Owen Franklin Blue Summit Supplies

Biography: Owen Franklin is the founder and CEO of Blue Summit Supplies, an e-commerce solution to overpriced big-box office supply stores and the largest third-party seller of office supplies on Amazon. Owen spent half a decade building rocket systems for large defense contractors in Huntsville, AL only to realize he was frustrated with the lack of positive change he was bringing about in the world. Owen founded Blue Summit Supplies in 2016, where now, with his wife Tiffany, French bulldog Larry, and a growing team of professionals by his side, he hopes to impact the world for the better through the power of e-commerce smarts and office supplies. In 2021, the company achieved a rank of 654 on the Inc. 5000 list as the company headcount grew from 12 to 30 and revenue from $0 to $60 million in Revenue in 7 years. The brand is diversifying its future growth plans by investing heavily in B2B distribution channels to supplement e-commerce operations and forge a path forward into the future.

Biography: Jordan Crow is the Senior Vice President and a founding member of Merit Bank, and has been a vital part of its growth and success since inception. He played several key roles in the bank’s approval and opening of headquarters in Huntsville and is a team leader in the bank’s efforts to support the North Alabama community. Jordan was instrumental in the setup of the bank’s infrastructure and has been an integral part of two successful capital raises. He manages one of the bank’s largest client portfolios of loan and deposit relationships and is a supervisor and mentor for young lenders and loan administrators at the bank. He is the youngest SVP and is directly involved in the Bank’s strategic planning and overall vision.

Deemed the bank’s change champion, Jordan leads the production team’s recruitment efforts and helps maintain the culture by promoting employee participation and feedback. Jordan continues to grow his professional and leadership skills through his involvement in community programs. As a Member of the Future Leaders Exchange, Associated Builders and Contractors, North Alabama Chapter, he helps support professional growth and skills of leaders in the local construction industry.

As a Member of the Huntsville Hospital Foundation’s Development Council, he supports the foundation’s mission by promoting community awareness with volunteer projects and fundraising events. Jordan is also enrolled in the Class of 2024 ABA Bank Executive Leadership Certificate Program, where he has gained valuable knowledge and skills on building effective teams, managing conflict, identifying talent and leading under pressure. Jordan is an exceptional young leader with many achievements and accolades under his belt, yet he continues to strive for improvement of himself and those around him. He is an invaluable asset to Merit Bank and to the North Alabama community.

How has Huntsville shaped your career path?

Huntsville has provided me with the opportunity as a young professional and banker to organically grow a book of business quickly. North Alabama has a great young professional scene with young entrepreneurs starting businesses daily it seems. Business professionals in the Huntsville and North Alabama area appreciate local business and seeing their success contribute to the overall growth of our area and that is why I wanted to help found Merit Bank. We appreciate being local and banking local businesses.

What’s your favorite restaurant in town?

For a casual dinner, Viet Huong is one of my favorites. When I am looking for something a little nicer, I enjoy Tom Brown’s fresh fish selection that is flown in weekly.

Biography: James Lomax, Vice President of Asset Management & Leasing at Corporate Office Properties Trust (COPT), is responsible for overseeing growth and asset performance of COPT’s portfolio in Huntsville, consisting of the 468-acre master planned, mixed-use, EUL project Redstone Gateway, as well as the Class A office building located at 310 The Bridge Street. The overall portfolio currently consists of over 2.1M square feet of Class A office and retail space.

Outside of his role at COPT, James was elected to the Alabama State House of Representatives for District 20 in 2022. James was appointed by the Huntsville City Council to the Medical Clinic Board - Fifth Avenue in 2016 and re-appointed in 2020. In 2021, he was additionally appointed by the Huntsville City Council to the University of Alabama in Huntsville Building Authority Board. James is a contributor to the University of Alabama Center for Real Estate Blog and is the host of Uncommon Access, a podcast where Huntsville's thought leaders discuss trending topics around defense, business, and what the future of work looks like in the region. He is currently a board member of the Huntsville Rotary Club. James previously served as past president of Rotaract Club, treasurer of the North Alabama Commercial Real Estate Association (NALCOM), was a local Chamber of Commerce Young Professional of the Year nominee in 2017, 2019, 2020, and was a Leukemia & Lymphoma Society Man of the Year nominee in 2014. James Lomax received his undergraduate at University of Alabama in Huntsville and his graduate degree at the Lipscomb University College of Leadership & Public Service. Outside of business, James' hobbies include reading, running, and spending time with his wife and one year old daughter.

Huntsville was recently ranked the 4th most prosperous city and one of the best places for career building opportunities. Why do you think Huntdville is so unique for younger career seeking individuals and entrepreneurs?

