the ground to check the rocket out, all those go through a stringent screening process,” Honeycutt responded, adding that they have no concerns whatsoever about potential breaches leading up to the rollout. Honeycutt also addressed recent reports about soaring costs for the SLS, explaining that the SLS has been appropriated for about $20 billion since 2012 for its life from 2012 to 2021. “We used about $11 billion of that for the development and the production and the assembly for Artemis 1 and the balance of that has gone toward what I alluded to earlier relative to getting those other five rockets in flow,” he explained, referring to the other SLS hardware currently in production.
“I think that sometimes gets lost in the translation,” Honeycutt said. “This is a generational rocket and we all know development is costly early on.”
Honeycutt also discussed the elements of the SLS that originated in Huntsville. “Most of it’s not manufactured in Huntsville; some of it is, but the design and the development activities, by and large, occur here in Huntsville and the Marshall Space Flight Center,” he clarified.
Honeycutt said that the four RS25 engines being used on the first four flights are known as ‘heritage assets,’ converted to meet the needs of the SLS rocket. The core stage was designed and tested in Huntsville, as were the hydrogen and oxygen tanks, the intertank, and the bottom of the engine section. He noted that the solid rocket boosters, which were made in Utah by Northrop Grumman, are comprised primarily of heritage assets from the Shuttle program.
Whereas the boosters had four propellant segments under the shuttle program, for the SLS they have five. “We get a decent amount more energy and thrust out of the solid rocket boosters now,” Honeycutt stated.
The Launch Vehicle Stage Adapter, a conical component located at the top of the core engine, is built in-house at MSFC and managed by Teledyne Brown Engineering. “A part you can’t see, the Orion Stage Adapter, which mates the Orion capsule to the rocket, is made here in Huntsville, and it’s manufactured solely in-house,” Honeycutt added.
The Interim Cryogenic Propulsion Stage, Honeycutt noted, is made in Decatur at United Launch Alliance (ULA). Singer added that Marshall also supports work on the Orion capsule and the Launch Abort System, “one of the safety enhancements that we have from the days of the Shuttle.”
“There’s a lot of activity at Marshall. Our engineers and our partners have fingerprints all over it,” Singer said, adding that all fifty states have been involved in some way with its production, along with 3,000 small businesses and contractors. w
MNAO Program Manager Promoted to VP of Alabama Business Unit
By Dawn Suiter / Photo courtesy of Getty Images
Mazda North American Operations (MNAO) has announced the promotion of one of the rising stars in Huntsville’s Mazda Toyota Manufacturing organization.
Naoki Okano stepped into a new role as Vice President of the Alabama Business Unit, effective April 1, 2022. With this advancement, he assumes ultimate responsibility for working with suppliers, handling logistics for the plant, and managing quality assurance.
Prior to his promotion, Okano served as the CX-50 Program Manager, where he was responsible for leading all relevant divisions of the company for the successful development and launch of this all-new vehicle designed specifically for the North American market.
Okano expressed satisfaction with his responsibility for the CX-50’s success as it is built for mass production in Mazda’s new plant.
“It is an honor to take on this new opportunity and responsibility for MTM as we create employment opportunities for the Huntsville community and contribute to the American economy,” he said.
Okano succeeds Masashi Otsuka as lead for the Alabama Business Unit. Osuka will return to Mazda’s corporate office in Hiroshima in a senior leadership role.
“I want to thank Masashi Otsuka for an outstanding job building our new Alabama operation fro the ground up, including developing a stellar Mazda team to support MTM,” MNAO President and CEO Jeff Guyton said. “As Naoki Okano takes the reins, I’m excited to see the continued success of MTM as CX-50 rolls off the Discovery Line and into Mazda dealerships throughout the country.” w
Brandon Carrin Promoted to AVP at Progress Bank
Progress Bank’s Huntsville Market President/ Head of General Banking Lee Hoekenschneider announced the promotion of Brandon Carrin to the position of Associate Vice President (AVP)/Business Banker.
