By Dawn Suiter

Shifting Gears: A Conversation with Tommy Reagh of Trailhead Inc.

By Dawn Suiter / Photo by Steve Babin

Sit Down With Success is a feature of the Huntsville Business Journal on entrepreneurs and their keys to success. To read the full story, please visit the Huntsville Business Journal Website.

Huntsville native Tommy Reagh (pronounced “Ray”) wants you to know that he’s a bicycle person, not a businessman. Despite his lack of business training, Reagh is enjoying success as the CEO, founder, and co-owner of Trailhead Inc., a popular bicycle shop founded in Five Points and now located on the Lowe Mill ARTS & Entertainment campus at 2211 Seminole Drive SW, Studio 1000. He graciously took time out of his busy day to discuss his experience as a local bicycling enthusiast-turned-entrepreneur.

Tell me a little about the history of your business. What inspired you to start it?

I was a cycling enthusiast like a lot of folks and in the early 90s I started racing mountain bikes, and training for mountain bike racing led to road bike riding and the dominos started to fall. Out of necessity I started to work on my own bike so I wouldn't have to wait in the middle of the season like we’re in right now…I started getting fairly proficient at working on bikes. It was something that I really enjoyed doing–I just loved everything about cycling.

I worked at NASA, and then offsite later for another company, Advanced Optical Systems, as a graphic designer and eventually art director. That’s my vocation. But as things were winding down with Advanced Optical Systems I was kind of seeing the writing on the wall and thought ‘this might be a good time.’ And I had some friends dreaming around the campfire, playing the ‘what if’ game. That ‘what if’ game became more of ‘I think I might could do this,’ you know?

What is your favorite part of owning your own business?

I work with some really cool people and we get to bring our dogs to work. Generally speaking, people are coming in here, they want to buy a bike, they want to buy some parts, or they want to get their bike fixed and they’re happy and excited about it. Well, they’re not excited that their bike’s broken but they’re happy that it gets fixed.

It’s a pleasant experience to deal with some people that are looking for…you know, maybe they’re a bit of an escapist and they really want to do some big adventure stuff and it’s exciting to help them tool up and equipment up to achieve that so we can live vicariously through what it is that they’re trying to do.

It doesn’t matter if it’s somebody that just wants to ride through the neighborhood. We like to ride through the neighborhood too…we just want to help people have the best experience— whatever it is, we want to do it right and be true to our customer and truly help them out.

What advice would you give someone considering starting their own small business?

I would say have your processes and procedures so you and your fellow coworkers can all be on the same page and you can be streamlined. Count your pennies and your dollars will take care of themselves. But if you just provide honest to goodness good customer service, treat people like you want to be treated.

We made this decision early on that we’re going to treat people good. We’re going to give them the customer service they’re not seeing and experiencing out in the world, and if we can’t succeed in doing that then we’re going to shut down and not do it. It’s just not worth it…I’m going to tell you straight up the truth about everything and be upfront with you and if it’s good enough, it’s good enough, and if it’s not good enough, it is what it is. I don’t know what else to do. w

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Huntsville City Council Approves Lease for Nashville Group to Bring Pro Soccer to Joe Davis Stadium

By Mike Easterling / Photo courtesy of Nashville Soccer Club & Chapman Sisson Architects

It won’t be Major League Soccer, but don’t call Huntsville’s 2023 entry in the MLS NEXT Pro a minor league team.

While that comparison to the pro baseball system is inevitable, and the as-yet-named Huntsville team will be affiliated with MLS’s Nashville Soccer Club, there’s a difference.

City Administrator John Hamilton explained the dynamics at Thursday night’s regular council meeting when that body approved a measure unanimously to allow Mayor Tommy Battle to enter into a lease agreement with NSH NEXTCO LLC to lease a repurposed Joe Stadium Stadium for multi-use.

“Soccer doesn’t use the term minor league,’’ City Administrator John Hamilon said.”People will say, ‘Yeah, we're getting a minor league team.’ That is analogous, but that’s not the correct terminology. This will be a Division III level club affiliated with Nashville SC.’’

The Joe Davis Stadium renovation is expected to be completed in the middle of May. The league will have already started the 2023 season, but the league has agreed to schedule the team's first games on the road.

In all, the squad will host 17 games. Naming rights to the field are an option, but the facility will keep the name Joe Davis Stadium.

According to the lease, NSH NEXTCO LLC will operate the stadium year round and will be required to invest in keeping the facility in good condition and repair, while the city will fund a capital plan for improvements and renovations as needed.

“I love the idea they’ll be paying to manage and operate the stadium, that’s great,’’ council member Jennie Robinson said.

The original lease is for 10 years with options up to 30 with the following base lease figures: • Year 1 $500,000 • Year 2 $7,500,000 • Years 3-7 $1,000,000 • Years 8-10 $1,250,000 • Years 11-15 option $1,250,000 • Years 16-20 Option $125,000,000 • Years 21-25 option $150,000,000 • Years 26-30 $150,000,000

The agreement allows Huntsville City Schools rights to the stadium during football with the option of negotiating additional dates.