Huntsville is a place that has something to offer everyone, and everyone has something to offer it. One of the reasons I decided to remain in Huntsville after graduation was the fact that I could be a part of helping to shape the culture of the city. Nashville, Atlanta, other major metropolitan areas already seemed to have their own identity, but 10 years ago, Huntsville was just coming into its own. Now we have unique developments, great employment opportunities, a budding food scene, sports, and music. It is what you make it!

What’s the best place to grab a drink, coffee, tea, etc. in town?

Some of my favorite places for coffee are Offbeat, Honest Roasters, and Just Love. Can’t go wrong with a waffle sandwich at Just Love.

Biography: Abbie Kate Hancock is a communication graduate from Mississippi State University. She is a tenacious communicator and life-long learner with a skill set in strategizing, public relations, marketing, event planning, and social media management. She possesses strong interpersonal skills through maintaining working relationships with fellow employees and volunteers at the Huntsville Area Association and REALTORS® and ValleyMLS.com in a professional setting.

Abbie Kates believes in the power of research and strives to be proactive with learning and analyzing new communication trends through her memberships in professional organizations such as SPRF, PRSA and NAPRCA. Abbie Kate has been at HAAR coming up on a year now, where she oversees the planning and coordinator of the Realtor® Expo and Installation Gala, and manages all marketing efforts for ValleyMLS.com.

How has Huntsville shaped your career path?

Huntsville introduced me to an industry I had little knowledge of before I started my current role at Huntsville Area Association of REALTORS®. The real estate industry is a living, breathing thing, especially in the number one city in the U.S. Having the opportunity to tell the REALTOR® story and educate our community on affordable and fair housing has taken my career down a road I never knew I could be a part of. I have learned that as a professional communicator, there are so many opportunities to teach our Huntsville residents about housing, professionalism, and how to get involved in the community through storytelling, working with our local media outlets, and participating in community-facing events.

What is the best place in town to hang out in your free time?

I love hanging out at Stovehouse. It is a multi-use arts/entertainment and business facility located very close to downtown. There’s a unique choice of restaurants, bars, breweries, local shops, and even boutique gyms. You can get a workout in, have a meal, and get a drink all in one place. I love that Stovehouse has live music featuring local musicians and events throughout the year that attract crowds from all over. It’s the perfect place to grab your morning coffee, host an event for your company at one of their premier spaces, or sit in the quaint outdoor seating area and relax.

Biography: Foster Brooks is a part of the 4th generation of the Brooks & Collier business. The business is a 77 year old Home & Garden store in Downtown Huntsville. Foster and his wife, Sarah, have an 18 month old son named Billy, who is their pride and joy. Foster was born and raised in Huntsville and can’t imagine calling anywhere else home. He grew up in the Huntsville City School System and graduated from Huntsville High School in 2011. He attended Auburn University and graduated from the College of Business in 2015. Currently, Foster is the Operations Manager at Brooks & Collier.

Biography: Sam Stiles is currently the Vice President of Marketing at Summit 7, in Huntsville, AL. As a marketing professional, Sam has worked in marketing operations, creative design, go-to-market strategy, business continuity, national supply chain sales, financial market development and more. Sam graduated from Auburn University in 2015 with a Bachelors of Science in Business Administration with an emphasis on Marketing. He also completed the evening advanced leadership program at Highlands College in 2019. Through his knowledge of the Microsoft Government platform and its relationship to CMMC, Sam has attained knowledge in cybersecurity, NIST 800-171, and CMMC. Sam's ability to articulate technical expertise via common platforms such as YouTube, LinkedIn, blogs, and other mediums, as well as his strength as a team leader, have launched him from a Marketing Operations Lead to the Vice President of Marketing at Summit 7 in just over three years.

How has Huntsville shaped your career path?

Huntsville has given me the opportunity to meet and network with professionals in both cybersecurity and marketing because of the diversity in our city. Having high-level leaders and forward-thinkers move to Huntsville from other parts of the United States has been a personal blessing, as I’ve made friends and mentors from different backgrounds and locations.

What is the best place in town to hang out in your free time?

Free time – what’s that? When I prioritize free time, you’ll catch me fishing at a local creek or pond. That or taking my kids to FLOW on South Parkway – I’m a giant kid at heart (ask my wife).

What’s the best place to grab a drink, coffee, tea, etc. in town?

Angels Island or Goldsprint Coffee. I refuse to choose between the two!

What is your favorite thing to do in Huntsville on the weekends?

Attend Church of The Highlands with my crew (The Stiles Fam)!