“I am pleased to announce that after more than nine years of service to the Bank in our credit and consumer banking areas, Brandon Carrin has accepted a promotion to Business Banker in the Huntsville/ Madison County market. Brandon’s credit and business development background makes him a perfect choice for this role,” said Hoekenschnieder.
Though born in Tennessee, Brandon Carrin calls Huntsville “home.’’ He moved with his family to the southeastern part of the city when he was 4 years old. He eventually graduated from Grissom High School before moving on to the University of Alabama’s Culverhouse College of Business, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in finance.
Brandon graduated from the University of Alabama Culverhouse College of Business with a bachelor’s degree in Finance. He has over 14 years of banking experience, beginning in credit and eventually moving to manage Progress Bank’s Huntsville branch for the last five and a half years. Brandon is also a graduate of Leadership Huntsville Management Academy.
Brandon, a longtime resident of Huntsville, is highly active in the community, serving local organizations including the Cornerstone Initiative, Young Business Leaders (YBL), and South City Church Kids’ Ministry. He has also been involved with the North Alabama Revolving Loan Advisory Board and has served in leadership positions at the Food Bank of North Alabama, North Alabama, Cove Church, Lincoln Village Ministry, and Whitesburg Christian Academy.
North Alabama’s Bank Independent Announces City President of Huntsville
Bank Independent recently announced the promotion of DeMarco McClain as the City President of Huntsville.
McClain has been with Bank Independent since 2015, where he started as the Vice President Sales Officer. His most recent post was as the Senior Vice President in Madison County.
Prior to working for Bank Independent, McClain brought nearly two-decades of banking experience to the organization. McClain received his BS in Business Administration from Auburn UniversityMontgomery in 2002, and followed this path to a MBA from Troy University in 2014.
His work in the banking industry emphasized consumer and commercial lending, as well as commercial loan underwriting. To help with his newest position, McClain is also enrolled in LSU’s Graduate School of Banking.
His newest position will leverage this past experience, helping McClain to create new relationships around the city and meet goals that match the growth in Huntsville’s market.
Huntsville Lawyer Honored by 57th Annual Bridge Crossing Gala
Raven Perry-Beach, managing attorney of Huntsville’s Beach Law Practice, was awarded the NAACP’s Game Changer Award at the 57th Annual Bridge Crossing Gala in Montgomery, Alabama.
The award recognizes Perry-Beach’s dedication to criminal justice reform, most notably her work in expunging records to facilitate re-assimilation into society, which reduces recidivism. The Beach Law Practice has held multiple expungement clinics, offering free counsel for residents of Madison County.
Raven Perry-Beach is also the Past President of the Madison County Volunteer Lawyer Program, the oldest pro-bono clinic in Alabama.
The motto of the Beach Law Practice is “Fighting to Balance the Scales of Justice,” and it was that ethos that Perry-Beach invoked as she accepted the award.
“Our work is the continuation of that stand for justice, unmoved and undeterred by the forces of systemic and generational inequity that too many Americans face within our criminal justice system,” said Perry- Beach.
Sarah Savage-Jones Named 2022 Woman of Impact Award Honoree
Momentum, Alabama’s premier leadership organization dedicated to the empowerment of the state’s female leaders, has announced that Sarah Savage-Jones of Huntsville has been selected to receive the 2022 Barbara Royal Woman of Impact Award.
This award recognizes women whose contributions have had a significant impact on the advancement of women in Alabama. Savage-Jones currently serves as president of the Huntsville Hospital Foundation.
An Auburn graduate, Savage-Jones worked for SouthTrust Bank in Birmingham and Huntsville, Crestwood Medical Center, and Leadership Huntsville/Madison County, where she served as president and chief executive officer for 19 years. After retiring early from Leadership to care for her father following his diagnosis of dementia, she co-founded Acair, LLC, a family contingency planning service. She also manages her family’s small timber and hunting lease business in Dallas County.
“Women make up more than half of the U.S. workforce, yet they still face serious challenges, especially in receiving recognition. Momentum is working hard to change that, and we are so proud to highlight these special women who go above and beyond every day to help others and move our state forward,” said April Benetollo, chief executive officer of Momentum.