The school system will not be charged to use the stadium. The city will receive part of the proceeds from any event with an admission charge over $10.

The facility will be available for events sponsored by the HuntsvilleMadison County Convention and Visitors Bureau, the Huntsville Sports Commission and other partners.

There is still space vacant east of the stadium that will not be under management by the Nashville group and is available for development. The parking lot will be dedicated when there’s an event, but will be shared by other John Hunt Park venues when the team isn’t playing.

One added amenity at the multipurpose stadium is that the artificial turf can be repainted with corresponding lines and dimensions to accommodate the sport being played.

“On Friday night there's a great high school football game, we’re out there watching Huntsville High or Grissom High or whatever it may be. And then Sunday afternoon you're watching professional soccer on a field that is striped solely for soccer,’’ Hamilton said.

Hamilton said the Nashville group leading the pro-migration to Huntsville will staff a team to spearhead management of the stadium’s upkeep as well as coordinate other events for the city.

The team name, colors and branding will be announced at a later date.

The league, considered a pathway to rise to the top levels of the sport including MLS First Team, launched earlier this year with teams in the U.S. and Canada. The 21 original league entrants include teams in Chicago, Cincinnati, Colorado, North Texas, Houston, Kansas City, Miami, Dallas, Miami, Minnesota, New England, New York City, Orlando, Philadelphia, Portland, Rochester, San Jose, Tacoma, St. Louis, Toronto and Vancouver.

All but the independent Rochester club are affiliated with MLS teams, which try to join with programs in the same region. Five more teams will join Huntsville as additions for 2023.

The Nashville soccer team plays in the largest soccer-specific stadium in the U.S. and Canada – GEODIS Park – and opened it in 2021 in front of a sellout crowd of 30,109.

To learn more about the city’s contract, and the operation commitments of Nashville NEXTCO LLC, the lease is listed on the agenda for the July 14 meeting at huntsvilleal.gov/government/city-council/. w

Local, National Hospitals Deal with Staffing Shortages Amid Rising COVID Numbers

By Ashlyn Grey / Photo courtesy of The Clearview Cancer Center

A recent challenge for hospitals across Alabama, along with the rest of the nation, has been staffing. Dr. Don Williamson, with the Alabama Hospital Association, explained in a recent interview that less health care professionals are working now than during the omicron and delta spikes.

“We might have substantially greater difficulty dealing with 1,500 people in the hospital now, compared to what we were dealing with earlier in the year,” he shared with Montgomery-Selma WSFA.

Dr. Williamson said at least 20% of healthcare professionals have left the workforce, while much of that staff has been replaced with traveling nurses, which has also been difficult to maintain.

“So what hospitals are trying to do now is, to the extent that they can, they’ve hired some of that staff,” he said.

In many cases, Dr. Williamson said hospital beds are being shut down to make do with the staff that is available.

On top of staffing shortages, Dr. Williamson said some health care workers that have previously been vaccinated or already had the disease are contracting COVID-19.

Looking more locally, hospitals such as Crestwood Medical Center in Huntsville have faced staffing challenges as well. Lori Light, CMC’s Director of Strategic Marketing and Communications, shed some light on the topic for the Huntsville Business Journal.

“Like many hospitals across the country, Crestwood has had challenges with staffing. With the help of our team’s flexibility, we have maintained a safe environment so that we can continue providing the quality of care that people in this community deserve and expect,” stated Light.

“Crestwood is actively recruiting new team members to bring more healthcare to our hospital and community. We are investing in several recruitment and retention initiatives to attract new employees and retain existing employees,” continued Light.

These benefits for current and potential CMC employees include student loan support with benefits up to $20,000 in student loan repayments for eligible employees, enhanced education assistance and licensure benefits, sign-on bonuses, referral bonuses for key positions, and matching 401k contributions.

A recent partnership with Athens State University, which can also provide employees and family members discounted tuition, has also been instituted.

“According to the latest report by Emergency Care Research Institute, the typical clinical issues caused by device malfunction or medical error aren’t the leading threat to patient safety this year. Instead, staffing shortages and healthcare worker mental health top the list of concerns on a national level,” shared HFMA in a recent report.

The report continued by stating that “ECRI researchers say the most significant concerns at present are caused by crises that have simmered, but COVID-19 exponentially worsened.”

“Shortages in the healthcare workforce and mental health challenges were broadly known and well-documented for years. Both physicians and nurses were at risk of burnout, emotional exhaustion, and depression prior to 2020, but the pandemic made both issues significantly worse,” stated Dr. Marcus Schabacker, MD, PhD, President, and CEO of ECRI.

According to the authors, “ECRI researchers say inadequate staffing is actively jeopardizing patient safety. Due to staffing shortages, many patients are waiting longer for care, even in life-threatening emergencies, or simply being turned away.”