Biography: Liz Power has been a leader and mentor in real estate for years. Building and maintaining a successful real estate career since 2009, Liz Power (Huntsville, AL) set her real estate team apart by providing practical coaching and training. Liz believes in giving back to her community, and is a champion for private property rights. She has been a top-producing agent and team leader in North Alabama, is a graduate of Leadership AAR, and currently serves on the Board of Directors for the Alabama Association of Realtors (2023). She is also an active participant in her local association (HAAR- Huntsville Area Association of Realtors) and has served on committees for professional standards and ethics.

Early in her career, she developed a reputation for her innovative video marketing strategies. She has been in over 600 real estate videos to promote her listings and gain market share. She believes in, and is always striving for excellence, innovation, and impact. Her credentials include PSA (Certified Pricing Strategy Advisor), ASP (Accredited Staging Professional), CHME (Certified Home Marketing Expert), SFR (Short Sale Foreclosure Resource) and she holds an Alabama Broker license as well. She is currently serving as the Director of Training & Agent Development at Century 21 Prestige- a large organization with over a dozen offices across the Southeast. Liz is passionate about education and after witnessing how her classes resonated with agents, she saw the need in the marketplace to offer this unparalleled training nationwide through EmPower Consulting. Her authenticity and energy has made her a sought after speaker. Liz is passionate about helping professionals create a relationship-driven business that isscalable, replicable, and sustainable.

Huntsville was recently ranked the 4th most prosperous city and one of the best places for career building opportunities. Why do you think Huntsville is so unique for younger career seeking individuals and entrepreneurs?

I think it’s a combination of a highly educated demographic as well as great jobs that come here for various reasons. Affordability is another great factor about this city. People are drawn to the small town vibe, but also to a city with great jobs and job security. To me, and many others, this is a logical step for career building. This is also a very convenient city. It is two hours away from Nashville, three from Atlanta, and we have an international airport right here in town.

Biography: A native of the Huntsville area, Logan Hoffman, has been in the mortgage industry since graduating from Auburn in August of 2016. Having a Human Resources degree, he started there and worked his way from HR Manager to running his own branch while with Hometown Lenders. Logan is now starting a new adventure and bringing Stockton Mortgage to the Tennessee Valley. He is blessed with a great family.

His wife of 6 years, Caitlin, and two sons, Easton (4) and Nolan (2).

Huntsville was recently ranked the 4th most prosperous city and one of the best places for career building opportunities. Why do you think Huntsville is so unique for younger career seeking individuals and entrepreneurs?

There are so many reasons, but a major one that sticks out to me is how secure of an area to work in it is. What I mean by that is this, Huntsville is home to one of the premier areas for defense contracting and many government backed institutions, most of which pay very well. You couple those along with all of the manufacturing companies setting up shop here, the sky's the limit (literally).

How has Huntsville shaped your career path?

The same reasons above apply to this question as well. Huntsville is such a great place to run/start a business in almost any sector, mortgages being no different. The business here allows you to grow elsewhere.

What is the best place in town to hang out in your free time?

We love campus 805! You can go grab a beer and then when you get hungry, move right over to Rock and Roll sushi for dinner.

What’s the best place to grab a drink, coffee, tea, etc. in town?

I would say Hamley’s in Meridianville is my go to!

What is your favorite thing to do in Huntsville on the weekends?

We love going to see the Huntsville Havoc or just relax at home. We have a pretty busy schedule throughout the week so it is nice to wind down on the weekends.

Biography: For Dylan Eichberg, family has always been important. From Fredericksburg, Virginia, he grew up with his two siblings, Ben and Lily. At seven years old, Dylan joined a summer swim league and has been swimming since. Swimming wasn’t just his passion, it became his life. Swimming allowed Dylan to push himself, learn to accept failure, and celebrate the victories. After years of training, Dylan was sent to the Olympic Training Center in Denver for the National Diversity Select Camp and also earned a trip to Ireland to compete. During that time, Dylan was a USA swimming academic all American and at one time held every record on his high school team.

Aside from swimming, Dyaln is an Eagle Scout and was a class officer. After graduating from Stafford High School in 2018, Dylan chose to continue his swimming and school at Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, Virginia. While at VT, he earned NCAA All American in the 200 fly and a degree in Business. He moved to Huntsville and joined SafeSplash in July 2022 hoping to bring his love of swimming and his business knowledge together to help other young people learn to love a sport that has shaped his life. But soon, SafeSplash became much more. Today, Dylan is learning new things daily as his team searches for new opportunities and continues growing as a small business. Most importantly, he hopes to be a good role model to the kids of Huntsville while teaching as many people as possible to learn to swim.