According to the ECRI report released March 14, the following are the top concerns: 1.Staffing shortages 2.COVID-19 effects on healthcare workers’ mental health 3.Bias and racism in addressing patient safety 4. Vaccine coverage gaps and errors 5. Cognitive biases and diagnostic error “Across surveyed RNs, the most influential factors of whether to stay in role included safety, flexibility (such as work–life balance, work schedule), and environment (for example, a trusting/caring team, feeling valued by organization, doing meaningful work),” the authors wrote. “While adequate compensation remains important, it was not as influential as other factors among respondents.” According to the McKinsey survey: • 35% of RNs who were likely to leave their current roles indicated

plans to stay in the workforce but in a role that doesn’t involve direct patient care • 29% would stay in direct patient care • 20% indicated plans to exit the workforce completely, such as through retirement, to pursue further education or to focus on family

With varying scales of this issue, from local to national levels, it can be agreed upon that this is a pressing matter. Not only for the well-being of workers, but for the safety of patients they are dedicating their time, efforts, and training to care for.

Hospitals and Healthcare systems that work to rectify these issues show an incredible and generous investment in their healthcare staff who have easily been realized as some of the nation’s greatest assets since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, and will hopefully continue to be recognized and rewarded as such. w

Invariant Corporation Develops Game Changing Sensors for DoD, Law Enforcement

By Dawn Suiter / Photos by Dawn Suiter

In the wake of recent mass shootings, the need for tools to intercept shooters quickly in order to minimize bloodshed is more critical than ever. Huntsville systems and software engineering company Invariant Corporation, founded over 20 years ago and now headquartered at 4040 Chris Drive, Suite 100 in South Huntsville, is stepping up to the plate to fill this need.

Invariant’s FireFLY (hostile Fire Fast Locating sensor) is a hostile firedetection system originally created to support the US Army Aviation and Missile Research Development and Engineering Center (AMRDEC). First deployed by the U.S. Army 4th Battalion in Afghanistan in 2011, it continues to operate overseas in support of deployed forces. More recently, it has found commercial law enforcement applications in multiple U.S. cities.

Developed jointly with Hyperion Technology Group of Tupelo, Mississippi, FireFLY is a low-cost system that combines a network of both optical and acoustic sensors to provide effective weapon fire detection with highly accurate geolocations of hostile fire events while virtually eliminating false alarms.

Following a 2015 serial shooting incident in Colorado, FireFLY’s capabilities in support of law enforcement were first tested with the deployment of sensors along the interstate north of Denver in support of an ATF investigation. Following this, it was tested on a large scale in Colorado Springs in 2018 in a joint exercise with the Colorado Springs Police, the DoD, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives. Its geolocation data led to the first recovery of firearm cartridge casings from a crime scene.

Retired ATF agent Tim Kelly, Invariant, and Hyperion joined forces to form an LLC known as Crime Gun Intelligence Technologies (CGIT), which sells the FireFLY systems to law enforcement agencies. FireFLY has been used in the Denver metro area and is currently being used in Talladega, El Paso, and Colorado Springs. Its largest existing customer, the city of Phoenix, is preparing to expand its FireFLY network by 300%. Thanks largely to word of mouth, additional cities are also considering implementing its systems.

The commercial law enforcement version of FireFLY is notably different from its military counterpart in that it’s smaller and significantly less noticeable. “It needs to kind of blend in a little bit more…we built it into an electronics box and it looks like just a regular box that’ll go on a telephone pole,” Invariant founder and president David Anderson explained.

Although Invariant is not the only

company with tools that can fulfill this need, it strives to be the best with the development of game-changing sensors that allow law enforcement to effectively detect shots from much greater distances. Most significantly, FireFLY differs from the competition in that each continually self-calibrating unit can be moved to different locations as needed, unlike other permanent grid-based systems.

“If you put a bunch of sensors in and they’re static, they can’t move them. If the crime moves away from that area, they’re covering an area that they don’t need to and they really need to be able to move it where the hotspots are,” Anderson said.

Invariant hosts a server that receives data from all of its sensors, then performs fusion and geolocation processes to interpret that data in real-time.

According to Anderson, the system proved itself in Phoenix. “They had a situation where there was an event in a suburb, and they took a portion of our sensors and moved them into the suburb area around where the shooting event was randomly occurring–with that they were able to monitor the sensors, generate patterns, and were able to catch this individual that was shooting.”

FireFLY units are used in tandem with other data gathering tools to collect data such as a shooter’s position, location, and weapon caliber, which is then analyzed in real-time and submitted directly to law enforcement agencies to allow for immediate evaluation and response.

In addition to law enforcement, Invariant continues to focus on a variety of software and systems engineering applications specializing in simulation technologies.

The dictionary definition of Invariant means “a constant factor: one that does not change,” a meaning that can be extended to the company’s constant commitment to excellence. It's not standing still, however: growth is also in its future, with the business’s footprint expanding by 26,000 square feet next spring. w