Biography: Sarah Smith graduated from the University of Alabama in Huntsville with a Master of Accountancy and a B.A. in Accounting. Sarah is passionate about giving back and serving her local Huntsville community. She is a Huntsville Committee of 100 Young Professional and in the Leadership Greater Huntsville Connect 25 Class. She serves on the board of the United Way of Morgan County, Decatur Youth Symphony, National Defense and Industrial Association (NDIA), the Rotary Club of Decatur Daybreak and is the Co-Chair of the Advisory Council for Burritt on the Mountain. She is a Financial Advisor at Morgan Stanley Wealth Management, committed to helping successful professionals and families achieve financial independence. She has been named to Morgan Stanley’s prestigious Pacesetter’s Club, an elite group composed of the firm’s successful Financial Advisors. In her free time, Sarah enjoys golfing, traveling to new places, skeet shooting and hanging out with her 2-year-old nephew.

What is your career goal, and how does HSV fit into that picture?

My goal for my career is to continue to grow my business, building my client base in Huntsville, and as our clients’ businesses grow, we grow as well. I want to always stay on the cutting-edge of resources and solutions for our clients so that they are getting the same benefits and service that they would in any bigger, metropolitan area.

What is your favorite thing to do in Huntsville on the weekends?

Trash Pandas baseball games, live music at Stella’s downtown, and I can’t forget a round of golf up at the Ledges!

What’s your favorite restaurant in town?

There are so many good restaurants in different areas of Greater Huntsville. Downtown, I like to go to either the Bottle, Domaine South & Petit Bijou, or Sam & Greg’s; Town Madison has Prohibition which has a great, unique menu and patio area. How can you pick a favorite when you’ve got so many different options to try now, and my friends and I like to try all of them!

Biography: Sahara Embry created and leads a local Real Estate team here in Huntsville called The Embry Group. She leads a team of 23 people. In the last year she has helped the Huntsville community by featuring a ton of local small businesses on our team Instagram @embrygroup. She really wants to see Huntsville grow and has helped us make sure her team is at the front of that in Real Estate. She is always willing to help and lead whoever needs it, but at the same time she is creative and trying to make a difference in Real Estate. She got started in Real Estate at the age of 19, which was about 10 years ago. She is dedicated to taking care of people and being innovative in Real Estate. Her and her husband both own a total of 3 local businesses here in Huntsville and the passion she has for business and our city is what makes her stand out.

How is your experience unique in your field, and what are you doing personally to innovate and produce change in your field?

I stand out by doing things differently and with meaning behind everything I do. For example, Huntsville has never really hosted a Real Estate conference before. This year in April I made one happen for our local Realtors and had over 100 local Realtors show up to learn how to go their career in huntsville. Doing things like that in our community is what makes me different and is something I love doing. I am also really focusing on the growth of small businesses in Huntsville by promoting them on our social media and building partnerships with them so more people in our area know where to go and to support our small businesses in Huntsville.

How has Huntsville shaped your career path?

The growth of the city and vision for its community has just inspired me to love Huntsville and want to build my business here.

What’s your favorite restaurant in town?

Cotton Row or Domaine South are amazing!

What are your hobbies?

When you own 3 businesses and have a one year old you do not really have time for hobbies. If I have extra time I spend it at a spa in Huntsville getting a facial or massage. All other time is spent working or spending time with family.

Biography: Andy Keelon started out building spec homes, then buying and flipping apartment complexes, along with running his commercial real estate appraisal firm. He is thankful for his dad teaching him the building and development business. He is now developing St Andrews Villas, an $80 million (305 unit) luxury apartment complex, with no partners or outside investor monies. Andy is the definition of truly a self made man and is as humble as they come. He also developed a $10 million industrial site with multiple buildings in Madison. You will not find a more deserved person for this award.

Why do you think Huntsville is so unique for younger career seeking individuals and entrepreneurs?

With Huntsville having the 40,000 specialized jobs on the Redstone Arsenal, NASA and having the 2nd largest research park in the world, I think it offers a unique opportunity for young professionals.

What is your career goal, and how does HSV fit into that picture?

I would like to develop more walk-able, for rent communities and I believe the Huntsville job market will support that demand for the long term.

How is your experience unique in your field, and what are you doing personally to innovate and produce change in your field?

I think my experience in commercial real estate appraisal taught me how to better value and analyze all positive and negative aspects of a property.

How has Huntsville shaped your career path?

The growth of Huntsville has allowed me to develop larger projects each year for housing and now the need for more industrial space, from the spin off of Mazda-Toyota and other manufacturing companies relocating to Huntsville.

What is the best place in town to hang out in your free time?

Orion Amphitheater, Village of Providence and the farmers market at MidCity.